As I write I am sitting in a patch of afternoon sun with the bay breeze blowing through the window. I should be working on my uni dissertation, and this it the plan for the rest of the evening, but first I need to reflect a little on the full and amazing week that I have had. Let’s not procrastinate, here is my Nourished Life Gratitude List 2014 – Week Nineteen:
Monday: Today winter made its first bite felt here in Brisbane. I warmed up with a great 5 mile run this evening and when I got home Chris had made sure to turn the heating on so that the house was toasty warm. I am grateful that he is so thoughtful. After dinner I made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream for Chris to take to work for his birthday. Also, after that run, I licked the bowl…
Tuesday: Today was Chris’s birthday! I am so grateful for this man and for living my life with someone who is funny, smart, and takes such great care of me. Happy birthday my darling. We celebrated with an easy dinner (Chris had KFC for his birthday treat) and watched ‘The Monuments Men’ – highly recommended. Thank you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes, he was very touched.
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Wednesday: Today I took a walk at lunch time and called my Mormor. I am grateful that I still have my grandmother here to talk to about everything. Sometimes people write off their elders as not understanding what they are going through forgetting that they have already lived that part of their life and might have some wisdom to offer. I am grateful to talk to my grandmother about life, men, relationships, food (we are the gluten intolerant ones in the family) and fashion (she was a seamstress and dressmaker in her youth).
Thursday: This afternoon I had a major headache and just felt blech. I know that’s not a word, but I think we all understand the feeling. I was grateful to come home, crawl into bed with Chris who took care of dinner and entertainment for us this evening. Also, I made cookies, and cookies make me feel better every time.
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Friday: Today I wrote about some hard things. Like Ernest Hemingway said ‘write hard and clear about what hurts’. I’m grateful that I have this place to write about things that are on my mind. I am grateful to all of you who responded. I try to mainly talk about food and gratitude here, but if someone could read those words and know that the comparison game, the constant striving to measure up to all those huge expectations of yourself, is not always the kindest thing you can do for yourself. I’m not saying that we should give up and accept our lot, rather, I am saying that if you focus on making your little corner of the world better, then you are creating something great for the people around you and inspiring others to do the same.
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Saturday: Today we celebrated Chris’s birthday! I went for a huge walk in the morning because I knew there was an awesome ice cream cake coming (even if I do say so myself…). Chris and I cleaned and rearranged the house and in the evening we were joined by some great friends to celebrate through the night. I am grateful that people came to celebrate with Chris and we had a great time. P.S. Our friends James and Nick made the most awesome Nutella ice cream…I’m going to copycat that as soon as possible!
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Sunday: This morning we celebrated Mother’s Day! Mum, Dad, Mormor, Aunty Lone, Uncle Paul, Grace and Grandad Gil and I gathered for breakfast on the water. It was a wonderful morning. I am so grateful for my Mum. I have gone through some big changes in the past few years, some devastating moments, and so many wonderful things and I know that without Mum I wouldn’t have survived the bad and thrived and celebrated the good. My Mum is a woman who was born to be a mother. She is strong, sweet, kind, firm, funny, and adventurous. She has read more books than I think I will ever manage in my life. She has the best taste in action movies. She is my couch companion for Miss Marple, Poirot, and Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett please) binges. If I am half the woman, half the mother, that she is when I finally ‘grow up’ then I will be happy indeed. Love you Mum and thank you for everything you have done for Jess and I throughout the years.
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Also this week:
- I made Chris this chicken from Iowa Girl Eats and he loved it. This will definitely reappear on our dinner menu
- We celebrated Chris’s birthday!
- I made pancakes, you should make them too
- I made cookies, you should make them as well, and share them with the ones you love
Tell me, dear readers, what are you grateful for this week? How did you celebrate with your Mum?
Image may be NSFW.
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