Think Write Thursday | Top of Mind.

Joining in with Carole and Kat for Think Write Thursday, who wrote "This week we are asking you to share 3 things on your To Do List with all of us."

Ok, then - I love a list! Here's what's top of mind for me today and tomorrow:

1. Finish Charlie's birthday socks. That first one just needs a little kitchenering (and an identical twin).

2. Shop for and then bake the cupcakes for his party on Saturday. Katie chose this recipe to go along with the "camping" theme. The recipe looks like fun; stay tuned!

3. Prepare for Sunday's Women's Luncheon at church. This is the kickoff event for the year and one of my primary responsibilities in this first year as Moderator. We're expecting about 50 women. I need to work on my opening remarks, find an ice-breaker and prepare the introductions for our two speakers. It's been a long time since I've led a meeting like this; I sure hope it's like riding a bicycle!

I couldn't help thinking as I typed that this is a really nice list. Not to mislead y'all; there are certainly some things top of mind that aren't nearly as much fun, but for the most part, I'm free to choose to spend my time on things like this. Yes, life is good.

How about you?

Totally Random.

Yep, I've got nothing today but a little extra time and a cute photo of my dog.

I left my comfy perch at the kitchen counter for just a minute and when I came back, Holly wasn't in her bed. I looked in the normal places like the rug by the front door, or under my desk, or in the living room, but no Holly. ...and then there she is

tucked into a space that only she could fit into. I knelt down and asked her to smile. Forward ears and bright eyes is her way of smiling, I think.

I'm now back at the counter and she's now back in her bed. All is again right in our little world.

Here are some other random thoughts for today:

1. My Instagram feed is full of people on fabulous vacations ... nothing like a bit of vicarious beach, ocean, Scottish highlands, delicious food and fun cocktails.

2. Marc emailed me a recipe for sweet potato bagels. I proceeded to Amazon and ordered a spiralizer and a bagel mold. They're arriving tomorrow and I plan to surprise him with sweet potato bagels for dinner.

3. I hope he emailed me the recipe because he thought it looked good.

4. I have nine more rounds of 1x1 ribbing before I bind off the body of my Tide Chart sweater. 1x1 ribbing on 3mm needles is really slow.

5. We are enjoying a most pleasant break from the rain. It was 61 degrees (with 95% humidity - it is Georgia in June) on today's early morning walk.

6. I am completely in awe of Joji's Inspiration for the Starting Point Shawl. I did not join the MKAL - and I'm still not sure I'd want to knit a 5-color shawl with 2,000 yards of fingering weight yarn, but I cannot stop thinking about it. (or pulling up the photos on my phone to show everyone else.)

7. I've been blogging for almost 10-1/2 years. This will be my 2003rd post. I totally meant to celebrate that 2000th post (last Thursday). and to reiterate my thanks to all of you for visiting and being part of it.

8. I am grateful every single day for the wonderful community we've built here.

Happy Tuesday!

Hello Monday.

My weekend looked a lot like this

which was wonderful (Saturday afternoon, my mom, sister and I met for lunch at a great new place downtown that specializes in football food and fun).

And then I stayed up way past my bedtime last night ... to finally finish rewatching season one of Gilmore Girls (21?!?!!! episodes - my how TV has changed...). yeah, there's no way I'm going to finish rewatching the entire seven seasons before Friday. at this point, I'm simply gonna skip to season seven and hope for the best.

And I set the knitting aside around episode 19 ... realizing there's really no way I'm going to finish No Tails for "Thanksgiving" either.

Dark early this morning, things still felt a little "no way". (yep, lists of lists :-)

But now, twelve hours later, I've made progress on those lists (except for radicchio, pearl onions and endive, which I know Charlie will love to get tomorrow at Whole Foods) and I even got to spend a little time with Sam.

Monday, you're definitely looking better!

Hoping your week didn't get off to a "no way" start - but if it did, hope it's looking better now!

Ten on Tuesday | Totally Random.

...Holly isn't herself. She's not eating and she's a bit lethargic. PSA - do not think about googling these symptoms unless you plan to pour a glass of wine, remove yourself and your dog to the porch...to knit.  I'll be taking her to the vet first thing tomorrow, so today, a random list* is the best I can do.

1. The weather seems to be thinking about fall. It was almost chilly this morning and the humidity is noticeably lower. The sun, however, isn't quite yet on board. It was 88 degrees this afternoon.

2. Nonetheless, I am planning my fall/winter knitting queue...and starting to think about holiday knitting.

3. I am not thinking about holiday menus.

4. Sara is going to be here for both Thanksgiving and Christmas - a total of three days of vacation and 10 days here. (yeah, I'm kind of kidding about #3).

