A Gathering of Thoughts

I got this post idea from one of my favorite bloggers-- Elizabeth Foss. This summer, I am planning to blog once a week using this format, giving myself a bit of a summer break at the same time. I'll see you here each Monday from now until Labor Day. 

Loving: my summer walks. I am trying to build up the time I spend walking to at least an hour a day. It is both restorative and exerting at the same time.

Listening to: Brandon Flowers' new album pretty much nonstop. I didn't love this song until I saw the video-- it makes me smile. It's a good testimony to a marriage that lasts.



Clothing myself in: New skinny jeans I got at Loft for a mere $17 (gotta love half off clearance!). Pairing them with a couple of tunic-style shirts I got at Marshalls using a birthday gift card from my in-laws and wedge sandals. My legs are still just a bit too day-glo white to do shorts or skirts in public. Soon though, very soon. Many days at the pool are on my horizon.

Reading: Jen Hatmaker's new book, For The Love. I scored an advance copy and have read it and loved it. This is the first book of hers I've read. I found her funny, real, and right about a lot of things. I highlighted many, many lines. Go ahead and put it on your TBR list for next fall! I've also been listening to Jenna Blum's The Art of Fiction and recommend it for anyone who wants to write novels.

Pondering: Just what I can realistically expect out of our summer. Writing my 1000 words every day? Reading aloud to my youngest every day? Making light and easy meals consistently? Getting in a few trips? I want to relax and enjoy the summer but I also don't want to fritter it away. So I'm thinking about striking that balance.

Cultivating a rhythm: This week is about getting through our last week of school-- which includes field day, my last lunch duty rotation, and a last day of school musical production-- and then the rhythm of our lives is about to change big time. No more daily routine, no more morning school runs, no more afternoon carpools. Two of mine have already finished so my days alone are gone for a few months, but it's a welcome change that we are all looking forward to. I, for one, am looking forward to not packing lunches!!

Creating: Peppermint Brownies thanks to the recipe in the back of a book my daughter read, which she has now declared one of her most favorite books ever. If you have a daughter around the age of 10, you might want to check out The Forget Me Not Summer.

Giving thanks: for six healthy and (mostly) happy kids. I can take that for granted so easy and I shouldn't. Each one of them adds so much to my life. My word for this year is ABUNDANCE and one thing I've learned is this abundance of children has enriched my life in so many ways.

Planning: all the books I am going to read this summer. This shall be the summer of reading. For me at least. I have so, so many books to get to. It's a bit embarrassing. Talk about abundance.

Looking forward to: a summer of concerts-- Chris Botti is this coming weekend, Michael McDonald is the week after that, then David Gray later in June, with plans to also see Toad the Wet Sprocket and Brandon Flowers before the summer ends as well! Can. Not. Wait.