Thankful

Thank goodness for these continued low-key weekends to store up our stamina and energy for December! It was another where not much was planned and we just did life at home.

Will and I got out to the library and farmers market on Saturday. Yes! The farmers market is still running and thriving and, though it is much smaller than it was a couple months ago, there's still plenty to choose from. We picked up a butternut squash for more popsicles, some fresh green beans, celery and parsley. They had these huge, beautiful shallots and lots of potatoes and squash. And I had never seen what brussel sprouts look like on that stalk-like stem! I should give brussel sprouts another chance - haven't had them since I was a kid. Actually, I have a little list in my head of foods I want to try and re-try. :)

I have been on a cooking spree! It seems every spare moment I have in the evenings and during nap time have been spent in the kitchen. Cooking and baking have just been my favorite activities lately and I have an ever-growing list of things I want to make.

We have also just been devouring books lately! I could have written another whole "reading" post within days of my last but just didn't get around to it. I've finished Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food" and just begun his other popular title "The Omnivore's Dilemma". He is so inspiring and completely renewing my passion for eating good food and raising my children to do the same. I've also started reading Jodi Picoult's "The Pact" and I think she is such a talented writer. She always has such an elaborate way of saying something so simple. Will, too, has another new stack of library books this week and we've enjoyed most all of them.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about gratitude and fulfillment. That "Creative Family" book I browsed awhile back talked about fulfillment being comprised of: home, connection and heart. "When we feel grateful, we feel full - full of love, inspiration, ideas, etc." I think when you take the time to acknowledge your blessings and feel gratitude for them, it is immeasurably uplifting and a powerful key to happiness. I try to do it daily. And it is my hope that our kids learn to do the same.

Last year before Thanksgiving, we made a Thankful Tree. This year we decided to make a wreath/garland around our dining room mirror using leaf cut-outs. For every day in November leading up to Thanksgiving, we are taking turns in the evening telling something we're thankful for. Will has the red leaves, Craig the orange, Sophie the yellow, and I have green. Last year Will was just barely able to comprehend the point of this, but this year he is totally into it and coming up with very creative responses. We are taking turns with it and he can hardly wait for his. Obviously, Sophie is too young, so Will and I are putting our heads together to come up with an appropriate response for her and that leaves less of a gap between the days he gets to "make a leaf". On Thanksgiving Eve, we will have 24 leaves surrounding our mirror and a little more fulfillment in our hearts.