Day 17 In The A-Z

Finishing out this week's letter in the A-Z Blog Challenge with my usual Saturday list of little things I love. Today's letter might be tricky so let's get to it...

Q is for A Quantity of Small Favorite Things 

quick thinking

questions answered

questions pondered

homemade quiche

quotes that inspire

Quilon (my England house)

quality time with my girls

quiet mornings

quarters won in Mah Jong

quarrels ended

queso 

fears quelled

quaint small towns 

decisions made without any qualms 

quirky roadside attractions

a bad habit quit

quintessential British speech

the music of Queen

no queue at the DMV

a cozy quilt 

Kounting My Blessings

In keeping with my Saturday A-Z Blog Challenge tradition, here's a list of 20 things in no particular order, all featuring the letter of the day, that I enjoy-love-am grateful for in this season of life. 

K is for Contentment is Key

'feeling happy with what you have;

deliberately choosing to be thankful'

secrets kept

my kin 

knowledge gained

kisses

key lime pie

even-keeled people

kingfisher on the lake 

unexpected kindness

kaleidoscope skies

a clean kitchen 

music by Kenny Chesney

promise keepers

kids

Lake Keowee

kayaking 

keen insights

kudos given

the Florida Keys

blooming kalanchoe

kindred spirits

Making a List, Checking It Often

Day 4 in the A-Z...let's get to it-

D is for Delight

I've taken part in the A-Z blog challenge for a number of years. Typically I don't blog on Saturdays, but since the challenge does call for it, several years ago I came up with something seemingly simple to meet that requirement. 

I made a list every Saturday of little things I love that fit with the letter of the day. It was so gratifying and turned out to be a small blessing all it's own. My plan is to continue doing that this year in my Saturday posts. 

I know. 

Today isn't Saturday, but hear me out. I've been watching my youngest daughter's two little ones all week while she and her hubs are on holiday and I'm tired. TGIF y'all! 

So how does a list like this fit with my challenge theme of 'life lessons learned'?  

Simple. Making these lists the past several years has shown me taking note of 'the little things' stirs up in me a grateful heart. And that's something I want in every season of my life.

In no particular order, and using today's letter of the day (D), here are 20 things that bring delight-

a dazzling blue sky day
a dependable God
daffodils in bloom
dining out
dressing up
darling grandchildren
slow dancing in the kitchen 
driving somewhere new
daydreams
discernment
date nights 
a little girl named Daisy
a dip in the lake 
daughters who mother with patience and humor
dishes done
decency
dreams come true 
daybreak
decorating for Christmas
the big dipper on a cloudless night

Monday Morning Gratitude

Hello Monday and all who read here. How was your weekend? Ours was nice and when I look at our December calendar I'm grateful for some less busy dates now. Linking today as usual with Holly and Sarah for their weekend recap postings. 

Thursday night we attended our third wine dinner in as many weeks. That is not the norm, but somehow November was event-ful. Literally. 

Thursday's dinner had a French theme and the food was wonderful. From the starter featuring quiche lorraine with black pepper puff pastry and a charred lemon hollandaise to it's conclusion, which was a chocolate eclair with Bavarian cream, dark chocolate, and whipped cream, it was all so good. 

It wouldn't be fall without my daily snapping of the sunrise. Autumn skies are some of the prettiest. 

Did I tell you that in last week's Hello Monday post? And the one before that too? Probably. I can't help myself. Nothing reminds me to feel grateful for a brand new day like a pinky pink sunrise sky. 

Friday evening our tiny town had a sip and stroll type of event with a few shops staying open later than they normally do and the downtown lights showing off.

We might live in a small town but they do Christmas lights right. There are a million (for real) and it's all set to music. You can walk through or tune your car radio to a particular station and hear the carols played. The big tree will be lit the week after Thanksgiving, and there are stalls where you can make s'mores on fire tables sitting in the street. It's a fun month to be downtown. 

Hubs and I went Friday night to check out the shops. I bought a Christmas gift and we walked through the tunnel of lights. I recommend. Really helps amp up your Christmas spirit. 

Look who we ran into...

After we walked and shopped we went to a local sushi place for dinner. We sat at the bar and relaxed. So enjoyable. 

Saturday hubs did yard work and I did housework and sorted out a few Christmas details that needed sorting. Our next door neighbors came for dinner and we made Smashburgers on the griddle which were delish. I made a caramel apple cake for dessert but forgot to take a photo of the finished product, which is pretty much par for the course here. This is just before it went into the oven. 

When it's baked you drizzle a little more caramel over the top, then add a dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

We love our next door neighbors and we have lots of the same friends and end up at a lot of the same events. Still we try to pencil in dinner or a glass of wine now and then, to really catch up on things. We're busy and all of our friends are the same. I don't know what I imagined this season would look like but I definitely imagined more of less lol. 

We have some friends who want to get us together with another couple for dinner and between everyone's travel schedules and already booked events and family commitments we've settled on a date in late February. Huh? My kids laugh because they know if they want us to stay with the grands while they travel they need to book early. 

Sunday hubs needed to preview some real estate properties and I went with him to weigh in since I also know the client well. More about that in another post. I'm looking forward this week to time with family, my favorite meal, and counting my blessings. 

p.s.-sunset skies are pretty great too. 