5. When did the Emmy's start being on a Monday?! (and why didn't Sara alert me to at least DVR the red carpet?)

6. I finished my Bingo card reading (you have until bedtime on Monday, September 1 to finish yours) and I find myself missing it. Hoping I can keep up the reading pace, or at least the variety.

7. Slowly coming to grips with the reality that all those knitting WIPs are not going to get finished this week.

8. Enjoyed a long lunch with the woman who's agreed to co-lead my women's circle at church this year. She kept saying how what she'd agreed to do didn't seem like much...and yet it's going to make my job so much easier.

9. And then I had a delightful gathering with our Prayer Shawl Ministry. We had a new member today - she's been visiting the church with her husband this summer - and she said the meeting was "just what I hoped it would be". It pretty much made my day...

10. I'm caught up on all my podcasts (including one that was just released today!) and I'd love to have a few new recommendations. My current subscriptions are all knitting and reading related. I could expand my horizons!

So - we all have plenty of random thoughts circling around in our all-too-busy brains. Would love to have you share one of yours!

*Carole is enjoying time away from the internet; stay tuned for a "real" topic next week!

Better than I Imagined.

...I smiled this morning reading many of Cathy's "confessions" and thought it would be fun to share a few of my own.

Like Cathy, I do not make my bed, except for days when I change the sheets or I'm feeling the need to be super-nice to Marc. He loves having the bed made and will do it himself on the weekends. Funny, it only takes about five minutes but most mornings, I just don't have those five minutes to spare.

Other housekeeping chores that I don't do include ironing and dusting (and of course window washing…does anyone really wash windows?). Surprisingly, I don't mind cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry (although I do hate to fold and put away the towels and Marc earns weekly brownie points for that), washing dishes or emptying the dishwasher. Vacuuming is my favorite chore.

still smitten with the waterlogue app - from my kitchen counter this morning (what's left from Katie's birthday dinner bouquet)

So I typed a few more things, hit save and took Holly for a walk. side note - oh my. what a difference a week makes. I didn't see any visible signs of spring (in fact there is still snow on the ground in places), but I was plenty warm in just a long sleeved shirt and it feels like, maybe?!, spring is close.

Anyway, on our walk I started thinking less about housekeeping confessions and more about simply how different my life is on the older side of 50 than what I might have imagined at age 20, or even age 40.

Apart from the obvious technology things (that's a post in its own right for sure!), I know my 20 year old self would be surprised to know:

• I still like milk in my coffee. And starting last year, that's almond milk.
• I didn't make baby books for my girls. The first two years of Katie's life are captured in two photo albums...I never even started one for Sara.
• My favorite exercise is yoga, followed closely by running and walking. I do one or more of those every day. It's a big part of my life (I even have friends who do them with me!), as evidenced by my wardrobe. I have four drawers in my dresser; two of them are devoted to exercise clothes. 
• I am still a morning person. Getting up at 5am means I almost never stay up past 11pm.
• I'm not much of a traveler. I don't like suitcases or airports (or sleeping someplace besides my own bed.) That said, I have taken some wonderful trips and I'm excited to be going to Paris and Florence with Sara in May.
• I still live in (suburban) Atlanta
• One of my daughters lives 10 minutes away (and she's married and I talk to her every day).

The almond milk and exercise routine would've certainly surprised 40 year old me, along with that part about Katie living so close. …and all of this:

• I get paid to teach knitting and write a blog for my local yarn shop. Of course I didn't know about blogs back in 2002 (that's the technology post!), but I knew about teaching and knitting...just never dreamed I'd put the two together and be good at it!
• I rarely cook. Leftovers is my favorite thing to have for dinner. We almost never sit at the table to eat, but Marc and I do eat dinner together (when we're both home).
• I keep a journal. Of all the things I've done and not done, the only thing I regret is not starting this practice sooner.
• Church is a huge part of my life. 40 year old me wasn't much into Church.
• I have a dog. Her name is Holly (Berry); she's a nine pound toy schnauzer who goes everywhere with me. That means I have a dog seat in my car. (and a dog sitting in my lap as I type this).
• My hair is almost long enough for a pony tail…and I'm growing it!
• The 2-day walk.

(wow, this is turning out to be a much longer post than I planned!)

and now it seems only fair to document a few of the things that wouldn't be surprises:

• Marc and I celebrated our 30th anniversary last year (we got engaged when I was 20).
• I love to read; historical fiction, mysteries and epic tales are still favorites.
• I get a thrill from solving a crossword or sudoku (I don't think I knew about these til 2004 or 2005 but they're number puzzles…no surprise there!)
• I'm curious, optimistic, quick, healthy and generally tidy.

