New daylight savings, new month, new motivation

It seems like with spring being just around the corner, my motivation is kicking up. Let's hope it stays that way!

1. I am SO thankful that the gov't has decided to extend daylight savings by a full month, starting it on March 11th this year. I was hoping they'd do it at the end of the season, but hey, beggars can't be choosy...lol.

2. I'm excited for it to be March already, because it's that much closer to gardening season!!! I get to order all my seeds and start planning my window boxes!

3. I have found a new sense of motivation. I don't know where it came from, but I can sense it, and I think I'm going to grab hold of it and not let go this time...

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Personal, hubby's conversation, the future

No Three Thanks y'day, it was a very rough day.

1. This first one is personal, and will remain cryptic: I am incredibly thankful, even in this instance, that this experience is nothing at all like my previous experience. Even regarding this situation, I still remain thankful for the experience being so much less than it was last time. I am also thankful for the new person I spoke with about it, and for their caring and concern, and for doing what needed to be done the first time without my asking. I felt completely taken care of. Thank you.

2. I am grateful fo the conversation my husband had with his friend about visualization and the law of attraction. I believe it has opened up many doors for us, for our future... thank you.

3. I am grateful to have a future in which to create an awesome life, even with its ups and downs. The future holds nothing but infinite possibility for me, and I look forward to the incredible things that are destined to happen for me!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

A sturdy constitution, BRAT, my life

I neglected to post yesterday for no other reason than the fact that I gave so many thanks outside of this blog, that I just didn't know which ones to write down...lol. Next time I'll come here first and just repeat the ones I write here during the day with the rest.

1. I am so incredibly grateful for my steady, sturdy "constitution". Yesterday I was able to keep my food from going right through me, and for that I am very grateful.

2. I am sooooo thankful for whoever created the "BRAT" diet for "getting things more solid again"...lol.. This diet consists of Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. It works just as well as Imodium AD!

3. Again I give thanks for the amazing and blessed life that I am living. every minute is a miracle, and I am so thankful for all that I have been soooo incredibly blessed with in my life. It's amazing to see how far you can come, and how much you can have, in such a short time. I can't wait to see what the Universe has in store for me next (part of it I already know about, and I'm soooo excited!!!!!)....

What re YOU grateful for?

(Tell me in your comments)

Not obsessing, no fever, the OK song

1. Wow - I made a realization just now that I have stopped obsessing about things that I once previously obsessed about until I was practically in need of being medicated...lol. I don't have that stress anymore, and I don't have enough gratitude to express for this one, this one is huge. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

2. I am very grateful that my fever is gone!!!

3. Wednesday when I was horribly sick, I didn't know how I was going to drive all the way home without being sick again (not to mention that my stomach cramps were so painful). I am not a religious person, but I found God in my Durango that day (lol) when I started praying out loud because the pain was so bad (for those of you not "in the know", I had a horrible stomach virus). I asked for help to just get me through it, and it came in the most strange way. I almost immediately started repeating to myself over and over again, "Every little thing is gonna be ok". Ten minutes into driving home, I started singing it in all different ways. I sang the crap outta that little line (it was a stomach virus, but no pun intended...lol!). I realized when I was 2/3 of the way home, that I felt sooooo much better in comparison to how I felt when I'd left work. I made it home without issue, but as soon as I got home, my body "unleashed". I had evilness happening on both ends, for HOURS. I started singing my "OK" song, and it really did get better. Even if all it did was serve to take my mind off of the pain, then it was what I needed! I am INCREDIBLY grateful for that!!!!!!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Sickness stopped, ginger ale, hubby

1. I am sooooo thankful that my 24 hour stomach bug is over. It was a ROUGH night, to say the least!

2. I am forever grateful for the creator of ginger ale, due to the above mentioned sickness, and the way ginger ale helps me feel better!

3. I am ETERNALLY grateful to have my selfless husband, who runs around getting things for me when I'm sick... he is THE BEST!!!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Intuition, Second chances, and my fabulous life!

