Gratitude and Successes

This week, I am grateful for:

• Delicious brownies that were made today by the wonderful Michele and are already 3/4s gone.
• A wonderful baby who is a joy every moment of every day.
• Talented people who inspire me to try new things.
• A partner who is brilliant at things I struggle with - we truly complete one another.

My successes this week include:

• Following a crochet pattern to create an awesome whale for Zoe - I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have hhis success as I have never before managed to follow a crochet pattern!
• NOT attempting a third pan of brownies but instead bowing to Michele's greatness in that arena.
• Crocheting a whale.
• Did I mention that I crocheted a whale?

Brownies, and Other Things I'm Bad At

I decided to try again with the brownies today. Michele said they were a lot better than yesterday's, but still only partially edible. I tried to convince myself that they are very good by eating several and got a stomachache for my efforts. My dear friend Duchess has advised me that being bad at one thing will keep me humble and my adoring sister has commented that I am "annoyingly good at everything else." That got me thinking about the many other things that I'm not good at:

• Driving stick shift cars- after 15 years with Michele, I am finally able to drive, only forward and only in first gear, and park.
• Lawn care
• Pumpkin pie - for some reason it always comes out tasting like sweet potato pie, which, since Michele loves pumpkin, is a problem.
• Returning phone calls
• Putting things "somewhere I'll remember"- I always forget. ALWAYS!
• A host of other things I've put somewhere I'll remember (see above)

I think the thing is that most of the things I'm really bad at are really hard (stick shift) or really horrendous (cleaning bathrooms), so I don' t feel bad about being bad at them. Brownies are five or so simple ingredients mixed in a bowl and thrown in the oven. I'm not sure what could be easier, but I somehow render those simple ingredients completely inedible! I've decided to stop trying. Nineteen years of effort is enough. I'm going to focus on bettering myself in one of my other growth areas, like returning calls. I'll start by making a note of each caller and putting that reminder somewhere I'll remember.

Brownies - An Epic Failure

I can do a lot of things but one thing I have never been successful at is making brownies. They always come out a greasy gooey mess swimming in oil no matter what I do. I bake other things well so I'm not measuring deficient. I make great cornbread, which, like brownies, warns you not to over mix, so I'm not mixing deficient. I have no idea why I cannot make brownies. Not even from a mix! You know, one of those "just add eggs and oil" mixes. Epic failure every time!

I LOVE brownies so I'm grateful that Michele makes wonderful brownies. I just hate not succeeding at something so I keep trying. I don't even come close to something edible. Although Michele did attend to eat one of my brownies once...with a spoon!

I'm not asking to master them or be the best brownie maker in the block. I'm just trying for edible. Any ideas or suggestions will be gratefully accepted.

Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude

I have to just focus on gratitude this week and the focus of this focus is on family, family, family.

I love our family and am grateful for the wonderful visit we had this weekend from my dad and stepmom. I love watching Zoe interact with them. It's truly a special blessing!

From grampa to granddaughter, hand to hand. So sweet!

Gratitude, Goals, and Successes

I realized last week that I forgot something important: my successes! It's just as important to look at what I did as what I'd like to do. So here goes:

This week, I'm grateful for Michele and Zoe and:
Good friends.
A clean and organized kitchen.
Clean laundry in my drawers and closets.
Mommy and me yoga.

This week I succeeded at:
Cleaning my kitchen.
Catching up on laundry.
Connecting with friends.
Connecting with my parents.
Clarifying my focus.

My goals for this coming week are to:
Continue clarifying my focus.
Invite God into every decision.
File or shred the papers in the office.
Research web design/development. (I want to create a website to showcase my artwork.)

What are you thinking about this week? How have you succeeded? What do you want to work on for next week?

One Small Step for a Baby, a Giant Leap in a Lifetime

Zoe took her first steps today. It was amazing. And then she climbed up the step from the sunporch into the foyer so I let her get on the steps from the foyer to upstairs and she climbed all the way up and into the bedroom for her nap!

Here I've saved THYME in a bottle.
If only it were as easy to save TIME!

It just makes me think about how quickly life goes by. It feels like just yesterday when we brought her home. Just yesterday when the only way for her to get from point A to point B was in my arms. And now she's cruising around the living room and climbing up the stairs!

I actually think that's why we write blogs and keep diaries and update our Facebook status. It makes us pause for a moment and think about the moment, the day, or the week. It kinda stops time for a second and saves it for us.