Bought it, I did

In Publix I was, when a Yoda I spied. 

Called my name, he did, so I resisted not. How could I, hmm?  (Also a Darth Vader, there was. But him I wanted not.)

It was the two feet tall Christmas Yoda I needed, so bought him I did. 

Cappuccino and Cake

I'm coming to you in the darkness of the early morning because it's a special day.

It's a day which celebrates one of the things that is a source of daily joy for me, something which also happens to be the best  accompaniment to a good book, early morning prayer time, a rainy afternoon, and cozy chats with friends.

Today is National Cappuccino Day!

Oh, cappuccino, how I love thee! The daily ritual of firing up the espresso machine, frothing the milk, brewing an espresso, and then combining the perfect balance of thirds--1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 froth--keeps me grounded. It may sound melodramatic, but a cappuccino is a little smidgen of magic in an otherwise perfectly ordinary day because--and let's be realistic--although my cappuccino may be balanced, daily life can be anything but.

Which brings me to THE CAKE. The Confirmation cake I ordered for TIMOTHY, but with the words Happy Confirmation, Jonathan! (yes, the wrong son). When I shared this story, I received all sorts of helpful advice: take the cake back and have the bakery fix it, scrape off Jonathan's name and put lots of candles in the blank space, or change Timothy's confirmation name from St. Francis to St. John. Two people even offered to come over and share their professional baking skills to fix the problem.

But you know what? As I was enjoying my cappuccino the morning of Confirmation, I had an epiphany. Life is crazy. Life is wonderful. Life is funny. Life is a hodgepodge of the insane. And that cake, which had become a topic of conversation, a source of laughter, and the reason for a flurry of text messages and emails, was a metaphor for life. Our life. So it was absolutely fine--wonderful! great! fantastic!--to have a Confirmation cake with Jonathan written on top when it was Timothy's Confirmation.

In a strange, wonderful way, it made perfect sense.

So, on this National Cappuccino Day, I wish you a day filled with the zany, the wonderful, the messy, and everything in-between.

All of which pairs very nicely with a expertly frothed cappuccino.

Sometimes, it's the simple things

French yogurt in a tiny glass jar,

a wee spoon,

and a cup of chamomile tea.

Ooh-la-la.

How about a cappuccino to go with that aggravation?

Last night during our Second Walk (you can read about our Second Walk here) Timothy and I were talking about things that bug us. You know, those little aggravations in life which, for whatever reason, just get under your skin.


I know you're curious, so allow me ...


1. People who sit right in front of you at the movie theater when the theater is mostly empty.


2. Strangers who sit right next to you (with no empty seat in between) when the movie theater is mostly empty.


3. Lawn services (private and city-owned) who blow leaves and pine straw into the middle of the street (as opposed to blowing everything in a pile and disposing of it properly).


4. Slow drivers. I will admit, this is something I need to work on. I know there are plenty of reasons why people drive slowly, but the Italian in me wants to get where I'm going. And Joe, who isn't even Italian, and who grew up in Pennsylvania (which is close to New York City), drives like a New Yorker. So here we are, an Italian and a Pennsylvanian New Yorker (I just made that up), and neither one of us likes slow drivers.


5. Commercials. I rarely watch a television show in real time. I don't even watch one On Demand because there are commercials there, too. I record everything and fast forward through the commercials.


6. Guys who have long fingernails. This just grosses me out. And, truthfully, I don't even like long fingernails on gals, either.


7. People who have long and loud telephone conversations in public. Actually, this should be #1 on my list.


8. People who sneeze into their hands. Ugh. Don't get me started ...


And now I'm sure you're thinking of things that irritate YOU, which has probably made you all nice and grumpy, but because I really want you to start the day off right allow me cheer you up with a nice frothy cappuccino.


There, now. Feel better?

Weird Saturday

Today is weird.


There are roofers pounding on our roof; there are shingles flying everywhere.


Timothy is not here; he is spending the weekend on Kiawah Island with a friend.


It's noisy with the roofers; it's quiet without Timothy.


I just had a smoothie with cashew milk, blueberries, and Vega One protein powder. It was a funny purple-green color.


And now I'm going on a canal hike.

Reading for Pleasure

I recently spent the afternoon packing Nicholas' books. Boxes and boxes of them. Here is a stack of books he read not because it was required reading in college, but simply because he had never read them before.  #lightreading

Joe's t-shirt isn't Joe's anymore

I interrupt my Masters prep to go pick up Timothy from school. I am wearing Joe's oversized Adidas t-shirt with black leggings.

"You look skinny in that shirt," he tells me when he gets in the car.


And I was like . . .

#really? #theshirtisnowmine #notjoesshirtanymore

Ummm ... okay?

Perfetto.

Trickle Down Tickets

These are the tickets that belonged to friends of my parents.


