A Positive Attitude Can Make A Big Difference

Fred and Johnny are two guys who made a difference. They both had what others would consider to be menial jobs. One was a postman and the other was a grocery story bagger. But both were genuine in their care for others. And that is what makes them special. Read more about Fred here and watch this video to see Johnny's story.

What you choose to focus on is so important that it can spill over to how you treat others. If you want your interactiions with those around you to be positive then take time to make sure you are getting that positivity into your psyche. Read books about thankfulness, success and overcoming challenges. Listen to motivational audio files. Go to church. Study people in your own life who are upbeat and hopeful. Take cues from others who have mastered the art of encouragment ... like Fred and Johnny.

Say something nice to someone today.

Renewed Focus

If I have so much to be thankful for, then why have I only written one blog in the last year or so? I think that I sometimes have difficulty acknowledging publicly my belief in God's provision for my needs. And yet, I wholeheartedly believe that all I have is from God.

It is much easier to complain about all I don't have than to take the efffort required to focus on the many blessings I do have. It just seems to be human nature (at least for this human) to gripe. And yet, I know that it is better, for many reasons, to focus on the positive.

Today I am thankful for Allrecipes.com where I found the tastiest Barbeque Chicken Salad recipe to have for dinner last night. We didn't have all the ingredients on hand, but I was able to zip into our local Target and quickly grab them. Zipping into Target was an option because, in a surpising twist, I got off work early yesterday. After dinner there was time to watch some TV with my daughter (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) while working on my hexagon quilt. Another flower is complete - Yay!



Hopefully this will be the beginning of a renewed focus on thankfulness. Stay tuned.

Life in Texas

We've settled in ... sort of. The house is under control. Furniture is purchased, decorating is in process and we're feeling pretty comfortable in our new space.

With the kids starting college next week schedules will be solidifying. Hopefully, jobs will be on the horizon for them as well. I have a part-time job now and will be working regularly scheduled times for the unforeseeable future. My husband is still job-hunting so there will be more adjusting when he begins working. It's a good thing this process is gradual. I'm not sure we would have survived the transition intact if everything had slammed together at once.

We are facing the tough reality that the cost of living isn't quite as inexpensive as we first thought. This is a bit of a hurdle and will prove challenging for us since only one of us is employed right now. We'll be living off our savings. So for the time being we will be pinching the pennies pretty tightly. Now, I'm no stranger to coupons and frugal living, but it has been a while since we've needed to live this lean. I'll need to draw on the resources that I have gathered to creatively stretch our budget.

I have to keep reminding myself that God is the blessed controller of all things and our circumstances aren't a surprise to him. While reminding myself of this I need to focus also on utilizing the skills and talents he's given me to make the best of my resources. I know this part of life's journey will probably not be easy, but who said life was easy. I'm going to make the choice to remain thankful in my circumstances and rely on the promises of God to see me through.

I hope to share what I learn - whether practical or philosophical - in this blog. Join me on the journey.

Change

A move is on our horizon. We are going to leave California and go to Texas. But first there are some doors to close. In the next month our daughter turns 18 and graduates from high-school. My job will come to an end. My son will complete his first year of college. Escrow will close. My husband will be house-hunting (without me). There will be a good-bye event and life will generally turn into complete and utter chaos. And yet in the midst of all this I am not finding it particularly difficult to be thankful. In fact it's just the opposite. I've embraced this new journey and am looking forward (with a teeny-tiny bit of fear/curiosity) to what the future holds. It's going to be an adventure. I'll keep you posted.

HGTV Puts Home In Perspective

With a move on the horizon, I find that I'm glued to the little TV in my kitchen, watching the HGTV channel pretty much all the time. Property Virgins - even though I'm not one. Holmes on Homes - what a great guy! House Hunters - Which house will they choose?

