My handicapped fish

We have a 20 lb aquarium set up in our kitchen that housed 3 goldfish. We have had it for a few years, and I have found goldfish therapeutic. Sometimes, I put my face next to the tank and watch them scrounge for food or pick at each other's fins.


To my surprise, I noticed we had a handicapped fish. He was missing his left eye. As such, he became my special buddy--the one I consistently dropped food near. He needed an advantage, right?


At the Halloween Hulabaloo this year, my kids came home with 2 new fish to add to the aquarium. There also were about 15 additional fish left over that I took home.

If 3 are good, 20 are better, right?

Wrong.

Every last fish turned up dead within a week of Halloween. The Hulabaloo fish even wiped out my handicapped one.

The dismal sight of the empty tank had the kids begging for a trip to Meijers, but I thought the tank needed a breather. Actually, I needed a breather from netting them out.

Tonight was the night, however, as they were on sale. Marked down from 19 to 17 cents.

Kayden picked his out and quickly lost interest. Bryce, however, would not let that fish bag out of his tight grip. Sloshing the fish around, I think they hit every last aisle display on the way to checkout.

As we headed out to the parking lot, I heard the familiar splat of goldfish hitting cold concrete.

I am sure my fish are secretly calling Bryce Darla tonight.

Let's take bets, shall we? I give them a week.

When Mom and Dad are away

When Mom and Dad are away at Bible study, and Grandma and Grandpa come to babysit, this is what can happen:

Who would have thought? My kids don't usually "craft" with me, but they did an excellent job on these with my parents.

Now THIS is the kind of turkey I like- adorable and handmade:-)

I Hate Turkey

UPDATE: I thought it would be fun to update with the finished tree. I loved this idea and plan to make it a yearly thing!

The calendar flips to November, and my countdown to Christmas starts.

In years past, I have sailed right through Thanksgiving without giving it proper prominence. The orange around the house starts to look dusty and I long for the warmth of Christmas decorations to fill each corner and cozy up our home.

As I was reflecting on why I brush off Thanksgiving, a realization dawned on me.

I hate turkey.

I don't like the flavor of it, nor it paired with stuffing, yams, rolls, etc.

Seeing that the day seems to center around that big bird, I have come to detest "the eating holiday". A small annoyance on the route to the bigger and better holiday celebrating Christ's birth.

In an effort to remember the spirit of Thanksgiving, and what it really stands for, we have put up a Thanksgiving Tree. My friend Kirsten had the great idea, and I love creating a leaf each night and placing it on the tree.

It's not pretty, but it's helping me remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving. So far, Kayden has put up "Grandma" as the thing he is most thankful for and Bryce's was Mommy.

For My Birthday

The big talk around here this past month revolved around what Kayden wanted for his birthday.

Tonight, Kayden made a list of my birthday requests. I turn 29 +3 later this month. It just sounds younger, right?

The one and only thing on my list:

No fighting for one full day.

My other request for a new BMW convertible seems more likely.