Dear Reader:

I'm soooo ready to get back to work.   And structure.  And routine.  And, THE PIANO.  Seriously, I've had enough of these free time shenanigans.   And, I think the kids are ready to get back to school, too.  C's favorite thing to say to me these days is - "Mama, I love you.  You're crazy."   Of course, I agree.

Tonight, I told the kids to go upstairs and get themselves ready for bed (a risky enterprise with 5 year olds).   I proceeded to sit down and sight read through some Handel suites.  30 minutes later, L. came down and said - "Mama, we've been ready for a long time.  Are you going to stop playing the piano now?"   Ha, ha.   I need some quality practice time.  That's for sure.  And, hopefully, next week I'll get it.   I've got a Mount Everest of a recital this spring and I need to get the focus going.   Just one more day of the church gig and an afternoon of cleaning, cleaning.  And, an evening of Downton Abbey with friends.  I'm actually making a chocolate tea cake.   Low calorie, believe it or not.  And, we'll drink tea and enjoy some period drama.   What's not to love?   I mean, for those of us who do actually love it.   Which is, inexplicably, not everyone.  Or so I understand.

Today's stats:

Total calories consumed:  1612
Total calories burned:  265 (45 minutes on the treadmill)

Breakfast:

Lunch was pre-grocery trip Mexican and included a chalupa, 15 tortilla chips with salsa, and a 1/2 cup of Mexican rice - give or take a grain or two.

Dinner:

Snacks: Pretzels with edamame hummus, trail mix

And, I got some new walking/running(?eventually?) shoes yesterday:

My old shoes had definitely seen better days.   I'm feeling some interesting, hitherto unvocal, muscles from yesterday's strength training session.   And, I did my TVA crunches today, too.   100.   

So, not too bad.  And, the sun made an appearance.  And, I read this lovely little passage on another blog (momastery.com) about a conversation a woman had with her daughter about the difference between "pretty" and "beautiful"....

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"You will meet plenty of people in your life who are pretty but haven’t yet taken the time to be beautiful. They will have the right look for the times- but they will not glow. Beautiful women glow. When you are with a beautiful woman you will not so much notice her hair or skin or body or clothes – because you’ll be distracted by the way she makes you feel. She will be so full of beauty that you will feel some spill onto you. You’ll feel warm and safe and curious around her. Her eyes will twinkle a little and she’ll look at you really closely, because beautiful, wise women know that the quickest way to fill up with beauty is to soak in another human being. Other people are beauty, beauty, beauty. So you will notice that the most beautiful women take their time with other people. They are just filling up.  Women who are concerned with being pretty think about what they look like, but women who are concerned with being beautiful think about what they are looking at. They are taking it all in. They are taking in the whole beautiful world and making all that beauty theirs to give away to others."

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This was soooo good for me to read today.  Because I do believe that people who soak up life's experiences through music, art, books and yes - most importantly - other people, are the most interesting, most attractive people.   And, that's the kind of beauty I'd like my son and daughter to value.  And, that's the way I'd like to be.   I want to "fill up" with that kind of beauty when I feel empty.   BTW, I also think this applies equally to men and women.

Well, you know how much I love winter, dear reader.   Ha.  So, I'll leave you with some people who have, against the odds, made something gorgeous out of winter.   Enjoy.

http://www.snowaddiction.org/2013/11/the-coolest-music-in-the-world-listen-to-siberian-ice-drummers-use-frozen-lake-baikal-as-an-incredible-musical-instrument.html

Thanks for reading!