Thankful Thursday - Blog Hop Edition

 Dear Friends, As we know, tragedy can be heart breaking. These are the times I turn to being thankful. Reminders of the good things I have, turn my mind away from the negative things we are surrounded by. Please join me. 1000 Things I'm Thankful for 21- Health 22 - Safety 23 - Family and Friends who texted me on Monday 24 - Friends to pray, cry, and console with 25 - Opportunities to give back 26 - TV to inform and help me stay weather aware 27 - Coffee and tea to energize 28 - A car with no hail damage 29 - Churches providing assistance 30 - Friends who stayed safe from the storms.   Clearly, being thankful can bring out my selfish nature and its nothing to be ashamed of. Link up your thankful thursday posts below and grab my little button. Click around and I'm sure you'll be inspired. I am looking for co-hosts, guest posts, and blog swap opportunities. Let me know if you are interested. <center> <a href="http://www.esthernorinedesigns.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p633/esthernorine/Snapbucket/064B5285_zpsa92b64ee.jpg" height="250"width="300"/></a></center> <p> a</P>

 

Make a difference Monday

Welcome to make a difference Monday. I may not have any specific story to tell but I'm still here. I believe in the power of giving back and making our world a better place. I'm writing today to remind myself and you to think of others, think of your community, and think of what little efforts can be made to help make our world better. If you have a story to share or a nonprofit to highlight, please email me. I'll get it on my blog. I want my blog to be a positive place to make a difference for everyone. Perhaps a lofty goal but something to strive for. Please stay tuned for weight loss Wednesday.

Thankful Thursday

 

Welcome to Thankful Thursday, a post for all things positive. I have posted this before but after a tough week, I need to get excited about something. I am thankful for good friends.  

This crazy crew is getting back together for a little weekend fun next week.

We use nicknames to protect the innocent.

Skub is on the left and he lives in Anchorage Alaska.

I'm in the middle of this crew, E-diddy.

Blue is on the right, he is my husband and we both live in Oklahoma City.

Next week, we get to help Skub celebrate one good weekend of bachelorhood before he gets married in February. Yes, we get to go to Anchorage, Alaska in February for a wedding. I am not excited for the weather, hence the reason I am happy to not live in Alaska any longer.

What are you thankful for today?

Please stay tuned for High Five For Friday.

Weight Loss Wednesday - Confessions

I confess that I did not weigh in on Saturday, which means no progress report. I confess that I feel my portion sizes are better than previous week's (smaller is good.) I confess that I did make banana bread and I've been eating some of it since Sunday. I confess that getting dental work decreases my desire for eating (chewing in particular.) I confess that gyms are getting too expensive and I may have to cave in and buy a scale.   This week has been very stressful, at least that's how it started. Bad news, with more bad news, and top it off with a dead headlight on my car. Staying positive has been painfully hard. Trying to hold my enthusiasm for the future has been a test in mental will. I will work on that for tomorrow's post: Thankful Thursday. I love all sweet comments, if you feel like encouraging me. :o) Banana Bread:  

Make a Difference Monday

Welcome to Make a Difference Monday. This is where I like to showcase volunteerism, encouraging each other, and all things positive. Today, I would like to share with you my current project. I am on a committee that is organizing a bowling tournament in Oklahoma City, called "Fins for Pins". It's sponsored by the Central Oklahoma Parrothead Association. Yes, I am a Parrothead and proud of it. We party for a purpose. "Fins for Pins" benefits the Work Activity Center in Moore, Oklahoma. This fine organization gives disabled adults the opportunity to have a steady job and contribute to the economy. Without this center, they would not have jobs. We are currently looking for lane sponsors and if you are interested please comment below and I'll get back to you right away. I am not very good at fundraising because I don't like to ask for money but I try to give back where I can. Please stay tuned for Top Pic Tuesday.     

Make a Difference Monday

Welcome to Make a Difference Monday. I would love to have lots of encouragement or a nice little story for you today. I do not have that. Instead, I will share a verse, which will hopefully encourage you to have a positive week. Proverbs 3:5 "With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment." CEV I'm linking up with Julie from This Gal Cooks for Marvelous Mondays. Please stay tuned for Top Pic Tuesday.

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday. This has been an important activity to help me stay positive. Life can be way too stressful and its easy to forget the good things. This week, I am thankful for good health. I pray everyday for myself and my husband to have good health. I also pray for the kitties to have good health. This may sound silly to some people but to me it is important. Please share what you are thankful for. I love swapping stories with my bloggy friends.

Thankful Thursday

Dear sweet bloggy friends,
I am happy to remind you how important it is to be thankful. It helps to relieve stress and focus your mind on positive thoughts.

Today, I am thankful for laughter and for the next two days I am blessed to hang out with my Alaskan friend which has reminded me of the "Yankee Freedom Paint Job." The photo is from that trip. We were in the Keys for vacation last January. We wanted to do an awesome snorkel trip which led is to go to the dry tortugas. Sadly there had been a storm the night before and there were no fish to see. Apparently that's when bull sharks like to mate. The water was 100 % clouded and I could barely see my hand in front of my face. Now to get to the island, we were on a boat called the Yankee Freedom. The way there was ridiculously choppy and the boat was full of sea sick people. I had never been sea sick before but half way there it hit me like a ton of bricks. I made it to the back of the boat which is supposed to be more stable. Once there, I couldn't take it any more and I nailed two girls with vomit. It wasn't my fault though. It was the sea sickness. Poor girls had vomit on their clothes the rest of the day. Sorry girls! Skub (Alaskan friend) managed to fill two bags with vomit and Blue (hubby) held his own while joking and laughing at us. That is what the "Yankee Freedom Paint Job" is all about, painting others with sea sickness.

