Three Things

Hello Monday!

  

Three things that are making me happy today as I start the week:

A day off work. I sometimes have to work weekends at my job, and it is not my favorite. On the plus side, I do get two days off during the week in lieu, which is not all bad. I have several hours to myself today while my family is at school and work - time to get caught up on some house stuff, do some errands, and then hopefully fit in a little crochet.

Loose leaf tea - I have been converted, tea in bags is just dust in comparison. Brewing tea from loose leaves has changed my life. It's delicious.

Recommitting to clean eating. It is a lot of work to plan meals and chop veggies, but I feel so much better physically, and feel more content with how I am providing for my family, that the extra effort is worth it.

What is making you happy as you start another week?

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

We have been having the most beautiful weather; it has been sunny and warm, unexpected for the beginning of November but I will take it. I've had the windows open and have been outside without a coat....it has been absolutely lovely.

A beautiful bowl of produce on the kitchen counter:

This book - a very interesting read about the eccentric life of an heiress:

What is making you smile this week?

Three Things

Wow, this week has passed in a complete blur. I feel as if I have spent the entire week running from one thing to the next, all the more reason to pause for a moment and take note of the the things that have made me smile.

A cup of tea and a little crochet. I slept in one morning this week resulting in a quick get-dressed-and-get-out-the-door-to-work panic, which is never a nice way to start the day. By the time I got home that night I needed to sit down and recharge.

The weather. If I could order the weather, this is the type of autumn that I would request. It has been warm and sunny, and the leaves are changing to the most brilliant colors. Beautiful.

This weekend is a long weekend. I'll have an extra day at home, enough said.

What has made you smile this week?

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine...finally something from our garden that we can enjoy (thanks to the birds and squirrels leaving them alone).

My Rose of Sharon is blooming...so pretty.

New yarn and all the excitement that comes along with starting a new project. I have a few crochet projects on the go now, which feels great; I am glad to be out of my slump and back in a creative place.

Hope you have found lots of reasons to smile this week.

Three Things

I had this week off work and it has been fantastic. The girls and I had a few short outings, but for the most part we were at home, and it was just what I needed to relax and recharge. I was quite literally running on fumes as I came into this vacation, and the down time has helped tremendously; I feel like myself again and am excited to feel my creative energy return.

Of course there were many reasons to smile this week, and here are some of the best:

Spending all week with my girls. It was just like the good-old-days before I went back to work full time, and I absolutely loved it. So many hugs and kisses, funny little quips, overhearing the conversations between the two of them, listening to them play, going for walks, hearing the latest installments of their Lego games, eating popsicles, swimming in the pool....it was simply the best.

This view from the kitchen door every morning. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (we could not have ordered better weather) and it was so nice to see the beauty of the garden in the morning sunshine.

Time to sit on the deck and crochet. I wish for this all the time during busy work weeks, and was so happy to spend a few afternoons in the sun with my hook in hand.

Hope you had a wonderful week and that you found many reasons to smile.

Three Things

Three things that made me smile this week:

So much love from my girls on Mother’s Day; such sweet messages in these cards, written from their hearts in their precious handwriting.

My tulips blooming in the garden.

A beautiful Gerber Daisy from my Mom for Mother’s Day.

Hope you have found lots of reasons to smile this week.

Three Things

Three things that made me smile on the weekend.

A surprise gathering for my birthday. It was truly the last thing I was expecting and I was so happy.

Beautiful flowers (from my hubby) and a gorgeous red owl (from my Mom). The owl is intended as a garden ornament, but I am not certain I will be placing him outside in the dirt....he may find a home inside the house.

The tulips are coming. I look at the rest of the garden and am quite overwhelmed by all the work that needs to get done, but seeing these shoots pushing out of the dirt makes me smile.

Hope you had a great weekend full of smiles.

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week:

The girls went to an art workshop and made these adorable little princesses out of clay. I love the attention to detail and how proud they are of their work.

The snow is melting in the backyard. Seeing the gardens almost free of snow has got me thinking about what vegetables and herbs I want to plant this summer. Summer dreaming.

Beautiful flowers given to me by a sweet neighbor.

Hope there have been lots of smiles in your week.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

Daisies on the kitchen table:

Tulips on the kitchen windowsill:

The purchase of fresh flowers is absolutely necessary for surviving a miserable winter.

And the third thing that is making me smile this week is my furnace (no picture of that for obvious reasons). It has been so cold here lately, colder than in the Arctic some days; I wish I was kidding. Every time I walk into my warm house from outside, I am incredibly thankful for the furnace that keeps me and my family comfortable. 

What is making you smile this week?

Three Things

January can be a tough month. It is cold outside, often dreary, and spring seems so far off. It is this time of year when I really struggle....the lack of sunshine has that effect, and so I do believe that a three things post is in order to help me notice and appreciate the bits of happiness that surround me.

