Sixty.

Today my dad would have turned sixty. I have a layout in my head about how I'd likely have made him a mini album listing 60 random things that he's taught me over the years. I haven't finished the layout yet but feel compelled to share the list. Here, then, are sixty things my dad taught me:

1. the rules of and an appreciation for football
2. how to bake an apple pie
3. how to properly pick cherries
4. the importance of faith
5. how to ride a bike
6. how to drive (both cars and tractors)
7. the joys of having cousins
8. how to listen to Bob Dylan and not be weirded out
9. how to play pinochle
10. how to plant a garden
11. how to pray a rosary
12. what the seven sacraments are
13. how to keep baseball stats
14. the patience necessary for a farming life
15. the importance of smudging
16. a willingness to get dirty
17. how to bait a hook
18. an appreciation for history
19. that Sean Connery will always be the best James Bond
20. that “The Ten Commandments” and “Ben Hur” are the longest movies ever
21. a respect for tradition
22. a love of hometowns
23. how to tell different varieties of cherries apart
24. the importance of taking photos
25. a respect for one’s elders
26. that words aren’t always necessary
27. the satisfaction of a hard day’s work
28. the fun to be had in washing the car
29. the ability to laugh at one’s self
30. how to suck at video games
31. that winning isn’t as important as how you play
32. how to be an acolyte
33. how to be a lector
34. the importance of bees for pollination
35. how to say my prayers
36. the value of placing flowers at cemeteries
37. that losing can be fun
38. to always be sure any luggage on top of the car is strapped down securely
39. how to say “too many leaves” in Spanish
40. that honesty is the best policy
41. that it’s important to keep your eyes on the road
42. how to tell wheat from barley and oats
43. how to love blood sausage
44. how to make a sandwich out of your over-easy egg, bacon & toast
45. how to swing a bat
46. how to always look for the good in a situation
47. how to write checks
48. that it’s fine not to drink/like milk
49. the benefits of wearing a hat in the summer
50. the power of the word “uncle” when involved in a tickling bout
51. the exact cadence of the “Uppsie, Daisy” song in the mornings
52. that “kili-kili’s” are the most vulnerable tickle spots
53. the peacefulness of a summer sunrise
54. the ability to not only make due with what you have but to enjoy it
55. how to make whirlpools in the feed tank/swimming trough
56. that a simple sound (“buzzzzz”) can evoke a strong reaction (tickle bees)
57. an appreciation for solitude and nature
58. the importance of treating others as you would like to be treated
59. the ability to trust
60. what it means to be loved

Happy birthday, Dad! I miss you.

Two years ago...

...ish...we were celebrating our first Thanksgiving without my dad. It was a rather subdued Thanksgiving. Still, though, we found plenty to be thankful for. Today, over on the Prism blog, you can see the layout I finally finished about it.  

So. How was your Thanksgiving this year? Ours was quiet but lovely. Just us, my brother and my niece. The boys had a blast playing with their cousin and battling their uncle on the Wii. We managed to have a dandy little feast (thank you, Super Target, for your lovely pre-made holiday meals that only required me to heat things up...about the extent of my cooking abilities, LOL). We have plenty of leftovers (didn't even make it to the pie yesterday!). And, in a bit, we're headed out to do a wee bit of shopping. :) Yup, life is good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't have a cool blog entry or anything today...just wanted to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Off now, to finish straightening up my office here enough that I can walk in it...also waiting for a load of laundry. Ah, the exciting life I lead, LOL! 

Oh, wait! I do have a layout that I've not shared that is actually very appropriate today. Here it is: 

I wanted to document this prayer that I remember from my childhood. It was on a poster that hung above my bed. I still find myself saying it from time to time. :)

Sigh. So much more that could be said. I'm so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Right at the moment, though, I'm also exhausted, LOL...so I'll have to catch you this weekend. ;)

Just quick...

...um, addressing holiday cards (determined to actually get them out in time this year, lol) and am wondering whether the addresses I have are up to date. So, if you've received a card from me in the past but have moved in the past year, could you pretty please shoot me an email with your new address? Thanks heaps!

(Incidentally, I find this task annoying. ;) Not the addressing holiday cards part...the always having to verify addresses. I'm in favor of a system where mail is simply delivered based on your social security number or something similar...where I get to always use the same address for a person and it's just that person's responsibility to keep his/her address up to date with the powers that be. So there.)

Two layouts...

As I mentioned yesterday, a new challenge is up over on the Good Grief Blog. Even if you don't have a lost loved one to scrapbook about, this particular challenge (I think) is a good one. (And, incidentally, nowhere in the "rules" over there does it require that you scrapbook about people who are gone...I actually find myself, as I do these challenges, realizing that I really should be doing some of them about people in my life right now as well.)

Anyhoo...my layouts are the "featured" ones today. Here's what I had to say:

My dad loved food...loved it. It honestly didn't matter what it was, he just loved to eat it. :) This challenge, then, came fairly easily. In my head, I'd already been making a list of the foods that especially make me think of him...foods that bring up images of him whenever I see them or my boys ask for them.

Even though this layout doesn't particularly tell a story, I love that I have this list all in one place...just like I'm thrilled when seeing or eating one of these foods leads to discussions with my boys about what else their Papa loved. ;)

After I'd finished the layout above, though, I still had food on the brain. As so often happens, I started thinking about things I want to make sure my boys know about their Papa. Thus, this layout:

 
Yup, just silly little bits that I wanted to share. I'm actually thinking now that I want to do a little album just about foods I associate with specific people (both living and not)...could be a fun Thanksgiving afternoon project, don't you think? ;)