Five things I am grateful for today

1. I saw the hummingbirds being banded today at the San Pedro Riparian Reserve near Sierra Vista, AZ. It was amazing. They are so small yet travel so far and are so very beautiful.

2. I got the opportunity to spend most of the day with my friend Carolyn who lives in the Bay Area. She is inspiring and truly a ray of sunshine. I love her and wish she lived her all of the time.

3. I made us a really yummy snack: grilled polenta (with dried basil, parmesan cheese, sea salt and fresh ground pepper) with a salad of those tiny heirloom tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella on top, a green salad with carrots and Persian cucumbers, and a little side dish of pecans. I ended up being the only eater of this snack.

4. There were huge trees at the Riparian Reserve.

5. We went to Cafe Poca Cosa for dinner--I had the vegetarian option which I am too tired to describe but it was totally divine.

I wish I had the energy to post pictures of this lovely day, but I do not. Zzzz.

More grateful

Today was a pretty good day considering it didn't really start til about 1pm.

Roofrauff and I had a picnic and a long walk on the Rillito late this afternoon. It was really warm and when the wind picked up it was perfect. I haven't taken a picture of the trees lately--here they are with all of their leafy loveliness.

And whoever said the desert isn't green? This is such a beautiful time of year with all the wildflowers blooming.

The Trader Joe's shopping spree was SO fun. I bought: fresh mozzerella, organic basil, organic heirloom tiny tomatoes, cambazola cheese, maple cream cookies, Persian cucumbers, ridge-y potato chips, salad greens, pickles, a couple of yummy looking frozen dinners for when I feel lazy, gummy vitamin C, frozen artichoke hearts, whole grain crackers, olive tapenade, and about a zillion other things. It was glorious. I also bought Eric some lovely calla lilies because he is the very best.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Spending the morning with Eric was wonderful. Guys' weekend is all fine and good, but it's nice to have him all to myself again. Oink oink. Yes, I am an Eric hog. It is true.

2. I am just about to go to Trader Joe's for a small shopping spree to celebrate my ouch-free mouth. Crunchy things on the list? Um... yeah.

3. Tomorrow I have a great adventure planned with an out of town friend... we are going to Sierra Vista to see the hummingbird banding! Before that we are going to have a light lunch here at the house--what shall I make? I love having an opportunity to make food for a friend. Goody goody! And after the hummingbird banding we are going to dinner at Cafe Poca Cosa downtown! I have only been there once and am so excited to go again. YUM! It's so nice to be eating again!

4. PT seems to be helping my back and knee. Nothing hurts.

5. I love this warm sunshine. This is the best time of the year. I know, I probably said that last fall. But this is the very best now that has ever been, and the only.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Excellent green bean casserole at work.
2. My work week has been quiet, rewarding and altogether good. Low acuity, nice patients, my favorite tech, yummy coffee with yummy creamer.
3. Monday begins my 5 days off, yippee! I have some craft projects planned, some playing outside, and lots of lurking around and relaxing.
4. Today I slept for 9 hours, from 8am-5:30pm. Delicious. Sleep, I love you. Working nightshift feels "normal" now. I am so grateful for that. I like nightshift SO much better than day shift, it is so much more peaceful. And I get to provide much better care.
5. I think my next door neighbors are going to end up being good friends. They are artists, kinda earthy-crunchy, and super friendly. Hopefully I am going for a walk with one of them today/tomorrow...Monday afternoon. This whole today/tomorrow thing gets hazy in the middle of the night.

Pictures of last week's crafts coming soon.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. I am healing well. My energy is back, my mouth is healing, fever and headache are gone.

2. Eric's friends are here for the weekend and it's lots of fun.

3. I spent almost all day yesterday doing crafts.

4. Last night I ate chicken fajitas in burrito form thanks to Eric's awesome grilling skills and my mouth's lovely healing. It was my first meal in a week!

