Gratitude Journal

Many months ago, I read an incredible books called One Thousand Gifts (by Ann Voskamp), about a woman who feels overcome with busyness, a tragic past, life in general, and depression. A friend encourages her to write a list of 1,000 gifts; the process of writing them down brings her out of her depression and refocuses her on God and all the amazing gifts of life we take for granted. I highly recommend the book.
She also has a blog here: www.onethousandgifts.com.
I've been meaning to make my own list for ages, but haven't done it yet.
Last week, my devotional book (Small Steps for Catholic Moms, which I also highly recommend, whether you are Catholic or not) had the assignment of starting a gratitude journal. I've been working on a little bit here and there for a week, and I am now going to be incredibly vulnerable by sharing it here.

That's right. Brace yourself.

1.   God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit

2.   Jesus’ death and resurrection

3.   The promise of eternal life

4.   Chad

5.   Ethan

6.   Benji

7.   Fiona

8.   Three successful vaginal deliveries (one at home in water)

9.   Never miscarried

10.                 Two living parents who are still married and still love each other

11.                 Chad’s parents, who are still living and married and let me call them “Mom” and “Dad”

12.                 Benji’s face when he tries not to enjoy me hugging and loving him, but you can tell he secretly likes it.

13.                 Dressing Fiona in adorable pink and purple and girly outfits

14.                 Fiona’s ponytails. When I do two ponytails, they stick up and look so cute. They make me so happy.

15.                 I’ve successfully nursed three children. What a special time in life.

16.                 When Ethan gives me a kiss in the morning before he goes to school

17.                 Hot coffee in the morning with milk and sweetener in it

18.                 Drinking said coffee in the quiet of the morning before kids are awake

19.                 Watching shows with Chad after the kids are in bed

20.                 Autumn leaves

21.                 The way I feel after I run 5 miles

22.                 Cool, crisp autumn weather, especially if there’s a light breeze

23.                 Warm, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies

24.                 Cooking healthy, creative, delicious meals for my family (Chad always appreciates them, the kids mostly don’t)

25.                 Fiona’s laugh when she’s being chased

26.                 That one engagement picture of Chad and me where we’re kissing and we look truly happy, and my hair looks perfect

27.                 Central air

28.                 Central heating

29.                 A roof over my head

30.                 A very comfortable mattress that has lasted 10+ years

31.                 Wedding pictures, especially the one of me in front of the stained glass window

32.                 Mary and her example

33.                 Windows (and window blinds in case I don’t want light)

34.                 Naps

35.                 Snuggling up with blankets and bedspread when it’s cold

36.                 Thick, warm socks

37.                 My vintage chest of drawers from my grandfather’s house

38.                 The hundreds of dollars worth of freebies and hand-me-downs we’ve received from others

39.                 A closet full of clothes

40.                 A chest of drawer full of more clothes

41.                 The fact that Chad’s mom and my mother have bought almost all the kids’ clothes, and I very rarely have to buy them clothing

42.                 Carpeted house

43.                 The ten minutes after my house is freshly cleaned before it gets dirty again

44.                 A hot, relaxing bath and hot showers

45.                 The fact that we have running water

46.                 The fact that we have two flushing, working toilets

47.                 A house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms

48.                 Our covered back porch

49.                 When Ethan and Benji play well together and encourage each other

50.                 When Fiona gets hurt and the boys are gentle with her

51.                 The way Fiona loves her stuffed puppy. She pets him, kisses his nose, and says “A puppy. A puppy. A puppy.”

52.                 Our parish

53.                 The fact that I can type over 60 wpm, I use this skill daily

54.                 Trying new recipes

55.                 Our couch

56.                 The fact that we have three book shelves filled with books

57.                 A healthy family: no disabilities, no severe illnesses or diseases, no special needs children

58.                 A healthy, “normal” reproductive system

59.                 The way I look in my favorite pair of New York & Co jeans

60.                 The temperate climate (at least comparatively)

61.                 My sister

62.                 My two brothers

63.                 Two sisters-in-law who are also my friends

64.                 Chad’s brother and sister and their spouses

65.                 Having nieces and nephews

I challenge you to start a gratitude journal of your own. It's good for us to reflect on our blessings and the things that make us happy. No joy should be overlooked. If you do start one, share some of it with me.

What I Love About Autumn

It's that time of year again! Autumn is my favorite season (I can't say it's my favorite time of year because Christmas is my favorite time of year, but Christmas is not a season, so this is all logical to me). I love, love, love autumn. When I go outside in the morning and the air is crisp and cool and there's a tiny bit of a nippy wind ... mmmm! I love it! It makes me feel blissful. It makes me want to start dancing in the chilly wind, but don't worry, I won't embarrass you by actually dancing.
Here are my favorite things about autumn, in reverse order; you gotta save the best for last.

10. Hot drinks. Hot chocolate, tea, and coffee simply taste better when it's a little chilly outside.


9. Wearing warm pajamas
 Isn't this picture hilarious? Can you imagine buying his 'n' hers matching footie pajamas?

8. Thanksgiving. A holiday dedicated to eating ... I mean, to being thankful for all we have: yes please!

7. Snuggling up under a blanket and bedspread when I go to bed

6. Pulling my cool-weather clothes from the closet: those cozy long-sleeved shirts, fabulous scarves, adorable jackets, and fashionable close-toed shoes.

5. Soups. I really enjoy eating hot soups and chilis when it's cold outside, especially with some nice crunchy bread. And there are just so many soup and chili recipes and variations, it'll never get old.

4. The smells: pumpkin-scented candles, and winter berry soaps, cinnamon, nutmeg ... mmmmmmm


3. The fact that Christmas is just around the corner.

2. The weather. (Now, admittedly, since I'm in Alabama, the weather really is nice. If I lived in Minnesota or Canada, I'd probably be miserable). I can't say how much I love that crispness, the coolness, the drop in humidity, that little bit of cold.

And the number 1 reason I love autumn is:
1. The leaves. Oh, I love the leaves. They are so beautiful. Literally, when I'm driving down certain roads and on the freeway, I say (repeatedly) "Oh my gosh, that's so beautiful." (The kids started tuning me out after the first eight times I said it). I love the red maple leaves. There are lots of maples around here, and they are, quite simply, gorgeous. There are several oak trees, and their leaves get yellow. I love to see them changing. The colors are so, so beautiful.

What are your favorite things about autumn? Share here!

Homemade Monday: Homemade Playdough

Originally, I had this fabulous idea of making something homemade once a week and blogging about it. Like so many of my other amazing ideas, this one has fallen by the wayside ... like, really far down the wayside. Not because it's hard to making something homemade; I do that all the time. But who has time to upload pictures, sit down at the computer, and make a post? I have other priorities.
Except for today! Today, I'm going to do it. And today's super-fun homemade project blog post is about homemade playdough.
Seriously, this playdough is WAY better than store bought playdough. This stuff is just right amount of squishiness.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

2 cups water

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup salt

4 Tbsp cream of tartar

food coloring

                                     
Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat until mixture forms soft ball. Remove from heat and dump the dough onto a countertop. Let it cool only a few minutes (not too long). Then knead the dough until it is smooth. Store in a ziplock bag. Ours usually lasts a few months.

Here is Benji kneading our orange dough.

Have fun!!