Day 6 - Gatitude Project

Eva is still sick but doing better this morning - she held her high fever through the night so I slept with one eye open. That kind of worry is no fun. My imagination gets more of a voice than I'd like... I started worrying that if I drifted off to sleep, she would take a turn for the worst. There were lots of tears and I gave out a zillion hugs while pushing fluids but we made it without incident. I am dog tired this morning but she seems to feel a little better. Tim's taking her to the pediatrician this morning so I have the morning "off." I have so much work to catch up on that I do not see a nap fitting into my schedule. It's OK - I am at the point where I would rather not feel so behind then feel tired. This gratitude list will be geared to getting into the groove.

1. The holidays are coming (and a month off of school to get my batteries recharged!)
2. That the holidays do not stress me out because we keep it simple
   
3. That I have a studio in my house to do my work and school
4. Tim - I know I have written things about him in previous lists but I want to acknowledge that he's my lobster.
5. caffeine and sugar - that I am not a slave to either, but I do love them both.
6. Noggin - I love that if my kids are gonna watch TV, there is an educational, commercial-free option!
7. My wonderful stash of art supplies - it took a long, long time to collect, but I almost never have to go to the Michaels's to get items for a project.
8. our back yard - we have wonderful trees, a lawn, two raised garden beds and enough space for our kids to kick the ball and ride their bikes (in circles).
9. tivo
10. to do lists
11. humanity at its best
12. children and all their magic
13. comfortable shoes
14. books
15. silliness
16. goodness
17. I am not in charge
18. that I did not get the bug (so far) that is making Eva sick
19. electricity - it sure is handy
20. teachers

We have 2 new additions to the gratitude project from the SFEtsy team: Linda at Rue Paris -rue-paris.blogspot.com and My Dear darling!
Check out these other gratitude lists too and then- post your own!!

• Cameron Yates - Create Beauty Daily
• Heather Main - Runs with trimmer
• Lori Hudson - Duct Tape and WD40
• Zanne Koller -Zannedu
  
• Sooz! - Creative Chaos
  
• Aimee Porco - Dream Big
• Katie Hugh - oliverifairy
• Maryella - createsmileslaughter
  
• Rebecca-
• Laura Krohn - on facebook
  
• Jim Dandy - Running with Feathers
• MorningDove - Morning Dew
  
• Katherine McKarney - Looking for Inspiration
• Paula - plays with mud
• Linda at Rue Paris -rue-paris.blogspot.com
• My Dear darling
  

Gratitude List - Day 1

Boy do I need this...Before I begin my list I'll share that I have been having a hell of a time with my TN pain. My whole life has been affected and I have had to make huge adjustments in my expectations. I try really hard to stay positive on my blog and on facebook but I don't feel very authentic. If I said what was really going on, all I'd do is complain so I have been doing a lot of isolating to avoid wearing people out. I reserve all my fun, good humor and positive energy to lavish on the kids and Tim so that their lives are not impacted more than necessary. The result is that when I can't do it any longer, I disappear into my room and try to manage the intense pain with relaxation techniques, surfing the web, TV, and anything else I can do to distract me or ease the discomfort. Yes that includes eating large quantities of my kid's Halloween candy. What can I say...it helps for a few minutes.

I have had my share of dark moments but God is good and has graced me with more blessings than pain so no matter what escape plan I imagine in those stretches of 9 and 10 suffering, I have a smile for the joys in my life. Here are just a few in no particular order...

1. my children's genuine happiness with their lives
2. St. Timothy's school
3. my friends, family and community - you know who you are
   
4. my husband's wonderful sense of humor
5. my mom
6. Bill and Bob and everything that follows
7. I get to go to art school
8. our home
9. willingness each and every morning
10. health insurance
11. Peggy Z
12. to be an American
13. for my sight, hearing and ability to walk
14. our amazing planet and those that fight to save her
15. my in laws who are so far away but so near in our hearts
16. forgiveness
17. our military, police and firefighters who protect us from harms way
    
18. my computer...I'd be out of work and cut off from much of the world without it
19. clean water - we don't realize how lucky we are
20. that I live in Northern California - for the weather, the open mindedness, tolerance, diversity and opportunity

so that is my first list of 20...6 more days to follow. I already feel lighter. So happy to be doing this! Off to see what Aimee, Cameron, Lori and any others have written to feed off of their positive thinking too!

The attitude of gratitude...

