Hey, all you cool cats and kittens. I hope you’re settling into a comfy November. I’m back with this week’s installment of 30 Days of Thanks. Let’s jump in!
Day 13: Kindness
If you’ve been here before, you’ve probably heard about my love for Studio Ric Rak, a vintage shop in my town. This place just has all of the best goodies from Pyrex dishes to handmade Christmas decor to awesome retro artwork (seen above!).
Earlier this year when I stopped in, I told the owner I was picking something up for my mom who just had surgery. I found a sweet little Easter decoration my mom could put up in her hospital room and the owner just said, “This one’s on me! Tell your mom to feel better!”
And that act of kindness is something I’ll not soon forget. Thanks, Chris!
Day 14: Routine
I’ve said it a lot: I am not a routine person. I like the idea of routines, but I think I’m just too chaotic for that. This being said, when Michael and I head up north, we do have a bit of a routine. In the mornings, we have breakfast. Then Michael goes out and takes care of the trees and I hang out on the deck with a good book.
We were up there a few weeks ago and it was a lovely chilly morning. I had a scary book, a hot cup of tea and a blanket. It was so relaxing, and I’m thankful to have this soothing routine when I’m away from home.
Day 15: Work
Let me say this: I love working from home. It is a huge blessing. It’s allowed me to have more flexibility and some extra time to spend with my family this year. I am tremendously thankful for this arrangement.
This all being said, I did return to the office once this year: to film this video! Above is a shot of some of the prop pretzels (real but just a day old) from the shoot.
Day 16: Growth
We all have heard the cliche: You grow through what you go through.
It’s true, though. This year has been so, so tough. And while I wish life wasn’t the way it is right now, the past nine months have really pushed me. I’ve become more patient, more giving and more resilient. Those aren’t bad things (even if you have to go through the proverbial dirt to get to them).
Shoutout to my friend Ellie for the irises above. She dug them up for me last year and they made an appearance in the back garden this summer.
Day 17: Food
Julia Child once said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” This is so obviously true to me, and I’m lucky to be surrounded by these types of people all the time. My family is packed with amazing bakers and I work with people who think about food all day long.
And I love to chat about recipes, restaurants and snackies. It’s just a great feeling. And recently I got to shoot the breeze with the folks that run Buckatabon and it was a real joy. I was having a low day but sitting and talking supper clubs and northwoods nostalgia is one of the cures for whatever ails ya (also ice cream).
Day 18: Self-Love
Here’s a selfie I took that I don’t hate. I was dressed up as a bat for Halloween.
Day 19: Fun
Fun looks different than it used to, but I have to say I’ve gotten a lot of joy out of sewing recently. After stopping at a fabric shop in Sturgeon Bay, I was absolutely giddy to pull out my sewing machine again (it’d had been in the closet once I finished sewing more than 200 masks in 2020).
Getting back into sewing has been a lot of fun. I’m thankful that my mom taught me this skill and that I’ve got the time to sink into some fun projects lately.
I’ll be keeping up with this series for the rest of November. Be sure to count your own blessings, too!
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