How do I get anything done?

Peaceful happiness

There's something so nice about coming home. It was refreshing see the things we choose to surround ourselves with after being away from it all for over a week. I wasn't expecting a happy, euphoric feeling at 11:30pm after a long day of packing, saying goodbye, snow, shoveling, runway plowing, airplane deicing, and delayed flights, but when I walked in the door of our house and saw the clean, straight lines of my furniture I felt refreshed. I get so wrapped up in the clutter of everyday life that I don't often take the opportunity to step back and look at the bigger picture. Last night the zen of our home hit me like a ton of bricks.

Then Henry took me out at the knees.

Stan goes crazy, gets a puppy treat

Stanley was out in the backyard when we got to my sister's house last night and didn't know we were there for a few minutes. But once he saw us through the window he started dancing and barking, "Hey, let me in!" He was more than a little excited to see us.

We played for a little while and he ran circles around me. It was fun to get love from a big dog. It really made me miss Henry and Lola, I think Stan would have fun with them.

Sensing a trend: Sock Monkey!

Sock monkeys seem to be a big hit these days. We had three Christmas gifts in our little house alone. My friend Sue (Hi, Susan!) sent us the Fred & Friends Wine Monkey Wine Caddy. Hello, adorable! I shall call you Ferdinand.

And, my sister-in-law Emily, who writes a great blog over here, sent us a pair of these completely adorable sock monkey egg cups with matching monkey spoons from PG Tips. I kind of like eating breakfast with a cute smiling face staring back at me. I think they need names! What are some good twin names?

And Santa brought Lola got the third sock monkey present. A silly monkey creature that she cuddled to death. With her teeth.

It's great to see knitting winding it's way through popular culture. Knitting is a huge trend in my mind, but it seems all kinds of people really enjoy handknits right now. Is it that people are turning toward simpler times because of the economic downturn? Or, are knitting designers following trends more closely? Or, is knitting just that cool, come on... you know it is.

What's next?

This dog knows every movement in a 10 mile radius of our house. Ok, maybe 10 miles is a bit of an exaggeration but she know every movement we make. She always knows where we are, what we're doing and at what time every neighbor has left for work. I call her radar ears because wherever I turn she's there, waiting, listening, watching. Lola is always watching. Don't doubt it.