Day 132: Fire Alarms

Hi again,
It's kind of funny really but while I was trying to think about today and what I am thankful for, the fire alarm went off. lol The damper on the woodstove was left open and it got burning way too hard and we may not have noticed if it hadn't of been for the fire alarm. I am not exactly sure what can happen when it gets burning that hard but I know that it is not a good thing. I have seen chimney fires before and what not and I know there are dangers that come with woodstoves. Tonight it was a misunderstanding which led to the damper not getting closed but it just reminds me how incredibly thankful I am for fire alarms and the warnings they give. Fire alarms are so very important and please make sure you have fire alarms in your home and that they work because they sure come in handy on those rare occasions that you need them. What happened with us tonight may not be that big of a deal because nothing happened but it serves as a reminder to me and my family how important it is to have working fire alarms. It was probably more of a scare than anything because when the alarm went off and I went over towards the woodstove, the heat from the woodstove led me to believe that something might be on fire. Thankfully everything is fine and it was only just a scare. This is why I am thankful for fire alarms and I hope that I never have to hear them go off because of a fire in the house.

Day 131: Free movie tickets!!!

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for free movie tickets!!! Every year General Mills Cereal has a promotion in their cereal for free movie tickets and I love Multigrain Cheerios so I naturally end up getting a couple just by eating the cereal I normally eat. :) Anyways we got 4 boxes of cereal so that my family and I could go to a free movie and today we saw The King's Speech which was an amazing movie!!! The value of the 4 tickets is 44.00 and we got the tickets by eating cereal we normally eat so it was not an added cost to buy the cereal. The only time I can afford to go to the theatre is during the free movie promo from General Mills. lol Last year we saw the Karate Kid with the free movie tickets. What was nice about last year though, is that I had coupons for the cereal so it was even cheaper than I would normally pay and I got the free movie tickets with the cereal!!! :) A great deal! So it was a lot of fun to go to the theatre today because I don't get to do that very often because normally the cost is too high for me. Usually I wait till the movie comes out on dvd and the library gets it and I take it out of the library. Anyways today I am thankful for free movie tickets so I could see a movie in the theatre that was a great movie as well!

Day 130: bandaids

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for something so simple yet so useful which is bandaids. I am accident prone so I have definitely had my share of spills and today I was in need of a bandaid and thought what a wonderful thing it is to have on hand. It may not seem like much but when you don't have any on hand, they become that much more amazing. I have had a few times where I had to use what I had on hand and so I grabbed a kleenex and scotch tape. lol doesn't work so well. lol I thought I would share a link to the history of the bandaid for anyone interested in looking at it. It was invented in 1920 by Earle Dickson. Here is a link to about.com http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/bandaid.htm
Here is a link to a Wikipedia site which says essentially the same thing but it provides a bit more information I think. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band-Aid

Day 129: tv shows online

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for tv shows online. I am talking about tv shows uploaded onto sites like CTV or Global or CBC and not any illegal means of watching shows online. I am so grateful for television stations uploading shows onto their sites because it seems to happen often that I miss a show on tv or forget to set the recording or for some reason it doesn't record when it is supposed to. When these unfortunate circumstances happen, I can go to the station's website and hopefully they have that particular show online. Some tv shows are not online but alot are. To me, having episodes online like this makes so much sense because I can't be the only one who misses an episode of a favorite show. Sometimes through no fault of my own, the show I want to watch isn't on my channel because of some other show (like that darn Idol show) that takes up more time than it normally would and leaves no room for the show I want to see. But thankfully it is put on the site and I can still see the episode. Otherwise I would be extremely upset with the station for moving the show to it's sister station while Idol airs instead. I should mention that I don't have cable so when I mention "my channel"-I mean the 4 channels I get. Yep a whole 4 channels. lol As you can see, I am a bit perturbed about shows getting moved to a different station that I can't see them. lol Anyways, I am very grateful for the shows being available online for what ever reason that I miss the episode. Of course it will not be as good as watching it on the tv because of the buffering but it is completely fine for me because I still get to see the episode. I still remember one year before shows could be found on websites like CTV and we had set the recording for the Finale of Amazing Race because we couldn't watch it while it was on and the vcr never recorded it and we missed it. With shows like Amazing Race, if you miss the last episode it really really sucks! I was left scouring the internet trying to find play by plays of what happened during the episode. lol Recently the same thing happened that the vcr didn't record an episode of Amazing Race and it is online now so my family and I didn't miss out which was so incredibly nice! It takes away the sting of missing the episode if you have a second chance to be able to see it. lol So this is why I am thankful for tv shows online. :)

