Making:: this habit of getting up early permanent. Between six o'clock and six thirty is the best time for me, as long as I'm asleep by 10:45 or 11:00 at night. It's so peaceful and centering to have time to myself every morning before the day begins. Thank you, NaNoWriMo, for helping me cement a new habit!
Riding:: the carousel during free hour at the St. Louis zoo! Got there just in time. You wouldn't think it to see Harmony's expression, but she really does love it!
Celebrating:: my 50,000 word goal for NaNoWriMo! I've been so busy writing 1,667 words per day that the rest of the blog here had to take a little break. Technically, I'm a "winner" because I succeeded in writing that many words during November, but in actuality, my novel is not quite done... more on that in a later post....
Planning:: my musical calendar in December, full of endeavors on guitar and mandolin, solo and in collaboration with other musicians, playing an instrument myself and conducting an ensemble!
Playing:: outdoors in the autumn weather as much as possible with the Bug, walks on every day above forty degrees, exploring nature. Fall in Missouri is the bomb.
Baking:: the best pumpkin pies ever, with the help of the Bug and her dada. We have eaten pumpkin pie every week during November! It's just so tasty.
Enjoying:: our first time trick-or-treating together exactly one month ago! Harmony dressed up as the adorable Bug she truly is ; ) Her dada wore his mad scientist rainbow lab coat, because why not?
Spending:: lots of playdates with grandma and grandpa, who like nothing better than to have an afternoon or evening or morning with their first grandchild.
Reading:: books that we find in the local Little Free Library just down the road, planted in somebody's yard! SUCH a cool idea!
Lingering:: in the pages of Kindred, the magazine where my poem made it into the autumn edition. One more goal on my Life List down : D The poetry and stories and photographs in it are enthralling!
Setting:: a Guinness world record for the most somersaults rolled at the same time, on Art Hill in St. Louis' iconic Forest Park! TOTALLY AWESOME!!! I've always wanted to do something that would get into the Guinness book, but never had the confidence to put it on my Life List (you can find it on my About Me page at the bottom), because it just seemed too far fetched. Now I know the truth: always put down ANY goal you have, because you never know when it might come true!
Watching:: my baby grow into a more independent, capable, curious, interactive, let-me-do-it-myself toddler. With pigtails! I almost died from the cuteness.
Learning:: the holiday dance with my flashmob group. Hopefully I'll be dancing at a few great events with them during this season!
Anticipating:: the beginning of Advent tomorrow! Time to get out our Advent wreath and candles. Might as well get out the Christmas decorations too, right?
Wondering:: whether we'll get a Christmas tree or not this year. There just isn't a good space for it in our tiny apartment. Time to have a family council and make the decision. Perhaps a small tree, just a wee one for the corner? It would feel so strange to not hang any ornaments.
Boosting:: our immune systems with fresh-squeezed lemon and raw honey in our tea, elderberry syrup, garlic chunks (cut 'em up and swallow whole), vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits, and bone broth. Echinacea-goldenseal tincture, cold-steam humidifiers, hot showers, and lots of rest for those currently ill.
Deciding:: to participate in the December Prompt-A-Day over at Write Alm. Last year I did the December Photo Project, and I'm going to try to continue that tradition again this year along with the daily writing. Maybe the photo can even be inspired by the day's prompt! For me, writing and taking photographs helps keep me in the moment by relishing what I am doing in the present and then remembering the good later that happens every day.
Hoping:: to hit the halfway mark on my list of 1,000 gifts written in my journal by the end of 2013. Yes, it's been a year and a half since I started naming gratitudes. Yes, you're supposed to write down 1,000 blessings in one year. Yes, I am still feeling so thankful for this project that I'm going to continue it to the end even if it takes me twice as long as it was supposed to!
Repeating:: the first twenty-one verses of Romans 8 to myself over and over, writing them down over and over, silently quoting them and out-loud saying them and forgetting and re-re-re-remembering. The goal of several women in my Bible study is to have the whole chapter memorized by the end of our time together in April, but right now it's going to be a push to polish down just this much through December.
Plotting:: hand-made or locally made Christmas gifts. We don't have a lot of money, and we really want to make Christmas not all about materialistic gifts, so we're trying to keep the actual gift-giving simple and meaningful. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow with plenty of links for gift ideas, both home-made and bought!
Loving:: all the days and sweet moments from November, and looking forward to sharing more of them with you in December!
Posts
