Today I am grateful for getting to go check out the Pleasant Valley Lavender Farm today with the family. We missed the peak season so instead of picking our own we settled for buying some loose lavender buds, some lavender honey, and a beeswax candle.
Today I am grateful for my overnight visit with Lady Rose. Odds are we won’t get together again until mid to late September so it was nice to have a bit of time with her.
Today I am grateful that while she was here that she did some energy work on me, not once but twice, to try and help me both beat down a nasty headache that I’ve had since Friday and build up my energy stores to better cope with the stress we’re currently under.
Today I am grateful to have food enough to feed my family and to share with friends even when I am too tired to cook any of it.
Today I am grateful to have had my friend “E”‘s support this weekend.
Today I am grateful to have Miss Artistic back home.
Today I am grateful that while we still don’t have any answers, that she is stable.
Today I am grateful for friends that supported be both via email and on facebook as Gamer Dude and I spent 11 hours (or more) at the hospital each day.
Today I am grateful to know that one way or another we will find a way to help her be well again.
Today I am grateful for a mostly restful weekend. I cooked like a fiend on Saturday and slept just awful last night, but overall I feel like my sleep debt is a good bit lower than it was on Friday.
Today I am grateful for feeding my family for another holiday. I have making my own BBQ sauce down to an art form. I made real whipped cream with honey and vanilla extract – which was met with smiles, especially as I let the girls lick the beaters. Neither cost a lot of money, only a little more effort than I might otherwise put into it.
Today I am grateful for going out to see the local fireworks display. The girls really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it. Its become a lovely family tradition. I am also grateful to have taken a few minutes to sit, along with Gamer Dude, in the back TV room with Mr Grumpy to watch the end of the Boston Pop’s Fireworks Display on the television. Absolutely breathtaking!!
But, today, most of all, I am grateful for my freedom. I may hide in the proverbial broom closet, but I am free to claim my own faith. I may not be able to always speak my mind in my own home, but I can say what I think, and feel, and believe and not worry about being punished or imprisoned for them. Not everyone in the world can say that. I am grateful to all of those who ever fought, or still fight; who laid down their lives, or who are/were willing to; to those who serve and guard and protect so that the only explosions I had to worry about seeing overhead evoked awe with their beauty, rather than terror over their destruction.
Today I am grateful for the impetus of a visit from our dear friend “E” and my hosting of a Slumber Parties party for Lady Rose this weekend. As a result my downstairs is cleaner and less cluttered than it has been in ages.
Today I am grateful for said visit from “E”. It was shorter than originally planned, but filled with love and laughter. The best part is knowing that she’s coming back up in 3 weeks to join us in celebrating Mr Grumpy’s 70th birthday party.
Today I am grateful for my Slumber Parties party. I was a little disappointed that so few people showed up. But, fun was had by all, and more importantly it served as a good first run through for Lady Rose. I hope to hold another one in the Fall, and I may actually invite family to that one (gods helps me). If you live in the Central NJ/Philadelphia area and are interested in hosting a party of your own just give Lady Rose a holler.
Today I am grateful for 2 nights in a row of more sleep than I’ve managed to get in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I’ve had a migraine since yesterday morning. But, I am grateful that I have medication that helps control it.
Today I am grateful to have finally gotten Miss Artistic in her own room. There is still more to buy, and more decorating/organizing to do. But, it’s truly wonderful to see her so happy about something.
Today I am grateful for a restful weekend. After the stress of the past weeks it was bliss to catch up on sleep, skip my usual once a week cooking (don’t ask what we’re eating as a result because frankly I just don’t know) and recharge my batteries.
Today I am grateful for my friend “E” coming over this coming Friday. As she lives about 4 hours away we only see her a couple of times a year. As an added plus, I am hosting a Slumber Parties party for Lady Rose’s new business venture. Saturday will find me, “E”, Lady Rose, and a group of ladies from my workplace drinking, noshing, and laughing our asses off.
But, most of all today I am grateful for 2 men in my life.
For Gamer Dude … for all the love he gives our girls. For how demonstrative he is with his affection. How hard he tries to make good memories for them even in stressful times.
For Mr Grumpy. Who, despite all the reasons he is dubbed thus, opened his home to us and has allowed us to live here for nearly a decade. Who, shows his love not in words, or hugs, but in deeds. Replacing windows … patching walls … etc.
As always I am grateful for many things. For my family, my friends, for food in my ‘fridge.
But today I am especially grateful for my dear friend Lady Rose. Not only for the wonderful birthday gifts she brought me. But, for her company as well.
