Jetlag

Hi amis!

So here in la France we changed our clocks this weekend. Spring forward...um, about that. I feel less springy and more jetlaggy. Really, I feel like I have jetlag. Is it because I'm old at 47? I don't remember feeling this tired after the time change in the past. Maybe I have & just forgot about it. Anyway, I am glad for the longer days! I love getting off work & still having a decent amount of daylight left. 

I'm also glad I get to go to bed in a little while. Ha...a little pitiful, isn't it? But I'm poooped. 

So I'm going to say a grateful nighty-night. Sweet dreams, friends.

bisous 

Saturday

Salut!

Sweet, soft, snuggly kitty touching me with her toes as she sleeps beside me. A gorgeous, sunny, warm Saturday. Spending hours walking through some of my favorite parts of Paris. A beautiful new perfume. Having finally re-established my healthy sleep pattern. Today, these are just some of the things I'm grateful for. Hope you're having a lovely weekend too!

bisous

Home office

Hi,

It's late & I'm about to go brush my teeth, wash my face, moisturize like crazy, & go to bed. But first, a little gratitude.

Today I worked from home. I didn't tell anyone except my office neighbor, so I hope no one cares...I didn't ask permission from my boss because he's never there anyway...so here's hoping I'm not in trouble. Anyway, I should be allowed to work from home as much as I want for so many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I got so much done today! I am really so much more productive when I work from home, plus I get to hang with Miss G all day. And wear yoga pants. And not get on the metro. And already be home when I'm finished working. Oh and sleep in a little. So much to be grateful for! 

Also, today is Thursday which means tomorrow is Friday which means the weekend is less than 24 hours away! Yay!!!

Ok, so hitting the hay. Happy Friday!

bisous

Le Weekend

Bonjour!

Happy Saturday! I am so grateful for the weekend. I have it all to myself, & I'm thrilled about that. Gracie and I slept in. Scratch that; I slept in, & Gracie played alarm clock trying to get me to not sleep in. For someone whose main activity is sleeping, she sure doesn't get why I sometimes want to do that one thing a bit longer. Anyway, she takes "shhh" pretty well & eventually figures she might as well take a little siesta while she's waiting, so I'm usually able to pull off a bit of a weekend sleep-in. 

And I'm so grateful for that little luxury. Sleep is my one must have. I had an ex-boyfriend who didn't get that. "Ex," she said happily.

Also in gratitude this week, I read an absolutely lovely poem on the metro yesterday. Up in the corners, they sometimes post ads, & from time to time they'll post a poem. This one was by someone I'd never heard of, & if I hadn't been too far away to take a photo, I would have. It was only 4 lines and it was about a painter getting up, opening his door, & welcoming in the morning and painting. Simple & lovely.

I'm grateful that my oven works. I'm also grateful that it hasn't caused any fires so far. It is new but it went out on me once & didn't work for a few hours. Bizarre. It has worked ever since, but it makes some unsettling noises after I've used it. Along those lines, I'm also grateful for the awesome fire safety course I took last Friday. I learned so much, & when I got home, I spotted the fire extinguisher on our floor. Good to know...especially with a trick oven.

Ok, off to find out how to make a tablecloth or curtain of some sort for my tv table. It's an eyesore, so I need to figure something out. Wish me luck...Martha Stewart, I am not!

bisous!

Alessandro Sanna

Thank you God. Thank you for Alessandro Sanna. His paintings make my soul smile.

I subscribe to a newsletter called Brain Pickings (try not to think about it), which often features writers and other artists. It makes you feel like you're feeding your cultural, maybe even intellectual side, which is good because I don't do enough of that. Recently it featured a book called The River by an Italian artist called Alessandro Sanna. The paintings featured in the article were breathtaking, and the only reaction a reasonable person could have, the immediate reaction that I had was to order the book. I didn't even consider the option of not ordering it. My initial thought was that I would frame some of the gorgeous paintings for my apartment, but now that it has arrived, I cannot, would not, dare not do anything to this book except treasure it in its entirety. It is the happiest book I've ever seen. I dare you to look at it without smiling. Here is a sample...the link is below the painting. Beautiful.

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/02/27/the-river-alessandro-sanna/

Change your attitude, change your life

I read that somewhere recently, and although I'd surely seen it before, this time it struck me for some reason. I love it. I keep saying it to myself, and along with the sunshine, it's making a difference in how I see things. It's not like I have the worst attitude, but there are many times when I could definitely stand a little attitude adjustment.

Today I'm grateful for inspiring words. I've always loved quotations. They feel like a little shot of positivity--just enough to lift the spirits when needed. 

Also on the grateful list, the gorgeous weather we've been having since Saturday. Today was a little on the disappointing side, but it still wasn't bad, and the next 7 days are supposed to be mostly beautiful.

And I'm thankful for making some progress at work. Always good. 

Time to get back to my furry love. I think she wants to play. Or eat. It's not always easy to tell which. 

bonne nuit et bisous,

Gina

Sunshine, blue skies!

Well, uh...hi again!

It's been a while. Let's not say just exactly how long, ok?

There are many reasons I let the gratitude portal kind of drop, not the least of which was the dropping of my computer which left me with 1/4 of my screen to use. I cannot even tell you what a pain in the rear that was, and I used it like that for a couple of years. Yes, years. Anyway, this week I invested in a new computer, and IT'S A WHOLE NEW WORLD!!! It has a nice, big, shiny screen that I can use ALL of, it is lightweight, and the screen is tactile, a feature that I was kind of "meh" about but have ended up falling in love with. It also runs very cool and is very fast. Lovin' my new computer, if you can't tell. 

So, without further ado, let's talk gratitude. My list is long today -- I've got a lot of lost time to make up for after all.

Today I am grateful for my new computer, my new, lovely, bright, shiny, clean, sunny, roomy, delicious apartment. That's right. I moved to a new place in January, and I L.O.V.E. love it! I'm grateful for my job which I'm having some challenges adjusting to but it's still really great. I'm grateful for the SUNSHINE that we have had this week and are still having. It has been a gray, rainy winter. I'm also grateful that the weather is starting to warm up. I'm grateful that it's Saturday morning and I have two free days! I'm grateful that I get to go to the US and see my family and friends in a couple of months. I'm grateful to be out of a relationship that was really bringing me down more than I realized. (yep, sometimes getting out is the best thing.) I'm grateful for the usual things too:  my health, the health of my parents & family, Gracie's health. (I lost Potter this summer. I still miss him so much that it hurts every single day. But I am so very grateful for the 13 years that I had with him.) 

In a nutshell, I am a happy girl and have SO VERY MUCH to be grateful for! 

So, going to get back into the gratitude habit and would LOVE it if you'd come along!

gros bisous!

Gina