G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- a certain item I found at a thrift store while looking for bottles to hold my Florida Water. It's become a new DIY project for me, but I don't want to say anything about it until it's finished. I've been photographing the whole process from the beginning.

* -- Clint bringing over some tools in order for me to work on my secret DIY project! I wouldn't be able to do it at all without him lending me some things.

* -- the buds growing on my trees in my front yard. I have a pair of trees that create a canopy over my front walkway. They're one of my favorite things about my house (and I don't even know what they are; I need to find that out!) and they've looked so tired and sad without leaves. They are becoming filled with little, green, hanging buds and pollen. I can't wait until they are in full bloom with leaves!

* -- seeing a little House Wren land on my deck, and then watching it curl up in the soil in the pot holding my Jaguar Daisies. He shook his feathers and wings in the dust for a few seconds and just sat there in the leaves. It was so cute. What a perfect time to look out my window at my plants!

* -- some time spent in the garden center at work. I really hate my job, but it's easier to stay there than having to find another place and have to go through training all over again. For a few hours on Friday, I got to cover the garden center and I spent that time learning as much as I could between helping customers. One of the guys I work with gave me lots of advice and encouragement for my containers, and made some suggestions on how to change my watering schedule. I hope his suggestions work!

* -- coupons. I've seen some episodes of that show Extreme Couponing and a lot of it makes me angry. Those people are buying things they don't need or use just because they have coupons for it. And although some of them donate their extra items, most of them create enormous stockpiles and keep it all for themselves, even though it will never be used. One woman on the show even bought tons of bags of cat treats, doesn't own a cat, and was just keeping them because she got them for free with coupons. But anyway, I've started collecting coupons on my own, trying to find ones for items I buy all the time and things I like to treat myself to once in a while. The other day, I made my grocery list and tried to use as many coupons as I could for needed items. I ended up saving $17, even getting an entire carton of eggs for free, paying only $4 for a $9 bottle of vitamins, and other discounts. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of money, but $17 is almost two meals, half a tank of gas, or around 10 items of clothing at a thrift store. So I was happy about that and definitely going to continue!

* -- getting two exams out of the way during this past week of class. I have a little more time to catch up on other things I'm reading. I like to spend my breaks at work catching up on books, so now I can do that for a few days guilt-free, because I won't be blowing off study time.

* -- a fun party Friday night after work. It was a friend's birthday, I got to hang out with some people I don't see often, and saw a really cool band play. I wish I had more time to get out.

* -- my mom sending an early birthday present. She always finds amazing things, I don't know how! This year, she sent me another Tibetan-style bell, the second year in a row. They have beautiful designs and I love their tones. I hung the one from last year out on my deck in my container garden area. It's a little heavy, so the wind doesn't make it ring too often, but I love hearing that little sound every once in a while. I'm so excited watching my deck become a new sanctuary at my house. If only I could get the wasps to go away!!

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

It has been very rough, but,

this week, I am grateful for:

* -- the weather warming a little. I am definitely a cold weather fan, but having it a bit warmer makes it easier to spend more time outside with my new plants. I want to do everything right by them. Even though it's just a slowly-growing collection of containers on my deck, I still want it to be a real garden.

* -- the last Friday exam for my hematology class. It's a huge relief to not have to worry about weekly tests, so I can devote more time to the other schoolwork I have to do.

* -- spending time with my friend Lauren. I did a house cleansing for her new place on Wednesday. Getting to share some chanting and energy work with a friend was great for me. More motivation to become active and involved once again.

* -- spending time with a Sphynx cat at Lauren's new house! One of her roommates owns him. They are one of my favorite cat breeds, and he was a classic Sphynx. They're so much fun.

* -- my church, always, and my Priestess. There is a new law that was just passed in Kentucky, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I'm very apprehensive about what may happen in the future, especially because the wording of this law is so vague. Lawmakers overturned Gov. Beshear's veto of it, unfortunately. My favorite Pagan blog, the Wild Hunt covered this story, and the Priestess of my church (also a great friend), spoke about her reaction to it. I'm grateful to have a strong role model like her and that she is such a positive voice for us in the community. She's so inspiring to me.

