where there is love

presents from santa are wrapped and hidden well.
tamales, bourbon, and snuggly puppy make me warm
while hoots and hellmouth do their thing through my speakers.

goodness.
wrap it around you.
breathe it in.
wear it in a parade down your street
while singing at the top of your lungs.
your breath, hot and smoky in the cold christmas air.

evah flesruoy a yrrem elttil samtsirhc

the last two days have been so stellar.
i have nothing to say and everything to say.
so if you want to hear about it, call me.
or not.
just roll around in these images and then go.
go find some magic in your incredible day.
or night.

peace out.
(until tomorrow).

beans

try one bean.
that was all i asked him to eat.
then..i caved and asked for only half of a bean.
dipped in maple syrup.
half of a bean became one quarter
with a meatball chaser and only a few tears.

veggies.
jeez…

followed by pirates,
opening the christmas cards that came in the mail,
and digging out the ornaments from last year.

the beans forgotten.

tonight

screen printing at the tool library happened tonight.
creating within this amazing, creative community makes me so stinking happy.
my hands are covered in paint. and i love it.
new plans are happening for 2014.
i feel like anything can happen, really.
and i am going for it.

it all begins with moments like tonight.

play all (snow) day

we wore our jammies backwards and inside out.
we flushed ice cubes down the toilet.
a white crayon was placed in the freezer.
and we danced like crazy to "snow day" by the band, bleu.
then we slept.
and hoped.
and when we woke up?
snnnnnoooooow!!!!!!

we worked our magic. oh yes, we did!

sledding in the cemetery across the street.
ice exploring and snowball throwing.
and a special session with the doctor to help mama's
impending cold and sore throat symptoms.
it was a lovely snow day.

as for winter? bring it.
i'll take this any day.

date night

baked chicken eaten with our bare hands.
advent calendar chocolate for dessert.
hot toddy for mama.
and tomorrow?
we're hoping for another snow day.

sunday snow

saturday

pancakes.
mandolins.
gingerbread and icing.
and horse feathers.

what a full day it has been.

this

is what i've got today.
no words
trying to be clever
or funny.
just this.
and i am happy with it.

real world fun

i left work and rushed to get to the chop's school.

"c'mon baby. grab your things, let's hurry!

i want to see the lighting of the monument tonight!"

but, mama, i want to go home and play on the computer.

wait. what?

"there is REAL fun to be had.

there's a real live world out there, 

with fireworks,

and cotton candy,

and singers,

and thousands of christmas lights!

much more fun than the fake world of a

game on the computer..."

i don't want to go.

can't we do it next day?

"it is only tonight.

and only once a year.

and did i mention pizza?"

no. i don't want to go.

"i do. i really want to go."

*sigh*

i wanted to say, "LET'S LIVE!"

i wanted to tell him that tomorrow isn't promised.

that we need to get out and breathe the fresh air.

that life is short so we should enjoy the loveliness of a 

rare, warm, december night.

that we should eat cinnamon pastry and drink chocolate milk for dinner

and take in the magic of this city of charm.

but i didn't. 

because he is only six, after all.

ok. i'll go because you really want to. 

but i want to play a game when we get home.

we walked the whole way there.

and there may have even been one or three christmas songs sung along the way.

"mama, look! i'm a newspaper box!"

and it was worth the wait.

and a beautiful night for a walk (almost) home.

last view before we hopped in to a taxi cab.

all i want for christmas

nothing puts you in the holiday spirit
like a christmas concert.
especially when small children are performing
in front of an audience of elders.
so sweet, it was.

i am officially in caroling mode.

the man in red

he is real.
so very real.
and his heart is as big as the north pole itself.

how about you

mama, do you believe in santa?

i do, yes.

zahari, in my class, she said that santa isn't real.

what do you think?

i believe, mama. i really do.

of course

me: baby, what do you want for dinner?

chop: bacon, ravioli, and egg nog.

i have created a monster.

start small

something about saying-it-out-loud is motivation.
"i am going to post every day for a month."
so i did. (almost)
and it was hard. but worth it.
i am shooting.
every day.
and that is one of the things that fills my heart like nothing else.

so i am going to do it again.
this time, looking for the magic of the season.
the small moments that make my day.
the real reasons that make me say "life is good."

join me?
you can post your entry in
in the comment section.
share your magic.
spread the love.
c'mon.

every little bit

all morning we snuggled in the big, green chair
at camp nitza while we watched shows and read a few books.
we drew pictures and played with legos.
we ate popcorn and drank warm almond milk.
with swords and capes, we conquered a few bad guys before
i said, "i need to take a shower and get ready for dinner."
(i was meeting friends downtown.)

but mama, i want to play candyland.

i promised we could play one round after i showered.

after i rinsed the shampoo from my hair…this:

mama, i will move your guy around the board and take your turns for you.



he really is so stinking cute.
and i soak in these moments because i know
that too soon
he will not want to spend so much time with me.


#naphopomo day 30.

time

"what if you wake up at 60 and realize that you forgot to wake up?" - anne lamott


a good friend of mine once said, "realize your dreams.
and then chase those f@*#ers down."
and that is just what i am going to do.
i am gearing up for the new year.
going to start early.
it is time to stop spinning wheels and
live with purpose.

it is time to make things happen.


#naphopomo day 29.

if you don't have anything nice to say

i work in retail and have at least 100 conversations a day with total strangers.
when i go home, i am exhausted.

people can be really thoughtless.
i try to remember that we
all have our stuff.
everyone has something going on
in their head,
in their heart…
it is hard sometimes to take deep breaths
and let it go.

i ran the charm city turkey trot today.
while running, i chatted about this with my friend, john.
he told me his outlook on people who frustrate him.

whether you believe in god, or buddha, or all the good-energy in the world, this applies:
those people? they are the stewards of god. they are put here to test us. test our patience and to remind us that we need to care about and be good to one another.

i like that.
i am going to work very hard to remember that.

happy thanksgiving.



#naphopomo day 28.

home

will you
won't you,
be the one i'll always know.
when i'm losing my control, the city spins around
you're the only one who knows,
you slow it down.
-the fray "look after you"


#naphopomo day 27