Three on Thursday | Haiku.

Joining in with Carole and friends today to share a three-line poem.

creamy blooms spread wide

atop glossy green, spreading

the scent of summer

Thanks to our 90+ degree stretch last weekend, the magnolias are starting to open. This tree is in the common area where Holly takes her evening walks. It smells wonderful!

Hope your week is going well ... here's to almost-Friday!

Looking Back | April.

Today, I have one last look at April ... through the lens of my daily photos.

That bright green knitting really dominates the show, doesn't it?! I'm very happy to have it finished and realize I never showed y'all how it turned out.

Marc definitely brings out the goofy in me!

But for me, the star was the family and friend time (including my best furry friend - who got groomed on the 10th), along with plenty of good food and some gorgeous spring blooms. April certainly lived up to my high expectations.  Now May has a hard act to follow; I hope it's up to the challenge!

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.

Eye Candy Friday.

Partly in response to all the favorable comments about yesterday's blue sky blooms and partly because I know many of y'all are expecting snow in the next couple of days, I thought I'd share some more April Eye Candy.

I'm pretty sure the photo I shared yesterday is a wild azalea. Here's that same tree with its neighbor

and a portrait shot of those orange blooms.

These are the azaleas at the front of our neighborhood. I took these photos yesterday morning, anticipating that Masters-focused post.

From this morning's walk, here's the snowball viburnum I shared in Tuesday's March recap (this is what the "green hydrangea" turned into!)

and last - but by no means least - cherry blossoms. These blooms are showing up everywhere right now ... and our church grounds are covered in pink! When I left my small group meeting this morning, the light was just right for the pink

and one more #blueskybloom!

Wishing everyone a bloom-filled blue sky kind of weekend, with light, bright Spring-like thoughts (especially all of you who might see snow instead).

And a special shout-out to Carole who is running for Selectman in her town; tomorrow is election day and I know she appreciates all our support!

Early March Weekending.

In spite of the chilly wet weather, both Marc and I were out and about.  Marc played golf. I took a very cool field trip and spent a wonderful (but long) morning at church to celebrate Gifts of Women Sunday. 

The field trip was to a Hindu temple, specifically the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, with our spring confirmation class (I am fortunate to be a mentor to one of the confirmands). Ten teens and 13 adults visited on Saturday afternoon.

Most of us had no idea what to expect; all of us were blown away. We learned not only about the Hindu religion, but also about the amazing construction process that follows traditions thousands of years old. ...and the Atlanta temple is one of only five in the US (six in North America counting the one in Toronto). 

The temple website is definitely work a click-through - even if just to see the beautiful photography! You can also learn more about that construction process - which took only 17 months and used 1.3 million volunteer hours. All the carving was done by hand, in India and then the pieces were shipped here for assembly. My mind is still boggled!

I hope to have photos from the services to share next week (relying on others' iPhones is sometimes tricky business for Monday blog posts ;-), but it was 100% written and celebrated by women. Our congregation is blessed to have two wonderful female pastors, a beautiful women's choral ensemble, a female guest organist and a host of other females of all ages - acolytes, greeters and ushers - to lead and celebrate worship. I had a very small speaking part to recognize the Presbyterian Women in our congregation; it was inspiring to see about half of the congregation stand for that!

We also spent a good bit of time together at home. We started the second season of Sneaky Pete, cheered the awesome showing of the ACC in the upcoming NCAA tournament and FaceTimed with our favorite boys. I love that I can now take photos from FaceTime (even if they're blurry!).

That's Sam hugging Charlie in the bath and Sam completely and utterly despondent when his dad left the house. The boys fight over who gets to hold the phone ... I think Charlie sometimes lets Sam win. and I think Marc's favorite thing about all of it is that Sam can say Poppa. Katie says that's his first two-syllable word. (yep, just a little jealous).

And in between all of that, I also kept close tabs on the latest (last?) amaryllis bloom. Here it is yesterday afternoon.

Hard to tell it was pouring rain outside, isn't it?!

Photos really do help to tell the stories! I hope you captured something good this weekend, too!

Happy Monday!

Mid-February Weekending.

...was filled with good things:

Early signs of spring.

Knitting with a friend.

A beautiful Sunday morning, with tears of sadness (those backpacks on the chancel steps were placed by 17 high school students and teachers at the beginning of the service) and happiness (we celebrated the baptism of the grandson - another Charlie! - of one of my small group friends).

And another amaryllis bud - this is #7 from the basket of three bulbs!

Not pictured - more salads (we leave for Mexico on Friday), nine (?!) episodes of Longmire and a finished tank.

Hope your weekend was full of good things, too! Happy Monday!

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.

Weekending.

At first glance, this past weekend might look a lot like the one before it. Netflix, snacks (with wine) in front of the TV, knitting, walks in the park

rewatching the end of Grace & Frankie season 3, ice on the pond, Saturday snacks
blocked lace, #parallelogramKAL (mine is the one at the bottom)
bright blue skies, Sunday snacks and today's sunrise over the pond

...but then there's this!