Three things that are making me smile this week:

Purple flowers on my kitchen table.

My blanket. Those stripes are so calming to crochet. I'll do a post on my progress soon.

This arrangement of pretty and favorite things on the front hall dresser.

How are you coping with January? And what is making you smile this week?

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

My sweet Bridget who turned 8 years old on December 31. She is such a happy girl. I love her so much and am so proud of her. She makes me smile everyday.

Paper Whites. I planted the bulbs before Christmas. An overachiever, this one bloomed well before the others had begun to grow. Such pretty white flowers, especially nice to have on a grey winters day.

Wonder Woman. Steve bought me this little figure/statue for Christmas as an ode to my role in the house....or maybe as a joke?

As you start the New Year, what is making you smile?

Three Christmas Things

Three Christmas things that are making me smile this week:

These Playmobil Christmas toys on the kitchen windowsill. I found these on sale at a local toy shop a few months back and I love them. I told the girls that these are Mommy's toys and they were completely okay with that.

Our tree. This Christmas tree was the first thing we bought after we got engaged on December 19, 2002. Realizing that we would be married by the following Christmas and not wanting to have to pay full price for a tree, we hustled to the store to find one on clearance. Not the most romantic thing, but certainly practical; I love that our tree has this memory attached to it.

This nativity was mine when I was a kid, and every year my sister and I would carefully set it up in the living room. I love that I can do this now with my girls and that it will become a part of their childhood Christmas memories.

So, with Christmas only a little more than a week away, what Christmas things are making you smile?

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week.

We had a new front door installed in the summer (I was so happy to get rid of the old, ugly one) and one of my favorite things is looking out the new window and seeing the leaves on the tree in the front yard. They are a beautiful orange right now, and when the sun shines on them, it is just stunning.

Making a lasagna for dinner on Monday...and having leftovers in the fridge for the rest of the week which freed up some time for crafting.

Crochet. My ripple blanket has been slow going, but I have to agree with the consensus that the ripple pattern is a soothing one to crochet. There have been some tense moments lately, some stressful days, but as I sit and ripple, I can feel the tension just slid away. Oh, the therapeutic power of crochet.

Hope you have had a wonderful week and have had many reasons to smile.

Three Things

Today I am off work and have been enjoying a peaceful and calm day at home. I have spent the day baking, doing some chores and errands, crocheting...and as I have pottered around, there have been many simple things that have made me happy.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous. Warm and sunny, and the sky is unbelievably blue. The leaves on this tree in my backyard are just beginning to change color....it is a gorgeous site every year.

I picked a few of the last Black Eyed Susans from the garden. The nights have been cool, so these beauties are almost done for the year; it was nice to have these on the kitchen windowsill to look at while I was washing the baking dishes.

Tea, a chocolate croissant and some crochet at lunch time. A perfect little treat after a very busy work week.

I really love writing these 'Three Things' posts - taking the time to notice the simple, happy pleasures around me and recording it here. Thank you so much for reading.

What has made you happy today?

Three Things

Here are three things that have made me happy this week:

A cleaned up and organized craft space. I went through all my craft supplies and got rid of many things that were old and that I knew I would never use again. Getting rid of all the physical clutter has helped clear my mind and I have so many new ideas for craft projects.

Blue skies. After a week of endless rain, it was nice last night to look up and see blue.

New Houseplants. After a run of bad luck in the houseplant department, I purchased a new succulent – which looks adorable planted in this tea cup – and an Aloe Vera.

My Mom then gave me this ivy which I put in my new and very much loved bird cage.

What made you happy this week?

Three Things

The summer has been very full so far and I have really enjoyed taking a few moments away from all the busy to appreciate the simple and beautiful things that surround me.

My tiger lilies are blooming and I am thrilled. After years of having the new shoots eaten off by bunnies, I have these gorgeous, orange flowers to look at. I consider this to be a great gardening victory, though in truth I did very little to make this happen other than hoping that the bunnies would stay away...and that seemed to be enough.

My daisies are also in bloom. I love daisies - in fact they were my wedding flower - and each year I look forward to them blooming.

My new garden gnome. Isn't he adorable? I found him on clearance at the local nursery and he makes a great addition to my garden.

So again, the garden and outside things are making me smile today. But after the winter we had, can you blame me?

What is making you smile today?

Three Things

Three things that are making me smile this week:

Flowers blooming in the garden. Just look at these begonias, aren't they gorgeous?

Plant experiments (grass) grown in the kindergarten classroom. Claire was so excited to bring this home and tell us about how she took care of her grass - watering it and checking it everyday - and that it grew so tall because she cared for it. So sweet.

Fresh lettuce from the garden. It is delicious and we have had it with dinner every night this week. I am happy that the bunnies left it alone this year so that we can eat it.

So, growing things are making me smile this week. What is making you smile?