January 8

Grateful tonight.

I am grateful for the friends who filled our home with conversation and children and love tonight.  Twelve adults and 9 little ones gathering and sharing and smiling;  lots of beauty in our house this evening.
I am grateful for a peaceful weekend with nothing more going on than the cleaning and cooking and preparations for a gathering.  It was nice to actually feel prepared, to be able to relax and enjoy-- and have everything cleaned up by 9:30!
I am grateful for the sunshine that has graced this entire weekend.  Glorious sunshine, nevermind the cold.  Today was a two-walk day.
I am grateful for bedtime snuggles with my boy and the way his sleepy eyes close a little when you brush his punk-rock-too-long hair out of his face.  I am grateful for the smile on Ivy's face when she sees me across a room full of guests.  I am grateful for the way they both smiled and played and welcomed everyone tonight.  I am grateful for the life we lead and the hope that these two children will grow up knowing housefuls of love all the time, seeing these beautiful people as so much more family, telling me with joy "It's Sunday Soup!  Our FRIENDS are coming!" once a month for years and years and years to come.

Savings report: 

Um.  Sunday's kind of exempt, isn't it? 

I paid my cell phone bill online, thereby avoiding any chance of a late fee. Does that count?

Oh-- I thought of one: We didn't buy any wine for tonight because Walgreen's doesn't sell wine on Sunday.    We drank a bottle of something random we already had and turns out, it was fine.  I'll count that.  Savings:  $11.

Time to head towards Monday.  May the sunshine carry over into our week ahead....