I hope you got a little chuckle or smile from that story. If not, I'll come up with something better for Saturday. E N D

Thankful Thursday

It's thankful Thursday and I like to share what I am thankful for. This is a valuable exercise for the mind. Focusing attention on the positives in life can help reduce the stresses that come with life. Please join me for thankful Thursday every week!

Today I am thankful for my instrument. My piano is not the best money can buy but I am blessed to have it. It's been a joy to play and a hassle to pack. Now that I'm in a band, I have had to buy a new bag, stand, and bench so travel can be easier. It's great to have a piano to play. For many years, I had a cheap keyboard, that didn't have all 88 keys. It worked but didn't fit my needs. Now my needs are changing and I look forward to the next piano. Until then, I'm enjoying what I have now.

What are you thankful for today?

E

Stay positive

It has been a long week. I have had good times and bad times. I am working on staying positive. It's not easy but it's important. Helping the community and positive thinking helps. If you are having a hard time, talk to someone. Talking things out really makes a difference. Happy weekend!

Grateful

I am grateful for my good health, job, and my family. I am thankful for Chomps and Kirby, who give me so much love. Life is never easy and its not supposed to be. Its still important to think about the positive things in life.

What are you grateful for?

Its all work

Today’s rating is Positive.

Sometimes, other peoples stress can get to me. I feel it at work and at home. This makes communication a bigger challenge. I am a very positive person most times but when I’m faced with a person who isn’t that way its not easy to keep my positive nature. It drains out of me down at the toes. I remember this feeling from past challenges and I remember things worked out. That will be the case this time too.

I am sticking to my original opinion that all will be fine. I just don’t exactly know how it will work out. I am thanking God for taking care of me through all of my past struggles and preparing me for a happy future. Amen!

Something new

Today’s rating is Positive.

I did something new with my hair and it felt good! I drove a new (to me) car today and that was fun! A change of pace can deal productively with stress. It takes your mind into a different and hopefully positive place. Try it out sometime and see if it helps you.

The job hunt is not over and I am struggling to determine which way is the right way to go. At some point, I have to stop being a first born, always looking for perfection, and seize the opportunity that comes my way. Dear Lord, please give me the wisdom to know what is best. Amen.

Overwhelmed? Probably so...

Today’s rating is Positive.

My tip for stress relief is to find something green and keep it in your eye sight. Green is a calming color. This could be flowers, bamboo, or a picture of something natural and green.

I may get to move soon but there are a lot of details to figure out. There’s cats, property management, what to keep and what to get rid of. In the midst of all these overwhelming tasks, I am still waiting to hear about the job I interviewed for. I haven’t waited long at all though. I am praying for patience and for things to work out smoothly.

Right now, it is challenging to stay positive.

Connections

Today’s rating is Positive.

As I think about the last two years of my life, I can see that it was incredibly stressful. What is interesting to me is that the stress hasn’t changed or left but I have been able to change my frame of mind. Generally, I am a positive person but I can’t maintain that focus all the time. If I lose concentration, things can go downhill fast for me.

The only change I’ve made is reaching out to friends and family. Literally, I forced myself to email at least one person or text a different person. I had to force myself to stay in touch because I found that I was too lazy, complacent, and content to stay miserable. Yeah, that doesn’t make sense. I still have challenges to overcome but I am able to make it through with my family, friends, and God.

Thank you Lord for the connections that you have blessed me with. I could not live without relationships.

Super Sunday

Today’s rating is Positive.

I have had to deal with a lot of stress in the past two years. There have been strategies that have helped me. Other strategies were not helpful. Keeping forward thinking and focused has been difficult. I find that when I dwell on the past, I can get more upset. If I can think about the future especially fun things in the future, then I can avoid a lot of pain. If you are dealing with a lot of stress, find things to be excited about that are in the future.

I was excited about today because I got together with the Pedals and Pints and enjoyed a bike ride with a few pints in-between the rides. I am looking forward to a special dinner on Wednesday at Rock Bottom. These are things that can help me stay positive, excited, and happy; even in the midst of stress. What could you be excited about? It might help you move past some stress too.

Blogging for me

Today’s rating is Positive.

I am blogging to keep myself honest about how I feel. When I look back at 2010, there were not enough positive times in my life. I couldn’t laugh, I was stressed, I had headaches, and I hated just about everything in my life.

I am learning about myself. After reading some books, I can see where I run into problems. I’m a first-born and I’m constantly looking for perfection. I’m hypersensitive to most everything that goes wrong. Add in some loneliness and there’s the recipe for 2010’s misery. Now I can see where I’ve gone wrong. The true test is if I have learned how to get past these innate personality quirks. The test isn’t over yet but so far I am doing good. THANK YOU GOD!