We have a Winner!

I love a giveaway and I love the True Random Number Service at Random.com (Can I tell you how much I love the idea that there's a place called Random.com?)

Julie is the winner of the sweet red mug.

And thanks again to Kerry, the host of all things Love in February!

February 26 - I Love:: My Heart Necklace

 

Nine years ago my girlfriend and I took a summer driving trip with our kiddos up the coast of California to our other friend's house in St. Helena. As the warm summer days presented, we shared lots of laughter and walks and trips to the country club pool. We dined and shopped and on the second day or so this necklace caught my eye. The language, the weight, even the length of the chain spoke to me. 

I toyed with buying it. And on the very last day, my pal, Jemma, got us into the car and took us back to the store. She urged me to consider the value of this one purchase vs. the several souvenirs I could buy. She pushed the concept of the lasting value of something like this that touched me so deeply. 

I've worn it most days ever since. 

Sometimes I listen and I'm blessed.

February 25 - I Love:: This thought

I am listening to something beautiful that relates so much, to my inner faith.
In this the speaker referred to Pascal's words:

“In difficult times,” wrote Pascal, “you should always carry something beautiful in your heart.”

I am working on the picture of that beauty.
But, it might not be a picture.
It might be a thought.
And I like to think we should hold the beauty in all times.

You?

February 24 - I Love:: A Night Without Television

I have confirmed TV hounds living with me.
Last night there was packing for winter retreat going on and homework, homework, homework.
In the back of my head, I found the peaceful recognition that we had lots of time for all of it.
Ahhh.

February 23 - I Love:: My pooch

I love this dog. In these early morning hours, when I'm at the dining room table, fingers flying, bad hair, he's got my toes covered and makes those contented doggie sounds. 

He's such a good friend. 

I love all 80+ pounds of him.

Here's an early post about his lovely self.

February 22 - I Love:: These beauties

I love these Pincushion Flowers.

Scabiosas have a funny name, but boy, this plant has been providing sweet flowers since summer. And here they are in the midst of winter.
I love them in all their colors. I have these black ones (really kinda maroon), white, pink and lovely periwinkles. They make long lasting cut flowers too.

I love Scabiosas.

February 20 - I Love:: The Kid & The Cuddle

At the end of a day that started badly but turned out to be both fun and wonderful, my big girl and I tucked into my bed for a cuddle. I knew we were going to read, but she was against it. That is until I turned the second page in MEET THE AUSTINS by Madeline L'Engle*. Then she was hooked and snuggled very close to listen until she could listen no more and off she went, to whereever the preteen girl with all the friend struggles and new desire for dresses, goes.

It's an awfully sweet time of night and life.

If I could, I'd hold this moment in time forever.

I love my girl and her brilliant, lovely cuddles.



*Highly recommend, great series for this age.

February 19 - I Love:: Sleeping In

I never do it.
But it sounds so luscious. I'm up before the sun and every now and then I have a second sleep. When I went to bed last night I fully intended to sleep til 7:00. Ahhh. But alas, I, once again, have been up since dark thirty. I miss my pillows.

I need to carry on a bit here. Largely because I noticed in the last couple of years that I, who could fall asleep on an ironing board, always-falls-asleep on an airplane and very often put the seat back to bag a few zzzs while my Dear drove us home from the theater, have lost the art. I sleep, but not in that, any-time-anywhere-and-way-deep way. I wake up too often, not fully, well, done.

Some of it might be that eager-to-start-the-day business, but some of it is, stress and (shhhh!) age. There. I said it. Stress and age. Now, I'll have to ramp up my awareness of stressors and hmmm, do nothing about the age thing. It is what it is.

How about you?

These pillow cases, by the by, are available on Etsy. I love the Alison print by Ralph. So much that I took pillows like these (but without the cute lace) to the hospital when each of my babies were born. I was actually thinking about how they'd be a piece of home for me,  lovely for the pictures and one of those things my kids would and do notice.

February 18 - I Love:: The Christmas Cactus

All right, it was a while ago, but this lovely cactus kept performing. Red and white blooms cheering my kitchen table. I love, blooms of all sorts.

February 17 - I Love:: This Chai Tea Recipe

I'm a confirmed, died in the wool, roots in Scotland coffee drinker. It is one of my morning joys. But this lovely recipe is tender and yummy and not too sweet. I might have it again tomorrow.

