Friday night grateful list

This has been a most excellent week with my guys. Very peaceful. Very quiet. Daily walks (I missed one especially rainy day, but that's only because I got caught up in my calligraphy and didn't notice it getting dark. I was still planning to go out, however briefly.). Good food. Naps. Netflix. Wii bowling. What's not to love?

The weather was generally quite lovely. Below are my panoramas, from about the same spot in the beach, each day. We also tended to walk all together around sunset, which is a lovely time on the beach--and the tide was out!

This could be one of my favorite places on earth. Top 5, for sure. And to get to chill with the guys, have good talks--I think we solved at least one of the main challenges of the world this week--and dial up another episode of Stranger Things... pretty blissful.

This week I also found myself grateful for:

Great home help while we're away. The house, the dogs, the chickens--they are all in excellent hands. We couldn't do it without that extra set of hands!

Technology. As much as I didn't dial in to work very much--both Alan and I consciously made an effort to disconnect as much as possible--it was good to be able to check on things as needed. 

Graham crackers and milk. All these years later, graham crackers and milk is still THE quintessential snack.

Pens and paper. In spite of all the technology, I still loooooove pens and paper. And making lists. In a moment of silliness, I talked myself into two online challenges: #rockyourhandwriting and #planwithme, both part of the Bullet Journal community. Not sure why I thought doing both would work, but the handwriting one should sort of write itself, right? And the planner one, well, I've been working on making my daily planner really work for me for quite a while, and I thought this would kick it up a notch. Time will tell. Check me out on Instagram if you're curious about the posts, but of course, they'll pop into the top right column every time I post, too.

Bonus people. I have friends who are friends because of we forged a one-to-one relationship--we went to school together, or worked together, or we met sometime in the past. But then there are people I met because of those primary relationships, who have become important in my life--friends of friends who became friends. Those are bonus people. Bonus people are awesome. I had a lengthy online conversation with two such lovely ladies this week that reminded me of all the things we have in common, in spite of very different circumstances. I love (and am grateful for) commonalities.

Seth. What can I say about that young man that I haven't said a thousand times before? He's delightful and so good to both Alan and I, and his relatives from his many families, too. We get to see him a few times this fall, so I'm feeling great about that. And his independence grows with each new experience he tackles, and I'm feeling good about that too. So grateful for this summer, for our time together, and his joyful presence around the house.

Reminders. I love to put myself in the path of good reminders, and part of my #planwithme challenge is going to be even more intentional with reminders that put me in the right space for good work, and a good life. These few reminders have been especially poignant for me lately:

(Stumbling is not falling, in case that's hard to read!)

Wishing you a peaceful and picking-daisies kind of weekend.

May It Be So

Almost exactly one year ago we dropped Seth off for his first year of college. As for any parents of a freshman, it was an exciting time for us all, with lots of unknowns and anticipations. As I look back on the year, I think we all did a rather tremendous job at letting go and being let go of. As he enters his sophomore year, Seth feels more strongly than ever that he made the right choice for himself with his college pick, and as anyone with a kid can tell you, a contented child is pretty much all a parent asks for.

One of the things that appealed about PLU to me personally was that it is not a secular campus. Of course I'm completely aware that kids will find what they are drawn to (secular, sacred, and the whole spectrum in between) at any school, anywhere in the world. But knowing that it's a part of the culture, and that speaking to vocation and a higher calling outside of self was something that I appreciated.

When we were oriented as parents and then gently separated and sent away (well, it was a bit more subtle than that, but not much), there was a student-welcoming ceremony that parents were able to observe, prior to the actual convocation that started the school year. During that service, the campus chaplain (I think?) read the following poem. (I know, right? Publicly-shared poetry? Of course Seth has found the right place for him! Ha.) I fell in love with it and have been meaning to share it ever since. It has all the hallmarks of any "new beginning" declaration--new year calendar-wise, or new year school-wise, what does it matter?

May It Be So
May the year bring abundant blessings--
beauty, creativity, delight!

May we be confident, couragous,
and devoted to our callings.

