Little Things...

When things don't go as planned or hoped, it becomes even more important to be able to focus on the positives. I was supposed to fly to Charleston this weekend, to spend a few days with my mom and sisters, celebrating my mom's 70th birthday. Instead, the city is being evacuated due to a big nasty hurricane, so we are all staying home. It bums me out, but let's focus on some good stuff so I don't get too sad.

• We were able to reschedule our trip, so our Charleston trip will still happen - just a month later than planned. 
• Nathan is playing in a soccer tournament this weekend. Because I'll be home, I'll get to watch him play - I'm pretty excited about that. 
• It's fall in New England! Gorgeous trees are everywhere. 
• New TV shows are starting - This Is Us certainly grabbed me, and I am also excited to see Kiefer Southerland again. Everybody's talking about Westworld - I think I'm going to have to convince Kevin to get HBO.
• Aaron and Nathan made dinner last night - eggs, english muffins, and fruit salad. 
• I love finishing a good book and starting a new one. 
• Our new sitter is helping out around the house, so I come home to a clean kitchen every day. 
• Next year won't be as full of travel as this one was, but we just booked our February ski week - fingers crossed for good weather and snow. 
• The boys are working on their Christmas lists, and I keep trying to remind them that it's not even Halloween yet! 
• On Monday night, I had worked from home, and the weather was gorgeous, so I suggested a bike ride before dinner. So lovely.
• Dawes' latest album, We're All Gonna Die.  Really different from their usual stuff, but I dig it.

Little Things...

Loving my time in the dugout with these boys

Baseball - These seven-year-old Giants, Aaron's AAA Braves, and our Boston Red Sox:  I love watching my boys play. The smell of lilacs in the yard. Our first 90-degree day. Homemade popsicles. Seeing Aaron up on stage, being recognized as a standard bearer for his school. The complete lineup for Newport. Sleeping with the windows open. Sleep. A clean kitchen sink. Flowers on the table. Talking and laughing with friends. Piano recitals. Dinner from the grill. Patience. My new bike! 

The Bright Side...

The biggest benefit of maintaining this blog is that it forces me to practice optimism. It is my gratitude journal. I may whine a bit every now and then, but it's usually in the act of allowing myself to let it out so I can move on. I am a natural pessimist, so I have to work really hard to maintain my optimism. Life is so much better that way. This week was tough, but I'm putting in the work and focusing on the positives.

On Monday morning, we woke up to a snowstorm. In the above picture, you can see our daffodils buried in snow. It was cold, the roads were bad, and our power went out for a while on Sunday. It came back, but our cable/internet/phone service did not. When I look at that picture - and out our front windows - I'm trying to focus on the blooming flowers rather than the snow.

On Monday afternoon, I got a call informing me that our sitter was in a car accident. I had to walk out of a meeting that I was facilitating to leave work immediately to pick up the boys from school. I reminded myself to focus on the facts that nobody was hurt, the boys weren't in the car, and my current job is not too far away. I got the boys and called into my next meeting from home. I'm grateful to be able to do that.

Did I mention the lack of cable/internet service? And the need to work from home? As well as the desire to watch a certain basketball game Monday night? It was an extremely frustrating day, but in the end, I was able to use my phone hotspot to connect to WiFi and get some work done. Oh, and I watched the basketball game, too.

Speaking of the basketball game - we lost, which was the cherry on top of a really crappy day. But I woke up Tuesday morning feeling nothing but gratitude at the opportunity to watch a great group of guys win a bunch of games and play an amazing championship game, losing to another great group of guys. It was satisfying.

The weather has now turned to rain, and although I hate cold rain and spring in New England, it seems like an improvement. The first week of soccer has been canceled due to the fields being covered in snow, but it will start next week. And the week after that, we are headed to Florida, to spend time in the warm sunshine at DisneyWorld.

Until then, I will do my best to keep focused on the good stuff.

