Birthday Breakfast in Bed

We had a very snowy Thanksgiving in western PA in a spot where wi-fi and cell reception is so dicey we feel like we are back in the 90s, but we appreciate that. Back home, the girls and a little friend helped me decorate for Christmas in our new home.  We had a blast figuring out how to arrange all the beloved old decorations in the new window sills and shelves.  This year we have a hearth for the first time.  It holds firewood, not a fire, but it came with five old, hand-made nails. So the stockings are hung by the...woodstove...with care.





We also had the last Youth Group meeting of the year. We have hosted it in our home so far this semester, so I never quite know what I'll find when I come home from Awana with the two little girls on Sunday nights.  This week my husband thought he'd try bobbing for apples.  I had suggested putting the tub on the porch, but he assured me they wouldn't make to much of a mess.  Then one of the high school seniors slipped and went into the tub, sending a tsunami of apples and water all over my kitchen.  So, I ended up with a well-mopped kitchen floor. 

I had my first experience with a radio interview. It wasn't my best ten minutes ever, but I did get to share a tiny bit of what I've learned about Christmas.  The interview is the result of the October publication of my recent book.  It is available in hardback and for the Kindle. I have two more interviews lined up so far, each of them longer time increments. My husband has kindly been helping me prepare by throwing tough questions at me.  I know he enjoys this more than I do.

I also had the chance to give talks developed from my book this week.  I shared about the origins of Christmas with the ladies of my mother's church, and I talked about the astonishing characters of Christmas at my campus library.  These were a lot of fun.

Today was my birthday, and I had my most successful breakfast in bed ever. No one bounced my tea out of the cup, no one tried to take my food, and it came speedily, so I wasn't stuck in bed waiting very long (they once tried to make pancakes--from scratch--while I was more than ready to roll out of bed).  This year's success is partly due to my husband's thoughtful preparations ahead of time.   The girls were so excited to participate as my little maids.  Later we went out for lunch, and then I had the thrill of taking a child to the ER for a totally over-cautious, potential rabies-exposure visit.  Don't worry, all is well, but man, can Sapphire put up a fight when she sees the needles coming at her.