Halloween Desserts

Cute and not complicated Halloween dessert inspiration...

Friday

Struggling to get things checked off...  I feel like I swim in this sea full of stuff and it clutters both my life and my mind.  I'm trying to simplify and clear some things out.   Wish me luck. 

I just ordered a fantastic print on Etsy for our master bath.   The house has been stuck in terms of decor and organization.  I'd love to get a gallery wall up in our second floor hallway, some things hung up in J's playroom, a print above our console table and a storage system for our coats, bags, shoes etc.  Realistic goals for the weekend, right?   As I tell our teenager, there's enough time for work and play.   Now I need a dose of my own medicine.  

(via etsy.  Drawn to the organic simplicity of this sketch.  It's a print, so hopefully it can stand up to the moisture of the room)

What we do.

The fire got started and a few fierce hours of cards were played.  Trying to cultivate a home of gratitude, I asked my family what had been their favorite moment in the past few weeks. Mine was right there.  When the house is quiet, all are fed and bathed and the baby is asleep in his crib.   The dog curls next to the fire.  We play and laugh and talk.   More than anything else, we feel the love that binds us as a family.  I am grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful people.   

Mornings

A few weeks ago, I started a new morning ritual.  Each day, the dog and I go for a walk in the woods behind our house.  It is perfectly peaceful and we've yet to see another person.   Alone in the fresh fall air, walking on damp pine needles and fallen leaves has been a wonderful way to start my day.
We walk until we reach this bridge.  I say a quick prayer of gratitude for another healthy day and we turn back.

These walks help me get quiet and disconnect.  I feel in touch with the seasons of nature, as a great reminder for the seasons of life.  Like the forest, my life is always changing.  To stay with the knowledge that it is a continuum - and although the day to day might not feel that different, to evaluate it at various points in time, would show quite distinct change.  I am grateful for that change, the opportunity that is always available to start anew.

Keeping up

Another morning started in the woods with the doggie, a made bed and laundry put away. It really is making a difference and reducing some of the clutter - both physical and mental.  It's forward progress in the right direction rather than slipping in the wrong direction, that I'm focusing on these days.  It won't always be perfect but if my trend line can go towards love and light, that's good enough for me.  

"Most of the greatest achievements on the planet are unknown to others - private overcomings, silent attempts at belief, re-opening a shattered heart. The real path of champions truly lies within - the transforming of suffering into expansion, the clearing of horrifying debris, the building of a healthy self-concept without tools. The greatest achievers have found a way to believe in something good despite being traumatized and fractured on life’s battlefields. No matter what else they accomplish in their lives, they are already champions." - Jeff Brown 

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October 8

What am I doing today to move towards what I want:  I woke up earlier than usual, after my morning snuggles with Joe - our conversation usually goes something like this (do you want to lay in Mama's bed: yeah, yeah.  Are you mama's little angel: yeah, yeah)  After setting him up and the nanny getting in, I took the dog out for a few minutes in the woods.  I really wish I could have stayed out there longer with him (and I know he agrees) but alas, something is better than nothing.  I loaded the dishwasher, made my bed, put a few things away, packed my lunch and off I went. 

Honestly, it's nothing earth shattering.  But it is small steps towards a better, less chaotic, life.  I'm trying to find some routines.  I'm trying to streamline and simplify to make things work better.  It's the small things, as much as the big things that will help me. 

Oh - and as I drove in, I couldn't help but be moved by the gorgeous foliage.  Even as a lifelong New Englander, it just never gets old.  

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October

Shaking off a difficult week.  I am reinspired by the gorgeous fall colors around me, the drier skies and the plan free weekend that awaits.   I'm committed to doing some things to better my state including -

*Getting back to a daily meditation practice.
*More exercise
*Less phone use

"If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends.  If broken by an inside force, life begins."  My changes need to come from within.   They must.