1. I am so, so, so, so, so grateful for the intuition I have about my own body, and what's going on inside of it. I am also greatful for the technologies that confirm my intuitive thoughts!

2. The Universe has always given me a second chance at some things that I knew I'd do differently if the opportunity arose. I am incredibly thankful for all of my second chances!!!

3. I have the most fabulous life!!! I am SOOOO blessed, it's AMAZING!!! And the best part is that it just keeps getting better!!! I am forever grateful for this wonderful life I live!!!

What are YOU grateful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

5 minutes, bed, tomorrow is Wednesday

Quick one today, as I'm exhausted from a night of insomnia coupled with a crazy work day:

1. I am eternally grateful that my work day will be officially over in 5 minutes and I will be on my way home...lol

2. I am so thankful for my comfy bed, which I will flop down upon as soon as I get home

3. I'm sooo happy that tomorrow is the middle of the week already, leaving only two days after that til the weekend!!!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Good sleep, my hat, slow work days

1. Lastnight I went to bed at 10:30 instead of my usual 1am (or later). I slept all the way to 9am, when hubby actually had to physically wake me up. I RARELY get such a good nights sleep, but I've been extremely tired this week and I guess this is what I needed (although I could probably sleep even more!). I am REALLY thankful for getting such a great nights rest.

2. See, I have this hat. I crocheted it, copying one that I saw an old woman wearing a few years ago. I'd stopped her at the mall to ask about the hat and she told me she'd made it nearly 40 years ago when she was in her 20's, and she has never gotten so many compliments on a hat before. Well, I made one similar, and now I get compliments on mine, too. But better than that, is that it keeps me SO WARM! I have been wearing it all day, keeping warm in my cold office. I'm thankful for running into that woman and being able to crochet a hat just like it, but I'm more thankful for the 2 years of use I've gotten out of it! (I'll try to post a pic later!)

3. Today is Presidents day and I am at work. Thankfully, we deal with mostly lawfirms, and many are CLOSED! I am thankful to have such a slow workday after a four day weekend!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Cooking, Dyson, and Gardening

1. For 11 years I worked in restaurants, from TGIFridays to Fine Dining. During those years, I never needed to know how to cook because I was always eating at work. However after I quit the restaurant gig, I started teaching myself. I've made many mistakes along the way, but each one was a learning experience that proved to be invaluable. Now, I'm happy to say that I'm a really great cook. Like music, I can just tell what flavors go together, like blending an orchestra of different instruments. Being a musician, I have always thought of food and music as being very similar in the way they are constructed. The thing that's funny though is that I started my quest to cook by watching Emeril Lagasse. After watching a few shows, I learned that he had two career paths to choose from: go to cooking school, or study - under a full scholarship - at Berkeley School for Music (in Boston) for percussion. He chose to become a chef, and said it was a very hard decision. He too made the analogy of cooking and music, stating they are both "art". He is sooooo very right. I think it's why I'm a good cook, because I am an artist at heart. Which brings me to last nights meal: Guinness Corned Beef. I got the recipe off Allrecipes.com, and I tweaked it a bit based on recommendations in the reviews. It was outstanding! I am so thankful for this creative talent I have.

2. A few years ago we needed a new vacuum, and I wanted one that would successfully pick up cat hair. There was a new, strange looking one out on the market that claimed to be the best at getting rid of any remnants of animal hair, so I looked into it. Having 4 cats, it seemed to be the answer to our prayers... only it was $500. So, I sucked it up (no pun intended), and decided that if I didn't like it, I'd return it. After tax, it came to $550, which is by far, more than any human should have to pay for a freaking vacuum, right? And which vacuum was it? It was the Dyson Animal. Is it worth the $550? Nope... it's worth $550,000!!!! This thing is AMAZING... I am ridiculously grateful to the developer of this product, because it's truly the first vacuum I've ever owned that has successfully gotten rid of cat hair!

