Mukluk love

December 18, 2008

It was a crappy afternoon. The day started ok, running errands this morning in the snowstorm wasn't so bad. Stressful but nothing that a cup of tea and candles couldn't take care of.

But I was discouraged, to say the least, when I went to finish my on-line photo order to complete the portrait project only to realize I hadn't properly saved my work from yesterday. Arh....

I re-did my work from yesterday and got it off to the developer and then I was ready to tackle the next item on my list; purchasing the kids Christmas presents.

The advent conspiracy photo project has been consuming a lot of our time and I had been putting off ordering their gifts. Damien and I have been searching out gifts that will help them in their creative endeavors and had finally chosen one item for each of them from Amazon.

According to the little procrastinator counter in the top right corner of the page, today was the last day I could order and still get the items in time for Christmas.

Or so I thought.

Turns out some items, although they appear to be in stock, are not in stock, or they have to come from other vendors.
Maybe the elves simply haven't made them yet.

It's anyone's guess, but ordering from Amazon was a no deal if my kids weren't going to get Christmas presents till January 6th.

That's when I got mad.

Not at the helpful Amazon associate who was truly trying to assist me, but at myself. I must be a terrible mother to leave my kids' presents till so close to Christmas.

When I thought all hope was lost I called my husband who rationally informed me.

1. I wasn't a bad mother, and
2. Amazon is not the only on-line retailer

Whew, thank goodness for thinking folks like my husband.

Within the hour the gifts were bought (and no they couldn't be found locally) and all was saved.

The kids came in from their romp outdoors in the snow and we played UNO and ate popcorn.

Daddy came home from work and I made gluten-free pancakes for supper served with bumbleberry sauce. Life was slowly returning to a state of domestic sanity, if not bliss.

Then after supper I geared up to shovel the driveway, and that's when the contentment hit.

Right about the time I was pulling on the mukluks that were the first Christmas present I ever received from my husband, then boyfriend. The mukluks handcrafted by Native Canadian friends of my father-in-law. Made with a moose hide belonging to my husband's family. Mukluks that my husband had "commissioned" to be made specially for me.

I rarely get to wear these mukluks because Maine snow is usually so wet. Not like the dry and cold prairie snow they were made for. Wearing them is special and putting them on tonight filled me with a warm pleasure that an almost-too-late gift order couldn't chill.

I shoveled alone for a while in the quiet hush following a snowfall. Then the kids joined me and we walked down our street to look at the lights. We sang carols, loudly, and threw snow.

Sometimes in the thick of it I forget this is the life I've always wanted, only better.

Thanks Dear, once again for the mukluks. A reminder of how much I'm loved and the wonderful life we're building together.

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