He is my favorite dog in the entire universe and he’s utterly bewildered why I 1) made him put on his collar and did not actually take him somewhere and 2) made him sit on the dining room chair when he’s not allowed on the furniture.
Despite his confusion and my insistence that I’m not a good pet photographer, we came up with this precious shot. Shiloh is sporting his Christmas present, a Ruff Rambler bandana (made by Lincoln locals and friends Bryce and Karen!), and I’m only now wishing I had moved his tags to a different spot. Turns out that keeping my model on the chair and focused on the treat in one hand while my other hand shot the picture was not an easy feat. I have no clue how Bryce and Karen are getting such beautiful shots, but I suspect there are a gazillion images in the trash bin, too.
Shiloh is our 11 year old Coton de Tulear and he’s a small, faithful, spirited little shadow that I have come to completely rely on for comfort and companionship. He’s a good dog brother to his human sister and he is a perpetual barking thorn in his master’s side because he thinks he must protect the missus of the house. He sleeps in the cutest positions ever, has never met a dog he doesn’t love, and will wait on the front porch to be let back in if his owners forget they let him out. His middle name is Roosevelt because Liv and I say so.
I long to get away for more time with friends and to see new places and at the same time I cherish this year of late breakfasts of scrambled eggs and hot coffee for my sweet family of three. We’re all here. The gang is all here all the time, and the daily agenda is largely ours to set. Work and school and play and meals and snacks and movies—it’s all happening here.
Will there ever again be a time like this one? I doubt it. Feeling grateful for this strange gift of time together.
And into the mess of humanity, in the middle of the darkness, in the middle of my darkness, Jesus the light of the world has arrived. He is the Savior of all mankind. Glory to God in the highest indeed.
The candles have been used and re-used for years for several years because we are inconsistent Advent candle lighters and because we care little about perfection when it comes to Christmas decor. Our stockings don’t match. Our tree is filled with ornaments from friends and family and isn’t magazine-worthy (and I adore it!). And our Advent wreath candles are quite wonky this year. We’re all quite wonky this year.
Here I am, posing just after I finished my coffee and reading time. Working my way through a cute and easy-to-read story about a group of quilters and through Huckleberry Finn with Liv (and while I’m at it, could Mark Twain squeeze more words in there? I think not!). Automatic timer all set up. I used a globe as a stand-in for my head to get the focus right.
And then my knee connected with the bench I’m on in the most unfortunate of ways. Look, I have a decently high pain tolerance, so I’m still confused as to what special situation happened. But I whacked my knee on the bench and thought I was going to pass out. It was nuts! I was sure I was headed for surgery for decapitating my kneecap! Jeremy came to my rescue. Liv asked after me quickly. And lo and behold, I don’t even have a bruise to show for it. Just a lump. And I can still walk. No surgery needed. But oh my goodness, it was really exciting for a little while. Want to see the pic? SO MUCH DRAMA.
Did you know that Culinary Arts students must learn how to keep their work and storage spaces tidy? That they also must learn when a pantry or refrigerator item is expired, how to properly dispose of said item, and then how to re-order ingredients needed for future recipes?
Last night after Jeremy composted the dying veggies from our refrigerator, he left out the crisper drawer and as he moved on quickly to the next task suggested someone wipe out the bottom of the frig. Our Culinary Arts student handled the job quite easily this morning.
