Day 97 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I can (usually) go to bed at ridiculously early times (like 8:30) if I want.
2. I'm grateful that I have a lot of good friends in the organization I founded over 10 years ago.  Met some awesome people along the way.
3. I'm grateful for tomato-cucumber salads.  I've been having a lot of them lately.  So easy to make and super yummy.

Day 96 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for days when I can spend hours and hours sorting supplies.
2. I'm grateful there are places I can destash all the supplies I no longer use.
3. I'm grateful for generous people who offer their time and knowledge to help others learn skills they might otherwise not have a chance to learn.

Day 95 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for people who enjoy my cooking.
2. I'm grateful for friends who trust me to make the jewelry they want.
3. I'm grateful for being able to put my computer to sleep once in a while when I'm too tired to save all the things I've left open on it. 

Day 94 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I got to watch Gabe play hockey tonight (not may of UCLA's games are streamed).
2. I'm even more grateful I got to watch UCLA win in a shootout.
3. I'm also grateful that ferric chloride makes it so easy to etch copper.  Silver, on the other hand, is another matter (that I'm still working on).

Day 93 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I've been able to avoid wheat (and sugar and processed foods) this week without too much trouble.
2. I'm grateful that I can renew library books over the internet.
3. I'm grateful for the huge collection of reference books I've accumulated over the years.

Day 92 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for safe travels.
2. I'm grateful for so many food options at nearby stores.
3. I'm grateful for the cookbook Forks Over Knives.

Day 91 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I got my newsletter out with only one hiccup.  Here's the sale I was telling you about last night.  Click here
2. I'm grateful for beautiful weather today.  A little cold, but a break from the rain.  Not that I begrudge the rain.... very happy to have it.  Just also happy for sunny days once in a while in between.
3. I'm grateful for figuring out how to cook in my non-stick pan and actually have things not stick for a change.  Maybe it was a fluke... maybe it was the crap ton of oil I used.  Future experiments may bare out the truth.

Day 90 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I've been able to do my gratefuls consistently for 90 days.  Whoohoo!
2. I'm grateful I finally finished getting the outlet section of my shop ready for the big flash sale next Monday (maybe I'll mention the details in tomorrow's blog.... kinda tired right now).
3. I'm grateful for hot showers.  This is probably a repeat grateful, but what can I say... I enjoy them. 

Day 89 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for really good wild rice soup.  I didn't know that wild rice isn't really rice... maybe it's related to rice.  But it's technically some kind of grass.  And black rice isn't the same as wild rice.  The color is the same but if you see the two up close you can see that wild rice looks like long skinny pieces something and black rice looks like dyed rice.
2. I'm grateful I've got a ton of stuff to destash and all kinds of places to try destashing it.
3. I'm grateful for recently discovering the Smithsonian channel.  Lots of documentaries on there... one of my favorites.

Day 88 Gratefuls

What made me happy today?

1. I'm grateful that I made a new recipe today and it turned out yummy.  I should put my recipes somewhere... on my other blog or something.
2. I'm grateful that there's always some documentary to watch while I'm doing dishes or cutting up vegetables.  Yeah, I know... I'm supposed to be "in the moment"... but I get seriously bored washing dishes and would rather be entertained while I'm doing it...so I'm grateful for all the cool documentaries that Netflix streaming offers.
3. I'm grateful for a rainy winter because it means I'm less static-y.

Day 87 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that going to the dentist is not a horrible experience.  The people at my dentist's office are so nice and we always talk about jewelry making.
2. I'm grateful that my daughter's hockey team doesn't have to travel during the blizzard this weekend (and send good thoughts to those teams who do).
3. I'm grateful for the abundance of good food in the house (trying wild rice for the first time today).

Day 86 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for my local post office... which is a wee little thing... I'm in a wee little town.  I feel fortunate that we warrant a post office.
2. I'm grateful for lucking onto a used kiln last year.  So so lucky!  It's nice having a front loader.
3. I'm grateful for winter fruit.  Picked the last of the mandarins finally.  There are still more on the tree but I can't reach them.  The grapefruit tree still has a TON of fruit on it... they fall in the wind then we just collect them.

Day 85 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that my friends and family seem to like my cooking for the most part.
2. I'm grateful that I can sleep in if I need to on occasion.
3. I'm grateful that despite a few soldering setbacks, I was able to create two pair of earrings I'm proud of this week.  I showed you the first pair yesterday.  Here is the second pair.

Day 84 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for Goodwill's holiday 50% off days.  I got a neat bird bath thing.
2. I'm grateful for discovering the Smithsonian channel on DirectTV... some cool documentaries there.
3. I'm grateful that even though it was a really challenging day for soldering, I think I managed to get a pair of earrings done... and I rather like them.  Just need to polish them up tomorrow and add dangles.

Day 83 Gratitudes

1. I'm grateful for another fabulous phone conversation with my daughter this morning.  Great way to start the day.
2. I'm grateful that I got to stay in the house today... it rained nonstop all day long.
3. I'm grateful that for one my vision and my end product were fairly close.  Here are the earrings I made today... and this was pretty much what I envisioned.