These are the tickets my parents' friends couldn't use.


These are the tickets they gave to my parents.


These are the tickets which my parents couldn't use.


These are the tickets my parents gave to us.


Which is why, on a Friday night, Joe and I got dressed up and had somewhere to go.

Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society, concert 5
The Delphi Trio 

Life Lately: Lego heads, big feet, magic beans, good eats, Costco, apple cider vinegar, and haircut #2 (the mundane and perfectly ordinary in 7 quick takes)

~1~ Lego Head Dispenser: Sunday morning project for Timothy

~2~ Healthy Haul: Nothing but good-for-you stuff

~3~ Lucky score on the Costco chairs: I've had my eyes on these for several weeks,

but couldn't make up my mind; today, however, I went to Costco and discovered that

all the chairs had sold EXCEPT the floor display which had been marked waaaaay down.

Suffice it to say I took it as a sign. The chairs and table came home with me.

~4~ His foot, my foot, big foot, small

someone is growing

way too tall.

~5~ Wisdom from a refrigerator magnet:

I really do believe in fairy tales! 

~6~ I'm a believer: One Tbsp. in a mug of hot water every morning,

sweetened with a little honey.

~7~ Getting ready for my second haircut in three weeks:

There is a story here, and I will write it down

as soon as I get over the trauma.

They Don't Have Cars in Camelot

Yesterday a friend and I went to see Camelot at Augusta University's Maxwell Theater.


I drove, and this is important because of what happened after the show was finished.


I couldn't find my car.


Actually, it was Joe's car, and it's a non-descript slate gray that looks like every other non-descript slate gray car in the parking lot.


"I think we parked over here," said my friend, heading left.


"I'm pretty sure it was over here," I said, veering right.


We bumped into another friend who wondered what we were doing. "Looking for my car" seemed like such a lame thing to say, but since it was so incredibly obvious what we were doing the only thing I could do was 'fess up.


After wandering around for a couple of minutes I decided to pop the trunk. I'm not proud of this, but better the trunk than the alarm button. As I looked around, though, no trunks had popped open.


What the heck? By now I'm beginning to feel stupid.


Finally, between the three of us, we found the car, parked behind a behemoth SUV that dwarfed my little non-descript slate gray Toyota. I blame everything on that SUV ...


especially since the lyrics for Camelot will be forever changed in my mind.

In short, there's simply not

A more congenial spot

For happily-ever-aftering

than here in

 the parking lot.

Making Gratitude a Daily Priority

Many years ago, when Oprah Winfrey was queen, she encouraged her viewers to make gratitude a daily priority by keeping a gratitude journal. She claimed it changed her life.


At the time I thought it was a good idea, and I even purchased a pretty notebook with a matching pen to start one of my own, but in the end I couldn't seem to stick to a routine. I didn't give the idea up entirely; I simply realized that, at that time in my life, I was busy with other things. But some day, I thought.


Then last December our trusty Dodge Neon broke down for the last time. As my husband and I were going through 17 years of memories associated with that car, it dawned on me those 17  years of memories equated to 17 years of blessings for which I'm immensely thankful ... 17 years in which I'm not sure I ever stopped to consider how grateful I should be.


I decided right then and there that 2017 would be the year I keep a gratitude journal.


And so one month into this New Year my pretty, floral journal already has 31 pages of nothing but gratitude.


I don't make a big fuss about. Each evening I write down five things for which I am grateful. Sometimes the entries are deep and introspective (a conversation with a stranger that got me thinking), and sometimes they're very, very simple (a phone call from one of the boys); sometimes I use incomplete sentences or include single word entries, but sometimes I write an entire paragraph; sometimes I print neatly, but sometimes my handwriting in no way reflects those meticulous penmanship lessons in Mr. Benanti's sixth grade class.


About the time I started keeping the gratitude journal, I also started drinking Traditional Medicinal Herbal Teas. And since an inspirational quote is written on each tea bag, I decided to end each journal entry with a Tea Quote of the Day.

I am beginning to understand how gratitude works. Once I got into the habit of pausing at the end of the day to think about those grateful moments, I started recognizing them in real time; in other words, I am learning to be grateful for things as they happen which, in turn, puts me in a different mental state. I also see how this has lead me to pray more. Maya Angelou once said that gratitude is the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer, and there have been many nights when one has lead to another.

Of course, there are those days -- you know the kind -- which may seem as if there is NOTHING good to say. Finding gratitude on those days takes a little work, and to be honest I have some entries which are more sarcastic than grateful (Monday, January 23: Grateful for NyQuil).


But that's okay because the whole thing about gratitude doesn't mean that things are perfect; rather, it's about recognizing the perfect in the imperfect. Being grateful for the sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-head, fever, so you can rest medicine is no less important than being grateful for my family or for the full moon on an evening walk with Joe.


