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?

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!

Think Write Thursday | Staying Cool.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is tell us what you do to beat the heat! We're deep into summer here and some of us love the heat and some of us hate it but either way we all have to cope with it. What do you do that works for you? Share your tips, stories and more on coping with summer heat!

I've lived in the South for most of my life (which still seems crazy, but it's most definitely true!) and I have to say that the number one thing is air conditioning. I do love fresh air and sunshine, but when the heat index gets into triple digits, I stay inside. We have ceiling fans running non-stop as well.

Some places (church, the grocery store, Starbucks) do air conditioning a little too well, but I don't mind that either. It's the perfect opportunity for a hand knit shawl, scarf or cardigan.

The other idea I have is a cold, icy drink. Last night, I mixed up a batch of Watermelon St-Germain Slush (thanks to A Beautiful Mess).

It only took a couple of hours to freeze the watermelon chunks (I layered them in a glass pan with plastic wrap between the layers to keep them from freezing together). I squeezed a little more lime over the slush before serving. Delicious and refreshing! and pretty, too!

Head on over to Carole's blog to see what ideas others have shared.

Think Write Thursday | Three Good Things.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to write about three good things that happened this week.

Sitting here Thursday evening with a grapefruit vodka tonic (and a shaking dog in my lap - thunderstorms!) and only one item left on this week's to do list (a Friday afternoon trip to Costco), it feels like a very good week. Here are my top three highlights:

Tuesday bedtime

1. I had not one but two playdates with Charlie. Tuesday afternoon I picked him up from school and we went out for frozen yogurt before heading home to play with Sam and Katie. I stayed through bedtime - always a treat - and then enjoyed a delicious dinner and some good girl-talk with Katie. This morning, we went to the park and then out for pizza. I'm really happy one of the guys in my life loves pizza as much as I do!

Thursday at the park

2. I also met up with friends two times for knitting. Our Monday afternoon group is coming together nicely, and it helps to have a common project.

FIVE mystery shawls!

My shawl is bottom left - all the way done with clue 4, so I used the time to finish up the second sleeve on Tide Chart (aka the "four week sweater").

3. And thanks to that, and a little more time on Tuesday morning, Tide Chart is done and blocked!

We all know that focus on the GOOD is GOOD for us so let's do it!  Head on over to Carole's blog to share your GOOD this 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!

Think Write Thursday | My Favorite Accessories.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to write about our three favorite things to wear.

The first one came to me in a second. Of course it's pearls. They've been my signature necklace for years. I have strands that belonged to my grandmothers and - thanks to Marc's many trips to Asia - I also have a wide variety of colors and sizes, plus bracelets and earrings. 

The second two I wasn't so sure about ... maybe lip gloss and mascara? my wedding ring? my Apple Watch?

But as I was taking the photo to share with this post, I saw it quite clearly.

Pearls ... with a hand knit and a smile.

Linking up with Carole and Kat today ... and looking forward to reading about what you love to wear!

Think Write Thursday | Thoughts at Mid-Year.

this morning's journal time

This week’s Think Write Thursday topic is to “consider what it means to be at the halfway point of the year. Did you state some intentions for 2017? If so, check in on them and give us an update. If you didn’t state any intentions then maybe you could tell us what you think so far about 2017 or perhaps you’d like to set some intentions for the second half of the year. Whatever you decide, however you approach this topic, regale us with your words!”

I did state intentions for 2017 - way back on January 5, which honestly seems like a lot longer than just five months ago:

more gratitude. 

more mindfulness. 

more exploring. 

more curiosity. 

more connecting. 

more yoga. 

more prayer. 

more letting (it) go. 

less busy. 

less worry. 

... more light.

When I sat down this morning to prepare to write this post, I made a list of those intentions, leaving a little blank space after each. My plan was to go back and jot a few notes next to each one and then see what sort of story all that told. I didn't make it very far. 

First, when I got to yoga, I crossed that out and wrote "pilates". and then a big smiley face and a check mark. Since I started the 21 Days of Pilates challenge on March 6, I joined Robin's Balanced Life Sisterhood and quit the YMCA (and my twice-weekly yoga routine). For the past three months, I've averaged about four pilates workouts a week and I am loving it. Now I just need to keep doing it. The good thing is that I can see the results, especially in the sleeveless tops and dresses I love to wear in the summer. 

