Daybook Love

It's been nine months since my last entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook. Sometimes I think I should make this a weekly tradition, or at least a few times a month. Helps me to clear my thoughts and feel refreshed.

Won't you join me?

♥ Outside my window... are the hints of a rainy day. I believe I'll be biking home from the cafe in a bit of a downpour, I do believe. But I don't really mind. This city's beautiful in the rain.

♥ I am thinking... about the beginning of fall, and how I'd very much like a new autumn-scented Yankee Candle. My word, I love those things.

♥ I am thankful... for beautiful smiles, finding two eggs in the coop this morning, my wonderful neighbourhood, the kindness of strangers & for every moment spent with my daughter .

♥ In the kitchen... some organizaition needs to happen. My new roomie moved in yesterday and I think she might like to have a cupboard of her own.

♥ I am wearing... a pretty cute outfit, actually. Black tights, knit dress, brown cardy, my favourite scarf and my hair is wild like a lioness.

♥ I am creating... a positive space around me. Negativity begone -- you don't belong here.

♥ I am going... to stop bothering to worry about money. Where does that get me?

♥ I am wondering... if I'll always feel much older than my years.

♥ I am reading... Seven Times the Sun. It's one of my most cherished parenting books.

♥ I am hoping... for an autumn season that lasts and lasts.

♥ I am looking forward to... new beginnings, the holiday season & mounds of pumpkin pie.

♥ I am hearing... the true songs of my soul, peering through, happy in acknowledgment.

♥ Around the house... things are hectic as my new housemate settles in. All shall be lovely once the dust has settled. I hadn't realized much I'd gotten used to being alone -- I'm in transition, mes amis.

♥ I am pondering... a handmade Christmas this year. My sewing machine is a delightful creature, begging for my attention.

♥ One of my favorite things... about this season is walks in the woods, admiring nature at its finest.

♥ A few plans for the rest of the week... a shift at the shop, on call for my early October mama, teaching prenatal, lots of reading & perhaps a Movie in the Park night with Gretchen this evening.

♥ A photo for thought...

Daybook Love

I think today would be a good day for my fourth entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook...

♥ Outside my window... there's an abundance of snow.

♥ I am thinking... that we're most definitely going to have a snowy & magical Christmas this year. (A few years back there was no snow on Christmas day and it was a little heartbreaking.)

♥ I am thankful for... my partner's mother who has come in to visit with Gretchen tonight so that I may enjoy a Girls' Night Out with my dear friend Heidi (who has just begun working on this blog).

♥ From the kitchen... my pork chops are finished after a day in the crock pot (but I'm going out for Indian food).

♥ I am wearing... my favourite jeans, although for most of my day I stayed in my pajama pants (re: the boy's pajama pants), because my tummy wasn't feeling so good.

♥ I am creating... a completely peaceful feeling about the holidays. No stress here, we're nearly set, and even if we're not, there's nothing to be done by worrying. Be still & go gently.

♥ I am going... to BlogHer'11 this summer. I have decided.

♥ I am reading... so many blogs that I can hardly squeeze you all in, but please know I try my best to comment as much as my speedy fingers will allow.

♥ I am hoping... that the antibiotics I'm taking will stop making me sick & that my tummy will feel better soon.

♥ I am hearing... the sounds of Gretchen and her gramma, together in the living room (or possibly eating dinner together).

♥ Around the house... things are looking quite festive and rather tidy (if I do say so myself).

♥ One of my favorite things... is stout. A good, thick, drink-it-like-a-meal stout.

♥ A few plans for the rest of the week... a coffee date, a baby shower, meeting a friend's new son & at the end of it all, enjoying a most fabulous Christmas celebration with my friends and family.

♥ A photo for thought...

Daybook Love

Time for another entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook.

♥ Outside my window... there may be a slight breeze, but I know it's actually hot and humid. The last drops of summer are being squeezed out of the sky and I can feel Autumn just around the corner.

♥ I am thinking... about Halloween and Christmas. A lot.

♥ I am thankful for... the crisp Autumn air that's been creeping in our windows at night. It's delicious.

♥ From the kitchen... comes the wrath of the fruit flies. They have taken over, but we haven't given up. One by one they fall victim to our little traps (of wine & soap) and some have been sucked up out of midair me and my handheld Dyson.

♥ I am wearing... jeans and a black tank. Just like every other day.

