Christmastime

Daddy put the Christmas tree up while Maddie was asleep.

She loved it the next morning!

Now maybe she wishes she could sleep in the living room?

Sweet dreams.

Christmas Trees in 1/2 the Time

The first time I put up our 7 1/2 foot Christmas tree, it required leather gloves and six hours of my day. And it was fun--five years ago. I've since been much faster at it, but it still takes some time and leather gloves. So this year, because we will be gone with relatives on Christmas Day, I thought about--I actually thought about--NOT putting up a Christmas tree at all. (I know, I'm turning into Scrooge.) It's just very large. Then I thought about buying a smaller tree. But that is just more money. (Maybe I am turning into a Scrooge?) So then it dawned on me, "Why not try putting up the top half of the tree?" As you can tell, that worked out very nicely. Plus, according to my logic, it took about half the time.

Thanksgiving '07

The Thanksgiving dinner is almost ready!

Hmmm. The turkey breast looks good to me.

Family photo!

Fun at the cousins' home later that week.

Small Town Charm

I do not know of a more beautiful place in all of Missouri than where we now live. The small town community where I practice law is sandwiched between Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks which provides year-round beauty and many outdoor opportunities. As I think about the Thanksgiving season and God's many blessings this year, the one I think about the most is His provision in this regard. --J.