Gratitude Friday

I've been a bit of a slacker on my Friday postings, I'm going to do better.  I just lost track of time the last couple of months, and it would be Sunday night before I realized I hadn't been grateful for anything this week - at least not publicly.  :-)

The back to work thing has made this week an itsy-bitsy bit CUH-RAY-ZEEEE!   But here I am, feelin' pretty darn proud of myself for rememberin' that it's Friday AND that I have a lot to be grate-full for.  So, here goes...

This week, I'm grateful for:

1. Perspective
2. Chicken Little is still home, and temping at my office so I get to see her even when I'm at work
3. I'm going to Brave Girls Camp in ONE MONTH!!! YEA!!!  So excited!
4. Tuition/Dorm payment was due for the Spring semester, and we had enough to just pay it - even after Christmas - whew!
5. Very CLOSE UP pictures of almost dead flowers taken with my new camera and NO flash.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVING the new camera that has a flash but doesn't need it.  Woo hoo!  And just in case you were wondering - nope, it is not a DSLR - but it's pretty fancy in it's downtown kinda way.  I think I'm planning an ode to it for another day, but just wanted to express how grateful I am to have it.

It's late, and I need sleep because I don't care if it harelip's the governor, Christmas is coming down this weekend! 

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Dog House & Gratitude

I know I'm always a little late to the party.  I think this came out a few years ago, but I just saw it.  It is HYSTERICAL!  And seasonally appropriate. 



And now, for Part II:



Not that jewelry will solve anything, but it certainly is better than a vacuum cleaner!

I missed Gratitude Friday - AGAIN!  This should be an indication of how KA-RAY-ZEE it has been up in here.  So, here goes...

This week I'm grateful for:

1. Chicken Little got home from college last night. YEA!
2. The Christmas shopping (and 90% of the wrapping) is finished.
3. I had a good two or three days this week when my knees didn't feel like they were turned inside out.
4. We have a temporary opening at the office, and the hiring manager hired Chicken Little to fill in over the holidays!  I'm thrilled for her and she's thrilled not to have to work with food. Besides that, she'll probably make more in the next four weeks than she made all summer at Subway.
5. Our lovely Christmas tree - it's so pretty in the evenings.

One more week...

Gratitude Friday

I know I'm a little late to the Fall party, but that's just how we roll 'round these parts.  The trees are finally hitting their stride with their full color display.  This will last about 32 minutes.  There will be a hard freeze soon and all of these leaves will immediately drop to the ground.  Contrary to popular belief, we do have four seasons in Texas: Summer, Summer, Summer, and Winter.  Winter will be here soon.  Look at that gorgeous blue sky!

(Ooops - I just noticed that one picture is repeated twice. Oh well, I guess I liked that one.  I took all of these with my phone.  I may or may not have been driving at the same time...just sayin'.) 

This week I'm grateful for:

1.  Quiet
2.  Rt. 44 sized diet cherry limeade at the happy hour price
3.  Taking the day off tomorrow
4.  Stretchy pants
5.  The Christmas tree is "done"

Have a great weekend!

Ooops! Gratitude Friday on Saturday...Again

I've been having so much fun this, that I forgot to post yesterday, and I am thankful for that!  :-)  Here's a I quick one so I can get back to it!

This week I'm thankful for:

1.  Chicken Little is home for Thanksgiving and when she leaves on Tuesday, it will only be three weeks until she's back for Christmas.

2.  Thanksgiving was great.  It was a small group of 10, so we were all able to eat at the same table together.

3.  My dear husband who did a wonderful job cooking a gorgeous bird and a fabulous feast for all!

4.  An early Christmas miracle:  we found a "small" Walmart tucked away from the crowds yesterday.  We were able to park close, shop and walk to an EMPTY register to pay.  A-MA-ZING!!! 

5.  Christmas is coming!  I L.O.V.E. Christmas!  It's my favorite, favorite, favorite!

I hope to be back Monday with some of my Christmas decorations.  I haven't even started, so we will see... 

Have a lovely rest of the weekend. 

Gratitude Friday...on Saturday

Ooops!  A little late - nothing unusual for those who know me well.  The time has just gotten away from me... but, better late than never.

This week I'm grateful for:

1.  My new laptop and printer arrived!  It's not the Mac of my dreams, but it's pretty darn close - it's going to make me more creative, smarter, thinner, richer, cooler, and better lookin'.  At least, that's what I believe is gonna happen...as soon as I have time to take that puppy out of the box. 