5. I spoke with Abby last night for a while--talking to her always inspires me. She is starting a gluten free bakery out of her home. And what's more, she is taking a class in starting a small business to help her be realistic and successful. Wow, I love how my friends figure out what they want to do and then do it--regardless of all "the rules". Last year Wendy tried out being a freelance writer and jewelry maker. She gave it her all, decided it wasn't for her, and is now trying something else. Regina is having more success all the time with Creative Kismet, her art/craft blog and business. Her work is in books and magazines, she was on Martha Stewart just last year, she is now regularly being commissioned for original work--it is so very exciting! And that is just a few of my friends. How lucky am I to be surrounded by such inspiring, motivated people? How great is it that my friends are of the same mindset--that we can create what we most want for ourselves, that externally imposed limitations are not the only options, but rather choices that might fit better for others, and that there is infinite possibility of what we can create and become.

Five things I am grateful for today

By way of explanation for my absence: I came down with hand, foot, mouth disease last Thursday night and have been really down for the count. Writing this feels like a stretch right now, so here's my best, please bear with me:

The mashed potatoes I just got from Boston Market don't hurt my mouth. But I am sad that everything else does. I am going to eat this creamed spinach anyway. Spinach, I love you and will not forsake you, even now.

Eric is so sweet to me, especially when I feel bad. It really does help every time he pets me and says, "there there."

It's raining.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a great movie. So is Grosse Pointe Blank.

I also watched the first five episodes of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I feel a renewed inspiration to encourage hospitalized patients to think about eating less processed foods. Given that I have a fair amount of spare time to talk to them on night shift I am hoping to find some people in a tight spot in their life where they are more open to change than usual. Maybe having a TIA or a stroke can be a wake up call for them, a point from which they begin to do things a little differently. I am hoping to help them understand that eating healthy is imperative for wellness, and potentially it may save their lives. I also want to approach the folks who make the food that shows up on patients' trays. I have seen it done really, really well--last summer at Providence Portland the food was fresh, largely unprocessed, and truly healthy. There was a great variety and nothing was gross, ever. Unfortunately where I work that is not the case. It does not represent health, and sometimes I even wonder if they are trying to secure more business for the hospital. It pains me to see the things they serve under the guise, "heart healthy" or "diabetic diet". So here's to hope, I'll keep you posted.

Five things I am grateful for today

1.I have had this weird sore throat for about a week now. Then last night I got a fever of 102 also. This morning I felt like crud. So I am big time grateful to feel so much better. Now all I really have is the sore throat, which compared to a fever with body aches, I am pretty happy about.

2. Our house is clean!

3. E and I are hanging out all night--a stay at home date. Yippee!

4. I am about to bake an apple custard pie--though I am cheating with a graham cracker crust. Here is the recipe in case you are interested: Crunchy Apple Custard Pie Did I choose it because it has crunchy in the title? Mmmmaybe...

5. Eric is the nicest boy I know. I really wanted to spend time together but had to go to work for an hour...so I dropped him off at a shop around the corner from my patient's home where he messed around for an hour til I picked him back up. Didn't hurt that it was Diamondback Police Supply, but whatever. I am so grateful that he came along. I do like him a lot. A whole lot really.

Off to bake my pie.

p.s. guess what's funny? When I am sitting on the couch and RR is standing on the other side of the coffee table, and I call him to come up and sit by me, and instead of coming around he decides to jump over everything to get to the couch. Except he is not graceful. So he kicked over a candle holder that also had about 2 cups of white gravel in it. Nice. About that clean house? Nevermind.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. My mountain bike is in the shop getting new tires, tubes and a tuneup. I should get it back tomorrow, and YIPPEE, I am excited! I am going to go on a super long ride tomorrow!

2. I received really good healthcare today. Oh, and yesterday too actually!

3. Regina and I hung around last night at her house. She made us a great healthy dinner and then we did crafts.

4. E and I went out for Thai food for lunch today. Yum.

5. See the next post.

Mmm, that's my favorite

This is a picture of my favorite beasts in my studio. They do this almost every night. Eric comes home from work, I will be playing crafties, and he and Roofrauff will come sit in the big comfy chair in the corner together and hang out with me. They stay there for hours! Sometimes E reads a magazine or a book. Sometimes we just chat. Sometimes all three of us try to fit in the chair which somehow works out as we all are pretty pro-snuggling. I wanted to post this because every night it makes me so happy. I get to be creative and hang out with my beasts at the same time. Life is good.