These shows are intriguing because the viewer gets to go into peoples' homes and see how "creative" they are. I've seen some pretty interesting color combinations along with window coverings, flooring options and house layouts. Some houses are luxurious and have all the latest amenities such as fancy stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and lovely cherry cabinets. Some are tiny and simple with loft refrigerators and mini cooktops.Exteriors range from crafstman to fugly and everything in between. It's pretty amazing how ingenious home design can be.

I come away from these shows with a sense of thankfulness. I'm thankful that I can decorate my home to my liking and make it mine. I can choose the paint coverings, which type of curtains and what theme (Americana is a recent favorite) to go with.

Sure I'm leaving my home behind soon, but I'll adopt a new home. I'll paint, decorate, get new furniture and plant some plants. With a little time, sweat and inspiration from books and magazines I'll leave my fingerprint on the home or homes in my future.

A house does not make a home. It's the people who live there, learning to appreciate what they've got, that make a house home. Whether here or there...I'm thankful that I have a place to call home.

Thanksgiving Enjoyment

Who in their right mind has a blog called Thankful Kim and doesn't post on Thanksgiving day? That would be me. I was a little busy. Okay, actually there really was very little busyness on Thanksgiving day. I cleaned (mother-in-law was coming to dinner) and I cooked, but nothing too fancy.

We went with simple fare this year. The food was easy and plentiful. That's all my family really wanted. And for this I was thankful. The rolls are courtesy of my daughter, who is quite the baker. This was the first time I made cranberry sauce. I can guarantee it won't be the last. Everyone loved it.


My mother-in-law had been released from a 10-day hospital stay earlier in the week and was doing well. Accompanying her was my father-in-law who finds little in life to complain about. I like to have him over when I've been cooking. He'll always say the food is tasty. To him all food is good.

My husband is working--sometimes 3 jobs in a given week. This makes for an interesting schedule, but we are managing to survive, even thrive, and learning to appreciate together time more than ever.

My kids are healthy and thoughtful. Their lives are set out before them like a buffet. It's interesting to see the choices they are making and sometimes tough to keep the lips zipped when those choices don't make sense to me. But I'm learning to let go and trust that they learned a few things growing up in our household. They are inquisitive, carry on great conversations and they make me laugh. They enjoy life and I enjoy them.

Last Thursday was a day to bask in the good things that are part of my life. I had been looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend for months. It meant 4 days off work and a chance to relax. No Black Friday shopping for me, with the exception of a quick run to the fabric store. It was home time. Time to get down the Christmas boxes and pull out the old cherished decorations, break out the M&M's and deck the house for the holidays. And that's what I did.

Sometimes the anticipation of a holiday is more fun than the actual holiday. Not this time. I anticipated, I enjoyed and I was thankful. In fact, I still am.

Baking Buys Time

It's the end of the month and there is definitely more month than money. With about $10 to last until 10/31, this week is going to be a challenge. Thankfully, the house has some food it in already.

Oak Glen is an apple village a couple of hours away. Usually my family makes the trek and picks up some apples and cider, but not this year. However, my best friend Judy went with her family and brought home a couple of bags of apples. Yay! Three bananas rest in a bowl on the counter gaining brown speckles by the hour. A large can of pumpkin sits in the pantry along with the flour and sugar.

Friday night, may daughter and I made an apple pie with some of the Winesap apples from Oak Glen. The food processor helped the crust come together in no time. A crumb topping made it quick and delicious.

Sunday was a free day with no pressing commitments. The oven called. I started slowly with some pumpkin muffins. Cake mix made the the muffins quick and easy. Next it was banana chocolate chip bread. This is a family favorite. Dinner called for hamburger buns, but I didn't have any. I went to AllRecipes.com and found a recipe that was purfect and quickly washed the mixer bowl again so I could get the buns finished before dinner. It was a good thing I took a quick nap before all that baking.

Normally the kids eat a fair amount of granola bars. Not this week. There aren't any in the house, but with all the baked goods around I don't think they'll be missing those granola bars at all. An added plus is stretching these supplies and not having to spend that last $10 ... yet.