I voted!

I've been away from blogging for far too long but its November again so I want to jump into the month of gratitude again.

Today is Election Day 2012. I'm thankful to live in a democracy. I am thankful to have the opportunity to vote and voice my opinion. I am thankful for the freedom I enjoy each day. I am thankful for those past and present who have given so much to ensure that freedom. I am also thankful that today means there will be an end to the political ads on TV and the phone calls that have plagued our number for the last few weeks.

Both of our girls also voted today. Miss A voted at her elementary school where her class voted to reelect President Obama. Miss A knew in advance that they'd be voting today. She was excited to voice her opinion, although I'm not sure what her selection process was. Miss K voted at her preschool where the winner was Mitt Romney (or "Red" as Miss K told me). Miss K didn't know about this event ahead of time but proudly showed me her Weekly Reader when I picked her up. Sure enough, there with a red circle around his headshot was Mitt Romney. While I'm reasonably certain her selection process had something to do with the color a graphic designer (randomly?) put around his head there may be more to it, who knows. In any case she was VERY excited about her choice and probably would have done whatever she could to get others to choose her candidate as well. 

The conversation the rest of the afternoon after picking up each daughter was primarily about the election and the candidates. I was a bit surprised at how involved they each were. They are both tucked into their beds as I type. Mr. M and I are watching election coverage and we may or not make it late enough to hear who wins. The girls will definitely not be awake. So we assured them both that we'll turn on TV or look at the newspaper tomorrow morning to see who wins.

I may have to pull out the video camera because should "Red" lose Miss K will have one worthwhile reaction of pure disappointment/anger/frustration. It may even include an "Oh, Applesauce!", which is her latest phrase of choice when upset about something (picture it with a swing of the fist across her chest). I have no idea where it came from but its probably better than what I just about said today when we were nearly locked out of the house! But I digress....

This prayer was posted on Facebook by a friend today. It really sums up my thoughts this evening.

Father, I pray that no matter who is elected, your will be done.

   

With gratitude,

With gratitude - pinning, pinning and more pinning

I guess we'll just have to continue my exercise in gratitude for awhile. I thought of many things I am grateful for each day in November and have since. Unfortunately, there isn't enough time in a day lately to get it all blogged!

A dear friend called one day and asked me if I'd heard of Pinterest. I hadn't! She said I should really check it out. So I did. I checked it out. I requested an invitation. I received said invitation. I spent hours pouring through pins. I became hooked. I may now be addicted!

Pinterest is an online visual scrapbook of the Internet. You can create boards to organize ideas for the home, DIY crafts/projects, clothes, jewelry, etc. Pictures accompany the ideas which are linked back to the original source, such as a blog. It's like your 'favorites' list in pictures. It's awesome!

If you haven't checked out Pinterest.com you really, really should.

With gratitude - my black piano

Day 11

I've written before about my black piano. That dear piano got a good dusting last evening. It was desperately needed, trust me!

Anyway it has been getting a bit more play time lately. I've been taking time to sit and play more. The holiday season and its wonderful music inspire me a bit more this time of year. Miss A has also been heading to the bench more and more often to plunk/play away. She even asks me occasionally to come and play a duet...ahhhh.

I'm also playing piano for church school again this year. I did this for many years in high school and started again when Miss A began her church school years. It's been a joy to play each morning. First, its a good excuse for me to play on occasion. Second, I feel like I'm contributing something. Third, there are few sounds better than a group of kids ages 3-8 singing, "May God bless you, may God keep you, may God bless and keep you, another year through." They sing that pretty much every week as a second verse to "Happy Birthday to You!" when we recognize all the kiddos who have celebrated their birthday that week.

I'm thankful that I learned to play piano. It has served me very well and provided a means of giving back for which I am very grateful.

With gratitude,

With gratitude - all about the lashes

Day 10

Way behind in blogging but I have been thankful every day! Today its all about mascara. I have tried ALOT of them. Most crumble or flake by noon. Then I happened upon this creation while on vacation awhile ago. I'm sure I kept it longer than it was supposed to be kept, but its finished up and my new tube arrived recently. The simple fact that I reordered means its fantastic! Don't be shocked...its not inexpensive...but actually using it up meant no money wasted trying other formulas.

Thank you Trish McEvoy for creating this wonder in a tube. I'm a bit in love!

Just for fun,

With gratitude - here's to health

Day 9

I find myself lately, more than ever, being thankful for my health and the health of my family. Perhaps it is because I've been following several friends and/or acquaintances who are battling various forms of cancer. Or a recent visit with a friend who shared a bit of what she's been going through. We concluded that if you don't have your health what really do you have?!?!?!! We all take so much for granted each day. Many would be so grateful to have our minor aches and pains. We have little to truly complain about. So I've returned (begrudgingly at first) to an exercise regime. I'm also trying to turn myself into a morning person in an effort to avoid all the excuses I can come up with to NOT get my workout in. This is not an easy task for someone who would much rather stay up til 2 a.m. working on a project or catching up on all things DVR'd!

So today I'm thankful for my health and that of those around me. I'm thankful for friends and/or acquaintances who are responding well to treatments and beginning to heal. Finally, I'm thankful for CaringBridge.org. Thank you for creating a place for families to share their journeys, receive support and prayers and remind us all of how precious life is! 

With gratitude,

With gratitude - ahhh for oolong

Day 8

I should probably be thankful for Diet Coke today but I'm on a mission to kick my habit. Water, water and more water needs to be on the menu. Plus I've been reading about all the health benefits of tea lately. So I have a container of tea in the kitchen which I hope to work my way through. It's a bit of an acquired taste to me so it may take some time (and sugar or honey) but I'll get there.

While at our local Caribou Coffee a couple of weeks ago I decided to try a Pomegranate Vanilla Oolong Latte. It sounds complicated but really its just DELICIOUS!!! My home version is pretty close and involves only steeping the 'sachets' in hot milk and adding a dash of vanilla extract.

Tea + skim milk = a healthier drink alternative for me

 
Never mind its getting cold in North Dakota so something warm is a little better tasting these days than the old stand-by Diet Coke. So today I'm thankful for a new drink that I love and is much healthier for me than DC. Sorry Coca-Cola!

With gratitude,

With gratitude - a friend's journey

Day 7

Pretend its Monday morning....

The girls are up and eating breakfast. I'm quickly checking my email...for really no good reason, just something I tend to glance at quickly. What I saw was a quick email from a special person who has been patiently waiting on news from Africa. The girls' first dance teacher has been/is Miss Jenny. She has done a fantastic job and is a wonderful teacher. She also happens to be a mom of two lovely ladies herself. Their family of 4 has been patiently awaiting word from Africa letting them know its time to come and get a sweet boy who will soon call their home his. Jenny has blogged about their journey here. As my girls say, "oh, he's so cute!" He is and I can only imagine the homecoming he will receive shortly.

So today (and on Monday..remember we're pretending here!) I'm thankful for all the hoops that were jumped through and all the paperwork completed so these friends can bring another family member home.

With gratitude,