Category: gratitude

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100 Things To Be Happy About

Please read these with your own list in mind. Post your “happy stuff” at the bottom and we’ll see how many we can get…

  1. These particular children

    family-group-050

  2. These perfect grandbabies

  3. Lyndi's computer 008
  4. 3.  Missionary boy phone calls on Christmas daywith-elder-vehawn 4. Fleece slippers
  5. 5- A bag of Cheetoes–baked not fried       cheetoes
  6. Painted toenails
  7. The smell of real Christmas trees
  8. A well stocked bird feederblue-birds
  9. Picking raspberries
  10. Real Hot Chocolate with real whipped cream
  11. Wearing pigtails
  12. Striped socksclipboards-037
  13. Bright pink mittens
  14. A reading lamp
  15. scotlandMen with Scottish accents
  16. Baby kittens
  17. Stone cottages

    cottage2from “the Holiday”

  18. Cherries from a roadside stand
  19. A backyard full of autumn leaves

    h

  20. Thundery rainstorms
  21. Cheerios
  22. Snowed in with everyone home
  23. Gas prices right this second gas-prices
  24. The power of prayer
  25. Thatched roofs
  26. “Baby First Step”presents-020
  27. Indian corn
  28. Music boxes where you can see the insides
  29. Porch swings
  30. A sister   ward-campout-2008-9
  31. Baby kisses
  32. Pecan logs without cherries
  33. Pumpernickel bread with Swiss cheese    pumpernickel1
  34. The picture book, “The Relatives Came.”
  35. Old photos of total strangers
  36. Caramel apples
  37. “Seabiscuit“
  38. Metal crochet hooks with taped handlessnow-08-025
  39. Christmas lights in very tall trees
  40. Canopy beds with curtains
  41. PeeWee baby dollshoney-and-babies-020
  42. Football games
  43. Very old houses with very old trees
  44. Jack in the Box tacos
  45. Border’s gift cards
  46. Surfer hair

    sunshine Sunshine from “Remember the Titans”

  47. Crocheted dust ruffles
  48. Old buttons

  49. “Little Lost Baby”

    honey-and-babies-015

  50. Lousia May Alcott books
  51. Beloved crazy people with New Year’s fireworks  new-years-eve-2009-015
  52. Being read to
  53. Flute music
  54. Beany my lovehoney-and-babies-030

  55. Vlasic Kosher Dill Spears

  56. Farm houses
  57. A Brother   lyndipictures2-122
  58. Embroidery scissors
  59. Rainbow Britehoney-and-babies-014
  60. The “Out of Africa” soundtrack
  61. Summerfest copy-of-summerfest-2008-101
  62. Peter Brinholt music
  63. Cable tights
  64. Light purple
  65. Cinnamon pinecones
  66. Mourning doves     dove-in-the-pine
  67. Creamers
  68. Rootbeer floats in grama’s backyard
  69. Christmas cards with photos inside

  70. Letters with foreign stamps

    copy-of-dec-31-003

  71. Wind chimes
  72. Gift baskets with really cool stuff
  73. Jane Austen movies
  74. Wool Felt
  75. Kilts   andrew-j-237
  76. Pink malt balls
  77. Babies born gently
  78. Snapset pools
  79. Maxfield Parrish paintings
  80. Baby fingers and toes   honey-and-babies-035
  81. Cute boys with big feetdec-31-001
  82. Freeze dried ice cream
  83. Church steeples
  84. Old friends that come back
  85. Icicles  dec-24-2008-092
  86. Waterfalls
  87. Free range giraffeswild-giraffe
  88. Button up sweaters
  89. “Goose Girl“
  90. Twelfth Night
  91. Christmas Eve     christmas-eve
  92. Stuffing
  93. Kisses on the hand
  94. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  95. Pastry Blenders
  96. Little girls in dresses and tights

    eloise-wilkin-girl

    by Eloise Wilkin

  97. Pink and purple petunias
  98. Ballet Slippers

  99. My sweet Mom

  100. My cute daddy

Mission

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

ThanksgivingWe here at Gracious Rain hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings and that you eat so much turkey and cranberry sauce and potatoes and pie that you sleep for a week…well, no…then you’d miss all the cool sales tomorrow and that would be would be terribly counter-productive. Maybe, use moderation…

oh, forget it.

