Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

The weekend forecast. It's going to be like summer here for a stretch.

Fall colors. They're intense and everywhere.

Mike and all his hard work around the house this past week. He shampooed every inch of carpet in the house and now he's painting Lily's room.

Lily's new room. This is the rug we picked out and the walls are the perfect spa blue. The yellow she had, which I selected when we moved in this house 11 years ago, was electric so we're taking it down a notch. Peanut approves, and Lily cannot wait to move back in.

The love this guy has for his girl. He just wants to be near her. It's sweet. 

If she's late to breakfast, Peanut helps himself. He likes bacon and Trader Joe's almond croissants. 

Doing the hard work of packing away and purging. Lily's room has been mostly the same since we moved in. Well, we got rid of the baby furniture, but her shelves were still loaded with picture books and her chest was filled with stuffed animals. She's ready to move on. Me not so much so I loaded up some storage bins and hauled them to the basement where they'll wait until I find a recipient or have grandchildren some day in the faraway future.

Truth and acceptance. Honesty. There's some heavy stuff going on in my extended family. It involves terminal illness and the dismantling of a house. I have certain feelings about the way people are being treated and they aren't positive. Usually, I keep a lid on it for the sake of keeping the peace, but this week I had to be blunt. In turn, this experience has made me even more grateful for the thoughtful, peaceful way my brother and I behaved during an emotionally draining time. Sickness and death aren't convenient. Going through a lifetime of belongings isn't easy but it's just stuff, yet I love seeing my mom's painting on Candace's wall when I visit. It makes me happy to sit at her dining room table at my Dad's house. It brings me joy to think of her closest friends hanging an ornament from her tree on their's every year. So yeah...stuff, but important stuff because it connects us to memories.

Hope for healing.

This outtake. This is his hurry up and take the picture face. He sorta shuns photos these days. In the rare event that I get one, I'm usually forbidden from posting it on Instagram. He didn't say anything about my blog though so I'm taking that as permission. I wasn't sure about the red pants, but he looked so handsome.

She still happily poses for pictures even at 7:20 a.m.

Broody skies. 

Friday happy hour.

Kitchen inspiration thanks to a change in seasons and new cookbooks. Yet here are some old favorites that I assure you taste much better than they look. Ina's Company Pot Roast is a star because of that veggie gravy. And what's not to love about a one dish Garlic Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Baby Potatoes?

King of the mattress. Tigger knocked it down and then taunted Peanut who was circling. The games likely continued long after I left for work.

A pretty chill couple days ahead.