Day #16

It's the first day of March & day #16.  Here's the top ten list for a Thursday evening in NY:
(1)  I'm grateful for the way the sky looked tonight.  As I walked out of work, the clouds were just barely purple.  Stunning.
(2)  I'm grateful for Dr. Seuss.  His birthday is tomorrow.  His books really do resonate with our peanut.

(3)  I'm grateful for having met some new people today.  As I meet more people, I feel a little bit more connected to our new home.
(4)  I'm grateful for Newman's Pineapple Salsa.  It's the best salsa of all time.

(5)  I'm grateful for what a great job Scottie is doing staying home with MIS.  She seems genuinely happy and he's doing a tough job very well.  Dad's are really important in a little girl's life.  I'm glad my girl has a good Daddy.

(6)  I'm grateful for Spencer Reid's character on Criminal Minds.  He absolutely cracks me up.

(7)  I'm grateful for swear words.  I realize as a mom that I probably shouldn't say that, but it is the truth.  When life throws you a curve ball, it's just nice to have a word that matches your frustration.
(8)  I'm grateful for Michigan beating Illinois tonight.  Go blue!

(9)  I'm grateful for the way the narrator of the Stieg Larsson trilogy says "baton."  It sounds like beh ton emphasis on the ton.  It's fun.
(10)  I'm grateful for how much MIS loves "the itsy bitsy spider."  We sang it with her at least 7 times before I went to work this morning.  She just beams.  She's getting the hand signals down too.  She now does the spider climbing up and sun coming out.

Meet you back here on Friday!

Grateful Day #15

Greetings on Day #15.  Here's the top 10 for today:
(1)  I'm grateful for pickles.  Dill, sweet, gherkins, cornichons.  Amazing.  The only person on the planet that I know that loves them as much as me is my cousin Danielle.

(2)  I'm grateful for ketchup.  This one pairs up with my pickle gratefulness.  I've recently taken to dipping pickles in ketchup.  Before you groan and say gross:  if you've eaten a hamburger with ketchup and pickles, you know it's good.  I'm just skipping the burger.

(3)  I'm grateful for for the grumpy lady that I pass every morning on my run.  She has given me another goal in the morning:  I now am making it my mission to make her smile.  So far I've just tried big smiles.  So far it's not working, so I may have to start doing something goofy.  I will make her smile.
(4)  I'm grateful for the Kentucky Derby.  I haven't ever been, but it's one of my dreams.  One day I'm going to find a big gorgeous hat and sip mint juleps while watching the horses run.  Can't wait.

(5)  I'm grateful for Oompa Loompas.  Seriously one of the best characters of all time.  My life would be vastly improved if I could just have an Oompa Loompa come live with me.  Who wouldn't want a happy orange friend that loves to make up songs that include important life lessons, is extremely industrious and lives mostly on chocolate.  I've got another puzzle for you.

(6)  I'm grateful for Willy Wonka. Again, what a character.  The purple suits, the songs, the backwards words and the passion for chocolate.  Gene Wilder trumps Johnny Depp, but I'd watch either any day of the week and the Roald Dahl books are amazing as well.

(7)  I'm grateful for the complexity of human beings.  While there are a few that are truly evil or truly good, most are a really fun mix of both and the messiness of that mix really makes life super challenging and super fun.
(8)  I'm grateful for celery with peanut butter.  I can't wait to make one for MIS some day.
(9)  I'm grateful for St. Patty's Day.  I have really fond memories of celebrating when we lived in Chicago. Scott & his friends created a solid pub crawl.  I like holidays that seem to be centered around adult beverages.  Good times.

(10)  I'm grateful for the first day in the spring when the temperature if above 70 degrees.  It feels like a really joyful present.  I know it's been a mild winter, but I still can't wait for that day.

Until day #16, cheers.

Grateful Day #14

Greetings from Grateful Day #14.  Warning:  today's list also includes a list.  I may be coming a bit list happy.  

(1)  I'm grateful for how warm the sun was today.  At lunch time I took a few minutes to sit in my car and eat my packed wrap sandwich and listen to "The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest."  The sun was beaming in and it felt amazing.

(2)  I'm grateful for "Bethenny Ever After."  It just cracks me up.  Yes, I do realize I have a TV addiction.  Our DVR makes it possible as you need half the time and can watch when you are able.   It's sometimes fun to just save up shows until you really need them.

(3)  I'm grateful for MacKenzie's new obsession with rolling over.  Every night after bath time she runs out and starts collapsing on the floor and giggling while rolling around.  It's particularly funny because she seems to have almost forgotten how to roll over, but she almost seems as though she is choreographing little tumbling routines.  Above all else, she just cracks herself up the entire time.  I can't get enough.

(4)  I'm grateful for fairies.  Who wouldn't love to be lithe, beautiful and be able to fly about and make people happy.  Great gig if you could get it.

