Christmas

The 23rd, really??? Is Christmas only 2 days away. We have really scaled back this year and I think I am a bit more relaxed because of it. No credit card debt this year because of Christmas, woohooo!

I received the photo books from my very first maternity shoot yesterday. I was really pleased with the result. I ordered one book to give to Rochelle (the subject) as a gift and I got a free smaller version to keep. The small book is almost like a mini portfolio. I really enjoyed taking the pictures and I hope she enjoys the end result as much. The possibilities are endless!


Feeling thankful for:

Target
Chipotle Grill burrito bowls
Cherry Cordial Kisses
Mp3 Panda- .20 cent song downloads!
Robin Thicke
puppies
My Sony point and shoot camera that lives in my purse
My new set of hot rollers
Headbands (for bad hair days)

Sundays

Church, Teach Centergy, Football, Referee Kids... This is my Sunday. First was the Christmas Cantata at our church with Tori singing. The church was packed and it was a pleasant program. Next, teaching Centergy at the gym. Only 2 attendees, but I enjoyed the class. Each time, I look forward to it more and more. I have spent the remainder of the day editing photos from Las Vegas. Click on the photo below to view them all.

From Vegas Baby!

Sweating the small stuff? I try not too, just grateful for...

My life
My husband
My kids
My mother
My laptop
My friends
My video camera
My digital SLR
My son's Mini Twix bars
My Cheese popcorn hiding in the pantry

Bolt

The title today has many meanings. Bolt is the name of the movie we took the kids to see today. Bolt is what Cole did after the first 15 minutes of the movie. Fortunately, there weren't many people around us and we were in the handicap seats for Pea-Dad. I guess he is still a bit too young for the movies. Bolt is what I want to do sometimes when the weight of everything seems too much. Being an only child gave me a sense of comfort in my solitude. I like the time by myself and there is little of it these days. Sometimes, changing diapers, stopping kids from fighting, doing laundry, getting something for my walker bound husband can all be a bit overwhelming. I am not complaining, simply stating facts. I think that is one of the reasons this blog is becoming more important to me. It is a place where I can remind myself how lucky I am. Do I really want to Bolt? No, I know how good my life is and that these challenges will pass and I will miss the times when I changed diapers.

Grateful for...

Technology and my new blog header
Photoshop
Jessica Sprague classes
My camera
Netflix
Pizza Hut
Christmas lights
Life
Movie popcorn
Anything covered in fleece

A Shower

Funny title, huh?? I just wanted to talk about the importance of a shower in the morning. I have been getting very little sleep since Pea-Dad's surgery, so my mornings are pretty foggy. I was not able to get a shower yesterday morning, so I was not only tired, but I also felt pretty gross. My day pretty much felt the same way. It was a tired and yucky day! Today however is a very different day! Pea-Dad took 2 pain pills last night so he slept, which meant I slept. Woohoo! I was able to get up, get a shower and get all 3 kids off to school and daycare. Got to work and my attitude has been much better. So, in all fairness to sleep, the difference was a shower and defintely more sleep. Not a lot more, but enough to make a difference. Starting to feel more like myself. I cancelled my Weight Watchers membership today. $40 a month that I don't need to spend. I know what to do and I just need to do it and save the $480 a year! I can spend that money on more creative pursuits.

I thank my lucky stars for....

Good Friends
Crystal Light Peach Tea
My new "For the Love of Nie" t-shirt
Creative Pursuits
The Inspired Inchie swap
Good Pain Killers for My Hubby
My 2 year old speaking clearer
Food made by others
My Little Pony (blinking figure)
Centergy (http://www.bodytrainingsystems.com/pages/bts_programs/GroupCentergy.htm)

Day 10

Back from Vegas, woohoo! We had a very enjoyable time, but I was so ready to come home. I couldn't wait to see the kids and just hug each one of them. It is nice to have a little time with Pea-Dad alone, but after about a day, we are sooo ready to see them again. I am glad I was able to take PD to Vegas but I think it would have made more sense to wait until after the hip surgery. Anyway, it's done and surgery is Wednesday. I am so hoping he will finally get some relief.

Lately, I have been feeling the need to do something... take pictures, write, something creative. Making the time seems to be the challenge, finding ways to stimulate the creative side of my brain before it dies. Struggling, knowing there is more to me and trying to express it. Feeling on the precipice of something, but not sure what?

Knowing I am lucky to have:

A great husband
Wonderful children
A job I love
A roof over my head
Food to feed my family
An open mind
Good Neighbors
GPS
My Mommy
A candy apple in my refrigerator

Things I miss:
My Dad

Day 9

SO LUCKY, my feeling for today. I can't explain it, but I feel hopeful today, excited, ready for new challenges. My family is in good health, my job is challenging and going well and I am headed to Vegas in 2 days! Woohoo! Tonight is Clay's holiday program at school and I am sad that I will have to miss it. I am getting Pea-Dad to video, and I think Clay will enjoy watching me watch him even though I can't be there. Can't believe we are already into December. Even thought presents will be slim this year, I hope to teach my kids the importance of being grateful for what we have.