Nacho Average Hodgepodge

Welcome to this week's edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. If you've answered today's questions, add your link at the end of my post, then leave a comment for your neighbor there. I'm writing this on Election Day and while I don't know how it will go I do know we like to keep it friendly here. Thank you. 

Now here we go-

1. What is one good thing you often take for granted? 

Wow, so many things...hot water in the shower, opening the door to a full refrigerator, heat when it's cold and air conditioning when it's not, are just a few things that spring immediately to mind. 

Still, I think I'm going to say family. 

What I mean by that is my family of origin and the enormous blessing of growing up with two parents in the home and siblings too. With lots of love, and a sense of security and well being that in large part made me who I am. They are the people who make me laugh still, and they are always there.

They're the background noise, the fabric of the quilt, a sure thing...whatever you want to call it, it's a gift and it's good to think about it and acknowledge that now and then. 

2. What's the boldest piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

I lean more toward classic than bold so not sure how to answer this one. 

I have some sparkly pants I love wearing to events where sparkle is appropriate so let's go with that. 

3. Do you think common interests or common values are the key to people getting along? Elaborate.

Are we playing a game of cards or are we getting married? My answer would depend. If we're getting married then I think you absolutely need common values. And common interests will certainly help in terms of enjoying that person in all the many seasons you'll walk through in a long life together. 

If we're playing cards, pickle ball, or shooting pool then I guess our values might be secondary to our common interest. 

4. November 6 is National Nacho Day...do you like nachos? How do you like yours? Do you make them at home or only order out? 

I do like nachos. I very rarely make them at home (although this question has me craving a plateful right now) and only occasionally order them out. They feel more like a snack than a meal, but calorie wise they're a meal and then some. I mean who can eat just a single serving?Hubs and I sometimes share an order if we're in a Mexican restaurant and don't want a full dinner. 

I like them all ways. My favorite would be beef, cheese, pico de gallo, black olives, onion, jalapeno, and guacamole. Gotta have the guac. 

5. Have you spent any time in Washington D.C.?  If so what did you think? If not, is that a place you'd like to visit? What do you think about politics as a career choice? 

I've spent a lot of time in D.C. We lived in Annapolis for nine years so were in the city pretty regularly showing around our houseguests, attending events, etc. My dad is buried in Arlington National Cemetery and we like to visit whenever we can. 

My oldest daughter lived in Bethesda for a couple of years prior to getting married and worked very near the White House. I always enjoyed my visits there. I've written a lot of posts featuring treks into D.C. which are easily accessible by typing Washington D.C. into the search box on my sidebar. 

Politics as a career? Hmmm. Just say no-ha! I mean as one part of a career then sure, but don't go to Washington and make it permanent. I'm all for term limits. You shouldn't just keep running for re-election and end up never working a 'real job' or interacting with people outside the D.C. bubble, which is so artificial. 

I do think there are people who go to Washington with noble ideas, but then they get comfortable with the power, the notoriety, the money, and most of all with a sense of self-importance that's overblown. 

Come in, do your job, then go home and live and work amongst the people who elected you. Live by the laws you've helped enact. It's healthier for everyone, most especially our country. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Since I'm writing my answers on Election Day, and will have no idea of the results when I hit publish, let's just watch something funny. Surely we can all use something light hearted right about now.

My hubs sent me this on Instagram and it made me laugh, it's quick and -linked here. 

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Fifteen Years Ago Today

January 21, 2009

The day this little corner of the internet became my own. 

Fifteen years ago I started blogging. I had no idea what a blog was, I just knew I had one. It has definitely been a learn as you go proposition and fifteen years later I'm still forever playing catch up, still sharing snippets of life in the season I'm living, still doing what I can to mark the moments and bloom where I'm planted. 

Fifteen years ago I lived in England. My girls were both university students (in the US) and hubs was working, traveling here there and everywhere with his job. 

                              

 that was then

Fifteen years ago I hopped on a train to London any old day of the week. I ate Indian curries on a random Tuesday and met friends at the pub every Friday night. I hiked through fields of rapeseed, woods abloom with bluebells, slipped through kissing gates and across public footpaths in the land of tea and scones. 

I wondered where we'd go next? When we'd go? Did I want to go? What would life look like for me on the other side of the pond? America. America had somehow become the other side of the pond. 

Life is funny.  

In fifteen years I've gone from paying college tuition to buying Christmas presents for grandchildren. Hubs retired and we built a home on a lake, something we always imagined we'd do but were never quite sure we'd get there.  

We did. We're here. In a completely new season of life than the one we were walking through when hubs first said "you should have a blog". I'm glad he said it. Glad he knew to say it. Glad he pushed me to write down some of the myriad thoughts in my head. To record life in real time. To view through the lens of now the life I lived before I had a blog. 

When I look back at the pieces I've chosen to record here I see with perfect clarity all the things I didn't know I didn't know. I've lived and loved and learned a lot in fifteen years. There have been massive changes, blessings large and small, growth, goals met and others set aside to make room for new dreams.  

this is now

Heart aches and heart fulls because that's life in every season. 

I'm glad God unfolds the future one day at a time. Glad we don't know what we don't know. Grateful for love and memory and grace for the moment we're living now. 

Cheers to fifteen years, and who knows? There might be fifteen more.