Giving thanks - for a quick but productive trip to camp last weekend. I am astounded at how much we were able to accomplish in our brief time. The drive remains pleasant for the most part. John decided to drive all the way through during the night since it usually takes him a couple hours to get to sleep anyway. He decided it wasn't worth the 2-3 hours of sleep he might get if we stopped. We had a deadline to meet to be there when the trailer arrived, so the departure time the next morning wasn't really negotiable.
I'm thankful he was wide awake and got us there safe and sound. I'm grateful that sibling couples were able to be there at the same time and we enjoyed our time with them so much! This is the purpose of camp; to have a gathering place for the family in an environment of rest, relaxation, and recreation.
I'm thankful for the daughters who took such good care of their Gigi while we were away. We were able to enjoy our time because we knew she was in such good hands.
I'm thankful for increasing wisdom. The past couple of months I had started to engage in good and positive avenues for new friendships and activities. I had decided my self-imposed isolation that began even before Covid needed to change. It was no longer serving me well, or so I thought. But as commitments started piling up like they often do, I remembered the purpose of the 'isolation'. It really wasn't isolation at all; it was margin. Lots and lots of margin, and that really did serve me well. It served my marriage well, and it served our family well. I spent most of my life busy, busy, busy - like most people do. But age and circumstances have started demanding a new way of living that requires built-in margin. So I was glad and relieved that I was able to change course and reclaim the margin. Do I miss some of the things I used to do and the people I used to spend time with? Of course I do, but as wisdom teaches us, eventually, we often have to let go of things we love to grab hold of things we love more, and ultimately we have to let go of things we love more for the things we love most. I have come to view this as God refining me and my life.
Outside my window - Oh, the weather is so March-like - one day it's sunny and warm, the next day it's cold and rainy. How I will welcome April with open arms. The birds still appreciate the seed I put out, as do the squirrels. There is so much work to be done in our yard and garden; I can't wait to get my hands dirty!
Clothing myself in - there is a birthday party for our granddaughter today and I have a few errands to run beforehand, so I am dressed and ready to walk out the door. Most Saturdays I am not. I enjoy the luxury of my pajamas for as long as I can get away with while everyone else in the house sleeps in. For now, it's my favorite black sweat pants (that look way nicer than your typical sweats), a white mock turtle neck layered beneath a coral color sweatshirt. It's a good color on me according to photos LOL.
In the kitchen - the meal kits were a huge success and requests for more have been received. Even from other family members. I hope to get to that soon.
For today, I will be making these sliders and these sliders, along with a salad for the birthday party. I have chili left from the cook-off they had at my son's workplace. They didn't touch it. I can't lie - I'm butt hurt. What is wrong with these people!? LOL They don't know what they are missing out on. That's okay, I love my chili, and folks who have had my chili love it too. I think the issue is that I like my chili pretty "soupy". Josh said he didn't think any of them stirred it up enough to see that it wasn't just tomato soup disguised as chili. :-) Their loss will be our gain - chili with sliders sounds pretty good to me on this cold, blustery March Saturday.
This is the recipe I'm trying for the first time for the salad. Oh, and there will be cookies! My best friend and kindred spirit makes the most delicious cookies. They are works of art!
Writing - my current goal is to make sure that if someone visits this blog, they will find something helpful, something of value to them, even it it's just a reason to smile. I plan to work on a 'lead magnet' - something that will encourage readers and give them a genuine reason to come back again.
Also, there are a couple of fiction works that are stewing in my brain.
Reading - there hasn't been as much reading as I'd like, but I plan to resume Big Magic again this week. The fiction is waiting patiently.
Watching - the newest season of Shadow and Bone.
Listening - resumed some of my favorite podcasts and added a new one too - That Sounds Fun with Anne F. Downs.
Making - I'm focused on writing at this point. I have pushed pause on the sewing and quilting so I can really make good progress on the blog and other writing projects. I made a connection in regards to my writing and my mom's quilting. It's good, and it's helpful to my emotional well being. I'll share more in a post later, I hope.
Camp - the lots have been properly surveyed and recorded; trees that were dead or a danger to life and property have been cut down and some of the wood stacked for John to play around with when we are on location; the travel trailer is in its temporary location so we will have a place to stay while we work on the rest of the lot development. So many plans, so much work to be done, so many memories to create!
The week ahead - we will celebrate my mom's 87th birthday this week - what a milestone! There are no other major plans other than to see what the weather will permit. Did I mention that I love margin? :-)
What's on the menu, that's what I want to know.
Have a great week!!