The Beautiful Ordinary Stuff of Life

May grace...

I write it down so I will remember. 

 I remember, so I can praise the Giver.

- shelter from the storm
- creamy tomato soup
-hydrangeas
- beginning of the month goals
- pesto in the freezer

- guidance and inspiration
- molcajete
- freshly mown grass
-a supportive group of women
- seedlings in the ground 

- a new calling at church
- yoga practice
- a full tank of gas
- safe travels for Dad and Yvonne
- a beautiful spring day

- owls calling to one another
- healthy food plan
- celebrating Jantzen's birthday
- good news in an inbox
- chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven

- fresh mulch for the yard
- chopping walnuts
- a green world
- YouTube dishwasher repair

- evening "turn down" service in your own home
- crackling fire on a cool rainy day
-herb festival with Tara
- blue ribbons for a gifted quilter
- new primary teachers

- a day to rest
- seeing old friends
- strawberry yogurt
- the smell of tomato plants
- washing off the garden dirt

- creamy sauce for salmon
- making it through step class without 
running into anyone
- honest sharing
- love note tucked into the glove compartment
- full moon

- sharing dinner excitement with a food text
- phone visit with Sherri
- pineapple poblano guacamole
- swarm of bees occupying an empty brood box
- garden tiller

- local strawberries
- all the garden plants- in the ground!
- watching honeybees
- taste testers on baking day
- pink peonies in a white vase

- rain for the garden plants
- kitchen evidence of good food to eat
- saying "I'm sorry."
- Mother's Day bouquet
- an orchid from Kenzie

- talking with all my children on Mother's Day
- a perfect poundcake
- successful class, happy students
- fuzzy little chicks
- roasted strawberries

- hugs and tears
- Sound of Music on the big screen
- new rhubarb plants
- lunch bags for the homeless
- encouraging texts

- a sprain and not a break!
- date night at cooking school
- a tall young man in a red apron
- pulling a favorite book from the shelf
- afternoon thunderstorm

- bird song in the morning
- the blessing of cool days when your
 air conditioning isn't working
-"birthday books"
- simmering soup

- veggies at breakfast
- conference talks in an apron pocket
- discussing great books
- chocolate croissant
- a new suitcase

- the first watermelon of the season
- polka dot umbrella
- blue skies after days of rain
- clean sheets with hospital corners
- bare feet in mountain streams

- an overflowing vegetable drawer
- overnight oatmeal
- leftovers for dinner when you're too tired to cook
-strawberries and pound cake
- the smell of grilled food

- a new job for Charles
- knitting and talking
- hummingbirds
- chicks in the coop
- applewood smoked bacon

- suitcases and plane tickets
- music drifting down from Jump Off rock
- great sacrament talks
- grilled cheese for dipping into soup
- lemon curd

- an older couple who loves being nursery leaders
- homemade ice cream
- the beautiful ordinary stuff of life
- flags blowing in the breeze
- men in uniforms

- freedoms I enjoy 
- singing REO Speedwagon with Dillon
- help with the dishes
- deck dining
- a birds eye view of our farm

- an "I'm glad you're my friend." text
- workout shoes in my favorite shade of blue
- straws for sipping
- a purple "blessings" pen
-chocolate dipped berries

" How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our years."
Annie Dillard

A Collection of Happy Moments

April grace...

I write it down so I will remember. 

 I remember, so I can praise the Giver.

-granola, heavy on the nuts and seeds

-white squirrels
-roses
-caramelized onions
-knitting with spring colors

- a box of oily goodness
-an adult daughter who still calls her mama when she is sick
-white tailed deer pouncing through the woods
- morning breeze
-post conference discussions

-a beautiful "setting apart" blessing
-morning tangle of arms and legs
- "good morning" bird song
-yellow wildflowers
-"praying for you" texts from friends

- burgers for dinner
-redbud trees in bloom
-surprising someone with roses in a jar
-pandora
-Chik-fil-a frozen lemonade

-falling asleep on a massage table
-watching the sun rise
-leaving the windows open so you can hear the birds
-clean drinking water
-thinking in the woods

- colored pens and pencils
-interview with Anne Lamott
- fresh color on gray hair
-eyes to see, ears to hear
-smoothie

- cupped hands for inhaling lavender

-working currants into soft dough

-clean septic tank
-walking from the garden with handfuls of asparagus
-morning work in the kitchen

- purple phlox spilling over stone walls
- visit with Travis
- father and son in checked shirts
-an enthusiastic grocery clerk
- rows of "mill" houses

- laughter and hope
-a little girls tea party
- pink azaleas
- a resurrection of faith
- potatoes for planting

- dark chocolate and dried cherries
-first lilac clippings
-growing enough food to share
-time management skills
- hot cross bun hanging from a string

- the elderly on a four wheeler
- rows of planted flowers
-healing bones
- pink arms from working in the garden
- Susana's excitement in cooking class

-new Powersheets for planning
- finding a lost knitting needle
- herbs for planting
- a phone visit with Dad
-red tulips in bloom

- singing Happy Birthday to Kenzie
-necklace from Mark
-sushi for lunch
-friends who remember
-a handmade apron

-lilacs in grandma's pitcher
- Birthday serenading from Ben
-new devotional book
- a "we've been missing you" message from hiking friends
- fitness room painted and ready for decorating

- working with Mark in the garden
-a spiritual experience when you least expect it
- getting out of the Lowe's parking lot avoiding accident!
- sunrise service
-chocolate chocolate birthday cake

- white hyacinths in pink paper
-roman numeral candles
-trillium in the woods
-singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" 
from a mountain top
-walking through flower gardens

- afternoon rain
- watching a movie with Mark
- Aldi
- prayer for a stranger
-a bag of clothes to give away

- "purification" in the air
-leftover birthday cake
- embroidered pillow cases
- resting my head in the crook of his arm
-soft sheets

- pottery in lovely shades
- steaks on the grill
- a beautiful hostess gift
-summer pjs
- succulent garden

- the sound of rain as you fall asleep, and when you wake up
- clean refrigerator
-meal plans on paper
-soup and bread
- gifts in the mail

- apples and peanut butter
- sharing life with a good man
- the creamiest pot de creme
- morning walk
- flowers on porches

- baby peaches on trees
-sitting on the deck visiting with Sandy
-dark chocolate peanut butter cups
- hiking to Little Hump
- lunch on a rock

-swift stream
-visiting with "thru hikers"
- texting with Travis
- taking off my boots after a long hike
-encouragement from friends

- trip planning over mexican food
-stacks of travel guides
- underground bakery's chocolate eclair
-facetime visit with Margeaux
-sabbath

- birthday candy bar
- air conditioning
-sitting with Tara at church
-hummingbirds at the feeder
- change

"A good life is a collection of happy moments."

Denis Waitley