Random

I like the title of a blog I recently discovered: Random Thoughts of a Deep Thinker. Not to plagiarize or anything, but that title would go pretty well for this post...especially since I've already used the title Odds and Ends a few times. At any rate, whatever is applicable...if the shoe fits...

So anyway. It's Sunday afternoon. Church this morning was good; Pastor taught on Joshua 10 for Sunday School (you know, where the 5 kings go up against Gibeon, who lied to make a league with Israel, and the Israelites soundly defeat and kill the 5 kings and their people); the sermon was on Philippians 1:12-30 (I think -- I don't have my KJV Bible right on hand and the other versions say it a little different).

I got to hold my beautiful niece, who is now about 10 pounds and about 21 inches, now that she is 4 weeks old. I got a lesson in diaper changing -- hey, I gotta learn sometime! Several years ago my mom used to babysit a little neighbor boy, and I changed his diapers sometimes, but that was a while ago, and it was a boy. This is a little different. At any rate, I also gave her a bottle, and burped her, both of which I know how to do now.

Ariana is the first baby I've ever really been around...I'm an only child, and there just weren't a whole lot of babies around as I've grown up. Now that I'm nearing adulthood (I have a few years left), I'm beginning to realize desires I've never really known before...like wanting to be a wife, to have a husband to love, cherish, and obey...like wanting to be a mommy and have a baby...like wanting to be whatever God wants me to be, whether or not that includes either or both of those things -- well, His will better include the first one if it includes the second!

So anyway, I'm sitting here on a lovely, chilly, overcast, Southern California, Sunday afternoon. I've been working on a puzzle, but since my dad's on his laptops, and my mom's reading a book, the house is pretty quiet, and somehow puzzling wasn't quite what I wanted to do. I know I'm rambling some, which I don't usually do, but please forgive me, especially since I don't usually do it.

Well, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was just the three of us and one friend from church. A far cry from the huge extended-family gatherings I remember as a small child, but somehow much more peaceful and reflective. We had good food and good fellowship.

Ah, food. We had a turkey, of course...it seems like no Thanksgiving in this country is complete without a turkey! Why that is, I'm not quite sure. But back to the food. The turkey was delicous; Mom baked it breast-side-down for 23 minutes per pound. It was a large turkey, so she had to get up at 5:15 that morning. Poor Mom...couldn't even sleep in on Thanksgiving morning! But I digress. We had simple mashed potatoes (in other words, potato flakes and hot water mixed together), simple turkey gravy (in other words, McCormick's Turkey Gravy Mix and hot water mixed together), and simple drinks (in other words, jugs of Cherry Limeade and Tropical Punch bought from the store, not mixed together). I made the orange-cranberry sauce (ground cranberries, juice of one orange, and a few teaspoonfuls of sugar), Mom made the pies...pumpkin (which was good, but nothing special) and chocolate-carmel-pecan...wow. That chocolate-carmel-pecan pie is really, really something. So rich you can only stand one piece, and so delicious you can't resist another...

But alas, I forgot somehow to take pictures of our bountiful tables (one table for the people, one for the food!). I did, however, get a picture or two of my fire -- my lovely roaring fire. Here's the clearest picture of the flames:

And here's one of the whole fireplace, mantle and all:And here's me and the puzzle I just finished a little while ago:And here's our whole family, the picture we'll use for our Christmas cards:Well, talk to y'all later...thanks for bearing with me and my rambling mind.