Little Things...

photo via waiting on martha

A good book that makes me stay up too late. Coffee with cream. Clean sheets. Discovering new music. Dinner with friends. Watching six and seven-year-olds play basketball. An empty dishwasher and clean countertops. The X-Files! New haircuts on little boys. Daylight at 5PM. Avocados. A comfortable scarf. Sitting by the fireplace. Eucalyptus. Sleepy hugs. Emails from friends. Making plans. A few moments of silence.

A Few Things...

My fabulous cousin Tiffany gave a Ted talk, and it's finally online! Check it out and be inspired. She's amazing.

Oh my gosh this episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee cracked me up!

I'm bookmarking this for future gift ideas. How fun would it be to get an assortment of awesome gelato delivered to your door?

This might be the longest post ever, but the pictures are awesome, and it was like visiting Amsterdam all over again.

The Problem with Kindergarten.  As my youngest is finishing his first year of school, I am so grateful to his wonderful teacher for shielding him as much as possible from the many ways that kindergarten has changed over the years. It makes me sad to think of 5 and 6-year-olds feeling bad about not being able to read yet or not liking school. Our awesome teacher is retiring this year, partially because she has become more and more frustrated by the increased standards given to kindergarteners. I'm so happy that both of my boys got to learn from her.

This is a long but thought-provoking article, written by one of my favorites, Dr. Atul Gawande. No matter what you do for a living, it's worth thinking about how to be the very best at it.

A great interview with Cameron Crowe.  Some of his movies are among my favorites of all-time, and I love how he incorporates music into his stories. I'm disappointed to see generally negative reviews about his new movie, Aloha, since I had been looking forward to it. (Of course I'll still see it anyway.) Regardless, I did enjoy this interview.

This post by Sheryl Sanberg made me cry. I'm inspired by her strength and ability to share her feelings so eloquently with the world.

Happy Day...

 

My house is full of family, and it smells like good food and candles.  There is much to be thankful for. 

 

It continues to be a busy time for us, and this break will be very much appreciated. 

 

I'm going to cook and eat and play games and hug my kids and talk with family and savor every moment of it. 

 

I'm going to reflect on all that is great in my life. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Things...

I got a new pair of sneakers, and they are purple.  I am a little shocked every time I look down.  

We finally adjusted these shelves to be able to accommodate more records.  We added a box full of albums given to us by Kevin's uncle.  Our collection is really coming along!  

It's lilac season.  The yard smells amazing, and the purple and white blooms are so pretty.

An Ode to Spring

Colorful tulips that provide a burst of color in front of the house.

The tiny green leaves that are finally starting to appear on the tips of tree branches.

The slow lengthening of days.

Putting away the winter coats, hats, scarves, boots, sweaters.

Pulling out the storage boxes of shorts and t-shirts.

The smell of strawberries on my fingers.

That first day the boys get to wear shorts.

Spending a weekend day working in the yard.  Raking, planting, watering.

The peaceful sound of rain.  

Opening the windows to let in fresh air.

The smell of grass and mud.  The smell of green.  

The happy sounds of boys playing baseball.

People making fun of my white legs and I don't care.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin.

Watching the seedlings sprout and grow in our windowsill, reaching for the sun.

We are stuck in the cold, gray, wet part of Spring here in New England.  I had to remind myself that the warmer days are on their way.  They're taking their sweet time in getting here, but they're coming.  In the meantime, there is a lot to appreciate.

Giving Thanks...

I've been doing it all week, and it's been wonderful.  I woke up early on Thanksgiving morning to attend a yoga/boot camp class at a yoga studio right down the street from my house.  What a glorious way to start an otherwise gluttonous day.  I earned that cheese!  and wine!  and pie!  As the sun was rising, I was doing my pigeon pose to stretch out my hips after doing what felt like a million squats.  I was ridiculously sore the next day, and it felt so good.  I was reminded to give thanks for my body.  My strong, healthy body that takes me where I need to go and allows me to do everything I want to do.  

