grace in small things

Sept 7

1. A long mid-day bath
2. Homemade chicken korma. Yellow food is good!
3. List making is so satisfying. I made two today.
4. Remembering to put the recycling out for pickup without The Husband here to do it. I remembered something! MIRACULOUS!!
5. The Husband survived his camping trip. He’s still sweating booze and he had a great time and he missed me lots. Which is satisfying because I missed him too.

Sept 6

1. A long long walk with my most awesome canine friend
2. I fixed the vacuum! I fixed the vacuum! ME ME ME fixed something!
3. I had microwaved haddock and wow, it was really enjoyable.
4. I found my mat leave city guide that I bought months ago.
5. Napping without guilt

grace in small things: sept 2 – 5

Sept 5

1. Payless Shoes BOGO. I have more than just icky flip flops to wear. Which is good.
2. Heritage Park. I rode a bonafide steam engine
3. Seeing life from the vantage point of a kid for the afternoon.
4. Hanging out with great people who used to be our neighbours.
5. Giant ripe juicy red watermelon

Sept 4

1. I have enough vacation days left to take today off without it affecting my maternity leave additional benefits (extra payout based on sick hours not taken)
2. The Husband did not go into anaphylactic shock when the cat allergy really reared its ugly head today.
3. Even though he could barely breathe, he still took care of the cat litter so I wouldn’t have to.
4. The shelter is safe enough now for the foster cats to go back so we didn’t have to panic about The Husband’s allergic reaction.
5. I bought one of those $20 coupon books on Wed and I’ve already gotten $5 off my groceries and a free chicken leg. Score!

Sept 3

1. A long conversation with a friend that confirms that I’m feeling more prepared than scared.
2. A dirt and grease covered husband that smells of garage sweat. Mmm… yummy
3. Dexter – working our way through season 2 between items on the To Do list
4. Results: a letter to a company president resulted in an apology and refund within 24 hours of sending. Holy finally customer service, batman!
5. Being ok with missing the last camping trip of the summer. I’m missing it for my most awesome reason in the world: 35 weeks pregnant!

Sept 2

1. We passed our prenatal classes! Wheee!
2. While swaddling a doll during our last class, we realized that the pregnancy we’ve been enjoying will become a small human. And soon. This, my friends, brings great joy.
3. I have successfully talked myself into calm: all we need for above human is breasts (check!), place to sleep (bassinet check!) and something to catch poop (check!). We’re technically ready.
4. An impromptu supper with the inlaws
5. Kittens running down the hallway to attack my feets

Sept 1 – 4

1. Working from home = pajama day!
2. Five little kittens running around the hallway, attacking each other in roly poly ways that only kittens can manage
3. The Dog has finally figured out that getting near the kittens means she will be screamed at by the Momma cat.
4. A happy midwife appointment to confirm that yep, everything is going swimmingly!
5. Discovering that 90% of people are being turned away from the midwife offices due to overwhelming demand – we are blessed to have gotten in to their practice!

grace in small things – aug 29,30,31

Grateful? Oh yes… so much to be grateful for!

Aug 31

1. That mudding drywalling friend? He’s spending tomorrow during the DAY working on my basement. I swoon with happiness.
2. Tropical storm Danny doesn’t appear to be aiming for Newfoundland with the force originally predicted. Which is a huge relief.
3. I have finished and submitted all of the maternity leave paperwork. I’m still in shock about the entire thing, really.
4. Amy Winehouse is really working for me today.
5. Starburst has a new “FAVE Reds” pack – and the reds/pinks are always my favourites!

Aug 30

1. A friend who will spend his Sunday afternoon spreading drywall mud all over my basement walls while attempting to teach me how to do it.
2. The Winter Husband is back. He’s just like my husband but without the facial hair. Every year when he shaves his face, I feel scandalous.
3. “4 Kinds of Vegetables” dish from the local chinese joint. OMG, too good to be just veggies but that’s all it is.
4. The dog warming my feet while I check my email.
5. The man from the grocery store produce department that jumped in and helped me take all the groceries to the car even though he had never done a carryout before. And he was handsome and charming to boot!

Aug 29

1. Blackberry jam on toast
2. Water ivy exists and is living in a Vancouver apartment
3. The meeting with the new neighbours was very friendly.
4. Itsy bitsy kittehs in my bathroom
5. Early afternoon naps are da bomb!

