Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

Acorn squash that T. Bone even deemed somewhat edible. Of course it is...it's more like dessert than dinner.

Cream of Wheat...it's my childhood in a bowl.

Lunch at Costco this week...there were so many samples that we were all satisfied after shopping.

My new infinity scarf in my new favorite color to wear...grey. I just cannot do turtlenecks anymore, but I love the warmth and coziness of something soft around my neck on a chilly day.

T. Bone found his beloved Badger jacket. He lost it a couple weeks ago and so we were sure it was gone for good. I'm also grateful I didn't order him a new one, which I was very close to doing despite the fact that I knew deep down that would not have taught him much of anything about being responsible.

The public market...this week i came home with spices and succulents.

JR's perfect 60 this week.

Hubby for turning all the clocks back this week. We have 13 in the kitchen alone so it is a time consuming chore. Ha!

Saying yes more often. This week I accepted an invitation to play Bunco from a friend. I had never played before, knew only the hostess and really didn't feel like going out at 7:00 on a Thursday night especially since it meant getting a sitter as hubby had plans too, but I did. I did and I met some nice women, and I had a good time.

Three walks in three days. My leg is getting stronger, but now it is sore. On Tuesday it stopped raining just long enough for me to go around the neighborhood.

Wednesday the rain turned to snow. Big, fat, fluffy flakes fell from the sky. Miss Bit was as excited as her mama. Then as we were admiring the scene, a huge buck came running through the yard right on cue.

A date with my hubby this week.

A date with Miss Bit to take a walk under the full moon tomorrow.

Tomorrow is hubby's birthday. Happy Happy to him!


This girl can climb.

This guy can cook.

I usually have this draft open all week and I add to it as I am inspired. That proved to be a true gift this week because for the last few days I have not felt the grateful chi. Someone I care about had the rug pulled out from under her and I learned of that mid-week. I've had a heavy heart since, but when I talked with her she even said that we have to focus on the little things in difficult times. And that is exactly what I do here...have been doing here...will continue to do here and I am ever grateful to her for reminding me of this.

Where There's A Will There's A Way

Despite the dreary, rainy day, this clever cat figured out how to take a sunbath.

Today's Truths

I'm sitting here on my computer when I have like 1000 other things that need doing.

I'm still in my jammies and a wool, winter hat that I wore to take Miss Bit to school.

I forced myself to make a bowl of Cream of Wheat for breakfast despite the fact that the only thing on my mind is acorn squash just the way I made it Sunday night: baked with butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Oh well, there's always lunch.

I finally hit publish on the half finished posts in my cue.

Then I sent an email to my friend explaining that I may not be able to make the event she invited me to on Friday because I have plans on Thursday and Saturday and I'm not sure I'm in the state of mind to do 3 days in a row. Not sure when I was last in that frame to be honest. It was hard to put that out there in the raw, but good to be true and straight.

Next I may break down and order the cozy shawl I've been dreaming of since I saw it in a catalog weeks ago. In my mind, if it's still on my mind after double digit days, I must have it. Now do I go for the gray or stick with black?

I really just want to stay in all day drinking coffee and then tea and then wine reading catalogs, and then magazines and then my novel.

I feel like this rainy day is making me crave comfort.

November is a close second to my favorite month of the year...October. What I love about our eleventh month is her focus on gratitude. I try and remember that for which I am grateful each and everyday, but I find myself gushing with thanks more than usual during these 30 days.

Then I think of the seasonal/holiday projects I want to do and I feel overwhelmed that there is laundry in the dryer (always) waiting to be folded and put away, closets to be purged, photos to be edited, journals to be written, errands to be run and dinner to be made adding anything else seems percarious at best.

It's making me realize that I really want the rest of this year to be free of stress and shoulds. I want it to be about joy and happiness with family and friends. I want our souls to be filled and our spirits to be soaring...light and lifted, not laden down and overloaded.

The truth is that there is so much living to do in the moment.

On My Mind Monday

As she bent over the child, she realized that the tragedy of death had to do entirely with what was left unfulfilled. She was ashamed that such a simple insight should have eluded her all these years. Make something beautiful of your life.

Abraham Verghese

Cutting For Stone

2 day pass

we're really getting spoiled by these 3 and 4 day weekends.
an extra day to play makes all the difference...and play we certainly did.
friday we hiked along the banks of a gorge just north of us on a stellarly sunny day.
we made our way down through the gully to our favorite sandy, stony shore.
the kiddos did plenty of off trailing and scaling...scaling the surrounding bluffs that is.
later i spent the night in the company of a friend i hadn't seen in far too long.
we caught up over cocktails and fried pickles and then stayed up way too late dreaming and scheming.
she left me with sage advice about relationships and career, clarity with regard to potential home renovations and healing, essential oils.
despite the fact that i was tired saturday, i was energized.
good thing too because i had a houseful of kids for the day and the night.
hubby was cheering on our best college team with other alumni and friends on campus.
i headed with my brood to do the same at a neighbor's where 2 hours turned into too many.
the kids played football and ghost in the graveyard and hide n' seek.
there was fun and drama and injury...all in a day.
aunt jess joined us for the entertainment.
we came home after dark for pizza delivery and scrabble.
a thin crust veggie with sausage never tasted so good and a word game was never so challenging.
the entire houseful was ever so grateful for an extra hour as we fell back overnight.
that bonus 60 minutes allowed me to make a banana bread for breakfast before sunday school.
the rest of the day was a blur of birthday parties, play dates, errands, laundry and leaves so that when we settled in for sunday dinner at the end of it, we were famished and exhausted.
and not long after, calling it a day... calling it a weekend.

Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

The way Miss Bit says her favorite show that she has seen 2 1/2 times total is Modern Fam. And also the way she readily admits that she doesn't usually get much of the humor.

guitar club. This week 50 middle schoolers gathered to jam. They played Coldplay and Zepplin.

flexibility with my schedule at work.

a new Rosie'ism: it's their journey...not mine. We have a date tonight so I'm expecting to have more.

T. Bone opting to watch a movie (Evan Almighty) with the girls last night instead of playing video games.

A family hike today. Hubby was able to swing the day off to spend with us too.

A great conference with Miss Bit's teacher this morning. She had only positive things to say and excellent progress to report.

new yoga pants eventhough i don't do yoga.

I started my holiday shopping.

Sundown On The Shore

Tonight after swim class, I suggested to Miss Bit that we stop home, quick dry her hair, bundle up a bit and take a walk on the beach in the light of the half moon. She immediately smiled bright and excitedly agreed. As we meandered on down the bluff hand in hand, she was absolutely beside herself that we were the only two people with such a crazy good idea. She was smitten with the thought that we skipped supper in favor of a stroll through the sand. The changing twilight kept our eyes turned skyward. We were awed by the dance performed gracefully by dark and light. There was a line of cottony clouds the color of dirty snow that converged with the clear indigo expanse. The sight was almost startling, and then my girl saw the faintest rainbow where the two met and she squeeled with delight. I saw it too and smiled.

Miss Bit ran right to the water's edge. She waded in wearing her new Bogs beyond giddy that her feet were still dry. I trailed her, closed my eyes and listened to the rhythm of the waves break on the shore. I never tire of that cadence. The November wind made me feel awakened, alive and a little redolent. I used to walk the few blocks from my home to sit at the water's edge on nights just like this often alone, but not always. In fact, nights like tonight were among my favorite: raw, piercing, penetrating.

We trudged up the path and along the way we spotted stars as they started shimmering in the sky. The last of day turned to the first of night and we were there to witness the beautiful transformation. It was really a gift to be present.

We have a date to return to the same spot at the same time for the next full moon.