G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y

-Seeing richly colored fuchsias still blooming in the front yard, amidst fall leaves.

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-Jeff tying our set of measuring spoons to the Ergo carrier. Genius! He heard me comment that Bracken’s game of fetch (throwing things on the floor for me to retrieve while he’s in the carrier) was a lot more fun for him than it was for me (as I bent over for the upteenth time in the midst of a kitchen project.) Then I smiled as Bracken happily played with the measuring spoons (and could no longer throw them on the floor for me to get.)
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-Thrift store scores! A cast iron pan (the perfect size for making scrambled eggs, which was just what I was wanting), a wooden potty for Bracken (much better than the plastic one he’s been using), a bunch of cotton pants for Bracken, some new display boards for our booth….!!
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-Packaging up Etsy orders. I love packaging up Etsy orders!
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-Discovering that grapes with crunchy seeds make incredibly delicious raisins!
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-Cuddling with Jeff. It makes my soul hum.
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-Seeing the look on Bracken’s face when Jeff whistles with blades of grass. It’s so funny.
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-Days throughout the week where Bracken didn’t have a diaper on all day long. Before we did Natural Infant Hygiene with diapers (I brought him to the potty continually throughout the day and had diapers on in between, just in case.) Now we are just using cotton pants and I still take him to the potty regularly. (I got a bunch of cotton pants at the thrift store just for this purpose.) He has been dry most of the time, we’ve hardly had any wet pants to change. I love the communication between us and the times when I listen to my intuition (I’m always glad when I listen to it.)
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-Having to pay to dump garbage in our area. When you have to haul it and pay for it, it makes you really conscious of how much waste you create. We are happy to keep lessening it.
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-Fruit smoothies. What a treat!
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-A few days where Jeff stayed up later because he was so inspired to create in the shop. The following days he joined Bracken’s morning naps. I adore watching them sleep together.
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-A warm bath. Blueberries cool from the freezer. Good combo.
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-All the delicious meals Jeff makes all the time and for the times he saves me when I’m starving.
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-Crystals hanging in the window and the rainbows they make all over the room when the light shines in.
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-Jeff cleaning out the culvert down below when it got blocked by a fallen log and insulating a few old windows to make the house warmer. Bless him. I can’t say that enough.
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-Bracken handing me his radio to tell me he needed to poop. (Usually he makes our cueing sound to tell me.) My grandma gave him a toy that my own mom played with when she was a baby. You wind it up like a music box. I sometimes play it for Bracken when he is taking a poop on the potty to keep him entertained. One day he started fussing out of the blue and fervently handing me his radio… then it struck me -a-ha- he was telling me he had to go. Sure enough.
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-A night where Bracken fell asleep without nursing. (Nursing is usually the only way he’ll fall asleep, I can probably count on one hand the number of times he has fallen asleep without nursing since he’s been born.) Jeff was playing the guitar and singing downstairs. Bracken was listening to him with a peaceful “in the zone” look on his face and then quietly fell asleep. I was amazed.
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-Cod Liver Oil on sale! We had been out for awhile and could feel that our bodies were really needing it. We were so happy when two were the price we normally buy one bottle for.
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-That when you work from home, you can wear your pajamas if you feel like it!
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-Over 500 sales on our Etsy Shop! That’s 500 items we have made with our own hands. A lot of work went into those 500 creations and that’s something to be proud of. And it makes us so very grateful for the wonderful people who support our family business.
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-Jeff saying “we really need some cash”, then having a surprise check in the mail. I love synchronicities.
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-Feeling so productive lately.
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-Washing the Ergo carrier. Being without it while it dried by the woodstove, (and holding Bracken on my hip, doing things one-handed) made me realize even more how much I appreciate it and rely on it every day to get so much done.
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-Nice comments on my blog. They make me so happy.
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-Eating soup to the sound of the rain.
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-Clean bedding! Ahhhh…. {deep sigh}
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-Nights when Bracken falls asleep early so I can have a little quiet time to myself.
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-The runner guides (the ones that help find missing items) helping us find Jeff’s keys and Bracken’s missing shoe, when I asked them for help. They help us find missing things all the time and I’m grateful.
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-Working through so much stuff in the dreamtime. It’s intense, but it’s healing.
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-Remembering to count my blessings, even in the midst of challenges. Challenges can bring so much growth, be so humbling, and show us what we take for granted. Our truck wouldn’t start yesterday. We talked about how we take being able to drive for granted. In the country, we can’t just hop on a bus. A vehicle that runs is sure something to be grateful for!
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-Eating spoonfuls of our homemade applesauce while I write this post.