Five things so far, and the day is young

1. This morning one of our neurosurgeons called me by name when I was too faraway to see my badge, asked where I have been and then stood chatting with me for about 5 minutes. At the end of our conversation he gave me a hug. Um, wow.

2. The weekend has begun, yippee!

3. Roofrauff and I went for a glorious walk on the Rillito.

4. I am about to break out the spray paint again.

5. E and I had some time to hang around before he went to work. And there was another sweet post-it on the bathroom mirror this morning when I got home from work.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Grateful that Regina gave me that fabulous fabric that I turned into curtains! Thank you Regina!

2. Last night's shift went well--quiet and steady. I am ready to go back tonight. The pace was such that I could take really good care of my patients. And they were nice and grateful. Part B: I am grateful for the last 8 hours of sleep that I had since I got into bed at 7:47am.

3. Yesterday I spent some really wonderful time with Eric. He is so deeply nurturing--and let's me be however I feel, and climbs right in, to be close to me wherever I am . His love is one of my greatest gifts in this life.

4. And he leaves me sweet post-its now and then. Yep, I love that.

5. Last night before work E and I went to dinner with E's mom, brother, and brother's girlfriend at Rosa's. I am really grateful for a sense of family here in Tucson, especially as I really miss my own back in Portland. It feels good to love and be loved here too.

Gotta run, we'll catch up later!

I wanted to post the pictures of the curtains and the nightstand even though I don't have time to chat. More later! Have a great weekend!

There is a tree trunk drawn on there in pencil, I like it sort of raw like it is, though I might paint it in some later. It's easier to see when you are looking at the actual piece, not at the picture.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Today was great! Regina came over and we ate vegan scrumptiousness for lunch and Eric ate with us and she gave me the perfect fabric for my curtains and brought me pretty pink roses from her garden and she told me all about Art Fest and it was great to catch up and I am so glad that we are friends.

This is a picture of the fabric for my curtains, not a great picture... better ones tomorrow!

2. Roofrauff wanted to help with my curtains, so I decided it was time for a walk.

We walked for a wonderful hour at sunset on the Rillito. It was beautiful; I can't believe the river is still running. And there were wild flowers blooming all along the trail.

3. I had a good chat with Momster this afternoon.

4. It's 8pm and I have a whole night of crafty goodness ahead of me!

5. At 11:30 tonight Eric's weekend begins. Yippee!

Wanna play?

After a stranger gave me that lettuce from his garden today, I felt inspired to be "pay it forward". So if you post three things you are grateful for today in the comment section of this post I will send you a secret present! And how do I know your address? Because I'm thinking I have about 3-5 readers and you are already my friends! (And my Mom/friend combined, Hi Mom!) If I don't have your address you can email it to me at alacazandra@hotmail.com.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Roofrauff and I took a walk at sunset through the neighborhood, we walked further east than we have gone before. As we walked everyone who drove by waved at us and there were at least 8 other people walking their dogs. Best of all as we were walking I heard a voice ask, "do you want some lettuce?" I looked around wondering if this might be God or Santa Claus. Turned out it was an older man named Tom with an awesome garden. He gave me two huge heads of green leaf lettuce and told me to come back often, two weeks until his very special tomatoes are ripe--months ahead of the other ones he grows. He also grows chard, onions, beans, peppers, and has fruit trees. Guess who is having a big ol' salad for dinner? Tom's family. Oh, and I am too.

2. Last night I made the most successful cheese sauce so far. I think the difference was that I cooked it slowly enough and also added a couple tablespoons of light cream cheese. I was so happy it turned out well because I had some reduced fat pre-grated cheese that I found on sale and wasn't quite sure what to do with. Anyway, at the last minute I threw in a couple of tomatoes and two handfuls of canned green chiles. It turned out great! We had it over brown rice pasta, which we both thought was delicious!