I first met Lady Rose when I was all of 18, and joined her circle a year later. Its amazing to me sometimes to remember how long she’s been a part of my life and how much she has seen me through. The initiations that occurred in her circle … the initiations that come with living life.
She always finds ways at Yule & at my birthday to spoil me. To give me gifts that I either would never allow myself the luxury of, or simply things that I would set aside indefinitely on my wish list. This year was no exception.
I was treated to gifts that acknowledged the healthy life changes I am working so hard at making (talked about in more depth at Blade & Cauldron), gifts that let me know that her heart & thoughts were with me while she was at Womongathering, and gifts that spoiled me more than I deserve.
As a change, rather than simply tell you about my treasures, we decided to show them to you.
Today I am grateful for a wonderful day yesterday. Time spent with my husband without the children. Dinner out and some time for romance as well.
Today I am grateful that this week is another short week, thanks to plans to spend Friday with a friend as a nice way to finish off her vacation week and to celebrate my 41st birthday. The plan is a few hours in Atlantic City playing the penny machines.
Today I am grateful for the continued return of my libido. My husband may be even more grateful than I am.
I am grateful for the love in my life, for the roof over my head, and for the food on my table. I am grateful just to be.
Today I am grateful for a lot of time off from work. Granted, all of this time off is unpaid. Granted most of it has been to accommodate appointments which are costing me lots of money that thanks to the unpaid time off is harder to come by. Granted it is going to skew my stats at work and make it less likely that we’ll be able to afford a trip to Virginia come the end of the summer. But, I really can’t make myself care all that much. I hate my job. I really needed the time off. I’ll figure out the money later.
Today I am grateful for a holiday weekend where I’ve managed to fill my ‘fridge with food not only for the first BBQ of the season, but for the week to come as well. So far we’ve only had lunch but already feasted on some spectacularly good BBQ chicken breasts (if I do say so myself), some macaroni salad with tuna & peas, some tomato salad, grilled shrimp, grilled eggplant and hot dogs. Later we will enjoy grilled portabello mushrooms, marinated steak, and some curried lamp chops.
Today I am grateful that my super secret side project is going to be released on Tuesday. It is not 100% of the way to where I had hoped it would be by now, but I am proud of it all the same and hope that you, our readers, enjoy it.
Today I am grateful for the medical insurance that I pay through the nose for. With all of the health issues that we are dealing with right now with Miss Artistic, and how much they impact our budget as it is, I don;t want to think about the alternative, where I wouldn’t be able to afford the care she needs, period.
Today I am grateful for having been married to Gamer Dude for 16 years. Life has not always been easy, but I’m lucky to have his hand to hold as we walk through it.
Today I am grateful for Mr Grumpy’s generosity in picking up the tab for dinner last night. My meal wasn’t perfect (their Bearnaise sauce was awful and unfortunately all over everything on my plate) but it was lovely to be out alone with my husband celebrating “us”.
Today I am grateful for the hours and hours I spent this weekend conquering the clutter that we live with. We are finally almost ready to split the girls into separate bedrooms and while it will mean giving up our little TV room it should create a much more peaceful living environment for everyone involved.
Today I am grateful for having cooked so much last weekend that I was able to take this weekend off from my usual once-a-week cooking.
Today I am grateful for getting a good bit of work done on my super secret side project.
Today I am grateful for the time I’ve had off work the last few days. Granted it will hurt come payday (or lack thereof) but I needed it even mroe than I knew and am equally grateful to be going into another couple of short weeks thanks to Miss Artistic’s Dr. appointments as well as Memorial Day.
Today I am grateful to have filled my ‘fridge with food. It is not something I ever take for granted. I know how lucky I am to be able to feed my family when so many in my state, in my country, in the world cannot.
Today I am grateful that GamerDude seems to have taken a liking to making bread in our bread machine. He will never be a domestic God, but it is touching to see how happy he gets about a loaf of bread he made himself.
Today I am grateful that a recent recipe I tried for making baked beans in my crockpot worked out so well. Granted it took a bit of tweaking, but the result is a mess of beans that are thick and sweet and savory made with natural ingredients.
Today I am grateful for blue skies and cool breezes. I have never been and I will never be a fan of the heat. My favorite times of year are spring and fall when it is warm enough to wear lightweight clothes but cool enough to not sweat. The wind in the trees and the smell of the earth whispers to my witchy self and allows me to more easily connect to the magic that is all around each of us, and is so easy when caught up in the stresses and hassles of daily life to overlook.
Have fun and put the spark by into your love life. Host a Slumber Parties party, locally in the NJ/PA area ... or virtually by telephone from anywhere else.
