Gratitude Day #16: The Halloween Edition

Who isn't thankful for Halloween?


The orange, the black, the crispy leaves, the pumpkins, the cool air, the costumes, the candy, the dark, the spooky, and the fun. All mixed together in one holiday.

Happy Halloween!

Gratitude Day #15: The Light at the End of the Tunnel Edition

I'm in the final throes of the landscaping season. We have just a couple of weeks until *poof* it's done.

It's extremely busy, this final few weeks of work. So busy that I've been spacing things like orthodontist appointments, chess classes, and basketball practice. Just completely forgetting them! I think I've been remembering to change out of my pajamas before I leave in the morning, but I'm not entirely sure.

I'm really grateful that it's almost over and I can get back to the life I was destined to lead. You know, the one where I get to stay in my slippers all day and read and eat and drink coffee and actually feel ready for the kids to come home from school.

Ah, it's coming!

Gratitude Day #14: Overhearing Things

At Ben's birthday party this weekend, I overheard a conversation amongst the 9 year-olds that made me thankful.

The topic of McDonald's came up, and one little boy said, "I hate McDonald's, it's just so unhealthy."

And rather than gasps from the rest of his peers, they all instantly agreed. They chimed in with, "Yeah, it's not really even food." and "The only time I've ever gone to McDonald's I got sick."

They went on to express their disgust at the fact that our town movie theater (which closed down recently) was replaced with a Culver's. Agreeing that "No town needs THAT much fast food," they plotted to protest by picketing in the new Culver's parking lot.

They didn't mention doing it with lightsabers and swords, but I'm sure they have it in mind. They are boys, after all.

Needless to say, this mother's heart was happy. Imagine this group of little boys flying together in the face of millions of dollars of advertising aimed right at them. Watch them recognize at this early age that the foods they eat affect their bodies. Cheer for them as they show us how intelligent they are, and how independent of our ingrained fast-food culture.

I'm so proud of them! It gives me hope that we can turn around trends like this, maybe even in their lifetime.

Gratitude Day #13: The Joy of Benjamin Edition

Nine years ago today a joy blew into my life that had never been there before.


Its name, as it turned out, was Benjamin John.


Joy came in with huge blue eyes that, after soaking up the world for a while,


decided it was a place to smile, laugh and have fun.

Even if that fun sometimes meant trouble. Many times, actually.

Eventually you even grew into those big beautiful eyes, Ben, but the joy you bring is too big to grow into.

So you share it with everyone, people and animals alike.

You've made it your job to have fun and to make sure that everyone else is, too. Your spirit is kind and generous and it laughs a lot.

And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing it with us.

Happy Birthday, Benner!

Gratitude Day #12: Candlelight Night Edition

A whole night of no-electricity-allowed. Done every once in a while to reduce stress and reconnect.

Gratitude Day #11: The Cemetery Walk Edition

I'm grateful to live in a town that does a full-moon cemetery walk every year.



Actors portray some of the more famous "residents" at their gravesites.



It's one of my favorite nights of the year.

We Interrupt This Gratitude for a Political Message

Editor's note: Due to the jostling crowds and the constantly-moving-to-engage-the-crowds nature of candidates and the fact that this camera is a little touchy, some of the following photos are annoyingly blurry. My apologies.

A ticket to get out of school early.

A lot of patience and antics while we stood and waited for ever and ever.

And then a little of this...


(Senator Amy Klobuchar)

And a little of this...

(Ashwin Madia)

And a little of this.

(Al Franken's fourth grade teacher)

Then some more waiting and being patient and using our time wisely.

And suddenly...this!

(somewhere in the blur is Hillary)

And this!

And some of this!

(Hillary and Al Franken)

Makes for a good night of this:

Gratitude Day #10: Touching Edition

I am grateful that every once in a while I catch them sitting right next to each other...

touching even...

and not fighting.

Gratitude Day #9: Storm Window Edition

I love Storm Window Day each fall.

We take down the screens, pull out the storm windows, and spend the afternoon washing them and putting them up.

These bubbly, wavy pieces of glass are almost 100 years old, and they are by no means actually storm windows. Not by today's standards. In fact, we can usually feel the cold air coming right through them.

But the glass is so beautiful and the house seems to sparkle when they're on.

The ritual of putting them up every year is so seasonal. You know, it's one of those rituals that makes you feel like you're putting the house to bed for the winter. I love that we work so methodically together on this chore...no words necessary, just an afternoon spent in repetitious motion. Remove window, wash window, wash storm, attach storm. Remove window, etc.