The rest of the day was spent in the kitchen, where I cooked a feast.  A fresh turkey from the farm, roasted acorn squash, green beans, salad, garlic and sage mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  I was reminded to give thanks for good food, and the ability to fill my plate with it.  

Kevin's mom, sisters, and brothers-in-law all came for the day.  We had a wonderful time hanging out, catching up, playing games.  The boys wanted to play numerous rounds of checkers and connect four, and they even got outside for a bit to play football on a really cold day.  Family is what the day is really all about.  My sister-in-law is due to have her first baby any day now, and we give thanks for an uneventful pregnancy so far and hope for a smooth delivery as our family continues to grow.  

The boys and I put together our annual soup can turkey, and he had a lot of feathers this year.  Aaron asked everyone what they were thankful for, and he wrote the answers on each feather.  A nice family, health, good food, Buzz Lightyear, everybody here, Woody, baby Alex, cute boys, good music, a warm house, a nice brother, friends, Uncle John…  A great list of things for which to be thankful.  (Can you tell which are Nathan's contributions?)  

After the big day, we got our Christmas tree and decorated the house.  We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas as we decorated our tree, as we do every year.  And Aaron had Grandma's help making the paper chain for the tree this year.   I'm thankful for traditions, and I'm hopeful that the boys will cherish them as they get older.  

Thankful...

It's almost time for my favorite holiday.  A day to say thank you and to be grateful.  What a beautiful day.  We will spend it at home, with Kevin's family.  I just picked up the turkey and some veggies from the farm, and I'm officially in preparation mode.  I went to Costco yesterday, and they had these big beautiful pomegranates, so there's our centerpiece.  (Pomegranates are so beautiful, and the boys love them.)  I spent an hour and a half in line at the cheese shop this morning, and I'm sure I got too much as usual.  But oh my goodness the joy and awesomeness in that place!  I haven't hosted the big meal in a while, but I'm excited about it.

My lists often look similar, but that's okay.  It's always good to give thanks.  Here's what I'm thankful for this year:

1.  My boys.  The three of them.  Always.
2.  My family.  They live too far away, and I miss them all the time; but I love them and am so happy I have them.
3.  Friends.  The ones I've known all my life, and the ones I just met.  You can never have too many.
4.  A warm house.  I love our house.  It's old and is a never-ending project, but it's home.
5.  Music.  Learning how to make a little of it myself only strengthens my love of people who create songs.
6.  Food.  Like that big block of Stilton cheese in my fridge.  And pie.  Roasted acorn squash.  Carmelized walnuts.  French toast.  Yummmmmm…..
7.  Books.  There's a seemingly infinite supply.  Lives to experience.  Facts to learn.  Emotions to feel.  I love them.
8.  My slippers, my fleece, my pajama pants, fun socks….clothes that keep me warm and cozy in the wintertime.
9.  A little splash of maple liqueur in my egg nog.
10.  Vacations, travel, and looking forward.

A Few Things...

Happy Friday!  First….I encourage you to hit play on the tiny desk concert above.  I'm just getting to know Daughter myself.  Listen while you read.

It's been a good, and quiet, week.  Our door project is on hold, which is frustrating, but the break has been good too.  Now let's hope it gets done next week.  

I mostly exercise at home these days.  The best time for me to do it is first thing in the morning, and the boys are here, so I no longer belong to a gym.  Sometimes I go for walks, but I admit I don't like doing this when the weather is cold.  Anyway….I exercise at home.  I recently discovered a great site on YouTube.  (There's a lot of great stuff out there!)  Awesome, challenging workouts, and new ones posted every week.  So I am feeling my butt and shoulders today and feel great!  

Date night tomorrow night.  Thinking of seeing Gravity, as it seems like a movie that should be seen in the theater.  Have any of you seen it?  

Fun news!  Aaron takes piano, and during each lesson, Nathan and I just hang out.  It occurred to me - or rather, my little sister wondered - that perhaps I should ask if there was a guitar teacher available at the same time.  I did, and there is!  Now of course I will have Nathan with me, so I hope he's okay hanging out and watching.  I'm excited to see if I can make progress and advance a bit.

