eaceful, quiet and cozy. I do so love an early Friday evening...

This week my heart is full of thankfulness...

For my husband, who puts up with my accident-prone ways and loves me still. He even smiles when I tell him my latest tale of woe. And it's not a snarky smile, it's an "I'm glad you're alright" smile. Maybe a little bit of "Really, again? How is this possible?" Ha. He's a good, good man.

For my son, who is truly the best son a mother could ask for. (I'm not biased or anything!)

For a wonderful dad on his special day. Happy Birthday, Pa! Enjoy that yummy cake! (That's my dad and Seth in the picture above. Grandpa diggin' some first grandchild time about 13.5 years ago...)

For the snow as it sneaks down the mountains toward us... I am ready! Boots are out, scarves and mittens too.

For friends. For birthdays to celebrate, for new friends and old friends and friends in need and friends with love to spare. I have the spectrum and it's beautiful; I'm more blessed than I deserve, that's for sure.

For the strength of the human spirit, which I see exemplified in so many beautiful ways, every day. For my friends who are fighting illness, working hard to save a marriage (or picking up the pieces from an unfixable mess of a marriage) or supporting a parent who has a grave diagnosis, I know the burdens are many. But spirit remains, and even when that flags, friends and loved ones help build it back up. Never hesitate to ask for help from those nearby; loved ones are just waiting to be of help. Truly. I know this. I've been on both sides of this equation, and all you need to do is ask, hard as that may seem.

For laughter and humor. Reading Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk right now--a timely gift from a dear friend for my birthday--and it's laugh-out-loud funny. True David Sedaris in voice, but with a completely new and fresh angle. Two thumbs up from me.

For AAA. Needed them just this afternoon and they came through. Love it.

For work people who clean up after themselves. This is not to be underestimated in an already topsy-turvey house.

For black grapes. Now that the figs are gone, I've moved on... I think between Seth and I we've eaten about 10 pounds of grapes this week. They have been heavenly!

For better sleep. Again, not to be underestimated.

For Christmas music. The holiday music bug hit me this week, hard. It was helped along by a gift of Pink Martini from sweet C in Cali, and some digging around iTunes for a few other treasures... my Christmas mix is well on it's way... I'm doing my best not to get fully immersed until after Thanksgiving, but...

In my quote wanderings this week I found something that resonated:

My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life,
if we are right with those we love and behave
in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed
with the aching throb of unfulfilled business.
Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight.
We will never wallow in the agony of "I could have, I should have."
We can sleep in a storm.

 Have A Little Faith, Mitch Albom

May your weekend be beautiful and filled with all the things you need it to be filled with and none of the things that you don't!