May our lives be enriched with education.
May we find enjoyment in our work
and fulfillment in our friendships.

May we grow, may we have good health.
In darker times, may we be sustained
by gratitude and hope.

May we be infused with joy.
May we know intimacy and kindness,
may we love without limit.

May the hours be enhanced with music
and nurtured by art.
May our endeavors be marked by originality.

May we take pleasure in daily living.
May we find peace within ourselves
and help peace emerge in the world.

May we receive the gifts of quiet.

May reason guide our choices,
may romance grace our lives.

May our spirits be serene,
may we find solace in solitude.

May we embrace tolerance and truth
and the understanding that underlies both.

May we be inspired with vision and wonder,
may we be open to exploration.

May our deepest yearnings be fulfilled,
may we be suffused with zeal for life.

May we merit these blessings
and may they come to be.
May it be so.

Note: "May It Be So" and its Hebrew counterpart are abecedarian poems, a type of acrostic in which the initial letters of key words appear in alphabetical succession. Abecedarians were a popular form of piyyud (liturgical poetry) composed for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, typically to delineate sins or to enumerate God's attributes. These new English and Hebrew abecedarians express wishes, hopes and blessings. Source. (Go back and read it again, now that you know the abecedarian nature of the piece. I have, many times, and appreciated that additional layer.)

As I've reread it over the past year since I first heard the words, I am struck by all that is so simply articulated, and how much of all of our lives it applies to--not just students, but certainly them as well.

My heart is full as we send the young man off for another year of learning and growing. May it be so.

Sunday night is good for grateful too

I do realize I missed Friday night. It was a long week, and it was filled with the usuals, but sliding in to Friday night I just wasn't in the mood to connect to my keyboard. Now, if I could figure out a way to telepathically share my gratitude, that'd be something.

But at the end of a lovely weekend, I can't help but share my gratefulness for so many things. As is usually true, there are so many more things to be grateful for than not.

I'm so grateful for my husband, who went above and beyond helping me out with some household items (doesn't that sound vague, and maybe like he ironed?) this weekend. His thoughtfulness is something I don't take for granted.

This weekend I got a bit of a cooking vibe on. I love everything about prepping food, and then the creation that follows, playing with flavors and variations on recipes. Being in the kitchen is one of my favorite places, and having lots of different dishes going on at one time makes me happy as can be. I also listened to Eric Ripert's 32 Yolks for a few hours, and reveled in his story, as sad at times that it was. There's such resonance in hearing someone talk about their formative experiences with food and having that, "me too!" feeling. I am so grateful for the plentiful produce in our area right now; there's so much that's ripe and fresh and being grown within 10 miles of here. Current obsession: corn salad. This corn salad. Life altering, I tell you.

Watched Pitch Perfect again this weekend (for the umpteenth time, I'm sure) and just have to say that even if I can't sing Like That, I sure do like music so very much. I am so grateful for people who can express themselves a musical gift, and that movie is so re-watchable to me just for the humor. Of course, the songs are pretty memorable too.

I was going to share a Pitch Perfect clip, and went to YouTube to find one that had all my favorite bits, and of course, because interwebs working the way they do, I am now sharing a clip of Anna Kendrick and Kristen Chenoweth singing "For Good," from Wicked. I know you get how that happened.



You know what I'm REALLY grateful for? That I don't have to watch ALL of the Olympics to know what's going on. Side note: I could not believe that when I turned on the telly this morning while I was in the kitchen that of all the things they *could* be broadcasting, they were showing golf. GOLF. On a Sunday morning? Could be any Sunday, any where. Baffles me. How about showing something uniquely Olympic? I was hoping for something other than golf, as you can probably tell. But, back to my gratitude--I love that clips of all the sports (and that awful green pool) are available any time I want, online.

Just a couple more weeks before Seth embarks on his sophomore year, and I am and always will be so grateful for this summer. Such a lovely time together, and we still have a week of holiday to look forward to. De-lightful.

A friend sent the picture below to me this week. I'm grateful to be known by my people.