♥ I am creating... to-do lists and book lists. Lists of all kinds.

♥ I am going... out for a sushi date with the boy (if he ever manages to get changed in time).

♥ I am reading... lots of home birth stories on blogs. I love hearing from mamas after they've welcomed their little ones.

♥ I am hoping... that Gretchen will continue to sleep through the night as she has for the last two nights. I dare not think about it too much.

♥ I am hearing... little birds and the sounds of laundry being pulled in from a neighbour's line. Squeak, squeak.

♥ Around the house... we've been doing lots of tidying. Especially this morning. Many bags of clothing have been packed up and soon they'll be off to new homes. Our hall closet is now 98% tidy.

♥ One of my favorite things... to do when I need to relax is to curl up on the couch with some tea and an old episode of (you guessed it) Gilmore Girls. There's something very comforting about knowing what is going to happen.

♥ A few plans for the rest of the week... lots of photo editing and reading.

♥ A photo for thought...

Daybook Love

Tonight seems like the perfect night for another entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook.

♥ Outside my window... the rain was falling briefly, but has now stopped.

♥ I am thinking... about the fact that I am now the mother of an amazing 18-month-old baby. Only maybe she's not such a baby anymore.

♥ I am thankful for... our beautiful breastfeeding relationship. In those first few weeks I never thought we'd make it this far, but here we are. I can't imagine not nursing and I don't think she could either. I trust that Gretchen will nurse for as long as she needs too.

♥ From the kitchen... I am excited about the fabulous bounty from our community food cooperative which I brought home this afternoon: salad mix, kohlrabi, summer onions, swiss chard, parsley, beans, radishes, carrots and cucumbers!

♥ I am wearing... my favourite jeans (as usual), a black tank top & my brown, button-up cardigan.

♥ I am creating... a lending library for my future doula practice, one book at a time.

♥ I am going... to be taking some photos at the wedding of two friends tomorrow. I wish them a lifetime of love.

♥ I am reading... The Doula Guide to Birth, Penny Simkin's The Birth Partner & yes, I'm still tackling Breaking Dawn.

♥ I am hoping... to get through most of tomorrow's wedding without crying, but there's little chance I'll be able to keep my composure. Weddings get to me every single time. They are just so beautiful.

♥ I am hearing... the sounds of the boy searching around the main floor of our house as he tries to find a guitar pick so that he can busk downtown tonight.

♥ Around the house... things are relatively tidy & I'm trying to fret less about mess.

♥ One of my favorite things... to do at night is to sit quietly in my living room, propped up with a pillow on the couch, a warm blanket, a cup of tea & something lovely to read. I only wish it happened more often.

♥ A few plans for the rest of the week... lots of family time, especially over the weekend & I'm hoping to finish at least one of my books.

♥ A photo for thought...

Goodnight, dear hearts & kind souls.

Daybook Love

I've spotted this list from The Simple Woman's Daybook on a few blogs this week, so I thought I might join in tonight.

♥ Outside my window... the night is still & quiet.

♥ I am thinking... about climbing into bed soon with my little one & reading til I fall asleep.

♥ I am thankful for... my beautiful daughter. Every single moment.

♥ From the kitchen... I just polished off some delicious edamame, salted just slightly.

♥ I am wearing... my favourite jeans, a grey tank & a cozy black cardigan. The perfect outfit for relaxing on the couch alone, on a warm & foggy Tuesday evening.

♥ I am creating... a minimalist home -- one step at a time. Perhaps it'll taking a million steps, but you've got to start somewhere.

♥ I am going... to buy a car soon. It'll be used and it'll be small.

♥ I am reading... a vast collection of books about birth & doulas, as well as the two novels I have on the go: The Shelters of Stone, and Breaking Dawn. Page by page.

♥ I am hoping... to complete the bulk of my doula training by October 2010.

♥ I am hearing... the fuzz from the baby monitor, and the background sounds of Gilmore Girls.

♥ Around the house... I've done a lot of cleaning today -- enough to make the living room as calm as possible. I find it so hard to focus on life when there are messes about.

♥ One of my favorite things... is when Gretchen falls asleep in my arms, so warm & sweet.

♥ A few plans for the rest of the week... A lunch date on Friday, plenty of reading, lots of time with the babe & hopefully a date with the boy.

♥ Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Goodnight, dear hearts.

Sleep well.