When I got to the end of the list, what really hit me was the changes - big and little - that have happened since that early January list. Some I've already shared here, but not all:

1. Back in December, Marc started walking 3-1/2 miles at 6:00 am M-F. He invited me to join him in early January and that shared time has become - at least for me - one of my favorite parts of the day. I absolutely love watching the morning dawn over the lake, having almost an hour of uninterrupted time to talk and getting a nice head-start on the day's exercise.

2. Marc left his old job at the end of January, sort of took a month off and officially started a new job March 1. I knew the old job was stressful, but it wasn't until he started the new job - and would somedays leave the house and come home with a smile on his face - that I realized how awful it had become. It's almost like there was a little black cloud hanging over him and us ... and now it's gone.

3. I started daily stitching.

4. Marc gave me an Apple Watch for Valentine's Day. I had to give up my focus on steps (I got my first FitBit in 2013) and start thinking about simply moving. It wasn't an easy transition, but now - four months in - I'm completely on board. I'm also even more of a fan (I'm sure my mom is now rolling her eyes and wondering how that could possibly be) of the Apple devices and how well they play together. 

5. Charlie & Sam (and their parents) moved. I gave up my day a week with each of them. 

6. A few days after they settled their moving plans, I was asked to take on a three-year commitment to lead the women's ministry at our church. I said yes. The leadership role is shared among three women, with the "lead" lead role happening in the second year. My first year officially started last month. So far so good.

7. I decided to participate in #the100dayproject, with a focus on "finding light" through a daily photo. The daily photo habit is not new, but "finding light", taking a photo and sharing it on Instagram ... has some days been a challenge. But oh my goodness it's been worth it and I cannot wait to see all 100 days together. (and to not share a photo on Instagram come July 13!)

8. I quit teaching. My last class was the one Betty attended back in April. I felt, for a lot of different reasons, that the time was right, but mostly I wanted more flexibility to spend time with the boys. I realized in early June that a month had passed and I hadn't thought about it, let alone missed it. I'm still knitting (maybe more now than before?) but I'm not spending as much money on yarn/patterns and I'm certainly not spending as much time on Ravelry. I did miss the fellowship and inspiration; turns out most of my "in real life" friends are former students or LYS employees. This past Monday afternoon, a few of us met up at my house for knitting and I'm hopeful we'll become an actual "group". 

9. I renewed my interest in photography.

10. and started exploring Atlanta (with a toddler).

Katie asked me "what's new?" yesterday and I replied "not much". I don't think I'd have that same answer today! 

The cumulative impact of all these changes on my daily routine - and my life in general - has been huge ... and overall positive. Without taking much specific action on any one of those intentions (save the yoga pilates), I'm seeing progress on all of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing where all this takes me and my family over the rest of this year. My mom is planning to move in September and that will be a huge change, too - hopefully all positive (once the moving bumps are out of the way)!

Also looking forward to being "regaled by your words!" (linking up with Carole and Kat)

Think Write Thursday | Summer Bucket List.

Compared with last year, there are definitely repeats (Botanical Garden, popsicles, gin cocktails) and a few notable omissions (fireworks, bike riding), but it's still full of exploring, learning and new experiences. Here's to a fun summer!

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

Dear Me.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to write about the advice we'd give our past and current selves.  Sadly, past me's will never benefit from any advice I might share based on 54 years of experience. (I'm not sure those past me's would've paid much attention anyway 😉.) But current me loves stuff like this. Here's my advice to me. right now.

from yesterday's morning walk - downtown Alpharetta

Dear Me:

You're in a good place right now. You have a loving family, friends, good health and financial security. You get to spend most days doing things you enjoy.

Keep investing in those important relationships. It's ok to say "no". Be sure you exercise your mind, body and spirit every day. Spend wisely. Stay curious. Make memories. Share your stories. Take photos.

And always, be true to yourself.

xo - M.

Thank you Kat and Carole for another inspiring week! If you'd like to join in, click here to sign up.

An Ideal Walk.

