Slice of Life: I Did It for Jack!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lanny

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

If you're familiar with Gretchen Rubin's four tendencies, then you'll understand my recent success.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you know the saga of the boxes.  I retired in 2014 and brought home about 30 boxes from school.  They took up residence in the garage (minus a few that I weeded out) until our kitchen remodel when the contractor needed the garage space.  So I moved the boxes to the guest bedroom.  Then when we had guests coming, I moved the boxes upstairs to my son's old bedroom.  I've slowly chipped away at the boxes, but could never quite finish the job of clearing the table piled with paper and a few final items from my teaching career.  But today I finally cleared the table because I'm an obliger and obligers need external accountability.  

The motivation for this empty table (soon to be moved to the garage) came from my grandson Jack.  He provided the external accountability that finally got me to clear this table.  You see, he's coming to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa while his parents go on a trip.  And he needs that space for his crib!  I think the happiest person about this empty table may be my husband.  I'm glad you can't see the chair on the other side of the room.  There are still some papers on the chair that need sorting, but the table is empty!  Tonight we'll move the table to the garage in preparation for the arrival of Jack's crib.  Thanks, Jack!

Celebrate This Week: Fall Wonders!

Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

 

   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

Reveling in memories of our trip to Virginia

Jack in the leaves

Visits to the park with grandsons - Last Saturday we went to one of Teddy's favorite parks and on Friday we took Jack to the train park! 

Trunk or Treat with church friends

I finished reading Alan Gratz's, Refugee.  
If you haven't read it, add it to your list.  

And a favorite fall wonder,
  the magnificent colors!

Poetry Friday: "Blaze of Glory"

Head over to Brenda''s blog,

Friendly Fairy Tales, for her "Beetle Guess" poem,

and this week's round-up of poetic goodness.  

Thanks, Brenda, for hosting this week!

I asked my blogger friend, Diane (newtreemom) for permission to share "Blaze of Glory," a poem that I shared with my students for Poetry Friday.

Diane's lines capture so much of what I love about autumn and this resplendent time of year.  Thanks, Diane, for allowing me to share your lovely poem.  I added the photos from our spectacular fall colors.

Blaze of Glory

Posted on September 25, 2012by Diane Anderson (newtreemom)

Today

A crisp, cool breeze touches my cheeks

I notice spots of yellow-gold,

splashes of orange, and

swatches of deep red on the trees

Brilliant, clear sunshine streams down

Fluffy white clouds hang high in the blue, blue sky

A flock of birds flies overhead

A smile brightens my face

Anticipation beats in my heart

Soon

The full blaze of glory will appear

Day after sunny day with chilly air

A fresh clean scent to breathe in

Trees draped in dazzling jeweled hues

Wind whispering, leaves rustling and crunching

Apple cider, cinnamon doughnuts, pumpkin-spice everything

Autumn is arriving,

filling my senses,

preparing my soul

for gathering together

for thanks-giving

-Diane Anderson

Slice of Life: Airplane Serendipity!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lanny

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

Did you notice the title for this post?  Does the idea of putting air travel and serendipity together seem like an oxymoron?  Somehow, we've learned to grit our teeth just to get through the hoops of air travel and the inevitable delays and problems that frequently pop up.  But on Sunday, I had surprises scattered along the way as we came home from a long weekend celebrating  our son's birthday and enjoying time with him and his family.  

The first surprise was when a flight attendant squeezed my hand as she arrived at the gate.  I looked up from my book to see Carol Ann, a friend from our community!  She asked where we were seated and assured us that she would take good care of us.   She and her son are both flight attendants, but this was the first time I've ever had a flight attendant I know personally on a trip.  And she did take good care of us!

The second surprise happened when a couple took their seats on my row, commented that they recognized me and my husband from the Thursday flight, engaged in a minimal amount of small talk, and then left me alone for the remainder of the flight.  Flying time is always sacred time just for me, usually for reading or sleeping.  And so I appreciate seat mates who don't want to chat.

The third surprise occurred while I was frenetically searching for the snack size bag of M&Ms that I had taken from our ferocious lion's Trunk or Treat Halloween stash (see his pic on Saturday's Celebrate This Week post).  There's something about flying that requires frequent small snacks for me.  With a purse and a carry-on bag, there were multiple pockets to explore where my M&Ms might be hidden.  Just so you know, I never did locate the M&Ms, but what I did discover was infinitely more valuable.  A tube of lipstick and not just any lipstick, but an almost new tube of my favorite color (which has been discontinued).   Just this last week after multiple searches of all my handbags and the pockets of all my jackets, and reaching the end of two tubes of lipstick, I had finally made my way to the makeup counter and purchased two new colors, neither one as pleasing to me as my old favorite.  So it was all I could do to keep from squealing with delight when I found squirreled away in a tiny pocket of my travel bag an almost new tube of Sunstone, my favorite lipstick!

So the next time you find yourself dreading a flight, remember that sometimes airplane and serendipity can occur in the same phrase. Watch for and savor the pleasant surprises that may be sprinkled along your way home!

Celebrate This Week - Adventures on the east coast!

Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

 

   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

Nothing is better than spending time with a grown child to celebrate a birthday!  This week we traveled to VA to celebrate a 33rd birthday with our son and his family.  When your two children's birthdays are two years and one day apart, that means that one of those birthday celebrations is delayed until we're back in town.    

Our past two days have been filled with fun - a visit to Cox Family Farm to celebrate pumpkins, slides, animals, and everything that is good about fall, a celebratory birthday dinner, and watching our grandson, Teddy, share his favorite books and tricks with us.  

I finished a book for our adult book club.  It's one that many of you have already read, but I'm looking forward to our book club meeting and discussion of Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad.  

I'm now reading Refugee by Alan Gratz.  I'm so glad I packed this second book for our trip.  The book flap refers to the "harrowing journeys" taken by three different kids, each in search of refuge.   

I'm thinking that when I finish this book, I'll be ready for something a bit lighter.  My favorite genre to read is middle grade.  

Any recommendations?

We enjoyed a FaceTime visit last night with grandson, Jack, showing us his latest trick - clapping!  And thinking about the joy it brings reminds me that we all need to celebrate more and clap more! 
I'm happy that Ruth provides this space

for celebration each and every week. 

 Grandson Jack (who just learned to clap)

is also pulling up to everything!

 Teddy demonstrates the fire truck

he picked out on a shopping trip

with Grandma and Grandpa.

 On the National Mall and at the

Air and Space Museum

 A brave lion at Trunk or Treat

 Teddy learns about tractors from Grandpa 

while Dad listens in

 This capture of blue sky and one of my favorite trees

before our rains arrived this past week in WA!

Slice of Life: Slowing Down the Train!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lanny

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

Do you ever find yourself deliberately slowing down as you come to the end of a book?  There's something about having to say goodbye to characters I've grown to love that is bittersweet.  Sunday morning was one of those times.  I had enough time to finish Train I Ride by Paul Mosier before church, but I wanted to prolong this train ride.  I also wanted to capture some of the things I love about the book before reaching an ending that I might or might not like.  

So I tucked the book and my writer's notebook into my church bag. Here are my quickly scribbled thoughts about why I love this book (penned before church started).  

I must give credit for being inspired by one of Michelle Haseltine's students.  Michelle shared a page from a student's notebook about reasons she loved their recent read aloud, Come With Me.  Her list inspired me to create a similar list for Train I Ride.  And I quickly showed the book to two friends before church started.  I adore spreading book love!  

And then after church, I curled up in bed and luxuriated in the final pages of Train I Ride.  I like to think that the leisurely pace was matched by the slow pace of the train as it neared Chicago.  And I was not disappointed as I reached the final page! 

Celebrate This Week: Boys, Trees, Leaves, and Routines!

Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

 

   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

I usually end my post with  grandboy  pics, but today I'm mixing things up by starting with them.  Teddy is almost sixteen months old.  I love that Stefi keeps us connected with plenty of pics.  

 

Jack got his first taste of Beecher's Mac & Cheese this week.  We're raising this NW boy right!  Those two footstools are positioned to keep baby boy away from the two steps and the coffee table is draped with a blanket until this boy gets a bit more stable.  He's on the move so these fixes are temporary at best.

I love fall!  And I'm in awe of the color that surrounds us.  

 

Finally, I'm celebrating my favorite Saturday routine - posting from Starbucks with my favorite drink, raspberry hot chocolate, to fuel my writing.  It's so much easier to write away from home without all the distractions of things I should be doing.

Have a joyful, colorful weekend!

Slice of Life: Charmed by an eight month old!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 

to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.

Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Melanie, and Lanny

 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.

Each time I watch my eight month old grandson, Jack, he's added something new to his bag of tricks.  Today it was his fake cough.  He loves coughing because it's a sound he's recently learned to make.  He demonstrated this new skill before his mom left for work.  

On Sunday I received a blurry shot from the baby monitor during church.  I could just make out that Jack was standing in his crib.  My daughter mentioned today that they had moved the crib to its lowest setting and that he hadn't pulled himself up since that change.  Well, when I went in to pick him up after his morning nap, guess who was standing in his crib?  He can't quite reach the top of the crib, but there he was clinging to the top on his tippy toes and trying valiantly not to bump his head.  

But it was Jack's third trick of the day that totally charmed me! 

I could watch this boy read books all day long!

Celebrate This Week - Powell's Bookstore!

Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.

 

   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

I was in Portland this past week with my daughter and baby Jack while she attended a medical conference.  You can't go to Portland without a stop at Powell's bookstore.  We stopped by twice and both stops were too short, but I still managed to buy...

something old

I was so excited to spot this used copy

of a poetry book that I love!

something new

This delightful tale of journeys and roads

charmed me from the first page.

something whimsical

This new-to-me animal alphabet book

was actually my daughter's purchase, 

but I love it too.

something just for fun!

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do love a 

mug o' milk with my cookies

and hot chocolate with a good book!

And every celebrate post has to include

pics of my adorable grandboys, Teddy and Jack!

 Teddy snuggled in Mom's arms

with Pup Pup on one side 

and his lovey on the other.

Jack tries out the hotel swimming 

pool with Mom and Dad.