Day 128: being able to go outside

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for something that I was unable to do today which reminded me how thankful I am for it. Today I was unable to go outside much because the weather sucked and my back was bad as well so I was sort of stuck inside. The plus side to it is that in terms of my back keeping me inside is that the weather sucked so I was not missing anything. lol I did have to step outside to take my puppy outside but that was about it. I love being able to go outside and enjoy fresh air and even cloudy days are ok-I just simply love the outdoors and hate being stuck inside. I think it is not unique to me though to love the outdoors. There are no walls holding you in and there are birds singing and nature even when everything is frozen and under snow. lol There is so much to do outside. I find I start feeling claustraphobic after a day stuck inside. lol Maybe I think of it more because of all the time I was stuck inside after my surgeries and I couldn't go outside and the only glimpse I had was through a window. I would spend days inside without stepping outside once, missing out on beautiful sunny days. I suppose it really makes me thankful to be able to go outside and enjoy the outdoors when I can because I know what the opposite is like. Isn't it very difficult to be stuck inside on a beautiful day and every ounce of you wants to feel that warm sunshine on your skin? I know we all go through that because there are always days that are so beautiful and we are stuck inside-usually it is called work. lol So I think everyone is able to understand how nice it is to be able to go outside and enjoy the outdoors even in the winter-especially when the sun is shining! In the summer there is so much more to enjoy and no comparison between indoors and outdoors. I am thankful for every minute that I can enjoy outside when I can. So today I am thankful for being able to go outside.

Day 127: what makes me unique

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for what makes me unique and different. I love that we are all unique and not one person is the same. We may be similar but I don't think any of us are the same. I am not going to get into a big discussion though because I am sure there is a debate on this. lol Anyways growing up I knew I was different-I always have been. So I decided to try to embrace that and accept that different is good. I never fit in at school because I was different but I tried to accept that. Also quite a few years ago I saw a poster that really touched me where there was this whole field of red flowers and then this one yellow flower in the midst of the red flowers. When I looked at the poster, I felt that I could embrace my uniquness and be proud to be the yellow flower. It isn't always easy because sometimes I just want to "fit in" and be a red flower like all the other red flowers out there but how is that embracing who I am? So I try to who I am. I saw a quote awhile back that really speaks to me as well on this subject and it's by Oscar Wilde. It says "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." So I try to be myself and accept that we are all different and none of us are meant to be the same. Thinking in terms of the flower analogy, I think a beautiful world would be one where there is only one of each colour of flower and every shade of every colour imaginable where we embrace who we are and who other people are. Ok so enough deep stuff now. lol
 People may be wondering what makes me unique? I hate socks and only wear them when I absolutely have to-I would rather go barefoot. lol Physically I am not the same even though I wish I was and I could be 'normal' like other people but what I have gone through makes me who I am and I am stronger because of it. I am very sensitive and sometimes people call me intuitive. I am stubborn and while that is a trait that many people have-it is unique to those of us who have it. lol I have excellent hearing which is a curse in some ways because I hear things I shouldn't or I am not meant to hear. lol I also can't smell which is something unique. I am aware that there are others who can't smell but have never personally met another person who can't. These are some things about me that I have decided to embrace because they are part of who I am. I hope I have not bored anyone with this post. :) So I think we should embrace who we are and not try to be someone we are not because life would be boring if everyone was the same. After all, don't opposites attract?