• and I LOVE to make lists!!

in that vein, I'd love to know - what would your 20 year old self be most surprised about YOU today!

Around Here | January 2014.

this morning's journal time

Ali's done a few posts like this and I love that it lets me document the right here right now without the constraints of -ing words. And documenting the right here right now seems the best way to dive back into blogging. Not that a single post proves anything, but it's a beginning. I can only hope it's a good one.

Around here the weekdays start dark-early (5 am for me and 5:30 for Marc). He typically leaves for the office by 6 (gotta love a man's up-and-out routine that takes less than 30 minutes!), but was home this morning until 7. He worked at the kitchen table while I checked emails and blogs at my usual kitchen-counter spot. It was nice to connect at the beginning of the day… even if we both had our minds mostly elsewhere, we chatted a bit and we were together.

Around here the days are noticeably longer. Little bits of sunlight start to peek through just after 7 o'clock and sunset isn't til nearly 6. This week it hasn't rained, but it's been cold (Atlanta cold anyway - lows in the teens and highs in the 30's) and the sky has been clear blue with white clouds. It's energizing to be outside, as long as you're dressed for it.

Around here I'm drinking lots of coffee. Santa brought me and Sara one of the "free refill" mugs from Starbucks and I'm averaging at least one cup a day (not to mention what I brew at home).  There's a Starbucks about a mile from my house that's conveniently on the way to just about anywhere I go, and there's another one next door to the yarn shop. I hope it's not going to be too hard to break the habit when I have to start paying $2 for those refills!

Around here my daily routine always includes journal time, usually just after Marc leaves. I love the quiet and watching the day come to life outside the window. I started journal #20 on New Year's Day. It's still hard for me to believe I've filled up 19 books with thoughts, doodles and other stuff…I wonder how many more there will be?

Around here my daily routine also includes Instagram, #fms prompts(!) and - most days - 10,000 steps. Yes, I love my fit bit. It's helping me focus less on miles and more on simply moving.

Around here I'm in two book clubs and some months (like this one) it seems I barely have time to read two books. I just finished the second one - Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey. I'd barely started it when we met last week, but the discussion really drew me in. Turns out the "real" Downton Abbey has much to offer - Edwardian England, World War I, King Tut, royalty, wealth and quite a few charming characters. Yesterday, I started the first February selection, House of Sand and Fog. Somehow I managed to miss the book and the movie but just a few pages in I already sense this story isn't going to end well. Fortunately, I've already read the other February selection (Light Between Oceans) so next I'm going to finish Mary Poppins.  I started it last month before we saw Saving Mr. Banks (a wonderful movie for anyone who loves Emma Thompson or Mary Poppins…I happen to love them both!) and I'm pretty sure it has a happy ending!

Around here Katie, Sara and I will celebrate the last spring break (yep, Sara graduates from college in May!) with a girls' weekend in March. We had our hearts set on San Francisco, but I finally accepted the reality that it's just not feasible for the three of us to fly to the west coast to spend four days and three nights in an expensive city. So we'll go someplace closer with good restaurants, a little shopping, nice scenery…maybe Highlands, NC?

Around here on the needles - a sweater for Katie, a shawl, and a cowl and mitts for myself. Mindful of the resolutions I set for this year, my next project is a prayer shawl, with yarn I already have. …and hopefully mittens and a hat. Boy it would've been nice to have those these past few weeks!

Around here there is still Project Life and One Little Word. I look forward to sharing more on both…soon.

Around here it is now nearly 11 am and I must get Holly out for her walk.

Would love to hear what's happening around you!

ten on tuesday. in my car.

...as in things I always have in my car. here goes:

originally blogged in July 2011

1. Holly's car-seat (if she's not riding shotgun, I still have it in the trunk, unless Holly's going to a sleepover).
2. knitting. because one never knows when one will get stuck someplace and need something to do.
3. chapstick.
4. gas receipts.
5. a pen.
6. my car's manual
7. and service receipts
8. and registration

and two I don't always have, but should
9. grocery bags
10. an umbrella

ok this one wasn't too embarrassing! a little bit quirky for sure but nothing all that weird. what things are always in your car?

click here to join the Ten on Tuesday fun!

2012 favorites.

