Thirty days of gratitude: Days 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15

This week has gone by in a blur. Yes, I've done my #gratitude30 thing, but only over on Instagram, feeding to Facebook and Twitter. But the blog? Yep, nope, none of that action, obviously.

Day 11: Indulgence

It seems rather humorous as I write this now (with chocolate bread pudding in my tummy), but earlier this week, when I took this picture, I was working hard at being "good" with my nutrition--salads and kale and such, and no sweets. So I decided to veer away from what I normally would post as an indulgence (dessert!), and took a pic of my new flannel pajamas (which are so very warm and cozy). Since that time, however, the parents have come to visit and while salads have stayed on the menu, sweet things have joined as well. The healthful way of being will return on Sunday!

Day 12: Nature

We are surrounded by beauty in our part of the country, but on this day I was feeling an autumn nostalgia for the trip that Corinne and I took last fall to NYC. Nature is such a big part of my world, and living close to nature has become very important to me in recent years. So seeing this patch of green on day 3 of our trip, when I was about up to here with crowds on the subway, felt pretty good. I can only imagine how grateful the people of the city are, to have this place to come and breathe.

Day 13: Rest

This guy knows how to rest. He can sleep all night and then wake up, have breakfast and nap for awhile. One of the many reasons we are such kindred spirits.

Day 14: Friendship

Seth has a longtime friend who came with us on vacation a couple of summers back. (I would not take just any kid away with our family for a week, that's for sure! This young man is special to us.) I am so appreciative of their friendship through the years. I think one of the hashtags I used for Instagram was #brotherfromanothermother.

Day 15: Beauty

I feel blessed to see beauty around me, every day. Some of that is because there really ARE beautiful things around me, but part of it is because I choose it. I choose to see beauty, to acknowledge the mundane (the sky! the fields! the pups! look at that tree! squirrel!). I love beauty.

Have a great weekend; enjoy the blessings around you and I hope your grateful list is long!

Thirty days of gratitude: Day 8

The word for today is memory.

Memories. When I thought of what to share as a grateful memory, it was hard to narrow down and choose; I have many happy memories with loved ones, in beautiful places. And then I remembered--looking through photos helped--an idyllic week with dear husband a few years back, with sunshine and tropic fruit and plumeria. What a happy memory. As the dark and cold descends (winter, my least favorite season), I will cling to that lovely time together and dream of the possibility of a return trip, some day...

Fancy schmancy kick off to 2010!

ave a gander at that beautiful, fun H over there! I found a free and creative idea at a website called Daily Drop Cap. A graphic designer makes unique drop caps available for bloggers to use to beautify their blogs. And I intend to.

I just couldn't resist posting a special note about the fun of the drop caps, and how much I've been looking forward to using them. I know, it's the little things. But it helps in starting off a new year "just so."

Happy 2010 everyone; I'm looking forward to the year ahead bringing challenges and opportunities, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Yup, the whole gamut. It's going to happen, so we might as well just strap in for a fabulous ride!

Wordless Wednesday #3: My Mother's Day orchid rocks!