Friday Five - Gratitude

Well, I sort of dropped off the face of blog-land these past two weeks.

We received less than optimal news related to my hubby’s job and I’m feeling very unmotivated and lazy to write anything or take photos. In reality, our situation is manageable and not cataclysmic – there are many worse situations within my circle of friends, so I can’t complain. We’ll get through just fine.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving, so in the celebration of the season, I am listing five things I am grateful for this November:

1. Great Health – something we tend to take for granted.
2. College tests, applications and acceptances – my daughter has been accepted at Michigan State and is still applying to other colleges.
3. Good friends – whether near or far, web-based or not (I don’t want to use the term virtual friend, as they are as real as it gets), the support of friends conquers all.
4. Ample resources – in the US, we have access to so much.
5. Warm, cozy socks. I’m partial to Smart Wool socks. Unfortunately, my kids love them too and my daughter takes mine all the time, leaving me with cold, cotton socks. Fortunately, I recently received a coupon for a 20% discount. I hear they make great stocking stuffers....

And a photo to share - a kaleidoscope of colors, one of the first photos taken with my new iPhone 6!



Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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My Eyes, Corrected

Over a year ago, I posted this photo about my eyes:


Yesterday, I finally took the plunge, went under a laser and had my vision corrected.

Less than 24 hours since the "procedure" (my hubby won't let me say the word "surgery") and I am completely amazed by the result.

How bad was my eyesight? My last corrective lens prescription was -8.0 diopters in the left eye and -8.5 in the right eye. Can you say "blind as a bat"? Legally blind, it concerned me that if I were ever in a situation where I lost my glasses / contacts, I would be completely debilitated. To me, this was the deciding factor.

Will I miss the blur? I mimicked my uncorrected eyesight in this photo, looking outside at a tree and the cul de sac from inside the house:


So far I haven't. I can see rather clearly and each hour, the haze that was present after the procedure continues to fade.

I had to take a picture to remember this event - a not so flattering but real picture of me this morning, before I was allowed to remove the "ski goggles" required post procedure.



On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am thankful for my eyes and the technology that restored my vision.

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Waves in the Heartland

In the middle of land locked Illinois, the only waves we really get to see on routine basis - the gentle waves of prairie grass swaying in the breeze.



We've been enjoying another warm spell - it was warm enough this morning to wear shorts while running (well, at 45DegF it was warm enough for me). The morning sun is so luminescent on days like today.



Today, I'm thankful for the beautiful weather and the beautiful light.



Linked up today with Deb Duty and This or That Thursday.

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Gratitude - The Beauty Around Us

A couple years ago, I participated in a November Gratitude Meme - each day posting about something I was grateful for, leading up to the celebration of Thanksgiving.

While I'm probably not going to post about gratitude every day, I do wake up every morning and thank God for all that He has blessed us with.
Whenever I'm not feeling so nice (and my kids think that is all the time, LOL), I try to remind myself of all I should be grateful for.
Like the beauty of the common things around us.



Sometimes that beauty is hard to see - sometimes you have to consciously go looking for it. But it's there.



I hope you find the simple beauty around you today.

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Weekly Gratitude - Dishes [Routine]

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Weekly Gratitude - Catching Up

I've been behind creating my Weekly Gratitude posts. I hope to get caught up this weekend, and in the meantime, have two Gratitude pictures to share, using May's theme of "Body"





I enjoyed digging these photos out, even though they were taken less than a month ago.

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Weekly Gratitude - Running Ability

This month's Gratitude theme is "Body", something I know we need day in and day out, although sometimes it doesn't want to get out of bed!

I blogged a little about running on my other blog last week, and every time I go out for a run, I am always grateful my knees and feet still allow the constant pounding of the pavement. Not everyone is so lucky.

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Weekly Gratitude - Fragrant Flowers

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Weekly Gratitude - Longer Days

I think everyone appreciates the longer days Spring brings. The kids, dogs, families all migrate outside and the neighborhood is filled with sounds of fun.

