Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

I'm thankful that:

• the only thing left on my to-do list for today is "Write Ten on Ten Blog Post," which of course is entirely optional. I like optional.
• a friend from college is coming over for dinner! We haven't seen each other in over eleven years. We met when I was an RA in her freshman dorm. I bet I could dig up some really great photos from that year!
• there is a fire ready to light in the fireplace. I'll be doing that pronto.
• I finished a humongous project today. Don't be too impressed; it involved making a weasel paper bag puppet. It feels good to be done, puppets or no puppets.
• I didn't have to wear a coat today! And it's November! And it's Wisconsin! I'm in love with the weather. Please don't go.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 10

Is it really November 10th already? Wowza. The month is one-third over and I feel like the only things I've expressed gratitude for are food, yoga, and more food. Oh, and knitting. I better get serious!

Last night, I was talking with a friend about how the items in my Thirty Days project seem kind of shallow, but then I stopped and realized that my goals in doing this are:

1. To recognize how lucky I am with everyday ordinary things, and
2. To blog more.

So I'll just keep going...

Today I'm thankful for:

• Remembering my camera so I can take pictures for Ten on Ten
• An item on my to-do list: "Get blog design." I'm serious. Know any good blog designers? I don't need anything fancy.
• A super-fun night ahead, full of dancing and laughing. Did I mention I joined a go-go dance group in August? I did. We meet on Wednesdays. Wednesdays rule. Well, almost as much as Tuesdays do.
• Coat-free November days (those are rare in Wisconsin!)

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

This morning, when the alarm clock started beeping, the first number on it was a 4. As in 4:40. Bleh. It was so dark outside, and it was so cozy in the bed... but I got up, made my oatmeal, packed up, and headed to 6am yoga. At the time, I would have loved to dive back in between the flannel sheets, but right now, I'm so glad I went to class. I go to hot yoga, and I always leave super sweaty and feeling awesome. Every time I go, I think, "I forgot how great this feels," even if it's only been a couple of days. If you've never been to a hot yoga class, let me tell you, it is a workout. Gentle stretching and deep breathing while soft music plays in the background? Nuh-uh.

Today I'm thankful for:

• My husband playing basketball in the morning while I sweat it out in the yoga studio... I'm so glad he has people to play with. He's recently started playing at our church, which is great. Selfishly, I hope this will help us meet more people there.
• A sudden, unexpected onslaught of cool people in my life.
• The holidays approaching (is it too early to put up a tree?)
• Free-range turkeys... I just ordered ours!
• Good books
• Hot tea
• Secret plans
• Giggling on the phone with BFFs
• Knitting! Tonight we're meeting at a coffee shop across the street from Trader Joe's. Which brings me to my next point...
• Trader Joe's, and the chance to go there tonight!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

Today I am thankful for:

• Rescued recipes... yesterday's butternut squash casserole in the pressure cooker turned out as soupy as can be, but with a few additions, it turned out to be delicious! Nothing like the picture in the cookbook, but that's okay.
• Dogs. Karl and I are working on getting one. We're a little lazy, which might explain why we haven't gotten one yet.
• Warm weather, even in Wisconsin in November. I took a walk at lunchtime and didn't even have to wear a jacket!
• Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. My favorite show, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, is now on CMT. We don't have cable, so thankfully it is online. You might think it sounds ridiculous, and it kind of is, but mostly it is awesome.
• My bank. I just got a new debit card in the mail, and it has the same number as my old card- it just has a new expiration date. This made it super quick to update my online accounts that use my debit card, like PayPal and Community Car. Thank you, bank, for making my life a little easier.
• Daylight Savings Time. How great was it to have an extra hour yesterday?

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 7

Today I am thankful for...

• Sunshine
• A clean house
• Our pressure cooker... I'm making butternut squash casserole and portobello mushroom soup today, both in the pressure cooker.
• A yoga studio within biking distance of our house... I'll be going there later this afternoon!
• A husband who cooks breakfast... today he made from-scratch hashbrowns and a mushroom and goat cheese omelet. Seriously, I want to eat weekend breakfast all the time. During the week, I eat the same breakfast every day (a boiled egg at home, and a thermos of oatmeal when I get to work), so I love it when Karl makes something delicious on the weekend. Last week he made pumpkin waffles. I probably ate about 30 of them.
• A Facebook-free weekend. I haven't even taken one tiny peek. Love it.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

Today I am thankful for:

• Finding canning jars for half-price at the hardware store (and the look of glee on Karl's face when he also found a router table there for half price)
• The farmers' market
• Mid-afternoon naps
• Our electric blanket (affectionately nicknamed "Leckie")
• Made-from-scratch broccoli cheese soup
• My sweet, hilarious husband who by the way did all of the laundry earlier this week, so now I don't have to do it on the weekend!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 5

Today I have the day off from the library, so I'm substitute teaching. I know, I know, days off are for lounging around in pajamas, watching movies, going to yoga class in the middle of the day... but I can't pass up the cash from subbing. Should I have said something like "I sub on my days off because I love children," or, "I just love maintaining a connection with the schools"? Those would be lies. I do love children, and a lot of times subbing is fun, but my real motivation is the money, especially with the holidays around the corner. Otherwise you can bet I'd be in my pj's or at yoga.

And I scored a great job today, teaching kindergarten at a school that is right across the street from a yarn shop. Guess where I'm going after work?

So today I am thankful for...

• My Education degree and teaching license
• Yarn shops
• A strong school district (even the subs here are in a Union)
• Public transportation (The #11 bus got me to work today!)
• Recess