Four Day Weekend

My daughter flew home last Friday for a four day weekend. Although I see her once or twice a year, she hadn't been home since 2008. We had a great time. Here are the truffles we made. We made milk chocolate truffles and also semisweet truffles. We started them Friday and finished them on Saturday and probably made about 100 balls!
We didn't eat them all, we shared them with friends.

A quick recap of the weekend follows:
There was lunch at the Banyan Tree at Kent Station, a movie. Lots of shopping at Westlake Center, and South Center Parkway. Lunch at Panera Bakery, dessert at Cheesecake Factory, a trip to Trader Joe's.

For her, dinner and a visit with high school friends.

A ride on the Link train to downtown. A walk to Top Pot Doughnuts, Pike Place and ice cream on the Seattle waterfront.

Trudy's Florist Shop, (much better than Trudy's Tavern). This is something we do, find places around town with our names on them. Like Wally Park and Wayne's Tires.


Waiting for the Link train.
Almost learned how to use the timer on the new camera!

Topped off the weekend with dinner at Wally's Chowder House.
It was a great weekend.

Sweet Rewards

Before

After

One small step for Trudy, one giant step for the kitchen drawers.

November is Here!

2009, does that thought scare you? Well it's just right around the corner. As I put away my Halloween decorations yesterday, I put out a few things for Thanksgiving. I also cleaned house and moved the furniture around so we could get to the fireplace which we enjoy this time of year. It's actually a wood burning store so you need space to open the door out and I keep furniture in front of it most of the time.

When I went grocery shopping on Saturday the Halloween candy had quickly been replaced with yes, Christmas candy. I stayed 6 feet away from it and kept on walking. Funny how it's actually the same candy just in new Christmas colored wrappings.

As we go into the month of November it gives us time to reflect on the many things we are thankful for. I don't ignore the fact that there are a lot of bad things happening in the world today. It's so hard to believe that in 2008 there are still people in parts of the world without adequate drinking water, very little food and many without a roof over their heads.

We live in a country of excess and we shouldn't take that for granted nor abuse it. Just look at the volume of stores in your very own neighborhood. Anything you want right at your fingertips if you have the money.

I like to get down to the basics and be grateful for the ordinary things in my life. My family - every single one of them, my friends, my health, our home, the beauty in nature which surrounds us, my job, our dog, my religious beliefs (and the freedom to have them) and my memories. You can take away my car, my nice couch and even my indoor plumbing as long as I can keep the things listed above.

For all the luxuries and other things I live with that I think of as "necessities", those things I am also grateful for and I try not to take them for granted.
To name a few: chocolate, ice cream, movies, warm socks, a good book, a hot shower, electricity, my computer, the ocean, french fries, photographs, old books, toilet paper, fabric, shopping, even the public library.

Enjoy this season of Thanksgiving and take time to think about the many, many things in your life you have to be grateful for. Sure we may still be overweight, have to wear reading glasses, creak in the joints, never catch up on the laundry, have to cook yet another meal, run another million errands, have health problems or family challenges, but this is our life - enjoy it!