I was so happy to get to see meteors this past week. The Perseids always make August a better month for me, and I have fond childhood memories of sleeping under the stars with my brother. I set my alarm for 4 a.m. Friday a.m., knowing that pre-dawn is always better than trying to battle the moon for good gazing. But something woke me at 1 a.m., so on my way to the bathroom (of course), I passed by our slider, and a meteor falling caught my eye. I thought, "wow, they really must be falling at a quick clip," so I took a few minutes and went out on the deck, thinking this was going to be quite a show. Not so much. Back to bed. At 4 a.m. I saw maybe three or so before saying skip it and returning to bed. Same drill Saturday morning. I think the rumors of "double the number this year" were greatly exaggerated, but maybe that was just our backyard.

As grateful as I am for autumn coming, I am already missing the super-long days. I know it's not possible to have them both--cooler days AND lots of sunshine--but a girl can wish, can't she?

I can't believe I'm this far down in my grateful list without having mentioned this auspicious date, which is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. On one hand, the notion of 50 years rather boggles the mind, but on the other, knowing how fast time goes by, it doesn't seem so long. Oh, who am I kidding? That's a massive amount of time, and truly an accomplishment. It's no small feat to give your children a stable and intact platform from which to launch into the world, and it's certainly something for which I am very grateful. Kudos and congratulations, Ma and Pa. Here's to at least 25 more!

All I can say in defense of sharing this photo is: anyone can share a wedding photo, or something posed. But how often do you see a picture that embodies who a couple is. This picture does that for me. I couldn't find a better one if I searched for days.

And in case you're in need of a little Monday cheer by the time you read this, I encourage you to make the photo below your new phone wallpaper. Have a great week!

Friday night grateful list

This grateful list began on a massage table.

That could be the start and end of the list tonight, couldn't it? I had the good fortune of having my window of availability match up with my preferred massage therapist's same window, which frankly, rarely happens. Mostly because I don't get around to even checking to see if there's a possibility. But this week there was and I did and it was divine.

So I laid there and for the first half I did really well. I reveled and relaxed and even snoozed a little. Then, like a nasty germ, a work-related thought entered my brain. Nasty only in that it didn't belong in this quiet space. I did my best to banish it, but ugh. Didn't ever quite accomplish the same bliss in the second half as had been achieved in the first. Still, glad to have had that mostly-peaceful interlude to start the weekend off.

It's officially summer here, so that means that the complaints about the heat have begun. My favorite is, "Satan called, he wants his weather back." I will probably say that enough to drive my family and coworkers crazy for the next six weeks, or however long this bout of hellfire lasts.

This week I am thankful for many things, including but not limited to:

Cooler evenings. Still love my evening wander in the yard, putting up chickens and dogs, and watering this and that to get ready for another blazing day tomorrow. Some night I'd love to sleep outside, but the skunk that's been stalking our chickens makes me think otherwise. Don't need to snuggle with that in the night.
 

The power of story. While I was mowing the other evening, I just felt in the mood to relisten to an old favorite of mine, "This is the Story of a Happy Marriage," by Ann Patchett. That lady can tell a story. I love this essay more than most, and every time I hear it--probably about once a year, I'd say--a new phrase stands out to me and I love it all over again. The story itself resonates in so many ways for me, but her style is also a big draw. At the recent recommendation of a friend I listened to Elizabeth Gilbert talking with Krista Tippets on her podcast, On Being, and Elizabeth referenced a story about Ann Patchett. I think that must have been what drew me back to *this* story, for a relisten. And another fabulous point--it is almost exactly the length of a lawn mow for me, from pulling the mower out to putting it back.

Our pups. I do adore all our pups, but this one sat still for a photo, so sweet Tess gets the feature. I love our furry buddies so much, and are so glad for their presence in our lives.

Animals that produce something of value. While that might seem like a jab at the pups, it's really not. I'm just tickled pink that the new chickens have started producing. They are a funny bunch, for sure; it's so interesting getting to know chicken personalities. And I can't wait to omelet it up tomorrow morning!

Friendship. Always thankful for friends, near and far. I know that I have more than my share of blooming flowers in my friendship garden, corny as that may sound.

