#ThankfulThursday Relaxing Day Off

We went for a walk through a trail behind our home the other day. The weather was perfect — a cool breeze, bright blue skies, warm sunshine. I lounged in my hammock, soaking in some sunshine while the weather was still warm enough for such a simple pleasure. The kids rode their bikes and scooters, ran wild, and played games together. I put together some snacks with goodies from the pantry to calm our cases of sweet tooth. While I admit my day off wasn’t completely relaxing, I’m choosing to be grateful for the moments of peace and joy. I’m so thankful that I got to spend some time outside soaking in sunshine and fresh air on my day off.

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#ThankfulThursday Autumn Cool Down

After a hot, humid summer, I’m glad to welcome the first autumn cold snap. The leaves are turning yellow, orange, and red and beginning to float gracefully to the ground. I’ve brought back out my favorite fuzzy pajama pants and socks to stay toasty warm. I’m looking forward to wearing my scarves and sweaters again. It’s time for soups, stews, and chili. It’s time for baking sweets and hearty meals. It’s time for hot chocolate — with a few little marshmallows tossed in for good measure. It’s time to let some fresh air through the windows to clean out the staleness. It’s almost time for costumes and candy. Almost time for an annual cake selection because I always bake my own birthday cake. Time again to bake another little one’s birthday cake and host a party. I’m thankful for the changing of seasons that I actually didn’t expect to enjoy this year. Life may have worked out differently than I planned earlier this year, but I’m grateful for the little things that make each day bright and beautiful.

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#ThankfulThursday Inspiration

I’m very thankful for the inspiration provided by Alana’s August Moon prompts and Susannah Conway’s August Break (which I did in September). I hadn’t felt inspired all summer, and I feel ready to tackle a posting schedule once again. I’m ready to play around with Monday and Tuesday themes that actually work for me. I’m ready to sharing photos and recipes again. I’m ready to count my blessings again. I’m ready to start sharing inspiration for others, too. I’m inspired to work on prompts for Cultivate 2016.

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#ThankfulThursday Unseasonable Weather

Yesterday we had a gorgeous 70+ degree day. The windows were open allowing fresh air to flow through, the slight hint of rain lofting in the air. It felt so nice when I took a walk and while I cleaned the house. Even though it’s still winter, it gave the impression of a vacation somewhere warmer. That really helped perk up my mood.

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#ThankfulThursday Vacation Time

Here I am once again enjoyed paid time off thanks to the day job. I’m so grateful to have the opportunities to take time away from my bread winner so I can relax and focus on my health and well-being. This particular vacation is being spent at home, embarking on establishing new eating habits to bolster my health and foster more energy. I’m tired of feeling worn out, so I figure this will be an experiment to see if perhaps my indulgences (more than 20% of the time, mind you) detract from my overall well-being. I’m here to live, but I’m here to live with good quality in all aspects of life. The more days I spend loafing around in my pajamas, the more days I feel I’ve wasted. So, I’m grateful for the opportunity to challenge myself and make a change for the better.

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#ThankfulThursday On Love & Life

Saturday is the day we celebrate love — and I don’t care who wants to call it a Hallmark holiday or turn it into something that “should be everyday.” (Because big boxes of chocolate should NOT be an everyday thing for ANYONE, especially if we’re running out of chocolate!) I’m thankful to be celebrating with my family, even though we sort of did our own thing this past Saturday. I work this coming Saturday, so it made more sense to eat chocolate dipped heart-shaped shortbread cookies and chocolate covered strawberries on a day we were all off together. The two younger children prepared there valentine’s for their classmates. My oldest has graduated to the land of school dances and awkward transitions from child to adolescent.

I’m also grateful for the freedom and room to embark on a very important journey for my Lenten vow this coming Wednesday. I will be removing many potential offenders from my diet and giving my body only foods that feel nourishing. I don’t feel healthy or energized these days, and it’s time for me to honor my body. I’m finding that age makes it harder to bounce back, and I’ll need all the nurturing I can get. Feeding myself with love and care seems like an excellent way to replenish my tired body. I’m so grateful to have this body to carry me around, and I want to continue being grateful to have my body.

