here and now

the first snow has come. and my first mini-vacation, a string of four days in a row, since april. it's been a long, somewhat grueling stretch of wedding flower making (89 brides and counting for the year), and the holidays, for flower designers, can be quite tiring. but no matter. i have here and i have now and this is the glory of my four days:

*staying in bed 'til 7:30am. deep sleep with dreams upon dreams, waking to the sounds of 2 cats eager for wet breakfast.

*sipping tea on the floor of my living room, twinkle lights lit and draped along one wall, classical music whispering from the radio, the sun peaking over the rooftop across the street. i never used to be a morning girl; now it is my favorite part of the day. ideas, longings and possibilities are born here.

*catching up, online, with my soap opera, 'general hospital'. i am one of those crazies that has kept tabs on the dramatics since the days before luke and laura were married. as well, re-runs of 'family guy', because i seriously heart stewie and cartoon blood is less offensive than i had imagined.

*avoiding the dishes piled in the sink, washing one spoon at a time, when needed.

*a long-overdue massage. and not just any massage. one with applied kineseology (also called 'touch for health') that tracks the chi flow along my meridians, gets rid of my stress-induced hiatal hernia, realigns my off-kilter neck, tailbone, hips and wrists, and informs me i am lacking magnesium in my system.  one hour = improved health.

*indulging my love affair with magazines, wrapped in a blanket, sipping more tea. this weekend (some on loan from the library, others purchased): house beautiful, martha stewart, country living~the british edition, real simple, vanity fair (because cher! is on the cover), art and antiques, and my most favorite~ smithsonian. in addition, because gluttony is gluttony, i've splurged on holiday with matthew mead, and scored 2 editions of sweet paul for 1/2  price.

*thinking about (read: but not doing) cooking. soups, chowders, applesauce, sweet pumpkin anything.

*going to bed early, because, my god, i love sleeping and my new, pj bottoms are ridiculously comfortable.

*catching up with blogs, especially the scandinavian ones because their christmas ideas are so beautiful, heartwarming and simple.

*a possible date with a horse, despite the chill in the air. apples are already by the door.

*minimal cleaning, regardless of the disarray. i'm not expecting any visitors until next weekend. i pride myself on procrastination and speed cleaning.

*the best for last, the 4th day: baking german christmas bread with my mom (stollen). being a yeast concoction, it's an all-day affair. this year, a photo diary of the process, in case, god forbid, someday i must rely on my own wits alone to keep the tradition going.

i tell you something, life, she is good.