this moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

right now, i am...

:: pondering  the gift of forgiveness...giving and receiving

:: hearing  the hearts of my peeps...small wish lists tells me they are content & happy

:: smelling  the aroma of meals & baked yumminess made by my own hand...ahh sweet comfort

:: wanting  to have the absolute best holiday ever and knowing simplicity is the key

:: anticipating  my 20th anniversary trip in a few weeks!!

:: growing  broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes in our garden

:: reading  Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory and The Wizard of Oz with Sawyer...LOVING both!

:: loving  the beautiful twinkling lights of the holiday season

:: feeling  more and more like my normal self

:: listening  to Christmas music on a constant loop

:: making   ornaments, snow globes,stockings, and wreaths...oh my!

::playing   countless rounds of GeoBee, Yahtzee, and Rush Hour

:: counting  my many blessings 

::needing  winter shoes...obsessed with driving moccasins

:: sending  Christmas cards to friends & family...oh how i adore stationery

:: wishing  you a happy holiday season!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas or the official 2012 Christmas bucket list

Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone. so has the pity party i threw when we last spoke. i am all better now. being down for 6 weeks really put me in funk. enough about that.

it's Christmas!! 

the most wonderful time of the year! 

time to make lists...gift lists, Christmas carol playlists, must see Christmas movie lists, and...

the official 2012 Christmas bucket list

• ride the Polar Express
• make hot cocoa mix & set up a hot cocoa station
• deck our halls
• make a wreath
• look at Christmas lights...often
• make a Christmas music playlist
• make a snow globe
• hang Christmas lights on our home
• make treats for those we love
• watch our little town's lighted Christmas parade...and my little hometown's
• make Christmas ornaments
• watch our must see Christmas movies
• make eggnog
• have a Grinch party
• make a gingerbread house
• read Luke 2, The Mansion, and A Christmas Carol...and of course, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
• go ice skating
• bake cut out Christmas cookies
• kiss my mister under the mistletoe
• see the Nutcracker
• make Christmas candy
• send out Christmas cards

tonight it is hot cocoa weather and i am wishing we had made the cookies already. 

what is on your list?

measuring up

where do i start?
so much rolling around in this brain of mine. i have that measuring tape that i carry around with me.
the one that measures me up against it all. the one that gives the dimensions of who i am supposed to be...wife, mother, daughter, sister, daughter, friend, teacher, keeper of our home, nurturer.
 it has that mark just as Mary Poppins's did that reads perfectly perfect in every way. that particular mark seems to evade me.
this past year i have taken out that measuring tape quite often.
and a mirror along with it. i look deep, deep in the reflection staring back at me.
who is this woman with grey showing on her temples and small wrinkles around her eyes? she has changed since her first discovery of tumors, her marriage fell apart, and then came back together. she thinks she has evolved for the better...certainly that was the goal.
but still, somehow, she just doesn't feel she measures up.
so i will move forward. one step in front of the other.
always striving to be that better wife, mother, and friend.
striving to teach the lessons that need to be taught.
striving to make our house a home in every way possible.
striving to be the best me i can be...and to leave that measuring tape in it's drawer.

taking it easy

taking it easy tonight since i waaay over did it today. oops!

projects and reading and quiet.

hoping your weekend is cozy & comfortable.

this moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

noticing...

sitting here in my usual perch, since the surgery anyway, i am noticing. noticing the breeze rustle the trees from my window view. out of doors looks amazing these days.

noticing the slight hum of the air conditioner that is still needed a bit here in the deep south. 

noticing all the little comforts that Kevin has made sure i have as he has had to return to work. being as my world has been contained to home, namely our room, he continually makes it more comfortable, even more of a home. i notice that he works all night long, checking on me through out the night, to come home and take on my normal duties. i watch as he cooks, cleans, plans, organizes, and tends. i am in awe of him. this man who tries to do it all...and more often than not succeeds. a simple bowl of beef tips and a ginger ale, a fresh folded stack of laundry, a gentle hand to ease me up from bed, a garden watered or eggs gathered. service. compassion. simple acts with greater meaning.

i love you too Kevin.

right now...

Right now, I am....

::obediently on my bed with cross stitch in hand. it has been far too long since i worked with needle & floss.

:: riding the wave of goodness that comes after surgery. i have been feeling love & comfort from so many sweet souls.

:: hearing Sawyer walk his goat, Tank in the back yard. it is music to my ears.

:: smelling spaghetti and meatballs lovingly prepared by the hands of my first born. i am truly blessed to have Jordan here with me while recover.

:: wanting to go.anywhere. and do something!!

:: adoring our choice to homeschool. our lives have been changed for the good...forever.

:: growing anxious for a package to arrive. i am finally going to teach myself to knit! hurry my little how to book!

