Today's joie de vivre was a starry evening walk with my sweetheart. 

While my husband and I usually walk during daylight hours, when you have a full and productive day, time can fly by pretty quickly. Not to mention the fact that sunset is currently around 4:30ish pm here. At 6 pm, it was a balmy 24 degrees F. The streets were quiet except for a few curious barking dogs, the sounds of our footsteps, and our conversation. The air felt crisp and refreshing, and it felt good to move at a brisk, yet relaxed pace. Every so often we would stop to view the night sky, to soak up the beauty of the vast universe, to wonder who else was viewing it at this very moment, and to ask, how old are those stars up there, anyway?

It was a great way to catch up with each other, wind down the day, and settle in for the evening.

Until tomorrow,

Cheers to counting your blessings on a beautiful starry night!

60 years ago today my parents said, "I do."

Kind, caring, generous, tenacious, loving, and faith-filled are just a few of the many, many words I could use to describe them. What a delight it was to chat on the phone with them today, and listen to their story. Their love story. What an honor and a blessing to be a part of that. 

I thank God every day for them. 

January 7, 1961

The "newlyweds" at my wedding in 2002.

This is love.

Until tomorrow,

Cheers to love and happiness!

Cours de français = French lessons

Today marks 180 consecutive days of French lessons on the Duolingo app.

And, yes, I did receive a reward badge for that.  ;-)

progress badges

practicing French this past summer on my French cafe-inspired red geranium filled deck ;-)

What started during the COVID summer has now become a part of my daily routine. For reasons I don’t recall, other than I probably took extra art classes instead, I did not take a foreign language in high school. I’ve also been very fortunate to travel to France twice with my daughter who speaks fluent French. Sure, I managed a few very, very simple words or phrases, but it was easier and less intimidating to let my daughter do the talking.

My next trip will be different. When I go to la boulangerie, I’ll know exactly what to order:  Je voudrais une baguette, et deux pain au chocolat, s’il vous plaît. It’s a start! 

In case you’re wondering - Duolingo is a free language app designed by language experts which has game-like lessons that allow you to build solid speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. There are reward badges for incentives, and you can also set up practice reminders.

Bonne nuit, à demain

"...my cup overflows"

and for that I am very grateful.

a little sparkle makes the world a whole light brighter 

Until tomorrow,

may you find your cup overflowing

Hello January Monday,

Thank you for all of the goodness that came my way today ranging from art business details, to lunch lady duties for my virtual learner, to some yoga self-care. What a blessing to have choices. Most of all, thank you for the afternoon walk with my teenage son in this snow globe, catch the snowflakes on your tongue, it's a marshmallow world day. 

It's a marshmallow world...

Walking past my neighbor's bulb lights always brings backs childhood Christmas memories and makes me smile. 

Snow globers ;-)

Until tomorrow,

Cheers to a marshmallow world kind of day!

One look out the window this morning, and I was already looking forward to a brisk walk. Desiring a change of scenery that included more trees and less homes, I headed to a nearby cemetery. The beauty, peacefulness, and brisk air filled my senses and lifted my heart. For an hour, I walked, I admired God’s handiwork up close and from afar, and I allowed myself to just be, and breathe. It was wonderful. It was my joie de vivre for the day.

Scroll on, and let’s revisit the walk together...

Until tomorrow,
Cheers to a beautifully frosty, joie de vivre day! 

afternoon tea with Lady Carlyle

It was a good day for an art strategy session with a dear friend; breathing in some fresh, crisp winter air while on a neighborhood walk with my sweetheart; a sweet message from my soon-to-be daughter-in-love; and a warm and relaxing cup of Ginger Turmeric tea (a Christmas gift from my daughter and son-in-love) in my Royal Albert Lady Carlyle teacup. Ever notice how sipping tea from a lovely, and shall I say, "proper" cup makes it a little more special? A fun and slightly wonky sketch of said teacup adds another layer of delight. 

Cheers to a day filled with good things. 

"Do not despise these small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." - Zechariah 4:10

Start small and just begin...

Because what you focus on expands, and because today is January 1, 2021, and because why not?, and what if? Today begins an open-ended journey of sharing a piece of joy from each day in 2021. 

Today, I set up my "everyday" sketchbook/planner. I started doing this in the fall of 2014 when I taught an after school sketchbook journaling class to a group of K-3rd graders. When the session ended, I still had several pages left to fill in my handmade sketchbook. One idea led to another, and in a matter of a few short weeks, I was hooked. The last couple of years I switched from a hardbound sketchbook to more of a notebook style book because I was curious (what if...) to try it, and they were already in my supply stash. The format worked ok, but I noticed I didn't sketch as much. This year, back to the joy of working in a hardbound sketchbook.

Everyday sketchbooks - 2020 - 2014

The opening page - Joie de vivre - my mantra for the year :-)

Paint writing scripture is always a joy bringer. 

A "pristine" page, then again it's only January 1st. ;-)

Happy New Year!