Gratitude Journal

A great big tiara tip to Betty, who passed on this lovely award. This is what she has to say about it…”I want to pass it on to all the people on my blogroll. I visit all these blogs on most days, and they all make my day. I am always uplifted when I read a new post by each of these people. When I click on one’s blog who hasn’t posted for the day, I feel disappointed and will keep checking back until I see a new post. I can’t pass this award on to just one or two people as you all deserve it.” Thank you,Thank you Thank you!

Another big Tiara tip to Phyl who passed this lovely award. This is what she had to say… “And the very first-time-ever-winner of this award is…drumroll…puullleeezzz…Miss Greatful Livin, herself! This award is for illuminating my path so wonderfully these last few days, leading me from the brink of despair to smack-dab-in-the-middle-of gratefulness. There are not enough ways to say ‘thank you.'’ Well, Thank you right back! I am honored!

I am supposed to pass this along to someone who has Illuminated my path…hmmmmmmmm…let me see.. First, I would pass it along to Christ, the light of the world, but I can’t find His blog…so I will print it and tape it inside my Bible. Secondly I would have to pass this along to Joyce…who is so encouraging and faithful with her Gratitude. Last but certainly not least I will pass this to Hootin’ Anni who inspires me with her creativity…Enjoy Ladies! And don’t forget to pass it along!

These wonderful awards are from Rhonda who says “I hope those of you who receive these from me (below) get just as touched — *big, sloppy, wet one*” Well Thank you so much as I wipe my wet cheek. A big Tiara tip to you and your thoughtfulness! Oh how I do love the Bling!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Time has a way of just skating by doesn’t it. Well the Grateful Gals blogroll is growing. We have three new members this week. I’m Running To Win Two , Pooch and Scrappy and Happy in Ohio Welcome Ladies! If you get a chance go by their sites and check them out. I have told them what nice people you all are! I am so Thankful to see this endevor growing. We can all learn how to be more grateful together. Lord knows some days I need all the help I can get.

Is anyone else just a little sick and tired of the bantering among the democratic candidates? Grow up people! I for one am not interested in listening to all the attacks. We all just had a holiday honoring a man who gave his life for the cause of equal rights and here it is 2008 and it seems to me the candidates can’t get past the “black” or the “woman” thing. Hillary seems like she has to prove she is just as black as Obama, while Obama seems to disregard Hillary and assume he is running against Bill Clinton. Again I want to say grow up!

Then we have the death of Heath Ledger. How sad is that. On nightline last night they said it appears accidental. Two prescriptions for anti anxiety medication were found, scattered. He had been sick with pneumonia. Just 28 years old and the father of one. That is just tragic for the child.

Well are you all depressed now….wishing you hadn’t stopped by? LOL. Gratitude is learning to cope with tragic things as well. Finding something to be Thankful for even in a grim situation. We all get online everyday and present our best selves to the blogosphere, writing nice things, leaving nice comments. But we all have crappy things we deal with everyday. I sometimes get sad and lonesome when Sweetie is gone, yet I have had to learn to deal with it and find things to be Thankful about. Our daughter has struggled with serious illness for almost a year now, and they are still running tests. It is hard watching her not feel well and go through the whole trial and error thing but I am thankful everytime they eliminate something. That is probably the hardest thing for me to find gratitude in. What is your hardest thing to find Gratitude in? We always use the..”Well,…. Thank God it isn’t a brain tumor” when we can’t think of anything else to be thankful for. What do you use as a catch phrase?

On a happier note, is anyone watching American Idol? It seems to me the judges are being a lot nicer this year. They are showing more of the contestants personal stories and a lot less of the truly awful. I enjoy watching, but at this stage it is not a must see show. When they get down to ten then I have to watch!

Oh how I love a game when I have some Idle time. This one is quite fun. I am Thankful for the idle time I have to play a few interesting games online. Take a minute and have some fun!

Well I did not post a thing yesterday, not a thing. I was Thankful for plenty yesterday, not the least of all being my warm house. I did have to carry my own wood to keep it warm but it is such good excersize that I almost didn’t mind. It started to warm up later in the evening, by the time I was ready for bed it was 28. I found myself kicking off the quilt on my bed..(some of you will understand) I let the wood stove go out so I could empty the ash. It is supposed to get really cold again later in the week and I thought it best to make room in the stove for all the wood we are going to have to burn. Note to self : Remember to tell Sweetie how Thankful you are for him!

I have been feverishly crocheting…Share a Square, you know…I am working on my third afghan. There are so many to do. I think they need about 140. It is a joy to be able to help, and be able to use up some scraps of yarn I have had for quite awhile.

