30 Days of Gratitude - Day 9

Last week my grandmother asked me alter two shirts for her.  She gave up sewing several years ago as her eyesight declined and after a move into assisted living gave her sewing machine to my sister (because she didn't have one and I think she secretly hoped my sister would take up sewing!).  My grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and could make tailored garments and fancy dresses.  She made most of her clothing while a young adult living in New York City.  

Here she is in 1938 in a lovely dress she made for an evening out.

Her sewing skills were honed throughout the years in part due to necessity and in part because she enjoyed it.  Money was tight and clothes were expensive.  Discount shopping stores like Wal-Mart and Target didn't exist back then.

Here is my grandmother in a lovely blue ensemble from c. 1978

When my mom was born, she made most of her clothing too and also taught my mom to sew.  My mom could make a tailored jacket, a pleated skirt or anything she wanted with her eyes practically closed.  She and my grandmother were very skilled.  In fact, my mother made both mine and my sister's wedding dresses.  It sure saved a lot of money, but the best part was knowing that I had a beautiful dress made by my mother.  She spent countless hours hand sewing hundreds thousands of beads on.  I have that dress packed away and maybe, someday my girls may be interested in wearing it or evening having me make their dress.  Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of my mom and none of her wearing clothes that she made.

The wedding dress my mom made.  1986

My mom and grandmother inspired my interest in sewing.  I received a sewing machine on my 18th birthday, a basic Sears Kenmore model that got a lot of use.  I sewed many of my dresses for college dances.  One of my favorites was a red taffeta tea length dress.  I still have it, though I couldn't begin to fit into it.  But when I look at it, I smile and am filled with pride.

This is my husband and I on our first date in 1985 and me in the red dress which I made.

I sewed quite a bit in the early years of our marriage and when our children were little.  I made their Halloween costumes, reversible corduroy/adorable cotton print pants, diaper bags.  When they were napping or asleep for the night, I would sew.  I enjoyed the creative process and started of tradition of making pajamas for my children and my nephews to be opened on Christmas eve.  They were always so eager for Christmas and loved the pajamas (and toothbrush that came with).  Each was made of a different patterned flannel that suit their personalities.   I even made matching pajamas for their American Girls' Dolls.

This picture is from 2000 and my children, nephews and dolls are modeling their new PJs!

As the kids got older and I got busier, I sewed less and less.  I began stamping and scrap booking (neither of which I do much anymore) and sewing was only something I did for utilitarian purposes.  Hemming pants, patching a hole or mending.  I look back and some of the things I created and though they are beautiful and evoke good memories, the desire to sew and create just isn't there anymore.

So when my grandmother said she needed my help I took the cover off my sewing machine and threaded it up.  She now has two shortened tops and I'm sure she'll be pleased.  At 95, I don't expect her to get out her needle and thread.  I am grateful I could help out and put my sewing skills to use. 

Here is my grandmother and my grandfather on their 60th wedding anniversary in 2000.  (My grandfather passed away in 2002).  My grandmother is wearing an ensemble she made and I think it looks quite lovely on her.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 8

Today I was grateful for my resolve, my dedication, my "I Can Do It" attitude.  I normally work out in the morning and today I got working on other projects after breakfast.  I knew I needed to work out, but the day was quickly passing by.  And I was stressing about it.  Stressing about not getting in my exercise, not meeting my goals of exercising 5 out of 7 days a week.  I was losing focus on my projects as my mindset was consumed with 'not exercising'.  Everything is so much easier when I work out in the morning.  Because it's done for the day.  And I move on to other tasks.

By 2:30 it was really eating at me that I hadn't exercised yet.  I was tired from the project I was working on and all I wanted to do was sit down and read for 30 minutes.  But at 3:30 I grabbed a water bottle and headed down stairs to our home gym.  I turned on the TV and got on the exercise bike.  I did a 30 minute interval work out that was tough.  At about 13 minutes in, I was sweating up a storm and breathing heavily and I wanted to stop.  But I said "I Can Do This" and I kept going.  According to the heart rate monitor I burned 345 calories and I biked 7.8 miles almost all up hill.

