Today I am Thankful

Sunday

It was a beautiful day today. The first cup of coffee this morning - made for me by hubby - tasted just right. The line at the grocery store wasn't too long, so we have a turkey and many goodies to go with it in the fridge ready for later in the week. Hubby's friend from out of town who came for the funeral stopped by on his way out of town for one more visit. And hubby and his baby brother spent the rest of the day at Mom's house replacing toilets, putting up shelves, putting up blinds, and just general handy man things that good sons do for their Moms.

I got to talk to one of my bestest friends who lives in Texas. I received mail from a new friend in Canada. The laundry got done, the birds got fed, I got to play a bunch, and we had ice cream for dessert. All in all, it was a day to be thankful for.

Postcard I received from Canada - titles of songs from the 1920's

Mail Art I made that will go in the mailbox tomorrow.

an envelope I made from a page from a seed catalog:

a stamped envelope:

a collaged postcard:

Have a wonder-full week,

And so it goes . . .

I spent last weekend with my BFF's. We went to the big city and had big fun! We ate, we drank, we shopped, we laughed, we hugged. There were many cups of coffee drank, as well as a margarita and a beer or two, and a bottle of wine while sitting in the jacuzzi. We partook of omelets and crab legs and enchiladas and even tiramisu and gelato. We were successful on our quest for new fall jackets and sweaters, and didn't forget our husbands and grandkids for whom we found special treasures. And we bought books - we always buy books - and we even spent a teeny bit of quiet time reading. And we missed the two BFF's that weren't there.

Then we were wowed by The Phantom! It was the perfect show to see on Halloween. And I got to cross off one more thing on my bucket list.

Last Friday marked 20 years at my job. It is quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself. :) And now I'm one week into year 21.

My son, J, comes home tonight for vacation. He comes home about this time every year to deer hunt. I last saw him in June, and I can't wait to give him a big hug. I wish j was coming too, but I'll just have to plan another trip to visit them soon.

Tomorrow night after work, I'm picking up my granddaughter and we're having a slumber party. She's excited because she knows I brought her a present from my trip (a snowglobe). She'll spend part of the day Friday with me, and I think we'll go to the garden center and get some flowers to plant.

On Saturday afternoon, there is a baby shower for the daughter of one of my BFF's. This will be granddaughter number two for her. Four out of the six of us have grandbabies (two boys and soon to be four girls, the oldest of which is 3), and the youngest one of us has a baby of her own who is not quite a year old. Needless to say, our conversations often start out with, "You wouldn't believe what j did! It was so cute!" And of course we always have new photos to share. Ah, babies . . . such sweetness.

Here's hoping there's abundant sweetness in your life this week.

Observations on a Weekend

Little dirty feet always seem to be wet, thereby leaving little dirty footprints/smudges on every inch of tile floor.

Coffee really does taste the best on Sunday mornings when it can be drunk slowly (with no three-year-olds around!).

It is possible to do four things at once: boil potatoes for salad (and beets for lunch), run a load of laundry, water the backyard, and vacuum.

If you feed them, they will come. (In this case, the birds; but I’m sure it applies to other areas as well.) ;)

Tuna salad is good for breakfast.

Three-year-olds are easy to please when it comes to buying birthday presents. (I asked my granddaughter what she wanted for her birthday next Saturday. She said, “avocado.” I asked her how many and she said, “two.” Then I asked her how old she was going to be and she said, “July.” )

When my daughter was young, she jabbered ALL THE TIME!! (She even got a sweatshirt for Christmas one year that said, “Help! I’m talking and I can’t shut up.”) Granddaughter is turning out to be exactly like her mother. ;)

The little 3 ounce single serve cups of ice cream that you can buy by the dozen from the supermarket are really, really good!

Naps are wonderful.

Trying to get motivated and accomplish anything after a nap of more than an hour is next to impossible.

And the Morning Coffee Award Goes To . . .

Some weeks back, Liz at The Fragrant Muse honored me with The Morning Coffee Award. It was my first award and meant a lot to me because I hadn't been blogging very long at all at the time. I thought I was all that and a bag of beans! (coffee beans of course!)

I have been remiss in not passing this token on to another. But I'm actually glad I waited, because in that time I've encountered a vivacious and authentic soul, who, with her verve, could almost replace my coffee in the morning. I get that much of a lift from her writing. I am very pleased to present The Morning Coffee Award to Holly at Your Mother Knows But Won't Tell You.

for blogs that go well with morning coffee

Holly, I hope you will accept this award from little ol' me, I mean, since you are the Queen of the Universe and everything! Thank you for sharing your spark with me, and please keep on writing!

Cheers!

Corner View - Out Your Backdoor or Window

The theme for the Corner View this week is "out your back door or window." When we first moved in to our house so many years ago, there were no other houses around us in all but one direction. When we looked east, we could see the mountains (what we call mountains anyway). That was thirteen years ago, though, and things have changed. A lot! But we knew that they would, and, for the most part, we still like where we live.

