A thousand ways grateful

Today I am just grateful

I believe that every good thing comes from God. There are a myriad of good things in my life and I want to say Thank You to Him. I like how King David expresses his gratitude:

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!" Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: "Thank you!" Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. Psalm 138:1 

Today I have a thousand ways that I'm grateful

Please indulge me as I say that I'm thankful for the ways God expresses His love for me. Here are just a few:

• My Sarah. The words to describe my beautiful, talented, shining daughter escape me. I am not skilled enough yet in this craft of words to tell the deep emotions that rise when I consider her. Yet, I continue to try. Today they are the colors bubble gum pink, smokey grey, and mysterious violet. 
• New lipstick. The scent encountered the first time one twists up a fresh tube of lipstick is a little bit thrilling. The smooth surface of color is perfect and I almost hate to mess it up. Yet, I can hardly wait to dress my lips with the slickness of the new shade. I like it...
• Sally Cat. She persistently pursues my affection my insisting to be on my lap when I'm at my computer or reading in my big green chair. My lap is her throne. 
• My Creator. I can't begin to comprehend the ever evolving, ever expanding universe. I will never get my mind big enough to fully enter the world of quantum physics. The intricate details of things big and small boggle my pea brain. All I can say is, wow! God, the harder I look, the deeper I delve, the more honored I am to be called your beloved. 

• Lively conversations about good reads. When a fellow read-acholic can get as excited as I do, well, it's pure heaven! Learning from someone I respect about a new book or being introduced to a new author is mind expanding. Yes!
• Icy cold martinis. Yep, the crisp ginny juniper essence barely cut with a kiss of vermouth. Oh...! 
• Friday morning phone chats with mom. Our standing weekly date is Friday morning at 8:00. I call mom, she answers with a sunny hello. The previous seven days are encapsulated.
• Warm hugs and kisses from friends. As I venture out in the world and encounter friends, I am happy to embrace them in greeting. The brief moment of closeness fills me with joyful energy that keeps my shine going. 
• Planning family gatherings. My family is a lot of fun, as we're a creative bunch. Getting together for Easter holiday is going to be an event. Just like it always is. Excited conversation. Amazingly creative food. The planning part is almost as fun as the doing part! 

• Soap. Gorgeous French milled soap. Hand-crafted organic soap. Prettily wrapped boutique soap. Italian goat's milk soap. Mmmm, I love you all!
• My girl friends. I thought to list each, then realized the list was so very long. And, what if I inadvertently missed one dear?! May the richness you've added to my life return to you tenfold. Each of you are rare and beautiful gems. I wear the love of our friendship with honor.
• Job interviews. I'm actually showing up on employers' radar. Many job seekers feel that all their efforts are going into some black hole at the far end of the universe. I think a few of my letters of interest have ended up there as well. Yet, the lovely opportunities I've had are confirming that I really do got it going!
• My Morgan. To have a son who honors me, expresses in his life some of my own dreams, and who still on occasion calls me "mommy" is a delight beyond expression. Thinking of him conjures visions of sparkling surf, homemade pizza, and all things "suvvy." 
• Eddie Dog. Rambunctious, adorable, crazy Eddie. My little buddy is super glued to me and I love it.

• Robust and complex coffee. You all already know my love affair with java. I'm just saying I'm thankful...again.
• The rushing creek down the road. It has come to life with the melting snow. It's fresh. It's wild. It's sparking with spring!
• My guy friends. You champion me. You validate me. You challenge me. Some of you think I'm pretty. One or two even think I'm sexy. I love you!
• Peace in times of strife. Trusting in God's provision during lean times has taught me the sweet joy of falling into Him. They ways He cares for me are precious. 
• Yummy smelling things like exotic incense, the top of a baby's head, sun-warmed tomato plants, freshly baked pumpkin pie, a freshly showered man, a perfectly scented candle, money (the green kind), and warm laundry from the dryer. 

The list goes on.... pot roast with carrots and potatoes, cards in the mail, snuggling, bird baths, an eager audience, completing a to-do list, funky and cool jazz, mint tea, junking treasures, foreign films, my bed after traveling, seeing the potential in another person, baby clothes, a balanced checkbook, a hike in the woods, the car wash, getting flowers, the robins in the tree out my window, praise for a job well done, plane boarding passes, the full moon, synchronicity, long and hot showers, tree canopied roads, reading poetry with a friend...

Today I am a thousand ways grateful. 