Here are a few other things I ran across this week:

Laurie Anderson's Farewell to Lou Reed.  This is so beautiful, it made me cry.

This woman was about to go into surgery for a double mastectomy, and this is what she did beforehand.  Reminds me of my awesome cousin Tiffany.  Brave, beautiful women.

Cameron Crowe's list of the greatest rock movies of all time.  I admit I haven't seen many of them.  Have you?

A 4-year-old Girl Asks a Lesbian if She's a Boy or a Girl.  This is worth the ten minutes to watch.  It's not just about gays coming out of the closet.  It's about the hard conversations we all have.  

Another beautiful song.  Glen Hansard covers a Bruce Springsteen song, with help from Eddie Vedder.    

Eddie and Glen, by Zoran Orlic, via Rolling Stone 

Little Things...

I'm growing tired of house projects.  They feel so good when complete, but the before and during parts can be so miserable.  We are done with the big stuff, but of course a house is never "done".  We need a new front door and need a couple new interior doors.  With an old house, we've opted to use real solid wood, salvaged doors.  We also want to undo some of the fixes that were made to the house over the years to restore it to its original look and feel.  It can be really difficult to find people who can work on old houses, so this project has been hanging over my head for months and I just want it to be done.  I'm frustrated.

In the meantime, though, I'm enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather and the anticipation of the holiday season.  It starts with Halloween, and I'm actually going with homemade costumes this year.  Wish me luck.  I'm psyched the boys wanted to do the same thing.  Once Halloween is behind us, then the real planning begins.  Meal planning, collecting gift ideas, party invitations...  Now those are fun projects.

I have also been reminded that I've been slacking on documenting my gratitude here lately.  Perhaps I need to get back into a weekly rhythm.  A few things for which I am very grateful...

* Seasons.  One of the many reason I love living where I do.  We get four seasons, in all their glory.  I'm especially grateful for that this time of year, during the best season of all.  The season of pumpkins, mums, squash chowder, apple pie, leaf piles, blue skies, crisp air, and the World Series.

* Bookstores.  The family participated in a reading contest - reading bingo - through the library over the summer.  We won the grand prize!  Included in a big gift bag was a gift certificate to a bookstore I had never been to before.  I went by myself last week, and I spent almost two hours perusing the aisles. I forgot how much fun that is.  I used to do that all the time, finding a comfy chair in a corner to read for a while.  I didn't stay to read, but I did walk out with a new and fun stack of books.

* Discovering a song I can play on the guitar.  I am not a very good guitar player, but I do love it.  And I especially love when I find songs that I can play and sing.  A couple days ago, Brandi Carlile came on in the car, singing "Keep Your Heart Young".  It sounded simple enough, so I tried it out when I got home.  I'm having fun singing it and getting the callouses on my fingers thick again.

I'm also very grateful for weekends and the fun that they often bring.  Tomorrow includes a baby shower for my sister-in-law.  I'm excited to see her growing belly and to see everyone's collective joy as we celebrate her.

Happy weekend!

A Few Things...

source unknown

I was going to review a parenting book as part of Blogtember, but I'm not quite done with it, so I thought I'd just share a few things I've come across lately.

The most wonderful marriage proposal - Break out your tissues before you watch this.  You'll need them.  This is so full of joy that it made my cheeks hurt from smiling.

18 Totally Random Things I Only Know Because I'm a Gen Xer - Banana clips, Facts of Life, after school specials, white out, License to Ill...  Ha!  I'm getting old.

The Loneliness of the Alt-Rock anniversary - Along the same lines as the above, let's revisit another great album that's turning 20.

A wonderful new project - Kimberly Taylor is starting a new project after a recent trip to Africa.  It's inspiring.  It can be difficult to find ways to contribute that feel meaningful - writing checks is a good thing, but it's hard when you're not really sure what's happening with the money.  This is a small, focused project with real names and faces.  Check it out.