 

The plethora of summer produce that is available. Currently enjoying tomatoes and basil with abandon, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, kale and okra. Next up, eggplants and more summer squash! Apricots are done, but here comes the plums! And can't forget the watermelon. I don't think a day has gone by without watermelon for some weeks. (I blame Seth. He's influential in the watermelon purchases.)

Seth. Of course. While I have this sneaking feeling I'm going to miss him more this fall that last, I am still so happy that he's on a path that he chose, and he is loving it.

Husband. Also of course, and then some. Thankful for his thoughtfulness, and his humor. Also, that he knows Walton's episodes well enough to tell me what's coming next. How awesome is that? I love it.

Sweet, sweet sleep. I've been doing mostly better in that arena, and of course, the minute I say that I'll have one of those lovely insomnia nights. Here's hoping not. I can usually count on Friday night being one of the good ones. Restful, with the promise of sleeping in and having a peaceful following day.

 

Wishing you a peaceful, grateful weekend.

Friday night grateful list

Summer has arrived! I know, I know, technically summer has been around for a month already, but in my world, summer equals warmth, which we haven't really been wallowing in yet this year. Finally, the warmth feels like it's building; nothing too drastic yet, but slowly, every day a bit warmer. It's delightful, even though it has now caused the rest of the apricots to plunk down to the ground at a rate I can't quite keep up with, no matter how many I give away.

Last night I was doing my nightly rounds while texting with a friend about our mutual need to ignore the current news, puttering with the dogs and chickens, checking the yard, and before I knew it, the sun had gone down. I hadn't really paid attention to the sunset--I was on the other side of the house, I think, when it really went down--and it was super dusky, warm and quiet. It was just so delightful to stand there and feel the night roll in. I stood there, in the middle of the back yard, and thought about the stuff that really matters, to me, and how I need to spend more time reflecting on those things, rather than letting my life get eaten up with less important matters. After a few minutes, it occurred to me that there should be a moon, shouldn't there? Where was it? Then I started thinking about the Pale Blue Dot video and pulled up YouTube up on my phone. I mean, I'm waiting for the moon, so why not go look at a space video with Carl Sagan's voice? I found the one below, which I don't think I've watched before; or if I have, it's been awhile. It's a longer version than just the main quote that gets shared a lot. It always resonates, but last night it super-resonated, what with all the weighty stuff of the world currently.




When the video was over I looked at the horizon and saw the glow. The moon! It was coming! Finally. I texted Seth to come and watch it, and he sweetly obliged his mom and came and watched, chatting as the glow-dial turned all the way up until the moon peeked over the Blues. I couldn't help take a couple of pictures, to try and capture this lovely night. (Of course they don't even remotely do it justice.)



I haven't told one of the stories that brought me back to Friday nights and my list, but I've meant to. There were a few of these interactions over my inactive year (or two) that reminded me of why I'd started doing it, and the value of not just being grateful, but of the act of noting gratitude as a ritual. I was at the spring musical at the local high school--something I did only once in Seth's whole high school experience, so not really my natural habitat. But friends had raved about The Little Mermaid, so I corralled another mom of a recent grad into going with me. We sat in the back (we're similar that way, I knew I was asking a like-minded date!), and beside two sisters and a mom I know. Lovely ladies, you know who you are, and your words of encouragement about missing the devotional feel of this Friday night ritual meant more than you probably realize. Thank you.

Week before last was a rough one, locally, as many lost a dear person, and the gathering that followed the loss brought my dear friend Kate to town. Of course that means gathering, and eating, and laughing and crying and sharing. Of course. Thank you, friends, for the time and space to be together. And thanks for giving me an opportunity to crack open a much-loved but not-enough-used cookbook, and bake up a delightful cake. I will need to make this again, definitely.

 

This week, I am grateful for:

Hugs from Seth. Those hugs are awesome.

Apricots. Even though I sometimes curse how full the tree has been this year, I am so grateful for the bounty. And basil. And the tomatoes that are coming on, and kale, and zucchini and even the precious few okra we've had so far.