When the weather is nice, we spend a lot of time outside -- planting flowers and pulling weeds and all the general upkeep that a yard requires. And we have turned our patio into an outdoor room of sorts. Weather permitting, we have our coffee out there on weekend mornings, and sometimes during the week when there is time. We feed and watch the birds, read books and magazines, and drool over seed catalogs. We take our granddaughter for rides in her wagon, blow bubbles for her to chase, run races, and create wonderful pieces of artwork with sidewalk chalk.

We cook outside a lot, and a lot of wine and beer has been enjoyed there. We've had three wedding receptions in our yard, and many Easter brunches. And in between, I've even napped out there on occasion. Unfortunately, it's getting too hot now to spend much time out there, but I do sit at my desk and have my coffee while looking out the window.

For other corner views, visit here.

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, jillian, doobleh-vay

Simple Pleasures

My goal for the day today had been to do absolutely nothing. And yay for me! I have pretty much met with success. That would normally be a difficult thing for me; I am a high energy person who customarily feels guilty for indulging in a day's worth of downtime. But I have been practicing and I'm happy to say I'm getting much better at it. (I have some theories on from where the guilt comes, but that's for another day.)

We had our coffee this morning, and it was actually cool enough outside to sit on the patio for a while. I read a lot of blogs over cup number two. I bought my plane tickets to visit my son on the east coast in a few weeks (now that was something I had to do, but totally worth it).

For lunch today, we enjoyed what's becoming one of our favorite summertime snacks - a spin on a Mexican fruit salad containing jicama, cucumber, oranges, and melons. A variety of fruits or vegetables can be used, but the finishing touch is a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of chile con limon - a mixture of salt, spices, chili powder, dehydrated lemon, lemon peel, and lemon juice. I happened to have a pineapple and a cucumber that needed to be eaten, and I cut them up. My twist on the salad is mixing in some Splenda (or sugar) with the chile con limon. It's good on so many things, and I even keep a small shaker jar in my desk at work.

I put out a jar of sun tea this afternoon (Numi Dry Desert Lime - totally scrumptious), and we had cold shrimp and cocktail sauce for dinner while sitting on the couch watching a movie. I did manage to sneak in a load of laundry, a little reading, and a nap. And I'm thinking tonight I may yet get in a little more reading, and maybe some ice cream.

I hope you take the time to enjoy some simple pleasures this weekend!

Corner View - Part 2

Although there are plenty of Starbucks coffee shops, and a great little local spot (where I love to go sometimes just by myself for lunch with my book), most days I have my coffee at my desk at work (photo at left). I have a cup at home while getting ready (see previous post for a favorite cup), but always take a thermos with me to have a second cup to (hopefully) drink a little more slowly and savor a little longer.

There is a coffee pot at the office (eeww!) but I'm a little snobbish, I guess, about my coffee. I like it with a flavored creamer (fat free of course!) and now that it's getting to be summer time, I may even drop an ice cube into my first cup, otherwise it's just too hot to drink it.

I do have a couple of favorites at the coffee shops too, but I save them for special treats or when I need a pick-me-up at lunch on an especially tough day. (Cinnamon Dolce Latte - YUM!) During the winter time, I like to use my stovetop espresso maker to make a perfect little cup for warming up on a cold afternoon. I've considered getting a single cup coffee maker, like a Keurig or a Senseo, for my desk at work, but didn't want to pay the price for a good one at the time. (and the bottled Starbucks cappucinos do in a pinch!)

Be sure to indulge in all the other coffee hot spots - jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, sunnymama, kyndale, samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty

Corner View - preview

Will have to expand on this tonight after work, but for now . . .

One of my favorite coffee cups

A sad, sad, sight . . . coffee all gone!

Cheers everyone!

Mornings

I love it when I am able to catch a glimpse of the details of a person’s life. Nothing too private, nothing too personal, just some little component of what makes that person’s day special and complete. I love to uncover a little snippet of what gives them comfort, a little tidbit of what feeds their soul. It makes it easier for me to believe that we are all somehow connected, even with all of our differences.

For this reason, I really enjoy seeing the pictures of other bloggers’ special places – the sunny window where they enjoy their coffee every morning, the bistro where they always find the best croissants, or the gorgeous garden with the violets they grew from seeds that they carried back from grandma’s house.

So today I’m sharing a couple photos of my patio where I love to have my morning coffee. It’s comfortable to me because it’s kind of private (from the neighbors), but a breeze can still blow through. I have a couple of canaries in a cage that love the morning as much as I do and sing often to show it. I have a water garden with a couple of goldfish in it and a small pump that makes just the gentlest little gurgling sound. I have comfy chairs and a glider (on which I’ve had some wonderful naps when the weather is just right), and lots of plants. Even on the weekends, I often get up early just so I can enjoy the morning before the day gets too hectic.

Sadly, though, summer is here. And it will soon be too warm to go out, even very early in the morning. When that happens, I’ll find a quiet spot inside to enjoy my coffee - maybe with ice.