We have a faulty Tooth Fairy at our house. Seriously. I don’t know WHAT her problem is.

I have sweet, loving, GOOD children…you’d think they’d be blessed with a decent Tooth Fairy, but…

There have been several episodes, shall we call them, where she has really blown it.

First of all, she’s real flighty with the amounts she gives…one time might be a quarter, the next time might be $6. For instance, when we were in the hospital for a long stretch with Indigo, my parents and Nama were both at the house and would you believe Greyley found a $5 and a $1 the next morning in her tooth box? Isn’t that just peculiar?!

We had to explain when we got back home that it was not NORMAL for the Tooth Fairy to be that giving. She must have known Greyley needed an extra boost because she went above and beyond.

That was the good Tooth Fairy.

Let me tell you about the questionable episodes though…you’ll see…

There was the time she just didn’t show. The tooth was left in the box and everything.

Nada.

However, that time she came through and showed up a little later…in a different place than usual. I guess she just wanted to change locations. All was ok. We forgave her and moved on.

A couple times, she didn’t show up the first night, but she did if you left the tooth out a second night.

One time, she simply didn’t come because the ceiling fan scared her off.

But then, she did it again. She pulled a No-Show. Greyley left her tooth in the tooth box, went to bed, and woke up with the tooth still there in the box. No money, nothing…

Greyley came sadly into our room and showed us the tooth. We shook our heads at that flakey Tooth Fairy.

What is her deal? we asked.

However, just when we were about to lose heart with her altogether, she saved herself. In a big way, actually.

At the breakfast table that morning, there was the box with money inside and a first~ a note!~ from the actual Tooth Fairy herself. This is unprecedented. I, for one, have never heard of a Tooth Fairy writing a child…see? She’s just weird.

The handwriting was all swirly, twirly, curliques…that Tooth Fairy, she does have good handwriting, I’ll give her that…

Dear Greyley, it said…all swoopy curls…
I know this is different from what I usually leave,
but I thought you needed something a little special this year…
this time…this tooth.
You’re a wonderful girl, Greyley.
Dream huge dreams.
All the best,
Your Tooth Fairy

Now, isn’t that sweetest thing you’ve ever heard? I just about forgave her everything after such a sweet note. Greyley was thrilled and we had nothing but high praise for the Tooth Fairy for a good long while.

But over the weekend…Greyley lost a tooth. Mind you, she only has a few left to lose. Seems like the Tooth Fairy would be paying even better attention and trying to save the best for last and all that…

Greyley set out her tooth box with the tooth in it, set it in its regular spot, and…you guessed it…Ms. Tooth Fairy did NOT show up.

I couldn’t believe it. What nerve.

Greyley just giggled. She’s learned to sort of appreciate her Tooth Fairy’s quirks. She gave her shoulders a little shrug and said something like, You just never know with my Tooth Fairy…

Truer words have never been spoken, my girl.

So, she put the box out again Saturday night. And you’re not going to believe it, but this time the Tooth Fairy left a BIG bill…AND another note!!!

All in lowercase, completely different handwriting, but still charming…in a somewhat masculine fashion, if that makes sense…that’s the only way I know to describe it.

dear greyley of the meadow~
please forgive!
fairies forget sometimes…
don’t we?
sincerely,
your tooth fairie

Greyley was elated beyond belief…not only did she get GOOD money, but another NOTE!

Some things concerned her though~

1. The notes had completely different handwriting from each other. We had to compare the two and she’s right…completely different penmanship.
2. The Tooth Fairy misspelled “fairie”…

“I think I have two Tooth Fairies,” she said.

Oh dear! What are we going to do with TWO crazy Fairies?

Hey, all you Girly readers…

Check out one of my favorite blogs~ confessions of a tired supergirl…

She’s doing a giveaway with my cd. How cool is that?!

Head on over there and give her some love, would you?