Our pups. Such sweet loves. They know exactly what we're up to in the mornings. They know when I'm getting ready to go, and they come upstairs to get more loving from husband before I put them outside. And of course, General *must* bark when I kiss husband goodbye. He just cannot deal with that affection. He is a funny buddy.

Our view. Being able to watch the sunrise and moonrise from the yard is not something I take for granted. If you follow me on Instagram you know that I'm rather captivated by my surroundings, and find the view very tolerable, indeed. I am stopped short by this landscape, almost daily. :)

Water. Not to be taken for granted, at all, in this world with limited resources. To be able to water my garden and bathe and drink and all the things we *do* take for granted.

Friendship. From my best-husband-friend to my girlfriends old and new, I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

The instant gratification of purchasing an airline ticket on a day when I needed something to look forward to.

The ability, and desire, to be real with people. When I observe un/non-realness (or as a normal person would write = inauthentic), the first thing I think is, why? The world is so much better when people are really who they are. And as I type that, I can think of a few exceptions. (Heh.) Maybe it would be better to say, "In general, it is better when people are really who they are."

Laughter. Always a plus, in any day.

Doesn't it feel like week before last, it was ALL Pokemon? And this week? Crickets.

Last, a few words to remember:
"Just for today, I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to notice what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me." -Kenneth L. Holmes

Peace.

Friday night grateful list: Spring Break edition

Ha. I typed the words "Spring Break edition" and instantly had Girls Gone Wild images flash through my mind. Ha ha. Not even.

This week, following the festival that was Grandma's 95th birthday, Seth and I put husband on a plane home and trekked off over the mountains, down I-5 and had a few days of looking around colleges, educating ourselves on a few local-ish options. We both learned a lot, about the process of applying to colleges, about the various campuses themselves, and what environments felt more "Seth" than others. We have the advantage of having friends who either are or were in the college admissions game; their advice has been invaluable. And I know we'll be back for more, friends. Prepare yourselves.

I am so grateful to have had this week with Seth. He and I have road-tripped many, many times over the years, all over the place. We have listened to many audiobooks, sung many songs together at the top of our lungs, and eaten more than our fair share of completely unhealthful food too. I am grateful for Seth every day, but getting to spend multiple days together is always special. Even when we got on each other's nerves, or one or the other of us missed the right exit and we had to backtrack, we still had a really excellent adventure.

We had really great tour guides, for the most part--extroverted, engaged young men who were pretty passionate about their college experience. It was good to see. The bottom left photo is Seth telling me to stop taking pictures and stay with the group. As if. You'd think he'd know by now...

I managed to keep on top of work emails while I was away, by borrowing a Surface from work, instead of the usual laptop. I am a complete convert. Seems odd to sit and type away on a Surface, referring to my iPad while I do that--I was working on one of my nonprofit volunteer projects while I was away, and had documents I needed to read on one device, while recording notes in a spreadsheet on the other. I thought Bill Gates and Steve Jobs would appreciate my ambidextrous approach to technology, but mostly, I was just grateful to be able to get things done. I'm not sure I will actually give the Surface back, I like it that much. I think one of the reasons it works so well for me is my love of all things touch-screen. But transferring back to my laptop, it's hilarious how many times my hand reaches up to swipe something on the screen. Creature of habit...

We came home to a yard that is bursting with springtime energy. That is to say: green! I was thinking today while pulling weeds, why can't we pull them once and then they'll never come back?! I agree, it's a little early in the season to be thinking like that! Ha. Seth and I got a couple of beds cleared of the winter leaves that blow through, and picked up potting soil and a few plants to start the flower pots. I am always so grateful for spring, but for some reason, I am ever-so-much-more-so this year. Why is that? It wasn't a hard winter, here in Washington. If I were on the East Coast, it might be more understandable. But we had it pretty mild.

Look what I found: lettuce, reseeded from last year!

Listened to (and inflicted on Seth!) some great work-related podcasts while on the road, and now that it's yard season, I'll be cranking up the audiobooks too. Nothing makes yard time go by faster than listening and learning. Happy me! I'm so grateful for technology (well, other than that dang Heartbleed thing. Blech.).

