Day 26 of Gratitude: Z

I'm grateful to be able to bring you this Zany round-up of Z's
It's the last day of our 26 days of gratitude here.  I hope you enjoy this Zany round-up of Z's and that your weekend is filled with Zillions of fun!

Zebra prints

Zipper pouches

Zoo animals

Zigzag pillow covers

Zucchini bread

Zippy little cars

Zero calories

Zoom lens

Zany paint jobs

Zines

Day 25 of Gratitude: Y

I am grateful for You!
Each and every individual one of You, my fellow bloggers, readers and friends.  Thank you so much for joining me here for this 26 days of gratitude.  It would not have been as much fun without you.  I am so grateful for you and your visits and for your comments and kind words.  I hope this has inspired you as much as it has inspired me to always look up, have a positive outlook and to have an attitude of gratitude.  Remember, each one of you were made unique, and special.  Our connection here is not by chance, but to encourage and lift each other up and I hope I have done that here for you my friends.  Happy Thanksgiving!

You can purchase this card at bluebicicletta on etsy

a story of unselfish Kindness

I saw this story a few days ago on Auburn and Ivory and saved it in my google reader. It is a story that she saw on A Los Angeles Love that was shared at a Swell Season concert.  I keep going back to it, because it is just so touching. The kind of story that makes you cry and want to go out and make someone else's day brighter. I thought this was a perfect story to share here after a month of being grateful.

"'A few weeks ago, Glen was in Chicago for the tour. As he came down the elevator in the morning, an older woman, perhaps 70, in a bright blue coat joined him. He described her face thusly: "You know how you have the face you were born with until you're 25, then from 25 to 40 you have the face that earn, and from 40 to death you have the face you deserve? Well, this woman was beautiful at 70, just one of the most beautiful faces, she definitely had one of those faces you earn." And as he looked over at her, he felt the need to compliment her coat, and so he did. And she got so excited and touched, responding, "Thank you for noticing my coat. This coat means so much to me, thank you for noticing. I bought this coat when I decided to live again. I loved the color and wanted to live. I didn't leave my apartment for two years, and when I did, when I decided to live, I bought this blue coat." Glen was a little surprised and a little touched, and he helped her with her bag to the taxi. As they got to the taxi, she started to tear up and the words started rushing out like when you've had a moment of kindness that unlocks all the emotions that have been sitting around for ages. And she said, "My son died in that tower. He quit on September 10 and went back the next day to pick up some last things. I meant to call him and tell him not to bother going back, but I slept late. And then I didn't leave my apartment for two years. And then I finally decided to buy this coat and live, and you noticed it.'"

Day 24 of Gratitude: X

I'm grateful for a XX Chromosome
There is not alot for X that I could think of being grateful for, but I know that I am grateful to be a girl!

This t-shirt is available on etsy at Xenotees

Day 23 of Gratitude: W

I'm grateful for Wishes...that do come true
I'm not really one that wishes a lot , but I do love it when wishes, dreams and desires in my life do come true.

{image spotted on Jolie Marie!}

12 Challenge Calendar

Although all the calendar round-ups I have seen on other blogs recently have been very enticing, I have been holding out for this 2010 Challenge Calendar from Our Little Love Nest.  The artwork for this calendar has been a few months in the making and I know Dee put her heart and soul into every piece of artwork for this calendar.  Dee's project started out with an idea for New Year's resolutions made simple.  She created 12 challenges by creating an art collage for each challenge and spread the challenges out, one for each month of the year.  These are great challenges too, challenges like, to be fearless, simplify, bee free, find your voice and sing loudly.  I know it would make Dee very happy to pass one of these calendars onto you.  I know it is her desire to implement these challenges in her own life and she would like to pass on this same encouragement to others as well.

You can purchase your 12 Challenge Calendar in two different sizes, as well as some of Dee's original art work created for this calendar at her etsy shop.

Day 22 of Gratitude: V

I am grateful for Vacations
Who doesn't love vacation?  A time to get away from your regular daily routine, for some rest and relaxation or fun and adventure.  I'd have to say just about every vacation I have been on has been a delightful one for me.  Here are just a few pictures of us on vacation in the last couple of years.  I'd say my most adventurous vacation was to Israel in 2006 and my most memorable family vacation was to Disney World in 2008 where I finally conquered my fear of roller coasters, yeah!  What are some of your most memorable vacations?

