30 Days of Thankful Days 28, 29, 30

Yes, this is the last post for the yearly November project. Glad to have done it and glad it's finished! That's my usual response for any long term project I start. I still do the yearly Project Life but 2021 may be quite different. We'll see!

FWIW here it is Saturday the 5th and finally  on the 3rd the hole was dug once again, the gravel went back in and the cement has been poured and is curing.  Now perhaps 2021 will see our street repaved too???

30 Days of Thankful Days 25, 26, 27

 Well here it is December and my 30 Days of Thankful is complete. I may print these myself as I have a new HP Envy Printer and 3 months of free ink! Great colors and easy peasy to use

Time to get into the Christmas mood and start the decorating. Fortunately, all the fall items are happily back in the attic. I do hope to clear some of these out next year as 2020 was not the year for that.

30 Days of Thankful Days 22, 23, & 24

 Tsk tsk... once again forgetting to post my Thankful days. So here are three more. We never really had much cold weather in November and today, the very last day of the month, is is just pouring! but with 64 degree temps. Well, a good soaking helps the plants.

Some follow up to those images above. Lotus's mother is not allowing her to visit nor let us go there to see our granddaughter. The Covid test was negative as I presumed. Caution is best.

30 Days of Thankful Days 19, 20 & 21

 Time moves on, some days quickly and other days just seem to be another one of those Blursdays. But taking a photo does help capture at least on good thing each day.  And there's always one or two or many...just noticing is the lesson.

So that's then end of November's week three. More to come as life goes on, the good and the not so good as it always is.

30 Days of Thankful Days 17 & 18

These two days were all about Hygge...a new machine for hot drinks and the good reliable gas fireplace. I resisted the latter quite a bit when we got married but the instant gratification of a cozy fire was well well worth it.

 HAPPY  WEEKEND!

 

30 Days of Thankful Days 15, 16

As I get over the hump of this project, I am so so grateful to have learned how to set up a calendar template for this year. All I have to do is edit the 7 layouts from the first week for the 2nd week by ONLY changing the date.  Once you have your days of the week in order for the first week, the rest of the weeks are just the next seven numbers. The days will be the same.  Ditto weeks 3 and 4.  Then each day it's just  adding the photo and the journaling. Easy Peasy! I do the following week around Friday or Saturday so I never feel rushed.  Maybe one year, I'll do the whole month or two weeks at a time! Maybe...

Back with you later this week! Stay Grateful!

30 Days of Thankful Days 13, 14

 Getting back into the groove with this project. Life is much smaller in a Covid world than it was in the Before Time and I find I'm not as mindful as I used to be in using my camera i.e. iPhone.  I also wasted time trying to find the photo of my Nana that I wanted to use. Maybe I'll find it again and maybe I won't. Just another thing to let go.

Here's Nana in Knaresborough with my eldest child. A summer day in Yorkshire still required a coat or wool sweater back in the pre Climate Change times.

30 Days of Thankful Days 11, 12

Still enjoying this project but usually doing it a day later than the actual date. How did this week get so busy? I feel like I did less but also had less time. But then I realized I did sit and read for a change. I mean I read for hours... truly relaxing.

No, nothing about this year has been what one could consider normal. Or is this going to be the normal for a long time.

30 Days of Thankful Days 8, 9, 10

 A good feeling to have my home kind of back to normal with dh back from his biking trip in SC and FL. Sadly he had to cut it short because of potential hurricane hits and such strong winds that the beach was under water in LOW tide. He loves riding his bicycle on the sand in Daytona. But back home I had my own life.

Now let's see if Fall has really arrived. It was in the 70s as I drove back home to Annapolis on November 10 which is why my grand daughter was in a cotton t-shirt. I had the a/c on in the car!

30 Days of Thankful Days 5, 6, 7

 So much for great intentions on my part. While the photos (and accompanying thoughts) got done, the little part of actually doing the print and uploading them just didn't happen. I had a chest freezer fail and my days were spent finding ways to shove the meat into our fridge freezer and other chest freezer. Sadly I had to fill a trashcan with defrosted food and some assorted ancient items.  It was exhausting.

So moving on to the point of this page. :)

So it's still a good project and I'm enjoying it because it's always import for my disposition to recognize the not so good but be sure to find the truly good in my life.

AAM Monday: Day 1 of 30 Days of Thankful

I loved this project so much when I did it last November, when on Day 11 I had my knee replaced. I really didn't know how I would actually feel afterwards. How could I? I'd never had a surgery like that so I decided I would make sure to be thankful for something each day. Of course, it was remarkably easy because once you start looking for the grateful you find it.

2014

2015

Not terribly different and not sure if I want the plain white again or this slight background.  When my template is this basic, it's easy to change. Just remove a layer!

Are you doing this project? Believe me, it does one a world of good and no doubt does the world a lot of good to have grateful people about. Try it! and if this seems too much just find ONE thing to be grateful for at night. People who look, find.

A Month of Gratitude

I started keeping track of gratitude this month but realized I didn't have time, or want to take the time, to make a page for each day.  I did get this one page done which covers the first 5 days. I'll see how the rest of the month plays out.

Are you recording anything like this? Seeing the good helps us ...see the good, dontcha know.

Mindful leads to Grateful

Many years ago during my first marriage, my now xh used to manage to sit on my feet when he was getting dressed in the mornings. No matter how we arranged the bedroom in the various homes we lived in, it seemed to me that he always found my feet to sit on as he put his shoes on or whatever. I was usually still in bed when he left early in the mornings and invariably I griped and tried to yank my feet out from under him. He used to say..."There'll come a day when you wish you had someone to sit on your feet!" Both of us were still so young we didn't imagine that I'd be a widow any time soon so it was a moot point in my mind. However, while I was divorced by my mid 40s, I still didn't long for someone to sit on my feet.

