17 things inviting my lips to turn up a bit today

deciding to sleep for an extra hour this morning.

the sun shined for a few minutes today.

cooking lunch for myself and then not working while eating.

my boss's delightful sense of humor.

feeling cocooned by community. (thank you)

listening to the political heads talk on cnn.

wearing my new mickey sweatshirt (it is so soft).

my always straight for my whole life hair is starting to curl when i let it air dry.

the way millie followed me around all day, right by me in every single moment, until she heard the magical sound of the keys in the back door and suddenly found a new source to shadow.

singing loudly in the shower.

looking down and seeing that my AOUSs (ankles of unusual size) are normal again. (does this happen to anyone else when flying across the country? how do i prevent this?)

beginning to replace all the not so great underwear with the new favorite underwear so that each morning i put on a favorite pair instead of an "oh crap i need to do laundry" pair.

the umbrella resting against the back step that i used so that i did not have to get wet while millie did her thing in the midst of this evening's downpour. (thanks for keeping it there.)

saying no to something, even though the decision was hard, saying no.

lighting the healing candle and believing.

realizing that grey's anatomy is new.

remembering there is a frosty in the freezer (and then consuming it while watching grey's anatomy).

eight things (plus one) i have thought about in the last hour or so.

it rains here. sometimes it rains here a lot. (like right now as the rain is pounding the roof.)

i might have had my least stressful holiday ever this thanksgiving. (good food, great company, napping, laughter, no yelling or pouting or disappointment or...how the list goes on.)

if i spend most of a day putting together a jigsaw puzzle, i will try to finish it in my sleep. (but i won't be successful as the puzzle in my dreams looks nothing like the puzzle on my living room table.)

i do like walking in circles. (even though i took a break for a little while, i didn't forget how. well, this helps.)

i wish my friend heather lived here. i miss her terribly. (millie misses her too.) i want her to move in across the street. (or at least win the lottery so she can visit more often...or have a second house here...or something. at least we know we are going to move to the same city when we retire. we haven't lived in the same city ever really. except boarding school but we weren't really friends then so it doesn't count.)

i want to stop the need to explain or fill up empty space with explanation. (i found myself doing this in a phone conversation today. it was odd. and it left me feeling kind of odd.)

when the house is clean, i feel lighter. (and am more likely to decorate for christmas.)

i am really good at planning trips to WDW. (when you are planning your next one, we should talk. seriously. i am really really good at it.)

i am really hungry and just can't stand the thought of having more leftovers for dinner or anything containing turkey or potatoes. (pizza and beer anyone?)

plus one (because i thought about this after choosing a picture for this post):

i love it when i can smell oranges on my fingers. like i can right now. because i had an orange a bit ago. (still hungry though.)

five (really) good things

dahlia at the market, 3 november 2007

a few weeks ago, i invited myself to think of five really good things. and tonight, after a pretty challenging afternoon that included the shedding of some tears (and a morning and evening that included cleaning up after an ill dog on more than one occasion), i extend the invitation to myself again:

name five really good things. right now.

1. tonight's dinner involved conveyor-belt sushi. enough said.

2. exchanging emails with new and old friends fills up my heart. (thank you.)

3. wearing my mary jane slipper socks not only keeps my toes warm, but makes me feel happy, especially when i look down at my feet.

4. today, my teeth are the cleanest they have been in a long, long time.

5. we are totally planning a trip to disney world. yep. i. can't. wait.

and now, i extend the invitation to you:

what are your five really good things? put words to your five things. right now. i dare you.

five really good things

1. the grey's anatomy i know and love is back. finally. as of tonight.

2. when millie lays her head on my knee and sighs i actually feel my heart grow just a bit more.

3. slowly, at a turtle's pace slowly, beginning to like my much shorter hair. (and resting in the frivilous yet true knowledge that it is already growing.)

4. lighting candles throughout the house as evening begins. then whispering blessings into the world as i blow them out before i go to sleep.

5. playing with patchwork makes my soul jump up and down with glee.

i dare you to name five really good things of your own.
right now.

ways to procrastinate*

*or how I am finding ways not to spend time in the little room this week or how I am finding ways not to keep cleaning and organizing this darn house

Play minesweeper

Work for another two hours even though you are done working for the day (but, when you are, afterall, always in your office that is your home, you can just keep working and working)

Watch an episode of Charmed

Check bloglines

Organize email

Watch a bad movie on HBO

Look for new blogs to read

Watch CNN

Check bloglines

Talk on the phone (specifically talk on the phone to Kelly. a lot.)

Go see Harry Potter for the third time in the theatre

Play Shape Shifter

Brainstorm the next six projects you want to make instead of starting the current three you need to finish

Do laundry

Work another hour

Watch a DVR'd episode of Oprah and develop a crush on Benicio Del Toro (he watches the Discovery Channel ladies…I want to be his friend)

Get a haircut (and totally regret it)

Browse a few favorite etsy shops

Check email

Take a long hot shower and think about your to-do list

Write a blog post

Take a long hot shower and think about what you can add to this list

Laugh until you cry watching D.L. Hughley's comedy special on HBO

Look for odd things on ebay (like this and this)

Think about all the things you are going to make with the supplies down the hall in your studio

Plan vacations you might never take

Plan a vacation you know you will take

Go to Portland for the weekend to crash the Art & Soul extravaganza to spend time with some pretty incredible artists and friends**

**so if you are in the area, come to Vendor Night tomorrow and find Kelly and her assistant who is me at her booth!