Here comes good ol' Santa Claus....

I don't recall sharing anything about my co-worker friend Clarence. 

Clarence is 80 years young and proud of it. For most of the year, he's our sweet lil' mailroom guy, but come December things start to change. He grows his beard a bit longer and fuller, and he gets out his nice red suit.

Mmm hmmm, he's our very own in-house Santa! Last Thursday and Friday he and Mrs. Claus (another good sport-co-worker friend) sat and listened to countess wish lists from kids (and Grand-kids!) of employees...(Have I mentioned that I love where I work?)

Carter was a little shy this year, but managed to sit on Santa's lap and have a lil' chit-chat, but Coen wanted no part of Old St. Nick. Now, Mrs. Claus was another story....(I'm telling you, this little guy is totally a ladies man!)

...Hard to believe Christmas will be here in just one more week!

Happy Turkey-Day, my friends.

 Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare.  They are consumed in twelve minutes.  Half-times take twelve minutes.  This is not coincidence.  ~Erma Bombeck

I came across a photo from Thanksgiving 2007 and thought I'd share it again. (such a beautiful and delicious pie my daughter-in-law made!)

Wishing you all a cozy Thanksgiving, filled with love, and laughter, and gratitude.

Peace on Earth.

Isn't it incredible what a little glitter, paper and ribbon can do to turn any room into a festive event?

Along with my reception area,(more on that project to come shortly!) I am helping to decorate the lobby area of our building at work for the holidays. Our company's logo is mainly a deep purple, with lighter lavender and some silver and gold, so we decided we'd go with these colors to mix things up a bit, and I am excited to see it all unfold.

We've got some fabulous ideas, and thanks to good ol' WalMart, we got the giant tree and nearly all of the trimmings for a nice price.

Last night I used my signature old Dictionary pages and printed the letters for a giant banner that will span across the second floor loft area. I'll be adding some glitter and using my pinking sheers, along with framing the pages with a rich shade of purple paper. The finished banner will read "Peace on Earth" and I think it is going to top things off perfectly.. I'll share the lobby area in it's entirety next week.(We will be decorating Monday night after work!) 

In case you're wondering, today I am thankful for having a job where I am encouraged to be creative, and think outside the box. I'm also thankful for my coworker friends that share my enthusiasm.

I know it's only rock n' roll, but I like it.

I am thankful for...

my Rock n' Roll Buddy.

If anyone had told me five years ago that I'd love going for rides on the back of a Harley, (including one spur of the moment ride at nearly midnight) that I'd actually look forward to Sunday Football, (even if the Seahawks are borderline pathetic this season...) or that many Friday and Saturday nights I would utter the words to a new acquaintance, "I'm here with the Band" I would have done a double eye roll...as soon as I finished laughing.

Watching Monday Night Football, and hearing the announcer repeat, verbatim, what my Buddy just said on the sofa always make me laugh, (seriously, it's like there's a three second delay and the guy has an ear phone to repeat what he said...) listening to old reel-to-reels of  Rock n' Roll from his earlier band days, or snuggling up in a blanket enjoying a really late-night (early morning?) private one-man-guitar concert,(complete with moments of Name-That-Tune from him and some song requests from me...) are all things I would never have pictured myself doing...(actually, having a blast)...but I do, and that is what is so great about life. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing. Different can be better.

Finding someone who is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get person is very different for me, and I mean that in the best way. (Trust me, after spending three decades with a guy who's motto was "You are what you drive." this is so refreshing, and welcomed.)

I consider one of my all time favorite dates the time we stopped at the grocery and got frosted animal cookies, milk and two paper cups to share in the car on the way to a Brew Pub to watch the vikings lose play and share some two-for-a-buck tacos. (I can't tell you how much fun that was...and that's definitely something you would never have seen me doing in my old life.)

Mmmm hmmm,  I'd have to say that I am very thankful for my Ralph, and for a second chance at sharing my heart.

Mo's.

Friday night we took off for the coast to spend the weekend with some visiting family members, and that included a trip to Mo's.

Mo's is known across the entire region for it's off-the-chart, incredible New England style clam chowder. This place is so good that even though it was a rainy, grey afternoon, between lunch and supper time, there was long line wrapping all the way outside of the building, of people just wanting to get a seat and big ol' bowl of Mo's clam chowder. 

I must share here that this was not only my very fist visit to Mo's, but my very first time tasting Clam Chowder. (Shameful, I know)I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of this thick, rich, cream concoction of clams, and cream, and potatoes, delivered to our table in perfect sourdough bread soup bowls.

Mmmmmm.

I discovered this past weekend that not only am I thankful for good friends and family to spend time exploring new places with, but I am also thankful for comfort foods, like Mo's clam chowder.

Peace, love, junk.

Today I am thankful for all of the inspiration from my friends out there in the Junk World. Thanks to the internet, this world is a much warmer, cozier place where we can share clever ideas and stimulate our imagination for re-purposing things to make our homes our havens.

Especially now, when so many of us are on budgets, and have more time than money, it is gratifying to be able to use discarded items in new ways, without breaking the bank.