Years down the road, I am married to my current husband. Each time I dump the load of white clothes onto the bed for sorting, I sigh at the dailiness of it. I may sigh, but 1. I enjoy doing laundry - especially when it's just for two adults and 2. I do realize that there may very well come a day when I have only my own laundry to sort. The day I took this photo, I suddenly thought of that. It became more than my 365 photo of the dajavascript:void(0)y. It became the reminder to me that when I am mindful of what I am doing, no matter how mundane, I can be grateful for what is ...right at this moment. Chop wood, carry water, sort laundry - whatever. Lessons abound and it's all good.

Gratitude 2

Dishing the Week 10-25-09

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW - there is sun and cooler weather. I'm so glad because the humid weather gives me headaches and makes me cranky.

I AM HEARING - the sound of silence. Peace and calm are abundant.

I AM WEARING - black slacks and a white long sleeved t-shirt. I think this day is going to be warmer then colder as October should be.

I AM THINKING - that I'm pretty darn lucky - blessed - to have a husband who understands when my energy level has gone way way down.

I AM THANKFUL FOR - for the gift of time alone. I know he wishes we were going on this trip west together but he understood my needs before I expressed them. He reads my heart.

I AM CREATING - the pages for the Ali Edwards on line class. I do love these teachers who come in via my inbox!

I AM GOING - to Costco and to speak in Pasadena tonight. I pray for some wisdom, and lacking that, just plain clear speaking.


I AM READING - magazines right now as I want to clear this batch out this week.

I AM HOPING - that neither Jake nor I have the flu. I'm also hoping that the coming week will be easier for the Mesa Reynolds.

FROM THE KITCHEN - the meatloaf winds down and there is a batch of chili-mac for Dick for tonight. Nothing seems that attractive to me except popcorn.


ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS - has been seeing Jake play water polo. I could not believe how he has filled out and has the broadest shoulders. A lot of swimming power in that boy.

A FEW PLANS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK - visit with Anne, getting painting estimates, haul more to the charity shops, and Take It Easy.

Good day, Sunny Day

It's half past four and it's still beautiful and sunny out. What a great day. The morning was spent tutoring in the detention center and it was the 2nd time I had two students. Boy is that a learning experience for me but it's worked out so far. My one student is a much better reader and when I was working with the newer student I was able to give my original one a reader to read. That was just perfect and while I expected him to read just the first story, he just went ahead and read the whole book. I think for the most part he can grasp the whole story even tho he might make a mistake on a couple of words. We all do that I think, and just skip over a word we might not really be sure of.

Student #1 finished the first reading book and tested out into book #2. While his original evaluation placed him on this very basic level but I know it really didn't please him. That's a hard thing to work with for me, when the student feels he knows more than he does. If they get bored, then not a lot happens, but if they are having too much of a struggle then they just don't want to come to these sessions.



I give these men a lot of credit because they get no 'time off' credit for these tutoring sessions. Once they get to GED or HS courses, time spent in those classes does count for time off their sentence. This is also a detention center, not a jail so the men are transient for the most part. Some however are 'frequent flyers', meaning that this time in the detention center is not their first. :-(

But on days like this I always count my blessings. The class ends and I leave and have a chance to be outside and experience this gorgeous sunny day. It's a good reminder to me about the consequences of choices.

Things Making Me Happy

Since I've been in a bit of a funk, I decided to think of the little things that are making me happy. I suspect someone has a meme about this but I haven't taken the time to blog-surf lately so tell me if you know of someone. I think I need to practice this publicly. The concept of publicly acknowledging the joy in my life reminds me of Flylady's concept of blessing your house as you do a Sunday night cleanup. I've always avoided cleaning on Sunday but that puts a different perspective on it, doesn't it?

• A clean floor on the ground floor. (DH washed this Friday night pre guests.) I told him that is one thing that makes me feel really good but darn I hate to do it.

• Bacon and horseradish cream cheese. I'd never had this and bought some Friday. It's half gone now...

• Having 3, well 4 actually, Redbox locations in under 3 miles from my house, even if the movie I wanted to watch isn't available at any of them each time I've checked since Saturday a.m.

• The teeny daffodils that have made their annual appearance amidst the dark green ivy and pachysandra of the small front lawn. I had totally forgotten about them.
  

• 5 totally free weekdays this week - no tutoring, no appointments of any kind, just free free time and at least one day when I have the house to myself.

If you have 5 things that are making you happy Right Now, I'd like to hear them!

Gratitude

original found on webmagic

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The Original Three Beautiful Things

Perhaps you know Clare of the original Three Beautiful Things. I didn't, but now I do.

I plan to try to do this in my morning journaling each day. As Clare says, what a wonderful way to remain grateful as the world seems to be going to hell in a hand basket.

And me? Just about to see that beautiful skyline. Chicago.

(on the road chatter over at the other blog which has been dormant for a few months0

Home again, home again

Home means

1. My own bed
2. A real cup of tea in one of my favorite mugs
3. Sebastian both greeting me and ignoring me
4. My MAC with its great great big screen
   
5. A whole house to wander in, sit in, be alone in
   
6. More than 4 outfits to wear
7. Laundry
8. Meals to plan and cook
9. A litterbox to clean
10. But really little to complain about