The Silver Lining

• I am grateful for trials, struggles and hard times.  Once you actually make it through a tough situation, and are on the other side of things it's much easier to see your blessings and growth earned through the trial.
• I am grateful for my defective body that makes it impossible to deny that God is real, and is watching over me.  My disability is a blessing because I constantly find myself in situations that require me to ask for help and remind me that I am nothing without God.
• Lupus has been a blessing because it has forced me to exercise and live a healthier life.  I have also learned to more fully appreciate the good days, when I don't ache or have much pain, and I don't feel like sleeping all day.

Sunday Is The Best Day Of The Week

• Tonight I am grateful for home and visiting teachers.  It's just nice to know that certain people are thinking about you, and watching out for you.  It is also nice to do the same for others.
• the Atonement.  Wow.  Through repentance, tomorrow really can be a new day; no matter how big or small the mistakes of today, or how many times we make the same mistakes.
• The temple, and the eternal relationships and covenants we create there.
• The wisdom of children
• Modern day prophets 

Right Now

• I am grateful for education, and the great minds, past and present, that have given us knowledge and great inventions
• I am grateful for books, the internet, and the many other ways we can achieve life-long learning 
• I am grateful to be living in this time, and no earlier in the history of the world.
• I am grateful to be "well rested" today
• I am grateful for budgets 

Just Say No...

• I am thankful that I did not venture out into any of the Black Friday chaos today.
• and warm slippers

My Desire Is Bigger Than My Stomach" Or...The Thanksgiving Edition

I am so grateful that my life is filled with LOVE.  I have so many people that I love, and so many people that love me.  Love is a wonderful blessing.

These are just a few of my nieces and nephews (out of 25,) in random order

I love many people, (you know who you are) unfortunately all cannot be pictured here:)

Hot Blonde Prudes

I Went to check on Black Friday Deals At Amazon.com, and instead got sucked into a discussion about quality of life for Non-LDS people in Utah.  There were tons of comments, so I only read the first page of five, but this was by far my favorite of the bunch.

 P. Won says:

iv heard theres a lotta hot blondes with blue eyes there... prude though.

my friend from utah told me all about it.

My addition: Most of those "Hot blondes" color their hair, and are actually from California, but I know a few purists.

Smelly Gratitude

• Good smelling laundry detergent--At the moment, I am using a non scented detergent.  My clothes come out smelling like nothing, and I have the urge to wash them again.  I am comforted by the fact that the bottle is almost empty, and I can buy some of the good stuff soon.
• The scent of baking pies.  I don't get to eat them, but I do get to smell them, and that makes me happy.
• Clean kitchen
• Clean bathroom!  (It has been way too long since I cleaned my bathroom...)
• Energy--(Again, way too long since I've had much energy)
• I am grateful that the poo man, (don't you wish that were your job title?) came today.  He was two days behind schedule this week, and Olivia has been enjoying quite the feast.  No more late night snacks for her for a few days.  
• .94 cents.  I am .94 cents rich.

Thankful Thoughts

Two Days Of Gratitude Are Better Than One

I know soooooo many people were disappointed when I didn't post yesterday, but I was very sick this weekend.  I'm not good at being sick, I whine incessantly.  Luckily, I'm the only one around to hear my moaning, so I don't feel too bad.  Sometimes it's hard to be an adult, and when I'm sick I just want to be taken care of, and that is what I whine about, in case you wondered.

Yesterday, I was grateful for:

• my daily gratitude list that I write here, because it forced me to at least think of gratitude, on a day I normally would not
• A queen-sized bed, that allows me to just roll to the other side of the bed, when one side gets dirty (sorry, but it's true)
• patient dogs with amazing bladder control
• Hymns

Today I was grateful for:

• Bleach, I love the smell of bleach
• Clean clothes
• Good friends (by that I mean friends who are also good people)
• and health
• A toothbrush and Listerine (there is no substitute for Listerine)
• lots of pretty new bruises to look at because of an adventure I had in the middle of last night
• Chap Stick

P.S.  I am also extremely grateful that my life is not the basis for a movie on Lifetime, or a documentary entitled "Six Hundred And Fifty Pound Virgin: The Weight Is Over."   Why, why,why, would anyone allow such a thing?