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Weekly Gratitude - Spring Has Sprung

A beautiful time of rebirth and renewal. I think the long cold winter has resulted in the most spectacular blooms this spring.

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Weekly Gratitude - The Backyard

I'm slightly behind on my Weekly Gratitude postings, but hope to get somewhat caught up this weekend. March's gratitude theme was [home] and I intend to pull together at least one more page for that. April's theme is [spring] which I will start this weekend.



For more information on this project, head over to the Weekly Gratitude blog.

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Weekly Gratitude - The Basement [Home]

I am late on my Weekly Gratitude entries, but I intend to catch on last week's missed entry. This month's theme is "home":



The picture is a 5 picture panoramic of the "media" portion of the basement. No big screen TV or projector, but it meets our needs perfectly.

It's not too late to join in on Weekly Gratitude. You can find resources, templates and inspiration at Karen and Lori's site and flickr group. Hope to see you there!

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77/365 - Texting Stuff

Erica wanted some "cool" backgrounds for her cell phone, so she downloaded this Backgrounds App to my phone and she texted the from my phone to hers (after checking with me first, as I don't have a text plan).



I like this one she picked out:

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Weekly Gratitude - Home

In my Weekly Gratitude page, I mention the song, Are We There Yet, by Ingrid Michaelson. While I have posted the full lyrics here, the full effect of the song can only truly be appreciated by listening to it with the music, so I've embedded the song as well.

They say that home is where the heart is
I guess I haven't found my home
And we keep driving round in circles
Afraid to call this place our own

And are we there yet?

They say there's linings made of silver
Folded inside each raining cloud
Well, we need someone to deliver
Our silver lining now

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
Home, home, home
Home, home, home

They say you're really not somebody
Until somebody else loves you
Well, I am waiting to make somebody
Somebody soon

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
Home, home, home
Home, home, home

Where you will lie on the rug
While I play with the dog
And it won't be too much
'Cause this is too much
'Cause this is too much for me to hold
This is too much for me to hold

Home, home, home
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?

Home, home, home
Home, home, home, home

And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there yet?
And are we there?

Are We There Yet by Ingrid Michaelson

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56/365 and Weekly Gratitude - a Capella CDs

I loaned these CDs to a friend about a year ago and this week she returned them to me. Even though I had ripped and put all the songs on my iPod, the physical CDs reminded me of all the time, work, hours and dedication it took to create these recordings.



Even though I own all the studio recordings by The Chorallaries of MIT, the first two albums were just that - vinyl albums. Just two weeks ago, I received the digital versions of these two albums. I hadn't heard some of these songs in twenty years, yet, I could still sing my part to most of the songs from the first album:


So this little stack makes my Weekly Gratitude Entry:

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Weekly Gratitude - Lavender

A favorite scent - so relaxing and soothing.


I even planted several Lavender plants in front of the house. In the summer, I can reach for a flower or even a stem, crush it lightly and enjoy the fragrance.

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Weekly Gratitude - Hubby Scott

I felt it to be appropriate to devote this week's Gratitude Post to my Hubby, Scott.



Case in point - he'll be heading out tomorrow morning to pick up Brian at 7am! He's not even a morning person, but he's been training for a half marathon, getting up at the wee hours of the morning to hit the gym. I'm grateful that he'll be able to make the pick up, allowing me to sleep in.

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Weekly Gratitude - My Daily Cup

The Gratitude Theme for February is Soul.

What is good for your soul? How do you take time to replenish your soul? How do you take time for yourself? This month is dedicated to those little things that lift your soul a teeny tiny bit (or maybe a lot)

.

This week, I'm grateful for my daily cup of coffee - it is something that I enjoy, is something just for me.


Adherence to the monthly theme is purely optional, the main goal with these weekly challenges is to focus on gratitude. If you want to join in, check out Weekly Gratitude

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Weekly Gratitude - Music

I post frequently about my love of music. It's one of those universal that spans cultures, languages and generations.

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Weekly Gratitude - 3pm Quitting Time

Not only do I love my job, I get to leave at 3pm every day, which allows me to spend more time with my kids and help keep things organized at home.

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