2.  Said computer and printer only cost me about $200!!  Woo hoo - thanks to my company's discount with Dell combined with a very generous $500 home computer reimbursement benefit!

3.  My laundry room has a long (usually) empty counter space... and a door (see above). And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that paint color - I just might marry it I love it so much - if I didn't share my space with others, my whole house might be that color...or turquoise...or pink...or robin's egg blue...or pumpkin...or.....  (well, you get the idea)

4.  Halloween has finally been boxed up, and Thanksgiving is making a very brief appearance at Casa de Cash.  (more on that tomorrow)

5.  EBAY!  At this time last week, I did not have a single Christmas present purchased. OK - maybe I had one or two, but I am usually finished by now, so I was getting a little panicky (sp?).  Thanks to Ebay and Kohl's Power Hours last weekend, I've started to make a dent in a list that is way too long.  Breathe....

Whew!  I don't know about you, but I've just typed myself into happy.  :-)

Happy weekending, everyone! 

Gratitude Friday

I completely and unashamedly stole this idea from Edie at Life in Grace. In my own defense, I do have to say that I did tell her the very day I saw it that I was going to copy it, so she was warned and it is totally documented in the comments section.  The first time I went to Edie's blog, this was the post.  I L.O.V.E. the idea of these letters. 

So, I went to the Hobby Lobby, bought some for myself, painted them...


...had to figure out how to hang them (Command Strips!), and

hung them up right over the door leading to the garage so this is what we see every time we leave the house.

(I wish I'd bought the bigger letters, but I thought they would overwhelm the space since it's so tight.  I like it, but I don't love it yet.  I may need a do-over.)

It's a gratitude reminder.  I've been trying to do this here every Friday, but I love having this daily nudge.  There are so many people, circumstance, and things that we take for granted - seeing this not only makes me smile, but it makes me think. 

Today, I'm grateful for:

1. Making my plane on Tuesday morning.  I was the last person to board - YIKES!

2. Having enough gas in my car to make it home from the airport tonight (no time to fill it on Tuesday morning)!

3.  Falling back last weekend - it's so much easier to get up early (I would have missed the flight for sure if not for this).

4.  Everyday is another chance to start over.

5.  My new computer is on the way!!!  YEA!

Have a great weekend!

I'm linked up here:

Kindness of Strangers?

Last Friday, as I waited to take the train downtown to the Christmas Market, I was feeling nervous and out of my element.  I was taking the train because I didn't want to deal with traffic, and I didn't want to pay $15 for parking.  I ended up leaving work later than planned, and because it was more convenient, I drove to a park and ride station that is closer to downtown. 

Most of the people waiting at that station did not look like me.  I was uncomfortable, anxious, in a hurry and a little on edge.  There was a group of teenagers five feet away acting loud and stupid - doing what teenagers do.  I was annoyed.

I stood there waiting, being irritated.  A woman came up to me and politely asked if this train would stop at her destination.  I am embarrassed to say that my annoyance became obvious.  I turned around and snapped, "I don't know." 

I saw the surprise on her face and realized what I had done. I tried to fix it.  I tried to laugh and tell her that I wasn't sure because it had been a long time since I'd been on the train.  I looked around for a map of the route, but didn't see one.  I told her that the train stopped at all of the stations downtown (which it did), so it would probably stop at hers.  I looked for the map, but I did not move from the spot where I was standing.  Most likely, if I had taken the time to walk three steps in either direction, I would have seen a map and we could have looked at it together and figured out the route she needed to take.  I couldn't be bothered.  The train came and I got on a different car - away from her and the obnoxious teenagers.

It's scary to get on a train when you don't know exactly where it's going.  I know that because I was in exactly the same position.  I had a good idea of where I was going, but I was not 100% sure - I had never been to my destination stop before.  That woman needed my help, was brave enough to ask for it, and I was so absorbed in my situation and my judgement of those around me that I couldn't be bothered to help her.  I am not proud.

20 minutes later, I got off the train at my stop.  It was a rather dimly lit, deserted underpass.  The building where I was going was a couple of blocks away.  I had to walk, and I was not positive which direction to go.  I was nervous and a little scared, but I started walking in what I hoped was the right direction.  There were very few people at the station.  I did not make eye contact with those I passed, and I tried to walk with purpose. 

