Life: It Goes On - February 16

Dobroe utro (доброе утро) - good morning in Russian because you know I'm spending a good part of every day living there vicariously right now!

I took off work on Friday, partly as a built in mental health day, which I'm sorely in need of about this time of year, and party to spend the day watching the Olympics. I had a two-hour lunch with an old friend, did my Valentine's shopping and spent over an hour getting ready to have dinner with friends. I never spend that much time primping myself! It was so relaxing to have a day where I really did only what I felt like doing. Do you ever take a day to yourself?

We had such a lovely Valentine's potluck dinner hosted by friends at their home. All five of the couple have been married at least 25 years - well past the point of needing a big fuss one day a year to prove our love. Instead we had a relaxing evening filled with great food and lots of laughs.

One of the couples knew another couple who lived in a Lustron home. Have you ever heard of these? Built after World War II as inexpensive starter homes for soldiers coming home from war, they are entirely built of prefabricated baked enamel steel inside and out. You could move the furniture out and just hose down your house to clean it but you have to hang everything on the walls with magnets because you can't use nails. Have you ever seen one of these? I can't imagine living in one but I'm fascinated by them.

Here's What I'm:

Listening To: Still Shirley but I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying it more now that things are finally starting to happen. I'm hoping to be done with it this week. I may well take a break from listening to books before I start a new one.

Watching: Lots and lots of curling. I'm really enjoying some of the additions to the Olympics line up.

Reading: I finished two books this week and I'm about half way through Me Before You for book club on Tuesday.

Making: The Big Guy was out of town most of the week and the kids weren't home for most meals so I didn't spend much time in the kitchen this week. Made a baked chicken dinner for a family battling cancer one night and caramelized carrots for our Valentine's dinner.

Planning: On enjoying the much warmer temperatures that are forecast for this week. Walking outside is definitely going to be an option which will be a nice break from the treadmill.

Grateful for: The time I've gotten to spend with Mini-me this past week. Since he lives on the other side of town and is busy with school and working, we don't always get to see a lot of him. Love when he needs some Mom and Dad time!

Feeling: Relaxed - amazing what a nice long weekend can do for a girl.

Thinking: I'm already wanting to put away the snowman collection for the year. It goes along with a feeling I'm having of a need to clean off surfaces and lighten things up. Every time I put the snowmen  away early, though, we get hit with a blizzard so they'll stay up until at least the end of this month.

Looking Forward To: Book club this week - you know how much I love my ladies!