When I finished, relief washed over me that I was done with exercise for the day.  I then went on to tackle my other projects and finish some work.  The burden was lifted and I was productive the rest of the day.  Tomorrow, I am definitely working out before 9 am.  The stress it causes to delay it just isn't worth it.  I am really grateful that I dug deep and found the tiniest bit of motivation to get on that bike today.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 7

I am part of a great group of women who gather monthly to eat, drink and be merry. We always have a wonderful time when we get together.  The beauty of this group is there is no agenda, no formality and no dues.  We gather for the sole purpose of friendship.  We have such different careers: professor, fundraiser, artist, event planner, realtor and we are of varied ages.  We differ in our political views.  One is a vegetarian.  Some of us have kids, some don't.  Our conversations are as varied as each one of us and no topic is off limits!  Regardless of what people ate or drank (or didn't drink) we always divide the bill equally.  Tonight we ate at Nectar and it was quite tasty.  I ordered steamed clams in a garlic saffron broth.  Yum.  For dessert the five of us shared a piece of flour-less chocolate cake.  We each took a fork and had a few bites.  It was a great finish to a superb evening.  I am so grateful for this engaging, fun and lively group of women.  I can hardly wait until we meet again!

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 6

I am very grateful for comedy.  You've heard the old adage "laughter is the best medicine", well, it's true!  We went to see Tower Heist with Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda.  It had a plot with suspense and drama.  And humor, lots of humor.  All the characters were well cast and all so very different!  Made for a really great way to spend 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.

I was still in a bit of a bleak mood and the movie really helped snap me out of it.  I laughed out loud many times during the movie and it made me smile.  Amazing how a little humor can change your mindset!

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 5

Today was a particularly hard day.  A phone call with a loved one was very emotional and just threw me for a loop.  I am still digesting the words spoken and my stomach is in a knot.  It is the most unpleasant feeling and the ache still very real and at times unmanageable.  Why is it the people we care about the most have the deepest pull at our hearts?

We had tickets for "Viva Italia!" by the Washington Idaho Symphony tonight and I wasn't in the mood after the phone call.  On the drive to the venue, my loving husband said "Try and relax and let the concert take your mind of things".  The first part of the program was "Summer" and "Winter" from Four Seasons by Vivaldi.  It was magical.  He held my hand throughout the concert and squeezed it a bit tighter when he sensed I was tearing up. I did my best to relax and when I closed my eyes and felt the music, it filled me with joy and gratitude.  And for brief moments I was transported to another place, free of pain and heart ache and for that, I am grateful. Grateful for the Washington Idaho Symphony and the beautiful music they play.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 4

I am very grateful for our fireplace.  The one in our living room is a gas fireplace, which is nice, but I don't go in there very often so it's not used with any regularity.  Which is unfortunate because it's my favorite room in our house.  I love sitting on the sofa in the living room in the afternoon, the lighting perfect making the room peaceful and tranquil.  I just don't do it very often, but that will be a blog post for another day.

Our other fireplace is in the family room and it's a traditional wood burning fireplace flanked by granite tiles and gold trim.  I'm not a fan of the gold trim, in fact, I don't care for gold at all, but the fireplace is so awesome I hardly notice the gold trim. There is a definite chill in the air this time of year and we make a fire almost every night.  Sometimes we use real wood, other times duraflame logs.  It provides a warmth that I can't get from turning the furnace up a notch.  It's such a cozy wonderful feeling to sit by a fire.  I prefer the real fireplace to the gas one as the flames are much bigger and seem to dance.  It's very mesmerizing.  I'm grateful for the fireplace and the sense of calm and warmth it brings.


This photo is from tonight's fire.  Doesn't it look inviting?

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 3

I am grateful that I like to read.  It's relaxing and soothing and it distracts me from what's going on around me.  I didn't always like to read.  When I was in middle school I was in a development reading class, apparently I didn't read at the level of all my other 7th grade peers.  I felt like I was stupid and of course, it was embarrassing as all my friends were in the regular class.  By 8th grade I was moved up with my friends, but the notion that I didn't read well still resonated with me.  It wasn't until college, that I started enjoying reading.  When I had down time or if I was stressed, I would pick up a book and escape from reality.  The JA Jance detective series were one of my favorites at the time.  I still love novels, historical fiction in particular.  I also enjoy reading newspapers and National Geographic magazine. I like to learn about other cultures, customs and peoples opinions.

Ideally I would love an hour every day to read.  But mostly I just settle on the 10 minutes before bed.  After I've read the same page 3 times and I can barely keep my eyes open, it's time to turn out the light.  I am currently reading The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax.  I have a big stack of books on my bed side table, another stack on the floor and about 100 on my kindle.

I just finished reading Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan while we were in Maui.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the luxury of sitting for about two hours on this beach to do nothing but relax and read, along with a few dips in the warm ocean.

Reading opens your eyes to the world, helps with vocabulary, improves memory and analytical thinking.  And it makes us smarter. I am very grateful that I like to read.

What are you thankful for?