* -- finishing advisement for my last semester as an undergrad. I thought I'd never get here. Registration for those last classes is on Monday. I'll be doing some TA'ing next semester which I'm looking forward to.

* -- Sean being my Accountabilibuddy. We have similar goals (and similar mindsets). If I have him to answer to for my successes, and mistakes, it's going to help keep me focused on taking myself back. He understands well how easy it is to sabotage yourself, and his advice during our conversation yesterday was really helpful. "Carve out the useless stuff, and find inside the best version of yourself." That's the affirmation I'm going to be reflecting upon for the coming weeks.

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

Joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday, and my list this week is all about Friends.

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- the flowers Clint brought me. I love having flowers in a vase on the dining table to look at (and I can't wait to start growing my own, so I can make my own arrangements! I will start sometime this week!)

* -- Clint picking up some soup for me at the store while I had an upset stomach today. Soup helps everything. It's my favorite meal.

* -- a friend from class helping out a friend from my church. She needs a new home for one of her roosters and the problem might have been solved. I'll have to get an update from them.

* -- my friend Lauren also bringing things over earlier when I was more sick! Including vitamins, freezer pops, and clementines. I juiced the clementines with some grapefruit, apple, and carrot.

* -- my friend KZ from New York and her girlfriend visiting! It's the second time that Katie has visited me in Kentucky, and we had so much fun! Great times with margaritas, arguments about Spike and Angel, pink lipstick, and temporary tattoos! It was wonderful; one of these times she must stay longer for more than just one night. It's never enough. I hope she and Becky have fun in Memphis this evening.

* -- something that hasn't technically happened yet, and won't for another 45 minutes, but: my friends letting me watch the Game of Thrones premiere at their house. I've been reading the ASoIaF books since 2004 or so, and I like the show a lot. I can't afford HBO or even cable at all, so between my friends letting me watch with them and my dad letting me use his HBO Go subscription, I think I will be covered to watch!

* -- lastly, being a friend to myself. When I was feeling a lot sicker earlier, I drew a hot bath and made some bath "tea" -- just simple cheesecloth and whatever herbs you want to use. I did lavender and chamomile for relaxation. It's important to be friendly to yourself.

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- Spring Break! I know last week I was worried it would mess me up, and I know by now that it has totally thrown off my schedule, but wow, it was needed. I had time with my pets, time to read, and time to do some photography and writing.

* -- all the time I had to clean. I don't know how people keep their houses clean everyday. Between school and work, it's basically impossible to keep my place looking like a person lives there and not a herd of pigs. I try to clean at least one room or space each day, but sometimes I'm just too exhausted. At least I got to catch up a little bit.

* -- that I haven't yet figured out how to fix my clippers. At first, this was making me so angry: I removed the blade to clean out the little pieces of Sól's hair (he's a big dog, it takes a while to shave his whole body). But now I can't figure out how to get the blade back on. However, it's gotten so cold again -- snow, in Kentucky, in late March...! At least Sól still has all of his leg hair attached so hopefully he isn't too too cold when we go outside.

* -- getting to video-chat with my best friend, Sean! I know he reads this and his head swells every time he sees his name. I like contributing to his future cerebral explosion.

* -- a friend telling me about where she buys her henna hair dye. I've tried different henna dyes in the past, even Lush's, and they've never worked for me; the Lush brand even fried my hair like box dye! Her hair always looks amazing and she was nice enough to tell me her source. She also gave me lots of good tips that help protect her hair from drying. I hope I'll be able to afford some henna soon.

* -- exciting plans made with an old friend from NYC. I'm sure there will be more said about this next week. It will be her second time visiting me in Kentucky!

* -- my dad sending me an old charger from his computer. It seems to work fine in mine, so that saves me around $80 replacing the one I broke, if the prices are still the same from 4-5 years ago.

* -- my dog for being incredibly silly and sweet. There were a lot of laughs this week at his antics, and even more so because he looks pretty funny with poofy, curly legs and a shaved body. It is one of the best things waking up with him snuggling in bed (or sometimes standing above me, gently wagging his tail, wanting to go outside).