(5)  I'm grateful for the make-up that I have yet to find that will make me look less tired.  I'd be eternally grateful if someone read this and could share the magical make-up that I could use under my eyes to make me look more like I did in my 20's.  Please.

(6)  I'm grateful for MacKenzie trying to say "I love you."  So sweet.

(7)  I'm grateful for scarves.  They are lovely and my mother-in-law has given me many that are just gorgeous.  I'm working on remembering to wear them.  I realized today though why men get sick of ties.  Wearing something somewhat tight on your neck all day gets a little tiring.  It's fun to take it off when the day ends.

(8)  I'm grateful for my dear friend Melissa.  She called me yesterday and it was so great to catch up.  

(9)  I'm grateful for macadamia nuts.  Again, I haven't had one in a very long time, but they are so crunchy and delicious.  I could eat jars and jars at one sitting if only I could.  If I have teeth when I'm 90+, I will eat macadamia nuts every single day.  

(10)  I'm grateful for this list.  It's from a pretty fun site:   http://www.listsofnote.com/.  It just cracks me up.  Check it out:   In 1923, the Legal Aid Society of New York City published some advice to wives in the area, in the form of the  following list of rules.  (Source: Family (Great Contemporary Issues.); Image via.)

1.       Don't be extravagant. Nothing appeals more strongly to a man than the prospect of economic independence.

2.       Keep your home clean. Nothing is more refreshing to the eyes of the tired, nerve-racked worker than the sight of a well-tidied home.

3.       Do not permit your person to become unattractive. A slovenly wife makes a truant husband.

4.       Do not receive attention from other men. Husbands are often jealous and some are suspicious without cause. Do not supply the cause. Friendly attentions from others may be received in a spirit of perfect innocence. When reported by the busy-body they become distorted, often criminal.

5.       Do not resent reasonable discipline of children by their father. Mothers should not assume that all chastisement of a child by his father is severe and unjustifiable.

6.       Do not spend too much time with your mother. You may easily, in such a way, spend too little time at home.

7.       Do not accept advice from neighbors, or even stress too greatly that of your own family. Think for yourself. Have a plan of your own for solution of home problems. In all causes consult freely with your husband.

8.      Do not disparage your husband.

9.       Smile. Be attentive in little things. An indifferent wife is often supplanted by an ardent mistress.

10.   Be tactful. Be feminine. Men, in the last analysis, are but over-grown children. They do not mind coaxing, but they resent coercion. Femininity attracts and compels them. Masculinity in the females repels.

I'm still giggling.  I clearly wouldn't have survvived one day in 1923.  

Cheers to the Legal Aid Society and their very sound advice.  Until tomorrow...

Grateful Day #13

Grateful Day #13
Greetings on a Monday.  Here's my top ten list for today:
(1)  I'm grateful for carmel cheese popcorn.  I haven't had it since we left Chicago and I'm confident that if I saw the calorie and fat count, I'd fall over.  But it's delicious, delicious, delicious.

(2)  I'm grateful for jukeboxes.  It is really a lot of fun to be able to play music of your choosing when you are at a bar.
(3)  I'm grateful for Vince Vaughn.  From the way he says "beautiful babies" in "Swingers" to his disgust during the singing in the dinner scene in "The Break-Up" to nearly every one of his scenes in "Wedding Crashers" to the amazing dad he plays in "A Cool Dry Place," he is one of my all time favorite actors.

(4)  I'm grateful for street lights.  They make running at ungodly hours less frightening.
(5)  I'm grateful for raisins.  I hadn't had one in years until we starting giving them to MacKenzie.  We also discovered golden raisins which I had never had.  Yum.

(6)  I'm grateful for "Great Expectations."  One of my favorite novels of all time.  Pip, Estella & Miss Havisham.  Brilliant.

(7)  I'm grateful for my Boston marathon jacket.  I just get so happy whenever I wear it.  I've never worked so hard to earn a jacket.
(8)  I'm grateful for crayons.  MIS is learning to color and I'd forgotten how much fun it is.
(9)  I'm grateful for "The Sound of Music."  The songs are so fun to sing and I remember when I was growing up watching it every year during the holidays with my cousins.

(10)  I'm grateful for being able to suspend my disbelief.  As cynical as I can be at times, it is really fun to believe that everything will turn out alright when I'm watching a movie or TV show.  It's also just as fun to get completely terrified reading a scary novel even though I know it's a story.  It's all about suspending my disbelief.  A good gift.

Cheers to a good week ahead.

Grateful Day #12

As the weekend comes to a close, here's my list for today:
(1)  I'm grateful for how gorgeous wheat fields are.  It's one of my favorite parts of going home.

(2)  I'm grateful for sippy cups.  They make life easier and slightly less messy.

(3)  I'm grateful for wicking fabric.  It makes running more joyful.

