What I'm grateful for today...

*no more amusement parks for the summer...
*happy children
*a hot cup of Starbucks coffee
*paid for cars (especially with gas expenses!)
*a flexible job
*wonderful friends

What I am grateful for....

*my furry, sweet golden retriever
*golf with my husband
*sleeping in
*someone else making breakfast
*70 degree days with the sun shining...
*coming home after being away
*chocolate....
*my children, their health, and medicine to make them feel better
*my loving husband, who makes me feel just as special to him as the first day he fell in love with me...

What I'm grateful for today...

*a wonderful, caring husband
*a good job that pays well, but leaves me time to be there for my kids
*my husband's job that more than adequately covers the bills
*my four children, who each have their own unique personalities
*rain, so everything is greener
*my health and the health of my family
*anniversaries
*chocolate
*money in the bank
*hot bubble baths

Going "within"

I've spent this weekend reading the book Choosing Simplicity. What I get over and over again in this book is that you must spend time going "within" to figure out what you believe in and value most. Spending time with just yourself to really know what it is that you want. Linda Pierce states that all of the answers are within you, you just have to find them. Hmmmmm, I'll have to dig really hard, because most of the time I feel clueless. But getting away and spending quiet solitude with just myself and my thoughts might not be a bad idea.

Choosing Simplicity

I am currently reading this book. It is about ordinary people and their stories about how they have simplified their lives. The author, Linda Breen Pierce, was in fact a lawyer leading a very hectic lifestyle. She changed her life drastically and lives a life now more in tune with her values. She does not have any children, which I think makes a big difference in just how much you can change your life. I would love to move from this area to a small town. But....my children have grown very attached to their friends, and the school district here is one of the best in the country. So, I will have to learn other ways (besides moving) to simplify my life to the point where I feel I'm living more in tune with my values.

Simplicity and Grace

This is my first post on this theme. I started this blog almost a year ago, but never took the time to write anything in it. This will be my forum to remember the all of the things that I have with gratitude and how I can live a more simple life.

I live in a very congested area, and sometimes all I see is traffic, trash and a sense of ugliness. But if I really stop and look, I can see that there are many beautiful things around me. If I just took the time to really look.

I received a new digital camera for my birthday, and I hope to use it to capture all that is beautiful in my life and preserve it here on this blog.