Well it’s November 1st.  Finally October is behind me, something I am grateful for each and every year.  While this one was a little bumpy, more than a little stressful, and overall pretty exhausting I can truly say with a thankful heart that nothing of any major consequence occurred.  I look forward to this particular month getting a little easier with passing time.

Yesterday was rather peaceful.  I managed to get a bit more sleep than I usually do, woke up and began my once-a-week cooking.  As always I am grateful for the ability to afford the food to feed my family and the energy & stamina to spend 4 hours on my feet preparing enough food to last the next 7 days.  But, this week I am particularly thankful to be able to afford to spend a little extra at the supermarket so that I could send 3 full meals over to “C”’s house.  “C” is the pseudo-step-mom of one of Miss Artistic’s best friends “S” and she recently fell off a horse and suffered a compound fracture on her dominant arm.

Once the cooking was done I tossed on a Rennie dress and the new corset I bought when we were in Maryland a couple of weeks ago.  While I was grateful for the gleam it put in Gamer Dude’s eyes, I was disappointed that the few trick-or-treaters came before I was so bedecked.  But my own children were out for a couple of hours (along with a few of Miss Artistic’s friends).  As I generally do, I fed the hungry crew pizza upon their return and listened to their happiness and excitement echoing off the walls of the house.

While I never got the time or privacy to do any type of formal rite, I consider my house blessed by their laughter.  However, I am grateful to have found a couple of minutes outside (in my Rennie gear) listening to the wind rushing through the leaves and whispering my hopes and dreams to my ancestors.

I am also grateful to have received, right in time for the new beginning this time of year always represents for me (maybe even more so than January 1), my new datebook.  I had seen the Busy Body Book featured over at Mrs. B’s blog, Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom.  I immediately fell in love with it, as it has columns which will enable me to keep myself very organized by separating my to-dos into categories (i.e. the kids, Dr visits, bills, work, and the blog).  I was particularly grateful that when I ordered mine for 2010 I was able to get, for free, a 2009 edition.  This will enable me to fine-tune my category choices so that I can start up 2010 with a handle on my plans for doing much more with this little spot in cyberspace.

May the coming days be filled with blessings large and small for each of you. May they be filled with pleasant surprises and moments of sheer joy.  May each day bring you closer to your deepest desires and fondest dreams.

Blessed be!

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:blessings, gratitude, samhain

Today I am grateful for new windows.  Mr Grumpy has been slowly replacing the windows in the house a window at a time.  He buys the windows as he can afford them and then does the labor himself (with a little help from Gamer Dude).  This coming winter should see us all staying a little warmer with a little less money out of pocket.  Also my allergies (and related upper respiratory infection issues) should be much better as the windows were the original ones in this house and were as a result 35 years old (or more) there were issues with moisture (such as ice forming inside) and some mold.

Today I am grateful that Miss Artistic is holding her own emotionally.  I know that her anxiety levels have to be really high as she’s had a couple of melt downs in the past weeks.  But, so far nothing like we’ve dealt with in the past.

Today I am grateful that Princess Nibbles has a new best friend.  Her former best friend “J” moved away in the wake of her father’s passing.  While the plan was for them to keep in touch – it never really happened.  “Big E” is 3 months older than her and one grade ahead but they are thick as thieves.

Today I am grateful for getting my camera finally fixed.  I had broken it back in May, but had never gotten around to mailing it in – mainly as I was scared that the repair wouldn’t be covered (ah the joys of denial).  But, hurrah, it was and my electronic baby is back home with the only money out of pocket being the cost of shipping it.

Today I am grateful for commission bonuses at work.  The future of the department is not clear.  It is really hard to say what’s going to happen with their profit margins, etc.  But, for as long as it last I am enjoying having a paycheck that more closely approximates a living wage.

Today I am grateful for a ‘fridge full of food.  This week’s once-a-week cooking found me making a large batch of meat sauce with sausage and meatballs; 2 pork loins on beds of onions and potatoes (with gravy made from the drippings); a small meatloaf (with another gravy); and a batch of Swedish meatballs (adapted from this recipe) which will be served over egg noodles with a side of vegetables rather than as an appetizer.

