A proud moment

Oh, you would have been proud of me today.

I was proud of myself!!!

Having done my food shopping, I carefully chose my checkout queue. I don't queue hop anymore, because I usually find that when you do, your new queue ends up being slower than the one you hopped from in the first place, thusly leaving you even more frustrated than you would have been had you stayed put!

Anyway, I started unpacking my trolley onto the conveyor belt. There was enough room for about half my stuff, and I very soon realised that the conveyor was no longer moving. There was a problem with a voucher that the lady before me had handed in. I did vaguely wonder why they were at the voucher stage when half her food was still on the conveyor.

In the end, I waited there for a good 15 minutes, right beside the end-of-till chocolate displays! I lost count of how many times I reached out for a bar and then changed my mind!

In the end, not only did I smile sweetly at the assistant as she started on my shopping, but I didn't - I repeat, I didn't - give in to the temptation of the chocolate bars!!!

So, so proud!

Today I am grateful that I was able to stay in control of both my temper and my craving!!!

It turns out that my supermarket are doing a deal where you get €10 off your next shop when you spend over €50, and the assistant was stopping every €50 worth, taking the money, vouchers etc, giving the €10 voucher for that €50 then starting again as if it was a new customer! I think the woman in front of me must have been shopping for a very large family!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Communication

How wonderful is Skype?

I know I've said it before, but it really is amazing!

Today we saw our wee niece waking up for her evening feed.....in Australia!

She is a gorgeous wee thing with a shock of fluffy black hair. She looks very like her mum, and her doting big brother and sister.

But how wonderful to be able to see, not just a photo, but to actually see her moving about!

It just made me think about how important it is to be able to communicate with those we love. We are, none of us, alone....and that's good to know.

Today I am grateful for all the ways we have to communicate.

Gratefully yours.
xx

All that glitters.....

Yes!

It's that time of year again!

Strictly is back!

Long, hard, busy day at work. Followed by steak and chips, glass of Blossom Hill and Strictly!

What more could a body ask for??

I'm grateful for all those involved in making my evening a joy!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Happiness is....

....a beautiful, tidy bedroom!

Cleaning, decluttering and tidying really are the root of true happiness.

But do you think this knowledge will make housework any easier??? I doubt it!

Anyway....I was in the zone today, and the results are wonderful to behold. (Am I a really sad person to get this much happiness from clearing Meggie's bedroom???)

I am going to make a conscious effort to keep this ball rolling round the whole house over the coming months, so that by "spring cleaning" time, there will be nothing left to do!!!

Today I am grateful for energy and determination.....and I humbly ask for more of it!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

moccachoccalatta

Two things that go very well together are a nice cup of mocca coffee and a Thorntons chocolate.

They must be savoured. Nice and slow. Made to last!!

You should, preferably, be sitting somewhere very comfortable, with your feet up, a nice cool breeze floating around you, and have nothing even remotely more important to do.

If you figure out how it's possible, give me a call and let me know!!!

No seriously though.....eating chocolate should be a very mindful experience. What could give more joy??

Today I am grateful to the chocolatiers of Thorntons for their lovely Summer Chocolate collection.

What's your favourite chocolate?

Gratefully yours.
xx

The Forth Road Bridge

And the clearing out goes on!!! And on....and on!!

Oh, but it is cathartic! (just looked cathartic up in the dictionary - a purification that brings about spiritual renewal, or release from tension.....yep, that about sums it up!!)

I was in Meggie's room today, and boy, did it need a good clear out!!

Tidiness is not one of our Meg's talents. She is getting there, but there's just too much clutter in her room. She just gets overwhelmed by it.

Well....no more! I got about half her room done today, so roll on Friday!! Let the catharsis continue!!!

And after that, it'll be down to Meg to keep it tidy!!!!

Today I'm grateful that I have plenty to do in the house to keep me busy, and give me purpose!!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Close you eyes

I have an experiment for you....

Close your eyes for a few minutes and think about the far left hand corner of your garden.

Can you see it? Can you see what plants or ornaments are there? What colours can you see?

When you have time, go out there and have a good look around. Is it as you remembered it?

 Touch the plants, the hard landscaping, the grass! Smell all the plants, the earth. Enjoy every sensation.

Peace is in the tiny details. Take notice of every single thing.