I recieved a delightful call last night. The phone rang about 6 pm, I say Hello and I hear…Hi Grandma. It is Isaac my 5 yr old grandson. Now this is the very firsy time I have ever answered the phone to hear “Hi Grandma” on the other end. I was delighted! We talked and talked….he told me about his day and wanted to let me know it was “Mr. Luther King” day so he did not have school. He wondered if I knew it was a holiday. Too Cute! We gabbed a litte longer then he says “The reason I called you, well mom dialed you,but I wanted to tell you “Thank You” for my gamecube. I played it all day” I am laughing at this point because there is no way his mother let him play for more than an hour and secondly, we bought a used gamecube 2 years ago for him. LOL. We bought him a new game for it at Christmas time, Over the Hedge, he had been playing that game and told me all about it.

I am so Thankful to be a Grandma! To hear their voices perk up cause it’s Grandma. I think back to my Grandma and we lived so far away that we didn’t see her often but you knew you were special at her house. I hope my grandchildren know how special they are but even more than that I hope they feel special when they are here. We have our youngest grandaughter turning 1 year old on the 25th. Our little Olivia. We will be stopping in Tupelo Ms in Feb. to share her birthday joy! If I would have known grandchildren were so much fun….I would have had them first!

Now I am not one to complain (at least not too loudly) But today….I am ready to whine about the cold. We woke up to -5 degrees this morning. Wind chill is around -15, now buddy that’s COLD! We did not even go out for church this morning. Sweetie has decided to leave this afternoon for Ohio, instead of getting up at 4 am (when it is liable to be -10) I think it is a good idea. I hate the thought of him travelling so far when it is so cold. I really hate to see him go. (it might be a little bit about keeping the wood brought in, LOL) We have had a nice uneventful weekend. I spent yesterday afternoon baking, mostly to keep the oven on warming the kitchen. Sweetie likes to take a sweet bread or muffins along for his breakfast while he is gone. I have some good recipes that I add flax meal to and lots of fruit and nuts,…very healthy. It keeps him away from Old Macdonald…”The cholesterol King”, so I do it happily. I also baked some good old fashioned sugar cookies. I found a new recipe at Christmas time for these very thin crispy sugar cookies that are not to sweet. A single batch made 5 dozen and only 3/4 cup of sugar. They are almost calorie free! Well we are eating them like they are calorie free! I also made roasted garlic and we spread that on bread with our dinner last night.

So here it is a new day and I am wondering, with sweetie leaving, what to put in the oven today… I may have to resort to turning on the electric heat if I don’t come up with something. We usually heat entirely with wood but when it gets this cold the kitchen gets chilly. I don’t want to bake anything sweet cause you know I will eat it. I may try my hand at homemade crackers.

Now to my Gratitude for the day…I am always Thankful for so much. Over the past 8 months of keeping this Gratitude Journal it has really caused me to think of the positive things I have to be Thankful for. I am Thankful that even when it is sooooo cold outside I have a warm place to call my own…many do not. I amThankful that even though Sweetie has had to be gone away from home so much these last few months, that he is good at what he does.That he has built a wonderful business and has such a good reputation that IDOT, ODOT and INDOT consider him “first choice” for all their needs. We are very fortunate. Have a great Sunday!

BRRRR….Is it cold today! Our high is only expected to reach 15. Our temperature right now is 6. It is going below zero tonight and tomorrow. We are feeding the birds heavy so they will stay warm. The stray cats are huddled in the wood shed. The sun is shining brightly and is quite decieving, it looks a lot warmer than it is. I am Thankful to day for my warm house, and the new wood stove we put in last fall. The wood stove has a glass front so we are able to watch the fire, it makes me feel warmer to see those flames.

Sweetie got home last night, I am Thankful for that as well. He hauls the wood in so much better than me…LOL. We are busy planning a road trip, driving to Arizona at the end of the month. I am so excited. Sweetie’s folks have a winter home in Mesa and I am so looking forward to visiting with them in 60-70 degree weather. We are planning to explore Texas and New Mexico on our way. I can hardly wait. There is so much interesting history. I am checking out the “absolutely have to sees” online so we have some idea of how to route our trip. We are planning about three weeks of fun and excitement. From Indiana to Arizona and back again. Do any of you know a “Must See” for us?……..Have a Wonderful & Warm weekend!

Ok ladies,…get your hankies. I found this video courtesy of Hootin’ Anni. I thought it well worth sharing. Enjoy!

I hope you watched the video. I read a beautiful post at Anni’s last night and it was followed with this video. I was moved to tears and just had to stop and think about the cross. At first glimpse it is a symbol of pain and sacrafice..the modern torture and death device. I wince to think of the beatings that Christ suffered, the crown of thorns buried deep into His skull, set there to mock our God. The pain few if any could endure of nails driven through His wrists and feet. While the weight of the sins of this world bear down on His shoulders, He still had the prescence of mind to see to His Mother and to pray, yes to pray for those whose sin hung on His shoulders. I think to myself, I am guilty, I put Him there. He took my place.

