See how other people are living their simpler lives at  The Simple Woman.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…glorious sunshine and green and colors from recent rains.

I am thinking…of my daughter that just turned 14

I am thankful for…relationships with family and friends, writing, reading, going to the beach, being in nature, listening to new music

From the kitchen…blueberry pancakes with fresh blueberries

I am creating…a fresh, new office, a new flower garden

I am going…to play tennis with my son this afternoon

I am wearing…a turquoise tank, offwhite shorts and a bracelet I made of green and turquoise beads

I am reading…Coastliners by Joanne Harris

I am hoping…I can spend a lot of time outside today

I am hearing…the fan

Around the house…I need to water my houseplants – they are looking droopy, I cleaned off my desk and it is looking serene and clean

One of my favorite things…smiles and hugs

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…a concert in the park, going to the beach, and maybe renting a kayak

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

The side garden

See how other people are living their simpler lives at  The Simple Woman.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…the clematis is blooming just as the tiger lilies fade away

I am thinking…of how blessed I am to have tasks I "have to do" because that means I have a family to care for and work and people in my life

I am thankful for…an afternoon at the beach, getting up early, an hour of exercise that made me feel fabulous

From the kitchen…full of fresh berries, beautiful zucchini and farm fresh eggs from the Farmer’s Market

I am creating…a birthday celebration for my daughter

I am going…to stay home today though we will play some croquet outside if it doesn’t rain

I am wearing…Jean shorts, a short sleeve shirt in colors of the sunset, a necklace of twine and colorful beads.

I am reading…The Joy in Loving by Mother Theresa and the magazine Life Beautiful

I am hoping…to have a peaceful and joyful week

I am hearing…silence

Around the house…the kitchen is trashed after a weekend of not cleaning much, time to clear the piano bench off again

One of my favorite things…a walk in the woods with the kids

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…a teleclass I am presenting, a concert at the park, going to the beach and playing a game or two of tennis

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

Wildflowers from our walk this weekend

See how other people are living their simpler lives at  The Simple Woman.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…the tiger lilies are cheering the yard with their yellow burst of sunshine, a new motorcycle for my husband.

I am thinking…I got a lot done already today

I am thankful for…work, a call with my Mom, our cat, my Bible study

From the kitchen…chocolate marscapone brownies

I am creating…a fun teleclass, a powerpoint presentation

I am going…to take the kids strawberry picking in a little bit

I am wearing…a brown and cream empire waist shirt, jeans, brown and tourquoise earrings. I’ll need to change into my stained t shirt and ripped jean before we go picking.

I am reading…Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight by Sharon Heller

I am hoping…the hibiscus pops back up after it got stepped on

I am hearing…dishes banging for my son’s snack of waffles and berries, my daughter’s keyboard clicking

Around the house…uncovered my piano bench so I could play this weekend, the stove still has flour on it from the brownies

One of my favorite things…learning something new

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…my daughter has printworks class, my sister is coming into town for the day, and I am working at VBS all week

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

No picture thought this week

See how other people are living their simpler lives at  The Simple Woman.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…a new hanging plant of vibrant coral and yellow Gerbera daisies, lots of water – our road was shut down because of flooding after Saturday’s and Sunday’s storms.

I am thinking…of how wonderful my husband is for taking the kids away for the afternoon before I went insane

I am thankful for…my son being an angel at the eye doctor, and my daughter cooperating mostly except with the puff in the eye test which freaks her out, my new hair cut which is a little longer so I’ll be able to put my hair in a ponytail again just in time for the hot weather

From the kitchen…our freezer unplugged and thankfully we caught it within a few hours before the food was no good

I am creating…a fun teleclass

I am going…to the eye doctor to see how much worse I can see this year. My son has one contact for an eye that is worse than the other. I can’t even tell which of my eyes is worse because without glasses or contacts all I see is blur.

I am wearing…yoga pants, a blue tank top layered with a brown tank top, gold hoops

I am reading…Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson. I haven’t read one of her culinary mysteries in awhile so I’m enjoying meeting the characters again

I am hoping…I can figure out how to revive my African violet

I am hearing…the fan

Around the house…cleaned and brought my office back to order

One of my favorite things…sitting in bed, reading for an hour or two

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…my daughter has a computer class for the week, I’m getting a massage after a few months without, this weekend my son and I are going to the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

The Gerbera daisies

I love peeking into the lives of other people.  The Simple Woman shares other people’s daybooks, like my day below. It helps to remember the simple joys of daily living. You can join us too.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…a beautiful, misty rain

I am thinking…of words to write for some emails to send

I am thankful for…seeing family I hadn’t seen in awhile recently at my cousin’s wedding

From the kitchen…BLT’s

I am creating…a new summer schedule

I am going…to a Pastoral Care Elder meeting in an hour

I am wearing…brown pants, a peach shirt with ruching, bare feet and I took off my bangle bracelets to type

I am reading…Left Bank by Kate Muir

I am hoping…my 15 yr old son learns from having to take summer school that he should turn in his homework

I am hearing…the raindrops on the roof

Around the house…two suitcases to unpack, the kids have been doing great keeping up with dishes, I am sorting through computer CD’s

One of my favorite things…dancing which I got to do at the wedding

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…June planning, eye doctor appointments, playing tennis with my son, watching National Treasure 2 with the kids

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

My cousin Dan and his new wife, Amy, seemed deliriously happy together at their wedding this past weekend. I wish them a  joyful journey ahead of them.

I’ve enjoyed reading the posts in this meme at The Simple Woman and visiting their lovely days. It helps to remember the simple joys of daily living. You can join us too.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…the dogwood tree is blooming, the pair of morning doves are back at the feeder

I am thinking…I will concentrate on each of my tasks today

I am thankful for…my son being extra helpful, my daughters card and hugs and my husband making dinner for Mother’s Day

From the kitchen…the fruit bowl is full again with kiwi, pears, mango and bananas

I am creating…a poem

I am going…to my friend’s for a picnic

I am wearing…jeans and a black shirt with roses, rectangular dangly earrings with a rose pattern

I am reading…The ZooKeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

I am hoping…that migraines are gone for the week

I am hearing…silence, the kids are at school, husband is sleeping and so is the cat

Around the house…weekly chores are done, but the newspaper is scattered in the living room and the flowers my husband gave me a couple weeks ago need to go

One of my favorite things…is morning quiet time

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…my daughter has quite a few end of the year activities to go to and this weekend we are going to a picnic for my son’s robotics team

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

from Fredrick Meijer Gardens

I’ve enjoyed reading the posts in this meme at The Simple Woman and visiting their lovely days. It helps to remember the simple joys of daily living.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…2 morning doves waddling below the bird feeder, tulips bursting with color, a cardinal in the tree teasing my cat

I am thinking…that I will enjoy the evening away from my computer

I am thankful for…my husband’s hard work, my son’s humor and my daughter’s creativity

From the kitchen…fresh strawberries and blueberries, sautéed asparagus with lemon and homemade chicken and rice crockpot soup

I am creating…a new simplicity course

I am going…to the Tulip Time parade

I am wearing…green gray jeans, a pinkish shirt with 3/4 sleeves, a green, pink and gold bracelet, and a moss green scarf because it was a bit chilly walking today

I am reading…The ZooKeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman

I am hoping…for another day of blue skies and an evening of rain

I am hearing…my computer fan, my teenager’s music

Around the house…is a bag of clothes for Goodwill, a bag of food for the post office food drive Saturday and a picture my daughter says needs to be updated

One of my favorite things…is walking on the beach

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…2 Tulip Time parades, showing my son how to do a budget, continuing my Spending Fast and chatting with my daughter

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…