Today I am grateful for the details.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Smiley, happy people

Driving home from work this evening, I noticed a very smiley car coming towards me. I smiled back!

Then I started noticing all the car "faces", and noticed that they all have their own personalities!

It certainly brightened up my drive home!

It's amazing what you see when you open your imagination!

Today I am grateful for  my vision.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Right on the button

Today I am grateful that the Meteorologists got it right.

We've had a lovely, dry, warm, dare I say even sunny weekend!

However grateful I am for the changing seasons....it's always nice to get a bit of extra warmth and sunshine, don't you think?

So now we can all head into the winter months knowing that we wrung that last little bit out of Summer!

It's always nice to think that you've got that little bit extra for nothing, isn't it??

Gratefully yours.
xx

Job done

I got all my ironing done this morning.

The stairs have been hoovered and the downstairs is looking tidier than it has for months!!

I'm grateful to have my mornings back to myself again.

It's nice to have a tidy house!!!

Order is good.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Cosy glow

They are promising an Indian Summer weekend.

Not sure I either believe it, or want it!

Autumn is definitely here, and I am glad to welcome the changes it brings.

I love the Autumn nights. Cold outside, and dark, but cosy and warm inside, with the lovely glow of the soft lights. I like having the kids in and the doors locked.

The pace seems to slow down too. Less hectic, more time to relax in the evenings.

I'm grateful for the changing seasons.

And on a professional note.....lots of people with colds at this time of year, with the changing weather. Great for business!!!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

A bit of an effort

I'm not good with people I don't know.

I know this to be a fact, and I have no desire to deny it. But it can be troublesome at times.

I know one girl in the choir, because I knew her previously. I sit beside her in the choir. It is easy just to sit beside her and have no need to talk to anyone else. Yes, I am a woosy coward when it comes to mixing with people!!!

Anyway, she wasn't there tonight, so I had no choice (well, other than sitting through the break in silence, while everyone around me chatted) but to make conversation with someone I don't know!!! Horror of horrors!!!

But I did it! I now know the names of four more girls at choir! And, what's more, they know mine!

It's a start!

Today I am grateful for making the effort.

Onwards and upwards!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Curry-ing favour

What better way to use up the left-over chicken than making a nice, hot curry!

The only problem is, the whole house smells of curry now!!!

It's been a great day for left-overs, actually! I had the left-over roast veg and gravy for my lunch, and then the aforementioned curry for tea!

It's a no-brainer kind of day, food-wise, which I like hugely! Wish I could come up with left-over teas more often!

So, I guess today I am grateful for yesterday's dinner!

I knew when I was cooking it that it would turn out to be a winner, I just thought it would be yesterday!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Chicken dinner

I was just taking the chicken out of the oven, about halfway through the cooking time, to check that the veggies weren't sticking (they were in the tray with the chicken!), when I remembered that I was going out for dinner with the girls from work!!!

Talk about disappointed!! The chicken smelt gorgeous, and the veg looked as if it was going to be crispy and delicious!!!

Anyway, in the end I had a lovely dinner!

The restaurant comes highly recommended! It's in the back of beyond, but is very popular. Most people who eat there stay the night. It's a big old country house, set in beautiful grounds. The perfect place for a special night away! And not bad for a night out with the girls from work either!!

So, one happy camper! And guess what? I just checked in the fridge....guess who's having leftovers for lunch tomorrow???

I am grateful for good food!

Gratefully yours.
xx

PS. the restaurant was The Mustard Seed, in Ballingarry, county Limerick.

Good or bad

Sundays can be good or bad.

I tend to find that if there is nothing planned for the day, it just kind of runs away with itself, and you're left wondering what happened!

I know that some people find Sunday a very long, and often lonely, day, but I find that I can't settle to anything with everyone else dotting about the house doing bits and pieces of nothing much!

I'm really not good at free time!. I am good at relaxing. I'm good at doing nothing much....but only if that's what I've planned to do!

So, I think I need to come up with a Sunday Plan. It will need to be quite flexible, to accommodate last minute changes caused by husbands and children, and it can't be too arduous (well, it is Sunday, after all!), and it must be totally independent of weather conditions!!!

I'm grateful that something useful has come out of this wasted day!