...inspired by sara to share my favorites for this year. it's a fun way to look back. and it really does make me realize (yet again) what a wonderful year it has been. thank you to everyone who's reading this for being part of it!

of course sara told her story in words, but I'm telling mine in pictures*.

favorite photo of the three of us.

favorite photo of the two of us.

favorite photo of the two of them.

favorite person to hold my hand for a 30-mile walk.

favorite dinner when marc's away.

favorite thing I knitted for a baby.

favorite thing I knitted that surprised me. this one is also a favorite because it's for someone at the nursing home. and knitting with the ladies there on thursday afternoons is one of my favorite blessings of the year.

favorite cocktail party.

favorite thing(s) I knit for someone else.

favorite thing I knitted for myself.

favorite field trip.

favorite recipe I created.

favorite purchase.

favorite long-time documentation habit. (I'm now into year seven and journal #17.)

favorite new documentation habit.

favorite iphone app.

favorite tv show. and how cool that I watched the first two seasons on my laptop. (this was a hard choice... I also considered boardwalk empire, homeland and mad men but DA wins because I share it with all my girlfriends. and because it has maggie smith.)

and one last shout out to my favorite book of 2012, erin morgenstern's night circus. apparently, this one never made it to my flickr feed!

*click the photos to see them in flickr and read a little more about them.

it's a list thing.

...browsing my google reader on saturday morning, I came across xanthe's post.

um yeah, I love lists!

so I clicked over to the blog. and of course I was immediately drawn in. as much as I love making lists, I also love reading other people's lists.

yep, I'm in.

my first list is posted here (and shown on the left); love how pretty they made it from my simple email submission.

won't you consider playing along, too?

eight things.

...yep, eight! carole's busy this week :-). I just bought these journaling cards for project life. and I thought it would be good to blog something to help me get caught up (yep, nearly four weeks behind - yikes!). of course pre-PL I would've blogged about this sort of thing anyway, so here goes!

eight things making me really happy right now:

thanks, martha! (this is my bandit - #1)

1. martha was on hand this afternoon to photo my just-finished bandit (I do think it turned out great...and I love it!)

2. the +5 hour time difference with sara (now in oxford til early august) actually works ... she sends emails that I get "now" and can respond to...and we're skyping late afternoon my time on sundays. it's the perfect way to end the weekend.

3. it rained this evening. we need free water. (and it's thundering and holly's huddled in my lap...I'm glad I'm home!)

4. I had time in today's nearly nothing traffic to get my july charity hat started. the trip to and from the shop = 98 stitches cast on (and double counted :-)

5. chaleur (do I need to figure out the difference between a "love" and a "happy"?)

6. my sister and I have a long (8? 10? mile) training walk tomorrow. I hope I'm ready!

7. tomorrow is july 4th. I'm not working. marc's not working. .... right. smile!

8. marc made nachos for dinner. (and he's marinating fish for tacos tomorrow!)

...and now that it's this late in the day, I have to acknowledge one thing that's making me very sad...andy griffith's passing.

I firmly believe that in every situation, no matter how difficult, God extends grace greater than the hardship. - Andy Griffith

...peace...and grace.

currently.

...loving:

♥the crepe myrtle blooms in our yard (hot pink and pale purple so far). ♥ late evening light. ♥ la croix orange. ♥ big hoop earrings (with curly hair). ♥ katie & rob living close enough to come for dinner (and go home after). ♥ sara's blog posts. and flickr feed. ♥ milton pilates (pilates, barre and zumba!). ♥ running my 3.6 mile route in 38 minutes (5 less than it took when I started running again back in april). ♥ lululemon (katie warned I'd get addicted. she was right. as usual). ♥ kirkland cotes du rhone ($6.99 a bottle is hard to beat). ♥ full knitting classes on sunday afternoon and monday evening. ♥ craftlit podcast. ♥ getting back to needlepoint.

what are you loving lately?

10 good things about coming home from a vacation.

...she's back! and I can only imagine that today's topic means she might need a little convincing about being home again. I know the feeling, having come home twice this month from short little trips away. the first few days back are alway too hectic...but no matter what, I'm always glad to be home.

see #1 below - marc's welcome home from my most recent trip

1. 99% of my trips are without marc so coming home means seeing him.

2. sleeping in my own bed.

3. drinking good coffee from my coffee pot. sure, other places have good coffee and sometimes it's even great coffee. but even so, it's never as convenient or reliable as the stuff I brew day in and day out. (I also like getting that little splash of non-fat milk from the carton that sits just so in the right hand door of my refrigerator.)

4. deciding what to wear from my whole wardrobe and not just the small subset of outfits I thought to pack a few days ago.

5. my shower, hair dryer, curling iron, makeup light and mirror(s!!). getting dressed is always better at home!

6. seeing the park. this is especially true in the months where the seasons are changing.

7. not needing google maps all the time to get from where I am to where I'm going. (and if I've been someplace where english isn't the language, it's nice being able to understand without having to translate).

