Exactly what I needed...

 

I am not ready for these long, dark days. Days spent dashing in and out of the car in a futile attempt to avoid getting wet. Days were my girls go nutty being indoors.  When it is cold and dark out all I want to do is put on some cozy clothes and curl up with a good book......  or bake. While cozy clothes are always an option, reading a book is not, (especially when I have two needy, children competing for attention). Needles to say, we (my daughters and I) do a lot of baking. Don't get me wrong, it is fun, but it makes a big mess and yields dangerous, delicious temptations. In the past two days we have made an apple crisp, pumpkin spice whoopee pies and chocolate chip cookies. Today I was toying with the idea of making some strudels with our leftover cranberry sauce. In an attempt to keep my consumption to a minimum I have been freezing 90% of it.

Today I was having a particularly cranky day when I heard a gentle knock on my door. To my delight, it was a friend, armed with bucket of green tomatoes from her garden. She had remembered a conversation we had over dinner about Nathaniel's penchant for "green ketchup". So thoughtful!

She invited us out for a walk with her family and I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house. We stopped by Bocca (a place I have raved about before) and picked up some treats before we embarked on a stroll downtown. *SIGH*

The girls picked armloads of flowers at city hall while we chatted and nibbled on our goodies. At that point I felt my whole body sigh with relief. Nathaniel has been away on a camping trip with some guys and this sudden torrential downpour, combined with single parenting and sleep deprivation has left me weary and a little crazy. It felt SO good to spend time with a girlfriend, eat chocolate and breath some fresh air.
It was exactly what I needed.

Nicole is quickly becoming a treasured friend. While I have only known her a few months I would describe her as  being spontaneous, reassuring, fun, honest, spontaneous, educated,  quizzical,  and down to earth. She is intriguing and I always enjoy our conversations. Our girls are  enjoy each other's company and our husbands both enjoy gardening and hunting. Score!

I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the friends that I have: the old as well as the new.

 

This tree made my heart flutter!

 

A fellow branch snapper.

 I am relived to know that I am not the only one that likes to take bits of the outdoors home with me.