Tuesday, June 26, 2012

In The Present






Nuff said.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Thanksgiving in June

wiki-turkey
As I've mentioned before, I'm hoping the antidote to self-pity is gratitude.  Must focus on the present and all the blessings today holds, such as:

1.  I can breathe.
2.  I am not waiting for scan results.
3.  We are not in danger of losing our home any time soon.
4.  We have health insurance.
5.  Judah can read.
6.  Sunshine without stifling heat.
7.  Roasted marshmallows that taste like childhood.
8.  Creamy avocados.
9.  Out with the old.  In with the new art, new paint, new furniture.
10. Clean beach towels.
11.  CSA Farmshare fruit.  (oh, btw, I need easy, creative and delicious ideas for rhubarb.)
12.  20% off BBB coupons.  Shopping, anyone?

xxoo


HOTY

It's been well established that I'm not always easy to deal with.  As far as baggage goes, you could guesstimate I have more than a truckload.  However.  I am very lucky and proud to say that not only do I have a few expert therapists on my side, but a lovingly supportive husband.

Husband of the Year Award goes to..... mine!

my 2 legged boys

We'd been back and forth for a few months on painting Judah's bedroom.  For his birthday, we wanted to get all of the baby stuff out of his room and turn it into a big kid space, complete with art and furniture that will last him for at least the next 13 years.  To me, this meant also getting rid of the gender-neutral yellow paint on the walls.  For Dan, that seemed like a lot of unnecessary work.  I saw it as a way to be in the present.  Our musical-room plans for future children needed to take a back burner to right now, what our lives look like today.  Paint can be more than just a color.

Anyway, Dan didn't think it was that big of a deal.  To me, it felt like we were stuck in the past, with Plan A (which, if you recall, didn't go so well).  The yellow room was supposed to be the nursery for the next child and Judah would move into the green room next door.  Seeing as how Judah isn't moving next door for the foreseeable future, I wanted to move onto Plan B.  Celebrate the moment, drown my sorrows in a design project, play house, and paint.

Long story short, Dan agreed.  And after some deliberation (AKA 4 test samples), we chose a gorgeous pale turquoisey color, Watermark, matched with the utmost care to a photo from Pinterest that I fell for.
My in-laws came to visit this past weekend to help with the job, which was completed with the finest attention to every centimeter of the room.  It is gorgeous.

happy kid

The accent colors are shades of deep orange and navy blue, with a small pop of bright turquoise here and there.  Dan's parents brought the bed that Dan grew up sleeping in and that his father also used as a child.  We've traded the rocking chair for a bean bag chair, the train table for a lego table, Babar in hot air balloons for the Montreal Insectarium.  I love it, Judah loves it, Dan loves it.  We are still working on the wall art and organization of books and toys; I promise to post some photos of the final result.

My goal today is to give my wonderful husband the public recognition he deserves.  He puts up with, and even embraces, much of my garbage (pronounced gahr-baaaj) with hugs and s'mores.  Don't know what I would do without him.


there.  that's better.


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Skeeters

thanks, wiki
I love mosquito bites.  No, truly.  I love having a mosquito bite.  When my foot is crazy itchy in one particular spot and I scratch it absentmindedly, stopping in a sudden panic, in fear of a symptom, I warily look down and smile with pleasure at the sight of a red bite.

Friends, when you have suffered the crazy itch that is a symptom of Hodgkins or Non-hodgkins lymphoma, you never feel the same about a bug bite again.

Feast away, my buzzy, fanged friends.  

That is all.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Rewind

soothes the soul, even if you're not in hawaii
Last summer, I started working on feeling grateful.  Kind of a shame I had to work at it, but that's life sometimes.  Every now and then I find I need to return to a gratitude practice.  Some days it's easy to feel angry or frustrated by the ways my life has changed in the past few years.  Other days, I remember where I was and how far I've come.

In honor of a friend who (I found out today) was recently diagnosed with cancer (and to balance out that last list I wrote complaining about pet peeves), I am returning to my practice.

Tonight, I am grateful for:

1.  the ability to make a delicious dinner for my family (coconut curry - my first thai dish!).
2.  my relative good health.
3.  an incredibly supportive, sensitive, and loving husband who reminds me every day why I should be kinder to myself.
4.  the yearbook Judah's teacher sent home today, comparing work from October to work in May.  my tears missed the paper by mere centimeters.  I'm so very grateful he's ours.
5.  fresh produce.
6.  BOOKS!
7.  good friends.  people who know you and like you anyway.  they keep calling even when you forget to call back.  they love you and listen with compassion.
8.  clean, folded laundry.  it's like gaining a whole new wardrobe.
9.  modern technology.  I can video chat with my mom (who lives 5 minutes away..) before bedtime if I need to.
10.  the passage of time.  I'm not sure if time heals ALL wounds, but it definitely helps.



  What's on your list tonight?