I passed a group of 3 -4  hoodlums and heard some "hey, baby..." type of comment.  I walked faster.

As I rounded the corner, I saw two women who looked like me.  They were carrying bags that had the Christmas Market logo.  I felt certain I was heading in the right direction, but still wasn't sure which way to turn at the end of the block.  I spoke up and asked those two women, "Excuse me, are y'all coming from the Christmas Market?"  They both quit talking, looked down, and kept walking.

I said it again, louder, "Excuse me, are you coming from the Market?"  One of them glared at me and said, "I don't know. We're not from around here."  She obviously hadn't heard me.  I stopped walking and said, looking at their bags, "You're coming from the Christmas Market.  Which way is it?"  The woman did not stop walking, sighed and said vaguely waving her hand, "Go that way and take a right," and she turned away, dismissing me. 

I walked on and did find the building, but getting to that market was no longer my the focus of my journey that day.

Within 10 seconds of that encounter, I was no longer scared or anxious.  I was angry.  I felt somehow diminished - somehow less than - unworthy of kindness or acknowledgement. 

Within 30 seconds, I was humbled and embarrassed. I looked in the mirror and what I saw was not pretty. Not only had those women looked like me, they had behaved like me.

I wonder have we become so wary of strangers that we cannot lend a hand to those in need?  Are we so afraid of being taken advantage of that we have completely closed ourselves off and we're unwilling to show compassion to those brave enough to reach out and show their vulnerability?

Not being in the situation, it's easy to judge and say you would have responded kindly to that first woman.  But within the span of less than one hour, two women (one of them me) had responded in the same exceedingly ungracious manner.  What would you have done?

I've thought about these two scenarios quite a bit over the last several days.  I understood and was grateful for the lesson almost immediately, but I am still wondering if I have learned it.  Would I behave any differently now?  I hope that I would.

Gratitude Friday

 

 

Today I'm grateful for:

1. Books on "tape" (I can "read" and do something else at the same time - unless the book is REALLY good and if that's the case, I just sit and listen) - downloaded from the public library website (FOR FREE!) directly onto my ipod.
2. The Help - truly a just-sit-and-listen or read-it-in-a-day kinda book - LOVED it!
3. E-Mags - who'da thunk it?!  As you know, I'm new 'round these parts, so I've just learned about this awesomeness.  Check out this one and this one.  I will be doing some serious perusing this weekend!
4. Craft Show Season - also on the agenda for this weekend, visiting here and here.
5. Flannel sheets (most of the time)  & cool cotton pillow cases when the hot is flashin'.

Have a cozy weekend.

Grace Full

I mentioned the other day how much I have been loving the 31 Days of Grace series that Emily at Chatting at the Sky, has been writing throughout October.  It has been amazing!  (Get it? amazing grace!)  :-)

Today she is asking her readers to write about grace.

Life is full of grace, it is our choice, our obligation, our privilege to receive and share it.

The past couple of years have been a test.  As a family and as individuals, we've had our challenges, and in spite of everything I'm still able to look around and see our blessings.  That is grace.

As hormones have wreaked havoc on my body and my mind, I have felt strange and out of control.  I've spent most of this year in a clumsy, sweaty, painful, slightly befuddled and distracted haze.  Most of the time, I'm exhausted from the battle I fight just to stand up each day, yet I continue to stumble blindly forward, and without fail, I end up in a bright place, full of warmth and light.  That is grace. 

Many times during this season I've been too self-involved to be gracious to others.  Having the humility and strength to make amends following those days when I am ashamed to say I showed and accepted no grace.  That is grace.

I recently heard a new twist on the comparison of God to a teacher.  The speaker said, as you prepare for a test, the teacher is talking to you, giving you tools, guiding you, preparing you, but when it comes time for the actual test, the teacher is silent.  Depending on how you did on the test, the good teacher praises and rewards you, or if you failed, the teacher will begin the lesson again, reteaching in a different way and gently trying to rebuild your confidence.  During our recent tests, I have been searching and questioning, and I have been so disappointed because I felt my questions and were falling on deaf ears. As usual, I received the gift of this metaphor during this time when I was so desperate to hear it.  That is grace.