Today I am grateful for cool autumn breezes and the whispers of that which lies beyond the veil.  This is my favorite time of year and I am relishing in it.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

PS Meanwhile check out the following giveaways …

Isn’t this little Goddess that Nydia made just the sweetest thing?!?!? The drawing doesn’t end until the 22nd, so there is still time to enter.

Mrs. B is offering this great kids’ book in her giveaway. It runs until Sept 23 so you still have time on this one as well. Personally I plan on buying this one and tucking it away for the future grandchildren I hope to one day read to sleep.

Written by Mama KellyTags:blessings, gratitude, life

Today I am grateful for Mr Grumpy who gathered his side of the family together to surprise me when he took us out for dinner Friday night.  It cost a fair bit of money and I was honestly shocked that everybody came.  I have spent most of my life feeling like a misfit, the outsider.  Actually feeling loved by my family was probably the best gift of the night.

Today I am grateful for actually getting some half-way decent sleep this weekend.  Yes, I still wake up frequently and have a hard time settling down for the night.  But I have been sleeping deeper and even managing to dream.  Amazing what a difference it makes to my emotional health.

Today I am grateful that Miss Artistic is spending the day with one of her best friends, especially as this particular girl spends every summer out of state related to custody issues.  She always misses this girl terribly each summer so I am glad that they are spending so much time together before July.

Today I am grateful that I got to spend a nice day with Princess Nibbles.  We played two rounds of Scrabble – and she very nearly kicked my butt (I’m so proud).  We made Butterscotch Popcorn and watched about 2/3 of Fiddler on the Roof.

Today I am grateful for having a bowl of leftovers – Fettucini with Lobster Bolognese Sauce – to bring with me to work for lunch.  It will be a nice treat, especially as I hate the very thought of going in today.  I really need to figure out how to make this dish …. I’ve found a couple of variations online and it seems the basic requirements (outside of the obvious lobster meat) are lobster stock, pancetta, cream, and minced vegetables.  I may try my hand at this one for New Year’s Day when I usually try to break out a seafood based meal, as we are usually visiting family on Xmas Eve when such a meal would be considered traditional by my Italian ancestors.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:blessings, gratitude

It’s getting busy here in Mama Kelly’s household.

Most of the past week has seen me dealing with the recurrence of a nasty upper respiratory infection.  Today is the first day I can actually believe that it may just go away, eventually.  Granted it’ll leave grudgingly and I’ll have to be certain that it didn’t accidentally leave a personal item behind so it has an excuse to come knocking on my front door asking to be let back in.

The balance of the week has been spent dealing with Miss Artistic’s dress fiasco. The original dress has one final alteration being done and then it will simply have to “do.”  We also hit more stores than I care to remember in the span of two evenings and she tried on more dresses than I can possibly count.  We eventually settled on a black tiered ruffle dress that has a built in capelet kind of thing.

I spent more than I wanted to, but less than a specialty boutique tried to convince me to spend. It is pretty.  She already has black heels and a pocketbook to match.  It can be dressed up nicely with rhinestone accessories.  It is meant for a woman probably 15 years older than her.  But it was the only dress we found (short of having a prom gown cut down to tea length, along with alterations to straps and cleavage) that she actually liked, and felt pretty in.

Additionally we hit the nearby Bra & Girdle specialty store.  Miss Artistic needed a better fit and we wound 3 bras that did the job nicely.  Yes she went up again in size, but not as dramatically as the last time we went shopping which means (please oh Goddess) that she may be done growing for a while.  While we were there, since we found her bras so quickly, I asked to be fitted myself and found up that I, like most women (80% or so), have been wearing the wrong size.

Now, granted, I knew this.  The bras I have “do the job” but I walk around with my breasts hanging on my rib cage, in a bra that constantly needs to be heaved back into place.  My new bra gives me lift and support and they feel almost perky – well as perky as a “H” cup can feel.

Today the girls have a makeup Tae Kwon Do class to attend, the aforementioned dress to be taken for alterations (to a differnt shop I can assure you), we have a birthday party to drop Miss Artistic off at, and then I have food shopping to do.

Tomorrow, my work week resumes with Miss Artistic’s big dance on Friday (highlighted with her getting her first updo) and probably a corsage from us the parental units) but also the loveliness of a Saturday spent out and about with 2 wonderful friends (Lady Rose and “M2″) to celebrate my birthday at the end of it – a special treat to look forward to.

