Thankful

Why is it so hard to be thankful or so easy to forget to be thankful? I was thinking about how much an attitude of thankfulness could really change the way I see life. I would like to be a more thankful person. When I am stressed because my house is messy, instead I could be thankful that I have a house to live in. I think my life would be a lot more joy filled if I had the more thankful perspective. I have so much to be thankful for compared to so many people in the world who are just struggling to find their next meal. It is so hard to comprehend that reality. But along with being thankful for big things, I'd also like to be more thankful for small things. Such as butterflies. And ice cream. And music. So I am going to try to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness, with God's help... since I can't do it on my own. Here are some things I am thankful for...in no particular order...

• going to Nashville this weekend to spend time with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law
• my parents generosity in giving us so many things
• my new watercolor class that I recently started teaching- the women in it are great and I think it will be really fun.
• Robin and Melissa, friends from college, are coming to visit in about a week and a half.
  
• Kyle's garden and all the great food we get from it.
• Being able to work from home and have my own schedule.
• Being able to feel our baby moving around inside of me every now and then (a recent development).
• our church and the people in it.
• our neighborhood.
• Kyle.
• God's grace.
• Our neighbors, Amanda and Ryan, who help watch out for our house and trade produce with us.
  
• Sunshine, and living somewhere where the sun shines most of the time (unlike the town I grew up in where it was usually cloudy or snowing most of the year ;).
  

Strange Pregnancy Experiences

Things that happen when you're pregnant (well, at least to me):
-lately I am more affected by any sad thing that I may hear about or see, such as seeing an injured cat while going for a walk in the neighborhood. I saw one when Kyle and I were trying to go for a relaxing walk about a week ago, and it brought me to tears, for awhile, and brought me to tears even more when Kyle couldn't understand why I was so upset! And hearing a sad story on the news can make me start to cry as well... something that doesn't usually happen to me on a regular basis.
-those billboards for hamburgers and other foods have a much more overpowering effect on me! I think they are targeting pregnant women with those!
-I definitely want to eat lots of hamburgers. Even when I don't see a billboard.
-something that doesn't happen: I don't end up looking pregnant. Not yet really. Maybe a little bit. But most people wouldn't notice.
-Yet, most of my "normal" pants and shorts no longer fit, but maternity clothes are still too big.
- My cat, hope, receives most/more of my mothering instinct right now. :)
-If I stay out in the sun on a hot day for any length of time, I am wiped out for the rest of the day.
-I have very strange dreams... such as dreaming that I gave birth to a puppy (I hear that's normal during pregnancy... but it's still weird!).

Things I've Learned Lately

Random things I've learned lately:

• My friend and wonderful neighbor told me about something called freecycle- it's a group in different cities where people give away stuff they no longer need so that it doesn't go into the landfill. You can go here to find out more about it: http://www.freecycle.org/I've only been a member for a few days but it's neat to see all the stuff that is given away. I always love free stuff- and when it's saving on trash that's even better!
• You can use baking soda and dish soap to clean a bathtub. And it worked better than the tub cleaner I had (which was from the dollar store... so that shouldn't be too much of a surprise).
  
• I like the texture of tofu when I mash it up/crumble it, but not when it's cubed. (I recently tried cooking w/ tofu for the first time).
• I think I'm lactose intolerant or allergic to milk products. Good to know; sad because I miss dairy products. :(
  
• Pinto beans taste pretty good cooked in a crock pot.
• For approximately every 5 people that contact me about art lessons, one of them will end up taking lessons.
  

Being inspired by the garden and a poem...

Hoping to make my daily life a little more like this poem that I read today... trying to appreciate the little things in life:

Each day, upon my daily round,
I find myself on holy ground--
The morning-glories on my fence
Inspire quiet reverence.
Just one small, tender seedling grew,
and now, this miracle in blue.
A robin in the apple tree
Sings out his glad doxology.
I hear the pure, unsullied joy
Of laughter from a little boy;
I bow before the firm belief
And faith of one who lives with grief;
I watch a jet plane skim the skies
And marvel at man's enterprise;
I look upon a field of wheat
And thank God for the bread we eat;
I watch the benedictive rain
On low-bowed heads of flower and grain.
A friend drops in, a neighbor calls,
The lamps are lit, night gently falls;
Contentment settles with the sun
In labors of the day well done.
So many little altars there,
So many simple calls to prayer,
So many reasons for thanksgiving--
The sacraments of daily living.
--Helen Lowrie Marshall

And some photos from Kyle's garden because they go so well with that poem:

It truly has been amazing to see all the things that he's been growing. Although I do not enjoy the tediousness of gardening, I do appreciate seeing things grow and eating the wonderful food! I guess that's the easy part... ;) Thanks for all your hard work Kyle!