Leaves and woods.

September 30, 2020

Day 1,455

Thankful for: 

The last day of September. 

The first day of October is tomorrow. 

Leaves are changing colors. 

Seinfeld. 

My family. 

The quiet and beauty and wonder of the woods. 

Little list.

September 29, 2020

Day 1,454

Thankful for: 

Tuesdays. 

sweet students. 

the sweetest husband, kids, and dog. 

phone calls with friends and family. 

new books to read. 

friends at work. 

Home clothes.

September 28, 2020

Day 1,453

Thankful for: 

pizza dates with Heidi. 

conference calls with my mom and Patty. 

texts from Matt. 

knowing that the kids were at home safe and sound with Matt for the day. 

being able to leave super early and get all my prep work done for the upcoming week. 

having time to grade papers. 

sweet students. 

coming home and hearing my babies yell, "MAMA!" Just like old times...

coming home with pizza for Matt. 

coming home to a clean kitchen. 

getting into my "home" clothes; they consist of ratty t-shirts and hole-filled pants. 

taking my bra off after a very long day. 

being greeted by a very happy Higbee. I never mind jumps and kisses when he's just so happy to see me. 

a good Monday. 

rain in the forecast for tomorrow. 

cool weather coming. 

time to sleep. 

laughing with my mom and my sister. 

reading in bed with all my loves. 

At home in the wild woods.

September 27, 2020

Day 1,452

     Thankful for a lovely Sunday at home with my family. We woke up and took a long walk. Then we came home and I made a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, homefries, and toast. Tobin and I watched, My Octopus Teacher on Netflix. We both loved it. It's such an amazing documentary. Then I took Higbee and the kids on another long walk through the neighborhood so I could get to 10,000 steps. I actually made it to: 14,189 steps today. Pretty good for a lazy little Sunday at home. Then I made pizza for Matt for dinner, leftover soup and bread for Adelyn and me, and turkey roll-ups, cheese, apples, chips, and cookies for Tobin. Then we all had ice cream for dessert while we watched football with Matt. 

     It was a wonderful weekend and a lovely Sunday. I am so thankful for the two days that I spent at home in the wild woods with all the greatest loves of my life. I feel so grateful to be living this beautiful life. 

Homemade bread and butter.

September 26, 2020

Day 1,451

Thankful for: 

long walks with my family. 

time to bake bread. 

homemade bread; it's delicious. 

big pots of soup. 

cups of grapes for dessert. 

laughing with Matt. 

talking with Matt. 

holding hands with Matt. 

laughing with Matt over Adelyn being in a very bad mood. 

walks with Higbee. 

homemade bread and butter and soup for dinner. 

watching nature shows with the kids. 

Matt helping with chores. 

Date night.

September 25, 2020

Day 1,450

Thankful for: 

a date with Tobin. 

milkshakes and french fries. 

Harry Potter scarves and ties for Halloween. 

getting a Halloween outfit for Tobin. 

time with my sister. 

being able to bring pizza home for Matt. 

rainy nights. 

late night trips to Wegman's with Addy and Tobin. 

two days at home ahead. 

Thursday Three.

September 24, 2020

Day 1,449

Thankful for: 

Thursdays. 

one more day until the weekend. 

sweet students. 

Being excited to talk to Matt.

September 23, 2020

Day 1,448

Thankful for: 

a walk with my family after school. 

a good day at school. 

good food to eat. 

a clean kitchen. 

a lovely dinner. 

beautiful weather. 

time to write at night even if it's just for a few minutes. 

the fact that Matt waits for me to write and to make my tea before he goes up to bed as well. 

Higbee being spooked and needing me to walk him; it's nice to be needed. 

Tobin being excited about penmanship. 

holding hands with Matt. 

being excited to talk to him like any best friend is excited to talk to their best friend after a day apart. 

tomorrow is the last day of Matt's tour and then he's off for four days. 

tomorrow is Thursday and that's one day closer to Friday. 

morning phone calls with Patty. 

afternoon phone calls wtih Jason. 

a good Wednesday. 

Addy's cabybara project on the kitchen table. 

Tobin's dogwood project on the kitchen table. 

More things to count as blessings.

September 22, 2020

Day 1,447

     Today, I am thankful for beautiful weather. For dinner at home with my babies. For long walks through the neighborhood with my kids and my dog. I'm thankful for the many, many times that Adelyn and Tobin and Matt tell me they love me during the day. It's too many to count, but I need to hear it. Thankful for chicken. And rice with butter. Thankful for time to read to my babies at the end of the day. Thankful for time to sleep in my nice, cozy bed. Thankful that tomorrow is Wednesday and that means only two more days until the weekend. Thankful for my sister and my mom. Thankful for phone conversations on the way home from school with whoever can pick up at the time I'm driving. Sometimes, it's Matt. Other times, Patty. Other times my mom or my grandma. Thankful for our home. Thankful for our gravelly (is this a word?) driveway. Thankful for time to be quiet and not do anything but lay in bed. Thankful for sweet students. Thankful for another sucessful day in school. It wasn't perfect, but it was good. Everyone learned and everyone was safe and healthy and happy. That's a success. 

