Thursday morning

Woke up.
Let dog outside.
Made coffee.
Cooked dish for Thanksgiving meal at Matt's work.
Made breakfast.
Let dog inside.
Fed dog.
Set up giant neon play tent taking up half of living room.
Succumbed to requests to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
Folded laundry.
Avoided tripping over giant tent when putting laundry away.
Ignored dog's pleads to go outside again.
Succumbed to requests for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Put away boxes taking up precious space in hallway.
Washed and dried multiple loads of laundry.
Took Karis outside to play.
Picked up dog poop in the yard.
Washed dog poop off Karis' foot.
Fed Karis and myself.
Put Karis down for nap.
Looked at clock. 12 noon.
Considered going to bed for the night.
Blogged instead.

Hey, future Alina. Yeah, you, sitting there reading through your ancient blog entries in your free time because your kids are either all in school or moved out of the house already. I know your feeling nostalgic for days like the one you just read. They were crazy and wonderful, weren't they? Listen, can you do something for me? Go call some friends and go out for lunch! Talk about how cute your little Karis and Johnny so-and-so (or whatever you named them) were back in the day. Then toast to your freedom. Oh, and order a cold, amber-colored beer...if you still like that sort of thing.

Front door

:: Looking in
The scene behind this door last Sunday evening could have been described as lazy, relaxing, and wonderful. Matt and I enjoyed a football game, and Karis was engrossed in her new I Spy books. There was intermittent laughter and joking. With all the transition, moving, and related hardships of the last two years, I looked at my husband and daughter and honestly couldn't remember the last time we just sat and enjoyed one another. We're headed for vacation starting this Saturday, and I'm hoping all that relaxation business continues.

:: Looking out
A morning habit-- After the breakfast is eaten, hugs and kisses doled out, and goodbye's waved, Matt's three ladies watch him get in his car and head off to slay the day's dragons (manage accounts for an internet marketing company).

Enjoying

:: Home
Despite the toys loitering in every corner, this place is warm and beautiful. Seeing this ordinary scene in my hallway today reminded me just how much I have been given.

:: Friendship
Nikki came over to help me organize my office today. I offered to feed her leftovers for lunch in exchange for the help, and she honestly acted like she was getting the better end of the deal. That's a generous compliment to my lentil soup and the best type of friend a person could ask for.

:: Night swinging
Those restless moments between dinner and bedtime are the perfect time to suit up and head out into the chilly night and swing, swing, swing.

Warmth

With the change of seasons and falling back of the clock, I get a warm visitor everyday around 3:30 in the afternoon. The sun comes shining through my window and falls on my bed, creating a cozy spot for me to lay down and catch my breath (or sleep, if it comes). I enjoy these brief moments while Karis naps and the sun stretches its rays, the light moving slowly from the foot of my bed up to my pillow and then no more as the sun falls below the neighbors tree line. There really is nothing like a nap in the sun to recharge a tired me. And if you can't find the moon in the sky, ask Karis where it is. She'll likely reply that it is napping as well, as she did the other day. It's her first joke, and I think it shows promise of many more good jokes to come.

My dinner table has been home to a few culinary adventures lately. Last night we ate quinoa, a grain similar to rice or cous-cous. As it cooks, a tiny germ sprouts and comes spiraling out of the seeds, making it sound more like a science experiment than a side dish. But if you cook it in chicken broth and season with fresh herbs and a splash of balsamic vinegar, a tasty side dish it becomes. It's also a healthy dish, boasting all 8 amino acids making it a complete protein, whatever that means (anybody really know what that means except scientists in laboratories looking through microscopes?)

This afternoon, Karis and I broke open our first persimmon. I did a little research in my Joy of Cooking cookbook and learned this variety is ripe when firm and a bright orange color. I love how cooking takes it's cues from the seasons. Persimmons, which are commonly baked into holiday puddings and breads flavored with cinnamon, taste sweet with spicy undertones. Tiny flecks of brown dot the orange flesh making it seem as if it gets a generous sprinkling of cinnamon while still growing on the tree.

Karis bit right in before I could stop her, and I remembered the label says "Eat like an apple." It was as if she'd been eating them for ages.

Blue

She earned the M&M fair and square, a reward for using the potty tonight. I never could have imagined one little piece of blue candy would have enough dye in it to color the bottom half of her face and both hands. Standing on a chair, splashing in the kitchen sink--I'm sure cleaning up was the best part.

Something

:: Found
Matt descended from the attic with these four yellowed pieces of paper in hand. We were both intrigued with the find. Our house is over 70 years old, and I often fantasize about finding some cool, vintage artifact up in the attic or buried out the yard. I love watching shows like Antiques Road Show and If Walls Could Talk. Houses have history, and I'm curious about mine. As I inspected the little remnants of newspaper advertising home rentals, I learned you could rent a home with linen service and close proximity to a bus stop for about $75/month. Not typical of our pricey, indoor laundry room, and 2 cars per household standard these days.

While the history lesson was momentarily fascinating, I realized these tattered pieces were probably used as insulation in the attic, and for all I know they were printed circa 1975 or something sooner, making them neither vintage nor cool. Just old paper.

:: To be found
All last weekend, this sugary beast sat on my counter top casting a spell on me. A butter cream iced, sugar-overload siren calling me to dig in. It was only towards the end of the weekend that I realized the irony that this cupcake sat right in front of my chalk board reminding me of my "weigh in". I'm taking a 7 week fitness and nutrition challenge. I've paid for it. I'm committed to finishing it. Yet I also really, really wanted this cupcake. Fortunately, I was able to overcome...only to be hit in the face daily by the mounds of Halloween candy still loitering about. Reese's cups are my nemesis.

I'm hoping this exercise challenge spurs motivation in other areas of my life as well. Motivation is for me like a moving target. I'm never sure where to find it, and just when I think I've found a healthy stride, there goes my motivation with one bad day or one week of feeling sick (like this very week). Along with setting fitness and nutrition goals, I'm incorporating career and home organization goals into the challenge. I figure if I can resist the butter cream, I can do almost anything.