Three on Thursday | Hello May.

Hello May!

6 a.m. today ♥ my unplugged mornings!

It's 80 degrees today .... with blue skies, sunshine and low humidity. Thank you! (and I would be ever-so-grateful if you could hold on to that forecast for a few more weeks 😉).

For the first time since I can remember, I'm planning to be home for the entire month of May. I'm looking forward to welcoming summer from the comfort of my routines - unplugged mornings in my study, regular meetings with my friends for study and fellowship, regular workouts, regular meals ... and hopefully - soon! - porch time!

And because it's Thursday, here are three specific things I'm looking forward to this month:

1. Book Bingo! I'm planning to get the cards up next week (like this) so we have plenty of time to plan. No changes in the rules - books you finish beginning May 26 will count for Bingos!

2. Sewing. I've been slow about boarding the Uniform tunic train (Juliann and Kat have made it look not-so-hard, but still....), but I have time this month and I think I'm (almost?!) ready.

3. Time with the Little Boys. Katie & Rob have an out-of-town wedding to attend Mother's Day Weekend and our two favorite boys will be here! Marc and I are already planning meals, snacks and activities (and a BIG nap when they leave on Sunday :-) This is the fun part of grandparent-hood and we intend to enjoy every minute of it!

I hope you're looking forward to Book Bingo, too - any categories you hope to see - or not?!

Joining in with Carole and crew for Three on Thursday - see all the lists here.

Three on Thursday | Hello February.

from today's morning walk

Hello February,

I am glad to see you! and not just because you bring signs of spring and longer days ... this year, I am also looking forward to these three things:

1. New books for Lent. I'll be reading this one on my own and this one with my Friday morning small group.

2. Mind Body Pilates Challenge from The Balanced Life. I joined The Balanced Life last March (when Robin ran a free 21-day challenge) and I still love it. This challenge runs for 10 days, beginning on February 19.  It will be just 15 minutes of Pilates and one mindful exercise per day (conveniently delivered to my inbox each morning) and Robin says it has the power to transform both body and mind in incredible ways. I believe her.

...but the real challenge for me will be showing up for it each day, because

3. Marc and I are flying to Cabo for a long weekend getaway at the end of the month. The celebration of our 35th anniversary is going to be a yearlong event!

I might even be wishing you had more than 28 days (but don't tell anyone - I have a feeling I'm the minority vote about that one).

xo - M.

Joining in with Carole and crew for Three on Thursday - see all the lists here.

Three on Thursday | Hello 2018.

Last fall, when I started thinking about 2018, I realized I wanted something different for this year. I didn't want to choose a word or set a goal for some new (daily?!) practice. Both those things have served me well ... for years*, but this year, I wanted something simpler. Of course I am still me - the one who posts about reading and knitting goals...because she makes them! - so simply "simpler" didn't feel quite right. I played around with a few intentions last week ("use what I have", "embrace simple", "keep moving"), but nothing really came together (and that's really the story behind last week's completely random post!) ...

until Monday evening. My sister shared a Brian Andreas story on Instagram - this story - and I finally saw how all the dots connected. His stories have inspired me for years; I'm happy to embrace another one this year!

So, Hello 2018!

and three things I'm saying yes to this year:

1. unplugged mornings.

2. more time with family and friends.

3. mindfulness (Honoré gave me this journal for my birthday ... I'm now ready to dive in).

What are you saying yes to this year?

Joining in with Carole and friends. Happy (Three on) Thursday!

*I started choosing words in 2007 - yep, eleven years/words! - journey, gratitude, experience, time, focus, shine, grace, choose, present, nourish, light. Since then, I've also embraced a daily photo practice (and now one second videos) and yoga (/pilates) and tried a few others.

Weekending | Hello November.

This weekend provided multiple examples of why November is such an easy month for me to love.

A Friday afternoon walk with Holly, especially with flip flops and crunching leaves.

A run to the lake on Saturday morning.

An opportunity to wish Sara "Happy Birthday, with something to cheer about" on Instagram. (I still don't know what the soundtrack is, but she said it was great one!)

Knitting with family who are friends on Saturday afternoon. on the porch!

spiced pear liqueur with prosecco and plenty of yummy food

An opportunity to wear my newest sweater ... and a most-patient sister to photograph it.

and these are just a few of the outtakes!

Taproot - on Ravelry here

(I'm wearing the sweater again today, but with capri length leggings ... it's supposed to be 74 degrees this afternoon!)

A Sunday morning walk on the greenway with Lauren.

