Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

It's Friday. Mike is home from Miami and Ted is on his way home from Colorado. He was scheduled to fly home tomorrow, but we are expecting snowmageddon so his flight was cancelled. He was persistent until he was rebooked. I didn't have to get involved at all. In fact, he even arranged for a ride from the airport. The boy is growing up. Oh, and he had a fabulous time skiing with friends. Keystone was his fave.

Lily and I had a nice week together, and on our last night Jess joined us for taco salads and talk. We asked questions and she talked. And talked. And talked. A chatty teenager is a rare thing and so we considered ourselves lucky and listened.

Heat. Our furnace is fixed.

Our first big snowstorm of the season. We're supposed to get close to a foot in the next 24 hours. I plan to be a shut in this weekend. I left work early and went to the store like every other person in my city. I stocked up on the ingredients for some new recipes I want to try. I have a stack of books I picked up from the library yesterday. I have no place I need to be for the duration of the weekend.

Hygge. I thought I might take down the live tree this weekend because it's dead, but I just couldn't bring myself to deChristmas yet. Tigger and I are still enjoying our tree time and it's my favorite to bask in the twinkle lights in the middle of a snowstorm. 

Soup weather. A bowl of soup is so comforting and warm. I've been on a roll: Lasagna Soup, my Lentil Soup with Kielbasa, which was the first thing I made in my new Instant Pot, and a delicious French Onion that Lily and I enjoyed this week. When the boys are way, the girls eat onions.

 My new Instant Pot. It was a gift from my dad and step-mom and they were there for the maiden offering.

Little Mister Mischief.

Amy's mushroom and olive pizza. We add jalapenos and it's perfectly earthy and briny and spicy. It's what's for dinner tonight...Friday is pizza night.

Ted just texted me before he got on the plane and asked me out for a date tomorrow. He wants to see Just Mercy. I guess I'm going out in the snow because how can I possible say no to that.

Now I'm heading up to bed to read some of Homegoing. Yaa Gayasi's novel is a to read. I've been hooked since page one, but I'm taking my time with it because I need to sit with these characters and their legacies. The multi-generational tale is not always easy to read, but it is moving and illuminating in a way that only powerful writing can be. I'm hoping it inspires a thoughtful discussion next week Friday when my friends and bibliophiles gather for book club.