Indian Chai Tea

Ingredients
* 3 teabags black tea
* 4 cups water
* 1 3 inch cinnamon stick
* 1 inch piece of ginger root cut into 4 slices
* 1/2 tsp (2 ml) cardamom seeds
* 1/2 tsp (2 ml) black peppercorns
* 1/2 tsp (2 ml) whole cloves
* 1 tsp (5 ml) whole coriander seeds
* 1 cup (225 ml) coconut or almond milk
* honey or stevia to taste

Directions
Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Add spices, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Add teabags and steep 10 minutes. Add milk and heat to drinking temperature-do not boil. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth or cotton dish towel. Serve with honey or stevia to taste.

February 16 - I Love:: Being the Mommie in "Mommie, I'm sick..."

My youngest is not feeling so well.
She's been off-and-on sick since Saturday.
She's the one with the red cheeks and the yuckies.
So, we're snuggling and tending to icky tummies and runny noses and all that being sick brings.
This, of course, includes sleeping the big bed with Mommie and Dad. And entitles you to special tea and ice water in Mom's favorite coffee-to-go cup.

But there's no To Go.
Just "stay."

And cozy. And a little of "that feels better when you rub my head."

I do love that name, Mommie.

February 15 - I Love:: A cozy dinner at home.

For Valentine's Day we were home in our cozy house.
We shared Valentine's cards and a treat here and there (oh and a little girl was spoiled with a HUGE gorilla from her daddy).
For dinner, a yummy, unbreaded version of Chicken Parmigiana with lemon noodles and haricot vert.
Simple.
Sweet.
Cozy.
Oh I do love the season of hearts.

February 14 -- I Love:: My Loves

I just love my people. We'll be home tonight for a special Valentine's Dinner (top secret menu). Each of us has a special Valentine's person we're targeting here at home, so some surprises are sure to come. Oh, I do love the day of hearts!

And I love this poem, to my one and only:

- e.e. cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) 

February 13 -- I Love:: Love

The very idea - love.

February 12 - I Love:: the Man Who Posted This

I really love the man and this post.

I'd marry him.

But I already did that.

Glad for it.

That's all I have to say.

February 10 -- I Love:: The time for coffee

Don't you just love a moment for coffee and the conversation that goes with it?

February 9 - I Love:: The artist in my midst

Birds on a wire or in a tree set my heart to dancing.
Can't explain it, it's just the way I work.
On the way to school, there's an intersection where tons of birds congregate.
I look forward to seeing them. I comment. I swoon.
So at Christmas time, my girlie made an appointment with an art teacher to provide me with an everlasting impression of the thing I love: my birds.
This is just a piece of the picture.
She brings me such delight.

February 8 -- I Love:: The found heart

On the street with my girlie and a cell phone, Oh yes, love is apparently, everywhere.

February 7 - I Love:: The gatherings

I loved spending the morning at a beautiful birthday brunch celebrating my friend Joan. The mixture of guests, the sun, the food -- all perfection. And then, the Superbowl with Al. Al's a confirmed Steelers fan, so being engaged with the game is a given. I did far more watching than talking this year!
What I love the most is the opportunity for something, someone new to cross into my experience.

What about you?

February 5 - I Love:: Game Night

God bless her! That girl loves cards.

My mom is a member of her church seniors club. They gather every week to sing and pray and then the whip out the cards. Her gals are particularly fond of Skip Bo. And Mom's a bit of a card sharp. In fact, this is the way I picture the ladies as they sit looking innocent enough, in their 70s and 80s. I doubt that they cheat, or play for money or anything like that, but Mom will never lose a game because she isn't paying attention. She's always all there and all in.

So last night, with  one man down, while my eldest was off with his youth group for an overnight at their leader's college dorm. (Watch Mommie breathing.) Grandma came for dinner and brought her favorite game. Skip Bo. After dinner, we headed to the dining room table for what I like to consider the bloodbath. My daughter has a few of my mom's traits and one of them is attention and focus on whatever is at hand. She's a good card player and actually takes a fairly aggressive stance - intending to win. So the cute little Skip Bo cards become tools, weapons even in their hands. My mother and daughter in cahoots. Each winning a couple of games a piece while my Dear caught up on a show in the man cave and I sat at their mercy, wondering how I'm supposed to know when to fill my hand with the five cards. Cute little colorful cards -- producing winners and losers and tons of giggles.

I love game night. It's just so wonderful to soak in all the family I can get.
My tank is quite full thank you!

What are your favorite games?