It’s Patrick’s birthday, so naturally, we had a low key day. He never wants to celebrate, but I did manage to get him a gift he liked—a mash up of stuff I found when I was in New York and Canada. After breakfast and online church, Patrick went on a search for an African Blue basil plant, and I swapped out my winter clothes for my summer ones. I took the opportunity to get rid of a bunch while I was at it.

I’m grateful for a sunny and breezy afternoon where we spent some time sitting outside and grilling burgers for dinner. I’m also thankful for Patrick today, of course. His steady presence and the way he always has my back, his humor, the way he loves me and the pups. Good thing for both of us that I always love him more than he sometimes frustrates me. Ha. Here’s to another trip around the sun.

I’ve been slacking. I know. It’s been a busy few weeks, though, with me traveling and trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

I toyed with quitting my job. The idea of spending the summer organizing my basement and making something out of my growing vintage material collection was really taking root. But then I got scared without a backup plan. I’m too keenly aware of how quickly things can change, and I’m not quite ready to dive off into the deep end of faith.

So instead I took a week off work and went to New York to visit Emma. We drove to Montreal for a few days, a place neither of us had been before. Aside from Old Montréal, which looks European, it felt a lot like home. However, it rained most of the time and we didn’t get to all the places we had earmarked ahead of time, so we would go back.

We spent the rest of the week tweaking her apartment, painting a couple furniture pieces, and organizing closets. We also hung out with her friends and I got to rock their new baby to sleep more than once. I stayed through Mother’s Day and then missed my flight Monday morning because the small airport was overloaded with local graduation traffic and I didn’t get through the check in line quickly enough. I figure I got a bonus day where I finished a couple of projects we had started and we ate ice cream for dinner. I just wish Brianna could have joined us.

One thing I like about traveling is getting to read, and I finished a couple of good books. The one by Kate Bowler, a cancer survivor, really resonated with me. Her description of feeling stuck moving forward with life struck a chord. I’m going to check out her other books.

I’m thankful for the break and went back to work feeling less stressed. I’m sure it will eventually get crazy again, but that’s ok. It won’t last forever because I did really like not working…

I started the below last week and didn’t get it posted…

Happy Easter!! Even though our weather was terrible, we had a lovely dinner with Ann. Patrick made a traditional meal of ham, scalloped potatoes and green beans. Mmmm. And my lemon blueberry tart turned out pretty good, too.

So Easter was good. And things are busy in our house, thanks to the little dinner guest, Daisy.

She joined our family last Saturday and has been doing great getting acclimated. She LOVES Cooper. And after several days of tiptoeing around her, he has realized she won’t break. They spend a lot of time chasing each other around the yard and getting rough and tumble. Thankfully, Barley tolerates them. We’re still working on potty training.

This week we are tired, but we did get a way for a night, thanks to a friend who watched the pups for us. I had gotten Patrick tickets to see Alton Brown live for Valentine’s Day, which included a book signing in the afternoon beforehand. He was able to get a photo, which was cool.

The show was entertaining and informative, just like his TV show Good Eats, which we watched all the time. I’m grateful for a fun time and good weekend.

I’m grateful this week for some fun moments, such as birthday celebrations and an afternoon off work, and some moments I captured in photos:

This week I’m grateful for the following:

Spring flowers!

Good news from friends

A birthday that still needs to be celebrated

Home cooked meals

Sunshine (finally!)

My wedding ring finally fitting again

Another week! This week I tried really hard to have a lassaiz faire attitude at work, and it mostly worked. I didn’t get overly stressed, so, yay! I’m thankful for that. We’ll see how long it works for me.

Outside of work, I did NOT do well keeping to my workout schedule. Or crafting as much as I had planned. However, we had some nice dinners out and watched a new tv series that was interesting. I also had a night out with some friends, which was fun.

I’m also thankful for a good haircut, which makes me feel a bit perky. Ha. And for these fun flowers that came in a monthly subscription Patrick got for me. How crazy is that little bunch of bananas?

I also, once again, enjoyed some lovely sunrises on my way to work this week. I try to get photos that I can use in the future for painting references. These little things every day matter…

Rain, rain…it’s been a very wet week. I know we need it, but I miss the sunshine. I find March a difficult month, so I’m grateful we’re entering the last week of it. And since we got 3” of snow a week ago, I’m going to be happy with the rain.

This week I’m also thankful for seeing friends I haven’t seen in a while, including Ann, who stopped by spontaneously with yummy, homemade cookies. I’m also thankful for finally buying access to an online painting class I’ve been wanting to watch. One day soon I’m going to get my painting space cleaned up and paint.

This week had some highlights. Patrick was on spring break and he got a lot done in his garden since the weather was so nice. We are going to have so much fresh produce this summer.

Sandy visited us at work. She was so sweet and well behaved, and I wanted to hire her. How cool would it be to have a pup around to raise morale at work?

Patrick and I spent Saturday checking out antique shops in a small town nearby, and we stopped by a place that made wood fire pizza. It was gooood.

We got 3” of snow today. Boooo! However, a lot of it was already melted by the end of the day. It will be lucky to last until Tuesday.

And as always, these faces…😍

Spring! I’ve really gotten into the spring mode, even though I know that in the Midwest where we live, we could get a hit of winter again. Maybe even next week, based on our upcoming temperature swing from a high of 70 to 35.

But it’s nice to update the house for warmer days. I’ve added in touches of flowers and greenery and even the bedding in the guest room. One day I’ll find the right headboard for there. Even lady head vase my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas got spring flowers.

Today we went to IKEA which we rarely do, and I found new curtains for the living room. Patrick was onboard since it’s his favorite shirt pattern—plaid. I think it goes pretty well with the rest of the room. It’s fun to have updates for the new season. I’m grateful I’m able to change things up a bit; it makes me feel a bit renewed.

I’m also thankful for a friend who reminds me that there is more to life than work and the stress it brings. I’ve let it consume me lately, so I’m really making an effort to focus on life outside of work. Decorating the house for the new season is a step in the right direction.

Well, I spaced writing yesterday. Just completely forgot about it. I don’t know if that’s because I had started my Sunday scaries or because I had had a good day. Both were true.

Lately every week seems incredibly short while every day seems long. Stupid work. It isn’t getting less stressful. Thankfully, the drive to and from work is getting better because it’s getting brighter earlier and staying brighter later. It’s nice not to be driving in the dark both directions. Yay! Hopefully the time change this weekend won’t mess that up.

I’m also thankful this week for the glimmer of spring with some warm temperatures and sunshine. I know it won’t be long before we can spend evening hours outside and open the windows and garden. I can’t wait! In the meantime, we have been taking evening walks, sometimes taking the dogs with us. Ha.