Bodie is now an FO! Holly snuck a quick snuggle with it Friday evening once it was dry and I got to wear it Saturday! I am in love with this one (in case you can't tell!) ... it fits beautifully and it's the perfect light coat for the typical Atlanta weather this time of year. 

I hope your weekend included a smile-inducing moment or two ... and not only related to the outcomes of yesterday's games!

Happy Monday!

Unraveled Wednesday | Snow Day.

Thank goodness I'm not starting this post with a "yep, still" ... we live in Georgia and Snow Days are just not that common (thank goodness).  In the nearly 40 years I've lived here, I remember plenty of days when I'd wake up to brown grass and dry streets although "snow" was forecasted overnight.

Today was not one of them. Marc's office was closed and the few plans I had were cancelled. Hello Snow Day!

We're still practicing what retirement might look like - as in both of us home all day. every day. Thankfully Marc has a construction project at the golf club (just a short walk away) to check up on. and I have Holly who (much to her - and my - chagrin) must be shepherded outside at least three times a day.

We spent the morning with The Weather Channel, two pots of coffee and the treadmill... and I finally found my stride with some knitting this afternoon.

Bodie - this morning

Now one pocket lining down

and one to go. After that, I have to whipstitch those pockets closed, attach them, weave in ends, soak and block. I half-jokingly told my mom we would be seeing spring temperatures soon because I was nearly finished with a winter sweater.

I hope it's true!

Joining in with Kat and friends today and sending plenty of warm Wednesday wishes to all!

Three on Thursday | Currently.

from today's walk

It's nice to be back with Carole and friends!

We are slowly getting back into the post-holiday swing of things:

1. The Christmas decorations are put away. The two remaining poinsettias (the big ones in the dining room), baskets of glittered pinecones, Frasier Fir candle and mercury glass trees on the mantel are now "winter" decor.

2. Lauren and I braved the park - just for a lap - this afternoon. I know the "feels like 15 degrees" is warm for many of y'all ... but it's not for us! First time ever - the pond has ice cubes!

3. We finished all the leftovers last night. It's been a while since I roasted chicken breasts and washed lettuce. But I'll be doing both those things just as soon as I publish this post!

ice cubes!

Hope your week is going well - and you're staying warm!

Snowy Weekending.

I'm sure y'all have heard the big news by now - it snowed here this weekend. An early December snow is unusual here ... and 6-10+ inches is, too. We got both! The snow started Friday morning (thankfully after our walk) and didn't end until Saturday. Marc and I spent three hours Friday afternoon assembling our new treadmill

the photos don't show it - but I really did help!

...time very well spent since it will probably be a few more days before the sidewalks are clear enough for a dark early walk. 

Friday evening we had snacks and continued our binge through Bosch Season 3 (that show has really grown on both of us - highly recommend!) Saturday we were snowed in and it was great! I did take Holly out, but otherwise neither of us left the house. I baked cookies and knitted just a little and then we had more snacks and finished Bosch.

Sunday morning

Sunday's big highlight (because boo. no church. no Christmas music program) was a family cookie exchange ("family" here being the five local women who bake). The five of us each baked two kinds of cookies to share and while we were together, we made Lebkuchen, one of my dad's favorite cookies. Lebkuchen isn't hard, but it's sure better as a family affair!

We even remembered to take group photos. 

I certainly hope this is a "new" tradition - it's an easy way to have a delicious assortment of cookies and it's fun! Are you hoping to make any new traditions this year?

Here's to Monday (evening. already. yikes!)!

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!)

Weekending.

I have two big stories to share from the weekend. First - we found fall!

at the park, Friday afternoon

Friday was a glorious fall day. Holly and I enjoyed an afternoon walk in the park, soaking up sunshine and marveling at the colors. Well, I did ... Holly chased after and barked at squirrels.

The main event, though, was Sam's first birthday party. He turned one on Wednesday (can you believe it's been a year already?!) and we celebrated with family and friends on Saturday afternoon. I had the privilege of baking the cakes (a roasted apple spice cake from Smitten Kitchen). The baking took much of Friday (and nearly all my pans) and I finished them Saturday morning. Happy to report - they turned out beautifully!

I made a two-layer 7x11 cake for the guests and a two-layer 5" round for the birthday boy. (I made the full cake recipe and there was also enough batter for a short loaf cake ... which I am still enjoying.)  It took Sam a few minutes to get the whole "smash cake" thing

but he did figure it out eventually

with a little help from his brother. Of all the photos I took, this one is my favorite.

But this one, from my sister, is my new lock screen photo.

selfie session photo bombed!

and here's the best of what Charlie captured when he pushed the camera button.

It was a good thing all that fun happened Saturday; we needed yesterday to rest!

I saw snow pop up in my Instagram feed yesterday. Yikes - it's still October! But not, I guess, for much longer. Still, here's to a wonderful FALL week!