Nox

I'll be honest: I wasn't totally sold on Nox when we brought him home. I wasn't thrilled with puppy-hood. He required a lot of time and attention that I wasn't excited to put forth and the kids weren't focused enough to provide on their own. (No matter how much they promised so they could have that adorable puppy sitting in the SPCA.) But aside from the normal, but by no means excessive, puppy things like having accidents and chewing on the couch cushions, he is such a good dog. Now that he's left the puppy stage, he's a joy. He was born to be a companion dog. He follows me almost everywhere, including the bathroom. At times it feels like having a furry toddler in the house.

And it's hard to have a bad day when he smiles up at me like this all the time.

The movie theater that was in the mall here closed for remodeling in the fall (I think) and it still hasn't reopened yet. But, as with many things that seem at first to be nothing but an inconvenience, it has definitely been a blessing in disguise. We're a family that loves going to the movies. That's not going to change, although with the cost of tickets these days I'm sure we'll have to be more careful about it. But the truly wonderful thing about this time without the big complex nearby is that we found something even better.

In the town of Lowville, which is maybe a 30 minute drive for us, there's an old theater that was at one time an opera house, a USO club, and a silent movie house. They show one or two movies a weekend, and the ticket and food prices are much lower than most cinemas as well. Plus, it's just so damn charming and lovely. And who doesn't love to support such a great, local, family-owned business, anyway?

Right across the street is a diner called Jeb's, where the food is good and the milkshakes even better (say the hellmonkeys). So we will often pass a wonderful Friday evening with a dinner there and then walk across the street to see a film. And we might not have discovered this option if the theater by us hadn't closed. But it did close, and we did discover it, and although I'm sure we will see movies at the newer place when it reopens, you can be sure we will always pick the Town Hall Theater in Lowville first.

There is so much charm to be found in the little places of this area, and having moved around a good bit, I feel that is true for everywhere. You just have to be willing to look for it. Sometimes it takes a closing to move us out of our comfort zone in order to find it, but it is always so worth it when we do.

Can we have some spring, please?

I call this his "don't talk to me until I've eaten my hotcakes" face, and I'm pretty sure that's exactly the look on my own before I've had a cup of coffee every morning. It's been a long end-of-winter. February and March are always kind of long up here. So ready for spring, so not going to get it. But today it's in the 50s and the sun is shining and for the first time I actually believe it's coming.

Old Long Since (Auld Lang Syne)

Happy New Year!

These are my two favorite images I took in 2010. I actually had them made into canvases to give my parents for Christmas, and I'm going to order some for us soon as well.

2010 saw my husband come home safely from Afghanistan, and my children healthy and happy. Thanks, 2010. I have high hopes for 2011, but no matter what I know it will mostly be what I make it. Here's hoping you have a lot to work with this year, too.

Post-Holiday

We had a good holiday, and I hope everyone else did, too. I cooked a big dinner and we STILL have ham left. Clint put a facebook status up yesterday that said, "Sophia is mowing down her books, Benjamin is mowing down his video games, and Brittany is mowing down a well-deserved nap," and I think that about covers the state of us post-holiday. I've always liked this week between Christmas and New Year. It feels so relaxed. I always had toys and then new books to read when I was younger, and no school, and now I'm an adult and my kids are on break from school, we're eating leftovers, watching new movies and reading new books, and napping. Amen to napping.

Friday - {This Moment}

Clint's big present this year. SWOON.

Tis the Season

A season for snow, hand knits, and lights from the tree making me happy. I think I'll be finishing up almost all the gift shopping today, and although I'm pretty happy with what we've done in that area this year, it still feels like too much somehow. Do others feels that way? Like the search for gifts to give, and particularly I'm thinking about shopping for our children here, can be painful to both the spirit and the wallet sometimes? I don't know. I want to get them something with joy. I like finding the right gift. I guess I wish we had started things differently when they were younger. Like, I think Santa should bring one present. Going over The Lists and trying to figure out what can be afforded, and equally, and so on just isn't what I want for the season, but somehow we just got into that pattern.

But it's not all bad. I say all that but our family is still on the smaller side of the gift-giving extravaganzas I've seen or heard about. By necessity, sure, but also by choice. I find I like the smaller things we do so much more. Going to get our tree, baking cookies, making cranberry tea on the stovetop, bringing out the familiar ornaments and holiday books, the cards and wrapping paper the kids draw and make... these things are the holiday season more than the gift-giving, and I hope my kids get that and carry that forward into their adult lives. I think they will.