A Daily Dose of Beauty ~ August 2010

August 1^st – Playing piano for church without the perspiring palms or misplayed notes that usually plague me.

August 2^nd – Giving Natalie my pink pen and encouraging her to go to town on letters; this teaching process is making my English-nerdy heart so happy.

August 3^rd – Compensating for the lack in stores by making bread and butter pickles from scratch (with coriander picked from our balcony, no less!).

August 4^th – Spending a family evening at the park to breathe fresh air and recharge.

August 5^th – Catching a mesmerizing sunrise mere seconds before the day turned overcast.

August 6^th – Chilling with my brother-in-law over lunch, grateful for family who are also friends.

August 7^th – Deciding on the spur of the moment to pack our lunch and go camping near Pitigliano.

August 8^th – Spending the most delightfully lazy Sunday swimming in the pond, picking fruit, and relaxing as a family in the great outdoors.

August 9^th – Indulging the compulsion to write despite a jillion-long to-do list.

August 10^th – Appreciating and clinging to my dear husband all the more in light of a friend’s divorce.

August 11^th – Cracking up over the girls’ lyrical interpretation of a light saber fight.

August 12^th – Waking up to the first morning of Dan’s unexpected mini-vacation.

August 13^th – Getting a free jazz dance performance by Natalie in front of the Duomo in Orvieto.

August 14^th – Introducing our house guests to the magical, laughter-producing power of the Wii.

August 15^th –Slurping up homemade Nutella malt milkshakes—with cherries and chocolate sprinkles, of course—in  four-part harmony.

August 16^th – Spending the last day of Dan’s work vacation doing nothing, glorious nothing.

August 17^th – Finding a wiggly tooth in my five-year-old’s mouth and cheering together for the fantastic process of growing up.

August 18^th – Watching my husband step up and offer unconditional love and support to friends in need.

August 19^th – Hiding safely inside while Dan and his brother played a hilarious version of tennis with the bees infesting our balcony.

August 20^th – Baking cherry chocolate cupcakes with Sophie, who kept smiling up with a chocolate-smeared face to exclaim, “We are the best bakers!”

August 21^st – Giving some family TLC to our balcony garden; home improvement projects always make me happy.

August 22^nd – Unexpectedly not having to play piano for church, performance pressure dissolved instantly.

August 23^rd – Taking myself out to shop for clothes in  luxurious solitude.

August 24^th – Enjoying our typical summer evening of freshly-baked baguette slathered in stracchino and a side of ripe, red watermelon, eaten together on our balcony while the sun melts out of sight.

August 25^th – Journaling through some tangles in my brain and gaining perspective in the process.

August 26^th – Scanning approximately 50,000 pages of the girls’ artwork from the last month, like taking a vacation  in their funny, colorful worlds.

August 27^th – Rising above a heavy rejection letter to work on a story and finding I still have the capacity to enjoy writing after all.

August 28^th – Taking a spontaneous trip with friends to Isola Polvese for a day of ferrying, picnicking, and playing on the beach.

August 29^th – Watching and trying out circus acts with the girls at the children’s festival in the park below our house.

August 30^th – Being blown away once again by the brilliant, saturated colors in the evening sky.

August 31^st – Falling even more in love with my creative Miss Natalie upon reading her color chart.