Oh, The Blessings of Today....

• A nap
• The water damage in the bathroom has been fixed, the toilet secured, so that it no longer has the ability to move five inches to the right or left,  and the bench attatched to the wall.  Thanks, Mike!
• My aides, family and friends: everyone who helps to facilitate my independence
• A new shoe rack, that accommodates all of my shoes, and even encourages more shopping...just kidding 
• dinner at In N' Out, which means I also got out of the house today, wahoo!
• A warm and soft Alpaca poncho to keep me warm, and is much easier to wear than a traditional coat.
• Conditioner- at last!

Because Women are Wonderful, and Hold Everything Together!

• I'm grateful to be a woman, and thought I should record this feeling since it doesn't occur on a regular basis.
• I'm grateful for art and the beauty that surrounds me everywhere I look
• I'm grateful for a working washing and dryer
• I'm grateful that I'm not responsible to pay for a new washer in the rental apartment that I manage
• I'm grateful to know that money isn't everything, even though it does affect every area in our lives.  Love, friendship, family, eternal knowledge and dreams are priceless.
• And, I am grateful for two new followers to read my ranting!

Late Night Musings After A Yucky Day

Today I am grateful for:

• Simplicity
• coloring books
• A big heart
• Chocolate Oranges (the best treat of the season)
• The return of rational thinking
• Good examples
• Having my sister in town for Thanksgiving

Awkwardness!

• Do you like American Music?  I like American Music, especially today.  I think I have listened to that song about twenty five times today.  The right song at the right time is a powerful force for good in my life.
• I’m also grateful for well meaning people who are trying to be nice, but the sentiment comes out all awkward and horrible.    Some days, these comments can really get to me, while on other occasions they just make me laugh.  I’m grateful that my reaction was laughter today.
• I’m grateful for a good roommate, and that our home is a peaceful place, at least for me.

...So I Decided To Challenge Destiny, And Unload The Dishwasher Anyway...Part 1

       Today was a really awesome day, but I'll have to tell you about it some other time.  I have so many thoughts that I would like to explain tonight, but I  feel limited by my powers of expression, the words aren't available to me quite yet.  But here is a little truth to consider in the meantime.

"Everything is going to get lighter, Even if it never gets better."

-The Mates of State

      In other words, life is hard.  Some trials are short-lived and others hang around for a lifetime.  But if we keep trying, some burdens do lighten over time.  We gain strength through experience. There is always hope.

Cheese Makes Everything Better

• A tasty dinner
• Warm boots- boots are fantastic.
• Children's laughter
• Having the scriptures on my ipod so that I don't have to read when I have a migraine
• Two dogs to love me
• going to bed early
• Seditives

Gratitude: The Medical Edition

• Sleep-I actually got a little last night with the help of some extra medicine
• Afrin  one of the best over the counter medicines ever created
• A hard head-literally-which seems to be immune to concussions after a lifetime of falls
• The opportunity to teach the 3-4 year olds at church tomorrow.  I get to be surrounded by Sunbeams, and have an excuse to color.  I am looking forward to it!
• A warm dress to wear to church in the morning.
• unexpected and kind text messages and emails that let me know people are thinking of me.  Thank you:)

Gratefully Grouchy

Today I felt grateful for:

• 40 years of Sesame Street which has given us the muppets, songs like "Rubber Ducky" and "C is for Cookie", and celebrities singing different arrangements of the "ABCS"
• Oscar The Grouch, who was created to teach kids that they don't have to be happy all of the time. As long as you stay in your garbage can,  you are aloud to be grouchy from time to time.  
• This picture  
  see more Epic Fails
• Podcasts
• The weekend
• The view from my office window
• Any product made by Febreze
• Prayer

