Wait...and wait...

I know we're in the season of advent. Waiting and anticipating. But not quite like this.

We did a little shopping after church. After we ate lunch, and were on the way home, I thought of another stop we could make. I asked Tyler whether we should (whether he would cooperate with a) stop at [undisclosed location] to get a gift card for Hollins.

"No. Let's wait until I'm a grownup to do that."

Poor Hollins. That would be quite a long wait. :)

Bran Muffins

Wayne found a bran muffin recipe that he wanted me to try because he needs "more bran." :) It was delicious. I especially love the crisp top. It probably comes from the sugar...which isn't the point in a bran muffin. I keep telling myself that they have to at least be a little better for me than a chocolate or blueberry muffin, right? But, who needs an excuse? These are the fluffiest, yummiest bran muffins!


Classic Bran Muffins
-Janet Kalman/ allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins (I didn't put these in)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin tin (12-regular) or line with paper liners.
2. Mix together wheat bran and buttermilk; let stand for 10 minutes.
3. Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla. Add bran mixture. Sift together dry ingredients and stir into buttermilk mixture, just until blended. Fold in raisins. Spoon into prepared pan(s).
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool and enjoy!

traveling, traveling through the snow...

I'm curious about the traveling plans of my family and friends. We're trying to figure out what we can fit in during our yearly trek to Indiana to celebrate the holidays. Some years it's harder than others... Please vote in my poll on the right to guesstimate how far you'll go this year.

Fort

Yesterday, Tyler and I built a fort in his room. In the evening, he said that he wanted to watch a movie in his fort, and sleep there for the night. (He didn't end up sleeping there, but did watch his movie). We had fun and it reminded me of being little and building many "forts" out of blankets and chairs.

a crack up

"I crack myself open."

too young

One more brief thing. I have had a lot of trouble sleeping the last couple of nights because of my carpal tunnel syndrome. On Thursday night, I woke at 2:30 am and had to sleep in the recliner for the remainder of the night because I had too much pain to lay down. My best guess is that it was worse because I put up decorations during the day. I feel like I'm too young to have difficulty sleeping due to pain! At 80, yes, at 32, no! OK, I have now vented. Thank you.

Dorky

Our holiday break has been very relaxing. We've enjoyed being with friends for a play date, shopping around for new carpet for our basement (which is still yucky from when our sump pump failed this summer), and saw the movie, Bolt.

On Thanksgiving, in addition to having a nice meal at Hesston College, we spent time decorating. "We" meaning, Tyler and I. Tyler got quite excited about it all. This is really the first year he seems to have been interested in such things. This fall, our neighbors were cleaning things out and gave us an "extra" 7-foot tree they had, which is much bigger and nicer than the 3-footer we've always used. Tyler wanted to get multi-colored lights for our 3-foot tree, that I decided to put outside this year. (Though Wayne and I prefer white lights, I thought it'd be fun for Tyler, and I was not disappointed). When Tyler first saw the tree, he tried to give it a hug and a kiss, declared his love for it, and named it,..."Dorky." Ahh, what a lovely name. Here's a picture of Dorky.

bed

As Rachel requested, here are a few pics of Tyler's new bed. (He is posing for me...he doesn't sleep in his jeans). :) He has been sleeping by himself since my post a couple of weeks ago about this - and that's been quite nice!

update

Well, even though Thanksgiving has not officially arrived, having Hollins and Rachel (and Ted and Sue) around last week made it feel like it had. Yesterday and today have held some post-holiday blues at my house. Wayne has been kind of moping around. Both Tyler and Wayne have said that they miss Hollins and Rachel. Being with family always makes us wish we all lived closer together.

Some follow ups and little tidbits -
1. Tyler did continue to sleep through the night when we came home from Hesston on Sunday. That was quite nice!
2. Tyler's using the word "excited" in place of "decided." For example, "I excited that I want to play dinosaurs."
3. Last evening, we bought Tyler a mattress and stuffed it in the Focus hatchback. :0) Not having a truck or van generally makes hauling bigger items prohibitive. (Thanks, Rachel, for the idea of trying the car). Tyler slept in his new bed, and didn't roll out!
4. The lobster has escaped again...but not with his life this time. He has officially expired. :(

Ty

I forgot to add that, according to Tyler, he is the "ferocisist."

We spent today in Hesston. Tyler told me after church that he had made new friends in the nursery. "And they made a new friend too... me!" After church, we enjoyed a good lunch and dinner at Ted and Sue's and mostly relaxed in between. Tyler enjoyed vying for our attention and playing with toys.

He is also, by the way, sleeping...he fell asleep on the way home from Hesston. This is about 3 hours earlier than usual, probably due to his busy weekend. Hopefully he doesn't wake up soon after what would be a good two-hour "nap."