michellany

Wicked Good!

My "babies"... posing dutifully for the annual Halloween front porch photo:

OK, so maybe this first one's a little stiff...we'll try another...

And in this one, Batman looks a little exasperated...or constipated...we're not sure which...
 

Now everybody's losing it...let's go trick or treating, already!

Finally!  With Hugh looking up to Heaven in gratitude, it's CANDY TIME!
 

Hope you all had a SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN!!!

 
 
 
  

2009: Hello, Gorgeous!

This is gonna' be a great year, I can tell.  I can always tell, each year, on New Year's Day, that this year will be better than the last.

And it's not that last year was so bad - on the whole, I think 2008 was a pretty good year. 

And it's not that each year actually turns out to be better than the last.  Sometimes it's just not possible...this is life we're talking about here, after all...

What it really comes down to is the whole "hope springs eternal" thing.  I always subscribe to the rampant optimism of a new beginning, a fresh start.  Yes, the whole Pollyanna deal, as in "the sun'll come out tomorrow," and everything...oh, wait a minute, I'm mixing musicals...(was Pollyanna a musical?)

But you get the point.  And the thing is, what's the alternative?  January 1 as just another day?  More of the same?  Bah Humbug to that!  And I prefer Pollyanna to Scrooge ANY day - not just today.

Blessings to you and yours in this new year, and always!

December 2008: O B E and O V E R

Missed me? 

December has flown by.  At warp speed.  And now, an entire year is almost over.

My last (brief) post a couple of weeks ago was about Hugh's fourth birthday.  Since then, I've learned a few things, some wonderful, some decidedly not:

1. Even in a dismal economy, a small business owner can be incredibly blessed.  December sales at A Gracious Plenty rose more than 400% above our average monthly sales.  If you are one of our customers reading this, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  We hope you loved your experience with us and you'll give us the chance to serve you again in 2009!

2. Even if the damage appears relatively minor, it doesn't take much to total a ten year old car.  While driving home one dark, rainy night a couple of weeks ago, my husband wrecked his car.  He was physically fine, albeit monumentally bummed.  And that was before we learned the insurance company deemed the damage beyond repair...SIGH...but did I mention that no one got hurt?

3. The more children you have, the more holiday events you will need want to host or attend every holiday season.  As a mother of three, this month I went to 3 class parties, two school pageants, and 1 church pageant rehearsal.  I couldn't go the actual church pageant because, well...

4. Sometimes even your biggest, seemingly invincible hero needs a hand.  Two days after arriving to stay with us for the holidays, my grandfather collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital.  While we initially feared a stroke, after a full day in the ER, a two-day stay in the VA hospital, and numerous scans, shots, and blood samples, doctors determined the culprit was pneumonia.  Happily, my grandfather is now here at home with us, slowly regaining his strength.  Hey, even Superman had kryptonite, right?

So, if you noticed my absence, please forgive it.  I've certainly missed posting my little musings here.  But there were the not-so-minor details of a tree to find and decorate, shopping and cooking to do, cards to write, family to visit...you know, all the usual joys of the season that can become - let's just be candid - overwhelming, even when all else is clicking along smoothly according to plan.  December seems to have been simply overcome by events, or as they say in the military, OBE.  And now, along with all of 2008, it is simply OVER.

2009?  I'M READY!

Black Friday, Indeed

Let me say from the outset:  I am not a Wal-Mart fan.  Far from it.  I am a small business owner who has been known to quip that my little shop will never become the Wal-mart of personalized gifts.  I have ventured into several Wal-Marts over the years, and been consistently disappointed in the total lack of customer service I experienced.

Let me also say from the outset:  Even though I am a retailer, and the health of my company depends on shoppers making the choice to spend their time and money purchasing products I offer, I also believe in balance.  I believe in spending time with my family and other pleasurable pursuits.  I believe what the country song says:  "ain't no dollar sign on peace of mind." 

So I was appalled to read today that a Wal-Mart worker was killed by a stampede of anxious shoppers at the early-morning opening of a Wal-Mart in suburban New York. 

I don't know about you, but I really don't want a gift that's been bought, quite literally, with blood money.

For many years, I worked in a retail setting.  It was how I paid for a large part of my college education.  For the most part, I enjoyed it.  I loved (and still love) helping people pick just the right gift to bring joy to a loved one.  But I also saw the ugliness - and the irony - every December.  In a season for celebrating the birth of Jesus and the many gifts He's given us, we've become so focused on the material gifts in our hyper-commercialized world that we've forsaken the most important gift we will ever have to offer:  love for one another. 

Perhaps this isn't the first year someone has been killed by a shopping mob.  It is the first year that I've heard of it.  Will this shock us into reassessing our holiday habits?  Sadly, I doubt it.

Last year, the family Christmas card we sent out contained this quoted verse from Dr. Seuss' The Grinch:

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

Oh if only more people would read Dr. Seuss at Christmastime...

Thankful

The past week and a half has flown by.  When I last posted, the kids and I had just started our week without their dear old Dad, who was overseas roughing it in ITALY.  (Can you hear the violins playing?)  Two seems to be the magic number for that week:  two sick children, two artists' markets, and two nights with zero sleep (luckily, not consecutive nights...). 

Clearly, we all survived, including my husband, who returned without incident, as scheduled.  (Me?  I might have tried to capitalize on the Air France strike as an excuse to squeeze in a few more days of vino and rosas before returning to the madness of Casa di Weston...)  This week has been spent getting back in the groove:  catching up where needed, hosting preschool holiday parties, and celebrating Thanksgiving.

Which brings me to today. 

Today of all days, I am especially mindful of the many blessings in my life.  My husband and children, extended family, friends who are like family, our health, and our home...and last but not least, a budding little business that I enjoy tremendously everyday.  Indeed, I have truly been blessed beyond measure, and I am humble and thankful in the midst of such abundance.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!  May you and yours always be blessed with a gracious plenty!

Today of all days, I am especially mindful of the many blessings in my life.  My husband and children, extended family, friends who are like family, our health, and our home...and last but not least, a budding little business that I enjoy tremendously everyday.  Indeed, I have truly been blessed beyond measure, and I am humble and thankful in the midst of such abundance.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!  May you and yours always be blessed with a gracious plenty!