Happy Friday!  How’s your week been? Thankfully, ours has been much better than last week – a mostly-well kitty, Husband back in town, and days with a good balance of structure and free time.

Here are a few things on my mind this week:

1. Painting. I am a terrible painter. (Have I mentioned that before?) I’ve worked on the Hoosier cabinet for 4 days, and I’m not even close to finished. The first coat looks awful, but the second is only slightly better. Yesterday, I was working on it again while BB did some yard work, and I told him it wasn’t going well. “But it’s looking good, Mama,” he said. Sweet boy. And what a great moment I had to show him that, even though it’s not going the way we want, we can appreciate the hard work we’re doing, and we just keep at it (and not throw the fit I – er, we – might be feeling on the inside). It wasn’t 10 minutes later when he was working on Legos, and it wasn’t going well. He was markedly calmer about it than I’ve ever seen him when faced with frustration, and he told me he was just going to keep working on it because he knew it would be better.

This is what it’s all about. 2. This quote again. My lovely friend, Leanne, created this image to represent this beautiful quote I posted about a few weeks ago. Just seeing it again prompted me to sit down on the couch and create that silence yesterday afternoon. BB and BG meandered in and curled up with me. They both opened up about things on their minds almost immediately. That “circle of stillness” is pretty magical.

3. Daybeds. My Craigslist obsession has grown beyond just armoires to include daybeds as well. Looking for a white metal one to use for outdoor lounging. It would be okay if it were a different color – I’m sure I’ll be up for painting again really soon.

4. I wish this were true. But instead, there are paint brushes and paint rags and disassembled pieces of furniture EVERYWHERE this week (see #1). I’m wondering if my house will actually be cleaner once the sewing machine returns.

5. And just for kicks, The Nostalgia Machine. Put in the year you graduated high school. You’re welcome.

We have dinner planned with our former neighbors – can’t wait to catch up with them and hear what’s going on in the old neighborhood. What about you – fun projects or plans? Or anything fun you learned this week? I’d love to hear. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!