*feeling thankful

It's been a good day. Vera went down so easily for both naps and slept for almost 2 hours the second one. The whole day she was just freaking adorable and Ben and I had fun talking about her cuteness and how much we love her. This morning it was overcast and windy - a strong, warm cozy kind of wind if that makes sense. Later on, there was a big downpour that turned into fat flakes of snow. After Vera's glorious long nap, kind Ben offered to watch her and I went down to Coffee Garden to read [I just started the Omnivore's Dilemma - yikes]. I also had time to sit down with mate [I did it!] to read my Bible, was inspired for a new project, and just felt God's goodness all around.

The night is ending well too. Tonight Ben went out for Irish food and beers with our neighbor and I'm home eating a yummy dinner in front of a toasty fire. I'm quite proud of myself actually - I like to cook but am not very good at just "whipping something up" out of what's in the fridge. But I did it! I sauteed leeks, garlic and pepper flakes in a copious amount of olive oil, then wilted a bunch of spinach in it and added ricotta [it has to be that good "mozzarella fresca" brand] and a bit of the pasta water [an invaluable trick learned from Giada]. I put it all on penne with a [huge] handful of pinenuts, some parmesan and kosher salt. yum! The only thing missing is a glass [and the rest of the bottle handy] of wine.

[by the way, I love brackets because they let me add thoughts to my thoughts]

Anyway, just the kind of day that reminds me of how much I have to be thankful for.