8. seeing my friends.

9. catching up with what I've missed at the shop. thankfully, it's not always like this!

10. remembering how much fun it was to be away ... looking through the photos (once I get them off my camera(s), and processed, and uploaded to flickr) and seeing those vacation smiles.

10 things I love about our weekend away in beaufort.

...carole is enjoying a vacation from her blog this week, but I'm fresh from a long weekend away in beaufort and thought it would be fun to share 10 things I love:

karen, polly and me at dinner sunday night (you can see all the photos from this year here)

1. my sister and I share the driving; she drove down and I drove home. great for knitting (I started and knit about half the leg of a my first traveling sock). and for making sure we photo the state welcome signs.

2.  the weekend runs from meal to meal. you know, where we spend time at breakfast talking about lunch (and dinner) and time at dinner talking about the next day's meals.

3. our accommodations were luxuriously comfortable (I meant to take photos inside...oops!); the house was featured in december 2010 southern living. except for the christmas decorations, it looks just like the photos!

4. dinner conversations...my sister and I have learned so much about our mom over the course of all these dinners. something about a meal out, a few cocktails, and just feeling close.

5. pretty sights. beaufort is a lovely town full of southern charm. we walked along the waterfront and through the historic point on sunday afternoon. you really have to pay attention or you'll miss the best little details.

6. games. I am not a game player, but everyone else in my family is. this is the only time I'll actually offer "do you want to play a game?" (and even better, we all won!)

7. bach on the organ at sea island presbyterian. we initially chose beaufort because our longtime (since 1977!) family friend charlie is the music director there. and he plays the organ. and he knows I love bach...

8. crab cakes benedict. brunch on sunday is takeout from blackstones. five (my dad and charlie join us for lunch on saturday and brunch on sunday) orders of crab cakes benedict. they only make crab cakes for sundays. and I only have eggs benedict once a year. I don't even like eggs benedict, but I love this dish! (and oops, another photo I did not get!)

9. instagram. this was the first trip I felt comfortable enough with the app to really use it. love the real-time sharing and how quick and fun it is.

10. continuing a tradition we started 8 years ago...truly mother/daughter weekends away are a treasure.

feel beautiful.

...I bought new jeans on saturday. I left the house in a pair of jeans that were uncomfortably tight, thinking if I had time, I'd stop and buy some that fit. and wear them out of the store. luck was with me. I had a few minutes and jeans were on sale at white house black market and ann taylor. I bought four pair (yikes!!) and walked out of ann taylor wearing new jeans. that fit...whew!!

but it was the bag from white house black market that caught my eye today (when I finally put away my saturday purchases). on both ends it says "feel beautiful". I love that. because beautiful really is as much about - and maybe even more? - how you feel than how you look.

so I cut up the bag, pasted it in my journal and thought about ways to feel beautiful.

1. SMILE! it brightens my face and my eyes...and it's contagious.

2. wear clothes that fit. even better if they flatter (I am a huge fan of what not to wear :-) but fit is key. too tight = uncomfortable and too loose = really, let's tell our best story!

3. mascara and lip gloss. and lately, a pale pink manicure.

4. "high" heels. in quotation marks because for me, high is about 2, maybe 2-1/2 inches! but something about that little bit of extra height, a little bit up on my toes...it feels beautiful.

5. tell someone else they're beautiful. brighten their day and bring a smile to their face. it reflects back.

6. give yourself a bouquet of flowers.

7. daydream.

8. watch a chick flick.

9. work out. sweat. feel strong!

10. get a dog. mine makes me feel like I've hung the moon. even when I'm in my pj's and haven't brushed my teeth!

what makes you feel beautiful?

I loved today.

even though I
...cleaned for three hours.
...missed a meeting with our wachovia financial team.
...ate dinner by myself.

because I
...woke up at 4:40 am without an alarm (welcome back ME from the pacific time zone!!)
...walked dark early with vanessa and talked about books and bible study and play dates and who knows what else. it was dark. and early :-)
...walked another mile in the park with holly.
...have clean sheets and a clean bathroom.
...wrote three postcards.
...babysat the at&t repairmen and hopefully got our uverse installation fixed for good.
...crossed off a few more items on my weekly to-do list.
...finished a wonderful book.
...took photos to share with katie.
...sat in on a bit of knit night - caught up with old and new friends, bought yarn for a lovely wrap, and knitted :-)
...read blogs.
...have a shadow.

...but maybe, mostly, because I'm starting to feel a bit more like my former focused self. gearing up to finish february's prompt and tackle march. on saturday. when it's raining. loving that I'll have a shadow, even if there's no sunshine.