So while new, efficient windows that don't require separate storm windows are definitely in our future, for now I am grateful to have this rite of fall to enjoy.

And I'm grateful that all winter I get to see the world through wavy, bubbly, beautiful glass.

Gratitude Day #8: Time With Mom Edition

For Christmas last year my mom gave me the gift of a weekend away together, which I cashed in this week. We escaped (what?? more playing hookie??) for an overnight on Wednesday to the little town of Lanesboro, MN. It's a quaint little old town nestled in the Root River valley. It's surrounded by the most beautiful cliffs that were covered with full fall color.

And guess what? We forgot our cameras!

So, here is a link to Lanesboro so you can get a feel for it. The Root River and a bike trail cut through the town, so there is lots of recreation, which has brought this little town back to life with shops, restaurants, theater and lots of little inns and B&B's.

We spent the night at an elegant Victorian B&B. The beds were cozy, the house beautiful, and the hosts wonderful. Click here for photos of Peter and Vicki Torkelson's Scandinavian Inn.

After being served an unbelievable breakfast of shirred eggs with sun dried tomatoes and Jarlsberg cheese, homemade Belgian waffles with syrup that the inn keepers had tapped themselves, fresh fruits and muffins, we realized what has been missing in our lives for so long. An innkeeper. Duh! If we'd thought of this sooner, we'd have been living this high life for a long time now.

Just think. An innkeeper would get up early, tap the maple trees, take the kids to school, boil down the syrup, make me coffee and breakfast on fine china, make the beds, do the dishes, and be warm and friendly and accommodating the whole time.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING WITHOUT AN INNKEEPER???

An innkeeper could also, let's pretend, take pictures of people who forget their cameras. And obligingly email them to said people:

An innkeeper is a household necessity.

All rested and taken care of, we went forth into the beautiful day and strolled and shopped and browsed and talked.

After admitting to a mutual curiosity of the Amish, we decided to spend the afternoon on a tour of the Amish community nearby, which was fascinating. I have to say they've got a point. Modern industry, development and consumerism HAVE led us down the wrong path. Our souls and our planet ARE compromised by our lifestyle, and they've been peacefully separating themselves from it for a long time. Smart people.

And while they may not agree with the mainstream values and lifestyle, they sure do capitalize on it! The small group we were with happily purchased baskets, wood pieces, fruit preserves and quilts. This little tourist gig is what keeps most of these farmsteads operating.

After leaving Lanesboro, we meandered home along back country roads, entranced by the rolling hills and gorgeous fall colors. We stopped in Rochester for a great meal in a little bistro and then headed home.

I'm so grateful for this little get-away. Grateful to have a great mom, grateful that she wants to spend time with me, and grateful that we had this little experience together.

Thanks, mom. I love you!

Gratitude Day #7: The School Conference Edition

One thing that makes me happy, proud, tickled and grateful is having two such fantastic kids.

Especially kids whose school conferences make us so welled up with pride that we have to go out afterwards and eat HUGE amounts of ice cream to celebrate.

Theo and Ben, I am so grateful to share this life with you. Kisshug.

Gratitude Day #6: The Playing Hookie Edition

There's nothing I love more than a day spent not working. Especially the kind of day that seems to last forever because each minute spent not working is a gift.

Last Friday as clients called and plans lay on my desk unfinished, I played hookie. What started out as a couple of stolen hours turned into an entire day of absence. It was grand!

Our neighbor and I took the kayaks out on the river to catch some fall color. The trip was supposed to be short, and there was supposed to be rain and clouds.

But the Gods of Hookie had other plans, because the sun came out and it was a beautiful 75 degree day full of bright fall colors. Floating down that river in the warm sunshine was nothing short of dreamy.



I am full of gratitude to have had a day of extravagant freedom.

Gratitude Day #5: Nap Edition

I love naps.

I am so full of gratitude for naps. Especially late afternoon naps, when I can cozy in on the couch between Theo and Ben while they watch Arthur and WordGirl and I can catch an hour of delicious sleep.

When I wake up, the boys have curled themselves in around my legs and we're all peaceful and cozy.

They don't even make fun of the fact that I've drooled.

I love naps.

Gratitude Day #4: Stuffed Olives Edition

Whose idea was it to stuff an olive with garlic, jalapenos, AND onion, thus creating an entire meal?