Happiness Habits of Exuberant Human Beings - I want to be described as exuberant!

An interview with Linda Ronstadt - My mom was the one who informed me that Linda Ronstadt had Parkinson's disease and could no longer sing.  She feels exactly as I do - how horrible would that be?!  Linda Ronstadt is an amazing singer and artist, and to have that taken away must be incredibly painful. This is a cool interview of a really cool lady.

Empty Space Captured by Hubble - Want to have your mind blown?  I love how looking into space can do this to us.  We all hear that there are billions and billions of galaxies in the universe, but our brains simply can't process what that means.  These images help.  Awesome.

Trick Question...

Day 11 of Blogtember:  A memory you would love to relive.

This one is fun, but it really is a trick question, isn't it?  I mean, I loved thinking back to some of my best memories, but how could I possibly choose just one that I'd like to relive?  

My first thought was of our trip to St. John.  Sitting on an empty beach with Kevin - the above picture was our view.  I'd certainly do that again, but I think perhaps the fact that it's a little chilly today makes me simply long for a warm sunny beach.  Would I really choose to relive that day over another?  My mind continues down a long playlist of happy moments...

Talking about football and religion with my dad.  Sitting in the grass watching Pearl Jam with Kevin. Singing around a bonfire with my extended family.  Sitting around the dinner table with Kevin and the boys.  The first time he said "I love you".  The moment we said "I do."  Listening to my Uncle Bob tell "The Man with the Golden Arm" at the lake.  Sitting on a beach in Kauai with Kevin.  Eating gelato in Florence with Dawn, Francesc, Kevin and the boys.  Driving to the beach with my best friends in high school.  Watching shooting stars in my dad's front yard with Emily, Christine, and Mary.  Doing a crossword puzzle with Kevin in Washington Square park in San Francisco.  Dancing to Dave Matthews Band at a college frat party with friends my senior year of high school.  Roller skating with my mom around Greenfield Lake.  Walking to the candy store with my cousins and picking out penny candy.  Eating snails and drinking too much wine in Paris with Dawn.  The first day of my honeymoon.  Seeing Aaron's smile from his crib as I walked into his room in the morning.  Watching him play his first baseball game.  Or rock the hula hoop.  Getting my first "best hug ever" from Nathan.    Watching him run.  One of our many dance parties with the boys.  

I could go on like this all day.  I'm working to make my life one moment after another, so while it's fun to look back every now and then, I wouldn't want to go back.  I might miss something.  

Ten Things That Make Me Really Happy

Day 14 from The Challenge.  Now this is a fun topic.  So hard to choose, and I'm sure I'll include things that I've already talked about a ton on this blog.  Sorry in advance, but it is what it is.  Let's see...

1.  The lilacs in my yard.  The smell hits me as soon as I open the door, and they are so beautiful.  My favorite part of May.

2.  Spending time with family.  And best friends.  That's really the best there is.

3.  Getting lost in a good book.

4.  Watching sunsets.  Lake Ontario is my favorite place to watch them, but really, anywhere or anytime you get an opportunity to sit still and watch the sun go down is pretty awesome.

5.  Waking up feeling rested.  (I woke up at 5:30 this morning.  Ready to go.  Weird.)

6.  Enjoying a really good meal.  With good friends.

jam session with my little man

7.  Music.  Listening, playing, singing...it's all good.  Feeds my soul.  Experiencing music live is the best.

8.  Spending time alone.  Quiet time makes me happy and enables me to handle the not-so-quiet times.

9.  Hugs from my boys.  Honestly...there's just nothing better.

10.  The beach.  Taking a walk by myself, sitting and listening to the waves, playing with the boys, eating a lobster roll.  It's hard to have a bad time at the beach.

Little Things...