May the week ahead bring each of you a special blessings all your own.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:blessings, gratitude

Instead of just focusing on weight loss, my new goal is to live healthy to over 100! 

As a part of my overall lifestyle health plan I want to make each day be a great day. A great day doesn’t mean it’s perfect or that nothing bad ever happens, but rather for me it’s more about attitude – appreciating each day and making the most of it, and also asking myself what can I do to make each day a little more special for myself and others. I came up with a list of things I feel are imporant to me and I want to be a part of my daily life.

My Daily Seven (in no particular order):

1. Smiling – find lots of reasons to smile, and nurturing my sense of humor and not taking myself too seriously.
2. Giving thanks – show my gratitude to friends, family, and those around me for being a part of my life, as well as giving thanks to the Universe for the many blessings in my life.
3. Share a hug or better yet lots of hugs, and be sure to say I love you.
4. Be aware – slow down and experience the little things, focus on the moment.
5. Acts of kindness – helping make the world around me a little nicer and helping others smile more too, rather then just focusing on the problems I want to be proactive in helping to lessen some of the burden.
6. Be true to my word and to myself.
7. Begin and end the day with positive thoughts, and in between fill the moments with respect, laughter, love and other positive energy.

Wishing everyone health and happiness each and every day filled with blessings and joy! Lady Rose
(cross posted on Diet Pulpit)

Written by Lady RoseTags:awareness, blessings, gratitude

I know Sundays are the usual day for blogging blessings – but I think any day is a good day to focus on the positive and to give thanks to the all the Gods and Goddesses for the wonderous joys and gifts that are all around us.

Today (and every day) I am truly grateful for being blessed with Angelgirl, a wonderful hubby, awesome friends, a decent job, and for all the wonderful moments of joy in my life.

It has been a truly great week and month and the year ahead is looking pretty good too so I wanted to take a moment to give thanks and use this time to remind myself of what is truly important in life.

I am having one of those mommy weeks that is just bursting with mommy proudness  –  you can read the details  on my post **warning proud mommy gushing** – in a nutshell: orchestra concert last night, school award next week, and black belt in fall.

Angelgirl is growing up so fast – I want to hold on to every precious moment.  Having her in our lives is truly a blessing.  (I may one day post about how we became an adoptive family.)  

No matter what else is going on in life – Angelgirl is the top priority in my life.  Of course there are times I need to remind myself just what my priorities are so I don’t get too far off track. 

Having too many priorities means nothing gets done. Life can get hectic and overcrowded – so it’s good to refocus once and while and keep the priorities I truly want to focus on front and center. A person only has so much time and energy – there are only 24 hours in a day so it is impossible to sustain to many Top Priorities all at the same time because in order to actually nurture a priority you need to tend to it daily – for me having under 10 works best (of course these are broken down into smaller tasks and goals to do that support the overall priority). Also, since I firmly believe HEALTH is the #1 priority for everyone, that takes up the first slot automatically.

I firmly believe that having a priority means that is where your time, energy, actions are focused – not just saying something is a priority. For example, if you “say” your children are your priority – but you spend most of your time playing online games or out dancing – then your priority is having fun. Or if you say “saving money” is a priority – but you are shopping at the mall every weekend and maxing out your credit card – then your priority is buying. Any way – you get my point.

These Are My Priorities:
1) my health, 2) my daughter and husband; 3) my family and friends; 4) work (cause it pays the bills), home and taking care of every day needs; 5) enriching my well-being and enjoying life

Remembering to be grateful for the blessings in my life and reminding myself of what my true priorities are is what sustains me through the down times -when I’m feeling overwhelmed, stressed, depressed – it’s a matter of perspective. Sure it’s not easy some days (and some times it can feel down right impossible), and it can take a lot of effort to pull thoughts and emotions away from the hamster wheel of worry, confusion, doubt, emotional turmoil, etc. — but it’s worth the effort; there is so much more joy to be experienced and so much more love to share when your energy is focused on the positive (it’s not denying the negative, it’s just a more productive way of dealing with life and enjoying it more).

Blessings, Health and Happiness, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:angelgirl, blessings, family, priorities