3. The nightstand is spray painted brown now. Tonight I think I will be painting the tree on it.

4. Regina is coming over tomorrow! I am planning to make this vegan lasagna for us to eat, plus a salad with the lovely green leaf lettuce. Yippee! I am excited to see her!

5. The orange trees are all blooming right now, walking down the street you can smell their intoxicating scent. Mmmmm.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. I woke up two hours ago and am happily entering my five days off. The world is my oyster, whatever shall I do? Well, start by swinging by Joann's for some scheming about the curtains for my craft room. I have some nice khaki/creamy leafy fabric that I have used for a couple of years for my table cloth at craft fairs. I am tempted to use that, I do love it so. Then again I would like to have some red or orange up because of the red rug and all the red/orange/yellow in the decoupaged table. Hmm. The scheming begins.

2. Tonight is my compassionate communication class. Hooray!

3. Last night was VERY mellow at work.

4. I just had some rosemary with olive oil bread turned toast with butter and nutritional yeast, and two cuties for "breakfast".

5. Saturday night when work was crazy busy and I couldn't keep up, I didn't take it personally. I just did my best all night, came home, went to sleep and let it go. Good for me.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. Last night during my shift I received a tremendous amount of support from coworkers when things were difficult. Also the charge nurse gave me lots of empathy and appreciation, somehow that makes a really big difference.

2. I slept all day. Out like a light. Slept like a rock. Sawing logs. Zzz. It was awesome!

3. The sun is shining and RR and I took a little stroll around the neighborhood--so many flowers are blooming right now.

4. 14 hours from now my work week will be over.

5. I woke up to a mason jar full of orange blossoms on my nightstand. That was enough to fill my heart for the rest of the day.

Goodness

What makes a house a home? Why, a rock collection in full display, of course! This is the western window of my craft room, just so you know. Hi Rocks, I love you. (What else makes a house a home? An all out dance party to Michael Franti, Friday night by myself in the living room! Hells yeah.)

I keep meaning to take a picture of my craft room when it doesn't have a bunch of projects out--but that might never happen. So here is my current mess. Better pictures soon!
This is the nightstand that I am painting a tree onto. It looks less like an Easter egg up close, I swear. Once the yellow dries, I will start painting the tree on it. Also there will be some oranges and browns or something on that yellow. You'll see, it's gonna be neat.
Over the past few days I have been sprouting chickpeas to make raw sprouted hummus. Here it is! I just made it. One for me, one for Regina.

Five things I am grateful for today

1. A fun night out with Mead.

2. Repo-ing my old nightstand and starting to paint it. I found it at a yard sale in Flagstaff, moved it to Tucson, then to Mt. Shasta and back to Tucson. For a person who loves to get rid of things, moving a piece of furniture that many times can only mean one thing, love. So now I am painting the front yellow, and then painting a tree on it. Not sure what else will happen after that, but that is the initial plan.

3. Seeing my one home health patient today, he is so sweet.

4. I love the warm spring days.

5. Tomorrow (really today considering it's nearly 3am) for breakfast I am going to have strawberries with yogurt, honey, nuts and flax meal. YUM!

Five things I am grateful for today

1. So E has had his eye on this work bench for awhile now and guess what? He got it today! He is putting it together now and it is SO rad! His gun/bicycle building/project room is really coming together. So exciting!

2. We spent the whole day together and it was scrumptious. I think today was one of the best days ever.

3. Tonight I did a full Kripalu yoga series as we did twice a day in my yoga teacher training all those years ago. It felt delicious. I am hoping to stay consistent--I swear I could feel the tension being wrung out of my muscles.

4. El Molinitos was right by Harbor Freight (where we got E's work bench) so we stopped in so I could get some of the very best refried beans in the world, at least that I have ever tasted. Oh God yes, I do love you little frijoles! Um, so I bought a quart of them. Yeah, a quart of beans. For dinner I made myself a burrito with spinach, tomatoes, green chiles, a little cheddar cheese and beans. YUM.

5. E and I took RR for a walk around sunset. Lots of flowers blooming. And RR running around happily. E and I held hands. I love Eric. I love today.