Us on vacation, clockwise from the top, Connecticut, New York, Disney World, Israel, California, Utah

A Few Ideas For Your Thanksgiving Feast

When it comes to the Thanksgiving table, I like it simple and organic, using things you might be able to find by walking out your back door or going to the local supermarket.  Here are a few ideas I found that are beautiful, simple and easy.

Sunset magazine has alot of ideas.  I like the simplicity of this leaf placecard.

Another magazine that has a plethora of ideas is Country Living magazine.  Since Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks I like this idea of writing quotes of gratitude on thin strips of paper and fastening them to wine or water glasses using double-sided tape.  You can invite each of your guests to read their quotes aloud.

For this one, I just loved the rich look of blue hobnail glasses mixed with browns and the added touch of pheasant feathers.  Another Country Living magazine idea I found via perfect bound.

I love this idea of creating a bouquet with items found at your local supermarket.  This idea is a favorite find of mine this year and I'm going to use this for my Thanksgiving table.  You can visit Design Sponge for all the arrangement details.

Day 21 of Gratitude: U

I am grateful for Unexpected surprises...
Did I tell you that my birthday is December 14th?

{image found via coco+kelly}

Day 20 of Gratitude: T

I am grateful for Tea
I am totally a tea drinker.  I drink it in the morning, I drink it in the evening and sometimes I even drink it in the afternoon.  It soothes me, it warms me and it's just good to have.  My favorite is chai tea latte of course, but I also drink, jasmine blossom, tazo zen, peppermint, and Mr. Sandman tea just before bed with a couple of lemon cream cookies, mmmmm...good!

{image by Our Little Love Nest}

Day 19 of Gratitude: S

I'm grateful for my Son,
Darren has many qualities that I admire. He's not afraid to speak his mind and he makes friends easily, he has a really hard time telling a lie or keeping things from me, which is a benefit for me. He makes me laugh, and he keeps me on my toes.  I love my boy!

Thursdays Creative Thrift

I spotted this recycled plastic mat made from tape measures on the haystack needle.  Unfortunately, I don't have instructions for you to make this one for yourself, but sometimes it's just nice to purchase something like this already made.  This particular mat is actually available for purchase from Viva Terra.

Day 16, 17 & 18 of Gratitude: P, Q & R

I'm grateful for Pillows, Quiet Moments and Rest & Relaxation
You know when you have those days that it seems like you haven't stopped going for at least three days.  Well, today when I got home I layed my head down on the pillows on my sofa, pulled a blanket over myself for just a little rest, and ended up falling asleep.  I was very grateful for those pillows and my sofa and the much needed rest that I got.  These three things seem to go together quite nicely and the pictures below illustrate some pretty places to savor those quiet moments where you might get some rest and relaxation.

{images found via wide open spaces, color me katie, love.obsess.inspire}

Short Break and some Cute Jewelry

I'm taking a short break today.  I'm having a hard time keeping up with all this gratitude and I think I'm lacking a little on the design posts too.  I hope to be back later this evening.  In the meantime here is a Hootie ring by Corky Saint Clair I found awhile back while perusing in my google reader.  I think it's kinda cute.

Day 15 of Gratitude: O

I am grateful for the Ocean
It is my favorite body of water. I love the sound of the waves as they rush in and out and in and out, they never stop.  I love the way the water feels when it washes over my feet, then the sand is immediately pulled out from under them by the strong force of a wave. I love that it is massive and great and is a vibrant living world for creatures great and small.  Just walking at the waters edge, small creatures leave evidence of life in the ocean with beautiful and intricately detailed shells, some that still continue to sing it's ocean song, and rocks that are washed over and over again until they are smooth.  I am forever amazed and delighted by the evidence His creation, he gives a boundry to the seas that they never cross.

This one of my most favorite pictures.  It is my husband and my son looking out at the big ships on the California Coast.

Delighted by this Wall of Inspiration

I'm still working on organizing my office space. A lot of my inspiration sits in piles on my desk or boxes on the shelves or magazines on the floor. I'd like to create a wall of inspiration like this in my office space.  I don't know if I'll get any work done, but I might be inspired to.

{image found via fiddlesticks and funny girls}

Day 14 of Gratitude: N

I am grateful for Notes
love notes, e-mail notes, blog notes, facebook notes, everybody seems to send short little notes these days, but everytime I get one it brings joy to my day.

