wordless wednesday:: opening ceremonies

currents:: november

considering cutting my hair a few inches. i love the medium, all one length style but don't want to regret losing the long layers i have.

resisting busting into the halloween candy that is in the fridge in the garage.

working out 4-5 times a week. last week i went to the gym m-f and then ran 3.2 miles on saturday with a friend.

getting ready for the 5k.

listening to words to see what jumps out at me for next year's one little word.  i have two of them in mind right now.

deciding on what products i want to use for project life 2012.

thinking about going on a photography scavenger hunt this week.

dealing with a broken iphone. dropped it glass down on the driveway.

wishing i could walk into the apple store and bring home an iphone 4s.

excited about dancing the night away on friday at our cousin's wedding.

laughing at the thought of sofia with no front teeth.  she lost another one.

remembering the quote from our yoga instructor this morning: if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.  we had an intense class today so those were the right words to leave us with.

looking into taking a web design class.

sad that my fantasy football team lost over the weekend.  i think i'm getting a little ocd about the whole thing.

referring to that quote again.

craving a big bowl of red grapes.

planning the food portion of grandparents day at our school.  i love baked goods!

enjoying the day!  have a good one.

weekly menu:: week 45

butternut squash soup

another fun week is ahead for us.
opening ceremonies for the olympics at our school, defense team of mock trial competes, a wedding, the finals of the swim meets.
it means dinners around here will be easy.

making this week:
monday:  mac and cheese, salad
tuesday: chicken and corn chowder
wednesday: potato gnocchis with tomato sauce, salad
thursday: salmon, hummus and goat cheese salad
friday:  wedding
saturday: date night - sushi
sunday: ??

baking this week:
i didn't have a chance to make the pumpkin pull apart bread from last week, so i'm making it this week instead.

from last week:
the butternut squash soup was amazing.  we loved it and had it for lunch the over the weekend.
the applesauce was also very good and so easy to make in the crock pot.
friday night i was not into making pizza so we had egg burritos for dinner.
saturday the camp out was cancelled because of the rain.  we ended up going to a friends' house and having pizza.
sunday night we decided on take out from the mexican place in our neighborhood.

that's how it usually goes for us over the weekend.  i try to be flexible about what i make in case things change, and they usually do.

five on friday:: gratitude projects

i wanted to share with you a few things you can do to express your gratitude.  some of these i have done.  some i will be doing this year.  and some are just plain cute.

1. a gratitude journal

probably the easiest and simplest way to keep a record of all that you are thankful for.  you need a little notebook and a pen.  try and write something everyday, or every chance you get.  you'll be surprised how quickly it fills up. i used a moleskine kraft journal.  i glued pieces of scrapbook paper on top and added the word "gratitudes" on the side.  i use mine to keep gratitude quotes as well.

2. be thankful box

i made this one year that i was feeling very crafty.  i bought the box from michael's.  then i painted, stamped and covered it with scrapbooking paper.  you could just as easily use a simple pre-decorated box or even a jar.

i also made this tag book and put a picture of each of us.  on the back i wrote what each person was thankful for that year.  my goal was to do this every year and thus fill the box, but i moved on to other projects so this is the only book in the box right now.  i'll have to think of other things to fill it with.

3. a gratitude album

i loved this idea from cathy zielske.  last year i printed these simple thank you cards and placed them at each person's place setting.  then everyone wrote what they were thankful for on it.  i also took a picture of each person at dinner.  i printed the photos and place it on the empty space to the left and slipped them into a 4x6 photo album.  so simple.

4.  gratitude poster

photo from becky higgins

this idea came from becky higgins.  i loved it when i saw it so i am doing it this year.  a large white posterboard, letter stickers and a pen.  we will have it somewhere in the house where anyone can write a thank you when they feel inspired.   i hope to find a place to hang it all year long.  that way we can always be reminded of the things we are thankful for.  you can read more about it here and here.  and i will post mine as soon as i have it together.

5. thankful tree

Source: simplyvintagegirl.com via Gioconda on Pinterest

i love this.  and what a cute home decor item.  imagine having this at the dinner table on thanksgiving.  your guests can each write something on a leaf.  don't tell but i'm thinking of giving this as a gift to our thanksgiving dinner hosts this year.  i think they'll love it, don't you?

i hope i gave you some inspiration in case you were interested in doing a gratitude project.

have a great weekend.

on gratitude

Source: whatinspires.me via Gioconda on Pinterest

thank you.
gracias.
merci.
grazie.
a hug.
a written note.
an email.

i love all the ways of saying thank you.
i encourage my kids to say thank you.
i think it's so important to not just say the words but to have those words say something to the person they are intended for.

thank you for taking the time to think of me.
thank you for your thoughtfulness.
thank you for your help.

with that said, i am terrible at sending out thank you notes.
it's the procrastinator in me.
but i did start a project of collecting all of the thank you notes that we've received this year.
from friends, teachers, brides and mom's to be.

next year i will make it a point to be diligent about sending out thank you cards.
consider that my first goal for 2012.

november is the perfect month to be thinking about gratitude.
finding a moment everyday to give thanks and appreciate something small, or big.
maybe it's saying thank you to your kids for working hard at school.
or telling your husband you appreciate that he comes home from work and still has energy to spend with his kids.
what about just giving a moment to appreciate your home, the things you are able to own, your car that takes you from here to there.
we always say grace before we eat, but now i try to give thanks after i've eaten a good meal.

it doesn't take much to give thanks.
but it certainly gives back a lot.

thankful thought: today i am thankful for an unexpected day off.  andrew's fieldtrip was cancelled due to a forecast of rain.  that means that i was able to go to zumba, pick up pictures at costco, and work on a few things at home that i would have put off.  i am looking forward to going on the fieldtrip in january.

if you can find the time to be grateful, i think you can appreciate life even more.

wordless wednesday:: wicked fun

at the school halloween parade

at trunk or treat

on halloween night

{re}focus:: november

Source: tumblr.com via Gioconda on Pinterest

i seriously can't believe it.  only two months left in 2011.  once halloween is over everything seems to go by in a blur.  crazy that it's already november, huh?

but in a way it's kind of exciting.  goodness is coming.  time with family and friends.  days full of celebration and memories.  it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

i know this time can get hectic so i want to set some reasonable expectations.  my goals for this month consists of two things:

be grateful:: take time this month to truly be grateful. for the big and the small.  for the big moments and the little moments.  for those things i take for granted but i am truly so thankful for.  i'll be sharing some of those moments on the blog this month.  really looking forward to it.

finish what i started::  i set a lot of goals for myself over this year.  a lot of them are done, but i'm still working on others.  i want to go over my list and see what i can realistically achieve this month.  i'm not putting pressure on myself in  any way.  i'll only finish those things that i really care about.

that's it.

(my secret goal is to get my christmas shopping done by december 1st.  i'd love to spend all of december working on my december daily and enjoying the season.)

if you are setting goals let me know.  or if you want to share something you are thankful for today, please do.

today i am thankful for energy and motivation.  it's keeping me going and i love it.

happy november!!