:: reading a great deal...everything Charlotte Mason, Project-Based Homeschooling, Northanger Abbey, and Team of Rivals

:: loving my Master Gardener course. i am learning and sharing and making friendships.

:: feeling grateful that i can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

:: listening to Norah Jones these days.

:: making lists for me, lists for Christmas, lists for easy dinners for Kevin & the boys to prepare, lists of things i want to master. i adore a good list.

:: counting the moments until Downton Abbey returns...and until i can be fully mobile.

::loving deeper and deeper my sweet mister and that is home with us to stay. my world was a dark, sad place without his smile. 

:: sending love, warmth, and good wishes to each of you my peeps! 

weekending

this weekend was simply convalescing 

of course the pain meds helped after surgery

but what has been the saving grace is the love & comfort...

my sweet friend of 30 years Laura, surprised me with polenta vegetable soup, cheesecake brownies, and a big hug. she fed my stomach, soothed my throat sore from that awful tube, and fed my soul. 

two of my mother's close friends we at the hospital with Kevin & I. 

Brenda (Laura's mother) and Vanessa brought me hand holding and hugs, and even beautiful RL pajamas. i needed my mama that day and they were surrogates. i love them so.

i have even been visited by Tank. yes, i said Tank, the goat came into my room to check on me. how lucky can a girl get? 

Cruella has been my constant companion especially now that she got hurt. my poor girl ran into Kevin's huge shop fan and has a terrible gash on her hip. naturally a sick bed made of my childhood Raggedy Ann and Andy sheets were in order. 

Sawyer has been my ever present entertainment. i have been read to, fed, sang to, reported to of all the goings on & adventures i have missed, and i might have heard "hey watch this" a few million times. he was even kind enough to leave that darn rat in my sick bed to give me a fright...and him a giggle.

this month has been a trial for me. from brain tumor checks, thyroid tumor checks, tests, doctor appointments, and now surgery. i have weathered it all because of one constant::my sweet mister. he has cooked, cleaned, shuttled, food shopped, held my hand, let me cry on his shoulder, showered me with flowers, books and sweet whispers in my ear.
a girl couldn't ask for a better nurse.

thank you my love....to the moon and back!

linking up with the ever fabulous amanda

10 right now...

::flowers from my mister to make a girl feel better

::Ben & Jerry's blueberry graham fro yo...yum!

::vintage silver...a gift from my mister from one of my favorite stores.

::reading this and this

::taking photographs

::homeschool...i am in LOVE with our choice to homeschool

::holding hands

::soup

::Master Gardener class...that has been a goal of mine since i was a teenager (yes i have been a nerd from way on back!)

::staying in...with my peeps, loving life

while i convalesce...

i am reading my 2 new reads...any other suggestions? i have six weeks of recovery.
i am catching up on letters that have long been neglected
i am doing some homeschool planning...a few projects in the works!
i am on the receiving end of much love. it humbles me that you sweet peeps are texting, calling, emailing, tweeting, messaging, and visiting me with such love and care. my cup over floweth.
i am listening...to my Jack Johnson & Norah Jones, to my 3 little peeps telling me of adventures i am already missing out on, to my sweet Kevin making sure i don't lift a finger, and to nature going on outside my window.
i am doing some personal planning...is there a new path i want to take? dare i say it out loud, am i going to write?  hmmm
i am missing my mama so much it is hard to breathe. don't we all need our mamas when we are sick?
i am thankful for all i have...it's not  things that are the best things in life.

this moment

one photo ... no words
a moment i want to savor   to remember always
a moment that makes me smile

linking up with amanda

and it begins...

i am just checking in my lovelies. here i sit with all the other sicklies, feet up, bracelets, iPads in tow, waiting our turn.
happy monday to you all.

this moment

one photo ... no words
a moment i want to savor   to remember always
a moment that makes me smile

weekending

this weekend was introspective for me. taking a deep look at myself.

there was a great deal of quiet time with Kevin working, Jordan at the beach for the holiday weekend, and Cameron busy with cross country & working at the auto shop. Sawyer and I had lots of one on one time. 

we read and baked and drove over to feed the goat...can't wait to get him on the property neXt week.

i spent time in my garden when it wasn't storming. Kevin's beautifully prolific watermelon vine is taking over EVERYthing! It keeps creeping over to my fall tomatoes and squash trying to choke them out. Grrr!

since we have a 4 day weekend, tomorrow will round it out nicely. all my peeps will be back in my nest. hiking in the Big Thicket, pork loin on the grill, and loads of board games and belly laughs are on the agenda...and a few prayers for my silly claustrophobia as i prepare for an MRI/CT Scan for the brain tumor. i am waaaay more worried about the test than the tumor my friends.  

how was your weekend??

i am linking up with the ever fabulous amanda.

this moment

one photo ... no words
a moment i want to savor   to remember always
a moment that makes me smile

linking up with amanda

bright and shiny...and 10 right now

what a beautiful bright & shiny day! wednesday is my new favorite day of the week. it is Master Gardener class day. i am in love with the class. we go together like peanut butter & jelly. i have already learned so much after only a few classes...including a BEE CLASS! now all i need is to convince my sweet husband that he wants fresh honey from his very own bees too. that should be a piece of cake, right?
our sunny, easy day is a stark contrast to what is happening just a few hours east of me. my thoughts have been with those in the path hurricane Isaac. my family knows all too well how dangerous and even tragic a hurricane can be.

now my 10 things...