Then I get a second glance at that same cross. It becomes a symbol of triumph and victory. A cause for celebration. Because He DID take my place. That cross symbolizes all that we as Christians believe in. God’s promise that we are free from our death sentance because Christ died for us. That God’s grace has saved us. We have passed from death unto life. As the song says…I”ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross…Here I am to worship, Here I am to bow down..

Thank You Lord.

Well as you all must know by now…American Idol started last night. I cannot tell you when I have had so much fun all by myself…well sort of by myself. I mentioned yesterday that the Ladies of the Cotillion would be live blogging the show at The Median Sib. I headed over there just before 8 pm eastern time. What an absolute HOOT! They did an amazing job, complete with mini clips, little pop up graphics, the hook coming out on the stage, the thumbs up and thumbs down, along with a whole host of others. The audio files they played kept me rolling on the floor, Gomer Pyle saying “Gollyeeee”, The gong from the “gong show”, the big Snore, and the “car wreck”. I am telling you they kept me in stitches! I plan to go back tonight…it was that much fun! I was laughing so hard my cat hid. I think she thought I had lost my mind. So if you plan to watch tonight head over and check out this Live Blogging Event. With Sweetie gone it sure made my evening. Thanks Ladies!

One of my oldest friends has finally started a blog! We have been friends for a very long time. She has always prided herself on being an excellent writer and has many college papers to prove it. I hope you will all check her out. Here is a sample…

My Grandma Martha was the wisest woman I have ever known. I spent much of my childhood in her home, which was the greatest blessing I have ever received with the only exception being receiving salvation. My grandma was the daughter of a full-blood Blackfoot Indian mother and a West Virginia coal miner father. Her childhood was one of poverty, at least monetary poverty. She often spoke of “overflowing love” and “lessons from the heart.” This category is dedicated to her memory. The lessons from the heart I learned from her have defined who I am today.

Grandma taught me a very valuable lesson about character when I was 11 years old. I was a cheerleader in the 7th grade. This was quite an accomplishment for me considering I had a stuttering problem until the 5th grade and was actually quite shy. “Junior High School” was my first opportunity to meet new classmates who did not know of my previous stuttering problem as several elementary schools joined together to form one Jr High. I tried out for and was chosen to be a basketball cheerleader. How excited I was. Now I was in the “popular crowd” for the first time in my life. My happiness was short-lived however because one of my classmates, Rita, who I had spent the previous 6 years with did not make the cheerleader cut. She was very upset to have been overlooked and what she believed was “her spot” was given to me. During our second basketball game just after our halftime presentation, Rita led a chant making fun of my previous stuttering problem. I was so embarrassed. I went home in tears and filled with anger towards…Finish reading this post at Crickets Hearth

Well, Sweetie is off to Chicago again. He has that job at Ohare to finish so he will be gone all week. I love having him home but I love it when work time rolls around again. I am a person who needs time alone with my thoughts. I love blog hopping and reading what everyone is talking about. I end up feeling a little guilty if I spend too much time at the laptop when Sweetie is home. American Idol starts tonight, and I will be watching. Sweetie doesn’t much care for this program so another good thing about Him being gone. The ladies of the cotillion will be live blogging the show if you care to join in at The Median Sib. I think I will tune in since I will be by myself. I doubt that I type fast enough to join in but it will be fun to read what they are sayin!

I have lots to do while Sweetie is gone. I am still crocheting for Share a Square. I am still cleaning out drawers and closets, just a little at a time. I am going through all the books!…UGH!…We have so many books! I have to keep them cleaned out or they tend to take over. We have lots of old classics, which I always keep. We also have the “deals” we can’t pass up. You know, the ones you find at the flea market for a dollar. After these are read I keep the good ones and get rid of the ones that aren’t so good, our problem is that we think they are all good! But we must get rid of the old to make room for the new.

Speaking of getting rid of the old and making room for the new…I was reading Joyce’s blog this morning and she was talking about growing up in church but not finding salvation through Christ until later at a different church with her cousin. It just makes me think about “religion” …notice that I didn’t say God or Faith….just “religion”. To me religion is about tradition not about God. Now I am not slamming church, there are lots of great churches out there, but I am slamming “religion”. I believe our relationship with God is and should be a personal thing. Not to be judged by others. I think you can have a relationship with God… whether or not you are a church goer doesn’t matter. I think the important thing is “what is your motivation?” Do you do the right thing because you are afraid God will somehow retaliate if you don’t? Do you show up at church because you are afraid of what others will say if you don’t? Do you take on too many projects at church because you are afraid you will somehow appear less spiritual if you don’t? God does not want us to be motivated by fear or guilt. God wants us to be motivated by our love and respect for Him. I have found that motivation is everything. If you are motivated by love it will last…if not, your effort will fall away. I am Thankful today that after many years of being motivated by the wrong things I can finally say what I do for God is out of love and respect for Him…not because my “church” requires it. Are you overwhelmed? Over extended? What motivates you?

One last thing…Betty needs our prayers. She is having some health issues and is wearing a heart moniter. Please remember to pray for her! Thanks!