Three more Thankful pages

Three more pages of Thankful.  Isn't my grandson adorable?  I can't believe how well he posed - he's only two!

Thanksgiving Eve

This month has just flown by (as usual)!  My husband and I will be celebrating Thanksgiving tonight as he works 12 hour shifts the next two days.  Our grown children live on the opposite side of the country from us so it's just the two of us.  Dinner will be a pared down version from what it has been in the past but hopefully just as yummy!  

I've been on vacation this week. I'm enjoying not getting up at my usual time and really enjoyed not driving to work this morning after the foot of snow that fell yesterday and last night!  

I've not been out of the house except to take Lily (our dog) out so I've not gotten the rest of my photos to work on more 30 Days of Thankful pages. Tomorrow I'll probably venture out again.

In the meantime I wanted to share that in the November edition of "Family Fun" magazine there is an article about teaching your kids about gratitude that I thought those of you with children may be interested in.  I really liked several of the ideas listed in the article but I think my favorite is taking strips of red and green construction paper to make a gratitude chain.  Each day the child writes down something they are grateful for on a green strip of paper and a good deed they performed on a red strip of paper.  Staple the ends of the strip to create a circle and with the next strip place it through the circle and staple to create a chain.  At the end of November you have a holiday chain to decorate your house or tree.  

I'm getting ready to do Journal Your Christmas with Shimelle this year.  I did a December Daily style album last year (for the 2nd year) and followed along with Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas (JYC).  I'm really looking to do more journaling this year and pull in some Christmas memories as well so I'll be following JYC much more closely this year.  

Guess I better go get dinner started....Have a wonderful and thankful Thanksgiving!  

 

Today I'm thankful for 10 days off of work!

Two more days done as I continue to put my photos and journaling together.  I started a stretch of vacation and holiday days over Thanksgiving week and am looking forward to some time in my craft room.  I have a long list of projects I'd like to work on.  My husband has a few days off at the start of the week but will be working 12 hour days on Thanksgiving and Black Friday so I'm hoping for 2 full days of creativity!  I'd like to take some time to go back and add some embellishments to the pages I've created.  If it doesn't happen it's not a problem.  I'm just happy that the project has been doable and I'll have a finished album at the end of the month!  I have lots of half-done projects that are my list to finish.  How about you?  Do you have projects that need finishing?

30 Days of Thankful continues

I had hoped to be able to post every day in November for 30 Days of Thankful however it was not to be.  I had a conference over the weekend for work and everything piled up after that.  I've been taking photos.  I just need time to get them printed and onto my pages. I hope to get caught up this weekend.  I think in the future I just have to plan for interruptions like this.  It seems like no matter how well I try to anticipate what will come up there is always a suprise or a change!  Does that sound familiar to anyone?

I really liked this affirmation from wife.org/MoneyClubs 

and thought you might too:

Read it several times a day to promote harmony in your life. (Alter it to meet your specific needs.) "I Am Thankful for Everything I Have." I remind myself of everything I already have in my life. I am content with myself, my achievements, my relationships, and my possessions." I allow myself to take a moment to feel grateful for everything truly good in my life.

30 Days of Thankful - Day 9 through 13

 It's catch-up day!  Day 9 through 13.
And a look at my album that arrived a few days earlier than predicted.

The album is a WeRMemory Keepers 8 x 8 - 3 ring binder in Cinnamon.
Today I am thankful for being caught up.  How is your thankful/gratitude project going?

DIY Gratitude Ornament

To continue your journey of thankfulness and gratitude throught the Christmas season watch the YouTube video DIY Gratitude Ornaments.  Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/v/oXRErciT65o?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=7HH_06oGCBKQuuAVKOezXQ&autohide=1&showinfo=1&feature=share&autoplay=1

I think this would a great Thanksgiving Day activity with the whole family and/or friends.  Just add to your Christmas tree or wreath when done!

It's beginning to look a lot like......

Just like the Christmas music and snowfall I still get excited when I first see our town's Christmas lights lit up at night.  I'm so thankful that the memories of the past remain with me and are kindled each time I see the lights, the snow or hear a favorite Christmas song.  

I found these great "Bee Thankful" free printables at The 36th Avenue.

Here is the link to get them:
http://www.the36thavenue.com/2013/11/free-thanksgiving-printables.html
I'm thinking of using these to give along with some banana bread or cookies to let friends know I'm thankful for them this Thanksgiving.

What are you thankful for today?  Please share in the comments section below.

Today I am thankful for my online friends....

