Today I am grateful for...

Sunday brunch buffets - breakfast items, lunch items and an island of desserts
My gamblin' man - for his stockpile of complimentary buffets at the Argosy
The chill in the air - begs me to wear boots and faux fur trimmed apparel
The chill in the air - keeps me from having to mow the lawn every weekend
The chill in the air - forced me to bring my plants in from the sun porch and now my home is alive
My mom - generous and talented seamstress
Google Images - seriously...what's not to love?
Monday evenings - sweats, leftovers, television, warmth

Today I am grateful for...

My internal clock - or whatever it was that didn't let me sleep past 6:55 this morning even though I forgot to set the alarm last night
Central heating - can be taken for granted if you don't have the unique opportunity to live without it for two years
Online banking - lets me know right away about "surprise" withdrawals such as quarterly payments for the monkey's viola that I forget about every single time
Pillsbury - slice and bake chocolate chip cookie dough...just one step above Easy-Bake Oven cooking
Fridays - preferably the ones on which I get paid but I like them all because of the getting to go home at 3:00

Today I am grateful for...

Holy crap! Is it Thursday already???
The Coterie Theatre - where you can still see Tell-Tale Electric Poe this week (do it!) AND Maul of the Dead next week
Job Security - sososososo busy the last few days
Holiday Mart - which at the present moment is responsible for securing the job
My coworkers - who make me laugh, who believe that God will take care of us if we ask him to and then let him, who bring yummy chocolate treats...
Toot & Puddle - when The Odyssey makes me fall asleep sitting up
My man - who is still "on vacation" and can take the monkey to school when I am running late
The rain - which I very well may use as an excuse to not go to the Orchestra Booster Club meeting tonight
Cramps - ditto
Frozen Pizza -won't ruin a perfectly good night of doing nothing by requiring actual cooking

Today I am grateful for...

Bob Marley - who must have visited me in my dreams so that I would awaken to the reminder that everything's gonna be alright
The airplane - that's bringing my man back home to me later today
Crest Animal Hospital - for accepting walk-ins and dispensing antibiotics even though my kitty appeared to be possessed by demons instead of just sick with an upper respiratory infection
My Al-Anon friends - for sharing what they do when they feel anxious...my house is now spotless!
A successful Homecoming - on Saturday night, which I hear was the "grooviest dance ever"
My monkey - yes, this is a recurring theme, but she is just the best
New Beginnings - every week, every day, every hour can be one

Today I am grateful for...

Lungs - for functioning involuntarily so that I keep breathing even when I forget to
Meditation techniques - for letting me focus on breathing when I do remember to instead of all of the things swirling around my brain
Public Libraries - including the Johnson County branch that is less than a mile from my house and the Kansas City Public Libraries that offer so many awesome free events (someday I will attend more of them)
First weekends of the month - for shopping at Good JuJu or Urban Mining (someday I will have a booth at one of them)
My God Box - where I can stuff all of my worries, indecisions and "somedays" for God to take off my hands and mind until I am ready to deal
Theater majors - one of whom recently shared with me that he visualizes the word "worry" as "whirry" which is exactly how I feel physically, mentally and emotionally when I let myself become anxious...helps me to calm my mind, body and spirit

Today I am grateful for...

Detailed Instructions - specifically on packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese so I know not to go tearing and hacking my way in
Nicotrol Inhalers - for helping me try to quit smoking again AND for being so ridiculously expensive that it would be obscene to spend this much money on them and not quit...it's like a no-money-back guarantee
Meatloaf - so versatile, and usually delicious if I or one of my relatives makes it (I love it so much I often make the mistake of ordering it at restaurants where it is made by strangers and am disappointed and therefore not as grateful as I am today for my own homemade leftover meatloaf)
Innovative, entrepreneurial women - who have the courage to open businesses such as The Meatloaf Bakery, which inspire me to have fun with my meatloaf creations at home as well as providing Chicago diners a safe place to order meatloaf out
Wind - turns dead or dying leaves into performance art

Today I am grateful for...