::Master Gardener class...have i mentioned that i am loving it??
::watching the bees dance thru our vegetable garden
::the fact that we are officially a homeschooling family...yay!!
::feed store dates with my mister
::watching my Cameron drive away for his last first day of school...and having Sawyer inside starting his first homeschool day ever.
::baking bread with my own hands reverently for my family...trying a new recipe here
::the breeze making weeding and front porch rocking much more enjoyable
::my mister coming home in the early morning hours, just as the sun is peaking through the trees, whispering his love for me in my ear thinking i am asleep and don't hear him...it gets no better.
::this book...a great read
::peach pie

weekending

this weekend was

new additions to our menagerie...Tank, Sawyer's boer goat 

we love that sweet bottle baby.

rain showers

the watermelon patch is loving the rain.

time spent in the kitchen

making pancake mix, tonics for the animals to brave this heat, 

Mexican dinners, pots of raspberry leaf tea, 

and then Sunday morning banana pecan pancakes.

how i love time spent in my warm kitchen...

lists on the new chalkboard wall

dates recanted with teenagers

aprons and bare feet (and mamas in rubber boots)

loads of hugs and stolen kisses

those sweet bare feet running thru the yard that they just mowed, playing catch with Jake, smiling & laughing all the while

i love weekends like these

how was yours?

linking up with the ever fabulous amanda

right now

one photo ... no words
a moment i want to savor   to remember always
a moment that makes me smile

linking up with amanda

10 right now

1. going back in time...love these.
2. Master Gardener class...i am learning a ton and BEE CLASS is coming up!!!
3. i am obsessed with these.
4. hand holding with one that you love.
5. i absolutely dream of these on my feet...daily.
6. this just may be going up in our backyard soon.
7. rising before my peeps and having quiet time in the garden.
8. i want my greenhouse to be made like this.
9. tomato sandwiches.
10. Julia Child 100th Birthday celebration this weekend...Oh Julia how you changed our lives. We are forever fearless thanks to you.

What are loving right now?

good morning

::good morning my sweet girls. how i love to watch you have your hen parties.

::good morning watermelon patch. you are most beautiful.

::good morning mockingbirds flitting thru the yard. from bird bath to tree top and back.

::good morning peppers. my mister does adore you so.

::good morning bees and more bees. thank you for helping our garden along. watching you work is such a treat.

::good morning super duper Cooper. you are ALWAYS eager to see us...and us you.

::good morning tiny watermelons. we wait with great anticipation to taste you.

::good morning my newest herb garden (since the rosemary more than took over the original space). i am loving this hanging garden.

::good morning my newly planted autumn garden. i have big plans for you.

::good morning the most peaceful place on the earth. you are special to me.

::good morning to all of you, my lovelies! have a fantastic Wednesday.

I plan on it. today is the first meeting of my Master Gardener's course...so excited!

10 right now...

1. planning our Autumn garden
2. sugar's roll in preserving at Food in Jars
3. projects and more projects at home
4. that Ashley English and her newest book...adore her!
5. oh so want to add these. 
6. eren's new digs
7. adding these to my garden
8. our new chalkboard wall in the kitchen
9. greenhouses...especially ones made from vintage windows
10. grilled burgers!!

What are you obsessed with right now?

weekending

this weekend was full of smiles

it started with a surprise of a new sideboard (last pic btw)

i oh so love it! finally a spot for my grandmother's china & mother's crystal

i took several trips to my new favorite junk store

one to pick up my sideboard

one to take my bestest bud to check it out

and yet another driving 4 members of my book club to buy out the joint

Urban Habitat was so thankful for the business, they gifted me a beautiful silver candelabra! score!

of course the kitchen was non stop...Hawaiian  pizza, and this, and even this!

the house has been full of teenagers, teenager girlfriend visits, and the dogs going crazy with all the excitement

dreaming of adding these to our menagerie

more dreaming and planning

watched a little television

enjoyed my current read

spending time with my favorite girls, my sweet boys, and my mister = the perfect weekend

how was yours?

linking up with the ever fabulous amanda