I want to thank my "online" friend Melissa for her wonderful post yesterday.  Melissa and I have not met in in-person yet but through her blog and classes that we have shared at Big Picture classes I feel like I know her.  Here is the link to Melissa's blog  "Daily Life - Bits & Pieces" so you can follow her:

http://melissagross.blogspot.com/

Only a few of my local in-person friends share my passion for all things paper and crafty so 5 years ago or so I was looking online for classes to spread my creative wings and found Big Picture Classes (BPC).  And I'm so glad I did!  Melissa was one of the first people that I met at BPC.  She was (and is) a coach for Stacy Julian's class Finding Photo Freedom. Along with Melissa, who is from Texas, I now count women from all over the world as my "friend".  And you know what?  We aren't all that different no matter where we live.

Here are a few more of my pages that I have completed.  I usually get my journaling done each day but the photo, either taking it or getting it developed takes a few days.  I'm never entirely "caught up" to the day but I'm not feeling anxious about it either.  I'm just thankful for forward motion each day.

We had our second snowfall of the year.  Not much either time and it didn't last past that day.  It amazes me that I still get a thrill when I see the snow start this time of the year and grateful that I still have that feeling.  

What are you thankful for today?

Trash Cans and Gratitude

Trash Cans and Gratitude 

Hi Everyone! Melissa Gross here. It is such an honor and a pleasure to be able to share with you today during Lynn’s focus on gratitude and thankfulness as we head into the holiday season.

If you had asked me what I was grateful for as the 2005-06 school year began, I’m positive trash cans would not have been on the list. However, trash cans played a large part in my life that year, and looking back now I can honestly say that I’m grateful for those trash cans.

I was beginning my second year as a technology and careers teacher at a middle school in East Texas. That same year I was also taking night courses to complete my master’s degree, which meant most days I had to leave the middle school campus when the final bell rang in time to make it to my night class. It was going to be a busy year, so I didn’t think much about it when I first learned that I was awarded lunch duty on “A” days. Basically I had to monitor the lunch room every other day for 30 minutes that year.

The assistant principal met me at the door my first day of lunch duty to explain my assignment. It seemed pretty simple at first; I could stand at the front of the lunchroom or walk around and simply watch to be sure the students were following the lunchroom rules. About 10 minutes before lunch ended, the assistant principal came over to me pushing one of those large 55 gallon plastic trash cans on wheels.

“We don’t want everyone trying to throw their trash away as they leave the lunchroom when the bell rings.” He said, “It causes a huge traffic jam, so, we just push these up and down the aisles and let students throw their trash away during these last few minutes.”

My first thoughts went something like this - Seriously!?! He wants me to push a trash can! I am a certified teacher; I have a degree in business management; I am only a few courses away from having an MBA; I am in my nice slacks, cute blouse and heels; I am not a garbage man; I am not getting paid enough to do trash duty every other day for nine months!

Of course, I did not verbalize these thoughts. I simply pushed the trash can up and down between the long rows of tables while students threw in their trash. I’m ashamed to say that I maintained this attitude for quite a while; especially on those days when a student threw in a half full milk carton that splashed up and out of the trash can onto my cute blouse or brushed their messy ice cream wrapper against my arm as they tried to get it in the can! However, I realized along the way that God was working in my life through this experience and my attitude changed to one of gratitude.

As I look back on that year, I can now say that …

·        I am grateful that I was able to get to know the students on a more informal level during lunch time.

·        I am grateful for the conversations I overheard as I pushed that trash can up and down the rows of tables, making me more aware of my students’ achievements and struggles.

·        I am grateful I had an excuse not to spend lunch in the teacher’s lounge where complaining and gossip were the norm.

·        I am grateful for the youth pastor who came each week and ate lunch with the students. What a wonderful example of a shepherd tending his flock.

·        I am grateful that I did not have after-school duty, which would have made me late for my night classes at the university.

·        I am grateful that I witnessed students inviting new students (evacuees relocated after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans) to sit with them at lunch.

·        I am grateful for the stories I heard of how my students and their families and churches pulled together after our town was filled to overflowing when Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast.

·        I am grateful for the 8^th grader who offered to push the trash can for me the day he knew I wasn’t feeling well.

·        I am grateful that God loved me enough to teach me humility and gratitude in the midst of my work day.

·        I am grateful that I was awarded lunch duty and honored with the task of pushing the trash can!

Thanks Lynn for letting me share my lesson about gratitude today!

Variation on the Thankful tree

Big Picture Classes if offering a new self-paced class with Amy Powers.  There is a link to more information at the end of the description below.  I thought there may be some interest in learning how to create the Celebration Tree as a Thankful Tree so I wanted to share this information with you.  I plan to sign up this weekend.

Disclosure:  I am not being paid to promote this class nor have any financial interest in this class.  

Happy-Go-Lucky Celebration Tree Another cheerful craft project with Amy Powers

Celebrate life every day of the year with an elegant Celebration Tree! The craft-tacular Amy Powers will help you craft a unique and beautiful potted tree using fallen branches from around your town (or found online).