Little birds everywhere

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• My daughter's parking ticket. Really? Yes! It's from the university she's attending. To me it's a reminder that she's doing really awesome things and has a plan she's pursuing. Now, the ticket itself... I'm sending it to her! 
• The geese honking in the early morning. While walking Eddie dog, a bunch of noisy geese flew loudly overhead. I think they were making plans for a spring party at the lake. 
• Nice people on the freeway. Now, you don't hear that too often, do you? Yesterday a man beeped his horn at me while I was driving along, minding my own business. He had a note pushed up to his window saying, "low air in front right tire." Nice, huh? I thought so. 

Funny thing about birds...

My bestie, Debbie, and I are always on the prowl for vintage treasures. Yesterday we stopped by Roost, one of our favorite places. And, what do you know, I found a bird treasure. What better thing to get than a cloche with a bird on it!

It's no surprise to most of my friends that I'd get another bird for the house. It was pointed out by first Debbie, then later my friend Genia, that I have birds all over my home. Which is a crack up, because I suffer from a mild case of ornithophobia. Hmmmm... 

I guess this bird collecting was started by my grandmother and perpetuated by mom. Grandma loved her forest and garden birds. Each spring, mom eagerly awaits the return of her precious blue birds. Apparently, I have continued the legacy.

Looking around my home, birds nest in every room. Here's one that sits in my kitchen window, a friend guarding my plant and wishing it good things. 

This darling chickadee with acorns was one of grandma's favorite birds. When she passed, I was so pleased to have it. The piece reminds me of the times spent in her garden, the light trill of chickadee calls on the breeze.

This graceful, golden bird sits on my mantle, a treasure found at the Funky Junk show in Sandpoint, Idaho. 

Here sits a happy yellow bird. He's happy because a sweet piece of art by Cori Dantini is his companion. 

Grandma's brother brought this little guy home from Russia. He's only about 1.5" tall. A special treasure for his bird-loving sister. He is snuggled in a special spot in my china hutch.

Bird art is on the walls as well. This picture of a trio of birds is one of a set that I love dearly. The rusts, copper and grays are beautiful against my olive green walls. 

Here is one of my favorite thrift store finds! The bright orange vase and lively colors of the blue bird and flowers bring a pop of energy to a bookshelf. 

Two resting birds add to the sense of tranquility in my spa-like bathroom. Here they enjoy the morning light in the stained glass window. 

The plate that hangs in my bedroom is pretty vintage Paragon tea ware. It was produced as a souvenir for the 1930 birth of Princess Margaret Rose. Next to it, a chippy candle sconce from a darling boutique.

One of a pair of perched birds who guard my kitchen. I love how they make the entry way special.

Here a bird, there a bird...

Hmmmm..... there are quite a few more as I look around the place. I think I'll save them for another day. But, Debbie and Genia are right, there ARE little birds everywhere! 

Snow! Beautiful snow!

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• My grandma's sewing machine. When people think of inheriting their grandmother's stuff, usually images of antiques or mid-century stuff come to mind. Nope, my Grandma had a smokin' hot Bernina that runs like a song, smooth as a hot knife through butter. I'm thrilled to have it and I know she'd love my enthusiasm. Think I'll get going on that quilt I started...
• The Christmas decorations are up. I love my little tree, jam packed with the kids' ornaments. There are so many now! Each piece has a sweet memory attached. Placing them strategically on the branches is almost a spiritual experience.
• Anticipation, it's making me wait! The sweet expectation of holiday gatherings, as well as quiet times with each of my children, is filling my head and heart. I love this time of year and am keenly awaiting the days I share with them.

It Snowed and I'm happy!

"I wonder if the snow loves the 

trees and fields, that it kisses 

them so gently? And then it 

covers them up snug, 

you know, with a white quilt; 

and perhaps it says 

"Go to sleep, darlings, 

till the summer comes again." 

~Lewis Carroll 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Yesterday the skies let down a preview of this morning's dressing. I thought I'd share a few pictures from around the condo, just to spread the Christmas love! 

Snow! Beautiful Snow!

Happy hunting

Daily Gratitude: Today I'm thankful for:

• I have sunshine inside of me today. They skies are grey, which usually sends me into a funk. However, I feel rested and fresh. I really love feeling good!
• Angels who watch over me, protecting me from evil plans and onslaughts of destruction. The stories they must tell when they check in with their peer angels! I am grateful for their willingness to go about the business of comforting and protection. 
• I have awesome neighbors. They are the perfect balance of honoring my privacy and extending generosity. How many people can say that? 

What do you hunt for? It's books for me! 

Earlier I shared my love of beautiful vintage books. It's true that they occupy a special place in my heart. Another aspect of collecting books is hunting for great used books. It's one of my favorite pastimes.