Whoever it was, I am GRATEFUL!


Add a glass of wine, a little Ray LaMontagne, and you've got yourself a night out!

Gratitude Day #3: Fall Edition

I am so grateful for fall. It just makes me happy.

And I'm grateful to live in a place that's so fall-tastic.

Gratitude Day #2: Fleece Edition

An Ode to My Fleece

Oh, fleece. What would I do without you?

You are my comfort
my warmth
my jacket
my nap blanket
my bathrobe
sometimes my pajamas
and always my friend.

You are always right there where I left you,
and when I slide myself into your soft embrace
I wonder why I ever took you off in the first place.
(Oh yeah...to take a shower....)

Your weight is perfect, your colors hide stains.
I can wear you when it's sunny and when it rains.

Oh, my old fleece. When the weather started getting cooler
and I opened the closet door, there you were, making my heart leap
for joy that we could be together again.

Thank you, fleece. I'm grateful for you!

Gratitude Day #1: My Job Edition

In an effort to pull myself up by my bootstraps, I am going to embark on a 30-day Gratitude Journey. Each day I'll write about something in my life that makes me happy and thankful.

I am grateful for my job.

Being a landscape designer allows me to live the way I am happiest living. I am so lucky to be able to work from my home, part-time.

This job's flexibility allows me to be present for Theo and Ben in ways that I wouldn't be if I was doing something else. I am here for my kids before school and after school, can take them to appointments, can volunteer in their classrooms, can allow them to take sick days, and can accomodate 90% of their needs without batting an eye and without worrying about my job security. Even though I work a lot during the summer, I can pick them up in the middle of the day and take them places, I can take a day off each week, and I can usually deal with the unexpected things in their lives.

Because most of my work is done locally, I feel comfortable knowing that if there is an emergency I am always only ten minutes from them.

This job has given my kids and me a feeling of security and togetherness that has been priceless.

I am grateful to have found employers who value my parenting, and would never ask me to compromise it. They are extrememly supportive and that is so rare!

I am also grateful to work in a field that requires creativity, mathematical precision, intuition, environmental awareness, people skills, marital counseling skills (aka Designing for the Sexes)physical activity, and love of the outdoors. It is always a challenge, and nothing feels better than solving someone's dilemma in a way they never dreamed possible. I am never bored with this.

I am also so happy to frequently find myself in the position of educating people about ecology, energy, water usage, horticulture...on and on. I love to open peoples' eyes to the incredible opportunity they have to make a difference to their lives by how they use their yards.

I am so grateful for this job.

I know that the luxury of working like this probably won't last forever, and that makes me even more grateful for the window of time I've been given.

Thank you, job, thank you!

Tale of a Busy Weekend

Once upon a time there was a boy whose 11th birthday fell on a very busy, very fun weekend.

On Friday night, he and his mom had a very fancy date. He ate pizza with MANY jalapenos, and proclaimed his love for it as he gasped for air.

(feeling a little adolescent-y)

He and his mom followed it up with a very modest and dainty desert.

They exhibited their highly refined table manners by scarfing this down in two minutes flat, sword fighting with their forks and barely stopping for air.

Then it was off to brother Ben's performance. In this year's play, A MidSummer Night's Dream, he is a techy. That's right...Ben was in charge of a machine with many buttons that controls the lights. He is pretty sure this is his new calling.

And, after seeing the play, we have to agree...his timing was flawless and the lighting was fantastic!

The next morning, the boy's entire family got up and braved the 50 degree temps for a round of golf so he could try out his new birthday golf clubs. They worked.

Then his dad whisked him off to yet another amazing lights display by brother Ben and the theater troupe.

Back home, mom was getting everything ready for the big birthday dinner. The boy requested fettucini alfredo(with chicken and sundried tomatoes)and birthday cake for his special feast. He is a total health freak. His mom was a little frazzled in the kitchen, what with a guest list half full of vegetarians, one-quarter full of picky kids and one-sixteenth full of someone with nut allergies. Such moments cause her to start giving orders while she counts on her fingers. The boy avoided the kitchen at all costs.

The feast was attended by most of the boy's important dignitaries: Grandma Joan, Eileen, Uncle Matt, Aunt Erin and Uncle Bob, and of course MomDadTheoBen.

It was a grand feast and it was followed by a slightly lopsided but full-of-love green birthday cake. Yum.

And Sunday was spent recovering.

The end.