Life's Little Pleasures

I've been thinking about all of the blessings in my life, especially the little ones that I tend to take for granted. A few things in particular stood out - things that, as I experienced them, made me so warm and comforted inside that I stopped and thought, Now this is a blessing. I just had to share a few - those small, seemingly unimportant details that help make up a merry whole.

A Clean Kitchen
I have decided that my kitchen is my personal home base zone. If it is messy, I feel like a slob, even if the rest of the house is tidy. If it's clean, the rest of the house doesn't seem so daunting, regardless of its current state. Right now it is in the "mostly clean but slightly cluttered" state, which is a big improvement from the "oh my God where do I start?!" state it was in earlier.

Sunshine on Snow
Something about the way the sunbeams glisten and sparkle on snow always makes me happy. The trees are wearing lacy shawls of snowflakes, and tiny fairy diamonds are hidden in pockets and hollows of snow on the hill behind my house.

A HoneyBaked Ham sandwich and hot chocolate 
Hot chocolate is a must on a day like today. I swear I can see my breath in my living room. Chocolate is always a blessing (at least to chocoholics like myself) but hot chocolate is in a category all its own. And come on, who doesn't love a HoneyBaked Ham sandwich? Especially when you are starving after a cleaning binge.

Little boys building Lego sets and singing
Right now both of my boys are building with their Star Wars Legos and singing "Happy Birthday, Jesus". Precious and priceless.

Coca Cola
'Nuff said.


It's a few days before New Years, and as this year is winding down I've been thinking about where I was this time last year and how things have changed. Rather than an actual "resolution"  - or like I usually have, resolution LIST - instead I am determining to make improvements. I want a calmer, more stable existence, with greater happiness and joy. Looking back at where I've come from, I see the direction I need to move to achieve it. Better health, better organization, greater patience - sure. But chiefly, greater JOY.