twelfth

As I was taught in playwriting, a good story starts on a special day. Today is 12/12/12. First Real Snow came on Brett's 28th Sunday birthday. Norah sang "Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star" in the Sunday School Program. My sister is visiting & we are painting house, baking, cleaning, and trudging though powdery white stuff just for fun. Not least of all, HOBBIT premieres at midnight in a little over a day.

...and Christmas comes in 13!

write/pray

Just picked up Gilead by Marilyn Robinson.

For me writing has always felt like praying . . . you feel that you are with someone. I feel I am with you now . . .

That is how I have always felt about writing for as long as I can remember.

Anyhow, I have a stack of books to read. Also a list of projects to ignore. All this talk of The Hobbit Part I has put me in a mood to watch Lord of the Rings, one disc at a time. So I just watched the first disc in Fellowship and laughed out loud over how all hobbits think about is food. Because yes I relate to Pippin, what if Strider forgets entirely about eating in a routinely fashion? Norah (snack-royalty if there ever was) asked me what was funny. Then she proceeded to ask me questions about hobbits and elves every 3 minutes for the rest of the movie. I think I'll be watching the rest after she's gone to bed from now on - the rest are rather dark anyway.

edge of the divine

I don't want to waste another moment of my life without you in it.

-Garden State

reformation halloween

"All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask."

- Martin Luther

I could complain when Brett has to work on a Saturday, but that would be ludicrous when I have so much to be thankful for. Like the fact that I have a husband who works hard with nary a grumble for his family and God.

So while Brett put in hours and the sun shone, Norah and I walked to the thrift store to buy some clothes for the fast-growing Ryott. How fun is it to have a nephew?! For only ten bucks I got at least five adorable like-new outfits. Blue for his eyes, orange and green and brown for his outdoorsy dad, stripes for his style-savvy mama, warm and hardy fleece, thermal, and corduroy for a midwest winter, and two reversable beanies for his darling head.

On our walk we were surprised by -but quickly made friends with - a trio of beautiful dogs, two dobermans and a golden retriever whose owner apologetically explained "they are very quiet and friendly, but they think they own the sidewalk" while Norah fended off enthusiastic canine kisses. I'm glad Norah can grow up with a large (understatement) dog like Vic, but it is funny to hear her mimicking bellow "Quiet Bikdur!"

Sunday I was up early before church to bake cupcakes and cornbread, wrap gifts, and put the finishing touches on Norah's costume for a fall family birthday fest in the afternoon. She was a wild tawny lion, or possibly an ewok.

Needless to say, between our recently acquired ship's helm and my cousin's little boy Edmund Petersen, I am incredibly stoked for this year to culminate with my favorite Narnia book of the them all: Voyage of the Dawn Treader coming to theatres in December.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi732235289/


Or if you're in the mood for some local music, here is a hymn by Owl City, playing at his own Owatonna high school today.

http://owlcityblog.com/2010/10/25/my-hope-is-found/

sweater weather

Norah is 27 months old today. Two and a quarter years.

And it snowed.

It's all melted now, and a bitterly cold wind drives all the carpet of leaves away, but I got to walk to the post office amid actual flakes. Time for wrapping presents, baking cookies, wearing costumes, roasting turkey, singing carols, drinking cider/cocoa/chai/seasonally-spiced-coffee.

Brett and I just watched two movies I really liked. Me and Orson Welles was surprisingly unpredictable and an accurate and timeless portrayal of professional theatre, in my experience. Robin Hood (with Russell Crowe) surpassed my expectations, even if Medival English History was the only class I ever got a C in (quite deserved).

We are going to a Wild/Capitals game in the Twin Cities this week, and next month to a L'abri conference in Ames. I don't mind that it will take time to develop lasting friendships with others, because I'd most like to invite them over to my own house, which won't happen for a while anyway. I just don't want to get out of practice. There is plenty for me to steward meantime.

blusterful windsday

blocks brett is making for norah

that's right: snow

I'm making a scrapbook about Norah, and it's so great leafing through all the memories and setting them down in story form.