Milk - makes me feel like I am doing something wonderful for myself when I drink it
The Better Cheddar - has always been one of my favorite places in the world and now it's in my very own neighborhood so we can walk to it on a beautiful fall afternoon to enjoy many free samples
The Lifetime Movie Network - because I just don't get the opportunity to see much of Kate Jackson or Tracey Gold on the other channels
Pork - whether it is wrapped in lettuce or wrapped in bacon, pork is just plain delicious
Beauty Berry - has so much going for it....it's vivid, it's hardy, it's wild and woodsy but at the same time neat and orderly, plus I love to say "callicarpa"

Today I am grateful for...

Multiples of 5 - they can be odd or even, they can be round, they can be asymmetrical, they can be middle-of-the-numerical-road...there is one for every occasion
Project Runway - and I can't even say why I love it...I'm not a clothing designer or a fashionista, I don't sew, I don't shop, I look like Eddie Vedder most of the time...it must be the magic of Tim Gunn
Curious Sofa - in Prairie Village is a fantastic shop (in which I always feel right at home) with an equally fabulous blog (from which you can steal so many wonderful ideas) by a proprietor who has a unique perspective that is inspirational to those of us who feel no one appreciates our design aesthetic (odd yet elegant, sparkly yet dirty, random yet purposeful, with more than a touch of wabi sabi)
Fridays - hold so much promise (Overland Park Fall Festival, Plaza Art Fair, UNplaza Art Fair, American Royal Parade, Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods, It Might Get Loud, Whip It, Fame, The September Issue, Electric Poe, Booker T, Social D, Oktoberfest, Winefest, RenFest) , especially if you're like me and your weekend starts at 3:00

Today I am grateful for...

Hope - doesn't have to be for anything specific.
Forgiveness - is just plain easier on me than resentment and just so darn flexible: I can forgive myself, I can forgive others, others can forgive me, God can forgive me, God can forgive others, other can forgive themselves....
Leftovers - quick, easy, free...yet still real food.
Souvenirs - someone was thinking about me when they were on vacation. Seriously....how nice is that?
Autumn - especially at the beginning when the leaves are turning but still on the trees; when I can wear boots or sandals; when it feels enough like Halloween to get excited, buy gourds, and read Poe or Bradbury, but I still have plenty of time to think of a costume or decide to have a party.

Today I am grateful for...

Rainy days - give me a false but strong sense of accomplishment for just getting out of bed. Kudos to me for sitting here at my desk even though I am spending most of my work day staring out the window. Way to get dressed and drive a car 4 miles.
Rainy days - also help me save money. When I feel lazy and uninspired I will still stop at the grocery store on the way back home to lay on the sofa, however I will only get enough food for tonight and tomorrow. Thrifty.
The kindness of strangers - who couldn't sit through Act II of Into the Woods at the KC Rep last night and gave us their second row center tickets at Intermission. A truly enjoyable performance.
My mom - for making pillows upon which I will rest my head later today that match my one-of-a-kind sofa.
Banquet - pot pies as a concept even if they don't taste as good as they smell. Price Chopper - eighty eight cent.
Stephen Sondheim - makes it possible to segue from last night's theatre experience to this afternoon's lunch options

Today I am grateful for...

My sister - for a billion different reasons including her knowledge of vegetables, her experience growing vegetables and her mad skills in the field of vegetable cookery
My sister - who is not only passionate about vegetables but also appreciates the winged things often found in association with the vegetation, such as bugs and birds
My sister - talks to me when she is too busy to and responds to my calls about nothing with great joy and enthusiasm
My sister - gets me when no one else does and therefore laughs with me when things are sad and cries with me when things are good
My sister - tells a story like no one else can, complete with sound effects and large scale multi-species reenactment

Today I am grateful for...

Humility - when I feel I am being treated disrespectfully, for I never want to be the one to look down on someone else
Serenity - keeps me out of jail by preventing me from kicking the asses of the disrespectful
Bittersweet - not only describes my current state of humility and serenity, it looks great in a fall centerpiece
My figure - so I don't have to waste time reading Eat More Chocolate, Lose Weight Anyway!, the book being sold in my workplace rotunda right now

This week I am grateful for...

Bakeries - create gooey, nutty, cream-cheesy, cinnamon cherry filled treats for others to bring to work on a random Thursday morning
Knock Out roses - bloom from May to October and can be spotted from any street we happen to be driving on in this town
Living - and not really dying even when I feel like I am going to
Napoleon Dynamite - for tapping into a collective consciousness that bonds us with others whom we may have thought shared none of our human qualities
Easy Off - products that I can forgive for burning away my flesh because they make my kitchen sparkle

Today I am grateful for...

