If This Isn't Nice... Magic.

I almost gave up on MAGIC this year. My One Little Word for 2020 just didn't seem appropriate with the way the world is right now. I mean, how can you look for the MAGIC around you when you can't leave your house!

Almost. Not quite.


An unexpected invitation to chat with writing friends led to
                         an unexpected writing group,
                                                 which led to an unexpected joy of finding more old writing friends
                                                                           and blogging with them again.

And that got me thinking about all the other MAGIC in my life because of writing. 

• TeachWrite I joined them a while back and loved the people, but really thought about leaving the group until...
• #100daysofnotebooking Joining this group kickstarted my writing again. We're now on day 102! And this lead me to...
• The TeachWrite pop-ups on Zoom.
• This helped me keep connected to people (because this quarantining stuff is hard!)

Writing has been a lifeline this last month!

Video Chats have also been MAGIC. I don't know who figured out the Jetson's way of communicating, but it has also been a blessing. I'm able to keep in contact with family and feel like we're (almost) together. 

Really, Who doesn't love a happy hour video chat?

We "see" the boys and their families at least once a week. The grandkids have Snapchat and House Party and Kids Messenger, so we hear from them even without their parents.

And there is nothing better than the sweet goodnights I'm getting from one of the youngest.

We are probably keeping in closer contact with others now than we were before! But it's one habit that won't go away when the quarantine is over!

#SOL20 Day 28. If This Isn't Nice...

Uffda. It's been a week, hasn't it?
Cases of coronavirus increase daily. I think in lots of places, tensions are running high and spirits are running low. I've been working really hard keeping track of all those little moments that bring me JOY.



This week, I'm just going to make a list:

1. Last Saturday was a day of music and joy. We watched a couple of friends play and share their music. Then we found out that the Grand Ole Opry was live-streaming a show, so I hooked my computer up to the TV so we could watch. And because we wanted to end the night with music, we watched the last episode of Ken Burn's country music series that we recorded.

2. My weekly outing to the grocery store yielded TOILET PAPER! I don't think I've ever been so excited to buy a package of toilet paper, but after the empty shelves of a week ago, this was really nice to see. The shelves were stocked well in all areas. Our grocery store is doing an amazing job throughout this whole thing.

3. Video chatting is becoming my favorite thing. We can't be together, but it sure is nice visiting with family this way!

4. Our little town has also started a Bear Hunt. If you haven't heard about it, people in the community put bears of all shapes and sizes in their windows and yards. Then when people are out walking with their kids or dogs, they can "hunt" for the bears. Plans are to switch out bears for eggs on April 1st.

5. Daily walks with Chloe are so good for my soul. She's as happy as we are to get outside and move. I check for bears and signs of spring. She sniffs everything in her path for the mile we walk. I've also started carrying an extra bag when we walk. I slip one on my hand and I can pick up trash while we walk. Might as well do something good for the world while I'm out enjoying it!

6. The stimulus package passed through Congress. Deposits or checks will be coming soon they tell us. In my family, I know this money will be a big help as we live through this pandemic.

Well, those are the big things this week. I think next week I'm going to start writing them in my notebook each day. I want to be more intentional in this habit.

#SOL20 Day 15. If This Isn't Nice...

For all the news of coronavirus and the cancellations because of it, I've still managed to find some pretty nice things in my world. I think it's going to be more important than ever to keep track of joyful moments. 

The best of the week was, of course, our son getting engaged. His fiance is a great addition to our family and she makes my son extremely happy. Which makes my husband and I very happy. I'm not sure I've quit smiling since Thursday!

We left our son's and went to check out the lake. We had to see what the snow situation was. Almost all of it is gone! That means lake time is not far away. We also met with lake friends, fixed dinner together and had a great visit! It was so good to be with them and just have a fun night.

Today I spent fixing chicken and noodles and Amish Friendship bread. Definitely comfort foods, but it seemed liked comfort has been called for!

Our governor has called for schools to be closed for a month. I guess I won't have to worry about subbing and can get to some of those projects I've been putting off. They will definitely keep me busy! 

• Chloe will get more long walks in
• I'll use the cleaner I bought for the kitchen cupboards. Maybe I won't paint them!
• The basement could definitely use cleaning out
• I still have pictures that need to be put into albums
• My TBR pile is quite large, so no problems there
• I have another closet to paint
• There's still the rest of the month for blogging
• #100daysofnotebooking will also keep me busy
• I can get the deck ready for warmer days

I'm sure I'll keep adding to this list and to my list of joyful moments. I hope you are finding your own "If this isn't nice" moments.