Clean up

Clean up
Originally uploaded by shrnmc

With 5s, even the work is play!

John and I had a Tea Party with the 5-year-olds

Tea Party with 5-year-olds
Originally uploaded by shrnmc

I'm grateful for the opportunity to play with 5s once in a while. This was our belated celebration for Makenzie's birthday -- using her new tea set.

Sunny, Cold, Cold, Cold Day

Today, I'm grateful I didn't have to go outside at all into the horribly low subzero weather. I'm grateful I submitted my proofreading edits for the summer camp brochure so we can get it out to the campers on time this year. I'm grateful for a warm and toasty house, even if it's because John opened the basement heat vents, which I thought was a bad idea, but I can be wrong sometimes, too.

I'm grateful for interactive games over wifi on the Wii, which allowed us to spend an hour playing Guitar Hero with Shannon and Josh who live 2 hours away. And for the opportunity to play some songs with John in the same room, as well! And for the fun of having Amy come home after her night class and join the band!

Here's my guitar hero:

Grateful for Abundance

It was exactly midnight when I realized that, although I'd had my camera in my hand several times today, I'd never snapped a picture. sigh. I consider the ones taken minutes after midnight to qualify for my own personal "photo a day for a year" project. If they don't ... I'd have already failed, and I can't give up that quickly!

Abundance is the theme of my gratitude journal entry today ....

Working backwards over the last several days, I'm grateful for

1) an abundance of boots ... they're all mine, and they're all right inside the door, where I shed them after various forays into the winter snow and cold:



2) an abundance of early-morning sunshine, beautifully bursting through the trees on our way to work:















3) the abundance of intergenerational fun that happened as a result of the Guitar Hero wii game being taken out of the box:









4) an abundance of fellowship and goodwill during dinner with our neighbors over the weekend:









5) and last, but not least, the abundance of snow that continues to fall ... which reminds me how grateful I am that winter doesn't last forever.

New Year Gratitudes

New Year's Eve was extremely enjoyable this year! We celebrated at home, just the five of us: John, me, Amy, Shannon and Josh.

We had a special dinner that John and I cooked, including an unusual quesadilla, a winter fruit salad of bananas, oranges, and Trader Joes' Triple Ginger Snaps, plus a green salad. We were nervous about the quesadillas (:-)) but Shannon and Josh are so fun when it comes to adventurous foods ... and they truly enjoyed the surprising blend of flavors, as we did.

Later in the evening, we drank mulled cider that Josh brewed with spices he chose at Penzey's ... where we gave him a gift card. It was so much fun seeing his enthusiasm as he shopped for poppyseed, Hungarian paprika, whole vanilla beans, and more. (That was one "home run" we hit this year, in choosing the right gifts for people we love! Another for Josh -- with Shannon's help -- was the Body Back Buddy Classic, which Josh had mentioned to her as something that looked interesting. We ordered it in time for our belated Christmas here. He was surprised! And he loves it! Yea!)

Earlier in the day, we had enjoyed a little after-Christmas shopping.

We even tried out some of the Wii games we'd been debating whether to buy -- especially ones we can play together, remotely. We had fun with the Guitar Hero demo -- I don't know if I'm coordinated enough to play the drums or guitar, but I pretty much nailed the vocals ... and it's so much more fun when you find something you're good at! We hit another "home run" by buying Shannon the complete set of Planet Earth dvds, narrated by David Attenborough -- which she uses in her teaching. I can't remember seeing her more excited about a gift we've given her! It helps to have her along when we're doing the shopping!

We also intended to buy a new Wii "party pack" of games, and decided on Game Party 2 ... which Shannon and Josh then bought for US, for Christmas! While it's not the most unique or exciting, according to the reviews, it certainly was enough to keep us busy and happy until well past midnight!

Peace

1. I'm grateful for another sunny day, and the time and space to enjoy it just the way I like -- quietly, in my own home, with kitties. And loudly, on a playground, with a 3-year-old who calls me Grandma.

2. I'm grateful for a few minutes when Amy is taking the 3-year-old back to the playground, so I have a moment to be online, and John has a few moments to nap. 3-year-olds and playgrounds can be tiring for Grampas, too.

3. Peace. The world may be at war, by my little corner is filled with sunshine and love today, and I am immensely grateful for the grace that allows this miracle.