My good friend, Tammie, sent me a book about a month ago. It’s called 101 Ways to Give Your Soul a Lift by Candy Paull. It lifted my soul just to know she’d taken the time to send me a book! But the ideas in the book are good ones. It’s almost like reading a devotional, only with a “quest” for the day. It’s very encouraging, you can read a page a day and get something out of it. It’s just what I needed…

And the quotes…you know me and quotes. I like ‘em. Let me share several with you, if you don’t mind.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply.
Romans 12:9-10 (The Message)

The opportunities for enjoyment in your life are limitless. If you feel you are not experiencing enough joy, you have only yourself to blame.
David E. Bresler

It is music’s lofty mission to shed light on the depths of the human heart.
Robert Schumann

Life is the soul’s nursery-its training place for the destinies of eternity.
William Makepeace Thackeray

Some of my favorite “Ways” from the book are:

#2 Delight in the Small Things

#5 Take Yourself on a Date

#7 Look for Angels

#11 Create Something That is Satisfying

#19 Take a Soul Vacation

#28 Be a Child for a Day

#33 Be a Tourist in Your Hometown

#61 Know When Enough is Enough

#63 Make Peace With Imperfection

#69 Be a First-Rate Version of Yourself

and my favorite…

#99 Redefine Foolish as “Creative Freedom”

If any of these strike your fancy, give it a try. We can lift our souls together.

So after all I ate on Thanksgiving, I really, truly thought I never needed to eat.

Ever. Again.

But especially yesterday. I really wasn’t even hungry. I really did have enough surplus from the day before…so why did I end up eating all day long?

Started out at McDonald’s…had another morning at the studio and needed to get a lot done in a short amount of time. We tried to get something healthier, but the place by the studio was closed.

Not really following my Get Right Back To The Fitness Routine The Day After Thanksgiving Plan.

When I got home, I got right into leftovers.

Seriously…is there anything better than Thanksgiving leftovers?

I think even if some people don’t like leftovers, they probably like Thanksgiving ones.

Had a little salad and a BIG bowl of banana pudding. ‘Cause I ate salad, right?

And a little more banana pudding.

And some sweet potato casserole.

Broccoli rice casserole…

A little more salad to offset all the casserole…

Another bite of sweet potato casserole. Oh, it’s so good.

Went to bed with a bellyache, saying, “TOMORROW…tomorrow, I will do better.”

Dagnab, that’s today.

After my cheese, bacon, and mushroom omelet, I really do promise to Get Right Back To It. Well, maybe I’ll just limit myself to ONE helping of sweet potato casserole…sigh.

It was a nice day over here at the Sabin household. We had a big bunch of family come over…and a few pilgrims might have found their way too.

Before the mad rush…(I wish I’d swapped out that black chair for the cream one on the other end…oh well…)

I’m thankful for one big living room where the whole family can fit. We had 24 of our dear family members at our place. There were still some precious ones missing… …but we’ll be together again at Christmas.

Watching and waiting…

And more waiting…

The Clan and a Little Sunshine

Let’s see. I’ll try to tell you all that was on the menu…

Turkey & Dressing
Ham
Massive Salad
All-You-Can-Eat Veggies & Dip
Delish Chili Con Queso Dip & Chips
Sweet Potato Casserole
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Sarah’s Special Jello Salad
Lovely Corn Dish, Don’t Know What To Call It
Rolls

and…

Pumpkin Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Apple Pie with Ice Cream
Extra Creamy Banana Pudding
Some Sort of “Crisp”…shoot, didn’t get any of that, come to think of it…
Brownies
Chocolate Cake

Good night, that’s a lot of food. Nary a straight vegetable in sight. Everything was doctored up and oh, so tasty.

The only quiet time of the day…

Cousins

And more cousins

Alex hid the day away…oh, please, Mama, don’t take my picture!

Come on, I asked nicely…

At the end of the day, we turned out all the lights in the Cozy Daisy and lit candles.

We each told what w
e were grateful for…it was a very special time. To hear the kids say things like, I’m learning that parents are way more important than friends…and I look forward to this day all year, being here…and I’m so thankful for my family…

It moved my soul.

I have so much to be grateful for…I’m going to try to do a better job of realizing it~really realizing it~ on a daily basis. But I’m glad we get this one day to shout it from the rooftops. Happy ThanksLiving.

Have a blessed holiday, everyone.

My wishes for you…

I hope you’re with your family, friends, loved ones…

I hope you’re warm and have a nice place to sleep…

I hope you have plenty to eat…

I hope you have a winter coat…

I hope you have nice shoes on your feet…

I hope you have someone you can count on…

I hope you have love in your heart…

I hope you have something that fulfills you…

I hope you have joy…

I hope you have God…

I hope you’re content…

I hope you can enjoy something artful each day…

I hope you laugh a lot…

I hope you find what you’re looking for…

I hope you know I love each and every one of you who are reading…

Something strange is going on with comments. I’m seeing them and they’re publishing, but it still says, “0 Comments.”