On a particularly difficult day, crying and praying out loud on the entire drive home, begging for a sign (anything!) that everything was going to be ok.  Turning the corner and seeing that sign (literally!):  a black and white billboard that said in huge letters "BREATHE" and nothing else. (Be still and know that I am.)  That is grace.

I have desperately tried to control every little "peace" of my life, and I continue to fail.  Recognizing that I am not the One in control, and that this is my lesson and my test.  This is tough, and that is grace.

Understanding, giving and receiving an acceptance and a Love that is without conditions and without end.  That is grace, my life is full, and I am deeply grateful.

I saw a similar sign on Flower Patch Farmgirl (love that blog!) here.  The piece she pictured was wonderful, and I loved the idea of it.  Instead of saying I stole the idea, I'd prefer to say I was inspired  by it.  I rushed this one, so it didn't translate as well as I'd hoped, but I may try again. 

I'm a feeling a little nervous and vulnerable about this post because it is so personal.  But, with amazing grace surrounding me, I acknowledge my hesitation and fear with a wink and a nod and hit publish....

Gratitude Friday

Today I'm grateful for:

1. Second chances
2. Sweater season
3. Having a job to go to everyday (as challenging as it may be at times)  :-)
4. It's our Anniversary!
5. The ability to get out of the bed today

 Have a great weekend!

Picturing Grace

For the last 26 days, Emily at Chatting at the Sky has been discussing grace, and today she's having a linky party where her readers are posting pictures of what grace looks like to them.

What does grace look like to you? 

I'm linked up - go over and check out all of the other beautiful pictures on Emily's site.



Gratitude Friday



Last night I was sitting at the kitchen table catching up on some email, and I looked up and noticed the little face on the stem of this pumpkin.  It's kind of cool and kind of creepy.  (Please ignore the messy kitchen counter and pile of laundry in the background.)

Here's a close up.  Doesn't it look a like a little Chinese dragon?

Today I'm grateful for:

1. My jeans still fit.
2. Airline miles.
3. Michael's & Joann Fabrics.
4. Finding out that I could upgrade my blogger options, and now I can have giant pictures.
5. Technology - I sent my hubby an email this morning and it was titled "Hi Handsome." He was leading a web meeting when the email arrived, and the notification window with the title of the email popped right up there on the screen. Isn't he lucky that he got to share that with all of his colleagues? Bwahhhhahaha!

Gratitude Friday

That's our dog doing her very best pig impression. She's got her face smushed into the couch begging for food (goldfish crackers or chips, most likely). It's gross... Thank you to Chicken Little for this picture. It makes me laugh.

This week I'm thankful for:

1. Saturday

2. Online pizza ordering (it's been a really busy week). :-)

3. Buttercream frosting (don't ask).

4. Cool mornings and warm afternoons.

5. The public library! How long has it been since you've been to one? Did you know that you don't even have to make a trip to the actual building any more? At least with our library you can now "check out" and download audio books electronically! It downloads right to your ipod and its FREE (of course)! Woo hoo!!! LOVE THAT!

Gratitude Friday

This week I am grateful for:

1. Sunsets like this. The colors were not vibrant, but the subtle yellows and grays were amazing and the clouds looked like they were painted up there taking broad strokes with a mostly dry brush. Amazing!

2. My summer garden is in recovery. Everything had shriveled and wilted in the heat of August, but now that the air is getting cooler and there is a little crispness in the mornings, all of the plants seem to be perking right back up. This hibiscus and the fern right next to it are loving their little corner of the world - they have gotten huge! Before the first frost, I'll have to move them into the garage if I want to keep them alive. That is going to require cleaning out at least one small corner of the garage - let's not think about that part right now. :-)

3. Most of the mums that I planted in the front flower beds last year have come back. They are about to go crazy blooming and I can't wait.

4. Guilty pleasures - Glee and Biggest Loser have started their new seasons and I LOVE those shows!

5. The comfort that comes from knowing that God has a bigger plan for us than even we can dream. All will be well.

Gratitude Friday

Today, I'm grateful for:

1. This has been one of those weeks, and I’m grateful for it's lessons, and that it's almost over.
2. Good days! Every day that I wake up and am able to get out of the bed is a good day.
3. More pumpkins. ;-)
4. Second chances – hopefully I’ll be able to tell you more about this later.
5. My Fall and Halloween decorations are up (again, more on that later) and I have the entire weekend to enjoy them.