In between all that, Marc and I enjoyed three quiet evenings at home with snacks and TV. We watched the latest Jack Reacher movie (I fell asleep at about the 30 minute mark), another Georgia Tech loss and the first two episodes of Bosch (on Amazon Prime). The Bosch was my favorite (and there are three seasons!), but Marc says "it's not Grantchester or Poirot". True. I think I'm going to investigate Acorn TV. Do you have it?

I hope you had a lovely weekend - and here's to a great week! (and 6 down, 24 more to go!)

Hello September.

this morning at my desk - 7:55 a.m. and I still need lamplight...

Hello September.

Hello blank pages, fresh starts and new beginnings.

Hello family birthday season (which officially begins next weekend with Charlie's third birthday party!).

Hello cooler temperatures and sweater weather (Alaska spoiled me).

Hello college football weekends with bourbon cocktails.

Hello falling leaves and changing colors.

Hello finding joy in the little things*.

Hello long weekend (what a perfect beginning).

These monthly lists are a wonderful reminder about what I love in each month and season. Thank you Carole and Kat (and the rest of the Think Write Thursday gang) for another great week with one of my favorite prompts!

Also - Book Bingo officially wraps up this weekend. Books you finish by midnight on Monday, September 4 count for a square.

*from Ali Edwards' OLW prompt for September - so glad I made time this morning to watch the video!

Hello August.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to write a post to welcome August. I couldn't resist another haiku 😊

summer blooms fading

shorter days, longer shadows

hold autumn's promise

The photo is from today's morning walk with Holly. The bold, bright colors and the drops of water seemed fresh and alive. But what I saw when I viewed the image on my computer - so much bigger than on my phone - was ... different.

My early walk with Marc is almost back to "dark early"; sunrise was at 6:49am today. School buses are making practice runs for Monday's first day. I'm certainly not wishing away summer, but it's hard to ignore those signs.

Of course it still feels like summer. Here in Georgia that usually lasts well into September!

Thank you Carole and Kat for hosting another fun week!

Hello July.

from today's morning walk ... sadly not in my yard!

hello mid-summer 

blue sky days full of sun, blooms

dark nights full of stars

Dipping my toes into the #dailyhaiku pond 😉 (I can see how addicting this might be!)

Joining up with Think Write Thursday and a big thank you to Carole and Kat for hosting another wonderful week!

Hello May.

yesterday morning's walk

Hello May,

Whoa, you snuck up on me! I'll admit I wasn't quite ready to see April go, but your cooler temperatures and bright blue skies are most welcome.

As are longer days; I love that our dark early walks aren't so dark anymore and of course evening sunshine on the porch is always lovely.

Holly and I are looking forward to two trips - to Florida to visit my mom (hopefully the last time we'll have to drive down I-75 to see her!) and Lake Oconee with the family for Memorial Day.

In between, I'm going to explore a bit with Charlie, kick off summer reading and finish up a few projects.

I'm also going to get my "big" camera out and start practicing. Alaska is just over three months away and I want to be ready!

Let's do this, May, I'm ready!

xo, M.

the pots on our porch are ready for summer

Hello April.

this afternoon - with a new spring wreath on the front door!

Hello April,

I'm glad to see you! You are our first real month of spring - so many shades of green (and pink!), the end of all that yucky pine pollen, cool mornings and evenings and days warmed by sunshine, maybe even some porch time and for sure, long evenings. You're also our last cool breath before summer and this year, thanks to those dark-early walks with Marc, I intend to savor you even more.

Thankfully, the first day passed without incident; the end of March threw me a few curve balls and I'm still feeling a bit wobbly. I'd especially ask you to be kind to Renie and the rest of Tom's family. and to Katie and her little family.

I've signed up for Michelle GD's Just Five Things (the class officially kicks off tomorrow) and I really don't know what to expect - except that we're going to write lists. I love lists. especially fun ones. so ... here are five fun things I'm wishing for this month:

1. lots and lots of laughter - and photos - from our annual Beaufort weekend.

2. a happy-ish (i.e., not completely devastating) end to Homeland Season 6.

3. more fun with Betty and Beth when they visit the end of this month.

4. getting ready for another summer of Book Bingo (yes, y'all, I have plans to host and I promise we will not be "generously interpreting" any weird squares!)

5. planning out a photo gallery for our entryway.

It sounds good, right? Let's get to it!

xo - M.

(I'm joining the Think Write Thursday crew a few days late - click here to see what everyone else wrote about April.)

Hello March.

March 1, in our neighborhood

Just three days in and I already remember why you're one of my favorites:

There are signs of spring everywhere (except the thermometer ... brrrrrr it was freezing when we walked this morning!) and I'm looking forward to more - green leaves, azalea and dogwood blossoms and irises.