Day 126: Ebooks

Hi again,
A few days ago while on my new cell phone, I realized that I can get an app that allows me to read ebooks on my phone. This made me very excited because I have really wanted to get into ebooks more but I can not afford an ebook reader currently. So I downloaded the Kindle and Kobo apps on my phone and proceeded to look at the free books offered and found some classics that I have wanted to read but never managed to. I am just so amazed how many books fit onto my phone and my phone weighs less than a hardcover book!!! I currently have about 10 or so on my phone and it would be impossible to be lugging the physical books everywhere I take my phone! Now I have something to read while waiting for appointments or when I have some free time to read. I just have to pull out my phone and pick up where I left off. I don't even need a book mark because the app remembers my place for me! I would have loved to have ebooks available when I was recovering from surgery and all the times I have had to be in the hospital. I had a few times where I finished a book and didn't have another one with me. Now I can take a whole library with me and always have enough to read!! Plus I know that having a paperless book saves paper as well which is better for the environment. It weighs as much as the phone or the ereader weighs and that is less than a hardcover book whether I have one or 100 books. It also makes it possible to read for long periods of time because of the weight is less than a hardcover book. After my surgeries I was actually too weak to hold up a book for more than a few minutes and couldn't read for awhile. An ereader is definitely one of those wants that I would love to have (but can wait till I can afford it). lol I am just elated that my phone has the capability to have ebooks on it!!! My goodness technology just keeps getting better and better. Phones are no longer phones with extra features but devices with several uses in my opinion. lol Ebooks are amazing though with all the advantages that come with them. Libraries are also jumping on board with ebooks which is amazing to see. So as you can see, I am very thankful for ebooks and the ability to read them on my phone. :)

Day 125: Family Day

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for family day. My family and I don't really do anything special for Family day but I like to use it as a reminder to be thankful for my family and everything we do for each other. This is a short post because I think I have covered why I am thankful for my family in previous posts (so I don't want to repeat too much) and my back is not feeling so good so I can't sit up long. So today I am thankful for Family Day. :)

Day 124: where I live

Hi again,
First I would like to say I am trying to think if I have been thankful for this already on my blog in one way or another but I can't recall for sure. I am starting to lose track. lol
Today I heard about what happened in Libya and how 200 protesters were killed for trying to stand up for their rights. I will not pretend to fully understand what is going on over there and the conditions that they are facing because I am not fully aware of everything nor can I understand what they are going through. I can't even begin to imagine what it is like for people in Libya. It causes me to stop though and think about where I live and what I have and how blessed I am. But it isn't just Libya that is dealing with bad conditions because many countries are. Bad conditions like getting shot for speaking out against the government when you are treated unfairly or being unable to have freedom of speech or freedom of any kind or not having access to basic necessities like clean water or health care. The list is very long as we all know. Then I look at North America and specifically my life and all that I have and I am very thankful for living in Canada. I feel I mention it often how we have so much here compared to other parts of the world but I don't think I can say it enough because we do have so much. Even those who have little have more than other people in other countries. I am not saying that we all live comfortably here because it can be quite a struggle for quite a few people here in Canada to scrape by but we still have more than other people do. Some governments in other countries make our government look amazing. lol I often wish for a better government but when I think about how much worse it could be-I am thankful for the government we have. :) We can speak against the government and they could care less. lol We will not be jailed or shot for voicing our opinions. So I am thankful for where I live. I also send my thoughts and prayers to people in Libya and I wish I could do more but I am not sure I can. Thanks for reading my blog.

Day 123: Hot Chocolate

Hi again,
Well I am thankful for Hot chocolate often but I have been waiting for the right day to write about it on my blog and I think today is a good day for it! I love hot chocolate and the way it warms you up inside! I love tea as well for warming me up but hot chocolate always brings me back to being a kid and coming in from outside on a cold winter day and having a cup of the sweet steaming hot chocolately drink. Except when we were little, we made it from scratch on the stove and it was soooo good! Now we buy store bought stuff which is still good and alot quicker. I don't drink hot chocolate much anymore because it contains so much sugar but every so often I crave a cup of it and nothing else will do! Today was one of those days and it is so chilly outside again that it was also the perfect weather for it. So today I am thankful for hot chocolate.

