Thankful Thursday

It is Thankful Thursday once again. It is cold, there is snow on the ground and more snow coming tonight, I'm having trouble deciding what's for dinner, and I have a slight headache. But you know what? I still have so much for which to be thankful!

Some days I just have to remind myself more often than others. ; )

Here is today's list:

I am thankful that we have a safe, warm and cozy home.

I am thankful that my two younger kids are healthy and have not yet been attacked by all the bugs that are going around their schools.

I am thankful that my two older kids are feeling better after battling a couple of those bugs that managed to find them. I just hope Brie's cough goes away soon. :( Tough for a pregnant lady to just suffer it out, but she's very limited as to what meds she can take.

I am thankful for all of YOU, my bloggy friends. : ) I so enjoy visiting your blogs, reading your posts and looking at your pics. : )

Thank you all for all the entertainment when I'm snowbound! : )

My Newest Cooking Utensil

Have you ever used one of these to prepare dinner?

I did just this week.
( I actually do this pretty often.)

It enables me to clear a path to this:
And honest to goodness, we had one of the best dinners EVER on Monday night!

I marinated some super thin-cut eye of round steaks in one of these:
Have you ever tried it? Just rip off the tear-strip at the top and open the Ziploc.
Drop in the beef/chicken/pork or whatever you want to marinate.
Zip it closed and stick it in the fridge.
Easy-peasy.

And man oh man, the FLAVOR! This is good stuff.

Anyway, I also sliced onions and bell peppers. After marinating them in some Italian salad dressing for an hour or so, I threw them in my grill wok.
I baked some potatoes and Brie cut up a tossed salad.
We also steamed some broccoli and squeezed a little lemon juice over it.
(That's my favorite way to eat broccoli! Simple, fresh and yummy.)

OH! The fresh pineapple! Can't forget about that!
Brie sliced it into spears and I threw them on the grill
for a few minutes, just long enough to get those lovely grill marks.

YUM.

Two steaming hot loaves of Italian bread and a tub of butter completed the feast.

WOW.

There is nothing quite like grilled food to give you a little taste of summer!

Even when you need one of these

to get to the grill.

* I don't want to forget my 'attitude of gratitude'.
It is Thankful Thursday, after all. *

Things I'm thankful for today:
~Snow days with my kids.~
~A cozy fire when it's frigid outside.~
~A summery meal when we've had enough of wintery soups.~
~Safe travels when we had to go out today.~
~My kids giggling together.~
~Flannel sheets.~

NEW RECIPE IN MY KITCHEN! : ) CLICK HERE TO TAKE A PEEK!

Thursday...with an attitude of gratitude : )

Time for another 'Thankful Thursday' here at Countin' My Blessings. Taking the time to actually practice the title of this blog makes such a difference in my life, so I plan to continue these Thursday posts of gratitude. If any of you care to join me, feel free! Just think how much positivity we could generate out here in Blogland! : ) If I had any idea how to create a button and do the Mr. Linky thingamajig, I'd do it. But that will take some time to figure out and today I just don't have that kind of time. (Yes, I'm a slow learner with this stuff, but I do get it eventually!)

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Most folks probably first noticed his wild hair, long and standing out around his head like an unruly mop. I saw that, too. But what stood out for me was his smile. This big, beaming and so very sincere smile. It seemed obvious that he had very little reason to be wearing that smile, too. Standing at an intersection, holding a sign. An unkempt personal appearance. He was obviously homeless and panhandling.

Then that vehicle stopped and the man behind the wheel asked him to say something.

What. A. Voice.

WOW!

An even bigger WOW? That smile. : ) It reached well beyond the boundaries of his lips, all the way to his eyes. And the words that spilled from him after that were beautiful to hear, too. Such kindness! No air of falsity or 'I'm just doing this to make myself look/sound good.' I was blown away by him and my heart was melted during that short video clip. I learned that his name is Ted and he's been homeless for more than a decade. And like all homeless people, Ted has a story. Please, if you haven't already seen it (and chances are good that you have, since it went viral shortly after being posted) click here. There are a couple of different videos about him on this site. The Today show interview is particularly terrific! : )

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The dictionary defines goodness as being 'the best part of anything'. Ted may be homeless, may have caught a few bad breaks along the way, may have brought many of his troubles on himself. (Don't we all?) But he never stopped looking for the goodness. Now it has paid off for him. He found a new way of thinking and just kept on looking for that one little chance to make it better. I sure think he's found it. : ) And I also think it's great that he recognizes the possibilities before him and is willing to do what it takes to pull himself up by his bootstraps and MAKE LIFE BETTER.

I know that today Ted is grateful. Probably more than most of us can even imagine. But I also know that Ted has made me feel an awful lot of gratitude today as well.

I am grateful for Ted's story. Grateful that it has been put out there for everyone to see and that maybe, just maybe it will be an inspiration to someone who is really needing some encouragement today.

I am grateful for the goodness that I see in Ted and I hope he never lets that little light of his dim.

I am grateful for the goodness of Doral ChenowithIII, the videographer who took the time to talk to and film Ted. God bless you, sir. : )

And I am grateful for the feeling that this has given me and most of the people I know who have seen Ted's story and been affected by it:

A feeling of overwhelming HOPE.