This week's Think Write Thursday topic is to write a post describing our ideal day. I've been thinking about it since Monday (when Carole announced the topic) and I still haven't been able to come up with one ideal day. well, at least not one that would fit into 24 hours. So I'm taking the easy way out and writing about one thing that for sure would be part of my ideal day - a walk.

I have only three "musts": outside. at least two (and probably not more than five) miles long. and not dangerous (e.g., no fear of falling off cliffs or into water or slipping on ice).

That leaves a lot of options!

I love walks with a friend. or by myself.

Exploring someplace new or a very familiar path in my neighborhood or local park.

Spring, summer, fall or winter.

A leisurely stroll or a brisk pace to get my heart rate up.

I'm fortunate that nearly all my days include at least one of these ideal walks. and extra bonus that most of them also come with a photo or two (the photos I've included here are from the three walks I've taken with Holly in my mom's neighborhood).

Thank you, Kat and Carole for another fun week! If you're not already playing along, click here to join in!

Think Write Thursday | Again for the Very First Time.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to tell about a book we wish we could read again for the very first time. It took me all of about two seconds to come up with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - the seventh and last installment of the Harry Potter series (and even better if I could do it over the first two days of a girls beach week like I did back in 2007).

It's no secret that those books (and the movies) are all-time favorites. I'm grateful I got to experience the story as it evolved. and it's crazy to think that we once lived in a world where we didn't know how the story would turn out!

A quick search through the mere-et-filles archives turns up quite a few mentions of Harry Potter - and many of them were Ten on Tuesday posts. Here's one about the things I love about the books, and this one about D.E.A.R. is a keeper if only for that adorable Charlie photo at the top (almost exactly a year ago!). I even found one from before I read that seventh book - about what I was planning to read on that beach trip (too bad there wasn't book bingo back then!)

But my favorite post - for reminding me about a wonderful time - is this one, from August, 2011.

Sara and I had a great day together just before she went back to school (her sophomore year at Georgia Tech). We saw the Harry Potter movie, we had lunch ... and of course we took a photo. Don't  we look young! (and happy!)

Thank you Kat and Carole for a fun topic and a great excuse to travel down memory lane!

I'm headed off to South Carolina this morning. I do have plans to blog with my iPad... and maybe this time I'll get the photos right!

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.)

Thursdays with Sam | A Different View.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is to look out a window you don't normally look out of and tell us what you see. I kind of cheated. I did do the "don't normally look out" part - but I knew what I'd see.

I snapped this photo from Charlie's bedroom window just after I put Sam down for his last nap of the day*

That sign is in their front yard; and yep, they're moving. Three weeks from today.

They're moving 25 miles away. back into town. 25 miles closer to Katie's work**. They'll also be a lot closer to fun things to do like the Botanical Gardens, the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, the Center for Puppetry Arts and I'm sure we'll find more.

I know 25 miles isn't another state, but - especially on Atlanta highways - it's a big deal. After the move, I (we!) won't be spending Tuesdays here with Charlie or Thursdays here with Sam. I do plan to see both boys (and their parents) on a regular basis ... but we're going to let things settle a bit before we figure out a new routine.

And you know it will be a very little bit because I don't think I can go more than a week without seeing this in real life.

*not to confuse y'all - I pick Sam up in the morning and we spend the day at my house ... until just after his 3pm bottle. Then we head back to his house, so he can have a good nap in his own bed (instead of a carseat), before the family gets home for dinner.

**she works at Coca-Cola's headquarters and she'll have a 15 minute commute. a real life changer!

Thank you to Carole and Kat for the prompt. I had no idea how to share this news ... but I think this worked! Click here to join the Think Write Thursday fun!

Thursdays with Sam | What Really Matters.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is about bullying. Yesterday's entry in A Year in Miracles was titled "Today I will be a friend to myself." These lines from the devotion spoke to me

No one is going to accept me if I don't accept myself first. Today I will be a friend to myself. Not in denial about my weaknesses, but loyal...and kind...and embracing. Other people will see my goodness when I have seen it first.

and gave me the idea to write about how much we - especially we women - bully ourselves. and, when we judge other women for their choices in partners, careers, parenting, clothes, bodies, etc, etc - each other. I thought I'd have an hour (maybe two) today while Sammy napped to work on the post and I planned to cap it off with a cute photo (because, after all, Thursdays with Sam).

