December- the numbers are in.

• 22 dollars worth of delicious grapefruit to kick off 
• Many a good December morning with vitamin c 
• 2 bouts of pink eye 
• 1 child recovered from flu 
• 4 people who may have...hopefully...yes, definitely (!woo-hoo!) escaped it 

• 1 living room turned film set with 1 nativity on the mantle including 
• 5 or so unlikely toy characters -dora, obi-wan, thor & friends- as well as the usual players and 
• Presents under the tree, 3/4ths of which are (temporarily) empty, to be used as props 
• 5 stockings hanging full of plastic bags for effect 
• A dozen or so actors & families, half of us trying to be quiet in the basement 
• The other half blinded by huge lights and striving to remember lines & blocking...
• Followed by a meeting of six 4H crafting girls 

• 17 loads of laundry i should have done earlier 
• Less than 1 footpath leading to the wash machine 
• 248 m&ms waiting in the snowman dish 
• 3 or more apps that distract, I mean help, me in my productivity 
• 1 treasured mary-on-a-donkey figure lost...somewhere around here...sigh...

• 29 beautiful cards & pictures received enthusiastically, sent with love & beauty
• 3 boxes of blank happy christmas cards sitting, waiting, hoping to darken the door of the mailbox slot but not holding their breath*
• 21 candles lit on our advent wreath & read with Ann's incredible Jesse tree devos 
• 3 weeks full of this captivating, enthralling story- bartholomews passage, daily 

• One overworked but overjoyed-2be-in-his-element husband 
• Three cousins in three sleeping bags (one arm reaching onto another's shoulder)
• at least 36 favorite Christmas songs 
• 4 fun Christmasy pandora stations 
• 17 piano students working on a handful of Christmas tunes in fine fashion---
• Practicing over 3000 minutes and 100 days between them this month

• 3 boxes of Chex cereal hoping to grow up into Chex mix, see above* 
• 5 cookie recipes that may or may not grace our table (but it's the thought that counts, right?)
• Too many late nights to count
• 4 doctors visits 
• 2 rounds of antibiotics 
• 1 grown up ear infection 

• 1 wonderful kids Christmas program
• 1 amazing new Christmas musical (Hosanna!)
• 2 parent nights out 
• At least 3 dinners made by Neva  
• A handful of homemade surprise crafts constructed by Lincoln
• One cozy "Buzz Light-Near" footie jammy worn regularly by Rowan

• Approximately one dozen cookies (we'll never know now, will we) lovingly, beautifully, moundfully frosted & decorated with enthusiasm and endless sprinkles by 2 darling children, eaten off of a
• 4 foot tall buffet within
• 5 hours of being brought home from the cookie party, by 
• ONE despicable old -but-she's-a-dog-can-u-blame-her DOG, who deserves the tummy ache she's hopefully experiencing...(tho i do love that doggie huge)

• Between 51 and 89 individual strands of tinsel, placed and glued by hand, yes by hand, in a delicate pattern to create 
• a tiny 2-inch star by aforementioned (extremely-detail-oriented) husband-in-element

• About 39, or maybe closer to 112 pieces of silver wrapping paper, cut, placed and glued by hand to make 
• a giant 2-foot version of the above, by (mostly) graciously agreeable & endearing wife of previously mentioned amazing-man.

• Countless lists, wishes, expectations, hopes... & dreams for love, joy, peace and hope for all....