Snail mail. OMG you people are wonderful. Your incredibly thoughtful, adorable, and funny cards and letters have brightened my days so much. Thank you!!

Games with my bestie-roomies. Our games of canasta, Hisss, Go Nuts for Donuts, Evolution, Carcassonne made the tough spots so much better. Looking forward to playing Pandemic and Sushi Go this weekend!!

Igloo sculpture by Mckenzie! So much fun to watch it grow day by day. So pretty with the sun coming through it. Awesome!

Also, Mckenzie’s fashion sense when all his jeans without holes in the knees are in the wash. This is the next new thing, I’m sure of it. Kneewarmers!

Thriving baby cactus bud. You guys! It’ so cute. And soft!!

The hilarious dance party our light does in the evening when it can’t decide if it’s dark or light. Party!

 

Rather than start the day reading news (which I did yesterday and which made the day a struggle to get through), I am starting today with appreciations. Phew! This is a much better approach for me! 😊

Quiet family Friday at home complete with games and delicious Holy Land food. Perfect way to balance out the challenging week we had.

Sweet Saturday with Ruby and Ida. Some people call it babysitting. I call it time-to-fill-up-Nana’s-heart-with-love-and-joy. You know, in that way I have of giving things short and witty names. 😉

Dinner and Olympics with my lovely framily. (I just made that up!!) Sarah, you rocked that dinner. SO delicious!! And it was so fun to have you with us, Katie and Terri!

3-way phone calls! So wonderful to talk with my ferociously funny and wonderfully wise cousins, Libby and Debb!

Coffee with Melanie. It was supremely satisfying to laugh, cry, and connect with my darling niece! 💙

Ida Monday! Oh, we had so much fun together. My favorite quote of the day: “Nana, you’re just like mama.” OMG. Highest. Praise. Ever.

Adulting made easier, thanks to Sarah! Good meeting with the estate attorney. It’s a relief to be getting stuff set up (even though I still plan to live forever).😁

Spending time with Suzanne, who didn’t mind that instead of going to a coffee shop, we went to my dr. appointments and to the pharmacy. Now that’s what I call friendship! Love you, Suz!

Parking, pets, playdough, puns, what begins with P? Alliterative rhyming – fun all, well, fun for me!

Perfect parking spot for my pet food run.
Persnickety old kitty eats prescription food, yum.

Purry purry purry kitty cuddles in my lap.
Play-Doh master working hard just before her nap.

Pretty frosting on the pane when chilly chills come knocking.
Pretending snow is building blocks, this snow maze is a-rocking!

You’re welcome. 😊

The most fantastic phlebotomist. It was less like a poke and more like a freaking butterfly kiss. Plus, all the giggles and grins. He was such a sweetie!!

Great news from the transplant doc. My right heart cath results were, “stone cold perfect!” Not on the transplant list yet! Woohoo!

The amazing and wonderful Sarah, who came with me to my appointment, then took me out for the most yummy lunch at Sassy Spoon. Mmmmmm.

Awesome day of work with Sarah on our M.D. Fun Bingo Kickstarter!* Content updated, video edited, levels and goals set, editorial calendar started. So much fun! We should be able to launch in the next few weeks!!

*If you want to help us spread the word, please comment here or PM me. We’ll take all the help we can get! 😉

Fun sleepover weekend with Ruby, plus Children’s Museum trip with Sarah & Ida, Ruby, and Katie.

Brunch with Alison and Amy. My kind of Monday. 😁

Our new baby cactus bud. Awwwww. So cute!

So many fun visits over the weekend! Terri & Ruby, Debb, and Katie all in one weekend! Wheeee!

Ida’s house renovations… including curtains (which Toby likes). And of course it snowed and made icicles on the house last night. Good thing the bird and ladybug have appropriate winter attire! 😄

Sweet caretaking from my roomies during this little depression interlude. Mckenzie made dinner for me last night and Sarah made a sweet potato & summer sausage heart for me for lunch. You two are the best, you know that?!

Ida’s ability to say it like it is. “Do you know Toby and Luna are goofballs? Toby eats skirts and Luna pees.” #accurate

Snow day! Warm and sunny enough for some excellent play time…and shoveling. Good thing I have Sarah & Mckenzie here for the heavy lifting. Literally. 😉

 

So many rainbow bursts all around the kitchen and hallway since we hung 2 more crystal stars in our window!

Clothespin bag clips: fun to color, fun to use!

3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 111, 123… Wow. So many good numbers.

Working with the same mechanic and the same vet for the past two decades. I really like working with awesome people who can take care of important stuff for me. Thanks Hawkins Automotive and Uptown Vet.

Grapefruit juice. This is how much juice I got from just a half a grapefruit — AFTER I finished eating it. Heck.

Big test day made easier by supportive hugs, gifs, videos, and rides to and fro.

Yogurt.

Moving into a new level of acceptance about the whole heart sitch. And dear, dear friends & family willing to come along for the ride. Bit bumpy here the past few weeks! 😉

Mac’s Fish & Chips.

The fun of living with Mckenzie and Ida (who requested the pic) and Luna (the photobomber).

Goodwill score! Flannels and dishes and hat, oh my!

Clean office. You have no idea of the chaos that preceded this. Oy.

Games and giggles with the fam.

Tears with the fam (okay, mostly me…but lovingly supported by the fam!)

Ida’s improv instincts. Oh, how I loved meeting Tiny Von Weinstein. 🤣

Sarah & Mckenzie’s constant support and tolerance of these new moody periods I’m having. And Sarah’s artful arrangement of dinner to brighten my day (and tempt me to eat!). I am so lucky to be surrounded by such love.

New signs for the dishwasher. Making little things like this is really helping me navigate this new emotional terrain.

I super appreciate what happens when a large box ends up in our house! The house Mckenzie is making for Ida has some new addition every day and is so much fun to see!

I appreciate Sarah so much, in so many ways, every day. Here’s a woefully incomplete list of what I appreciate about her. ☺️

Sarah makes conversations so interesting with her intelligent, inquisitive, insightful thoughts and her brilliant ideas and observations.

She makes every day a joy with her whimsical, playful, witty, delightful, hilarious energy.

Sarah brightens every room she is in with her dancing green eyes, her genuine and beautiful smile, and her gorgeous and infectious laughter.

She encourages me to be the best version of myself with her infinite patience, gentleness and generosity. If you are fortunate enough to be loved by Sarah, you will know that you are, right down to the bones.

Her adventurous and brave spirit makes so many things seem possible.

Sarah inspires me with her amazing ability to generate ideas and her creative super powers.

Aside from these (and many other) attributes, there are so many other things I appreciate about Sarah. Here are a few of them:

The delicious French press coffee she makes for us every weekend.

Invitations to awesome events like the Drag story hour and roller derby!

Big hugs on days when I am having trouble coping.

Made up songs about everything from weedoh-wydoh-way to getting dressed to the myriad uses of coconut oil.

Thinking to buy me a loaf Great Harvest’s new gluten-free bread while she was there.

Big. Batch. Cooking!

Her willingness to laugh with me at all of our blunders and bloopers.

Her smack talk when we’re playing games. Game on, lady!😆

Laughter. Every day. For reals.

And OMG Sarah makes the tastiest tuna melt on the planet. Seriously. The BEST. 😋

So yeah. I just thought you should know. ❤️