And this is only about half of them!!!!  Aren't they just the most preciousl little ones?!  

By the way...if you are looking for a way to really make a difference this Christmas and throughout 2015, check out their Facebook page or leave me a comment, and you can join us in this life-SAVING (literally!) ministry.

Anyway, some of the "nothingness" that's been filling my life these days...

1.  The Book,...the book, the book...it's been dominating my thoughts lately.  Yes, IT IS FINISHED...just making the final pass-through to be sure everything's good to go then I'll be ordering the actual books next week.

I'M SO EXCITED...and proud of the way it turned out, and I so hope that others will love reading it!!!

On the flip side, I'm worried about Winnie's health, as today he is in a big hospital in Indianapolis getting ready for a heart cath. We (along with Judy, his wife) have done this together and I really, REALLY want them to be able to enjoy the book launch, signings, and speaking engagements that are to come.

Speaking of which...the book will be available to the public on Jan. 5, and you can be sure I'll be telling you how you can get one if you want to read it.

2.  Thanksgiving is upon us...how did that happen?  This is a BIG YEAR for my family, as ALL (yes, ALL!!!) of us Houses will be together for the first time ever!  

My two out-of-state siblings, Maria from Florida and Mark from Texas, are bringing their families to join us.  They usually stagger their visits, since 4 adults plus 5 children ages 13 and under (did I mention they are ACTIVE children?!) are quite a lot for Mama and Dad to host all at once.  But this year it's happening!

This was our Thanksgiving table last year.  If my calculations are correct, (I should ask Karter and Kaden to double-check them!) I think we'll have 35 this year.

I'm so excited to share the day with all my peeps!  But there's a lot to do between now and next Thursday....

3.  Home Maintenance...seems like there's always something that needs to be fixed or taken care of.  This week around the Gray compound it's been a clogged up septic tank that needed pumping out, our gas well needed to be bailed, and last night those dad-gum smoke detectors began chirping during the basketball game.

In typical Kim fashion, his theory has always been if he/we ignore it, it will go away.  No, Kim...that does NOT work, never has.  He was NOT trudging to the barn in 20-degree weather after dark to carry up the big ladder, that we can deal with the occasional "chirp" until the morning.  Um, no....I have trouble sleeping anyway, and I will NEVER sleep if my cabin is chirping.  So I got my coat on and announced I would go get the ladder, causing guilt to overcome him (that tactic usually works! :) )and he begrudgingly did it himself.

Of course, we assumed that the chirping was coming from the detector in the hallway, since that battery has never been changed.  So after much ado, Kim changed the battery and we went back to watch the game, no sooner getting settled into our reclining loveseat again than to hear that dang CHIRP!!!

Wrong smoke detector.  So now both detectors have brand new batteries in them, whether they needed them or not...

4.  Indiana University Basketball...it's our pasttime during the winter months!  And even though the Hoosier program has been struggling with issues off the court, they sure looked pretty good at Assembly Hall last night, beating #22 SMU.

                                                                                                                                          image from google

Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier....

5.  The BEACH ...t-minus 13 days...Kim and I are both so looking forward to a few days of relaxation and fun with my sister Barb and her hubs John.  Some days, thinking about the beach is what keeps me going...

I still can't believe my luck in getting this photo on our beach trip last December...

So there you have it, what's been going on in my mind and around the Gray compound lately.  My days are filled and life is busy, but when I sit down to blog some mornings are like this.  Seems like, when it comes to something worthwhile to read about,...

...I got nothin'.