*The tulips have arrived!  The front of our house is so brightly colored now, and it makes me happy every time I see them.  (I know I post pictures of my tulips every Spring, but they are worth celebrating each year!)  Next will come pictures of azaleas, rhododendrons, and then the lilacs.  Ooooh, lilacs.  We are reaching the happy part of Spring.  

*More and more happy and inspiring stories are coming out of last week's tragedies.  I loved this one - Mass General Hospital ER bought pizza for the hospital near West, Texas.  They were so pleased that they returned the favor and sent BBQ back to MGH.  I also continue to be inspired by the victims.  This woman - Adrianne Haslet-Davis - is a dancer, and she lost her foot in the explosion.  She sounds so positive and determined to keep living.  

*The cover of Boston Magazine's latest issue.   Made me smile.

*Aaron started baseball this week.  He's excited, and last night he told me he might be a baseball player when he grows up.  It's fun to jump into this new phase.  On a somewhat related note, the Red Sox are in first place.  I know it's April, but still.

*Our friend gave us a box of records he had sitting in his garage.  I love inheriting these old records.  Our little collection is growing fast.  I put on Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy while I did some cleaning.  Nice.  

*I exercised every day this week, including a challenging 90-minute yoga class on Wednesday.  I feel good.  When I start wearing shorts, the whiteness of my legs will still be a shock, but I think I will otherwise feel ready for it.  

*Aaron and I are reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  It's our first non-picture chapter book in a while, because Nathan tends to make this type of reading difficult.  We're about halfway through, and Aaron is loving it.  I am, too.  

Little Things...

* The piano is tuned and ready to play.  We got it for free from a nice lady who contacted us via craigslist, and I could not be happier.  Aaron is excited to learn, and I am excited to practice too!  I purchased a new lesson book for each of us, and I am tempted to sit down every time I walk by it.

* Happy toes!  I thoroughly enjoyed my birthday pedicure.  I hate that it's too cold to wear sandals, but that's okay - my showers are more colorful now.

* Aaron's card is the best.

* While taking a shower, I looked out the window at the river.  I saw a glorious swan gracefully gliding across the water.  Beautiful.  Majestic.

* The tulips are just peeking out, waiting for the rest of the snow to melt away so they can provide us with a much-needed burst of color.  I can't wait!

Little Things...

This is what it looks like around here.  Although Spring has now officially begun, there are few signs of it showing.  There are some, but you have to look for them.  At the moment, they are buried under another foot of snow.  We are still in the browns and grays and whites of Winter.  In an effort to look beyond my drab surroundings, I thought I'd make myself a little happy list.  Here goes...

1.  I walked downstairs this morning, and Aaron came running from the kitchen into my arms to give me a good morning hug.
2.  We attended a school auction last weekend, and I bid on and won a pass to a local yoga studio.  I've gone twice so far this week, and oh my does it feel good.
3.  I have a pan of our favorite brownies on my stove.  (It's a good thing I've been exercising.)
4.  Great new music has been released recently - Josh Ritter, Caitlin Rose, and Tift Merritt/Simone Dinnerstein are in heavy rotation.
5.  The taxes are done, payments made, refunds received - all before the end of March!  That's a record I'm sure.
6.  I've tried several new recipes the last couple weeks, and I've had some successes.  I love watching the boys eat healthy food, and I love adding some variety to our menu.
7.  Our new living room lamp is big and orange and beautiful.  It makes me happy every time I walk through the room.
8.  I just finished Steve Martin's autobiography.  Beautiful.
9.  I just started Barbara Kingsolver's latest, and I'm loving it so far too.
10.  My birthday is next week.  Getting older is fascinating.
11.  I booked myself for a pedicure on my birthday.  Can't wait for those happy toes!
12.  Mad Men is coming back soon!
13.  Every day after preschool, Nathan has been asking me to read superhero stories to him.  He snuggles right up next to me as we read.
14.  We had another donations pickup last week, and the house feels lighter.
15.  I made plans for us to go visit friends next month.  I love the anticipation - I can't wait to see them!
16.  Our neighbors asked us if we wanted to go to a concert with them next week.  Live music, a night out, and hanging with friends?  Yes please.
17.  I found the chords to a song I've long wanted to play on the guitar.  They aren't quite right, so I'm tinkering and figuring out what works.  I sing and play, and I love the process.
18.  March Madness!  The college basketball tournament starts today.
19.  The birthday party tour continues this weekend.  We will be splitting up so the boys can both attend parties.  Nathan is already planning his own party in July - can you guess the theme?
20.  Quiet mornings.  They don't last long, and I'm often scurrying around trying to get things done, but I love every second of them.