The days are getting longer and there are more of them. I do love February, but the best months have 31 days!

Chilled cocktails and porch time.

This year, I am also looking forward to staying home all month. Traveling is great, but I'm ready to spend a few more weeks here.

It also feels like the right time to lighten up around the house. I'll be putting away the glittered pinecones and red berries and getting out the painted eggs and citrus (and ooh, maybe even a fresh spring wreath for the front door?!) And of course, my closet. Yep, I figure I should tackle that soon....before I lose my nerve (or my energy for the project).

On the knitting front, I love the lighter weight cottons, silks and linens; can't wait to see what new yarns the shop has ordered to tempt me. I finally get to share the sample I knit back in December. and hopefully I'll have a few more FO's to share. My sweater knitting mojo is back and I intend to take full advantage.

I have a good feeling about us, March. Let's get started!

xo - M.

p.s. you can see what the rest of the Think Write Thursday crew wrote here.

Hello February.

sunset on January 31

Hello February,

I've been looking forward to you for weeks. Of course you have Valentine's Day right in the middle, but there's so much more to love about you:

♥ Longer days and those first signs of spring - cherry tree blossoms and daffodils.

♥ A birthday party for my favorite sister - who turned fifty this week.

♥ A good reason - finally! - to watch the Super Bowl.

♥ Another President's Day weekend trip to Madison (and another reason to see if I can bang out two more sweaters before I leave on the 16th).

♥ A visit from my friend Diane, our first meeting in real life.

♥ A FaceTime call (still the next best thing to real life) with Honoré.

♥ A month of letters ... and real mail!

♥ Four weeks to practice a new mindfulness habit
and to work on being grateful for all the things.

See why I'm excited about you? Let's do it!

xo - M.

p.s. I know the rest of the Think Write Thursday crew wrote their letters yesterday, but I had other priorities. Please forgive me for being a day late!

Hello December.

Hello December,

It seems way too early to be saying those words. Honestly, for the first time in many years (at least the nine that I've documented here on the blog), I haven't even been looking forward to seeing you.  And I'm not quite sure why. Usually, I'm full-on ready to start the holiday season as soon as we finish the dishes on Thanksgiving. But not this year.

And I even feel like I'm trying.

I've been playing fun Christmas songs with Charlie in the car since early November (special favorites include Ella Fitzgerald's Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman). We watched Love Actually and the Grinch (the original one) on Thanksgiving. Holiday Lights! Katie and I planned Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (including menus). I've been spending time each morning with an Advent devotion. Sara has plane tickets to spend over a week here, beginning on Christmas Eve. (not to mention the countless number of red cups and holiday spice flat whites ;-)

It's not that I feel like a Grinch. I just don't feel like it's December. and I certainly don't feel like Christmas is 24 days away.

This morning, I finally put the pumpkins that have been "decorating" our front porch since October into the trash. And then I went to Costco and bought a wreath. I figure nothing says "Welcome December" like fresh evergreens on my front door.

Charlie and I are going to the Angel Breakfast at church on Saturday morning. Then Marc and I have plans to get our tree on Sunday. (and hopefully I'll get it and the rest of the house decorated next week!)

And hopefully I'll snap out of this funk. Because you are one of my favorite months. I love so much about you: the twinkle lights. the hope and anticipation of Advent. the music. the stories. the hustle and bustle. celebrating traditions and making new memories. spending time with family. winding down the old year and looking forward to the new one.

So, what do you think, December? Can we do this? I'm counting on you!

xxoo, Mary

Joining up with Carole, Kat and the whole Think Write Thursday crew today.

Hello September.

Dear September,

Pumpkin Spice Latte (extra hot!) and knitting with wool (long sleeves, a hood and pockets!) - I love you!

- M.

p.s. I see a 6 in front of tomorrow morning's low temperature and an 8 in front of the high - if you could make that last for more than the weekend I'd be grateful. thanks!

p.p.s. please try to hold onto the daylight as long as you can.

Hello Summer!

Last night seemed like a nod back to my much younger days - when summer was one long vacation - yep, I stayed up til the early hours watching TV*.

But this morning's alarm still went off at 5:05 am. Welcome back to being a grown-up (thank goodness I didn't have to go to work, too!) Instead I updated my blog layout for the new season (there's a new banner and color scheme, which is, I hope, easier to read), went for a walk in the park with Lauren & Holly, took a 90 minute yoga class, got a summer-y pedicure (OPI Cajun Shrimp), and picked up three books at the library (one for Bingo and two just because).

Hello Summer!

In between all that, I drafted a Bucket List for the next three months, but I can tell it's not.quite.done. So I'm going to give it a few more days. Next week for sure. Because goals and planning and action items. and this year the season is short.