Day 82 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I got to see one of Monica's best games of the season.
2. I'm grateful for good company and good food at lunch today.
3. I'm grateful for being able to spend time making a plan of action for 2016.

Day 81 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for simple evenings with friends, sharing food and watching tv.
2. I'm grateful for rain in California.  I know we keep hearing how no matter what, it's not enough... but hey, isn't SOME rain better than NO rain?
3. I'm grateful for community college.

Day 80 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for garage sales and good friends to accompany you.
2. I'm grateful for romaine lettuce.
3. I'm grateful for Jasper.  I *think* specifically Picture Jasper, but I'm not really sure... Jasper is one of those things.

Day 79 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I got seven rings photographed and listed.
2. I'm grateful my kids say goodnight to me (almost) every night... even if there's a wee delay at times.
3. I'm grateful for all the funny, cool, helpful, and interesting things my friends share on Facebook.

Day 78 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for going back to the store and finding that one thing I should have got when I was there the first time... still there. 
2. I'm grateful for going to bed every night... it's such a joy... the fluffy blankets, the cool sheets, the heap of pillows, a good book, and no alarm clock... MMMmmmmmm
3. I'm grateful for chirpy cats.  I dunno... something I like about a cat with a good talking chirp.

Day 77 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that with all the rain we're getting this month, it was perfect weather for my outing with a friend today.
2. I'm grateful for all the awesome finds we discovered shopping today.
3. I'm grateful for the yummy lunch we had at Awful Annie's... wow, what a menu they have!

Day 76 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful I have friends who allow me to share their birthdays with them... that's a special day, y'know.
2. I'm grateful I was able to use a ladder, a rope, and a lot of nerve to try to pick the last of the mandarins today.
3. I'm grateful that the local Costco just opened a gas station.

Day 75 Gratefuls

My apologies for this blog being rather pithy lately.  This week was a bit trying... December was a bit hectic.... I have a lot to say, things to share, photos to show... but I need to catch my breath first.  :-)

1. I'm grateful for loving my job.
2. I'm grateful that rabies vaccination no longer consists of 15 painful shots into the abdomen.
3. I'm grateful for finding the book Forks Over Knives (the recipes that are a follow up to the documentary, I guess) for ten cents at a garage sale.  Tonight I made the bean and rice casserole... it was yummy!

Day 74 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for super awesome supportive friends.
2. I'm grateful when I have to go someone and my car has plenty of gas.
3. I'm grateful for Costco's frozen mango chunks.

Day 73 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to eat healthy food.
2. I'm grateful that (again) both my kids called on the same day, within minutes of each other.
3. I'm grateful that the wireless speakers seem to be a solution to the corded ones that were driving me nuts in the living room. 

Day 72 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I feel much better today (no more Td-induced flu-like symptoms and I can now raise my arm to shoulder height).
2. I'm grateful that I wasn't teaching today when we had the power outage and that it happened in the first part of the day (when there's more light in my east-facing windows) so I could see well enough to get a bit of work done.
3. I'm grateful that I don't have to take the tripod attachment off my new camera in order to change the battery (like I do with my older camera).

Day 71 Gratefuls

Today will be reaching.   But there should be at least three things I can find about today to be grateful for... even if it means relying on old standards (they are still true, after all).

1. I'm grateful that my cat didn't do the meowing in the middle of the night thing last night.  I didn't feel well and went to bed early (and slept late).  I was very pleased not to be getting up in the middle of the night to let someone either in or out.
2. I'm grateful for easy food when I don't feel like cooking... peanut butter on rice cakes, frozen soup broth, etc.
3. I'm grateful for cool night air when I feel feverish.

Day 70 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I get to spend a lot of time with each of my parents these days.  
2. I'm grateful that there's a B12 supplement I can take sublingually (I hate swallowing pills).
3. I'm grateful for days I get to stay in the house from dawn 'til dusk.

Day 69 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful that I live in a place where if I need a tetanus shot I can get it the same day.  
2. I'm grateful for eggplant casserole.  Always looking for new ways to cook eggplant.  This one had a layer of homemade polenta on top.
3. I'm grateful for those fun design challenge competition tv shows... Project Runway, Ellen's Design Challenge, etc.  They're entertaining, interesting, informative, and at times inspiring.

Day 68 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for watching my daughter get her 1000th career save (via live streaming).
2. I'm grateful for friends who keep me posted about their family goings on.  It's fun to know what people are up to, rooting for the kids, commenting on the cats, looking at beautiful scenery images of their vacations, etc.
3. I'm grateful for getting better at certain metalsmithing techniques that I'm working on.  It's fun to get things to work out on the first attempt. 

Day 67 Gratefuls

1. I'm grateful for finding a shirt ont he 75% off rack at Macy's that actually fit... and then having the clerk give me an additional 20% off (I have no idea why).  So I got a lovely maroon cotton winter sweater/shirt for $9.
2. I'm grateful for a clean kitchen.  Hopefully soon every room will be clean and organized, but there's got to be a starting point.  
3. I'm grateful for henna.  Okay, so far it's an absolute disaster trying to apply it, but the affect of henna is awesome and I love the "no chemicals" part.  I just need to keep trying to perfect a system of using it.