Day 122: Squirrels

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for squirrels. They can be a real pain but they are fun to watch none the less. Today our resident squirrel was at the base of the tree we have our bird feeder in and it was picking up seeds the birds dropped and it was so cute. I like to watch the squirrels when they eat pine cones because the way they move the cone and pick at it and eat from it which is so neat. They are also funny because they move so quickly that I sometimes think they look like they have had too much caffeine. lol Squirrels are also oddly smart as well and it amazes me the things that they do. A couple years ago we noticed a squrrel was grabbing mushrooms and taking them into a spruce tree and when we came up to the tree we noticed that the squirrel had laid them out on the branches. We continued watching the squirrel and as the mushrooms dried in the sun, it would collect them off the tree and go stash them somewhere. It was quite interesting to watch. Who knew that squirrels dried their food? lol Maybe it is common knowledge to some but to us it was new and interesting. I find it alot of fun to watch these little critters even though they do alot of damage to stuff sometimes and eat the bird's birdseed. Oh it is also funny to watch the squirrel get upset when you get too close to them and I have actually been hit by pine cones. lol Whether the squirrel intended to hit me or not, I am not sure but it was funny. I think the poor thing intended to scare me with it's noise it makes when it's upset but it didn't succeed. Anyways today I am thankful for squirrels. :)

Day 121: Laser Pointers

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for laser pointers because I got a new one for my cat and he is so funny chasing it. lol He is so lazy and will not play with anything but the laser pointer and he really could use some exercise. Since the treadmill idea never quite took off, I am sticking with the laser pointer. lol We sort of had him walking on the treadmill but he would sort of walk to the front and lay down and take a ride to the end and get up and repeat. lol My only concern with the laser pointer is that I don't get it in his eyes because I really don't think that would be a good idea. I find it interesting how he continues to chase this little beam of light that actually can never be caught yet he never gives up. It is very amusing playing with him and the laser pointer so it helps me cheer up when I am down to watch him play. If I time it right that I turn it off when he tries to catch it, then he thinks it is under his paw. lol It is so funny watching him slowly lift his paw only to discover it isn't there. lol He then starts to look for it again which is when I turn it on again and he thinks it just got away I think. lol So this is why I am thankful for laser pointers!

4 months down

Hi again,
First I would like to say thanks to everyone who is following my blog and joining me on this project. I am very thankful for that! I have been surprised to learn how many people I know are actually following my blog. I can see the statistics of how many people view my posts but it doesn't tell me who does so it is always neat to learn who follows my posts on my blog. :) Thank you.
Second, I would like to say that I have noticed improvement in how I view each day and circumstances I go through. I still get pretty low sometimes but oddly I can still see the blessings in my life and it helps my mood to improve when I feel everything is going wrong. I do have so much to be thankful for! I find it interesting when I compare what I have and how I live to western standards that it seems I have so little yet when I look at what I have compared to other people in different countries or I look at non materialistic stuff I have then I can see I have so much! I think that our society bases wealth and success so much on materialistic possessions that we may tend to lose sight of all that we are blessed with that isn't materialistic. I don't have alot of material possessions but I am ok with that because I have what I need and that is enough. Yes I wouldn't mind some things that are wants but I know that it won't make me happier or better to have them and I am ok without it. I also find it interesting that here in Canada our "needs" are not always needs at all but alot of wants that we can most definitely live without if we need to. I thought before I started this project that I was aware of almost all of my blessings but I have learned that there are many more that I simply had not thought of and simply take for granted. I am starting to change that and see everything around me differently. :) I am not saying I do not get depressed anymore because I do but I do see a difference in how positive or negative I am. Thanks again for reading my blog!

