We started out with snow. It soon melted although we saw flakes come and go all weekend.

We ventured to the zoo, despite Dan’s deep wish to avoid the zoo on weekends and holidays. It was lovely. The threatening snow scared off the crowds, there was added Easter fun, and newly hatched butterflies. We came home with happy children and Easter eggs.

Dinner was made early in the day and waited in the oven while we took in the zoo sights. A kitchen cleaned spic and span by hubby before we left the house. Friends for dinner. Friends who are family. A surprise and very welcome addition at the table (in the shape of friend, not food). Peach pie from freezer to oven, dripping with the promise of summer.

A day of spring cleaning, from top to (almost) bottom, all hands on deck. The reward of a favourite dinner out egged us on. The impromptu park visit was a nice bonus.

A baby growing so fast. Too fast. Attacking crawling and tongue rolling with great zeal.

Late night knitting, adding beaks and wings, dreaming, and entertained.

Easter morning, sunny skies, blessings in abundance, joyful celebrations. An easter egg hunt, playing with friends, stolen moments with a book, tackling the leftover cleaning jobs, three girls/one hairbrush. Local ham, scalloped potatoes, and steamed broccoli, cooked by the man and shared with my aunt who joined our table. A plate passed over the fence to a neighbour.

And, maybe, more peach pie.

Peaceful, beautiful, perfect, blessed.

So good. So full.

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joining Amanda for weekending

Wishing you all beautiful beginning to your week!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

On the day I read this article – knowing we had big plans to bake and decorate sugar cookies with friends; on the day I was already feeling slightly guilt-stricken over the excessive sugar I was letting the kids have; on the day I was trying to let it go and make memories and give up worry – two little people locked themselves in the bathroom with a little boy’s remaining Halloween candy and scarfed it.

And I laughed.

I laughed because worry isn’t something I go for. Oh, it happens, trust me. But I try really really hard to let go and I try really really hard to trust. Because I am not running the ship here.

And after a day of feeling bad that my kids eat sugar and even sometimes food colouring, a day of feeling bad that I put aside my better judgement in the name of fun and celebration; I thought this made a good joke. A shout-out from the guy who’s got my back, the one I’m trusting on this journey.

(And in case, as a practical minded person, you are wondering why they still have Halloween candy and why they could get at it…well, they get a piece so rarely that it lasts a long while, and we’ve never had a problem with them sneaking before – now we know.)

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

I don’t know what to say about this other than I’m a klutz. I rush, I’m careless, I multi-task like a 15 armed robot who doesn’t have six children. I do things like put my new recipe journal on the breadmaker while it’s kneading my first batch of dough so it can jump down into my second batch of dough. (I also do things like break a toe while rushing to fold laundry – but that’s another story.)

Although I let out a great moan after this happened, causing my family concern, I recovered. And I’m left feeling thankful for my mama who was visiting at the time. She did one of those great mom things – rushed in with concern (no doubt thinking I’d lost a finger based on the mournful noise I made), commiserated with me, and then cleaned up my mess so I could finish with my baking extravaganza. She handed back my journal nearly as good as new and freshly christened in the kitchen.

I am so thankful for my mom. Thankful that she can still makes things better and fix my messes, along with a whole host of other reasons she’s great. (She’s also amazing at untangling yarn – she’s a wonder, that woman!)

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!

This weekend was a lot of good things.

It was homemade pizza, hot and gooey;

roasted chicken and simmering stock;

a skiff of snow, sledding over nearly bare ground, a quick melt, and muddy everything;

friends for laughs, and tears for friends;

a huge mess of chili and cornbread to share;

siblings sharing and siblings bickering;

the power of good music to stir up a soul;

a big bowl of coleslaw and a bowl of brownies and ice cream;

aches for name calling and fair-weather friends, bullies and growing pains – and trying our best to comfort these little ones with big emotions;

remembering stories of love, teaching stories of love;

sorting through a slew of treasures searching for just the right finishing touches (and a friend who can enjoy a jar of buttons as much as I can);

the Amazing Backward-Crawling, Circle Spinning, Smiley-Faced Baby paired with the mind-numbing excitement of tax preparation;

and a fresh start for a new week.

Isn’t it incredible the wonders a weekend can hold?

How was yours?

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joining the lovely Amanda for weekending

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal

into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our

past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

~Melody Beattie

In the name of gratitude and truthfulness I’ve decided to post a little piece of reality here once a week. Likely just a single picture. See my original post here.

We got lazy at the end of the growing season last year. I was still new baby gaga. And I was taking everyone down with me.

We abandoned the digging of potatoes and carrots. We let the slugs enjoy the rest of beans. The ground froze.

When we enjoyed a fall thaw and the weather was beautiful I tried digging. The ground was solid with cold. Those root veggies were staying put. So ended our enthusiastic beginnings. I’ve been vacillating between shame, disappointment, and annoyance since then.

On the bright side, I’m thankful for curious children (cultivators in hand), garden surprises, the fresh start of spring, and bowlful of homegrown carrots in March.

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If you’d like to join in with a reality check of your own, please add a link or note in the comments!