{images found via A Traveling Journeyer, one in a million, oh deary me}

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the Pay-It-Forward giveaway winners!  I'll be sending a small package with some of these goodies and a couple other surprises to Dee, Beka and Natty.

{gift items purchased in these shops; mini mart, The Lucky Button, simplesong designs, hooray design shop, your wishcake}

Last Day to join the Pay-It-Forward Giveaway!

Today is the last day to join my Pay-It-Foward Giveaway!  Click on the link for all the details.

Day 13 of Gratitude: M

I am grateful for my Marriage
I love living life with my husband, my companion, my love

I thought it fitting on this day to be thankful for my marriage since it is day 13, the letter M and we have been married for 13 years.  Our fourteenth wedding anniversary is coming up soon, January 13th.

Day 12 of Gratitude: L

I'm grateful for Laughter
it's good for my soul

Me and my sister-in-love at the Monteray Jazz Festival - 2007

Thursdays Creative Thrift

Now this is thrifty, I would say, and pretty creative too.  I saw this genious idea for a table at Holy Comfort.

La Maisonnette and Petit Moulin

It has been awhile since I have visited Stephanie's blog and I didn't know she had a very cute, french inspired etsy shop until today.  I guess she was inspired by the 400 year old cottage that she and her husband bought and completely renovated in France.  This beautiful cottage they call La Maisonnette is set next to a magnificent castle in the Medievel village of Beynac-et-Cazenac.  If your visiting the French countryside and you need somewhere to stay, this cottage is available as a vacation rental.  You can read all details about the village and see more pictures of the renovated cottage right here, and if you'd like hear the story about how they bought the cottage and see all the hard work that went into renovating this cottage, you can read all about it right here on stephmodo.

If visiting the French countryside is not on your itinerary right now, you can still bring a little taste of it into your home with items like French trim, market sacks, wooden utinsels and French inspired picnic sets all sold here in Stephanie's shop, Petit Moulin.

Day 11 of Gratitude: K

I am grateful for our Knights adorned in freedom fighting armor
In honor of our veterans who fought for our country's freedom and for the one's who still fight today. My husband is an Army Veteran and his grandson is a sailor in the Navy today. As well I have many friends who are in the military and have been on the front lines fighting for our freedom today. This day I am grateful for them.

{image found via wait, what?}

So you want to know a little bit more about me...

I got this super sweet award from my new blogging friend Micaela.  We just got to know each other through this swap and I am so glad I did.  I can tell by her writing and her sweet notes that she is a super sweet girl who is high energy and excited about life.  This is what I like about her.  I like her use of pictures to tell about herself and since I'm a visual person and short on words sometimes, I'm going to borrow her idea.

I'll tell you ten things about me and then you can tell me ten things about you

1.  I'm not big on small talk, this is why I'm reading this book

2.  This is one of my favorite movies because it appeals to all of my visual senses

3. ...and I've been saving this picture for awhile because I want to try out this color palette

4.  I want to sell my house and travel the world

5.  Tea is my drink of choice

6.  ....and it goes real well with chocolate

7.  I'm missing my favorite show and can't wait until next summer to see new episodes

8.  When I was in high school people used to tell me I looked like Mary Lou, maybe it was because I was short, a gymnast and we had the same hair style.

Mary Lou Retton

Me

9.  I'd like to have this many balloons at my next birthday party and set them all free

10.  I'm known for laughing a lot and sometimes loud.  When my son was younger he wouldn't sit by me at the movie theater because he said I was embarrasing.  He doesn't do that anymore,  I guess he's used to it by now.

and now I'd like to pass this on to these sweet girls;

Becca of A Lonely Pea;   Dee of Our Little Love Nest;   Alli Michelle of hooray;   Christy of my wings are made of faith;   Kate of Life Unscripted;   Cassie of  hydrangeas and white daisies;   Nuit of A passion for beautiful things;   Rachel of Design Lovely;   Michelle of When I Grow Up - The Blog;   Heather of DoodleBuds

{some images found via English Muse, A Traveling Journeyer}

Day 10 of Gratitude: J

I am grateful for Jesus,
the lover of my soul

{image found via Creative Inspiration}

Day 9 of Gratitude: I

I am grateful for my Imagination,
It's in the imagination where we go to create and design.  Everything we create comes from our imagination.  Sometimes when life is overwhelming with so many images and it's hard to think, this is when I close my eyes and open up my imagination.