Day 120: What I have yet to experience

Hi again,
Today marks 4 months since I first started this blog and it is actually somewhat hard to believe it has been that long. As I sit here tonight and think about the past 4 months, I think about how close I came to doing something that I would have missed out on the experiences of the past 4 months and all I have yet to experience. Some of the past 4 months have been very hard and I have been very hurt and sometimes I wish I had ended my life 4 months ago but then I remember the times over the past 4months that have been good and I think about how it would have affected my family and I realize that it would have been the wrong thing to do. Thinking how I almost could have missed out on the good things the past 4 months makes me wonder what I have yet to go through that I would have missed out on. While there will always be people and circumstances that hurt me, there will be moments that cause joy and happiness that I will be happy to be alive. Four months ago I thought nothing could possibly get better and I wouldn't experience anything good but I have. I am thankful now for knowing that I don't know what is around the corner and this whole experience has taught me that. Knowing what I felt 4 months ago and knowing what has happened the past 4 months wassn't always what I expected which causes me to know and understand that we never know what will happen despite thinking we do. When we feel there is no hope and nothing good that can happen-we need to remind ourselves that we really can't be certain it is never going to get better and we need to remember that better stuff can come. Also in terms of being thankful for what I have yet to experience- I am thankful that I will experience lots of great stuff still in my life and while I don't know what it is, I know I can look forward to it. The pain caused and felt today does not determine what my life will be like for the rest of my life. I don't know what I still have yet to experience and that is part of the beauty of life is the unknown and the possibilities and how anything can happen. Knowing that anything can happen and it doesn't have to be how my life has been in the past gives me hope. This is why I am thankful for what I have yet to experience and I thank you for reading my blog and taking this journey with me.

Day 119: My parent's generosity

Today I am very thankful for my parent's generosity. I would like to apologize first for the length of this post. lol They have been generous to me my entire life and have always made sure I have what I need. I am not talking about things that I don't need like Ipods and video games and more clothes than I needed. I am talking about true needs like a roof over my head and food to eat and a place to call home etc. I was inspired to write this when I read a post on face book about a story on CTV and the comments that were underneath. This isn't really about what the CTV story was about but it inspired me to write about this. I missed the story on the news though sadly. The story on the news was about adult children still being at home with their parents. The comments I read underneath the post on facebook bothered me because people seem to think that laziness causes this (sometimes it does) but that isn't always the case and I felt the need to defend myself and others I suppose. As anyone who knows me knows, I have been through some difficult stuff that has kept me from being able to work the last few years and be independent which I crave so desperately. My parents have continued to be generous and have allowed me to live at home while I get through my recovery. I still pay what I can for rent and I pay for most of the food I consume and I am thankful that my needs are met. Anyone who has followed my blog understands that I am aware of all that I have and that I am very thankful for it. I feel I should highlight my parent's generosity on my blog because it deserves to be mentioned and I want to share with others how thankful I am for them. I really wish I could be living on my own and even just work again because I actually miss working! lol Just to be able to hold a paycheck in my hands again and know that I earned it. I am also so thankful for my parents for helping me through the most difficult parts of recovery which are now thankfully behind me! Stuff like being unable to move around on my own (when I was in a wheel chair) and needing help just to get changed which was not easy for someone who likes to be independent. I am sure it wasn't the funnest thing for my mom to help with either. lol  I am also extremely thankful for my parents taking me to Edmonton for all my appointments and surgeries which has taken up alot of time. But my parents helped me with everything and I am so thankful for it! :) I hope that someday I can repay them for all they have done for me but I don't know if I can ever do anything big enough to even come close to showing how grateful I am for them. I hope that this post shows a bit of how thankful I am for my parents and their generosity and why I am thankful for them. Thanks for putting up with a long post!

Day 118: Slowcookers

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for slowcookers. they are great because you can throw everything in and set the time and supper is ready either when you get home from work or errands or when supper time rolls around. Slowcookers cook food wonderfully as well. This is why I am thankful for slowcookers.