The whole of the Pacific Northwest put on a glorious sunshine show for us. It was most pleasant. I got to have breakfast with Jen on the morning we were in Portland, which was lovely; it was especially lovely to walk together to breakfast without an umbrella!

When we were at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, walking down the hall in the English department, I saw a bunch of photos of various poets, and the tour guide said something, "blah blah blah, photos all taken by William Stafford blah blah blah." What? How did I not remember that William Stafford taught at L&C, years ago? 

I was first introduced to William Stafford as a poet in 1991, while I was in college, and I even got to hear him read that year, too. I have always appreciated and enjoyed his writing. He died in 1993 and I just read that he wrote the morning he died: "You don't have to / prove anything," my mother said. "Just be ready / for what God sends." Wow. That'll stick with me for a bit.

The bottom photo has Galway Kinnell in it, another poet I have appreciated.

I'm so grateful for poetry. Can't be said enough. :)

Tonight I'm especially grateful to be home, with husband and Seth, with the sliding doors open and the spring air so fragrant. I'm grateful that the weekend is ahead, and while I'm sure there will be work of both the work-work and yard variety, there will also be sleep, joyous sleep, and relaxation, maybe another brief road trip, some good food, laughter and love. Yeah for weekends.

Hope your weekend is "yeah" too.

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

Tonight I am grateful to be in Canada, surrounded by family, celebrating the 95th birthday of my grandma tomorrow. I am grateful for safe travels, for lots of laughter, for car naps and for sunshine and blue skies along the way. I'm grateful for such a loving extended family, and for their laughter and hugs. I'm grateful for such a great kid, and the prospect of a road trip together next week. I'm grateful for a wonderful partner and spouse, one who is my biggest cheerleader and best friend. I'm grateful for sleep, which is arriving very soon, and for the joy of sleeping in. I'm grateful it's the weekend, and I'm so very grateful it is THIS weekend. That my grandmother is 95 is the best and biggest thing on my grateful list this week. She's amazing and lovely, and I am grateful for every day she's on this planet.

Hope your weekend is filled with gratefulness too.

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

Confession: this list, this tradition, this ritual... almost didn't happen tonight. But then I spoke my sacrilege out loud to husband and his sweet response was, "But you've worked so hard to never miss. Here, I'll help you. Do you want me to type?" So, so sweet. (And no, he's not typing.)

So here's our joint little grateful effort. A little him, a little me, a little list.

Spending the afternoon with the one you love. We took off from work early, had a lovely late lunch out, did some errands, and generally enjoyed the sunshine and running around together. Blessed.

We are both very grateful for springtime, and all the green and leafy things that are popping out. I'm a little sad that it got down to 28 degrees a couple of nights last week. I'm pretty sure that means no apricots. :(

For color, I am always grateful. I saw gobs of beautiful flowers at Lowes today and got all twitterpated about planting and gardening and blooming and such. Calm down, Sher.

We are well! All three of us! Woot. Last weekend was pretty draggy, especially for husband, so we're super grateful to be mended.

For family: for talks and reflection and the anticipation of time together. I am so looking forward to the first weekend in April. Hugs all around, family people! xo

Seth's home again for the week--we've had a lovely run of extra boy time and that makes both of our hearts very happy and grateful. (Seth's too, I am sure, but I am only typing for the two parentals at the moment. And with a teen, who really knows, right?!)

For the promise of a big, fat, lazy sleep-in tomorrow (this is all Sher as husband does not sleep in). If the phone rings or there's a text before 9 a.m., you're toast. Yes, even YOU.

Visiting girlfriends. I have TWO (count 'em, 2!) friends in town this weekend, visiting; completely unrelated visits, which is cool. That almost never happens, probably mostly because my friends who aren't in Walla Walla never come here. Ha. That's a veiled threat/dare to Jen and Corinne, mostly. Bring IT. But to the ones who are here: looking forward to seeing you!

Feeling fiesty, and sleepy, and that's a dangerous combination. (Just ask husband. He's now given up on the list, since I'm clickety-clacking over here.) Off to La-La-Land I go! Wishing you peace and joy and love. Always love.