Comment away~ they ARE showing up.

I thought you might like to see The Library…the studio I was telling you about the other day. We spent a LOT of time there over the weekend and there is more to do still…but ahhhh, music was made. It was really fun.

I took a few pics the first day and my friend, Jill, over from Spoils of Wear, took most of the pictures seen here on the second day. If you haven’t checked out her blog, you should.

Meet some of the band…

Chris, our nephew…also known as “Christopher Lawrence” in the music circles…watch out for him, he’s going places…seriously.

He’s the ABCYC drummer. Isn’t he cute?

Nate, Josh & Aaron…making the magic happen.

Aaron the Fabulous~ that’s what we call him…he really is an excellent player. Or you might say…fabulous.

Remember I was telling you about all the books? Everywhere I turned…it was another great example of the word fabulous.

Oh, look…there’s me with my new best friend. (I think the reflection from my cup gave me red highlights. Interesting.)

Jillie also took this picture. We fell in love with this organ. Isn’t she beautiful?!

Sweet Josh…he’s getting DOWN!

Um…there was some serious nap-taking over at the studio…this is our fearless choir director, Steve. Oh! By the way…he’s married to Jill.

And just so you know he’s not ALL about naps…here he’s working on a new song. There’s something inspiring about all those great instruments. And you know what I’m gonna say now, right? Books. (It was in these stacks that I found the Dr. Laura book. This was my room.)

THE Dude~ he’s the one who makes it all come together, sound good, and be right. Mr. Producer Man + Musician = THE Dude.

Great memories were made. Now…if we can just finish this puppy.

Turns out I’m getting old.

I’ve never been much of a mover shaker kind of gal. I mean, I love to move. I love to shake. But the whole Late-Nights-Early-Mornings-Go-Without-Sleep scenarios have never worked for me for very long stretches.

Now, it seems I have a very limited stretch.

I pretty much hit the wall around midnight Sunday night and haven’t quite recovered yet. I was at Plums in St. Paul and realized if I didn’t get home RIGHT THEN, I would not be awake to make the 20-minute drive home.

That’s getting old, folks.

When Troi came in, we hit it strong. We stayed up late, I had to get up early with my early riser, Indigo, we ran around, met friends, recorded tracks (Troi for his CD, me for the youth choir), talked a lot, drank a lot of coffee, Troi tried to teach me the salsa…basically, we attempted to fill up 8 years worth of lost time into a 5-day capsule.

And it was fun. But I can’t help remembering my younger, more capable self and wishing some of her was still with me.

In college, I’d stay up all night studying and laughing at my roommate, Jainean…that girl can still make me wheeze with laughter…I’d sleep in on Saturday and be good to go the rest of the week.

When children came, I went months without sleep. I’d be willing to say my sleep has never QUITE returned to normal since they were born…I hear every little peep they make. But you just do what you have to do to get by…

But the tired I feel now is different from that kind of tired…that kind of tired had a purpose. I had a cause~ my children, my studies…a good reason for being tired. Now I have a bad dream where bad guys are chasing me and I’m worn out for the rest of the week.

I realize I have good reason NOW to be tired, it was a crazy five days…just the whole thing has made me think about how differently my body reacts to this NOW versus 10, 20 years ago…

It’s no wonder old people can sleep anywhere…they’ve crossed the street. They deserve a nap.

I think I’ll go have a cup of coffee. Maybe that will perk me up.

You probably wouldn’t even believe me if I told you all that happened over the past few days. I don’t believe it myself. I don’t even really know where to start, but it’s been a whirlwind. A whole lot of fun, a whole lot of crazy, a whole lot of good, a whole lot of traumatic.

A whole lot of If-I-Told-You-I’d-Have-To-Kill-You…

My brother will be heading back home today to California. It has been an awesome visit. We had a lot of time together to talk and it was really good for both of us. He told me things that helped me understand him better~ things from our past, his past…

We got to know our more mature selves. Ha.

We surprised each other.

We laughed. We cried. We hugged.

We vowed it will NOT be another 8 years. Ever. Again.