Winter, You Are Invited To Leave Now.

As the inevitable funk of late winter sets in, reminding me how mostly-awful February really is, I am having to work overtime to feel warm and grateful and optimistic and cheerful. And this year has been EXTRA cold, and EXTRA snowy, and with Quinn only being a year old, I don't feel like I can take him and Lucy outside for walks like I might with older kids. Ten degrees (or less) is simply too extreme. So we sit at home, day after day, trunky, restless, softening from disuse, feeling pent-up in our muscles and our souls..... Aching for warm and itching for exercise, and chafing under the rigid, cold regime of Winter. 

So I've been jotting down a list lately. Forcing myself to tune in and really FEEL it when something lovely or wonderful is happening... even if it is something so small or so simple that most folks wouldn't think twice about it. I'm making a Happy List so I can remember that feeling of abundance even when it seems that we've almost run out of everything. 

Some of my Happy List:

1. Oatmeal with craisins and chopped up apple bits

2. Space heaters on cold feet

3. Lucy wanting to wear her new Korea "princess" dress

4. My vintage red-stitched "Wednesday" dish towel, found at Artichoke Annie's

5. The corner of the couch with a pillow and a quilt, either asleep or awake

6. Alison Krauss Pandora

7. Extra-hot dishwater and Judie's Glam-Gloves

8. the smell of Sweet Pea lotion

9. My new fluffy pillow that feels like a hotel to me

10. Peeking in on my little ones every night before I go to bed-- adjusting their legs, blankets, lovies, etc. 

11, Quinn's crib-smiles and greetings when I go in to rescue him. 

12. Getting away with going braless all day

13. Celebrities Read Mean Tweets

14. Putting on a fresh set of Jamberry nails

15. "Grey Havens", from the LOTR: ROTK soundtrack

16. My new little porched birdhouse in my entryway

17. Vintage Fisher Price toys

18. Lucy in her baseball gear, giving her self pep talks as she "throws" the ball (kind of flailing her gloved hand up with the ball atop the glove, til the ball falls out at a distance)--"I gotcha! Y' did it! Let's try again, ball!!!... I found him! We'll try again!! Great job!! Ha HA!!! CRAZY!!.... It's a BALL!  Let's try again!!"

19. Bonus Check day from Jamberry

20. Setting a timer for 6 minutes and tidying as much as I can in that time

21. Looking out at our vast backyard and seeing the blanket of snow, touched only by squirrel footprints. 

22. Getting a fountain soda or Starbucks hot chocolate once or twice a week

23. Inside jokes

24. Sisterhoods

25. Instagram

26. Lotion on my feet

27. Getting to see a movie in a theater

28. Finding out about friends' pregnancies

29. The peace of our daily Quiet Time, even though I am nearly always snappish and depleted just prior to it. Oh to finally have all three kiddos situated and the sigh of release and peace that follows....

30. Seeing Noah come off of his bus every day, in his red coat and robot backpack, all eagerness and friendly waving to the bus driver as he runs to me...

31. Joe coming home every evening

32. Junk TV and giving myself permission to step away from "work" to have a TV night with Joe next to me

33. Baker's twine and brown paper

34. Serenity and Elevation oils

35. The stack of thrifted doilies waiting for me to cut and sew into a garland

36. Listening to songs from "Frozen" and hearing Noah and Lucy get more lyrics every time

37. Anytime Quinn "dances" in his sitting-circle-bop on the floor

38. The pretty fingerless gloves from Jen, getting worn out by getting worn almost daily

39. ANY happy mail

40. Seeing order and clutter-less-ness in pockets of my home

41. My succulents garden, mostly still alive

42. The smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies

43. Reading beautiful things that move me

44. ANY happy tears, really

45. Addendum: My marvelous siblings. Especially Steve. (Happy, bro?)

Oh, and SNOW PHOTOS, like above, when I manage to get out a real camera and chronicle the GOOD stuff about the white stuff.... When we're all still a little excited about it--- about trying to blow freezing bubbles, or shoot fake macro snowflakes with a reversed lens, or just get out and play in the stuff together. I do love seeing my little ones love the magic of snow. ♥

So. It's Feb. 12. And we can make it a few more weeks. Slow down, notice when something tickles your senses. Treat yourself a little nicer. Make a Happy List of your own. We'll get through. Sunshine warm enough to walk under is just around the corner.