*Hope because everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance.
*Hope because life happens, sometimes before we realize it, but it is possible to regain control.
*Hope because there are people out there who are willing and able to extend a helping hand.

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My wish for you today is HOPE.
Lots of it.
Because without it, what do we really have?
: )

A Beautiful, Snowy Thankful Thursday!

Today, when thinking with a thankful heart,
these are the things that come to mind:

*This peaceful, snowy pajama day at home with the kids. We are snowed in and it is BEAUTIFUL out there, warm and cozy in here; with the Christmas tree all aglow and the aromas of yesterday's baking still filling the air.

*Josh Groban's soulful voice singing my favorite Christmas carols.
*Norman Rockwell
*Currier and Ives

*All my sweet memories of Christmases past.
(Yes, that's me in the front. The toothless wonder!)

*My Daddy. Even though I miss him more than words can say, I know how blessed I am to have had him for the 32 years that I did.

*All the lovely posts I've been reading on your blogs. The ones that touch my heart, make me giggle, give me reason to think.

WOW.

I have a whole lot of reasons to be thankful!
How 'bout you? : )

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday already. I can't believe how quickly the days are passing! They just don't seem to have enough hours in them. Our bridge, my community's connection to the rest of the world, has been closed for a few weeks and we are having to use a detour that adds an extra 6 or so miles to a trip into town. So now that forgotten gallon of milk or loaf of bread and those trips to run the kids to practices and bring them home again...well, let's just say it seems that I spend more time in my car than I do actually accomplishing the things that need to be getting done around here.

I feel SO far behind right now.

1. My Thanksgiving menu is not yet finalized.
2. My Christmas shopping has come to a standstill.
3. The word 'declutter' has virtually disappeared from my vocabulary. Again.
4. I have a million things I want to get done and can't seem to figure out where to begin.

So today I'm gonna make some progress.

Really.

Stop looking at me that way

I AM!!!

The first thing I have to do is change my attitude. Attitude can sure ruin a great day, ya know?
It will suck all the promise and possibility right out of ya! Gratitude can change all that, and that's why I'm glad I started this Thankful Thursday. Just remember:

GRATITUDE TRUMPS ATTITUDE
Every. Single. Time.

*Today I am grateful for Gini and Kevin and their willingness to carpool.
Their daughter is on the basketball team with Perri and we live in this same small community,
so carpooling makes great sense.

*Today I am grateful that I am able to plan a Thanksgiving feast.
I know that some folks out there aren't as fortunate.
And not only will my Thanksgiving include my family,
it will also include some very dear friends.
That means I am DOUBLY blessed!

*I am grateful that I still have 5 weeks to shop for Christmas.
I am grateful that I can shop for Christmas.
Even if I'll look like this afterward:*I am thankful that my family has plenty.
Plenty of food, plenty of clothes, plenty of stuff.
This means that we are fortunate and can share with others.
The decluttering will happen and I am grateful that I have things to declutter.

*I am thankful that I am able to do all that needs to be done,
even if I do have trouble figuring out where to begin.

There you have it. So if you are having trouble making a list of things for which you are thankful or if your attitude is not what you want it to be, make a different kind of list. Write down the things that are standing in your way; the things that are stumbling blocks; the things that are on your last nerve. Then put on your rose colored glasses and see why those very things that are driving you insane are actually great blessings in your life. Seriously. Try it. You'll feel better.

And then you'll make today a Thursday for which to be thankful.

Thankful Thursday

Thursday is almost over but I'm just now finding a moment to post.
And for that I'm thankful! But I'm thankful for lots of other things, too.

This being Veteran's Day, I would like to express the deepest of gratitude to all of those men and women who have served or are currently serving our country. Without their sacrifices we would not enjoy the freedoms that we have as American citizens.

I am thankful for the time I got to spend with my family today.
......There are many serving our country who haven't spent time with their families in a very long time.

I am thankful that I have the honor and the privilege of flying an American flag.
......And that is thanks to their sacrifices.

God bless our military personnel AND their families!

Thankful Thursday

I've decided that my Thursday posts during the month of November will be all about gratitude. After all, I have so very much for which to be thankful! We ALL do. And it never hurts to remind ourselves of that fact.

There is always the obvious, but of course you know I'm thankful for my family, a roof over my head, food on the table, etc. Those are gimmes. I want to focus a little more attention on the things we may not always see with thankful hearts. Those little things that sometimes slip through the cracks. Remember, it's all in your outlook. : )

Today I am grateful that it is gray, drizzly and somewhat gloomy outside. Honestly, I am! We need this kind of day from time to time. I think it forces some of us to slow down a little and realize that we can't go full steam ahead indefinitely.

I also happen to think it is beautiful. I'm looking out my window at the fog settled into the nooks and crannies, providing an eerily pretty backdrop for the bare trees. Well, most are bare. There is one lone pin oak still sporting her ordinarily drab, brown, autumn leaves there in the midst of it all. But today, with all the dreariness surrounding her, she has taken on an almost reddish glow there in the gloom. So there, you see, is proof that everything can be beautiful when seen in the right situation with grateful eyes. : )

Today I am also grateful for warm and cozy throws,
hot spiced cider and good books.

Because those are the things with which I intend to spend
at least a small portion of this rainy day.
It just seems appropriate, don't you think? : )