It is November people and that means it is time to get our gratitude on. In just 2 weeks we are going to be enjoying turkey, loved ones and loads of Christmas commercials in observance of gratitude and all of the blessings we enjoy as Americans. Last year I did a week of gratitude lists on my blog and the practice took off like wildfire. Lets see if we can generate even more buzz this year my fellow bloggers by starting the second annual "Attitude of Gratitude." Here is an the introduction from last years kick off:

When I am feeling frustrated, short changed, insufficient or victomized, I have a wise friend who reminds me that you can't feel self pity and gratitude at the same time. She has suggested on many, many occasions that the best way to combat feelings of resentment, jealousy, disappointment, inadequacy and sadness is to make a gratitude list. Her Rx for a "spell" of bad feelings (lasting more than a few days) is to make a gratitude list of 20 things everyday for a week. You are not to duplicate things you are grateful for, and in my practice, I try not to make a list of specific people because it prevents me from digging deep. My WASSIMA gals and I decided we were going to do a week together. Some of us were feeling low, others just liked the idea of it and I think it is a great way to go into November, which holds Thanksgiving and to officially kick off the Holiday Season.

So starting tomorrow my week (and attitude) of Gratitude will begin. Start yours with me if you can and lets feed off of one another so that in a weeks time our gratitude has grown exponentially. If you decide to participate be sure to leave a comment here with a link to your blog so everyone can find you...and lets be sure to comment on one another's blogs and recruit others to do the same to keep up the momentum. Perhaps you'll want to copy and paste some of this message so your friends and family can join the fun! See you tomorrow!

Gratitude - Day 5

These daily gratitude lists have been so good for my outlook on life that I thought of a fun challenge! I’ve designed it to be really low maintenance because most of us have a lot going on already… I hope you will join me in this celebration of the good things in life.

Gratitude Challenge:

• Buy or make a 4 x 6 mini album (or whatever size you want) with 22 pages (11 pages because we’ll need front and back covers plus 10 inside pages using both front and back) The album can be made of chipboard, card stock, or you can purchase an album made from acrylic, envelopes, vinyl or just plain paper.

• Each day for the next 20 days take a picture of something you are grateful for. It can be a person, place or thing. It can be a metaphor for something or a photo that captures a feeling. This book is for you so you are the only one who has to understand what the picture means. If you miss a day or five or 20 – don’t sweat it, you can make up by taking multiple pictures in one day or pulling from pictures you already have. The point of a picture a day is to keep you thinking about the things you are grateful for each day for the next 20 days, not to make you feel stressed or guilty.

• Take a minute to jot down the significance/ meaning of each photo. What is in this picture that expresses what you are grateful for? It can be a word, a phrase or a journal entry – it is totally up to you. Be sure to number it so that you have numbers 1 – 20 for the book and an entry beside it. We’ll incorporate this list at the end.

• Next comes formatting your pictures. You can totally leave them exactly as they are or you can format them to punctuate the thing that you are grateful for. I am going to use Ali Edwards as my influence because I just love how she crops and scales pictures so that they are down right poetic (click here for example). If you have Photoshop or something equivalent, you can use the program to write the number and word(s) stating what you are grateful for right on the photo.

• Print your photos – you can do one each day on your own printer or have all 20 developed when you are finished. It is up to you.

• Adhere your photos to the album. I am going to adhere each photo around 3 sides so that it becomes a pocket. Some pockets will open at the top and some will open at the side. Later, I am going to place tags tied with ribbon, twine, and other embellishments in each pocket (more on that in a minute).

• Adhere or write your numbered gratitude list (1 for each photo) on each page. You can do this directly on your photo or if your album is larger, on the page. I will be printing out my list then cutting each line item and gluing it on the photo. I will then write how this photo represents the thing I am grateful for or the specific memory of that photo on a tag and tuck it in the pocket behind the photo. Get creative or keep it simple. The point is that you have a photo and a coordinating label that expresses what you are grateful for.
• Lastly, decorate your cover. You can adhere chipboard letters or stickers that say “I’m grateful for…” or “my gratitude list 2008…” or you can use embellishments to decorate it. It is totally up to you.

I will post pictures as I progress with the project

Day 5 gratitude list..

1. the warmth of morning sunshine on my back
2. redwood trees
3. the sound of crickets on a hot summer night
4. uninhibited dancing with my kids
5. my right to vote (today!) and being a part of something so much bigger than my little world
6. those moments of clarity when everything is just as it should be ( i just had one )
7. St. Timothy's school and everyone there who is helping us raise our children
8. the sound of the ocean
9. swimming holes
10. to have food in my cupboards
11. that we have medical insurance
12. babies
13. helpful people
14. opportunities to be in service to others
15. that force inside me that keeps me from saying things I don't really mean when I get mad
16. all of the utilities that come straight into our home and the trash service that never misses a week
17. human contact
18. the SPCA
19. my washing machine
20. hair conditioner