* -- finally finding chicory coffee in Kentucky!! (I could go on with exclamation points). I found out that the local Kroger now carries Luzianne brand chicory coffee from New Orleans. I seriously cannot wait to wake up every morning now! So many memories are tied to that taste, and a little piece of me gets to walk down La Rue Chartres with each sip. I can't wait for the next time I go to back to NOLA, and it's exciting because I have no idea yet when that will be.

* -- my church. We celebrated Ostara (the Spring Equinox) yesterday. I love being able to see them and wish I lived closer! I won the scavenger hunt, got a promising message about my plans for container gardening from my egg divination, and got to spend time with lots of great friends. I took lots of photos, but haven't had a lot of time to go through them all, so I will definitely write more about that in a few days.

* -- Clint being able to help me with the cost of getting out to the Ostara celebration yesterday. I only had enough money for gas, so I couldn't afford our food contribution for the potluck dinner. I would have felt terrible showing up without food, so I'm so glad that he agreed to pay for the food if I paid for the gas and drove.

* -- being able to take home some rhododendron from my church's seed exchange. I've never grown it before, but they all assured me it would do well in containers. I'm going to start researching it and I really hope I can afford some flower pots and soil soon. I know it's going to be getting hot quickly, so I'd love to get some plants started on the deck. I want to have a fruitful year, literally!

(Update : it's not rhododendron, but philodendron. Can't you tell how black my thumbs are...)

♥ Spring Blessings ♥

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- coffee. Always coffee.

* -- my iPad. I broke my computer charger the other day so I'm leaving my laptop turned off so I can save it for total emergencies. This is the first time I'm ever writing a blogpost on a tablet or mobile device, so hopefully it all goes well. It's a little more difficult, but I need to adjust to technology someday.

* -- spring break. At first, I really thought it was going to mess up my school rhythm (and it probably will), but now I am so happy to be getting some time off!

* -- my pets, Loki and Sól. They went through a lot this week. I used them in class to draw blood in order to help younger students make blood smears and read packed cell volumes. They both ended up getting stuck a lot, but were so good about it. Since they are both healthy pets, they very rarely (about once a year at the most) need anything involving needles, but the animals we own at the university sometimes are stuck multiple times per week. I wanted to use my animals this week to give them a break, and I feel so lucky about how understanding they were.

* -- that Loki is such a healthy cat... At one point when I was drawing her blood, it was clotting in the
 syringe and I had to get it into an anticoagulant tube quickly, but I couldn't get the needle off. I
accidentally stuck myself with the needle and sort of freaked out for the rest of the day. But nothing has come out of it and everything seems fine. Good thing she's a cat and not a human!

* -- the birds. I have to say it again because they just bring so much simple joy to my life! My favorites right now are the house wrens who are always jumping around my deck. Some of them look like their gathering nest material, but I haven't seen any nests in the surrounding trees yet.

* -- my dreams. I've been remembering them more often lately and I seriously don't know what I would do if I ever lost my dreams.

* -- my lab partner letting me borrow an old pair of rain boots for our visit to the pig farm. It would have been bad-news-bears for me if I hadn't had those.

* -- those friends I have who are also anti-St. Patrick's Day. I'm fine with wearing green and getting drunk, but I will never celebrate the legacy of that man. I like knowing other people who understand and feel the same way. Solidarity is nice.

* -- finally seeing Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in concert!! I've been in love with him for years and I am so so grateful that Clint was able to get tickets. I think it was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. He had such a powerful stage presence; I couldn't take my eyes off him. I might write a separate post about the whole night soon, and I'll have to get a photo of the poster I bought once its framed. I am also so grateful that he played the song 'Stagger Lee.' Never, ever did I think in my whole life that I would see the Bad Seeds play that song. Completely amazing experience that I will not forget.

Photo of Nick Cave from the Push the Sky Away tour, 2013. I could not find the photographer's name.

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- Spring coming. I just ordered some bleeding hearts bulbs from my professor. I'm excited to watch them grow and bring some beauty to my lonely deck.

* -- my conversation with one of the lab techs at Breathitt (the regional diagnostic veterinary lab). She gave me the advice that I should get a master's degree in microbiology or virology, and because of that, I've started communications with people who can help me learn more. I never thought originally that this is a direction I would take.