Day 117: Dishwashers

Hi again,
Today has been another warm day and while it wasn't quite as warm as yesterday, the sun was out today and that was soooo nice!!!!! So thankful for the sunshine! Anyways today I am thankful for dishwashers. I got to thinking today how nice it is not to have to wash all the dishes by hand anymore. When my sisters and I were young, we had to wash the dishes by hand and there is nothing fun about washing dishes by hand when all you want to do is go play. lol I was thinking today how incredibly thankful I was when we first got the dishwasher and how I sort of take it for granted sometimes. When I reminded myself what it was like before having a dishwasher I was reminded today how thankful I am for it. So today I am thankful for dishwashers!

Day 116: Zoegirl

This post is for yesterday because I was unable to get this finished and posted yesterday.
To be honest, I was so occupied with the great weather today that I didn't even really think about what else I was thankful for that I could post. lol The weather was amazing today!! So I feel I am left sitting here trying to think what else I am thankful for. All I keep thinking about is the weather and how warm it was outside! I am thankful for many things but I wanted to think of something relevant for today. What I mean is, I am very thankful for things like wildflowers and butterflies but as nice as it is-it is not wildflower and butterfly weather. lol So with some thinking I came up with being thankful for my favorite Christian band Zoegirl. I am thankful for this music today because I have been listening to their music alot the past few days and I love the lyrics of the songs and I love to really think about what they are singing and saying through music. Their songs are very meaningful and I love to really pay attention to each word. In a way I suppose it is my form of worship through out the week and a reminder of what is important. So this is why I am thankful for Zoegirl. :)

Day 115: Freedom of speech

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for freedom of speech. We are able to say what we like and not have fear of being jailed for it. We can write what we like and not be told to take it down. We can complain when we want to if we want to. There are countries around the world where freedom of speech is practically non existant. People are unable to share their point of view on something if it isn't considered something that they can give an opinion on. We can speak out against the government if we have a problem with them and we do not get in trouble for it. We can have blogs and share what ever we want with in reason (as long as it's legal) and not have to worry about censorship or getting in trouble. People may disagree with our point of view but we can still say what we want. I think some may actually not realize what a privilage it is to have freedom of speech. Yes we still need to be careful what we say if we care about how we affect others but we can share what we want to share. So this is why I am thankful for freedom of speech

Day 114: Sticky Snow

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for sticky snow. I know this is maybe somewhat similar to other posts but it is also somewhat different. :) I love when the snow gets sticky because I can be creative with it and mold it into shapes/sculptures or snow men or what ever comes to mind. Even though I am an adult-it is still fun. Who says you have to stop having fun in the snow when you get older? So today I had some fun with the sticky snow. I know we all get busy and don't have alot of time for fun but sometimes you have to make time for fun right? The next few days here in Alberta are supposed to be above freezing so there will be lots of sticky snow and great opportunities for fun. Something else that sticky snow is great for is snow ball fights. lol Another great idea is making snow men.... or making forts or sculptures... there are many fun things to do with sticky snow! This is why I am thankful for sticky snow.

Day 113: Icoke Points program

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for the Icoke points program where each 2Litre bottle of Coca Cola has a pin to redeem for points. My dad drinks Coke and gives me the pins so I benefit from that. :) I enter them in and then share the stuff with him. Sometimes I buy Nestea if it is cheap and on sale so I contribute as well. :) Lately Icoke has been very stingy with rewards available to redeem points on, so I have just been saving up points hoping they would put something good up worth getting. I have been saving points for quite awhile. Anyways they finally put up some Cineplex tickets and I was able to redeem points for those and I have 2 admit one tickets being sent to me!!! I have enough for another pair but I have to wait till next week to redeem and hopefully they are still available. Free movie tickets are definitely nice!!! There is the argument that we had to buy Coke first to get them so they are not free but my dad drinks Coke regardless so I suppose technically they are free. Anyways this is why I am thankful for the points program (especially when they put up Cineplex tickets!!!).