One of the best hunting grounds is the St. Vincent DePaul where my sister lives. Every visit to see Leslie includes a trip to St. Vinnie's. This Thanksgiving was no exception. I found three awesome books for $.50 each. SCORE!

Here are my finds:

The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I have several books by this Spanish author. His writing is smart and complex, just the way like I like my books. I just cracked opened this one and it hooked me immediately.

Here's a synopsis of the plot: A fifteenth-century painting by a Flemish master is about to be auctioned when Julia, a young art restorer, discovers a peculiar inscription hidden in a corner: Who killed the knight? In the painting, the Duke of Flanders and his knight are locked in a game of chess, and a dark lady lurks mysteriously in the background. Julia is determined to solve the five-hundred-year-old murder, but as she begins to look for clues, several of her friends in the art world are brutally murdered in quick succession. Messages left with the bodies suggest a crucial connection between the chess game in the painting, the knight's murder, the sordid underside of the contemporary art world, and the latest deaths. Just when all of the players in the mystery seem to be pawns themselves, events race toward a shocking conclusion. A thriller like no other, The Flanders Panel presents a tantalizing puzzle for any connoisseur of mystery, chess, art, and history.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Ogden Nash. Witty twists of words that make light of things pompous and inhuman. Love that his poetry reflects his heart for the glories of the mundane.

Here's a good one:

What Almost Every Woman Knows Sooner Or Later

Husbands are things that wives have to get used to putting up with.
And with whom they breakfast with and sup with.
They interfere with the discipline of nurseries,
And forget anniversaries,
And when they have been particularly remiss
They think they can cure everything with a great big kiss,
And when you tell them about something awful they have done they just
look unbearably patient and smile a superior smile,
And think, Oh she'll get over it after a while.
And they always drink cocktails faster than they can assimilate them,
And if you look in their direction they act as if they were martyrs and
you were trying to sacrifice, or immolate them,
And when it's a question of walking five miles to play golf they are very
energetic but if it's doing anything useful around the house they are
very lethargic,
And then they tell you that women are unreasonable and don't know
anything about logic,
And they never want to get up or go to bed at the same time as you do,
And when you perform some simple common or garden rite like putting
cold cream on your face or applying a touch of lipstick they seem to
think that you are up to some kind of black magic like a priestess of Voodoo.
And they are brave and calm and cool and collected about the ailments
of the person they have promised to honor and cherish,
But the minute they get a sniffle or a stomachache of their own, why
you'd think they were about to perish,
And when you are alone with them they ignore all the minor courtesies
and as for airs and graces, they uttlerly lack them,
But when there are a lot of people around they hand you so many chairs
and ashtrays and sandwiches and butter you with such bowings and
scrapings that you want to smack them.
Husbands are indeed an irritating form of life,
And yet through some quirk of Providence most of them are really very
deeply ensconced in the affection of their wife.

Ogden Nash

The Elegant Universe by Brian Green. Always want to know more about superstrings and hidden dimensions. This national bestseller has my attention! Haven't jumped into it yet, but am anticipating it with relish. 

Here's why: Beginning with a brief consideration of classical physics, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes a historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic world of the standard model of particle physics and the deterministic Newtonian physics of the macroscopic world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics.

Ok ok, I know it's a bit heady, but how cool?!

Anyway, just love hunting for a good book...or two. It's one of my favorite things, right up there with actually reading them! 

My books are my friends

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• God's correction. King David said he was glad for His correction, and I used to not understand that. Yet, as I get older I realize that God's correction keeps us true, honest, and loving to others. It's way better than His discipline!
• Fall and winter merging. This morning the fall leaves are covered with a light layer of white powder. It's beautiful.
• When I think of the thousands of people on the east coast that are displaced, cold, and frustrated, I am all the more thankful for my warm home and cozy bed. Truly, I am blessed!

I have a few books

Well, maybe more than a few.

While I've been a voracious reader since I was a child, it wasn't until I was a young adult that I began to appreciate the beauty of books published around the turn of the last century. Since then I have gathered many lovely volumes.

I love these beautiful stories and the works of art that cover them. Most are bound in decorated fabric, some are actually tooled leather. Not all of them are in perfect shape, but I marvel at how well preserved they are for being well over 100 years old.

Here's a beautiful edition of the Chautauqua Girls at Home that was given to a young woman named Lou Taylor. Her aunt Avery gave it to her as a Christmas gift in 1897. The cloth cover is worn just a bit, otherwise it's in wonderful condition.

Isn't this one a hoot? Wanted- A Matchmaker. A holiday story about wanting a husband! This edition features a beautiful Armstrong design on the boards and every page is illustrated with a lavish boarder. 