3. To say I'm an avid gardener is an understatement. I have always felt more comfortable in nature than I have anywhere else, to the point that I have a tattoo on my ankle in Chinese that reads, "Mother Nature". I'm not great gardener yet because I'm too impatient. However I've really only had 3 years to "practice" and study up on different plants that will work in my zone, so I guess there's still time to become a master gardener yet. Like Food and music, gardening takes skill, perseverance, patience, and a know-how for blending visually complimentary plants. The only added bonus that makes it especially hard for me is the scientific info regarding the climate it needs in which to best grow. My yard has everything in it: shade, full sun, clay soil, rich soil, wet areas, dry areas... And I have to somehow find plants for each of these areas and combine them in such a way that one won't grow taller than another, and the colors match, and what's harder is that I plant mainly for hummingbirds and butterflies, which also limits me. But as I sat this morning, analyzing my seed and plant catalogs, the fire gets burning in me to start my days outside at 6am and end when I can't see my hand in front of my face (and yes, I do spend my weekends like that, and I wouldn't have it any other way!). I am grateful for the land I have to grow on, grateful for the beautiful plants I already have planted, grateful for the peace it gives me while I'm (quite literally) breaking my back doing it all, thankful for the exercise I get while doing it, and extremely grateful for a husband who tolerates my fetish for all things that grow when he really doesn't care for it at all, and yet he still helps me all day long... That is true love!

So, what are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Pillows, not-frozen pipes, and Saturday

1. The pillows at Harrah's in Atlantic City were awful. I usually bring at least one of my own, but I forgot. Lastnight when I was getting into bed at home, I was sooo happy to lay my head (and aching neck) down on a comfy pillow. I have the most confortable pillows on the face of the planet, and I am grateful for them!

2. When we ran the water lastnight, barely anything out come out of the tap. We tried the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, and the shower, all with the same results. We also couldn't get any hot water out of them for about 15 minutes, and even then, it was a trickle. The first thing I thought was that our pipes were frozen. So we left them running with the trickle coming out of them and sat bak down on the sofa. I got up to check them 10 minutes later and nothing had changed. For some reason I thought "what if it's the water pressure and not frozen pipes" and told hubby "you know, what if they're like this because there's a broken pipe outside and there's water leaking all under the house?" So he got dressed and went out there, and although there was no broken pipe (which is fabulous!), the hose had never been shut off and the quick-release ring around the top had popped off, and water was gushing out of the spigot! We have no idea how long this went on for because we hadn't been home in a day and a half, but we were grateful that it wasn't something worse! As soon as he turned it off, the water coming out of the faucets went full-blast :)

3. Because we took Thursday and Friday off, Hubby and I are all cockeyed about what day it is. Lastnight, we kept thinking it was Sunday, and I had to keep reminding him that tomorrow would be Saturday. This morning when I got up, I was so out of it I couldn't remember what day it was either, and then when I remembered it was Saturday, I was overjoyed with the thought that we still have the entire weekend!!! Yay!!!

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Fast, Neil the Deal, Henry

1. I'm very grateful that I am one of those women who can be ready in 15 minutes. I'm especially grateful for that now becuase in exactly 14 minutes we're supposed to leave for Atlantic City! I have to get a move-on, because I'm sitting here in my jammies!!!

2. Neil the Deal is our accountant. He is fabulous because he finds money that I didn't know existed, hence the nickname "Neil The Deal". I and very thankful to have found him!

3. My experience with Henry

*** edited to say it was 6:46 wen I wrote #1. It is now 7:10 and I (showered lastnight) have brushed my teeth, got dressed, packed my clothes and checked my bank statement, all in about 20 mins! ***

There will be no written Three Thanks tomorrow as I will not have access to a computer. PLEASE feel free to leave your Three Thanks tomorrow in this post! :)

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in the comments!)

Days off, Birds, and Love

1. Today is my last day of work before having a 4 day weekend! I am so thankful to have this little mini-vacation, even though we're only going to Atlantic City for a day and a half. It'll be nice to have the two days off and then have the weekend too! I'm grateful to have the days off!