Day 112: Getting through the Dentist visit

Hi again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post yesterday. For this post I am thankful for getting through yet another dentist visit. I see the dentist alot and I joke that I am a regular there because I go there so often. Before you make assumptions that I don't care for my teeth, I would like to mention something. It seems I have many unusual things about me because I was born with weak enamel on my teeth apparently and as far as I understand, the enamel I have is still extremely weak. I am not making excuses but just explaining why I have to see the dentist so often. I take care of my teeth but they still seem to just disintegrate as my dentist calls it. I also found out one of my teeth has more roots on it than it should and apparently I was only the second person to come in to my dentist's office with that in the 25yrs he has been a dentist. I think I made his day. lol Anyways I had another dentist visit yesterday and I was happy to get through it. I am also among a small number of patients that don't respond well to freezing so it isn't exactly painless for me which is another reason I am thankful to get through each visit! I am definitely happy when it is over! Well this is why I am thankful for this post and I suppose I am also thankful that I have a good dentist. :)

Day 111: Snow Humour

Hi again,
Today I was on one of my favorite sites Smart Canucks and someone posted some funny pictures to help those sick of winter get a laugh or a smile. I think more people than usual have been hit with snow this year and are dealing with the annoyance of having snow. It can be fun but when we get dumped on it can become a bit of a pain. I have been trying to stay positive about it but I too have complained about it. Anyways I asked the poster if she minded me sharing the photos and she said it was ok so I will post them here. I also found a few myself to add in. I figure we could all use some snow humour to give us a chuckle. So today I am thankful for the pictures and the smiles they brought to my face.

Day 110: Honesty

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for Honesty. I believe honesty is the best policy and sometimes it may hurt at first but it is better knowing than not knowing at all. Too often I think people are not honest because they feel they are protecting someone's feelings but often I think it doesn't do the person any good to not know. Also being honest can save a person a big headache of having to confess something later on. An honest person is also easier to trust and you are able to trust an honest person. A person who isn't being honest sometimes seems to be holding something back and I don't know what it is so I have a hard time trusting them. I love people who are honest and say it like it is and you never have to second guess what they are thinking or saying. That is so nice. Sometimes it can be difficult to be around a person like that because they don't sugar coat things but at least you know where they stand and they won't lie to you because they think it's better than telling you the truth. I would rather have a person tell me I look bad in something than to have the person say nothing to spare my feelings and then I look bad with out knowing it. Or if I am being hurtful and I don't know that I am because no one wants to say anything-I rather someone be honest and tell me that I am so I can fix it. It may hurt initially but at least I will be aware of what I am doing or not doing and can change. I do love honest people. So that is why I am thankful for honesty.

Day 109: Thinking outside the box

Hi again,
This post is for yesterday because I was unable to post yesterday. For this post I am thankful for the ability to think outside the box so to speak. I am a creative person and I suppose thinking outside the box comes somewhat naturally and I am thankful for that. I don't like to just do stuff the way everyone does it or do stuff the way it is "supposed" to be done and I like to come up with solutions to problems that require creative thinking. I also like to use items for purposes other than what they are originally intended for because an item really does have many uses other than the purposes it is designed for. I am not sure if that is classified as thinking outside the box but I consider it to be. The reason I thought about this is because my parents are trying to redesign a kitchen and asked for my input which I love because I really enjoy brainstorming and thinking up possibilities of how to design something.  Coming up with unique ideas is fun and while some of them are not practical-it is alot of fun still to do. Why design something that is how it's always done if it doesn't work quite right for you? Anyways I am thankful for being able to think outside the box. :)

Day 108: Chapmans Ice Cream Cookies

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for something simple but oh sooooo good-Chapmans Ice Cream Cookies! First of all I must say that Chapmans Ice Cream is absolutely amazing as is their frozen yogourt! It is pretty much the best I have ever tasted! There is a certain Mud Pie Brownie Ice Cream that I consider to be somewhat tied with Chapmans but most of the time Chapmans is wins out! :) Also Chapmans has the best Ice Cream sandwiches EVER! I can't put my finger on what makes them so much better but no other Ice cream sandwiches that I have tried compare with theirs. Anyways I should get back to what I am thankful for today. lol Chapmans has these Ice Cream cookies as they are called and they are absolutely so good! What they are is basically a round ice cream sandwich completely covered in chocolate. The sandwich part is not your usual cookie though and is softer and more brownie like. The flavour is "Brownie and Dark Chocolate". We got some on sale awhile back and today I had part of one and I am so thankful for something so good! It was a perfect day for it too-the weather was feeling balmy (+5Celcius!!!!) and I had a tough day physically. Anyways it was very good! If you haven't tried Chapmans before-you really should! They have the best frozen yogurt with great flavours! Yes I really love it this much. lol Thanks for reading my blog!

