Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 7

I'll give you one guess what I'm thankful for today.

If you guessed bright blue skies, then you would be correct.

When I wake up to a sky like this, I feel happy and energetic.

Unlike gray skies which make me feel tired and lazy.

Unless it is just one gray day accompanied by rain.

In that case I feel slightly lazy yet very cozy.

Funny how the color of the sky can affect my mood, but it does.

I took a little stroll through the garden this morning to see what was blooming.

These shrub roses have been going strong all summer and continue on into the fall.

Lovely!

The Sasanqua Camellias are loaded with buds and a few blooms too.

Azaleas in orange. . .

Pink. . .

and white too.

Not the clearest photo.  I was trying to capture the bee who was wiggling around in there.

I probably say this ever year around this time, but those Encore Azaleas have been great performers.  Pretty in springtime and then again in the autumn season.

Last, but not least, the water lilies are still going strong.

Growing up I always thought of November as a dreary month.

Everything seemed to die or go dormant fading into a landscape of gray and brown.

In time the frost will arrive here too.

For today I'll enjoy a world filled with bright colors.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 6

My thankful thoughts aren't necessarily going to be deeply pondered thoughts.  More like little things that pop into my head on a particular day that I am thankful for.  Things like the perfect pair of warm slippers.

Last winter I was in need of a new pair.

I loved my previous pair and thought it would be easy to find the exact same ones. 

Nope, not the case.

I brought several different ones home.

They ended up being too long or too wide.

Seems like a lot of slippers come in size ranges.

One of these was too small and the other way too big.

I think Brett was getting tired of me talking about my hunt for the perfect slippers.

One day while at BJs he checked out the women's slippers and came home with this pair.

They met all of my specifications and fit perfectly.

Our weather is just now starting to get chilly,

Not quite chilly enough to warrant the furnace, but definitely chilly enough to snuggle one's toes into a pair of soft, warm slippers.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 5

Good Morning, Friends.

On this lovely November morning I woke up to a breakfast of homemade cranberry pancakes with a hint of orange.  A winning fall flavor combination in my book.

I believe these pancakes taste extra delicious because they were made from scratch by my husband.  Not only that, he also cleans up all the dishes.  The only thing I had to do was chop the cranberries.

He started this tradition early in our marriage.

I think it began with waffles and changed to pancakes somewhere along the way.

When the kids were young and we would travel to Tennessee to visit my parents, Brett would bring his recipe and treat the family to his homemade specialty.  Though my parents have been gone for several years now, as I enjoyed my breakfast this morning I could almost hear my mom raving over how good they were.  She loved breakfast and found it a real treat to have a son-in-law who prepared it for her.

I think that Brett followed the tradition his own dad started when he was growing up.

This summer his dad went to his heavenly home.

While I didn't know his dad when he was making the pancakes for his family, I find these simple traditions a nice way to carry a bit of the past into the future.

Perhaps that is why it warmed my heart to see Jaxson so eager to learn the pancake making skills from "Gompa".

One never knows how long these traditions will continue.

In the meantime they are a fun and tasty bonding time.

Today it was challenging to pick just one thing to be thankful for.

I started off thinking it would be Brett's Breakfasts but as I went along I think family traditions might be a better one.

Either way I am reminded of the many blessings in my life and I am thankful for each one.

If you'd care to join me in thankful thoughts, please feel free to share in comments.

Enjoy your weekend and, if in the USA, don't forget to set the clock back tonight.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 4

My chiropractor recommends drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning.  She said it re-hydrates the body and helps those aching body parts move a little more smoothly.

Often while drinking my water I step outside to check out the day's weather.  Mornings start on a peaceful note when I take a few moments to breathe in the stillness of the morning air.  In that time I also enjoy listening to the birdsong and the calming sounds of the waterfall.

Water is one of those things that, if you've always had it, can be easy to take for granted.  However, when I pause to think of all the many times I use water throughout the day I wouldn't want to imagine life without it.

Today I am thankful for fresh water.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 3

Here in North Carolina we  plant our pansies in the fall.

They look so nice with all of the other fall foliage.

They hang in there throughout the winter, although they may not look very pretty.

In February I start feeding them a watered down liquid plant food.

With a bit of deadheading and snipping off leaves that were battered by the winter weather, they respond quickly with new growth.  Then when the air begins to warm they put on a spectacular show of color.  By Easter they are in their glory once again and look equally at home amongst the spring blooming foliage as they did in the fall.

The container above was planted last weekend.

A little later than I usually plant them.

The thoughts of staring at a big container full of dirt all winter was not appealing, but I was afraid I had waited too long and the selection would be scant.

Not to worry, a quick stop at the local Walmart garnered every plant in the container.  Best of all they were all on clearance.  Woot!

Sometimes it pays to procrastinate ;D.

So, for today, I am not only thankful for pansies, I am especially thankful for deeply discounted pansies.

Thankful Thoughts - Day 2

My dryer has been "on the fritz" for a few weeks.

This morning at 8:00 on the dot the repairman came to fix it.

I've had this dryer for 17 years and this is the first problem I've had.

The repairman said this model rarely has issues and, if they do, it's an easy fix. 

With that in mind, I'm thankful for appliances that are built to last.

I've heard so many stories of appliances failing after only a few years.  With the investment we make in appliances, they should enjoy a long and productive life, wouldn't you say?

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 1

November's arrival has made me want to appreciate and be more intentional about noticing all that I am thankful for.

What better place than right here to keep track so, although I am already a day behind, here goes . . .

For one reason or another I have slipped into the habit of eating breakfast in front of the computer every morning.  I suppose in some ways it has replaced the morning paper.  After brewing that first cup of coffee I take a seat at the kitchen desk and check emails, blogs and often play my turn at Words with Friends.

Brett sits at the kitchen table and we converse back and forth across the kitchen.

The other day I decided to forego the computer and join Brett at the table.  Looking up from that vantage point I could see into the dining room window where my neighbor's tree filled the entire view.  The morning sunlight was shining onto it in a way that made me sit up and take notice.  Also made me wonder why I was choosing to start my day oblivious to this beautiful show happening right in my own neighborhood.

Today I am thankful for the beauty of the fall foliage.

I'll be popping in later with Day 2.

Happy November!