Gratitude Day Fourteen

Tonight I am ever so grateful for the things that we take for granted that make housekeeping so much easier. Electricity for light, for the computer, for the tv that keeps me company and the radio that accompanies Tim, propane gas for cooking and heating, running water that I can use to wash my dishes and my clothes and my body.... If we were living a hundred years ago, I would be trying to clean up supper dishes by oil lamp, heating with a fireplace or wood stove, and not looking forward to washing my clothes by hand tomorrow.

Life IS a lot easier with all these conveniences.
When I talk about wanting to get back to basics, make my own soap, milk a goat for family consumption, grow a garden to put up my own food, it's not because I want things to be more difficult, or have a lack of appreciation for the conveniences of today, but rather because I want my family to eat healthfully, to live in health, I don't want to forget times gone by, nor the sacrifices our forerunners made for us, and sometimes it's just more fun to do things in an old-fashioned manner.

<And today was a lot better, after I had a nap. lol>

Gratitude Day Eleven

Last night when I went to bed I was thinking about Timmy and what a neat kid he is.

Yesterday I cooked him some scrambled eggs and sliced up some sausage to go with them.  Normally he won't eat eggs, but we've gone gluten free, recently, and so anytime he can get me to cook for him, he's eating!  Anyway, when I brought the pan over to him and starting scooping sausage into his bowl, I asked him how many. He said, "More."  I kept scooping.  And scooping. And scooping. (There were two links cut up.) I kept thinking at any point he would say, "That's enough." But he never did. I got to the last three and with each one he said 'more' til I did the last one and then he said, "That's enough."

I laughed so hard I thought I'd cry.
I don't know why certain things hit my funny bone like that, but he's such a straight guy that his sense of humor nearly always catches me off guard.

I'm very grateful for Timmy.

<This was last night's post.  I had unexpected company, and we talked til past midnight when she finally went home, so I did not post last night! Shame on me...>

Gratitude Day Ten

I'm bound-n-determined to be grateful for 30 consecutive days whether I feel like it or NOT!

LOL

Today I am grateful I didn't have to spend all day in pain like I spent all last night. I went to bed with a headache, which rapidly turned into a migraine, and I was unable to pinpoint its cause.  In the night I got up and took some Excedrin Migraine and two Aleve thinking that if my neck muscles could relax I'd be feeling better, and in the night my head somehow began to feel better. All day today I have felt as though I'm on the verge of a headache, though not like it was last night. Plus I've been super tired... could it be from taking two Aleve at some early hour of the morning? Very possible.  I get really tired when I take Aleve or Benadryl.

I took the day off. Normally I would push myself to do things I know I should do, such as finish cleaning up the apartment and repaint those walls... but I was just so exhausted from the move, the stress, the concern over money, that I just could hardly move. I took the day off.  Tomorrow, however, will be another thing entirely.  I have to get back over there and finish cleaning so that I can paint so that I can get (hopefully) our deposit back!

It's the only time in... YEARS that I have stayed my entire length of the contract, given appropriate notice and left the place clean and tidy. Now normally, I do leave a place clean and tidy, but I don't always stay as long as I think I will, and I certainly don't always give notice... I really believe my gypsy lifestyle has a lot to do with being bi-polar. Not an excuse; just sayin'.

So this time I did, and I'm very content within myself that I did what I was supposed to do, and that makes me feel good inside.  Now, to get on with really stretching out and living, in our new lovely home!!

Gratitude Day Nine

I skipped a couple days. Actually, I didn't so much skip, as miss.  I missed a couple days... BUT in my defense, I didn't actually have internet during those days because we were moving!

Now Ruby Lane Farm has a home! And for this I am grateful!!!
:D

I'm grateful for the additional SPACE we have here!
I'm grateful for the animal pens that are already in place here!
I'm grateful for the cats that already live here because it means we do not have a pet deposit, but there are pets available to us!
I'm grateful that Timmy is already settled in and seems so happy to be here!

All this and much more!
:)

So, as you can see, no shortage of gratitude here!
Happy Holidays!
Rebecca

Gratitude Day Five

When I forget to be gratefully aware, I find myself easily bored, or when that comes to full term, depressed.

Today I was not grateful for anything. I just went about my day doing a whole lot of little sewing projects, irritated because I have no money (due to mismanagement) to buy the next round of things that will help those projects continue. For instance, I finished up a bunch of little stuff toys, but can't stuff them because I don't have money for gas to get to the fabric store or money to buy the stuffing.

I made Tim's pj's, but have no money for buttons.
So I wait.
I don't wait well. I don't do "in the meantime" well.  But I live so much of my life IN the meantime you'd think it would be old hat. It's not.

So today I am having to look a little deeper for gratitude and I came up with a couple.  First, it's a good temperature in my house... and cold outside. I have lights and the ability to use my electric appliances because my Pay As You Go account for electricity did not run out before the end of the month.  I will have more money in a few days, and my power did not get shut off. That's awesome.

I'm grateful I live alone (or with Timmy who really doesn't care) because no man I know would enjoy it as COLD in my house as I like it.  :)  That's all for now. I'm going to go eat some oatmeal, and be grateful for it.

Gratitude Day Three

Today I am most grateful for my sewing machine. I remember last year I desperately needed one to make Christmas gifts, and this year I'm burning it up making Christmas gifts.

Also, I recently made a historical costume, a civil war era day dress, and was ever so glad to not be hand stitching it!  So I'm also grateful for electricity.  :)

Gratitude Journal

Hello, faithful follower(s)! (I only know of one follower...thus the (s):)

Today I am beginning my gratitude journal that I will attempt to keep for one month. Shouldn't be hard to do. I could write a whole list of things right now for which I am truly grateful!

But because it is an exercise for a Mary Jane's Farmgirls badge, I will be doing this as per the instructions which read thusly:

Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

Each Other

9. Farmgirl Gratitude

Beginner Level

• Write a gratitude journal every day for a month. Don’t repeat the same gratitude more than once to qualify for this merit badge.

Yesterday I spent all day in a spin-down. It was terrible. An emotional jag like that can leave a person feeling hung-over the next day, but not so for me today.  I woke up in the night throwing up. That'll get your attention.  And for some odd reason I feel better today than I did before the whole crying my eyes out hating the world feeling absolutely destitute for no real reason.

Weird how that works. I'm going to cheat a little on my gratitude journal and say I am grateful for tv, yesterday, because it gave me one small connection to the world around me when I was completely unable to reach out to anyone in my real world. I left that thing running except for when I finally drifted off to sleep, and I don't remember anything I watched but it kept me from thinking of ways to wreak havoc, and that, my dear follower(s), is a good thing.

So today's gratitude:

I am grateful I am moving. On December first we plan to move out of this dreadful little apartment and into a three bedroom (mobile) home, complete with an acre yard, and livestock pens already built out back.  This morning I got new upstairs neighbors.  Need I say more?