Chattie B. Cahill inscribed this lovely edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin in February of 1900. I have 20 or so books that were Ms. Cahill's. She had wonderful taste in her reading material. Unfortunately, I've been unable to locate information about this specific printing.

Many years back, my father and I were roaming the hills of the Palouse when we can upon an estate sale at an old farm. Dad found several treasures. And, so did I - this collection of Tom Swift adventure books.

Finding a complete collection that's in good condition is like hitting the mother lode! This set of Master Pieces of Fiction was a great score from my friend's salvage shop. The set was published in 1904 and included everyone from Charles Dickens to Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Rudyard Kipling, Boccaccio, George Eliot, Emile Zola, and more. I wonder is she realized what she had!

My step-mom gave me a box full of these funny, yet delightful pulp fiction books from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. They are pretty tame compared to the romance novels of today, but in their time they were quite racy. I especially like the one titled "Professional Lover."

Books are tucked around in nooks and crannies in my home. Here, a random collection of beautifully dressed friends, I mean books, sits on the mantle of my fireplace. I just love the colors!

Some of my book-friends are ornate and beautiful. Others are hearty and well-worn. All are a delight in some way. There are days that I will deliberately visit my books. I grab a cup of coffee and walk from room to room to remember them. It's a pleasurable exercise. I touch the covers, running my fingers over the embossed designs. The wonderful smell that comes from opening the pages often compels me to stop to read a page or two. Not every book has in inscription. When I find one, it's like connecting with the previous owner. I like to think of them lovingly penning their name, noting the town where they lived, and "stamping" the date that they came to possess the volume. 

I wonder if Cleopatra felt that way about the papyrus scrolls in the Royal Library of Alexandra. I do believe Caesar's accidental burning of the world's largest and most significant library would have been a real deal breaker for me!  And, surely Queen Elizabeth treasured the many volumes of classical works and Psalms she had translated and ornately bound. As well as her copies of the works of Shakespeare, Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, and Christopher Marlowe.

It would be a tedious undertaking to look at all of my old books today. I just wanted to talk about a few of them, because they bring me such joy. And, I wanted you to know that...

My books are my friends. 

(P.S. See my Pinterest board where I pin loads of cool books - Books are my friends)

Have I told you how much I love my bed?

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• An extra hour of daylight. Yay, Daylight Savings ended!
• The Aveda Body Balancing Mist sitting next to my computer. It's made of organic lavender, balsam, and lemon oils. I love how it lifts my mood and makes me feel well balanced.
• Pinterest. I think... I am a bit addicted. It's sure fun! 

Oh... I love my bed

At the top of my gratitude list I often state that I'm grateful for a restful night's sleep. For the most part, I am blessed with a good seven to eight hours a night. I wake in the morning ready for the day. I like to think it's mostly due to the fact that I "know" I'm going to have that kind of rest. Or, it could be because of my bed.

There are a few beds in my house. I've slept in them all, you know, just to see what they're like. This one I love dearly. It was my great-grandpa's bed.

Grandpa's bed sits in my loft where it shares space with my library and office. Waking in the morning, one can look around and see a few hundred books colored with light from a stained glass window. Sally cat has claimed this bed as hers. I like this bed.

There is another bed in the house. This one is in my piano room. I took the head- and foot-boards off because the room is so small. 

The bed has a cozy down comforter and the pillows are amazing. Topping the bed is an afgan my grandma crocheted me when I graduated from high school. Sleeping in this room is a colorful treat. The walls are pumpkin and terra cotta, which are offset by touches of teal and aqua. The piano parallels the bed and makes for a rich, earthy feel. I like this bed. 

But...

This is the bed that I love. At the end of the day I pull back the covers and get into this bed. The other beds are great. The rooms they're in are decorated and rather feminine. Funny, mine isn't. I mean, my room is decorated, but it's rather simple. Just a great big (huge!) Mission-style dresser with a mirror, a bed-side table, and... my bed. 

I'm not sure what I do at night, but every morning the pillows are pushed up and I wake with my head cradled. Ahhhhh. It's pure heaven.

My bedding is simple, too. Just layers of aqua, covered with a teal bed spread. And, yes, I'm a bed-maker. First thing I roll out of bed and pull the covers into place. Simple, nothing fussy or ornate. Just covers and a couple of pillows. 

Shades of green, brown, and teal comfort me, they surround me every morning when I wake and each night when I crawl in. In this wonderful, cozy place, I dream and rest and dream and dream. It's one of my very favorite places. Those who know me are getting used to my asking...

Have I Told You How Much I Love My Bed?