Thanking my lucky starts for...

1. My family
2. My job
3. A car that runs
4. Spring is right around the corner :)
5. Hot chocolate
6. My iPhone
7. The ability to help a friend
8. The ability to accept that my hair WILL grow back
9. Cheese popcorn
10. New perfume (thanks, Megan)
11. Trouser socks
12. Silly face photo of me and Tori
13. Left over Chinese food
14. Blogs!!!
15. All the creative souls in the world willing to share their gifts

Day 8

The Vegas countdown begins! We leave Thursday and I can not wait!!! Just the thought of alone time with my husband is enough and then the chance to go somewhere that he has never been doubles the excitement. I am a bit worried about leaving the kids, but I know they will be fine.

Yesterday was a great day, 8 people in my Centergy class. A big step up from last Sunday's whopping zero! I really love the music and the chance to do something that is not only calming, but challenges my strength and flexibility. After class I headed over to my neighbors house and took pictures of them. Bud has struggled with cancer, but has been in good health lately, so I thought now was the time. I had told Martha that I wanted to take their portraits some time ago, but things kept getting in the way. Bud will be 80 in Feb. and I did not want to let another thing stand in the way of spending some time talking and photographing this very special couple. SO glad I took the time!

Grateful For:

1. Time with special people
2. My job
3. Gossip Girl
4. Go Diego Go!
5. Mickey Mouse pajamas
6. The new Jet- Puffed Mallow Bites (chocolate covered mini marshmallows)
7. My fun laptop
8. Photoshop CS3
9. Free Actions
10. Digital Scrapbooking
11. Nestle Hot Chocolate w/mini marshmallows

Day 7

Happy Turkey Day! Today is society's ultimate day of gratitude. Although, today is the official day of thanks, I would like my children to understand that everyday should be a day of thanks. It's the little things in everyday life that would should recognize and be thankful for. The other thing I have been focusing on lately is the fact that everything is a choice. We each make a conscious decision on how we choose to react to every situation. For instance, as I am typing, my 2.5 year old is whining and crying that he wants to watch Dora. Whining to me is almost as bad as fingernails on a chalk board. However, I am making the choice to not react to his whining. Is it taking everything in my being, YES, but I am waiting it out. OK, he is distracted now and back to Mickey Mouse.

Full of appreciation for:

1. My husband
2. Target brand disinfecting wipes
3. Dora and Diego
4. Orville popcorn
5.Chatterbox journaling fonts
6. Creative people
7. The Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/) Check out the love story!
8. A message of thanks (http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/)
9. Sale papers (even though I won't be buying anything)
10. Nestle Hot Chocolate with mini marshmallows
11. The legacy of Randy Pausch
12. Time on my hands!

Day 6

Feeling great today. Had to weigh in at Weight Watchers and lost another 2.8lbs. This brings my total to 11.2 in 12 weeks. Seems like food plays a very important part in the whole weight loss thing ;)

Wondering who has bar-b-que on Thanksgiving??? Guess what, my in-laws do. That being said, I have purchased a small turkey breast, potatoes and little frozen corn on the cobs. Even though I have no idea how to cook it, we will have turkey at some point this weekend!

Feeling Grateful For:

1. Weight Watchers (woohooo)
2. My mom coming to visit
3. Tamara (my hairstylist)
4. Boar's Head Bologna
5. Really good rolls
6. My crock pot
7. My willingness to try to cook something in my crock pot
8. My boss
9. The fact that I can work from home if I need to
10. SWAPS! I love the Inspired group in yahoo!
11. The ability to step outside my comfort zone
12. A birthday check I am depositing today (sorry Mom!)
13.The new laptop I got at work today
14. My almost trip to Vegas
15. All things digital scrapbooking
16. Photography seminars that broaden my horizons
17. Cameron (http://createbeautydaily.blogspot.com/)for creating beautiful jewelry that make's me want to learn to do that

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Day 5

So clearly it has taken me a while to feel like posting. Our family has been under the weather with a stomach virus that has hit all of the kids and now Clay has a touch of pneumonia on one of his lungs. Things in my neck of the woods have not been rosy and I have been struggling with posting. This is the whole point of writing a gratitude list. It should be a reminder to be grateful everyday, not just the days when things are all going well. I have fallen down on the job miserably. One thing I have learned lately is that I need to give myself a break. It's not always easy, but I think we should all give ourselves a break. We make mistakes, we screw up and it is ok. When we know better, we do better. I realize that things could be worse, so I thought I should take this opportunity to write my gratitude list.