 

Friday night grateful moment

Tonight I'm telling my week in photos, mostly...

We had a lovely time in Arizona with Ma and Pa. Sightseeing, good food, nature, sunshine, more good food, maybe a nap or two, and Mexican train dominoes. All essential to a little down time! (More pics in the Instgram feed to the right.)

For the first time in a long time I didn't watch the Oscars. Just didn't care about it enough to stop what we were doing, or prioritize watching. But truly, I didn't feel like I missed anything--you can see everything you'd want to see via clips online, etc. My favorite variation on the Ellen selfie thing involves a corgi (of course!). And my John Travoltafied name is Sebastian Crawzford. Awesome.

Ma and I reviewed Oscar dresses on my iPad, with our thumbs up and down. My very favorite dress is the one below. I'm not the biggest Zooey fan (but not a hater, either), but that dress has my name on it.

Leaving Arizona and coming home to spring-like temperatures here too, I got even more in the mood for color and sunshine and more color and green sprouty things coming out of the earth. More and more every day...

Inspiration came from Facebook... (I need that fabric in my life!)

 And Etsy... (I feel a crafty project coming on!)

From Instagram... (I love a good word-art combo!)

On Thursday night we got to watch the young gentleman of the household be inducted into the National Honor Society. That made our hearts very happy, for him. A great thing to be a part of for his last couple of years of high school, I know he'll be glad to have participated.

Peacefulness is very present in our home tonight. Quiet, except for some doggies making soft snoring noises. I'm so grateful for a jam-packed week with work and play and travel, sunshine and rain, love and laughter. Blessed and happy and tired and so so ready for the weekend.

Wishing for all the above for you, as well. Have a great weekend.

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

We're in a phase (well, more precisely *I'm* in a phase) where the weeks fly by and the blog sits quiet. I make food--even shareable food, lately. I have thoughts, ideas, inspiration--some of them even worth sharing, maybe. But. Then. It doesn't happen. Life goes whirling by and I wish for more hours in the day...

The Friday habit, however, appears unbreakable. Famous last words, I know. It does seem, though, that when Friday night rolls around, wherever I am, whatever I'm doing, whatever the week has held, I'm able to pause, breathe, reflect, appreciate. And I'm grateful for that. For the habit and what it brings into my life.

This week was a wild one, with work-work and a heavy dose of volunteer work, and then leaving for a few days to visit my parents in warmth. It definitely felt like a giant zoom, whoosh, splat. Well, the splat might be a bit dramatic. We've landed in sunshine, with some peace and quiet and laughter and good food and (maybe) a bit of relaxation. Given that today held more activity than either husband or I have had in quite some time--those desk jobs, even with stand-up desks,  don't exactly provide much of a work out--we will hold out that relaxation will come tomorrow.

I'm grateful for my parents; first, that they're still on this planet, alive and healthy. I'm grateful for their spirit of adventure, for their shared aesthetic sense--not that they have the same one, but that aesthetics are important to them both, for their love for each other and their family, and for their willingness and ability to laugh!

We saw some really interesting natural beauty today (check out my Instagram feed, I'll keep posting there), lots of scrub brush and cacti and all kinds of prickly, wild things. There's definitely a beauty in the landscape around Tucson, but it's also a little ugly (to me). I'm a Pacific Northwest girl at heart, apparently. Give me forests and trees, oceans, rivers, fields and meadows... I definitely saw things today that made me stop and say, "cool, wow, different," but it all feels pretty foreign. Go figure. I am grateful for the diversity in this country, even if it pushes my comfort zone.

We have excellent house-sitting help while we're away, for which I am ever-so-grateful (I feel the need to post that for the robber-types that troll my blog, ha ha). The pups are well looked after, too. That eases my mind, even as a big winter storm is supposed to roll through. Husband said to me tonight (he knows me so well, sweet man), "I'm sorry we're going to miss snow." That made me laugh, as he said that completely for my benefit. I am the first to say that I need to see snow to really feel like I've had a winter, but now that we've had it, I've seen it, I've even skiied in it, I'm good. I was in heaven today, in shirt sleeves, wandering around in the sun, feeling my freckles pop out. (What insanity is it that still makes me believe that "just a little sun" is fine, no sunscreen for me, thanks? It's skin cancer insanity, that's what. But a little sun on my cheeks makes me happy!)