Looking forward to a new week.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Work/home balance

Okay, we now know that order makes me happy.

That knowledge was reinforced today at work.

I am definitely happier at work when everything is organised and order is maintained. I'm happier when I can get on with one job and get it done, before moving on to the next.

So, how come I find myself trying to do to many things at once, at home, and ending up not getting anything finished?????

I'm obviously not getting myself organised at home!!

Did I mention that I need a new note book??? Great things for helping you get organised!!

I'm beginning to see a pattern here!

I can see some major de-cluttering and re-organising on the horizon!

I'm grateful today that I am feeling optimistic about the impending clear-out! How unusual!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Order

You know, it's true what they say in all these de-cluttering and Feng-shui books. Order is good. Order is peaceful. Order is happiness!!!

I was most disappointed today, because I couldn't get all my ironing done!! No....don't panic and start phoning the paramedics...I'm okay!!!

We've had no sun for the last few days, so my utility room's been a bit cool. So....half the washing on the clothes horse wasn't dry and could not, therefore, be ironed!

Last Friday I got the utility cleared. The ironing basket was emptied. All the washing on the clothes horses (yes, I have two of them!!) was ironed and put away, and the clothes horses were folded and tidied away! Space!!! How wonderful! Who knew that my utility room was so big???

But, alas, no such luck today! And I was looking forward to it!

Still, I am grateful that we had some sun today, to warm up the utility room and dry the remaining clothes!

Roll on Sunday (I'm working tomorrow). I will finish the job and I will see my room empty again!!!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Food for the soul

I have decided that cooking makes me happy.

Of course, it's better when the food you cook is enjoyed by those you are cooking it for....but hey, I can't have everything!

The challenge is to find things that K and the kids all like. Difficult, I hear you say! But then it wouldn't be a challenge if it was easy!!

The internet is a great source of inspiration, but I still can't help myself buying cookery books and magazines! It's lovely just to look through them, drool over the lovely photographs and imagine how delicious the meals would be!

I am grateful for the food we eat every day, and all the beings involved in getting it to our table.

I am also grateful for the opportunity to do something that, not only makes me happy, but sustains the family I love, every day.

Gratefully yours.
xx

The Happiness Project

My sister, Lindsay, recommended a book to me over the summer, and I finally started it today.

It's "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, a best-seller in America for the past couple of years.

I guess, from what I've read so far, that it's a kind of blue-print for how to figure out what makes you happy, and how to maximise your daily dose of it!

There are a couple of things that spring to mind immediately for me, having done them both today!

One is being creative. I could sit for hours, pouring over my photos and figuring out ways to use them.

The other is singing....choir practice is now on a Wednesday night!

But....I'm getting ahead of myself! Better read on a bit more and see what's what!!

I'm grateful to Lindsay for her recommendation, and I can only say....

.....watch this space!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The notebook

I think I need a new notebook.

How else am I meant to keep track of how I'm doing with my new resolutions??

Any excuse for a new notebook really!

I love notebooks! They have to be beautiful though. Not too big, but not to small either! Preferably hard-backed, with a mix of plain and lined paper.

I always start them with great intentions, but fizzle out way before they are full! I've always been like that! I can remember doing "projects" when I was young, and I never finished them.

Hmmm....a character flaw!!! Flighty. Never finishes anything!

But the fun is in starting something new!!!!

It's a lack of focus, I think, that prevents me doing something till it's done. I believe I may have mentioned that failing before!!! No change there yet then!!!!!

Ah well. We can't all be perfect! I'm very grateful for that fact!

How very boring life would be if we were!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Resolutions

I was thinking about my New (school) Year's resolutions today. Feeling quite optimistic about it all actually!

Here's the list (it is, of course, not definitive!!)

Walk more
Drink more (water)
Eat less
Sing more
Dance round the kitchen (especially when the kids have pals round!!)
Put on my make-up
Choose being happy
Be more mindful
Don't miss an opportunity to spend time with people I love.

I'm grateful for the chance to make new resolutions, and the fun involved in trying to keep them!

Please don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything important I've missed!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Hair today.....

.....Gone tomorrow!

No, I'm not getting my hair cut tomorrow!!!

Meggie asked me to go up and dry her hair for her before she went to bed, and, though I would rather have been sitting on my bum watching a film I had already seen, I went up to her.