Things I am grateful for:



1. Lunch with a good girlfriend (thanks Nat!)

2. My iPhone (downloaded a new ringtone, woohoo!)

3. My family

4. Chest X-rays (diagnosed Clay's early pneumonia)

5. My job (too many friends have been laid off)

6. All my craft supplies

7. LoveLife (http://lovelife.typepad.com/)

8. All things photography

9. Crystal Light Peach Tea

10. Tryon House (one great diner!)

11. The sanitize wash on my washing machine

12. Lysol (we have gone through 2 large cans this week)

13. Hand Sanitizer

14. Disinfecting wipes

15. My bed

16. Gossip Girl (my guilty pleasure)

17. Netflix

Day 4

Today is my almost birthday. I will be 38 years old tomorrow. I have lived longer than my father. It is unimaginable to think of leaving my family at this age. Suicide...it is something that a family never recovers from. I have not recovered from. Election day was the anniversary of my father' death. I was so filled with the excitement of election day that I didn't think of it. I think that's a good thing. The cloud of suicide is always there. Most days the sunshine of my life pushes the cloud away. Other days, it's cloudy and I feel it. To continue the analogy, I think of anger as the fog that was present in so much of my life. Fortunately, I was able to be productive, choose a mate and have children despite this fog. As time has passed and with some therapy, the sunshine has dissipated the fog. A deep sadness at my core is all that remains. I will never be the same because of what he did. My mother will never be the same and my children will miss out because of what he did. I hope he is at peace.

Ok, so on that light note, I would like to shift my focus to my gratitude list for the day.



I am grateful for:



1. A parent assistance website that shows me my kids progress at school

2. Not killing my daughter for getting an F on her report card in Algebra

3. Popcorn from Target

4. My dentist office (bright, cheery and with a TV in each room!)

5. My Kindle (too cool and will continue to show up on my lists)

6. Seeing my old boss (helps me keep things in perspective)

7. Birthday cards

8. Well wishes on Facebook

9. My new corduroy trench coat (thanks Mom!)

10. My new shoes (thanks again Mom!)

11. My husband

12. The bedding at the Hampton Inn (yeah for down comforters and pillows!)

13. My peeps at the gym

14. Kind words when needed most

15. Glide floss

16. My dental hygienist (ok, can you tell I went to the dentist this morning)

Day 3

Busy weekend at my house. Last football game for Clay, birthday party with mini petting zoo and a win for the Panthers. At the birthday party I practiced some of the things I learned in the class I took on Saturday. It was interesting to apply some of the things I learned in regards to reading the histogram on my camera. Boy, was this a feature I was underutilizing! I wound up with a couple hundred pictures and loaded them on the evite website that they used for the invitation. I actually had one of the mothers ask me if I was doing it professionally or as a hobby. Who knows, today as a hobby, tomorrow as a professional.

Today I am grateful for:

1. Qdobe mexican food
2. The inspiration quotes posted in my cubby
3. Great co-workers who make me laugh
4. mandarin oranges
5. The fact that my husbands retirement $$$ is not invested yet
6. Returning the expensive light meter that I don't really need
7. My friend Beth
8. The new FREE Jessica Sprague class "Stories in Hand" www. jessicasprague.com
9. Daily reminders to think creatively
10. Dr. Morton for using his craft to save my baby
11. Photo books
12. Audiobooks on my iPod

Day 2

Today is a great day. The weather is beautiful and Pea-Dad was able to play golf. I have been reflecting all day on the photo shoot I did with Rochelle, Tony and Tori last night. I took 120 shots. I was really surprised when I plugged in my memory card and there were that many images. My inexperience shows a bit, but I realize I will only get better with practice. I know the photographs that appeal to me and I think once I am comfortable in understanding light and composition, I will be able to relax in my creative space.

My Gratitude List

1. Freedom (in life, in creativity)
2. The President Elect
3. Lunches that can be expensed!
4. Used but New to Me photography gear
5. My mom in town for the weekend
6. My all day photography class tomorrow
7. My friend Beth
8. Pound cake from my co-workers wife (thanks Donna!)
9.Fun Dip sticks, not the powder!
10. My relationship with Tori (my bonus child)

Day 1 - Life as a Grateful Blogger!

Hello World! The wonderful ladies on the Yahoo Inspired Group, have truly INSPIRED me! I am now entering the world of blogging. I have been reading the posts from the group and the discussions on creating a blog from scratch and I decided to go full steam ahead. I believe in the Law of Attraction and I know that is why this blog is coming to pass. Sometime ago, I created a blog on Word Press called "Live and Be Grateful". I really believe in the "Gratitude Attitude" and wanted to start expressing it daily through my blog. It was over 6 months ago and I never did anything with it. Then I saw a post from Cameron (http://createbeautydaily.blogspot.com/) mentioning a group keeping a list on their blogs of the things they are grateful for. I took this as a sign. I switched to blogger (cause I saw a lot of cool people use it) and dove right in! So, without further ado, here is Day 1 of my Gratitude Attitude put to the test :)

Today I am Grateful for:

1. Change! (Check out the new Chief of Staff)
2. Kind people who share their knowledge
3. My iPhone, because it's just so darn cool!
4. My husband (best decision I ever made)
5. My relationship with Rochelle (my husband's ex-wife & Tori's mom)
6. The fact that she is going to give me the chance to do my first maternity shoot
7. My ability to apologize and accept when I am wrong
8. Cathy Zielske's BPS class
9. Any Jessica Sprague digital class online
10. My new Kindle (woohoo, thanks mom!)
11. My ability to heal from wounds of the past