blooms

Yesterday when I arrived at church a jar of zinnias was waiting for me at the door to my office. I don't know who the flower elf is, but I'm delighted with the gift! I love zinnias--reminds me of the days when we planted gardens as kids, and Mom usually has them in her garden beds. I need to remember to include them next year in my own garden!

Another busy week ahead. What else is new? This morning I need to make a run to the store to get some groceries to make a dish for tonight's PC meeting. I had signed up to be food coordinator, a thankless job, since most of it is spent on the phone trying to reach people. (The first time I made calls I only got answering machines!) I've got two flakers, which means I will double a recipe to make up for their negligence. Not what I anticipated doing with my morning!

Off to the shower and on with my day. Hope it's a good week for one and all.

working through the list

I have a list about a mile long of things I had hoped to get done yesterday on my day off. I accomplished two of them. The week had been so busy that just to have time to be home and piddle around was its own reward. I can shift yesterday's list to today just as easily! Plus, the first part of the shipment of stuff from my PC open house was delivered yesterday (all the cookware!), so I can get that delivered today.

Tried a new PC recipe for bbq ribs that was great. Start 'em in the microwave! The sauce was mmm good, as well. I'm happy to share the recipe if anyone is interested.

Ken is making progress on his work at Melrose. All the replacement windows for the kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms are now in, and painting is underway. He's encountering problems along the way, which we expect at Melrose, but tending to those as he comes upon them slows down the efforts. The latest was a leaking roof over a storage room. Check out the damage he uncovered! Who knows how long that has been brewing, but he's getting it fixed. It may well be that by the time he is done he will have rebuilt half the house!

The morning is pushing onward so I'm going to go tackle the list. My parting thought is to reflect on one life-giving thing that happened yesterday. I did manage to deal with one of the piles on the dining table, and shuffled some things around on my desk to help open up the desktop. That was very satisfying, and offered a sense of accomplishment. Works for me.

Dooley is barking for breakfast, so I really MUST go!

possibility

Last night I had dinner with a group of women I had never really met. The host, a member of St. Paul's, called a couple of weeks ago and invited me to dinner at her house with her and some of her friends. "Sure," I said. For the life of me I could not place her as I scratched my head and tried to recall who she was. On Sunday, she came through the line of parishioners who file out the center door of the worship area and introduced herself. She looked only vaguely familiar.I arrived at her house at the appointed hour (well, five minutes early, actually), coinciding with the arrival of one of the friends. She didn't look familiar. It turns out that all of the women (four) attend St. Paul's, and they all exit on Sundays using the side doors. As a result, I had never really met them.

I had a great time. We laughed, they were candid, we laughed, they asked questions, we laughed, I asked questions, we laughed some more. Yes, adult beverages were involved, but not overly so. It is too early to say that a kinship was born. I find that I protect myself a great deal when it comes to trusting new relationships. But there were soft moments of honest sharing and discovering common ground, and it felt really, really good. I felt honored that they wanted to share their time with me (in one of those "if you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be?" speculations, they all named me). They claim they weren't disappointed. I still feel honored, and humbled, and grateful. There may yet be a network of deep friendships that can be born who are accessible locally (My beloved Cabana Crew, aka my long-distance scrapping buddies, aren't near enough for regular face-to-face fun).

One thing that we shared during the evening was a report from the day: name one thing that was life-draining, and one that was life-giving. It was worth the reflection, and may yet bail me out here on those occasions when I find it difficult to think of worthy things to write or share.

Stay tuned.

my golden hour

It doesn't matter how many times I make a determination the day or night before about how I will try to fit in everything I need to get done the following morning, it doesn't happen. I have finally figured out why. I crave an hour in the morning with my cup of coffee and some time to just be. When I am deprived of that my day feels off-kilter and incomplete. The challenge, of course, is to get myself up early enough to allow for that hour in my schedule. Somehow that doesn't happen, either, but something's got to give soon. Time to revamp the habits (the night before I can make lunch for the next day, prepare packages for the mail, make the day's list of things that need to get done!) and get on track. Too many things are slipping through the cracks, or left too late. The pace of the day can be managed and I am capable of managing, but I have not made it a sufficient priority. I have not held myself accountable and that needs to change.

First, though, I need that hour with my coffee...

thursday already?

I never seem to have time in the mornings to get to this blog, and there definitely aren't many occasions of late to take pictures to post! I do have a few, however, from a recent Pampered Chef open house that I held to preview the new fall products. Cookbooks are on sale this month for $10 (email me if you want one--it's a great deal!), so I made a recipe from each of the ones that I had to promote those. PC not only has great products, but wonderful recipes, too! As usual the week is flying by and there are more things to do than I seem to have time to accommodate. Eeek! As I type I've got my eye on the clock to get out the door to a morning meeting, then head to church for my virtual Friday. Let's see: gas, calendar, notes for the day, notebook, lunch... y'all have a good one!

meet...

the soon-to-be newest member of our family. He's a five-week old German short-haired pointer that will come home in another month to join the ranks on Lilac Drive. Ken has been itching for a bird-hunting dog, and has been dogged (if you'll pardon the pun) in his pursuit of finding one. As it happens there is a kennel just a handful of miles from us here in the same county. He paid a visit this morning while I was away at a PC training event, and upon my return we paid a visit to the kennel. The little guy doesn't have a name yet, but he is a cutie! Dooley and Juliet have had two occasions to get a whiff of the newcomer, so by the time this little rascal comes through the door he should be somewhat familiar. Ah, puppyhood and house-breaking. We've got our work cut out for us...

a monday to meander

I am so grateful for a day off. The last few weeks have been non-stop with activity, and there has been little time for anything that resembles leisure. Today I can do as I please, and this morning it pleased me to sleep in! I am now ready to move into the day and take care of a few odds and ends and see what else unfolds.

Although it was part of the non-stop blur, Saturday evening we attended the closing night of the annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, held in Shelbyville, TN. We were invited by the mother of Ken's summer employee, Patrick (who has now returned to college--we miss you Patrick!). Nancy works at one of the walking horse stables in Shelbyville, and entered her own horse in a preliminary event, taking home a blue ribbon. Way to go, Nancy! It was fun to watch Saturday's show with her and learn about what the judges were looking for, as well as choose our own favorites. So many of the horses were stunningly beautiful, and Nancy had the eye, picking most of the winners herself!

When the weather cools off I'll pay a visit to her stables and meet her horse, as well as some of the other champions that reside there. That will be a treat! It will also be a good opportunity to get some pictures. I took my camera Saturday night, but the lighting wasn't good, and the horses moved too quickly for a slower shutter speed. Oh well! In the meantime, the Internet proves itself useful to share the image here of the opening event preceeding the national anthem.

Hope you all have a great day!