I'm sure you know where this is going now, right? Yep. He was happy, played hard, ate great, and slept...not much.

As I was driving home this evening, thinking about this post (not even started), I decided the reality of the day spoke for itself.

Today I will be a friend to myself.

(I will focus on what really matters.)

and that will enable me to be a friend, a wife, a mother, a Marmie, a sister, a daughter ... to others.

I'm curious to see what others have written on the topic. Click here to join in!

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.

Think Write Thursday | If You're Reading This.

...I have successfully completed the first step on a project I've been putting off for months: posting on my blog from my iPad. 

Three things happened early this week that finally made me move on it:

1. I got a new-to-me iPad (because Marc upgraded to the iPad Pro);

2. I realized this weekend's trip to Madison was the perfect trial run (my biggest reason for wanting to post from the iPad is Alaska ... I really want to blog while I'm on that trip and I really don't want to take my laptop); and

3. Today's Think Write Thursday topic is procrastination. (please forgive the lack of links...taking baby steps here!)

Longtime readers might recall blog posts from Sara's post-graduation trip to Paris and Florence (back in May 2014). Those were all done from my iPad. But since then, the app I was using turned into a pumpkin and I've been comfortable posting from my laptop. and frankly, too wrapped up in other things to bother with it. So I'm grateful for this push from the universe to figure it out.

My plan is to share posts every day while I'm here to get the hang of it. Hopefully by Tuesday y'all won't be able to tell the difference between the iPad and the laptop. That gives me a few days to figure out the kinks, right?

From my trial runs, I think photos are going to be the biggest challenge. I like to post them centered, and sometimes with a caption. I haven't figured that out yet. 

But I do have two photos to share. This first is my standard in-flight entertainment shot. I cast on for a new sweater at the gate in Atlanta. The pattern is Amy Miller's Michigan (I'm going to name my project Wisconsin). Short rows and a new-to-me centered double increase meant no book...just knitting (I even waited on the wine until I was sure I had the pattern down).

 

And the almost landed view to the west. On previous flights, we've flown right over (Sara's) Lake Wingra...not today. If I had my bearings right, it's the shimmer off to the far right. Much of the flight up was cloudy (and bumpy), so seeing the ground - even with snow! - was welcome.

 

If you've read this far, thank you! I really appreciate your patience. and if you have any app suggestions for Blogger posts, please share (I settled on BlogTouch Pro, but maybe there's something better out there?)

Hope to be back tomorrow with a better (looking) post!

Thursdays with Sam | A Love Poem.

Today's Think Write Thursday prompt is to write a love letter. I'm not so great with words, so I borrowed some. I'm thinking Sam didn't mind*.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you 

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart 

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
~e.e. cummings

*A little while back, Katie & Charlie gifted me a beautiful interpretation of this poem - yes it's a book!

 ...and it's perfect everyone. Highly recommend!

If you want to sign up for the Think Write Thursday prompts, click here. And thank you Carole and Kat for another inspiring week!

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!

Three Things.

Today's Think Write Thursday topic is three things I'd do if I were President of the United States. Of course I have zero desire to be President; I wouldn't even know where to start. But I do know which three policy areas are most important to me:

Education. Equality. Environment.

A strong system for public education and full literacy is a must.

Everyone is equal. regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, skin color, age, ethnicity, religious beliefs, eating habits, income, health, marital status ...

This Earth is a precious gift. It's the only one we have. We need to treat it as such.

However I doubt that platform would've helped me get elected (unless I had a really terrific speechwriter and a lot of folks smarter and savvier than I to help me communicate it!)

Instead, I'm feeling right now like what I'd do as President is not as important as how I'd lead:

With hope,

Hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
~ Barack Obama

character,

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

and commitment.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
~ Margaret Mead

(and always giving credit to those terrific speechwriters who make me sound smarter and savvier than I am!)

Thank you Carole and Kat for another thoughtful topic. Head over to Carole's blog to see what others are sharing.