     Just thankful. I have more things to count as blessings than I do to complain about. Way more. And I'm choosing to focus on those good things. 

The end of this day.

September 21, 2020

Day 1,446

     Today was a Monday. It was a good day; it's just that even good days are hard at school now because of coronavirus. I don't have a break except on Mondays and Fridays. My prep work has more than doubled. My students have more than doubled. It's a lot. I'm not going to sugar coat it. I'm overwhelmed. I find myself taking many deep breaths during the day. I find myself wishing for easier days. 

     I left work promptly at 4 pm. I could stay for hours each night, but I have to think of my children, my husband, and myself. I have to think of my mental health. We came home and took a long walk through the neighborhood. It was nice and cool and it was a good time to clear my head. 

     We had homemade pizza for dinner on paper plates. I cleaned the kitchen, made lunches, and I'm going to be in bed well before 8 o'clock tonight. Even though the day was hard, I did what I needed to do. The kids were taken care of, loved, fed, and we exercised. I have to count that as a success. 

     Thankful for little sucesses. Thankful for the end of this day. Thankful for one day down until the weekend. Thankful that Matt joined us on our walk tonight even though he didn't want to. Thankful for hugs and love from my family. 

Maple Sugar Candy.

September 20, 2020

Day 1,445

Thankful for: 

Sunday mornings. 

bagels and eggs and bacon at my parent's house for breakfast. 

blankets in the grass in a shady spot. 

a trip to the learning store with my mom and my sister. 

time to go to Trader Joe's. 

finding maple sugar candy to give my students. 

Pollyanna. 

Seinfeld. 

time to read to Adelyn in bed about her changing body. 

sausage, rice, and brussel sprouts for dinner. 

Higbee. 

large mugs of tea.

lunches made for tomorrow morning. 

a fresh week of school ahead of us. 

Days spent outside.

September 19, 2020

Day 1,444

Thankful for: 

days spent entirely outside. 

time to clean and organize a bit while the kids played outside. 

time to do the fire pit with our family. 

playing the Harry Potter game with the kids. 

cooking another dinner over the fire pit with family. 

wine. 

time to be at home and quiet with my family. 

cool weather. 

Cheese and bread.

September 18, 2020

Day 1,443

Thankful for: 

Friday nights. 

the fire pit. 

bottles of wine. 

hot dogs and brats roasted over the fire for dinner. 

smores. 

music. 

cool weather. 

family. 

American Spirits. 

burrata cheese and bread. 

time to play a Harry Potter game with the kids. 

making good use of the the late afternoon and evening on Fridays; it extends the weekened. 

Pizza after meetings.

September 17, 2020

Day 1,442

Thankful for: 

Thursdays. 

meetings after school. 

pizza with friends after meetings after school. 

cheese and tomato and garlic is always good. 

chocolate cake. 

the movie Pollyanna. 

Hot coffee; cool mornings.

September 16, 2020

Day 1,441

Thankful for: 

only two more days until the weekend. 

beautiful weather. 

being able to read to my students outside. 

Adelyn and Tobin. 

my husband. 

drives to school with hot coffee in the cool mornings. 

Bread book.

September 15, 2020

Day 1,440

     Today, I am thankful for so many things. Things like: 

homemade soup and biscuits for dinner. 

meatballs. 

coming home after school with my babies. 

driving to work with my babies. 

tomorrow is Wednesday. 

cool weather. 

a cool breeze blowing outside. 

Higbee. 

my new bread book came today; I'm going to learn all about baking bread. 

lavender oil. 

my sister to the rescue; she's always been my sister to the rescue. She came to my house and fed and walked Higbee for us. 

Tobin and Adelyn having great days at school. 

Tobin wearing a mohawk to school today. 

sweet students. 

the feeling of accomplishment I feel right now after getting some school things done. 

a new daily schedule for my class at school. 

setting meetings; sometimes it makes me feel very important. 

Seinfeld. 

keeping in touch with friends and family using a special app. 

time to sleep. 

a clean kitchen. 

Sweetest sound ever.

September 14, 2020

Day 1,439

     Today, I am thankful for so many things. For my job. For friends. For family. For quiet drives home. For grocery runs where I can buy absolutely everything I want. Thankful to be able to come home to the most beautiful house in the woods. Thankful for sweet students. Thankful for new challenges; they make me a better person. Thankful for little hugs and kisses throughout the day from Adelyn and Tobin. Thankful for messages I get throughout the day from Adelyn on Google Hangouts. Thankful for the sweetest sound ever; the sound of Matt reading to our babies before bed. They finished Wishtree tonight. Thankful for a lovely Monday. Looking forward to tomorrow. 