Pretty sure there will be something on my list about iPhone photography. The new blog banner is a snippet from the morning photo I shared on Wednesday #nofilter. And the three photos in this post were also taken with my phone. again #nofilter. I am amazed at the clarity and depth of field. and delighted with the colors. Like I told Carole this morning, nobody does summer colors better than Mother Nature.

Have you made (do you make) a Summer Bucket List? What experiences are you hoping for?

*specifically Game of Thrones and the two episodes I missed over Memorial Day.  I think this is my favorite season so far and I can only hope Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister stay true (and alive!) Also, I cried when we learned about Hodor at the end of Episode 5.

Hello December.

...thanks to Sunday's deadline knitting (which I did finish - thank you all for your encouragement!), this week's newsletter and a long list of to-do's, I got myself comfortable with holding off on the holiday decorations until Friday. We did get our tree into the house on Saturday ... and that fresh pine smell was delightful.

But as I finished up the last stitches on that hat Sunday night, I reconsidered the decorations. Twinkle lights are one of my favorite things about December. I really - really - wanted to have them up for today. So yesterday afternoon, I hid my to-do list under a book, turned on a holiday playlist, and put up the lights on the tree.

after last night's class...twinkle lights and a glass of wine

I was still fine with leaving the rest of the decorating to Friday. until this morning. While Charlie ate his breakfast, I checked up on Instagram. and saw a post from Katie - from Sunday afternoon - where Charlie had "helped" hang ornaments on their tree. 

And in that moment, I decided we'd do the same.  We hauled up the boxes and spent the better part of the morning and after-nap time putting out decorations. The Advent and Word trees are up, the mantles are finished, and all the “little stuff” (like the Santa that sits on the bathroom sink) is out. All that's left is the bird tree and the ornaments on the "big" tree (yeah, despite my "inspiration", we didn't even open those boxes today).

our Advent Calendar...aka the #tbt tree

the Word tree

Charlie had a ball “helping”. Pulling out tissue paper, pushing around boxes and dancing to Christmas music. 

I even "fixed" his Little Blue Truck book so the Christmas tree lights up. and then we read it. twice.

December, I have big expectations - and if today is any indication, I don't think you'll let me down.

Wishing each of you a December full of light. and wonder.

Hello October!

morning journal time...love this month's calendar photo - hard to believe Charlie was that little just a year ago!

...finally! Limited sunshine, too much rain and what felt like it might be a cold but was maybe just allergies and today is the first day of this new month - my favorite! - that really feels like OCTOBER. Here are a few things I'm ready to give a warm welcome:

• Birthday Season - beginning next week, we'll celebrate five family birthdays in five weeks.
• Sweater Weather, and wearing jeans and boots (or ballet flats).
• Slow cooker meals. I made chicken soup with couscous on Saturday. Marc says it reminds him of chicken and dumplings (which is, I think, a compliment!)
• Crisp morning walks, crunching on leaves.
• College football weekends (even when our team doesn't win, it's still a great reason on knit!)
• The return of Homeland. This is the only show I'm going to watch all year ... in real time. Which I'm loosely interpreting to mean "Monday afternoons"; I'll be watching last night's season premier (YAY for our DVR working again!) just as soon as I press Publish on this post!

What about you - what are you welcoming this month?

Hello September.

...it's very good to see you. My friend Honore says this is her favorite month, and now that I'm past all the drama and stress that accompanies "back to school", I think it could be mine, too. I do love the promise of cooler temperatures, knitting with wool, red wine (especially on the porch), not worrying quite so much about pedicures (or frizzy hair) and most of all, fresh starts.

(these are the roses in our front yard... in the spirit of embracing a new season, I'm seeing the beauty in the faded blooms. and in the afterlight app that made sunshine where we had none today!)

I was surprised, when I looked back at my blog archives, to see that I've not written a Hello September post before. Hello Fall, yes, but specifically September, no. So starting this month, I'm going to make it a habit to welcome each month. In addition to that short list above, here are a few more things I'm looking forward to this month: 

Becoming a grandmother (the baby is due next Thursday!)  Jeans and ankle boots and sweaters (honestly, this is probably pushing it - the forecast still doesn't show any day below 90 degrees). Apples. and pears. and oatmeal. Gin cocktails with rosemary simple syrup. Saturdays full of football (and knitting). Casting on a few holiday knitting projects (once I figure out what they are!) Changing colors in the landscape...I'm not quite ready for the leaves to fall, but for them to turn brilliant orange and red, oh yes!

How about you? what are most looking forward to this month?