2. I have bird feeders in my backyard and this morning, in the middle of the sleet and freezing rain storm, I looked out and saw tons of birds flying all around my yard and eating from the feeders. Sometimes in the summer I'll sit there in the mornings with my coffee or tea, watching them through my sliding glass doors. I could watch them literally for hours if I didn't have something else to do. Watching them is like meditation! I'm thankful to have such beautiful birds in my area, that also put me in such a great, calm mood.

3. Being Valentines day, I must tell you that this is just like any other day for us. I realized why it is that Hubby and I don't really celebrate it: we have Valentines Day EVERY day! In past relationships, the guys I was with would usually go out of their way to get flowers and cards, take me out to dinner, be extra sweet, etc.. But this is how my marriage is EVERY DAY. So to do that today would be... trite. But I would rather have Valentines day everyday than to celebrate once a year. I am soooo grateful for my wonderful husband who is my forever Valentine :)

What are YOU thankful for?

(Tell me in your comments!)

Sleep, Cuddling, and The Secret

1. I am so grateful that I slept all through the night, hard as a rock, without waking up once. This is not something I do often, but I sure needed it lastnight so I'm thankful that I got a sound nights sleep!

2. Whenever I do wake up, be it in the morning or in the dead of night, if I inch my way over to Hubby's side of the bed and come within reaching distance, he will always wrap his arm across the top of me and drape his leg over mine, even while in a deep sleep (I'm telling you, the smoke detector could go off and he wouldn't move). He does this every time, even when he's not facing me - he'll sense me there and turn around. I love that he does this, and sometimes he WILL wake up and we'll chat for a few minutes and then go back to sleep. He's always happy to see me when he opens his eyes first thing in the morning and is NEVER a grumpy riser. For this I am eternally grateful, as it's always a fabulous start to every day.

3. The Secret is something that many of you may already be familiar with (especially since Oprah featured it on ehr show last week). If not, you can go to the icon in my sidebar and check it out. I am so incredibly grateful to The Secret and the principles and teachings of it. Because of watching this 90 minute movie, it has explained to me why certain things ahve happened in my life, and it has restored faith in me that life is just fabulous (not that I didn't think it was to begin with, because I did... this is just a new level I've never felt before). I live my life now, everyday, as if I'd hit the lottery. It is amazing stuff, and I am thankful for having found it 4 months ago. It has truly changed my life, our lives, and I just can't wait to see what's in store for me down the road.. it's full of wonderful things, I just know it!

What are you thankful for?

(Tell me in the comments!)

Today's Three Thanks

If you are new here, please read the first post before anything else... then come back here and tell me what you're thankful for :)

As I sit here, I know I have lots to be grateful for but nothing is running up to me and hitting me in the head. So I will sit from where I'm at and look around, and make my list from what I see around me:

1. My cats. I have 4 cats that are just unbeliveable. They each have very different personalities and they each are just like little people. I have one that loves ice cream and sleeps btwn Hubby and I every night. She meows so much that we changed her name, after 5 or 6 years, to Meems, which evolved out of calling her Meow because she is incessantly talking to you at all times. I have another, Poagie (like Hoagie) who was very sick as a kitten and had respiratory problems. He now purrs like a pigeon (not kidding), only it's 3x as loud. I have been on the phone with customer service people and they have asked me "do you have a bird?" and I tell them "no, it's my cat here on my lap". This has happened at least 10 times. I have another named Harley who likes to dip her paw into the water bowl over and over again, licking the water off each time. She also loves to lay spread-eagle in the middle of wherever you need to be standing. And when she isn't laying in your way, she stands there at your feet, and must always have one of her back feet on top of your foot. And lastly, the youngest, Google... He likes to play fetch just like a Chocolate Lab would (not kidding, even waits for you to throw the toy by looking in the direction it's headed). He also meows specifically for attention, and when our alarm clock goes off, he comes from wherever he is in the house and jumps on the bed. Next, he meows at me to wake me up so I can move the pillow I'm hugging and make room for him to "spoon". He will curl up in that little area under my arm and up against my chest and rest his head on my arm like it was a pillow. We sleep there for about another 10 minutes til he alarm goes off again. He does this 5-6 mornings out of the week. I love them all and they have brought immeasurable amounts of joy to my life!