Baby cricket.

September 13, 2020

Day 1,438

Thankful for: 

Tobin laying quietly in bed next to me while I write tonight. He was lonely. 

A lovely Sunday at home all to ourselves. 

Walks with Higbee. 

Walks with my babies. 

We saw a huge bird fly through the woods while we were walking. 

I saw a baby cricket today. It was so, so tiny and perfect and cute. 

I made sausage, rice, and brussel sprouts for dinner. My kids love it. I put olives, parsley, and feta in mine too. 

Ice cream after dinner. 

Texts with my husband. 

Time to play outside with my children. 

Finding spider webs. 

Seeing a black and white woodpecker in the forest. 

Tobin helped me make lunch. 

Addy helped me make dinner. 

Addy and I had a good time looking through cookbooks today and deciding what we want to make. 

I made a sourdough starter today; I'm excited about it. 

I ordered a bread making book today. I can't wait to read it and start baking bread. 

Matt will be home tomorrow. 

Gravy.

September 12, 2020

Day 1,437

Thankful for: 

a day at home with all my loves. 

my husband and the way he loves me so intensely. 

roasted chicken, rice, roasted carrots, and gravy for dinner. 

Patty came over with Starbucks for me and Matt. 

time to laugh. 

time to talk. 

new curtains. 

new tree decals on our walls. 

a new table in our living room. 

greens and grays. 

tea. 

Four.

September 11, 2020

Day 1,436

Thankful for: 

the end of this day. 

the fact that today is Friday. 

an entire weekend to spend at home with all the great loves of my life. 

cool weather in the mornings. 

Five.

September 10, 2020

Day 1,435

I am thankful for: 

evenings spent with my husband in bed. 

the weekend coming soon; tomorrow is Friday. 

wine. 

a delicious dinner of curry chicken, rice, and naan. 

our home; we've been putting new decorations up and things on our walls. It's a good feeling to make our home even more beautiful. 

The end of this day.

September 9, 2020

Day 1,434

     Thankful for the end of this day. It was a good day, but I'm tired and in need of bed time. Thankful for sweet students. Thankful for encouraging emails from parents. Thankful for light raindrops hitting my skin during recess. Thankful for a rainy evening at home. Thankful for my husband. I love getting little texts from him during the day. Thankful that when I came home today, Matt was on a ladder putting up a tree decal in our living room. Thankful that my children are feeling better and Matt just so happened to have a four day when they got sick. Thankful that Matt and I are not sick. Thankful that my sister and her kids are feeling better. Thankful for a cleaned kitchen. Thankful for only two days left until the weekend. I can't wait to just be home this weekend. Thankful for a chicken to roast slowly on Saturday. Thankful for potatoes to mash. Thankful for vegetables to make a beautiful salad with. Thankful for our home among the trees. There is no where else I'd rather live. Thankful for things to be thankful for. 

Tuesday things to be thankful for.

September 8, 2020

Day 1,433

     Today, I am thankful for my husband. I'm thankful he prays for me when I'm scared. He understands that I need him to quietly place his hand on me and pray. I understand that he doesn't like to pray out loud. I'm thankful that he takes good care of our children. I'm thankful he does dishes and laundry. I'm thankful he loves me so intensely. I'm thankful that he loves me enough to let me pick out the girliest, flounciest, curtains I could find for our home and puts them up for me the very day they arrive in the mail. Matt never makes me wait on things. He asks for hugs when I come home. He smiles when he sees me. He lets me watch old movies in bed like Pollyanna and The Parent Trap. He texts me during the day even when I forget to text him. He's a gift. 

     Today, I am thankful that my children are better. They had fevers today, but they are feeling better this evening. I'm thankful that I came home today to two very talkatve, happy children. 

     I am thankful for Adelyn. She likes to hang around and talk to me. She's a joy to know and an even greater joy to love. She's got beautiful blue eyes. She loves to laugh and smile. She's my lighthouse. Always has been. Always will be. She has saved me on many a dark and stormy night. I don't deserve her. 

     I am thankful for Tobin. He likes to play jokes on us. Like tonight...he came out when Matt and I were taking Higbee out and just stood quietly in the yard. He laughed hysterically when Matt startled and noticed him. I'm thankful for little sentences I found on his Google Classroom that he had written to his teacher. He wrote this: 

I was sike

I meant I was sick. I got a new laptop from my parents. It is awesome!

Finding little nuggets of Tobin's treasures around makes my heart beam with pride. Tobin is mine. And he is amazing. Tobin is an old soul. He is wise beyond his years. When he speaks, one should listen intently. He has good things to say. 