Cake Wrecks - sarcasm is fun
Lipstick - instant pretty
Shawnee Mission East - provides my monkey with soooooo many opportunities (International Baccalaureate Program, the SHARE student volunteer program, and Frequent Fridays, to name a few)
Shawnee Mission Kia - for fixing my tire for free (and for a jingle so catchy I know you are trying not to start singing it in your head right this very minute)
The bird feeder outside my boss' window - song, color, motion, freedom
Three day weekends - don't have to be packed full of activities to be considered productive
Mantras - when thinking things through is just not a viable option

Today I am grateful for...

Change - happens whether I accept and roll with it or try to fight it and get my ass kicked
Noodles - just add boiling water and voila...lunch
Sunshine - represents hope and optimism, especially when it breaks through the cold gray clouds
Telephones - how on earth did we ever get anything done by passing notes back and forth through a guy on horseback?
Horses - we still need you for parades and carriage rides

Today I am grateful for...

Being 39 and not 93 - unlike the poor little lady I just got off the phone with, who sounded PERFECTLY happy, by the way, however I am just not ready for that level of confusion and selective hearing quite yet
My automotive insurance - even though they have messed up on updating my info again, at least I am covered and they are working on fixing the problem...again
Hollywood - for providing two very human and thought-provoking films for me to appreciate over the last couple weeks (Inglourious Basterds and District 9)
My sun porch - because it is just part of the larger home I am so fortunate to inhabit and a serene space in which to ponder my reality over coffee
The larger home I am so fortunate to inhabit - when they are so many in the world experiencing inconceivable levels of misfortune, trying to maintain hope and faith in some pretty dismal circumstances (Brianna Karp)
My cushy job - that only requires me to politely turn away salespeople instead of requiring me to aggressively be one

Yesterday I was grateful for...

Yesterday - which completely got away from me
500 Cupcakes book - includes 6 different zucchini muffin recipes
Google - where I can quickly learn the difference between frogs & toads
The toad in my parsley - for burrowing backwards into the herb pot because it is very cute
Reasonable expectations - so I don't have to crash when everything isn't perfect
My washer & dryer - because I know they will be there today, too
My monkey & my man - ditto

Today I am grateful for...

The Fishtank Theater - for tonight's charming performance of L'Histoire D'Amour and such a fun concept in general
Coffee - and places like YJ's that serve it all night long
Yoga - because it still takes care of me even when I haven't kept in touch for a couple weeks
A&WT - for the very same reason, except they also offer apples, crackers and bacon cheese
Weekends - when I can read, cook, work in the yard, take a nap, see a show and wander aimlessly, all in one day
Cramps - without them, I may have felt guilty about the aforementioned nap
KCUR - where I get my NPR every day and my Fish Fry on Friday & Saturday nights
My new neighborhood - it's clean and safe and cute and feels like home, plus we have block parties!

Today I am grateful for...

Zombie Movies -not only because they are fun, but they provide us with valuable life skills
Garage Door Openers - for the abundance of rainy days we seem to be having lately
Balance - whether I have it or not, it's just good to know it's out there and potentially attainable
Boys - to keep me on my toes
Girls - to remind me I am not insane
Cupcakes - they are pretty and yummy and make me feel special
Pop Tarts - to get us through life until the next cupcake
Black Pepper Pistachios - for when I have PMS and require something savory immediately following a package of Pop Tarts
The Successes of Loved Ones - let me experience joy and exhilaration that is in no way self-serving
My J.O.B. - for the first time, I feel incredibly fortunate to have the one I do

Curry Chicken Salad from the Blue Moose in Prairie Village - served with fresh fruit (the good stuff...no melon)
My monkey - she is really the coolest person I know
My home - not only do I have one, with closets, no less, but it is cute cute cute
My mom - probably the second coolest person I know but she's humble so she disguises it with extreme dorkiness and excessive chatter
Free performing arts opportunities - we are fortunate to have so much going on in our little town and I love that being broke is never a good enough excuse to not get out there and do something (subscribe to ArtsKC e-news or The Pitch Insider, for starters)
Do-Overs - first day of the rest of your life and all
Cable TV - when I just need Goodfellas to be on
Rain - flowers live and my hair products get reactivated
Powerlessness - it's such a relief to not be in charge of some stuff