{ 22.11.01 }

I have a full belly and I'll probably never eat fudge again (well, you know that's a bit of a fib, but whatever)... it was a great first Thanksgiving, just some cooking in the morning, a nice gathering with my family (it never really occurs to me that I can call them my family - I still feel a bit on the outer, but in other ways, not), some chocolate and a big dinner with foods I'd never had before (green bean casserole, an apple and sweet potato dish, stuffing, cranberry-marshmallow salad) and some good turkey, and my first slice of my first homemade low-fat pumpkin pie (Nathan swears it was really good and just the same as regular pumpkin pie but I didn't like it, so if I made it and still didn't like it, it must mean that I'm not fond of pumpkin pie). My father-in-law said a very touching prayer for peace at the dinner table prior to our meal, and there were naps and some sleepy television-watching after.

It was really lovely, and today just felt so holiday-ish. Most holidays don't feel like that to me anymore.

I'm grateful for everything right now - my wonderful mum, my beautiful husband, the bounty of food we have available to us, a loving in-law family, having a place to live and shoes to wear for my walks and simple things like that. Nothing is small or insignificant. Everything is worthy of notice and gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the U.S, and a happy day to the rest of you. I hope you're having a beautiful day!

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{ 11.11.01 }

I'm grateful for God's grace and never-ending love.

I'm grateful for chocolate self-saucing pudding and split-pea and vegetable soup and the fact that both are so, so easy to make. I love making dinner, it helps me feel centered and purposeful.

I'm also grateful for the love of a very good man. Today is our two-month wedding anniversary. I know it's kind of twee to count month anniversaries, especially when you leave the worlds of dating and engagement behind (although there was no 'dating' for us, per se, but that's a long story), but it's somewhat exciting to me. Every day is a gift, and I appreciate every day I'm given with my husband. I love him so much... his friendship, kindness and generosity never cease to amaze me, and he's always making me feel special. These things are especially amazing considering how very grumpy I can be; he tolerates so much and never breaks. I appreciate that more than he might ever know.

He bought me new shoes today. Blue Sketchers with shiny bits on them, athletic shoes so I can take care of my feet and body properly when I exercise. He doesn't want me to hurt myself and wanted to ensure that I have proper shoes.

I love that man. Happy Two-Month Anniversary, my love!

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{ 9.11.01 }

Newest addition to the soliloquies family (as seen in the sidebar at left): ramble, just a little mailing list. Feel free to join!

Meanwhile, I'm grateful for the release of cooking, of bringing together ingredients to form a cohesive whole that sits nicely in my tummy. Tonight I made macaroni & cheese for the first time - it's so gooey and cheesy, such a great comfort food. You can get the exact recipe in my latest journal entry. I just made date and carrot loaf, which was uber-simple to make and I'm sure it'll taste great, I'm going to have a slice tomorrow.

As ever, I'm working on my novel... the Nanowrimo experience has been a bit surreal so far. It's forcing me to push out some quantity of writing, making things up that I hadn't imagined before. It's liberating but at the same time a bit daunting... but I'm going better than I thought I would, so it can't be too bad. I'm off to write a couple of chapters, then shower, then bed. Mmm, bed. Mmm, sleep. I love sleep. Very much.

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{ 8.11.01 }

This is just bonus month for mail, really! I got some goodies in the mail from my lovely sister... a Steve Parish 2002 calander, some photographs of my beautiful, beautiful nephews and the Blue's Clue's birthday cake she baked for Dylan's 2nd birthday, a painting Dylan did in playgroup, and a note. The only bad thing is that the mailguy bent the envelope in half to get it into our mailbox and subsequently crushed the calander a bit and the photos, but we've got the photos in a heavy book with a bunch of things stacked on top to get them straightened out, and the calander is up on the wall already, with pushpins in the holes on the top and the bottom to straighten it out a bit. Yay for Alex - I'm really grateful and happy that she thought of us. I have that painting of Dylan's up on the fridge, it has pride of place. I'll have to remember to take a picture of it to show!

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{ 3.11.01 }

I'm grateful for... yet more treats in the mail..! I got a lovely handmade card from Candi and it really made my day. I love purple things :-)

I'm writing a novel at the moment - so exciting to actually be able to say that. Everyday I'm giving myself a personal wordcount goal to fulfill and once I'm done with that I'm free to do whatever I want (include working out kinks in the very tenuous plot). So I should probably finish this up, get typing, and then have the afternoon to myself so I can enjoy the lovely grey sky outside and the big fat book waiting to be read (I'm currently into: "Tribulation Force", the second book in the "Left Behind" series, and I'm going to slip in some chapters of "The Farming of Bones" in a little bit - I'm reading that for Gardy Loo!).

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

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