I Am Thankful For:
Drizzly mornings
Delicious meatless meals
Warm spring weather
Running into my cousin at the store
A perfect Spring day
Finally doing something I have been putting off
Fresh berries
A quiet afternoon
Takeout for dinner
A cute new spring dress
My grandson falling asleep while I hold him
The pear tree in bloom
Cute baby Easter outfits
Planning for April
I Am Thankful For:
New leaves growing on the trees
A late Winter chill
Spending time with my sister
My son making me laugh
Spending time with my youngest grandson
Baby smiles
Irish stew
My husband taking the dogs out and feeding them breakfast so I can sleep in
Cranberry muffins
The first day of Spring
Leftovers
The new roof is done
New windows and siding are ordered
Irish whiskey
I Am Thankful For:
Kisses at the airport
New Etsy orders
Hanging out with my sink
Texting with my sister which wait on my car
Waffles and ice cream
My husband home from work trip
A productive week
A screens free evening
My husband cooking hamburgers
Ready to start work on outside of the house
My One Word for 2023 is Explore. In the spirit of exploration, I made the decision not to stop at one word this year - but to also have a word for each month.
My word for March is Actions.
Actions came to mind as I was reflecting on my words for the first two months of the year: Create and Love. I realized that both of these words require action.
You can't create without doing something. Just thinking of or being inspired with an idea or isn't enough. It requires action to actually bring it to fruition and create something from the concept. It is in the action that the actual creating occurs.
We often think of love as a feeling. But just feeling love isn't enough. You can say, "I love you", but with out actions to demonstrate that love - they are just empty words. Love is - at the heart of it (no pun intended) - an action word.
Without actions, goals are little more than dreams. You can write them down and make all the plans. But unless you take actions, you will most likely never achieve those goals.
Imagine the life you want to live, the person you want to be, and the things you want to do. Just dreaming about these things is not going to make them reality. You have to take actions if you want to live that ideal life.
So, this month I am taking action. I am taking steps to.complete some projects that have been on my to-do list for weeks, months, or (in some cases) even years. I am thinking about - and actually taking action on - small steps every day that move me closer to the ideal life I want to live and the person I want to be.
What actions will.you take this week?
I Am Thankful For:
One skillet meals
A pretty new spring top
Lunch with my husband
Trying a new cocktail
Grocery shopping
Getting out of the storm
Family game night
Dinner with my daughter's family
Snuggling my new grandbaby
My mother celebrating another birthday
Bright blue sky
Trying new recipes
Insights into myself
Tulips starting to bloom
Sunshine on my face
February was a whirlwind of a month, and March is also shaping up to be a good - but busy - month.
During February, the Man of the House was gone most of a week for work, but I was able to visit with my younger sister during that time. We spent a lovely day at the Biltmore Estate where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and the DaVinci Experience exhibit. The husband and I celebrated a low key - but very nice - Valentine's Day. And we put plans into motion to begin some major - and much needed - renovations to the exterior of our house.
The best day of February was obviously the day our second grandson entered the world! Our daughter's family was over the night before to have dinner and leave our older grandson with us, since they were scheduled to be at the hospital at 5am the next morning for a scheduled induction. I awoke at 4:30am to a text from our son in law that she had gone into labor and Henry had already been born!
I did not manage to complete my monthly reading list during February. So The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood will be added to the TBR list in an upcoming month. My list for March is: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell, and A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd.
The work we plan to do on the outside of our home should be progressing this month, starting with replacing the roof. There will then be a pause in the work while we wait for the new windows and patio doors to arrive since those will need to be installed before they start work on the new siding and gutters. It's a lot of work, but I am so excited about what the end result will look like!
Inside, I am still slowly chipping away at getting my home office cleaned and reorganized. I've reached this awkward place in the process where I'm not really sure where to go from here. I go in, look around, shuffle a few things, then get discouraged and overwhelmed. I think I have reached a tipping point where it's gone past purging and minor organizing and it's time to make some major decisions and changes.
Yesterday was my mom's birthday. And next weekend our son in law celebrates his birthday.
Lots of appointments are scheduled for this month. Max has his semiannual exam and vaccinations. I'm scheduled for a dental cleaning, as well as my annual physical. Oh... And my car is scheduled for its suggested maintenance.
Like I said... a busy month!
My goals for March are:
I am Thankful for:
That "new baby" smell
Grandson #1 meeting his baby brother for the first time
A helpful new app
Happiness
Sleep
Cookies
Putting a plan in motion
Sunshine
Friday night
A lazy, rainy morning
A cup of tea and some crochet
Being able to prepare healthy and delicious meals for my family
A shoulder to rest my head on
Forsythia starting to bloom
Conversations with my sister
The next step scheduled
