winter

Thursday Three

Samantha Gratton

Is it Thursday, really? I feel like the last week has been a blur, and the days are all merging together. Winter seems to do that to a person, especially when you’re stuck indoors. This weekend promises some sort of wintry mix, and around here that means the town is about to shut down. Guess we’ll just have to set up camp in the living room and hang on to our flashlights until the storm passes.

1. Saturday mornings are my favorite. I’m sure people have reasons to wake up and go do things on Saturdays, but I much prefer a slow start, breakfast on the porch (weather permitting), and a quiet beginning to the day.

Saturday Morning | Moving Peaces

2. Keep in contact with your loved ones. Sometimes we remember what it was like to be really cold and then gloat a little that we aren’t so cold anymore. I know this next weekend we’ll see some winter conditions, but it’s just for a weekend, not for months on end. Considering our lovely Saturday morning, it seemed only right to share a piece of our life with my mom as well as a little friendly “encouragement” considering what she was up against. It’s the perfect way to tell someone you’re thinking of them.

Group Text with Mom | Moving Peaces 3.  Being sick is the worst. I go on and on about not having expectations and looking at life more realistically…and then I go and get sick, causing me to cancel every plan and commitment of the week. I thought I had it covered by just not making plans more than a few weeks out. Wrong again. Let’s just take it one day at a time I guess. Some sort of bug hit me on Saturday night and just won’t quit. I won’t share any photos or my symptoms (you’re welcome), but will take your pity, prayers, and Netflix recommendations.

 

This Week’s Three

Samantha Gratton

What a week it has been. Anybody with me? Nothing too crazy, but it takes thought and intention to keep from covering yourself in blankets on the couch all day. Oh, winter.

1. Hug a kid. I should probably preface this by saying it’d be good to actually know this kid and maybe even have permission from their parents if necessary. But past that, I highly recommend it. They are usually all for it and this time of year the puffy coats that make them like little walking teddy bears are simply adorable. Is there a point to this hug? Just to show a little love and remind you where the world is headed–the future is definitely not all bad.

Kid Hug | Moving Peaces

2. Take a walk. I know, it’s cold outside. Even here in North Carolina we’re having to take our coats out finally and wear a few layers. I’m not really a fan of winter, but I am a big fan of walking. When it’s decent outside, you’ll find me roaming the many trails nearby or the sidewalks downtown. When it is cold, watch out–I’m power walking through the mall. Sounds silly, but I can’t keep cooped up all winter long and the mall doesn’t require any sort of membership or serious preparation to show up. Plus, my favorite part about walking is going with a friend and talking while we walk, instead of going somewhere to sit still and pay for food or coffee.

3. Appreciate what you see on a daily basis. We can go through so much of our day seeing the same thing all of the time and ignore it. Last night, on a walk, the hubby wanted a quick picture of me with Krispy Kreme (but failed to follow it up by buying a donut). Very random, but the point was not our undying love for fresh & hot donuts, but a corner of our neighborhood we so regularly walk by, in a town we moved to three and a half years ago, where we have grown so much.

Krispy | Moving Peaces

Why, Hello December

Samantha Gratton

So I suppose it seems like I fell off the grid for a couple of weeks, at least in the blogging world. Write something about life being hard and crazy sometimes and then go silent. Not exactly the most reflective of the latest. To be honest, I have a blog post or two just sitting, waiting to go public but haven’t hit the button. Something about this time of the year feels like everything is in fast forward, and I can’t keep up.

We are a third of the way through the month! Can you believe it? I sure can’t. There’s parties to attend, gifts to get, people to see, stuff to do. Between all that and everything ramping back up for both of us work-wise, I go back and forth between scrambling like a crazy lady and wanting to snuggle under some soft, warm blankets without tending to any of it.

Sometimes I feel like I have to fight and struggle to accomplish all the normal boring life things like paying bills and ordering checks (yes, I still use those), so adding anything else seems like a big deal. But somehow I’m going to find the time to sit still. To be. Be with people and not have to run to the other room to check something or do something else. My prayer today was that I could have a home that’s open and more importantly, available. I am so grateful for our house as it truly feels like a home and want it to reflect how I want to live. I want to see everyone and do everything, but not at the expense of our sanity. I don’t want to be a little stressball when things aren’t done yet, pushing out the people I want to be with and love on. I want to show love and care to others but not be so exhausted from running around that I have nothing left to offer. But hopefully what I lack in checked off to-dos I can make up for in sweet winter moments—alone, with the hubby, with friends, with family, with neighbors and with strangers.