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#ThankfulThursday A Day Off

Across the United States, we were slammed with an arctic blast. Temperatures dropped into the single digits here in Northwest Georgia early this morning. Schools delayed opening by two hours to allow the sun time to rise and melt any potential mountain run off so kids would be safe getting to school. I’m grateful they gave the babies extra time to sleep and time for the sun to warm things up a little bit. I’m also incredibly grateful that I was scheduled for a day off today. I wanted no part of leaving home at all today. After working six days straight and fighting off all the cold and flu strains flying around, I wanted to stay home, soak my aching bones in a hot bath, and cook up a big batch of chicken noodle soup. I had to roast a couple of chickens to accomplish this task, but we now have leftover chicken meat for a couple of meals. I’m grateful for freshly roasted chicken, mixed veggies, and mashed potatoes in my near future. I’m also grateful for the healing qualities in a bone broth. Call it a myth or an old wives’ tale — chicken soup will cure what ails you.

So while I’m snuggled here on the futon with a sweater-wearing pup, I’m extremely grateful to be warm and cozy. Stay warm everyone!

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#ThankfulThursday Happy New Year!

Happy 2015! I’m so thrilled that we’re now on the other side. This year is filled with so much promise and so many opportunities. I’m looking forward to a very big move we’ll be making during the first half of the year. I’m also looking forward to hosting the third Cultivate prompt series. If you haven’t signed up to receive the daily prompts, be sure to sign up here. I’ve already decided to retry the Lenten vows I had planned last year (I didn’t follow through because I was already playing circus animal for the ringmasters). I’m very grateful overall that I’ve got a fresh new year ahead of me with a lot of promise. After the last two years, I’m definitely ready for a clean slate and new beginnings. Here’s to cultivating a life worth loving in 2015!

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#ThankfulThursday Christmas Gratitude

I’m so glad that today is Christmas and that I have my lovely little family of 5 all under one roof together. Today we celebrate one of our family’s favorite holidays. Traditionally, we wake up and open presents. Then we enjoy a delicious Christmas breakfast — french toast, waffles, pancakes, or something special and festive like that. We enjoy our day together while I prepare Christmas dinner. Growing up, we either had turkey or ham in my family, but I always had a soft spot in my heart for a beautiful roast beef. Blame it on The Grinch and the Who’s traditional roast beast feast. So that is what our little family unit does now. We sit down and eat dinner and dessert before snuggling down for the night. And of course, we listen to Christmas music all day long. We really do have a lot of fun. I’m so grateful for today and all the blessings it brings to me and my family. I’m thankful that we’re able to celebrate unhindered by outside forces.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, whether you celebrate the Christmas holiday or not.

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#ThankfulThursday #LiveTheList Challenge

 

You may recall I decided to participate in Nicki’s Live the List Challenge. Here’s the list, with our completed aspirations crossed off:

  • Have a picnic at Crawfish Springs
  • Take a day-trip to Atlanta
  • Go to AWA (Anime Weekend Atlanta)
  • Go bowling
  • Move into our own place
  • Fix the van (Mind you, part of it was forced)
  • Work towards getting Meredith a license to drive
  • Visit Florida
  • Explore Chattanooga
  • Get White Castle (NOT the freezer aisle stuff)
  • Go to the mall in Chattanooga
  • Hold a Cultivate 2012 conference
  • Pay down our debt
  • Transfer some or all credit card debt to a 0% introductory APR card
  • Make Electrate Editorials a viable business
  • Go to the moves as a family and/ or as a couple
  • Find a local place that sells orange blossom honey
  • Test out local pizzerias
  • Try Choo Choo BBQ
  • Go to One-Eleven
  • Make muffins with Tati
  • Teach Rob how to cook
  • Rob wants to learn how to hit two baseballs with one bat
  • Teach Tati how to jump rope
  • Take the kids to a baseball game
  • Potty train Brian Jr.

It doesn’t look like much, but it was a fun year — and we still have an entire month left in 2012 to accomplish more goals. Whatever we don’t get to this year will be added to next year’s list. We definitely want to keep trying to live up to Nicki’s challenge, and we were very grateful to cross off wishes on our list.

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