November 12th

It is only November 12th, but this month already feels quite stale to me.  Life has been tough lately, not just for me, but also for many people that I care about.  Something is in the air ( besides swine flu,) I guess.
       Tonight I find myself in a negative frame of mind, and frankly, that needs to change.  I believe in the power  of thought, both positive and negative, and I can't afford to waste energy on the negative right now.  Even though many people make gratitude lists in November, I tend to write these little reminders to myself whenever I am struggling.
         I am a writer; that is how I process life best.  I hear my own voice more clearly through writing.  Thoughts that bounce off the corners of my mind are stable, and tangible when written. Although I have been trying to think positively all day, here is my list of things that I am grateful for today, because I know that if I write them down, my blessings will become my reality.

• My family
• My friends
• chocolate chips, and cough drops (nice combo, don't you think?)
• My bed, I love my bed
• The ability to exercise
• Satin pajamas-I wish I could wear them 24/7
• My Home
• Music
• The knowledge that I have everything that I need, if not everything I want
• lots of cell phone minutes
• Stories of all types, whether they be spoken, sung, written down, or visualized.

Writing this list has, indeed, helped me helped me tonight.  As a result, there will be more to come the rest of the month.

Meet My Mascots

Since I am single, and live with a roommate, my bedroom is "my space," my "sanctuary" from the rest of the world.  As such, it is very important to create, a happy, peaceful, and positive environment in my bedroom.  My two mascots sit atop my bed frame and help me to feel peaceful and positive.

My Lion is a fairly new addition, but he serves to remind me that I am loved.  After he got tossed in the washer, and his once lovely mane became irreversibly matted, I learned not to judge a lion by his mane. He is still the perfect guy to hold when I'm having trouble sleeping.  He also reminds me that absolutely everyone has bad hair days.  

Kermit The Frog, (Kermie, to those that love him) has been with me for five years.  He has the distinction of being the only thing I have ever purchased off of E Bay. I can't really say when my obsession with him began, but my love for him runs deep.  He always is there, with his perma-grin,  constantly smiling my way.   Kermie reminds me to

keep smiling, and stay positive, even though it's not    always easy being green.

       I have never been the type of girl to collect dolls or stuffed animals, but I love my mascots, and consider them to be a big part of my having a positive attitude.

The Learning Channel Is Scary

      I am one of those people who always has the TV on in the background.  Background noise is comforting to me. I often have the TV going while I am cleaning in another room, reading, or even while listening to music at the same time.
       I was actually watching TV on Halloween night, when I stumbled onto the TLC series, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."  In the spirit of Halloween, all of the cable networks were airing frightening or spooky shows, and "IDKIWP" was the scariest thing TLC could muster.  Not that I'm complaining, it certainly does a good job of scaring me each time I see an episode.  However, the TLC show that frightens me the most is "Jon And Kate Plus Eight," but that is a topic for another post.
        As I was watching the show, there were a couple of statements made by the anouncer that had me laughing so hard I had to write them down for future reference.  I'm sure I will find a way to work these soon-to-be-classic quotes into my creative writing assignments.  But in the meantime, I just had to share the joy here.  Imagine if you will, the announcer delivering these two jewels, in his most dramatic, cliff-hanger voice, before  each  respective commercial break.

"What came out of Glynis' pant leg will startle and amaze everyone in the room."  Yes, Glynis was amazed when the nurse told her that there was a baby in her pants...

AND

"This fall night will take a bizarre twist when she finds herself attached to the toilet."  How was she attached to the toilet?  By the umbilical cord, of course!

After all that drama what more can I say?  The last time I checked there wasn't a baby hiding in my pants, but you never know what may happen on a crazy fall night.
You know that was just a bad joke, right?