Thanksgiving Snapshot

My Thanksgiving holiday was perfect with plenty of turkey and pie and mid-day napping. The meal was delicious, the company was entertaining and the time off was just the relaxing break I needed.

We stuffed the turkey - and ourselves - on Thursday, decorated the tree on Friday, and finished Christmas shopping on Saturday. Now the only thing left to do is sit back and soak it all in. (Which I plan on doing frequently, preferably with a whiskey eggnog in hand.)

By the way, today brings us to the end of NaBloPoMo, and although I'm sad to see it go and proud of myself for (just about) sticking to it, it's nice to know I won't be waking up in a cold sweat anymore, wondering if I forgot to blog for the day. (Only half-way kidding, here.)

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and I hope you're just as excited about tomorrow being the first day of December as I am. Sending wintry thoughts your way...

Preparations

This will be the second year that the three of us cook the entire Thanksgiving meal. The food is bought, place settings are complete and recipes are ready. We'll start tonight and finish tomorrow, just in time for an early dinner. Mason's parents are flying in at noon, and the Cowboys game is on at one. I'm thinking it's going to be a really great day.

Thankful

I know it's a few days early, but I'm already counting my blessings.

This year I'm thankful for:

Good health
Big families
Love (and all its languages)
Laughter
Second chances
The freedom to believe
Late-afternoon naps
Homemade macaroni and cheese
Snuggly cats (and their craziness)
Really great apartments
$6 bottles of wine
TV trays
Bloggers (and their blogs)
Chocolate Chip cookies
ATMs
Airplanes (and all the places they take us)
You (and all the things that make you happy)

Good Time

I'm afraid I've become something of a home body. I'm not sure if it's the chill in the air or the short days or the Christmas movies that are always on, but these days, a night spent cuddling with Cajun, watching a little TV on DVD, sipping whiskey eggnogs, downloading new tunes and chatting about the week is all I really need to have a good time.

Ridiculousness

The way I see it, it's good to be completely ridiculous every once in a while. There's ENTIRELY too much stuffiness in this world - sometimes, you just need some silliness.

Tomorrow morning we're having breakfast, then heading to the 10 am showing. At this point, I'm so excited, I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep.

Cozy Up

The leaves are all shades of yellow, the heater is always blowing, and I'm rarely out of my favorite pair of red sweats unless I have to be. This fall is definitely going to be a cozy one.

Number 4

Can be crossed off the list.

I got the idea from Gretchen Rubin over at The Happiness Project - one sentence a day, everyday - and I love, love, love it.

Not only is it easy to find the time to do, but I have a feeling I'm going to have lots of fun reading over each sentence in the years to come. In fact, I love it so much, I'm letting it count for number 24 on the first list.

A Good Tuesday

A late start this morning and a trip to Burger King for my very own crown (New Moon, of course). A busy day and a late dinner. A few episodes of Weeds. Then, Sons of Anarchy. A glass of wine and a few sugar cookies. Then, a glass of milk.

Today was a good Tuesday. Here's hoping for an even better Wednesday.

Number 19

Can be crossed off the list. Finally. Seriously, this one was a long time coming.

Mason got me the above piece of art - hand painted by his cousin-in-law - for Valentine's day two years ago. Yes, I said TWO YEARS ago, and for reasons I can't quite figure out - laziness perhaps? - I never got it framed, hence the spot on my birthday list and my trip to the frame store this past weekend.

Now, it hangs, where it should have been all along, and I smile every time I see it.

Hello Friday

Friday afternoon, I'm so very happy to see you.

This weekend I'm looking forward to:

Getting a massage (courtesy of my amazingly thoughtful boyfriend)
Watching some WSU football
Hanging out on the pier
Possibly cooking something of Molly's
Doing a little Christmas shopping
Taking a nap (or two)

Enjoy it, my friends.

Heavenly

Sometimes the day just gets away from you - that's my excuse for yesterday - and pretty much everyday of my life for the past two months.

I long for a slow-down, a calm-down of some kind. I wish for quiet, creative moments and days that have a beginning, middle and end with time for planning and enjoying and being thankful. These days, I'd take anything - anything at all - over the hurry, hurry, hurry that has become my normal.

I know that slow can get boring, but when you haven't had it in a while, it seems heavenly.

Loving

Today, I'm loving:

• Blog make-overs (whatdoyathink?)
• Starbucks Via in a mug from home
• 6am sunshine
• Flea market jewelry
• The promise of shaved ice tomorrow
• New comfy throw pillows
• Crossing things off the list

What about you?

Number 21

Can be checked off the list.

Furniture and jewelry and paintings galore! The Rose Bowl Flea Market is definitely the biggest I've ever seen. We stayed for three hours and still didn't see everything it had to offer.

Even though I didn't complete number 9 (which was my hope), I did come away with a pretty sweet ring and a throw pillow in the perfect shade of orange.

P.S. - I realize now that NaBloPoMo is going to be sort of a problem on the weekends being that I have no Internet at my apartment and stealing from my neighbors is completely unreliable. I suppose it will have to be a month of week-day postings for me...

Bad With Decisions

I've always been really bad with decisions - as in REALLY BAD - (ask my mom - she won't even shop with me anymore), but this time the decision is much bigger than red or black, silver or gold, and quite honestly, it makes me want to crawl in bed, pull the covers over my head and pretend like it's not there.

Decisions like this one make my forehead crease, my stomach gurgle and my mind run in circles, but today is full of old memories and new opinions, and I'm starting to feel like I may be favoring one side over the other.

Here's hoping...

They're Here...

The first red cup of the season always makes me giddy - and so do snow cones that taste like home and books that speak the truth and Thursdays that are almost Fridays.

What a Life

Every morning, when it's time to leave for work, I get so jealous of him - snuggled up all comfy with absolutely no plans for the day.

What a life.

Number 18

Can be checked off the list.

They're only itty bitty babies right now, but they are growing like weeds...errr, herbs...and when they're bigger, I'll have a couple parsley and basil plants to call my own.

NaBloPoMo Begins

It's official - NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is here!

I've never done it before, fearing I don't have what it takes to post everyday for an entire month, but this year, I think I'm up for the challenge.

(Am I a day late? Yes. Did I try to figure out how to back-date this entry? Possibly. Do I really think I can do this? You betcha.)

Wish me luck - and feel free to join me - if you dare.