How I Take Care of Myself

1.  Starting the day with a stretch and a glass of water
2.  Music that makes me sing at the top of my lungs
3.  Burt's Bees chapstick kept in all the right places
4.  A good pair of snow boots
5.  Watching "When Harry Met Sally" every time it comes on
6.  Pinot Noir
7.  Pigeon pose
8.  Music that inspires me to shake my hips
9.  Comfy and warm slippers
10.  Facial oil, body lotion, and a humidifier
11.  Flip-flops and short shorts
12.  Tomato sandwiches in the summertime, apple and cheddar sandwiches in the fall
13.  Calls to my sisters
14.  Tickling my boys
15.  Pushing myself to go out and meet new people, even when my inclination is to stay home
16.  Boot-cut jeans that fit exactly right
17.  Moving my body every day
18.  Visiting new places
19.  Watching summer rainstorms from the front porch
20.  Music that makes my heart smile
21.  Spending time with myself
22.  Cleaning the kitchen - life is easier with clean counters
23.  Practicing my guitar
24.  Assuming positive intent - people are doing the best they can
25.  Being an optimist - it doesn't come naturally to me, but I've gotten pretty good at it
26.  Ten minutes of silence
27.  Kale, sweet potatoes, avocados, watermelon, beans, salmon, and brown rice
28.  Not comparing myself or my life to others - an ongoing practice
29.  Savoring time with my boys
30.  Our new record player, visiting record stores
31.  Striving for patience
32.  Books - lots and lots of books
33.  Attempting crossword puzzles
34.  Hugs and date nights
35.  Expressing gratitude, every day

*Inspired by the brunette bombshell

The Little Things...

My kitchen counter

Long-time readers may have noticed that I haven't posted a Three Beautiful Things post in a while.   I'm not sure why, but I think the format just started to feel stale to me.  Maybe a little forced.  I do miss capturing those little, often seemingly insignificant moments or things, though.  Those little things are the best stuff of life, and although they may not be interesting as a blog post on their own, I nonetheless want to continue to document some of them here.  So every now and then, I am going to capture some of these little things...

*Aaron was sick one day last week and stayed home from school.  This is of course not a good thing, but we ended up having a really nice day together.  He spent the entire morning on the couch, reading books.  After Nathan got home, we played games and colored and read more books and Aaron tried to nap.  Neither boy whined or asked to watch TV or go on the computer.  How nice!

*The boys have started baseball.  I love watching them run around and have fun, and I'm so excited that they are excited about it.

*Meyer lemons are available!  Get some and make these lemon bars.  You won't regret it.  (Note:  I increase the lemon juice and decrease the sugar by a bit, because I like mine more on the tart side.  Yum!)  I love having a pan of goodness on my counter.

*Avocados are currently on sale, too, and I've begun each day this week with an avocado spread on whole wheat toast.  Eating this after starting the day with a little exercise makes me feel like I'm doing a good job taking care of me.

*I have been listening to this quite a bit lately:  Elgar & Carter Cello Concertos.  It's spectacular.  If you have any appreciation for the cello, you really must go listen.  (You can read more about Alisa Weilerstein and listen to a little here on NPR.)

I got two new cookbooks for Christmas and love them both

The living room is very slowly coming together.  Here are our latest additions.

My second favorite spot in the house (#1 goes to my clawfoot bathtub).