Day 107: Old magazines

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for something that may seem a bit odd but I am thankful for old magazines. Recently we ended up with a bunch of old magazines (almost 20yrs old) and we decided to flip through them to see if there is anything that is worth keeping. These magazines are from the time I was in Elementary school so it is kind of weird and fun flipping through them. It is neat to read articles and notice how things have changed from theories about stuff to "new" technology that is now so outdated. I saw an ad for a Buick car and I found it funny from the tactics used in the ad to the look of the vehicle. It's fun to look at how everything changes. I am just thankful for being able to have a chuckle over it all and really think about how far things have come in such a short period of time. It is also fun to see ads for products that are no longer made and it causes me to reminisce about food that was available when I was a child but is no longer made. It is interesting also looking at how style has changed as well over the years such as fashion trends and decor ideas. Sometimes colour choices and stufff causes me to be very thankful for change. lol Anyways this is why I am thankful for old magazines that are almost 20yrs old.

Day 106: Warmer weather amidst the cold of winter

Hi again,
Well today I knew what I am thankful for but I have been trying to figure out how to phrase the title. I hope I did ok. What I am thankful for is the warmer weather to give us some relief from the cold weather that winter brings. We have been on somewhat of a rollercoaster this past month in terms of temperature but that is not uncommon here either. The past few days have been about -40 celcius which is cold and it's called winter. lol But of course it isn't always that cold when the temperature dips. Today it started warming up again and got up to +1!!! We are expected to stay on the plus side for highs for the next few days I believe and then we start to take a bit of a plunge again. It can be hard to take with all the ups and downs of the weather but it can also be nice because it isn't just constantly cold with no breaks. Also getting above freezing means the snow gets sticky and sticky snow brings out the kid in me. lol Also it is so nice because we are able to get outside without worry of getting cold and can enjoy the warmth of the sun and do activities outside. It gets hard to be cooped up inside! Also it seems people's moods improve when the temperature rises which is true anywhere I think. I also enjoy these warmer days because the snow shrinks some and the roads clear off and driving seems almost possible again. lol So today I got to go outside and enjoy the warmer weather and then tonight it was still feeling warm (even though it's apparently -8 already) so I went for a walk and looked at the stars. It's a very clear night tonight so the stars are so pretty! Anyways this is why I am thankful for warmer weather during winter!

Day 105: Stouffers Rewards Promo!

Hi again,
Today I am thankful for the Stouffers Rewards Promotion. For those who are not aware of this promo, let me explain a bit about it. You buy 12 specially marked packages of Stouffers products (i.e -Lean Cuisine) which have pins inside and you enter 12 pins to get 25.00 in gift cards and free product coupons. If you do this so you buy each one on sale you can spend less than 25.00 for all 12 and you basically get your money back to spend over again. We took part in this promo once already and just finished up another one that ended January 31. This last promo we had free product coupons for 3 of the 12 that we needed to buy and we had coupons for 5 so we only paid 1.00 for each of those. Then we bought the last 4 on sale. So we spent 15.00 and we are getting 25.00 back. I think that is a pretty good deal don't you? I love the Lean Cuisine Spa frozen meals so this is a nice way to be able to afford them. :) So I am thankful for this promo so that I can enjoy these meals and get a bit of money back that I didn't spend also. Yesterday they gave an announcement that they are doing another promo that will end in May so I am hoping to find more coupons and get in on one more promotion. I am not sure if there are any more current coupons out for Stouffers but I will be keeping my eyes peeled for them.You are allowed to take part in this 2 times per household as well. Anyways I am enjoying this promotion and the Spa meals very much and I am very thankful for it!!!