It was only when I started brushing her hair that I realised how long it had been since I last dried her hair! She normally does it herself these days, but I hadn't actually copped on to that fact until tonight!

Where does the time go?

My babies are growing up so fast and I am at risk of blinking and missing it!

Definitely time to slow down, catch my breath, and try to up the mindfulness!!!

So, in the end, I took my time drying and smoothing her hair, enjoying the feel of it and the beautiful shine of it.

At the end of the day, I can watch a film anytime....but my bubs are only young once!

I am grateful for the reminder that I need to slow down, smell the coffee, and not miss a single moment!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Family fun

Oh, how nice to have a Saturday off and not waste it!

We decided to "do stuff" en famille, so, after some long deliberation, and a few tantrums, we decided we had time to do not one, but two fun things together!!

We headed off to our local castle, which was recently re-opened after extensive renovation works. It was great!

I had been to it in the past and was very disappointed in it, but, thankfully, they have done a splendid job on it, and we all had a fab time.

After lunching on lovely soup and soda bread, we headed to our second venue, an eco farm not too far from home.

Farm = animals....so, of course Meggie loved it! There was a crazy golf course made with ancient farm machinery (more crazy than golf!!) and lots of indoor games, which was just as well with the rain coming on and off every 5 minutes!!

All in all a great day! Lots of photo opportunities!!!

I am grateful for family fun days.

Already deciding where to go on my next Saturday off!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Peppa and George....yes, really!

A rather beautiful tractor seat!!

Fulfilment

Who would have thought that ironing could be so fulfilling?

I got two and a half episodes of Game of Thrones watched and got the ironing basket emptied! I also managed to fit in a walk to the shops for a few bits, and a chat with Mam and Jude on Skype....and all before the kids came home from school! I am quite pleased with myself today!!

I am, however, grateful that the ironing basket will take a while to fill up again! I'd quite happily wait before I have to iron again!!

I really must find a way to change my way of thinking about ironing!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The best way...

...to start the day!

Today I am grateful for a beautiful walk to work today.

It was a bit colder this morning and there was some fog. Walking along by the river was beautiful. You could see the fog hovering just above the water. Everything had that dreamy quality to it.

It did eventually turn into another beautiful, bright day, but I rather enjoyed my misty morning walk.

Gratefully yours.

xx

Dilema

What am I most grateful for today?

Coffee in Costa, or the return of choir practice?

Tough one!!

Delighted by both, I have to say!

You see, it's the simple things.

Oh, there's also getting a load of towels washed and dried out on the whirly and put away, all in the space of a few hours! Got to be happy about that too!!

It's always the days when I'm not sure what to be grateful for that I end up with so much to be grateful for!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Turn your back

Thanks to my unexpected morning off, I was able to have a lovely walk this morning in the beautiful autumn sunshine.

The sky was just so blue!!!

A different view from Barrington's Pier!

I had fun looking for different views than I normally take. These were taken with my back to the river view I normally take!

I am grateful that today I looked at life from a different angle!

Just look what I would have missed if I had kept looking at life the way I always do!

Lesson learnt!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Facebook

I must be grateful for Facebook today.

When I sit down in the evening to do my blog, I go to Grateful Gretta on facebook first. I read through some of the other pages I like, make some comments, "like" some photos, and post something small myself. Sometimes I take some time to choose a photo to post, but that can take too long, as I get too engrossed in my photos!

By the time I come here, I have had a good dose of positivity and smiles.

It's a bit like a shot of good coffee and lemon tart!

Talking of which.....it's been a while since I've been at Costa!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The next phase

Here we are again at the next phase of the year.

Summer holidays are over, kids back to school, and the weather is cooling down.

It's that time of the year when you're not quite sure what to wear, because it's cold in the morning and evening, but still warm during the day. I was telling the girls at work the other day, I'll have admitted summer is over when I start to wear tights again! Not happened yet....but getting close, I can feel it!

I love this time of year. It's like a new beginning. Even though Mother Nature is starting to slow down, ready for the big winter sleep, I feel like it's a new start, a new chance to get into good habits, and get the homework routine right!!!

I'm grateful for the beginning of a new cycle.

It's always nice to get another chance!!

Gratefully yours.
xx