Gratitude Friday

1. Joe is home. He has been gone since Sunday morning. While I've enjoyed the time puttering around the house decorating for fall, I have missed him.

2. The chance to visit a very good friend this evening. It's a two hour drive (not too bad, but too far not to have a plan). I haven't seen her in a few months and I miss her, so I'm excited to be going.

3. Getting texts like this:


4. Being mostly caught up at work. It's such a nice feeling not having a bunch of to-do's left over from this week and waiting for me on Monday.

5. Clean, crisp sheets - there is almost nothing better than that!

Have a great weekend!

Gratitude Friday

Last week, I decided that Fridays are about gratitude. Some of these may seem a little shallow, but it's the little things that make a difference, so here goes:

This week I'm grateful for:

1. PINK - I love this color, and I hadn't noticed it until writing this post, but I obviously love to EAT this color... (weird)

2. All of you kind and patient souls who have listened to and put up with my whining for the past few months. (You know who you are, and thank you!)

3. Having the good sense to make a really smart decision a few years ago and buy the reliable (although slightly uncool) car. It's 8 years old, still runs great, and has had very few problems. THANK YOU, LORD!

4. Air conditioning: It's still 95+ degrees and 60% humidity here - 'nuff said.

5. Busy work: It's keeping me occupied and helping me control the impulse to digitally stalk my child. Although it is hard, I'm trying to give her the space she needs to figure things out, and she certainly doesn't need the pressure and guilt of worrying about a needy Mama right now.

Friday-Night-Date-Night

Last Friday I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. My company has a suite at the new Cowboys Stadium. Typically, these seats are used only for customers, sales people, and executives (I fall into none of these categories). Well... no one wanted the seats to the show that night: Countdown to Super Bowl XLV.

Honestly, I didn't think I really wanted to go either, but I knew that Joe would probably like to go. And, best of all, we got the parking pass that goes with the suite. It would have been crazy to turn them down.

We spent the first hour in the Legends Bar eating dinner and drinking margaritas (me - and yes, that was plural on purpose), and beer (Joe - he had much more restraint than I did). None of this cost us a single dime (except for tips) - LOVE THAT!

When we headed to our seats, we discovered that the view to the stage was blocked. Bummer! BUT WAIT...since we couldn't see, regular seat tickets were provided. YEA! GREAT SEATS!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you know who this is? No?

Ok - how about now? ;-)

That's right! Tim McGraw!

Oh my goodness - what a show! I had not seen him in concert before, but he was so ah-ma-zing!

And so cute! (sorry Joe - but the Cowboys cheerleaders were on stage before Tim, so all was fair, right?)

It's been a long time since we've had so much fun. I sang along to every song (I had to feel just a little sorry for the people next to us - but that didn't stop me)! We really had a great time, loved the show, and felt very lucky to have gotten the opportunity to attend. Isn't it awesome when things work out way better than you anticipated?!

I can do anything!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg&feature=player_embedded




Check out this video. I want this same conviction and I want to sing and dance it just the way Jessica is doing!

I feel like I have become a bit of a whiner lately. I'm tired of acknowledging and focusing on things that are not going perfectly, and I'm feeling the need to make a significant shift.

I've decided to make Fridays about gratitude. I have never been able to keep a journal - gratitude or otherwise, but I do believe that gratitude is a fundamental and necessary practice. I think about it every day, but there is so much more power to writing it down. For some reason, committing something to paper (or screen, in this case) requires much more consideration.

I am also making a commitment to try to stay away from the usual suspects in my list (family, health, etc.) because I think that would make it too easy. I want to put my focus on the little things I think I take for granted, and acknowledge everything that adds up to this truly blessed life that I have.

Today, I am grateful for:

1. The video above, the message, and what an inspiration Jessica is!

2. Fall is coming and even though the temperature hasn't changed, I can feel it happening. This is my favorite time of year. (I'll probably say the same thing next spring.)

3. Blogging. I'm having so much fun doing this - it makes me happy every time I hit "publish". And I'm LOVE, LOVE, LOVING all the wonderful bloggy-friends out there. I so appreciate everyone's voice and inspiration on a daily basis.

4. I'm glad that Joe is back in town today and that we have a date night planned. Even though it's a pseud-work function, it will still be great to get out of the house and have grown up fun for a few hours.

5. Shifts in perception, and the ability to find the lesson and or something positive in all situations.

What's going right for you today, and where is your focus?