Thankful - Day 18

I'm thankful for a wide variety of fabrics that allow me to make unique quilts. There are many great quilters whose blogs, classes, friendship and sharing I have learning from. For this I'm grateful. I have wonderful tools, such as a cool sewing machine, a spiffy bright light, cutters, rulers, fancy pins, special feet that keep me accurate and tons of books, magazines and websites to help inspire me with their creative pictures of wonderful quilts.

Thankful - Day 16 (the missing day)

I'm thankful for...

1. Misty - the cat
2. the Carnival is gone (it was in the field behind our house - very noisy, stinky and just plain icky)
3. my new bluetooth dongle (if you don't know, don't ask)

Thankful - Days 14 & 15 (or something like that)

I'm thankful for...

1. the realization that all blessings come from God
2. the hope of eternal life because of the debt paid on my behalf by Jesus when He died on the cross.
3. the Holy Spirit who prompts, guides, helps and comforts me.
4. that my husband is alive and well in this week when I've learned about the husbands of others I know who have died or been diagnosed with cancer.
   
5. my old bible...the one I got on my 16th birthday.
6. memories of loved ones that I seldom or never see any longer.
   

Thankful - Day 13

I'm thankful for...

1. Dish TV - a great distraction while folding laundry
   
2. Saturdays - time to catch up
3. Strawberry shortcake - not the doll, but the tasty stuff with the cute little round sweet spongy cakes and cool whip.
   

Thankful - Day 11

I'm thankful...

1. Corn beef and cabbage a few days early -yum!
2. quilt guild
3. my co-worker who shared her chocolate - another yum!

It's starting to look like it's all about the tummy and the taste buds. I need to focus on things other than food.

Thankful - Days 9 & 10

It's probably not ideal, but I'm going two day's of thankfulness on one post :O).

I'm thankful for...

1. my health. Though I'm a little heavier than I'd like to be I am basically healthy.
2. my dishwasher. Nuf said.
3. precious things that belonged to my mom, who's no longer with us.
4. the library. They great stuff including books, cd's, videos, magazines, helpful people, etc.
5. considerate neighbors who leave the spot in front of the house open for our vehicle.
6. encouraging words from those around me most.

My time is really being sapped these days by my efforts to learn/streamline coupon use in order to reap the most benefits from the least time. The learning curve is steep, but there are many sites that I go to regularly to help me out. My goal is to actually keep within our grocery budget this month - what a concept! I think I just might do it.

Thankful - Day 8

I'm thankful for...

1. my husband still has a job
   
2. CVS Extra Bucks - I'm just starting to learn how to take advantage of this.
3. Dancing with the Stars - good, clean fun (usually).

Number 1 is a big yeah.

Thankful - Day 8 ( a day late)

I'm thankful for...

1. my home church, where I can study God's word and fellowship with like-minded people.
2. a clean garage and other handy man jobs completed around the house.
3. my crock pot that works so diligently to allow me to get other things in my life.

Yesterday was a non-stop, exhausting kind of day or maybe I'm just getting older. By the time 7:30 rolled around I was wiped out. But then it was time change day. Yes, that's it. I'll blame it on the time change and hope that it was a fluke. I suppose I just have a full life and need to chalk it up to that as well.

Thankful - Day 7

Today I'm thankful for...

1. a little time to sew and figure out how I'm going to machine quilt my current project.
   
2. tea time with my daughter (she made the scones).
3. that my husband's honey-do list for today is done!

Today was a day of random tasks and time with the family. It's those little moments that go unappreciated if you aren't focusing on them.

Thankful - Day 6

I'm thankful...

1. a walk in the park with my husband.
2. Chili's dinner thanks to a Verizon rebate card
   
3. that the laundry and ironing is all caught up for now.

It was a semi productive day. It seems that there is always too much to do, but in the big scheme of things life is good and I have few complaints.

Thankful - Day 5 (posted a day late)

I'm thankful for...

1. peanut butter fudge made by my daugher
2. the ability to pay bills when they come due
3. Girl Scout cookies

Hmmm...it looks like food is heavy on my mind. Yummy, sweet food.

Thankful - Day 4

Today I am thankful for...

1. coupon websites (there are so many)
   
2. rain
3. my new rotating self-healing rotary mat, purchased with a 40% off coupon at Michaels.

It has rained off and on all day. We really need the rain. It would be great if we got more.

Thankful - Day 3

I'm Thankful for...

1. the treadmill that welcomes me each morning.
2. my best friend, whom I've known for many years.
3. the humongous variety of books that I have access to free of cost. I could read for the rest of my life without having to purchase another book.

Life is good and it's a good idea to focus on what you got rather than what is not.

Thankful - Day 2

I'm thankful for...

1. my laptop - a lifeline, sort of.
2. my home - not too big, not too small. Just right.
3. my job - I got one. It's nice. There are good people. The pay is good. What more could I ask for?!

Now it's time to hit the hay! Yeah sleep.

I'm thankful for...

1. My husband...for more reasons than I can say.
2. My kids who keep me humble and learning. They are smart, healthy, fun and a blessing in so many ways. I can't imagine my life without them.
3. Freesias from my yard - red and fragrant on my kitchen counter.

And so begins my exercise of being thankful for 28 days. I'm currently digesting a booked called The Joy of Appreciative Living.

One of the exercises is to create a Daily Appreciation List. What better place to do that than a blog about being thankful. I need to remember that there are no right answers and no correct order. I'm not being graded.

This is my list - unique to me. I'm not out to impress anyone. I'm just doing what the book tells me to do. Part of the fun/challenge of this exercise will be the idea of not having duplicates. It ought to be a good experience.

We have habitual ways of seeing the world, and we are culturally conditioned to pay attention to what's wrong and broken. It takes regular practice to shift this perspective and begin noticing what's right, and doing this simple exercise is an incredibly powerful way to make that happen.

The Joy of Appreciative Living by Jacqueline Kelm