Girls Night Out

Life is Good: viva la cheesecake!

Month of Gratitude, Day 23

Last night, I went out for a "Girl's Night Out" with a couple of old friends and a couple of new friends. It was a nice time. We ate a yummy dinner and talked about everything from college to karaoke to earrings made from lost teeth. I know, I know...

I returned home to find what may or may not have been a level one hurricane. Or just a lot of fun. And a report that something had occurred resulting in the two-year old needing his hair washed before bed time. Don't ask. I wish I hadn't.

It was a fun night with the girls. And I was happy to come home to two sleeping cherubs and a welcoming husband.

And this morning? A half of a piece of cheesecake leftover from last night that reminds me life.is.sweet.

                                                          

                                                               photo from yahoo.com

Thank Goodness for Little Boys II

Life is Good: I have sunshine on a cloudy day

 

Month of Gratitude, Day Twenty-two

 

My dearest Big Kid,
You and your brother are my sunshine. It's true. You are the brightness and warmth in my days. You ooze love and shine happiness and make any old day extraordinary. Your daddy and I are so much more fulfilled because you and your brother exist. Today, and everyday, I am grateful for how you have touched our lives.

I love how big your eyes get when you realize we are listening to a Paul McCartney or John Lennon solo on the radio and you shriek, "It's one of The Beatles!!!" I love how you crack up so easily. Your laughter is easy and infectious. And your dimple. Courtesy of my Grandma. She would have gotten a real kick out of you.

I am amazed by your imagination, your creativity, your ingenuity, your inventions, your curiosity, and the silliness that drips from everything that you do. I am awed by some of the creations you make and how you use the most everyday things to execute some exceptional ideas. Hold on to that skill and continue to hone it. Keep dreaming and doing. Never stop "playing" and daydreaming. If you can think it, you can do it. So keep thinking and keep trying. This is a real gift. I am excited to see how it will serve you as you grow.

You are so thoughtful and sensitive. And oh, so tender. You notice things that others overlook. You have a desperate need to "understand". I'm afraid you get a lot of this from me, dear one. Our strengths are often our weaknesses, too. It is my aim and goal to teach you how to use these pieces of your personality to love people and not let them hurt yourself.

I love your long legs--exact duplicates of your daddy's. They looked like long, frog's legs when you were a newborn. Now, they look more like stilts--ladders to that deep heart and big, always thinking brain of yours.

I am amazed that you always wake up happy. It's always been that way. Ever since you were born. I pray it will always be that way. The way you start the day has so much to do with the way you feel throughout the rest of it.

You just can't understand why kids would be mean to other kids. You are baffled by intentional unkindness. You have such a pure, loving heart. Don't let anyone change that. Never betray who you are. And remember our family rule--"Everything (done) with kindness."

You are so sweet. Truly. Your unsolicited hugs and "I love yous" mean the world to me. You are full of energy and smiles. You are a loving brother. You can tell the silliest stories! You have excellent rhythm, too---you started tapping your toe to music at five-months old! And that's fortunate, since you tell us that you and your little brother will someday have a band called, "Spider Sock".

One of my favorite joys is to hear you tell me that I am your best friend. I know that others will claim that title someday, but I hope I always remain in your inner circle. That you always feel you can talk to me. About anything. I might not always like what I hear, but I will always love you.

Am I going a little overboard? Of course not. Every mama should adore her child this much and more.

Oh, my precious one. Words cannot express deeply enough the impact you have made on our lives, the imprint you have made on my heart. You have introduced me to my purpose---motherhood. I used to live life looking forward, but now, I live in the moment because "right now"--no matter where that is-- is the best time of our lives. Nothing else is more rewarding than accompanying you and your brother on the road of life. May we have all the time we want together and may the bumps in the road be small and short-lived and the curves and swerves be full of fun.

I love you dearly.

coolvectors.com

How to Eat Quinoa with Gratitude

Life is Good: I've found gold!