Then, through detailed videos and downloadable handouts, she'll help you dress it up for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Halloween, as well as other holidays and occasions throughout the year!

Glitter acorns and gratitude spools will gladden your heart at Thanksgiving time, while pom-pom spiders and black-and-orange garlands will make you smile at Halloween. And let's not forget decorating it for Christmas, using a special ornament collection that you'd like to put on prominent display. Find out more here.

Today I am thankful for.....

 Welcome back!  I am thankful that you are here reading my blog.
I got my photos processed and picked up from CVS. So I was able to catch up on my pages.
You've seen Day 1 without the photo and as you can see from the photo I added my desk is a mess!  It's a little less messy today but not a lot. 

 Day 6 I'm thankful for being out on the road working with the primary care practices I work with.  Urban to rural areas, lots of great views, a road I've never traveled, lots of hills and 2 lakes make for a great day out of the office!

Day 7 I'm thankful for the Christmas music radio station.

I showed you the Daily Log sheets that Cathy Zielske provided and I had partially filled them in prior to starting.  I keep forgetting about them but I took some time today to update them, add items I want a photo of on certain days and did a general list of possibilities.  I'm hoping that it will help on the weekdays when I have less time to focus on being thankful.
How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

Day 6 and more

I wanted to mention that a good friend of mine from the online world, Melissa, will be doing a Guest Post on Sunday with a wonderful story about Gratitude. You won't want to miss it.

My apologies to my readers...I did not realize that the rest of my post went missing...not sure what happened. Guess I will need to start typing it in Word and transferring it over.  

Day 2 through 5 with photos

 After work yesterday I was finally able to get my photos printed and added them to my pages and journaling.  Now that I've added my photos I really happy with the white border around the photos.  If I printed the pages correctly and they were 6 x 6 pages I would not have that border.  I'm not quite sure what I am going to do with it but I know I want to add a little something more to the pages.

 If you have any thoughts or ideas, let me know them in the comment section.  This is fairly typical of how I work on projects.  Pretty much working it out as things develop.  Occasionally I can see the whole "vision" of what I want to do but it's usually developing the next step once I can see where I am.  How do your projects progress?

 If you've started a "thankful" project or "gratitude" project I'd love to hear from you.  Email me at laew@aol.com if you would like to share your project here.

Today I am thankful that you are here...

Thankful Boxes and more..,,

I wanted to share a link to the blog Cottage in the Oaks:

http://cottageintheoaks.com/2013/10/thankful-boxes-thanksgiving-2013/

She shares a wonderful story about how a beautiful tradition developed and continues in her family.

Expressing thankfulness

 GRATITUDE
 BOARD

 GRATITUDE
JARS

A friend of mine tells me that each member of her family writes what they are thankful for each day on a leaf and place it in the jar.  Each week they add the leaves to a hand-drawn tree on their wall.  
It always amazes me how there is such variety in how people express themselves.  
My 30 Days of Thankful project.....
As usual my best intentions have been slightly derailed but for a good reason.  I had hoped to get a few days ahead and posts planned out on Sunday but instead we went on a cleaning spree. So I still need to order my album, print my photos and set up some blog posts.  Here is what I've been thankful for to date:
November 1 My job
November 2 Comforting routines
November 3 Lily (our dog)
What have you been thankful for?

Thought for today

You were given the gift of 

86,400 seconds today.  

Have you used one to say

thank you?

30 Days of Thankful begins tomorrow

Tomorrow I will begin my version of Cathy Zielske's 30 Days of Thankful Project.
This is the second year that Cathy has documented one thing she is grateful for each day in November and pairs it with a photo.  

While Cathy does her pages digitally I'll be doing a paper version.  You can see the package I purchased  at Designer Digitals here:
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/14881
I downloaded the pdf files and printed them.  My one caution is to make sure you read the directions thoroughly so that they print out the correct size.  I failed to so and ended up with pages that are 7 1/2" x 7 1/2"!  I've chosen not to reprint them and will be doing an 8" x 8" album instead of a 6" x  6".

For those of you who want more information on how Cathy does this project digitally her blog  announcement regarding  30 Days of Thankful is here:
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/10/announcing-the-30-days-of-thankful-album-project-for-2013.html

And you can follow this link for Cathy's instructions on how to use the digital files here:
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/my_weblog/30-days-of-thankful/

During the month of November I will be sharing posts about gratitude and thankfulness including why I decided to do this project.  I'll share some of my pages and photos along the way.  I'm also very excited to say that I have a very special guest who will be sharing a story about gratitude with us on November 10th.  
I'll be very thankful if you follow along....