Monday - trust

1. finding some jeans that i haven't been able to fit into for years and sliding right in. yeah!
2. jeff's kisses
3. lea's kisses
4. the walks lea and i have been taking in the hills and how much they make her smile, sing, and chatter on about
5. the painting that i started this weekend, how i was able to keep going past my comfort level, and how interested lea is in it as it sits on the easel in the living room
6. being consumed by painting, next steps, subjects, layers, colors, brush strokes, and on and on

nugget: being open is an act of trust

thursday - banana bread

1. wonderful visit with lea's great grandma, great aunt & uncle, and auntie in san jose today
2. wandering around and shopping with lea and seeing the stores from a new perspective
3. knowing how to better prepare myself for the inevitable as the years roll by
4. jeff's understanding, listening, and support
5. getting myself through a rough patch today with humor, a good book, and homemade banana bread

nugget: nothing beats a funk like the smell and taste of fresh coffee and homemade, fresh from the oven bread

wednesday - letting go

1. jeff for getting up every morning with lea to feed her, play, make us coffee, sing songs, wash dishes, and give me a chance to sleep in a bit. wow.
   
2. having a home big enough to move my easel into a space with better light
3. jeff for giving me a painting assignment, including deadline, that actually got me to paint today
4. that lea loves her new tights so much she insisted on wearing them again today
5. that lea's sleep is no longer a struggle and how much it helps us all
6. finding beautiful fabric today for 1/2 off amongst a bunch of crap
7. the florescent sunset tonight
   

nugget: let go, then let go some more

monday monday

1. waking up each day to jeff and lea singing and hanging out together downstairs and seeing their faces light up when i arrive on the scene
2. a beautiful, clean home every monday
3. facing my fears and being honest in the thick of it
4. having a wonderful weekend at my new painting class, hanging out with jeff and lea, seeing an old friend, enjoying the amazing weather and good conversations
5. my new "toys" from williams sonoma
6. witnessing and catching lea's amazingly creative ways of communicating

nugget: staying present doesn't make life easier but it makes it much less complicated

friday - going easy

1. sleeping in a bit and having strange but good dreams
2. my cramps not being too bad today, good enough that i was able to be present with lea
3. the new (very old) dinning room chairs i bought and look forward to resurfacing
4. figuring out a healthy chicken pot pie recipe that lea likes enough to eat veggies
5. jeff's sweet email today
6. not being pregnant
   

nugget: plans are good to get things moving, but don't become obligated to them

thursday-reading

i know i'm over my quota but i missed a few days this week :)

1. kristen's b-day and knowing she took good care of herself
2. spending a long lunch at the blue sky farms cafe, eating, talking, and exploring the plants
3. lea sleeping longer and longer each night...progress, finally
4. taking the 2 hours i got from lea's nap to read instead of do chores. felt so nice to get lost in my amazing book
5. discovering new things about me by looking into my past in a new way
6. jeff for telling me i'm beautiful even when i feel anything but, and me allowing myself to believe him
7. how excited jeff is when he gets home in time to help lea get to sleep (and how flexible i have become in allowing her to get to sleep later because of it. in earlier months i would have gotten tense because it would break "the schedule' and now i realize it's what life is all about. amazing what a little perspective shifting can do)
8. feeling in my bones how utterly grateful i am for having such an amazing amount of love and support in my life. despite all my faults i am truly loved. can't be topped.
9. taking the time today to draw
10. letting lea pick out our outfits today and enjoying wearing the crazy indian inspired sweater with silver sequins because of how much it makes lea smile

nugget: from daily om "it is not the absence of the fear but the courage to take action anyway that determines success"

wednesday

1. spending some fun time with lea's playgroup on a sunny day and feeling so relaxed in the process
2. listening to lea practice the ABC song in the car
3. taking the opportunity to sit and read outside in the sun on our deck while lea took a nap...getting some rays
4. richard yates' writing
5. making it through a somewhat stressful day of errands with grace

nugget: creativity must become a habit