Smiles and stuff....

Day. 12 of the exhale....

Woke up early to continue the joy of not having to get up!! Puttering around with a coffee and no real schedule is an awesome gift....and I am grateful for every minute of it :-)

Picked raspberries in the rain with Papa...reminded me of picking with my Mom and sister at my Oma and Opa's as a kid.  The smell of the fresh air, the mud and bushes, feeling the berries pop off the plant, picking forever and only ending up with half a pail!!

Crazy skies on the way home from Walmart with Grace...the weather has been a weird mix of sun, rain and wind. 

Tomorrow night Abby will be home❤️ I was so excited for her to have this adventure that I never really thought about how much we would all miss her! 

The next couple of days will be filled with stories from Abby, getting Grace ready for camp, Tyler will be scouting out his classes at U of W and I still need to pick a summer book!  It's a good kind of busy, and I can't wait:-)

Cheers!!

 

Summer 2016

The wildflowers are starting❤️

      I will always love the prairie sky!

      I think I'd rather cut grass than shovel snow!

Another summer has arrived....phew!

Looking forward to slower mornings, open afternoons and free evenings. Coffee on the patio.  Visits with friends. New recipes to try and books to read. Big Brother and Netflix. Crafting and gardening. 

It's the big exhale I am always grateful for. 

It's great to have a helper in the garden. 

Abby, I miss you like crazy. You make me so proud and I'm so happy to give you this opportunity to share your smile and gifts with people in another part of the world.  Come home safe❤️

Remembering today.....

Today I will remember not wanting the wake-up call that came with an invitation for breakfast out....but happy it did,  and happy we went.
I will think about the elderly couple at the bathroom, how he asked me to help his wife, apologizing and thanking me in the same breath. I'm sorry, he said, she has dementia he shared. Its okay, I responded, I was happy to help.
I imagined the life they had shared, the love they had for each other. I wondered when she started needing help. I was grateful he was there for her.

Snow....

Looks like the snow, and winter, finally found us. I have to admit that I love it.

I am a fan of having four distinct seasons and being able to enjoy different aspects of each. 

In winter I find joy in the bright beauty of the snow, the idea that living things have a chance to rest and prepare for a new growth and the blue prairie sky.

Cheers to a safe and cozy winter..,.

Happy New Year!

2015 is here.....
The year that Tyler will graduate high school.
The year that Abby will start drivers ed.
The year that Grace will take the stage as part of a jazz trio with her 2 good friends.
A year I intend to make count.
To share time with friends and hold close what means the most to me.
Trust myself to be a strong leader, to make good choices and be a good example.
My word for 2015 is STRONG.
Ready, set, go......

Checking in....

Life is busy and wonderful:)