Technology always makes my grateful list, even if I don't always articulate it. Being able to connect from afar, to work or to loved ones (Seth!), makes all the difference in the world. Texts, Skype, whatever = yeah!

Tonight I will be grateful for sleep. Nothing like a bunch of activity to bring out the sleepiness in me! I'm grateful for a cozy spot to lay my head, and not too much on the agenda for tomorrow. I hope wherever you are tonight, it's cozy there too! (And not much on the agenda for tomorrow!)

Peace.

Friday night grateful moment

So much to be grateful for tonight.

It's Friday night. And as I say, quite often, I haven't looked forward to a Friday this much since last Friday! I'm positively giddy with the prospect of sleeping in tomorrow morning.

This week was Seth's birthday, the young man turned 17 and we had a lovely time together. He woke up very happy at the prospect of this milestone. Somehow 17 seemed to him a much bigger deal than 16. I think the car and the job have something to do with it, and he's really stepped up in his overall responsibility level. We're quite proud of him.

Seth and his cousins last Thanksgiving. They've each grown about a foot since then!

I'm grateful for the sunshine, which appeared today and seems to be on tap for the whole weekend. That delights me so very much, as there are some vast swaths of yard that need a bit of tidying before the fall weather tips into winter weather. I can sense the audiobooks being queued up for hours of listening/weeding pleasure!

The garden is winding down. I went out this afternoon and pulled up some pepper plants and harvested a few of the more mature butternut squashes. There's a rumor of frost tonight so I wanted to be a bit prepared. While I miss the burgeoning harvests of August, I am grateful to still have ample kale and a variety of squashes. Sure wish a few more tomatoes would ripen though... that's a bit of a pipe dream, I'm sure.

Anticipating the month of October makes me grateful. For family (visits!) and friends (visits! birthday celebrations!) and the boy (his birthday party too!). I'm looking forward to it all. And after October there's November, with Thanksgiving and our anniversary, and then there's Christmas... you get my drift. Lots of celebrations coming our way, and I will be grateful for each one.

And there's the season itself. Autumn. I have been the usual amount of grumpy (just a little) about the darkness, but in general I am happy happy about the change in the air quality (crisp and sharp, great to breathe in in big gulps as I head out in the morning to work), the change in the light as it filters through the trees, the cloud formations as they move so quickly through, one storm after another ... Autumn is lovely.

I'm also grateful that September is over. I enjoyed the blogging challenge, and am glad that both Jen and I had the stamina to eek it out every day. There were a couple of days when I thought, "Really? Really? Not feeling it. Let's take a break." But in the end, it all worked out, more or less and neither of us had to eat crow, or whatever it was that we agreed the not-blogger would have to suffer if 100% posting wasn't achieved.

I'm grateful for friends who walk their talk. I was shown a beautiful example this week of grace in the face of loss and disappointment, and I was inspired.

And rather than posting the NSFW Pooh quotes that Jen sends me sometimes--they are hilarious, but entirely inappropriate for the blog--I will leave you with this lovely thought:

Wishing you love, joy and tenderness! Yes, sing it.

Peace.

Sept. 30: Favorite photo

Blogging challenge for today: Show a favorite photo. Why do you love it?

I have a lot of "favorite" pictures, but this one is probably the *most* favorite. Today, anyway. It's Seth's birthday eve, and I'm waxing a bit nostalgic for the little lad of yesteryear. Only sort of, though, as he's such a wonderful very-soon-to-be 17-year-old...

The picture above means so much as it depicts the two people I love most on earth, and to me tells a little story of their relationship, and the love between them. It makes a mom's heart happy.

Jen and I (and now my mom and Lisa too!) are blog challenging throughout September. You can catch her blog over at Stuff Jen Says. If you want to write along with us, give me a shout and I'll send you the blog prompts.