Friday bullets, Nov. 15, 2018

We have hit the time of year where it feels as though some cosmic fast-forward button has been pushed. Do you feel that way?

• No barn pieces have been delivered. This alone probably explains why I have resorted to posting pictures of kittens. I'll let you in on a secret. The more animal posts you see here, the more likely you probably do not want to talk to me because I am not in a pleasant mood.
• On some level it's probably good I don't have a barn at the moment as I would be sorely tempted to find a pony to put a bow on for Christmas. 
• L. asked me to trim her hair the other day, which means that she and G. have about the same length hair again. This also means that everyone who has been relying on hair length to tell the girls apart will now be stumped. I mentioned this to L. before I trimmed it, and she was fine with that.
• Under the heading of things you've just never thought about: chickens leave footprints in the snow.

• I have two twenty pound turkeys thawing in my refrigerator. At least this is in the second refrigerator, because there is little room in there for anything else. I hope that they are actually thawed by the time I need them.
• Under the heading of turkeys... while I got a good deal on those two turkeys, it was still quite a bit of money. I keep having thoughts about buying turkey poults in the spring to raise for meat. We would not be brooding them in the house, though, that's for sure.
• TM asked me today if he could look at my flute, so I got it out for him and gave him a quick introduction. I'll be curious to see what he does with it.
• We've been talking about the Fibonnaci sequence and the golden ration as part of our math unit study. Y. finds the whole idea endlessly fascinating.
• We do not listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. The Christmas season officially starts on the evening of Thanksgiving when we have our annual viewing of A Child's Christmas in Wales. Before then... nope, no Christmas. I will yield only for those children who wish to practice Christmas carols on their instrument so as to be ready.
• When we were at the Museum of Science and Industry last week, they were starting to put up the international Christmas trees. I purposefully averted my eyes, but did make a mental note that taking another trip down next month to actually look at them would be fun.
• Anyone have youth size 10/12 snow pants or winter coats? I have three people, all the same size, who have outgrown their winter gear. They are currently making due with the too short items, but I am continually shown exactly how short the sleeves and legs are. I need to do something about this.
• I didn't have to make dinner last night. Our church's children's ministry leadership cooked food for all the children's ministry volunteers. All we had to do was drop by church and pick up our complete meals, all bagged and ready to go. We had spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread, and brownies for dessert. It was a fantastic way to be thanked.
• It's so odd to think that this is only R. and Y.'s third holiday season with us. It feels as though they have been part of our family for much longer.
• I've read 75 books so far this year. For a while I was on track to average 8 books a month, but as the school year started, my book reading really plummeted. Some nights I'm a little too tired to read more than a chapter or two.
• I'm so heart broken to read about the devastation caused by the fires in California. My sympathies to those of my readers who have been affected.
• Dinner conversation was not quite as light hearted this week, as we discussed exactly what the Nazi salute was and why you should never make it. We also talked about what to do if you run across someone who says you should. Why on earth do I need to have this conversation with my children? I cannot control what other people do, but I sure as heck can make sure my children are educated. 
• I am so happy that Speechless is on its third season. I just wish the new episodes came out faster.
• One of the most difficult things about having children with learning challenges is how very unpredictable everything is. One week a child can be on top of their game and amaze me with what they are doing... the next week, it's as though we've not only gone not two, but maybe five steps back. In the day to day it can be difficult to see real progress, yet when I look at the progress over the course of a year, it is definitely there. This past week has been a going backward week it feels like. A break next week will probably be good for everyone.
• We will be taking next week off from school. I will have plenty on my to do list, and as Thanksgiving approaches, the masses become squirrelier. Actually, based upon the last two days, the squirreliness has already settled in.

And with that, I should move along and make sure those squirrels are doing what they are supposed to.