2. My ability to type fast. Sometimes I'll be emailing back and forth with someone and the email ends up being 7 huge paragraphs long by the time I'm done with it. But it's only because I type really fast. And, I type/write like I speak, so I never abbreviate or edit what it is I'm trying to say, I just put it all out there. I am grateful for the ability to articulate in the written word so accurately because I type so fast and have the time to get all the words in there!

3. My beautiful floors. When Hubby and I bought this house, it was covered in wall-to-wall light gray carpeting that looked as if it had been installed 50 years ago (because it was THAT gross). Due to his unbelievable allergies, we knew we were getting rid of all of it. So only 1 hour after closing on the house and getting the keys, we started ripping it up. What we put in it's place was 1,200 sq. ft. of laminate (Pergo-like) flooring, and we did it all by ourselves (Hubby was a great assistant!). The flooring only came to about $2,000 for the entire house, and we had the whole thing done in about a week (working all day and night), doing one room a day and then taking breaks to do other things as well. People are still amazed that we did them all ourselves, because they're just THAT gorgeous... go ahead and see for yourself what a difference it made in our house! I sure am one lucky gal to have such low-maintenance floors!

What are you thankful for?

(tell me in the comments)

The first post of Three Thanks: The Big Ones

My first Three Thanks:

1. My family, especially my incredible husband

2. My health. Even though it's not perfect, I am alive and walking and talking and breathing all by myself. I am truly blessed.

3. My wonderful house. I grew up in the same house for most of my life. I left home when I was 17 because I knew everything. Subsequently, I spent the next 17 years in apartments or sharing homes with roomates, and moved almost 30 times. I always wanted to just stop moving and stop living with transient people, and dreamed of owning a house one day, even though I had no money. However, I had faith that it could still be done, and with much luck and a little digging, I managed to buy my home with a $3k cash advance on a credit card and no money down. In the first year, its value increased by $125k. It's small, it's beautiful, and it's fabulous, and I am overjoyed with and extremely proud of my home.

What are you thankful for?

(tell me in your comments)

The Story of Three Thanks

Today I embark upon something I've been wanting to do for a very long time...

Hello, and welcome to Three Thanks. This is a blog where, everyday, I will post three things I am grateful for. I have very many things to be thankful for in my life, but I will limit it to three because I want you all to join with me and list your Three Thanks in the comments. This blog has nothing to do with religion at all. I am not religious nor does it require you to be or not be religious to participate in leaving your Three Thanks in the comments. All are welcome here - the more diverse, the better. By listing your Three Thanks, you not only get to participate in your own gratitude, but you get to remind me of things I may have forgotten about. If you have a great link you'd like to share, please do so. If you have a bible verse, or some type of scripture that you would like to share in regards to being grateful or giving thanks, then please feel free to share that as well. Comments will be moderated and no negativity will ever reach the public - at least not through this blog! Your answers can be one-liners or in paragraph form - there is no restriction or limit on how to be grateful :)

I started this blog because I have become aware of the fact that one cannot receive new blessings in their life without being fully grateful for the things they already have. And, although I've definitely been grateful in recent years, I haven't ever stated it aloud and in the written form, those things that I give thanks for. Some may look at their life and find little to be thankful for, however, it is this act of not being grateful for even the smallest of things that keeps you stuck with only that which you currently have in your life.

The idea for this started out of my wanting to be grateful for something, so as to not focus on the negative. I was going through a very, very rough time recently, and out of the blue one night at dinner, through tears, I said to my husband, "I'd like to say at least three thanks for things we are grateful for in spite of everything that's going on". Now, we were not Grace-saying people prior to this evening at all, but I knew he'd be open to it without a doubt. And, when he looked at me after I'd said it, I knew he was in total agreement that it was a fabulous idea, even while in one of the most trying of situations in our lives. It helped us become more positive in that moment, and in each moment since.

I wish for my very full and joyful life to have even more in it, and thus I wish to state to the world what it is I'm grateful for, and I hope you join me as well...