A quiet afternoon. The tornado toddler is napping, and after a morning of play and swimming and activity, the big boys are watching some tv. It’s stormy outside, and the dog is quivering at my feet. The Professor and I were able to sneak away to a friend’s and watch some football while our summer nanny watched the boys for a bit. I left the Prof there to football to his heart’s content while I came back to fetch our sons for naptime. There’s a load of laundry in the wash and one in the dryer – all the beds are made and dishes done – the house is pretty much in order, with just an ever so light dusting of toys sprinkled across the top. In other words, my mind is at rest. Ideal blogging conditions.
I potted a plant cutting I’ve had rooting in a glass of water for months – and repaired a frame that has been broken for even longer. A friend has been talking up homemade laundry soap, so I plan to try making a batch today – I wouldn’t do it except it’s soooooo amazingly cheap and free of dyes/fragrance, and you can make a gigantic batch at a time so it’s not something you have to do often. We’ll give it a go and see if it works. I’ll let you know the recipe if I like the results. In other words, we’re getting all domestic up in here. I may just scrapbook Craig’s baby book stuff this afternoon.
Speaking of recipes, this month’s Southern Living magazine is full of tasty meals I want to try. It is approximately seven thousand degrees outside, plus we still have acres of basil to use up, so I’m not totally done with summer recipes at this point. However, football is back in the swing, and the fall mantle decorations went up today, so I’m in a fall-ish kinda food mood. This week, we’ll be having:
- Skillet steak and wilted kale.
- Chicken and black bean chimichangas
- Mushroom stroganoff
- Corn Chowder – a new recipe for corn chowder, nom
- Stir fried singapore noodles and garlic sauce
- Chicken sausage hoagies (chicken sausage, sliced lengthwise, plus strips of bell peppers and onions, on a long tasty roll
All of these recipes are new, but none of them are particularly challenging. I’m most excited about those chimichangas – new Mexican filling food delivery systems are always a plus. I’ve got the enchilada and taco/burrito thing down – it’s fun to try something different.
So, September. September of my thirty seventh year. In this particular moment I’m feeling peaceful. Maybe I won’t tomorrow – but today, on Day One of a Three Day Weekend, the mind rests. Simple pleasures are enough today. I hope the same for all of you.
Lovely words. As you blogged, I was attending the “welcome home from the hospital party” of a dear friend’s 28 year old daughter who 6-weeks ago was in a horrific car accident and is now rehabbing at her parent’s home… wheel-chair bound, but rehabbing. Pelvis fractured and repaired in 7 places, a death’s door battle with septicemia caused by multiple perforations of the bowel — but she is home. Celebrating with family and friends. Sharing her laugh and smile. My other dear friend with advanced ovarian (and terminal) cancer decided Friday to forego tortuous with no efficacy chemotherapy and is considering in-home hospice care. After two weeks of no chemo, I also saw her yesterday at our regular Saturday coffee gathering and she looks at ease, is now eating well, gaining 5 lbs in the last week since stopping chemo. She has decided to live each day in the moment, with hospice guiding good pain control and symptom management until that time in the future when it is her time. But she is at peace with that… a good decision for her. Living in the moment. Sharing, laughing, loving. So, September. September of my 63rd year. I, too, yesterday felt a peace I have not felt in a long time. I totally agree, simple pleasures are enough. We never know what tomorrow will bring for any of us. Today has to be lived in the moment and when those moments are golden, we remember our blessings and are bathed in gratitude. And then become grateful that we are in the moment of gratitude. I loved your message–a message of gratitude, like a message in a bottle on the often chaotic and way-too-often cruel river of life. Thank you for sharing. May the remainder of your weekend–and beyond–be filled with golden, grateful moments.