{images found via rebbubble, one in a million, That Girl}

Delightful Entryway

I need to do something in the entryway to my home. I had a coat and shoe rack in the area previously, but I took it down because it always seemed to look cluttered and it darkened the space. This entryway found via ish and chi from Livingetc looks bright and cheery and fun and is a source of inspiration for me today.

Day 8 of Gratitude: H

I'm grateful for Home

 {acrylic on bed sheet with embroidery, 2003 by Lisa Dahl}

Day 7 of Gratitude: G

I am grateful for Gifts
I went to a baby shower this weekend for a friend who is having her first baby and was amazed at the amount of gifts she received.  I thought how blessed she is and her baby as well that she will be all set when the baby arrives.  How wonderful it is to give gifts.  One of my favorite things to do is to wrap gifts.  I love a beautfiul package when it's all wrapped up, and just as much as I like to give gifts, I love to recieve gifts as well.  So in honor of my birthday coming up in December here are a few gifts on my wish list.

These beautiful gift wrapping tags are from Nice Package.  I've already ordered a few things from here and I am inspired by the their new blog and gift wrapping ideas.

Deep Woods Toggle Coat; Buchanan Cloche; Small Linen Messenger Bag; Winter Rain Fingerless Gloves

Patterned Masking Tape; Pink Her Print; Silhouette Locket Necklace; Custom Organizer

Day 6 of Gratitude: F

I'm grateful for Friends
friends share their lives with us , they give us encouragement when we need it,  they are someone we can have fun with, laugh with, cry with...without them we would be lonely, friends make us smile.

Dee

Becca

Nuit

Micaela

Alli Michelle

Christy

I am grateful for all of my friends, the ones who I have had for awhile and the new ones I have made through blogging. I'd like to share with you a few friends here who have I have made through blogging. They all have kind words to share and bring a smile to my face when I hear from them.

Pay It Forward - would you like to join me?

{image spotted on A Traveling Journeyer}

In this month of gratitude I decided I would like to thank those who read this blog and encourage others to pass along the gratitude as well, so I have wrapped up three little packages that I would like to give away.  I will select 3 people to receive a little gift from me and if you are chosen, you in turn need to send a package to 3 other people.  The gifts can be small, and you don’t have to send them out immediately. There are no hardset rules, you can choose friends, family or strangers, as long as you continue to pay it forward.  I saw this idea on mustard and sage and crafty kin and thought this was a great project to add to this month of gratitude.  Would you like to join me in paying it forward?  Just leave a comment on this post and I will select 3 gift recipients {randomly} by next Friday, November 13.

Day 5 of Gratitude: E

I am grateful for Everyday!
waking up and breathing, starting fresh each morning, all the random details that make everyday a day, that it lasts for only 24 hours, then you can start all over again

{images found via deviant Art, That Girl, we heart it}

Thursdays Creative Thrift

Woodgrain is just right for this time of year don't you think?  Brighten up your entryway with this do-it-yourself faux bois rug for under ten dollars.  I found this rug and all the instructions to make it over at A Beautiful Mess.

Day 4 of Gratitude: D

I am grateful for Dreams,
they allow us to hope, encourage us to look forward, and give us purpose

{images found via That Girl; The Design Boards; That Girl}

Inspired by...Black Grounds

A touch of black finishes a room and grounds the space.  The restaurant below might have a little more than a touch of black in it, but I love the green table that stands out in the sea of black.  It certainly adds drama to the space.

{image found via magchunk}

{image found via magchunck}

{image found via Rebecca June}

{image found via Black Eiffel}

{images found via From the Right Bank to the Left Coast; Apartment 132}

Curly or Straight?

Okay, I just got my hair done recently at the hair dresser and she likes to straighten my hair.  What do you think, curly or straight?

Day 3 of Gratitude: C

I'm grateful for my Creator,
without him I would not be here enjoying this adventure called Life.

He's Indescribable

{My view of Mt. Ranier while driving up the hill to my house}

He's Uncontainable

{Waterfall at the Oasis Cafe}

I'm Awestruck

{trees of fire, they just burst out all red and beautiful while driving around the corner and up the hill to my house.}