All posts by Crystal

Sun

Gratitude
  1. Catching September’s amber sun
  2. Working in the garden (better late than never?)
  3. Catching up with a few friends
  4. Starting my lists for Michaelmas party
  5. Settling in to a comfortable sleep routine with the girls
  6. Growing as a parent, as fast as I can
  7. Re-evaluating and not getting stuck in old ideas
  8. Thoughtful planning
  9. Music
  10. This

Giving in

Gratitude
  1. A lovely chat with my imagination sister
  2. Time at home while my eldest was away for the morning
  3. Bottled kombucha
  4. Roasted pumpkin
  5. Made pumpkin soup, which was amazing
  6. Wrote a little, which was nice
  7. Learned about this– and dug out my Vitamin D
  8. Danced around the living room with both girls
  9. Laughed til my stomach hurt at my husband’s jokes
  10. This

Soil

Gratitude
  1. Soil to start winter lettuce
  2. Pulled all the ivy from the front bed- tons of space for other things now
  3. All the big brown thumb-sized spiders- grateful that I’m not afraid of them anymore (too much) and for all they do
  4. Chipmunks scurrying with fat cheeks full of nuts
  5. Sunday is ‘fill the birdfeeder’ day so it’s like Christmas for the cardinals and chickadees
  6. The tree Mark cut down didn’t fall on him, thank God
  7. Being able to take criticism better than I have in the past
  8. Finally realizing that some faults take awhile to work out, not just fast fixes
  9. A strong routine in our days- a great framework for change
  10. This

Farm

Gratitude
  1. The farmer’s market
  2. Fresh apples, rasberries, lettuce, sprouts
  3. Cobbling together lunch out of an empty pantry
  4. Andrea’s wares- bought an adorable hat
  5. Left hand drawing at a cafe (holding baby with the right, of course)
  6. My husband’s strength and ingenuity
  7. Options and time
  8. A fabulous creative partner- my imagination sister
  9. Trying new things
  10. This

Resourcefulness

Gratitude
  1. Sally, who said today, it’s never a lack of resources, it’s a lack of resourcefulness.
  2. Figuring out how to work with what I have is such a fun challenge, it’s like a game- how many ways can I make this happen with only this and this? What’s the most fun way? What’s the silliest? What would make me laugh?
  3. Sleepy babies
  4.  Books from the library
  5. Eloquent writers- and knowing I’ll get to read something by a local favorite soon:)
  6. Being able to help Mark put new trim on the garage- I just held two pieces, but it was nice to help
  7. Oregano oil has kept my cold from turning into bronchitis- and I ALWAYS get bronchitis with a sinus cold, so I’m hugely grateful and a believer in oregano!
  8. Natural ways to solve things, gentle methods that may work slowly, which is a blessing too if you think about it
  9. The quiet of the forest
  10. This

Night

Gratitude
  1. The way colds get worse at night- at least the days are relatively easy
  2. Being able to stay up all night with my infant- who caught the cold my toddler and I have
  3. Deep sleep when it does come
  4. Refreshing outside time, for a few
  5. Being able to do more than I thought I could
  6. Knowing the VA is there for my gpa
  7. And my aunt & uncle are there for gparents
  8. My husband
  9. Crickets
  10. this

Rich beyond my wildest dreams

Gratitude
  1. My grandma, who has influenced me more than probably anyone else in my life, my dearest friend
  2. My husband, who has taught me so much about how it is to love and be loved in healthy, enriching ways
  3. My daughter Ava, who is amazing beyond words
  4. My daughter, Hannah, who has already shown me that my capacity to love can double in an instant
  5. My local friends, who I learn so much from- I am constantly in awe of them all
  6. My aunts, uncles and cousins, who inspire me with the daring and joyful eays they live their lives
  7. Long-distance friends, Garrett and Lucy and so many others I hardly see in person, if at all, but am grateful to connect with whatever ways we can
  8. My in-laws and their selflessness, sacrifice and love for their children and grandchildren
  9. a blessed life

Needs

Gratitude
  1. Realizing how little we need and how much of it we have
  2. Health
  3. Family
  4. A home
  5. Great neighbors and a larger community
  6. Friends that blow me away with their love and sharing (looking at you, dear friend!)
  7. Great food shipped to every city in America, almost daily
  8. Ways to communicate
  9. Freedom to write, draw, speak, pursue our heart’s desires
  10. “We need money, we think. We need this and we need that. We must accumulate these things so that someday, we can exist free of the need to accumulate these things. So that someday, we can occupy our lives to the extend we know is possible, but cannot afford just yet.I probably do not need to point out that this is a trap.”
    -Ben Hewitt, Saved