The Beauty in Life

 

Well, here is another weekend. Working late last night, I have to say it felt so good to complete that final file and begin doing what we should all do in appreciating those gifted moments in our lives. Weekends are the best! It is the month for being grateful and thankful for those moments we are given with family, friends, and living in the present. Life is awesome!

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, I am going to be baking boules for a couple of family members. I thought I would be able to share the sourdough experience with them. 

Just a quick note, as I don't want to go too deeply into the sourdough thing, since you all know that I do bake with sourdough starter and I've covered it plenty in this blog. Avoiding the boredom is the plan here. I did, however, create an amazing loaf of sourdough sandwich bread that I was quite proud of. It is made with coconut oil and raw honey. The combination of those two ingredients make the outer crust light, flaky, and oh, so good! 

The outer crust has small bubbles baked in, making it a very soft, lovely crust. Amazing crumb and texture of bread and so, so very good! Seymour, my starter, has developed and become a full-fledged big boy now, adding a nice sourdough tanginess into the final product. 

Terry and I were enjoying our sourdough boules, but the outer crust is always chewy and a bit hard. That's the way sourdough bread is. But with this bread, the coconut oil developed such a soft, flaky crust that it made the sourdough experience wonderful. We even made cinnamon toast out of a few pieces and wow! It was so good. The tanginess came through the sweet cinnamon and sugar, creating a wonderful late-night snack. 

Anyway, Friday the 17th came and went, but not without memories of our wedding date. Once again, sweet man surprised me with a bouquet of beautiful flowers to celebrate the fifth month anniversary. I am in love, ladies. Deeply in love. 

This bouquet, like the others I have received since we were married, sits by my desk so that I can enjoy them every day and to avoid one curious cat named Kit. He's gorgeous, one of the most intelligent babies I have ever been blessed to know, but he gets into all sorts of stuff. Nothing is sacred in this house with Kit involved. 

Our week has been fairly calm and that's how I love it. We did make a few trips out to eat at eateries that exist around town. I never care where we eat, as long as Terry and I are together. Laughter always seems to find its way into the situation, somehow, some way. Even though the week has been light in terms of activities, it has also been one of joy and such an intense love for each other. Life is what we make it. My sweet man and I have chosen to make it count, and make it beautiful, together. 

Our trip to Eugene for Thanksgiving to be with our family is growing near. We are gathering at my oldest daughter's home to enjoy the holiday. Terry and I love Thanksgiving. Being with family, chatting with everyone, the closeness and love, and of course, the food we share gives happy, loving memories for all of us. I am thankful for our family. It is such a meaningful time of the year. 

Looking forward to Saturday and Sunday, although we have no set plans. Yes, the bookshelf is still lying in pieces on the office floor. It gives hubby Mac and I something to laugh about. We're sort of getting attached to the discombobulated furniture just the way it is. As a source of laughter, we also see it as a way to inevitably stub your toe or an object of concern as we need to step over it each time we want to get to our large bookshelf. It's been entertaining, to say the least. How many times can the old folks get thrown off balance as they make an attempt to walk through the room? We're like pinballs in a pinball machine. I'll have to make videos. 

Speaking of videos, I made a couple of small ones of our big guy, Togo. I was awakened the other morning by this big lug jumping onto the bed for no apparent reason. 

Togo jumped onto the bed as I reached for my phone to check for messages. He proceeded to make me aware that his day had started and he was ready to get going. People to see, places to pee, and things to achieve. That's our baby. 

He is beginning to really show his true personality. Our newest family member shows his quirkiness by speaking to me in the mornings. Not every morning, but once in a while he will belt out some backtalk. Last night, I bent over and looked him in the eye while I was making dinner. I said, "Can I have a kiss, handsome boy?" Togo came forward and slurped my lips with his large tongue. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. But I did love that he gave me that kiss. 

A few moments later, I was telling Terry about it, wondering if it was a trick he was taught in the past or if it was something he had picked up from us. He does have training, that's for sure. We spoke about it for a bit and then I continued making dinner. After we ate, I sat on the couch and asked for another kiss. Togo stretched his neck out and gave me another kiss. He shared his kiss with Terry a few moments after that. I do believe he knows what, "Give me a kiss" means. He is such an adorable baby. 

Well readers, we are coming upon another weekend. Our posts will continue as Saturday and Sunday roll around. There is an Oregon Duck game upon us again tomorrow and I am beyond excited. We also had an early arrival of my Christmas gift my husband lovingly picked out for me. Unfortunately, the shipment came unwrapped, leaving the title of the item and the pictures of it on display for all to see. I pulled the box into the house. Terry was quite upset, as he wanted me to be really surprised on the big day. I'm loving what he got me, but he won't let me use it! At least not just yet. 

I was asked a couple of times what I wanted for Christmas. Nothing at all came to mind. Having all I need and want, it was a difficult choice. The only thing I could offer up as a suggestion was the thought of a food processor for all my baking and cooking and I did tell him about a suggestion my daughter had brought up. She told me about her Bissell Crosswave that she loves so much. So ... This is what appeared on our front porch the other day:

Not just a Crosswave, but a top of the line Crosswave. The steam feature is going to be awesome! Even though he was so disappointed in the unwrapped box, he was also smiling at me as I begged him to let me clean the house with it this weekend. A firm, "No." came through. My husband is making me wait to use my new toy! 

The Crosswave, for those who may not know, is a multi-surface vacuum, mop, and steamer all in one. The reviews and ratings I have read are suggesting this machine will deliver the promise to clean all my pet hair, wipe up any type of spilled foods, footprints, or other floor-spoiling spots, and it will leave the house smelling great. 

 They have machines that leave out the steam option as well, but with our pets, this is great! The machine picks up everything, like spilled food, dog hair, et cetera, and mops as it sucks up the debris. The steam option is something I am excited about, as I can steam our furniture and floors, along with short pile carpets, which ours are. It even empties and cleans the tank and mop head, along with the entire machine upon completing the cleaning of floors, sofas, and other areas with a self cleaning feature. We have three carpets in the entire home and that is in the office, a little nook area, and in the bedroom. This beautiful piece of equipment will assist me in keeping the rugs from smelling like dog ass. That's a good thing, believe me. 

So, there my awesome gift sits. Unused. In the box. While my house is sitting in dirt and hair and odors that could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon, my beautiful machine awaits the day the big guy comes down our chimney. Hmm. Well, we don't have a chimney that is open any longer, so this will be a major let down. Alas, on that day I will have permission to open the Bissell Box and play with my new toy. 

But, let's get real here. I'll be honest. After pouting about not being able to use the machine, I have come to the conclusion my house really does not stink as bad as I dramatized. Pets? Yes. Odors? Yes, at times. But not very often. We keep the litter box clean and we do wash the covers for the furniture, and I do vacuum and sweep. It's all really just about playing with new things. Can't an adult have toys? So, I sit here and pout, kicking my Capricorn feet in protest over the fact that I was denied. It's a built in feature in Capricorns. They don't like being told no. 

While my bottom lip is extended, I would just like to say, have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! Terry and I hope each and every one of you are surrounded by family and/or friends, or that you simply find joy in your holiday season. Wishing you a healthy, happy day. Life is too short to spend your time not enjoying every beautiful moment of it. 

Remember to be the light and pass that light along.