Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving weekend, I won't be at Target at midnight or Sears at 4am for any "doorbusters."  I'll be home, with family that I love and that love me.  We will be giving thanks and enjoying each others' company.

My time, especially with family and friends, is very valuable to me.

There are many ways to save on electronics and any other stuff than sacrificing precious time in order to go out at ungodly hours to wait in the dark, cold hours to save a few dollars. 

My Christmas shopping is nearly finished--with just 3 more gifts to get.  My life is blessed and content.

And that, my friends, to me, is

 

Photos of our house

A friend came over the other day to take our holiday family portraits. It was a fun afternoon.  We had our pictures taken  around our house because it is old and very pictoresque. 

He also took some photos around of our house. Thought you would enjoy them! Our house turned 109 this year.  Happy Birthday!

Our photogenic house

the porch

We even have an outhouse

...and in color

And that, my friend, is

A thankful heart

Maybe it is the agrarian harvest time or maybe it is the long dark evenings, but it just seems so natural to be reflective this time of year. And I love that about Thanksgiving time. 

Here are 101 things I am grateful for -- (in no particular order)

family ~ friends ~ internet ~ email ~ glitter ~ nail polish ~ copy machines ~ hot showers ~ flowers ~  weddings ~ the comics ~ books ~ flashlights ~ the crock pot ~ fresh snow ~ castles ~ forests ~ kindred spirits ~ smiles ~ Colombia ~ daffodils ~ rabbis ~ forgiveness ~ moss ~ little ones ~ fingerprints ~ Chicago ~ new towels ~ flannel sheets (in the winter) ~ cotton sheets (in the summer) ~ huckleberry ice cream ~ dreams ~ Frankie ~ massages ~ dusk ~ fires ~ kisses ~ Miss M ~ thrift stores ~ veterans ~ my boyfriend who prefers that I call him my husband ~ trails ~ summer ~ fall ~ winter ~ spring ~ chocolate ~ sanitation workers ~ used maps ~ falling asleep to the sound of rain ~ garage sales ~ waa waa lights ~ freedom ~ taste ~ touch ~ sight ~ hear ~ feel ~ pulaskis ~ book stores ~ color ~ hope ~ faith ~ charity ~ HOmE ~ lunch ~ bathing suits ~ berries ~ questions ~ fresh snow ~ the ability to read ~ clip art ~ big knives ~ sunsets ~ bubbles ~ stillness ~  honesty ~ Relief Society Presidents ~ poetry ~ a new day ~ matches ~ opportunities ~ brussel sprouts ~ inspiration ~ movies ~ technology ~ violins ~ roller coasters ~ Christmas ~ photo albums ~ hard wood floors ~ mountains ~ perfume ~ hugs ~ toilet paper ~ white out ~ soap ~ paper clips ~ sneezes ~ nurses ~ pianos ~ love

~ ~ ~

PS I have to tell you, when I started writing this list, it was a bit difficult.  But after I got to #73ish, the ideas just came pouring and I found myself being selective so I could end the list. My mind is now racing with ideas and items I am grateful for.  This has been a great exercise.

And that, my friend, is

Good night

One of the first things I thought about when I decided I wanted to take back being awesome, was Miss M. She is five now. And what a fun age to be!  She is the delight of her parents (but aren't all kids?).   What is it that enables her to wake up full of energy and ready to tackle the world? 

My guess is one of the biggest factors is sleep.  Her dad and I are very strict about her sleep habits.  We have a bed time ritual-- get into pjs, brush teeth and wash face, read a few books and prayer.  We aim to have her in bed, with lights out, by 7 --- 7:30pm at the latest during the school year.  (Summers are a little more flexible as we can sleep in, and I agree with her that it is oh so hard to go to sleep when the sun is still out.)  We then wake her up around 7:15am to get ready for school.

She gets nearly 12 hours of sleep each night. No wonder she is rejuvinated and full of energy.

It got me thinking about my sleep habits.  Do I have a ritual? Do I stick to it?  I do brush my teeth and wash my face.  Sometimes I shower at night, but then, sometimes in the morning.  I read some nights. And how many hours do I get?  I wake up around 6:30ish.....yet I go to bed around 10 or 11 and once in a while later if there is a good movie on.

I can tell when Miss M. doesn't get her full night's sleep. Some times during the next day, I will say, "Sounds like some one is tired," or " Sounds like someone needs to go to bed early tonight."  And I get an immediate hot debate, "I'M NOT TIRED!"  Sound familiar?

If a good night's ritual works for a five-year-old, why not for me?  And if 12 hours works for Miss M, would a good 8 hours work for me?

Surprisingly, YES! 

Studies show that people who a get a good night's sleep: have healthier hearts,  deal with stress better, one os more alert (duh!),  have better memories and have a reduction in risk for depression.

Since school started this fall, I have started to get ready for bed around 9:30 so I can get everything done and have the lights out by 10.  I have always needed extra sleep, so 8-1/2 hours of sleep words well for me.

And it is true, I do have more energy, I seem calmer, happier and life is overall better when Mama has a good night's sleep.

And that my friend, is

The Beginning.

A few months ago, a friend sent me a link to a blog post about Waking Up Full of Awesome.  I read it and thought, why am I not waking up to awesome?  I would wake up, often feeling tired, rush to get Miss M. to school, rushed to get to my job, come home, do errands, clean the house, cook dinner, help hubby, hubby helps me, same-old, same-old, blah, blah, blah. 


After I read the post, I began to ponder. What is it in my little one that when she wakes up, she's up and energized, excited for the days activites, no matter how mundane?  (Shopping? I get to go shopping with Mama? That is so much fun. Can I push the cart? Can we buy food I like? Can we go to store X where I get a treat?)


My blog will be how I am waking up full of awesome, how I will greet the day as if it were a gift with many hidden blessings waiting to be discovered, or simply, my own, Groovy Awesomeness.


Here is the post I read, reprinted here with permission. I hope it inspires you too!

Waking Up Full of Awesome

http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/08/waking-up-full-of-awesome/

August 3rd, 2011 | Author: melissa

 

There was a time when you were five years old,

and you woke up full of awesome.

You knew you were awesome.

You loved yourself.

You thought you were beautiful,

even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.

You loved your body, and the things it could do.

You thought you were strong.

You knew you were smart.

  

Do you still have it?

The awesome.

Did someone take it from you?

Did you let them?

Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough?

Why the hell would you listen to them?

Did you consider they might be full of shit?

Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model?

Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold?

Are you freaking kidding me?

Look at her. She is full of awesome.

You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.

All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.