(4)  I'm grateful for feather pillows.  It's magical to end the day with your head in a nest of feathers.
(5)  I'm grateful for the unique smell of my daughter.  It fills my heart completely.
(6)  I'm grateful for the painting my dad had done of my mom years ago.  It's stunning and I love that I actually have a portrait of my mom.
(7)  I'm grateful for walk-in closets.  I hope to have one someday.  If I could replicate the one Big made for Carrie, I'm not sure I would ever stop smiling.

(8)  I'm grateful for rainstorms when I have nothing to do.  I love to listen to the sounds of rain & thunder.
(9)  I'm grateful for grits.  Delicious.  Yum.

(10)  I'm grateful for the way my mom gift wraps packages.  They are always stunning and nearly perfect.  The wrapping is almost as great as the gifts.

Until tomorrow...

Grateful Day #11

Greetings on Saturday night.  Here's the top 10 for today:
(1)  I'm grateful for MIS being slightly less weepy during the swim lesson today.  She only cried for about 50% of the lesson.  It might have helped that both Mommy & Daddy were in the pool.
(2)  I'm grateful for seeing a movie today.  "This Means War" was such a fun chick flick.

(3)  I'm grateful for surviving the wind on my run today.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Let's hope it dies down before tomorrow AM.
(4)  I'm grateful for having done the grocery shopping today.  No need to go tomorrow.
(5)  I'm grateful for my cousin Danielle. She's the closest I have to a sister.  She's both tough and sensitive.  She's brilliant and funny.  I'm so hopeful that our little ones are as close as we are.  I can't wait for her to move closer.

(6)  I'm grateful that the bouquet my mom bought is only now starting to wilt.  It has been so lovely to have flowers for two weeks.
(7)  I'm grateful for other runners.  No matter who they are, it really makes my day when I see someone else out on the road at the same time I am (which is always dreadfully early).

(8)  I'm grateful for video.  I taped MIS last night during her bath and somehow didn't hear her saying "bath" until I had emailed the video to my mom who emailed me back to say how cool it was to hear MIS saying "bath."  It's amazing what you sometimes miss in real time.
(9)  I'm grateful for our new grill.  It really helps me make better grilled pizzas.  Yum.

(10)  I'm grateful for Billy Joel.  A man who can play the piano is just incredibly sexy.  I adore his songs.

That's all for today...

Grateful Day #10

It's Friday and my tenth day of being consciously grateful.  Here's the list for today:

(1)  I'm grateful for straws.  I love drinking from a straw as it's just more fun.  It's particularly good if it's a fountain soda and a straw.  Scott got me these amazing straws from Starbucks several years ago.  They are the best straws ever.

(2)  I'm grateful for Beverly Hills 90210.  Not the new version, although I'm watching that out of nostalgia for the original.  It is one of my all time favorite shows.  They were in high school when I was in high school. They were in college when I was in college. Their first years of the "real world" coincided with mine.  My two favorite episodes are the finale when David and Donna finally get married and they leave you believing that Kelly and Dylan will likely get together and the "Donna Martin graduates" episode. What could be better than an entire senior class chanting together for Donna to graduate despite getting drunk at prom.  It wasn't Donna's fault...she just didn't know how champagne would impact her! LOL.

(3)  I'm grateful for being around before Borders went out of business.  The Borders in downtown Ann Arbor was just fantastic.  I went there hundreds of times with my mom and spent hours just looking at books and choosing some of my favorite books in the world.

(4)  I'm grateful for chipatis.  I only wish that I could find one anywhere other than Ann Arbor.  I'm grateful to Pizza House for realizing that creating a yummy warm pita and stuffing it with salad fixings would be amazing.  The dressing is to die for as well.  My mouth is watering.

(5)  I'm grateful for my brother-in-law Eric.  He hates technology so he will likely never read this.  But, he's sensitive and kind.  He remembers everyone's birthday without any technology assistance.  He has always made me feel comfortable in all family situations.  We miss him and wish we lived closer.  I know MacKenzie is going to adore him.  As an only child, I'm really glad to have a brother.

(6)  I'm grateful for having picnics in cemeteries with my grandma Edith.  I know that may sound weird, but it was really pretty normal and somewhat wonderful.  My grandma did genealogy and as part of that process she traveled to graveyards to research her work.  She frequently took my cousin Danielle and me and we'd make a day of it.
(7)  I'm grateful for my parents taking me camping.  The kind of camping where in order to get clean you had to take a bath in Lake Superior.  The water was extraordinarily cold and extraordinarily clean.  Our weeks in the UP were magical.

(8)  I'm grateful for George Takei.  I love when he announces on Howard.  His voice is amazing and he's one of the all time best sports.

(9)  I'm grateful for flat irons.  I have way fewer bad hair days since I started using a flat iron.  It simply makes my hair more manageable.
(10)  I'm grateful for "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle."  Another one of my favorite movies.  Rebecca De Mornay is just terrifying.  When she gets angry and her upper lip starts to curl, you just know that she is seriously scary.  Plus, the house that the family lives in is just gorgeous.

That's all for tonight.  Cheers to the weekend!