done and done.

Without really thinking about it, I ticked another thing off my to do list: sorting and donating Jack's toys. It was spurred on by having to move them out of the way to make room for the Christmas tree. I purposely keep them in a small-ish wicker basket so as to cut down on the amount we keep out, but it had reached max capacity and it was time to purge. I didn't take any pictures (there really wasn't much of a before and after effect) but my method was basically to donate anything he'd never taken interest in or rarely played with. I hung on to some of the infant toys for baby #2, but was pretty happy with how much I was able to get rid of. I'm also anticipating the need to make room for some new play things after Christmas, so it was timely that I got it done.

Speaking of new toys for Jack, and as a tag-along to my "thankful" post, I have to thank my friend and co-worker Helen for getting him a beautiful set of wooden blocks (just like I'd wished for!) She surprised me with them at work the other day and... well, Helen - I am just so grateful for all your thoughtful gifts over the years, but I'm thankful for your friendship most of all. You have been such a blessing to me!

I also managed to accomplish one of the four Christmas decor ideas I had wanted to tackle this year. The epsom salt mason jars were really cheap and easy to put together and add a nice touch to the mantle. I was under the assumption epsom was just a special brand of cooking salt, so I had some trouble locating it at the store. A lady overheard me asking the clerk where to find it and said it would be kept with the medicinal products since you used it to soak your feet. Later that night I happened to read the back label and saw that the first instructions were "for use as a laxative." Good to know (?)