When you are in the middle of the 100th snow day, an arctic vortex and a general winter malaise, you need to shake things up a bit.

OK, so getting out my spools of thread (which were already reorganized by my daughter) isn’t like creating a Jackson Pollock painting. But it was fun and brightened my day for a bit!

(Don’t worry, daughter. I put them back in the same order I took them out!)

You also probably know that I don’t decorate much for the holidays. So this little photo activity was fun for me and provided a lovely banner for my Facebook page.

But what about Love? I was considering writing a mushy post about love being unconditional and unselfish. Instead, I decided to list some of the things I “love.”

  • my husband
  • my children
  • my extended family and friends
  • sewing!!!
  • working with my hands
  • knitting
  • creating
  • teaching my crafts to an eager student
  • reading a good book
  • a good cry
  • traditions
  • skating under the stars
  • cross-country skiing
  • downhill skiing
  • social media (yes, I admit it)
  • a good Malbec
  • McDonald’s coffee
  • a restaurant with linens on the table and a piano player in the corner
  • all six of us around the dinner table
  • a good debate around the dinner table
  • family trips
  • bike rides in the valley
  • a drive on a brilliant, fall day
  • walking on the beach in search of beach glass
  • seeing the city lights at night from a distance
  • a morning sail
  • crossing the finish line of a 5K
  • music, music, music
  • musicals
  • family parties
  • Lake Erie
  • the beach in the fall
  • chocolate
  • neighborhood restaurants
  • exploring buildings
  • talking to friends
  • James MacAvoy
  • Becoming Jane
  • Jane Austen
  • a good survival story
  • curling up under the afghan for a good nap
  • morning coffee
  • a game of chess
  • biking with my sons
  • shopping with my daughters
  • lying about loving shopping. I really don’t. But I do love their attempts and occasional successes at making me fashionable!
  • and the pretty things they make and buy for me!
  • receiving a handmade gift
  • making a handmade gift
  • reading an old letter from my dad
  • reading about extraordinary lives of ordinary people
  • Twitter
  • the power of pictures
  • photo books
  • family slide shows set to music
  • a good suspense novel 
  • a good suspense movie
  • a good haircut
  • organization
  • color
  • minimal stuff and clutter
  • a quiet dinner out for two
  • when my husband makes dinner
  • when anyone cleans up the dishes
  • smiling
  • our annual family reunion
  • walking out on a pier
  • riding the waves on the bow of a boat
  • roller coasters
  • the Giant Ferris Wheel at Cedar Point
  • a day of uninterrupted sewing
  • sewing something for myself that fits and flatters
  • a quiet church
  • being with friends
  • being alone
  • feeling the sun on my face
  • sleeping in my bed
  • sleeping in
  • weekend morning coffee chats with my husband
  • when anyone comes to the grocery store with me
  • that the folks at the grocery store know my name
  • being spoiled

So, not a deep essay on the meaning of love. But, perhaps, a bit of an insight into who I am.

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