     Thankful that Patty got a negative result on her Covid-19 test. Thankful that her kids are starting to feel a bit better. Thankful that I get to go in early tomorrow and work on some things. 

     Thankful for a good day. God is good to me. I don't deserve such goodness or grace or love or blessings. 

 

A good Monday.

September 7, 2020

Day 1,432

Thankful for: 

Matt coming home safe and sound this morning. 

Not having to set my alarm clock for this morning. 

Having time to help my babies clean their toy room and their rooms today. 

Having extra time to just be home and be quiet with my babies because they're not feeling well today. 

A delicious dinner; chicken, rice, and brussel sprouts. 

Ice cream on the couch. 

Time to watch Harry Potter. 

Lunches made, kitchen clean, ready to hit the bed and it's not even 8 PM yet. 

Higbee hid his bully stick today. I gave him one after we came in from outside. He ate half, and then hid the other half. We had no idea he did this until he started trying to get something from the couch. He was digging his nose way down deep between the cushions. When he came up again, he had his bully stick. It always amazes me when Higbee does something so very dog like. 

New adventures starting tomorrow. 

The knowledge that my kids will be home tomorrow. 

Sunlight.

September 6, 2020

Day 1,431

Thankful for: 

beautiful weather. 

Sundays spent mostly at home. 

the way the sunlight comes in the windows in the afternoon. 

new Legos for my babies; they are so happy. 

Higbee being cuddly. 

caring for my plants and cleaning my home. 

setting things on my new mantle. 

texts with my husband. 

Matt and I have plans to renew our wedding vows on our 20th wedding anniversary. Matt told me that he would love to marry me again. And I have been hanging on those words. God blessed me beyond measure when He gave me the gift of Matt. 

easy dinners of eggs and bagels. 

late nights. 

God's plans are beautiful.

September 5, 2020

Day 1,430

Thankful for: 

family dinners. 

being able to see all my nephews and nieces. 

the ability to let my children play outside without supervision. 

letting Higbee run in the yard. 

burgers and hot dogs on the grill. 

trees and flowers and plants. 

deer in the yard. 

my husband put up a mantle over our fireplace and I've never loved him more or felt more at home in our house. 

we hung the plans for our house in our hallway today. I learned that our house is called, "The Wakefield." I also learned that it was built in 1997. Before Matt and I were even dating, our home was being built for us. God's plans are beautiful. 

hugs, kisses, and cuddles from all my loves. 

laughter. 

watching Mulan together as a family. 

Milkshakes and french fries.

September 4, 2020

Day 1,429

Thankful for: 

time to get my classroom ready for virtual learning. 

time to watch my children play on the playground. 

time with my nephew and my nieces. 

Armando helping me in my classroom. 

grace and love from my children even when I don't deserve it. 

milkshakes and french fries in the car after a stressful day. 

rainy drives home. 

rainy evenings spent at home. 

the knowledge that tomorrow is a new day and I can make it whatever I want to make it. 

Two things on a Thursday.

September 3, 2020

Day 1,428

Thankful because: 

Today is my Friday. I have an extra long weekend ahead of me and I'm very excited for it. 

I cannot wait to be at home with my family. 

The very foggy forest.

September 2, 2020

Day 1,427

Thankful for: 

Phone calls in the morning with my mom and my sister. 

Driving down our driveway to go to school in the morning. 

The very foggy forest. 

Prayers in the morning with Adelyn and Tobin. 

Music in the morning. 

Messages from my cousin on Marco Polo. 

Sleepless in Seattle. Not once, but twice today. (Stop judging me...it's not like I watched it all the way through both times. It was on in the background.)

Wishtree. I'm reading it to my babies before bed every night. It's such a lovely book. Full of simple truths. 

Tomorrow is my Friday. I can't wait to be home for four whole days this very long weekend. 

My new amber braclet. 

My new microphone for school. It's saving my voice. 

Our home. 

Higbee laying on the kitchen table. 

Texts from Matt. 

Matt will be home tomorrow. I love the days when Matt is at home. I like to think of him all cozy and snug at home with Higbee while I'm at work. 

Four.

September 1, 2020

Day 1,426

Thankful for: 

The first day of September. I love this day because I love September. It feels like a new beginning to me. Even though we've had a week of school already, now it feels real because it's September. 

Sleepless in Seattle. I've watched it probably ten times in the past week alone. Not that I've sat down and watched it over and over, I just have it playing in the background while I work, clean, or cook. It's a comforting movie. It's cozy, and when I watch it, I feel cozy. 

Texts from Matt. I love getting little love messages from the love of my life. Matt can still make my stomach jump when he kisses me or touches me. Absolute truth. 

Adelyn and Tobin. They make everything beautiful. And fun. And happy. And messy. And cheery.