Month of Gratitude, Day 21

Remember yesterday's post about the little things? Well, today I am grateful for a little (big) thing. I feel like I just scaled a mountain or finished a marathon (or some other great feat that I know I will never actually accomplish because I could care less about stuff like that).

Today, I am grateful that I discovered the way to get my kids to eat quinoa without whining. Ready? Got your pen and paper? Because you will want to write this down. Wait...for..it...PARMESAN CHEESE! Who knew? A little bit of parmesan cheese and that grassy taste that takes even adults a little while to get used to just goes away. Our two-year old devoured his. Eureka! Everybody eats a healthy dinner and I sigh with relief! Thank you very much!

Giving Thanks

Life is Good: even with a headache

Month of Gratitude, Day 20

I didn't post anything yesterday, so I am, once again, playing catch up! It isn't that I wasn't grateful for anything. In fact, I am so grateful for this little month of gratitude project that I invented for myself. I think I do a pretty good job of acknowledging our blessings, but this post a day thing has been good for me to stop, sit down, think, and write.

I've been trying to focus on "the little things", the simpler things, because I think it is easier to be grateful for the gargantuan stuff. But to be thoughtful, aware, and glad for the most ordinary of things is quite possibly, the truest form of gratitude. 

Yesterday was such a full day and by the time I had a break to write, it was 9:30 PM and a run of the mill headache had turned into a pressure cooker in my head. I felt like my head was a balloon just about to pop. I'm sure that rubbing my head was not Grant's first choice for closing out the evening. But he did it. He rubbed my head until the balloon lost some of its air. And while he did, we talked about the day. I told him all of the cute things the little one said and the hilarious things the big kid said. He laughed. I giggled. And I was grateful. Grateful for the slowness of the night. Grateful for children who entertain us. Grateful for a husband who will pause "Modern Family" so that he can rub my head. Grateful for the pressure cooker in my head being turned down to "low". Grateful for the most ordinary of things.

Doughnuts and Friendships: both works in progress

Life is Good: and sweet!

Month of Gratitude, Day 19

I had a couple of girlfriends over this morning and they brought their little ones along. Mamas chatted and kiddos played with, quite possibly, every toy we own! Snack time was courtesy of my latest lab experiment: eggless, baked maple-cinnamon doughnuts. The recipe is still a work in progress, but I do think I figured out what I need to adjust to make them less dense and more cake-like. So stay tuned...

Today, I am grateful for homemade doughnuts and good friends with whom to share them!

Acknowledging the Gifts of Art and Great Artists

Life is Good: art is all around us

 

Month of Gratitude, Day Eighteen

On Mondays, our two-year old has art class. Today, as I watched him dive into paint and printmaking with exaltation and bliss, I said a prayer of gratitude for art.  Oh, how I love it. I'm a writer by trade, but my true love is art. I love making art and I love viewing it, too. I am so grateful for the colors and the textures and the creativity behind it.

 "Turtle" by our two-year old. Media: oil pastel on paper.

Art has brought me such joy in my life. It is both centering and calming and invigorating, too. It has given me confidence. It has taught me to trust my ideas. It has been empowering and therapeutic. And while I still question my own work, I delight in the journey.

"Mommy" by our then four-year old. Media: Collage paper on paper.

I am grateful that my children each have a love of art. I love to watch each one of them draw. They are so focused and intent. I enjoy watching them in process (especially choosing colors) and then try to figure out their motivation. I treasure the sight of the twinkle of glee in their eyes when I praise their work.

"Baby Brother" by our then 4-year old. Media: tempera paint on paper.

I am grateful for Matisse and Picasso and Michelangelo. For Fauvists and Cubists and Outsider Artists alike. For the Impressionists. For artistic groundbreakers like Warhol and Pollock and Chuck Close. For self-taught artists who bring a new definition to the word, "art". And for their bravery and courage in presenting their art to the world and undeniable need to make art. This courage applies to all artists, indeed.

"Man" by our two-year old. Media: oil pastel on paper.