I forgot to mention…

… my grace in small things has become daily and is now hosted at Grace In Small Things

I think you should go there too.

week of grace – #9

This week’s small things:

1. Learning to use the drill to screw in the million screws needed to keep the new ceiling in the garage from falling onto someone’s noggin. I helped! I HELPED!!!! YAY ME!!!!
2. +15 degrees Celsius
3. Gentle Leader Headcollars. The Dog, she loves the rabbits. The rabbits, they love my neighborhood. The sidewalk, she’s icy from the warm temps and likes to make me fall when The Dog tugs towards The Rabbits. Thus, the Gentle Leader. No more pulling! And The Dog is learning to like it because, once it’s on her head, it means we’re going to go for a walk and I’m going to ply her with food to learn her to like the headcollar. WIN WIN!
4. The phrase “learn you”. It makes me laugh. “I’m gonna learn you a lesson, young man!”  Hilarity, truly.
5. Paypal. I may have mentioned that one before but man oh man, I do love ordering things online and PayPal really makes that easy.
6. My northside neighbors (the others are great as well, but this week I”m focused on the north ones). I’m just so grateful for such wonderful people. As the dog and I walked on the weekend, we met them on our way and they just have a way of putting me at ease when I can be quite nervous around aquaintance-type relationships. I just love that about my neighbors. I can be such a dork but they’re still so LOVELY about it.
7. Smuckers caramel syrup. It turns a boring banana and apple salad into a PARTY! And it’s just so golden and pretty when drizzled over pale fruit. Mmm…

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in 365 days of Grace in Small Things. I’m doing it every Sunday for 52 weeks.

week of grace – #8

This week’s small things:

1. Frozen blueberries with a layer of vanilla yogurt on top which is then left on my desk for a couple hours to thaw. The yogurt traps the blueberries and juice into an airtight compartment that is perfectly intact until my spoon digs through.
2. Relaxing on the couch with a friend that also knits
3. Yves Mexican Veggie Ground Round
4. The garage walls are now insulated, boarded and painted. It was 6.5 degrees Celsius in there last night while outside, it was much colder. YAY!
5. Mornings burrowed under the blankets with The Husband and The Dog
6. 2 socks knit at once on one long circular needle. So cool. I feel very clever every time I work on a pair of socks this way.
7. Playing video games with Da Boyz on a lazy Saturday instead of doing un-fun stuff.

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in 365 days of Grace in Small Things. I’m doing it every Sunday for 52 weeks.

week of grace – #7

This week’s small things:

1. I haven’t given The Husband the stomach bug that’s been lingering since Dec 30.
2. The Husband hasn’t given me his throat and chest plague that appeared on Saturday and stole his voice.
3. World of Warcraft.  We’ve been near addicts for years yet when I’m an orc, my mind is distracted from the urge to vomit.
4. Saskatoon berries available in frozen form at my local grocery store.
5. A new lovely painting is coming to a house near me (well, MY house). We ordered it. It’s freaking awesome. I’ll post photos when it arrives.
6. We picked up new chairs to go around our awesome and HUGE kitchen table (it’s really really old and I loves it). We braved Ikea during their big sale and dudes, it was a really good thing to do and now visitors to our den don’t have to sit on the dog-hair covered floor.
7. Drops sock yarn that’s knitting up so fast (2 socks on one circular) that it’s like crazy magic. 

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in 365 days of Grace in Small Things. I’m doing it every Sunday for 52 weeks.

(except this week – I slept through Sunday and although I was grateful, I didn’t document accordingly until Wed.)

week of grace – #6

This week’s small things:

1. Clamato juice, oh how yee make holidays lovely.
2. That bite sized goodie that is chocolate and almond slices layered onto caramel layered onto saltine crackers. It shouldn’t be good but dudes, it’s AMAZING.
3. Home made perogies.
4. The Yarn Harlot and Knitters without Borders
5. Hearing my 2 year old nephew call my name to come play with him in his tent. He can’t quite pronounce my name yet and it’s so adorable.
6. My neighbors who take turns shovelling the sidewalk that runs down our block.  Especially the gentleman that saw me struggling during my turn yesterday, and he came out with his shovel to give me a hand. 
7. Christmas Day Naptime!

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in 365 days of Grace in Small Things. I’m doing it every Sunday for 52 weeks.

week of grace – #5

This week’s small things:

1. Rickard’s White with a slice of orange.
2. Designated drivers. 
3. Christmas shopping in a mall full of nice, friendly, happy, spirity people… it was enjoyable!
4. Double pointed needles
5. Wild mushroom soup
6. A full afternoon with no other activities other than knitting in the warm living room while watching trashy tv.
7. My dad’s shortbread cookies (drool)

Wage a battle against embitterment and take part in 365 days of Grace in Small Things. I’m doing it every Sunday for 52 weeks.