* -- my best friend, Sean. We are finally going to write a comic together. He helps my insanity stay strong.

* -- coffee, and that my body hasn't been getting too jittery with the caffeine (sometimes I just can't have any). I don't think I'd be able to get through the Breathitt program without it.

* -- that I had work off yesterday. It was unexpected, so I wasn't able to go to my church's annual meeting, but I did get to do Margarita Saturday with some friends (not grateful for the hangover, however). The time off also allowed me to try a 'photo an hour' project, which will probably be tomorrow's post.

* -- the temperature warming up outside. Although I love the cold, my electric bill is killing me each month. I can't wait to see that number lower...

* -- Clint helping me spray paint some old towel racks I had. I'm hanging one in the kitchen to save counter space (for towels, spices, etc.) and with his help, I don't have to get anything new, so I ended up only spending $1 on spray paint.

* -- getting a little more time to read this week, since I had less exams. My dad gave me the book Cloud Atlas, and the extra time allowed me to really dive in it. I love it so far.

* -- work finally changing my schedule and giving me the time off each week that I asked for back in January. I wanted some days off in the middle of the week so I'll have more time for homework and studying. It's taken them over two months to respond to my request, but at least it's getting done now.

* -- myself. I really made some time this week just for me, to relax in the bath and wind down my stress. I definitely need to do more of that.

* -- NPR. I love it so much, especially Science Friday. I wish I had more time to listen to it, but I usually have class during all my favorite programs. Last Friday, however, I got to hear part of this segment about bees and caffeine. I want to finish listening to it soon.

* -- the birds coming to my bird feeder! The update from last week is that yes, the squirrels are eating the crap out of my birdseed, but at least the feeder is heavy enough that they can't pull it down and it isn't getting damaged. I am going to look at squirrel-proof feeders next week and see if I can get another one hung that will only serve the birds. I love watching and identifying all the types I'm seeing in my yard now.

* -- my kitty falling asleep like this, because life needs cute or what's the point?:

G r a t i t u d e + S u n d a y

In my continued effort to be more positive and work toward self improvement, I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday. In her words: "Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes."

This week, I am grateful for:

* -- a lack of exams (only one)! It was nice to get a break from constant studying.

* -- my procrastination for shaving my dog. I never would have expected it to snow in March in Kentucky, and he would have been cold.

* -- not having to drive to my necropsy lab tomorrow. It's nice knowing that tonight when I go to sleep, I won't have to wake up prepared for another hour and a half drive first thing in the morning.

* -- Clint surprising me with coffee and another rose this morning. He knows exactly where to put it: in the vase with the dried roses, my slowly growing bouquet.

* -- my professor helping me with professional connections. Maybe securing an internship in the north won't be as hard as I originally thought.

* -- the sun today. The light is beautiful and strong, giving it the perfect feeling of chilled air with heat from above. It's some of my favorite winter weather.

* -- the weather remaining colder. Normally it starts to heat up a lot around this time and the bugs and wasps begin coming out. I'm glad that there's a little bit of a delay!

* -- my gardening friends. They've made a lot of great suggestions and recommendations. They're helping me be more confident about starting a container herb garden on my deck.

* -- my dad's party mix recipe! I made it for the first time yesterday and now I have a snack that will last for weeks and reminds me of home.

* -- the presents my mom always finds. For Christmas, she gave me some wonderful locally-made soap, bath salts, and lotion. I love using them each day.

* -- my pets. They keep me warm at night, especially Loki crawling under the covers. It's still a little cold in my house.

* -- being introduced to Balance Yoga Studio. They have a broader schedule so it helps me to find more time during the week to set aside for my practice. They are also cheap!

* -- my student discount at Orsheln! They're a local farm supply store that carries my preferred dog and cat foods, and now I know that I can save a little more money on them.

* -- Pinterest. I know it sounds lame, it's just a website. But since I've started really applying ideas I find on it to my own life, I'm seeing lots of little improvements.

* -- the birds. There are tons of fat robins and cardinals all over my yard and I love watching them. I just got them a new bird feeder too; maybe next week I will be grateful if the squirrels have left it alone!