I am thankful for those who have encouraged me to keep making art. To my high school art teacher, who fished my work out of the trash at the end of the school year and put it on display in our little town's "art gallery". For the people of Atlanta and Tallahassee who bought my pieces and the gallery owners who encouraged me to keep on creating, I am deeply appreciative. That was a turning point for me.

I could go on. But this is not about me, this is about the art. So all encompassing. Absolutely everywhere. Paintings and photography and sculpture that moves and inspires us...

For all its many shapes and colors, sizes and forms, I am so very grateful for the gift of art. Today. All days. And for the One who created all of these blessings for us, the greatest creative of all, our God. I continue to be amazed at His ingenuity and originality. It's baffling and humbling.

Here's to photographers and painters, sculpters and seamstresses, architects and gardeners. Here's to makers of things and the boldness to dream, create, and place it before the world.

From Quotesorb.com

Double the Gratitude

Life is Good: times two!

Month of Gratitude, Day 16 and 17

This weekend was a good one. But aren't all weekends great? Since the big kid is now in kindergarten, I cherish our weekends even more. It's family time.

This weekend was a cozy one. It was jut the four of us. Nowhere to speed off to, no one to fling the door open with a big "Hello!" and "Welcome!" And don't get me wrong...I love to run off to the museum and utterly enjoy hosting brunch. But this weekend was just about us and that was lovely in its own tiny, intimate sort of way.

I am grateful for a slow Saturday morning and kids in their jammies until noon. I'm grateful for the easiness that the overcast morning brought. The coziness of the grey skies. For kiddos sprawled out, drawing Ninja Turtles (or course) and Buzz Lightyear on the floor. And the giggles. Times a million.

And I'm grateful for our friend who came to hang out (we don't say "babysitter'!) with the little ones so that Grant and I could do some fall cleaning in our basement. Whew! That felt good.  Then we hurried off to try out The 5-8 Club's Juicy Lucy. It's taken us a decade of living here, but we've now sampled the Juicy Lucy from both places that claim to have invented it--The 5-8 Club and Matt's Bar. We tried the latter just this past summer during our family time/staycation.

I didn't eat the Matt's Bar Juicy Lucy. I ordered a hamburger. And yes, the server looked at me like I was an alien. So I went ahead and ordered the Juicy Lucy at The 5-8 Club, for fear of being publicly ostracized. (Not really.) And no, there was no way I could eat the entire thing.

It was a quick meal and not our "usual" kind of dining experience. But it was nice to be together. To talk without little people interrupting. It was a nice, little moment for which I am grateful.

Grant determined The 5-8 Club the winner. He added that the onion rings sealed the deal. I will add that the atmosphere at The 5-8 Club is better, too! Both places are small, so expect to wait in line for a table.

Sunday brought more family time, for which I am always thankful. I felt a little icky, so I spent the morning willing myself healthy. I tried out a new recipe for homemade (eggless) doughnuts. The three men in the house approved. I think it needs some work. I'll post it went I have tried it out a couple more times and tweaked the recipe.  I am so grateful that neither of us has to leave our family to go work somewhere on the weekends. And that my husband is an eager participant in my kitchen experiments. He is both easy to please and appreciative of the meals that I cook. And I am thankful for that.

After a month of first, Grant getting sick with a virus that turned into pneumonia and then our littlest one getting sick with a virus that turned into pneumonia, I'm grateful that everyone is in good health. I'm grateful for the basic blessings of food, indoor plumbing, a warm home on a rainy day, and good, clean water. I try not to take those things for granted. And I pray for those throughout the world who don't have these same essentials.

It was a sweet, simple weekend. More and more, I realize how much our family needs these slowed down times to balance us out. This doesn't mean that my enthusiasm for go-go-going is waning! I'm just trying to get the scale a little more centered. After all, that's one of my jobs. I set the pace and tone for our family. So I aim to keep things joyful, balanced, and...pleasant! ; )