Twelve Things on the Twelfth

I'm grateful for so many things these days.
So many people.
So many blessings.
So many memories.
Today I will limit my list to 12 things.

I am grateful for:

1. curtains and blinds, especially the ones in the bathroom

2. the chair in the corner of my bedroom. this afternoon, I sat in it with a big book of painting techniques in my lap. I promptly fell asleep. Lovely nap.

3. that this kind of peace and quietude exist in my house - even when both teenagers are at home.

4. lentil soup with barley

5. yoga workouts with Rodney Yee

6. the sight of beautiful wine bottles, even when I know I will never try the wine

7. friends who call and tell me about the trials and tribulations of dog ownership. we talk, we laugh, we moan, and we wonder what the heck we were thinking. how was it that we didn't think parenting was enough to keep us busy and broke?

8. having all the ingredients for the aforementioned pot of lentil and barley soup at home - not needing to go to the supermarket for anything

9. discovering that my stash of art books and art supplies is more than sufficient for the art I'm creating these days

10. Tostitos stone ground white corn chips with a hint of lime

11. Kiss My Face Cold & Flu Soothing Foaming Bath and Shower Gel - the scent of that soap, the lather - I am very happy when I take a shower with it. And I don't even have a cold or the flu.

12. the sound of my daughter rustling around in the kitchen... what goodies will she create??? (During the time that it took the photos to upload, I went downstairs to see what was going on in the kitchen. My daughter, my magnificent child, HAD CLEANED THE KITCHEN! She put the remaining soup into containers that will go into the fridge, washed the soup pot, and emptied the dishwasher. Where did this child come from? I know not whence, but I thank the Good Lord on High that she was lent to me for these first eighteen years of her blessed and beautiful life.)