So, ok…go eat stuffing.

Dane Thanksgiving 08

My cute little son in Lithuania breaking dry bread for stuffing–8 hours ago–

because HE knows that some traditions must go on, even in a far away land.

Have a wonderful holiday!

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5 Things I’m Thankful For…

…at this very moment…

1) A sister who brings over Turkey Cupcakes–they look like turkeys, they taste like chocolate–that are so, so cute–I couldn’t let anyone eat them until we got a picture. Plus, I figured if I could distract everyone long enough…I wouldn’t have to share. Heh, heh, heh…

2) A big black cat named Beany, that sleeps at the foot of my bed–the far right side of the foot of my bed so that I can still move my feet if I want to OR scoot my feet under him to keep them extra toasty. Yeah…he’s a good sport.

3) Thanksgiving decorations all over the place. Laurie–the cupcake sister–made the pilgrims for me a billion years ago.

The turkey bailed into my cart at JoAnn’s last year.

4) The piles on my ridiculous desk. So much potential for fun stuff. I can’t wait to sort them out and see what’s in there. I must point out…this s not a mess. I mean it. This is total order in my world.

5) “Thing 1” and “Thing 2.” The squishyist and most magnamonious babies in the world. It’s quite possible that I made both of those words up. If so…don’t tell me. They are perfect for my needs–thank you.

 

 

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.”

~Meister Eckhart

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Photo Journal

While looking through a ton of old pictures the other day–I noticed that we had quite a few in the folder marked “Ghosts of Thanksgivings Past”–but they are all online and so I’m constantly having to say to family and friends, “I’ll email you a copy.” Sounds noble, yes? Well it would be more noble if I had a clue how to actually email pictures.

Hence, the Thanksgiving Photo Journal was born.

First take a hardbound journal or blank book—whichever…

Trace around it on to scrapbook paper.

Cut out to the measurement of your book. I had to work around the spiral binding of mine. Cutting out 65,000 tiny notches was a bit of a pain, but it turned out ok.

Glue the paper on to the cover of your book–being careful to keep the edges straight.

Secure a piece of ribbon to the back with glue and tie a bow in the front. And ta-da! Your book is finished. Except that now you can make copies from your computer–and stick them in the book for all to see.

So, bring it with you to the turkey dinner and share the book around. If you are really brave you can let people write their comments or memories on the blank pages. If you have a few of these books and lots of printer ink, they would make a great gift for the Thanksgiving hostess. Never hurts to butter up the lady with the pie…

Heh…heh.

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Gratitude Tree


This is a simple and fun way to help family members be on the look-out for all the things they love and are grateful for…and clean up some stray branches from the yard at the same time. Ahhh…green waste.

Oh, and earlier today–this tree was called the “Gratitude Tree” but it got on my nerves. Honestly, it sounded way too much like “The Giving Tree”…which is not ok with me. If you know me even a tiny bit you know how I feel about that book. Grrrr….more on this later…no doubt. MOVING ON…

You will need:

flower pot

craft stones, rocks, or art sand

short branches

colored paper, scrapbook paper, or craft foam

paper clips

Fill a clean flower pot with rocks, stones or sand…yes, kitty litter would work, but I’d hate to confuse poor Fluffy, so personally, I’d stick with the rocks. Shorten the tree branch to suit the size of your pot. I stuck three small lilac branches together with packing tape. Set the branch securely in the rocks. Wiggle them around until you’re convinced they will “sit and stay.”

Next, cut out about two dozen leaves–template link below— from colored paper or craft foam. Push a partially straightened paper clip through the stem end of each leaf. Set the leaves in a small basket with a black marker, next to your thankful tree.

Encourage, nudge, ok, force– family members to write their names on one side (unless they want to remain anonymous), and something or someone they are thankful for–and why, on the other side. Have them hang it on the tree and by Thanksgiving Day–your tree will be a beautiful reminder of your family’s blessings and a really cute tree–that you don’t have to water. That’s a plus.

NOTE: Click here for a bunch more family Thanksgiving Crafts or a simple leaf template to make your own Gratitude tree.