Yesterday I teased you with a pancake recipe, and oh I will deliver (Wednesday, I promise), but today I wanted to share my Nourished Life Gratitude List 2014 – Week Eighteen.
This week I felt really settled. Chris and I are finally living together full time now and not living like a nomad is contributing to me feeling like my life is moving forward in a beautiful direction. Here is my gratitude list for this fulfilling week.
Monday: After a long drive home from Roma on Sunday Chris and I had an extra day of vacation. We spent the day at home together. I went for a run, baked some cookies and read my book a little. I was grateful for the indulgence of a day off while the rest of the world was at work: just the thing to fill my heart with peace.
Tuesday: I blitzed my run after work and then came home to watch Anthony Bourdain’s ‘No Reservations’ while I slurped soup. I am grateful that Chris and I are falling into our own rhythm and we are dancing in time to our own music.
Wednesday: This morning I watched the sun rise over the bay in a violent show of pink and orange. Tonight I drove home through the twilight and then Chris and I tried something new together: yoga! Although it was a new way of moving for him Chris made it all the way through and we had a great time giggling at each other’s attempts to move through the yoga sequence. I am grateful that we can have fun together while trying something new.
Thursday: Tonight after work I came home and mixed up some delicious muffins. Chris and I comforted ourselves against the cold weather with bowls of mashed potato for dinner. There really is nothing like a bowl of mash to warm the soul on a cold winter night. I am grateful for our little cottage by the bay and the love and peace inside.
Friday: Today I had lunch with my friend Jess for the first time in a while. I love our lunchtime catch-ups. This afternoon I got a wonderful surprise when a bunch of flowers turned up at the office for me. My boss had sent them to wish me ‘happy administrative professional’s day’. Very unexpectedly sweet. Then I went home to see my Mum and Dad! And Molly too of course! We had a great family dinner and watched Miss Marple together. I was grateful for the love and care that surrounded me today, and grateful to see my parents and Molly again.
Saturday: This morning I went to the markets with Mum and Jess for our fortnightly ladies’ breakfast and to stock up on winter fruit and veggies: crisp Sundowner apples, sweet mandarins, and sweet potatoes for days! I went for a 6.5 mile run, which was a little challenging after eating a few too many peanut m&ms, but it felt good to run that distance. Tonight Chris and I caught up with friends for drinks. It was a long but good night. I was grateful for all the little adventures of today – and for Chris’s jacket because it was chilly!
Sunday: This morning we relaxed in the late autumn sunshine and Chris recovered slowly from a big night. I pottered around the kitchen and played with my new camera before going for a walk. Tonight we had a mixed dinner (including a few more peanut m&ms) and binge-watched ‘Bar Rescue’. Highly recommended for a trashy reality food TV show fix. I was grateful for a relaxing Sunday at home learning our everyday ebb and flow.
Also this week:
- We warmed up with bowls of Curried Carrot, Lentil, and Coconut Soup
- I shared some true things and some Chocolate Chip Orange Muffins
- Dimple at ‘Shivaay Delights’ shared my Sprinkled Coconut Ice and you all enjoyed the recipe – thank you so much for your sweet comments!
The coming week is filled with celebrations (Chris’s birthday and Mother’s Day of course), running , and assignment writing.
Tell me, dear readers, what are you grateful for this week? What are your favourite ways to warm up in the earliest days of winter?