If there is one thing I am learning, it is that gratitude gives me a better perspective of my day.

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.

- St. Ambrose

I kid you not ... roses. Again.

A few weeks ago I was hiking on the canal when I came across this: rose petals in the pavilion. Either someone proposed or someone got married. Whatever the story, the discovery made my day.

#romanceisintheair

Then this morning I was at Brookfield Park doing laps when, I kid you not, I found this: a bouquet of roses. On a picnic table. Under a gazebo. No note. And no one else around. Except me.

#thereisastoryhere

When Life Takes Away Your Cappuccino, Drink Tea

For someone who loves her cappuccino and Greek yogurt every single morning, it's been a bummer of monumental proportions to have developed a dairy intolerance.


What?!? All of a sudden? My doctor let me down gently: it's not uncommon for adults as they get older.


Huh. ("Who's getting older?" asks she-who-has-a-milestone-birthday-next-month.)


On the bright side, it is an intolerance and not an allergy so I don't have to eliminate all dairy products. But I do have to reduce my daily intake which means that if I have a cappuccino, I can't have a yogurt, too. And if I have a morning cappuccino, I definitely can't have another one in the afternoon.


Like I said, bummer.


But as a result of tweaking my diet, I have rediscovered my love for hot tea. When I'm writing, watching television or curling up with a good book, I always have a mug of herbal tea.


Right now I am enjoying organic herbal teas from Traditional Medicinals, with peppermint being a personal favorite.


The best part? The tag on each tea bag comes with an inspirational quote, all of which I write down in my gratitude journal.


And because all this tea with the inspirational tags have made me introspective, allow me to share with you the moral of my story: When Life Takes Away Your Cappuccino, Drink Tea.


It's funny how life works sometimes ...

One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.

~James Russell Lowell

The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment.

~Unknown

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Earth laughs in flowers.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.

~Persian Proverb

In all things of nature, the is something of the marvelous.

~Aristotle

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

~Lao Tzu

It's Fall, Y'all (Actually, It's Not)

Here we are at the end of October, but it doesn't feel like October should feel. At all. The temps through the weekend are going to be in the mid-80's and, I don't know about you, but that totally depresses me.


Last weekend we spent three days in the mountains where I felt like I could finally breathe. Deeply. Crisp mountain air, clear skies and low temperatures made me feel energized ... alive ... healthy.


And then we came home to more of the same old, same old.


So today, I decided to put up some autumn décor in a feeble attempt to at least pretend that it's fall. I planted flowers, spray painted flower boxes, hung up wreaths, and decorated the front porch.


And sweated the entire time.


So even though it's October (but not fall) I'm going to be Scrooge (even thought it's not even December) and say, "Bah-humbug."


It's just all messed up.

Front Door

Front Entrance

They may not be terribly sophisticated, but yellow pansies make me happy.
(I spray painted the flower boxes a nice brown for fall.)

Back Door

A Pep Talk in the Mirror

Here's what I like to do: after a gym workout I walk in the locker room and look in the mirror --  not because I look good (believe me, I'm a hot mess) but because I like to take in my sweaty red face, my sweaty hair and my sweaty workout clothes, and know that I worked hard.


This morning, after an hour and a half, I was beyond frightening.


And that's a good thing.

Something that Makes Me Smile

Duct Tape Stick Man

Timothy's Corner

If I ever want to know what's going on in Timothy's world, I just have to visit this little corner in his room where a constantly changing vignette highlights his interests (airplanes and anything with an engine), memories (a spring break visit to LEGOLAND, our recent Caribbean cruise), and hobbies (Legos and Pokémon).

A boy's story is the best that is ever told.     

~Charles Dickens

Oh, Yes I Did!

A week in southern Italy this past summer and look what happens. The drivers on the Amalfi Coast taught me or thing or two about the art of precise parking and the finesse of parking illegally.

Life Lately: A Little of This, A Little of That

1- I almost had the opportunity to interview Mick Tingelhoff who was recently inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. This assignment immediately propelled me into the center-of-attention-zone from Joe, and his enthusiasm continued right up until the moment the interview was cancelled. Joe was bummed ... BUMMED, I tell you.


2- Cooked pasta tonight and I only needed one box as opposed to two. With the two older boys gone our grocery bill has plummeted. Those two ate A LOT.


3- I wasn't planning to -- it wasn't even in the Top 20 of my to-do list -- but today I cleaned out our pantry. The reason? Ants. I hate those boogers.


4- I have a short term, part time job working for a photographer. Say cheese!


5- "Have you noticed that my voice has a deeper tone?" Timothy asked me this afternoon. I told a little white lie and said, "Yes, yes I have!"


6- And I leave you with this little cliffhanger: Jonathan, a Nonno & grandson fishing expedition, Nonno's truck, a boat ramp, and the Savannah River. Stay tuned ...