My Incomplete List of Small Pleasures

March 2, 2017 JackieP12 Comments

Today I thought I would combine two things, My Incomplete List of Small Pleasures and Nerd in the Brains, Three Things Thursday. Nerdy does a post every Thursday about three things she is grateful for that week. It can be big or small things so I decided I was in a joining mood this morning and will join her on her journey into gratefulness and smiles. Because smiles are always fun to share.

Why not join us? And it doesn’t even have to be on a Thursday! It can be any day.

The Incomplete

Changing weather…..

I don’t know where you’re at but here you can feel the weather changing to Spring. I am so looking forward to Spring! We still have snow on the ground and it’s still cold but when the sun comes out it warms up pretty fast. There is a different feel to the air. It’s hard to explain but you just know Spring is coming. The sky looks different, the trees start to get a green glow and the earth (when you can see it beneath the snow) is beginning to look renewed. Plus, my body seems to know as it has a little more energy, a little more spring (hehe) in the step. Ahhhh, Spring……hurry up!!!

Himalayan Salt Rock Lamps…..

What the hell is that you ask? Well, let me give you the description right off the website that I ordered it from…

lamp

. It is made of salt crystal that is ethically harvested from the geological range of the Himalayan Mountains, where salt deposits were formed millions of years ago. Due to its natural formation, each lamp is a uniquely beautiful combination of pink, orange, and white – no two are the same!

This lamp naturally produces negative ions, which help clean and purify the air. Ions are small electrically charged particles contained in the air we breathe. Other natural ion producers are trees and waterfalls. These lamps are helpful for people suffering from asthma and/or upper respiratory problems by reducing the amount of airborne bacteria and dust.

There you are. I bought it because I thought it was pretty and I figured anything that might help the husband and I breathe better can’t be bad. I’ve had it about two months now and I have to admit, my breathing (asthma) has been better. Whether it’s due to the lamp, I don’t know, but I’ll keep using it.

Online recipes……

Yes, I know. A strange thing to be grateful for but I am. I do all the cooking in the house. Every. Single. Day.

I tell you, I get so tired of trying to think of something different to make that the husband will eat. So when I want something just a little different, or I want something with the same old ingredients I have on hand but maybe add something to it to make it different, I go online. I love Google. I love online recipes. Like today….I am making chicken. Now, the husband is not too fond of chicken but we can’t have steak and potatoes every night. As much as he wishes we could.

So, I went online and found a great sounding recipe that I think even he will like since we both love mushrooms.

I had chicken, fresh mushrooms in the fridge so I Googled those ingredients and came away with a slow cooker recipe I’m doing for tonight.

Chicken breasts….fresh sliced mushrooms and cream of chicken soup.

That’s it! You put it all in the slow cooker, turn it on low and let it cook for 6 hours and you should have a delicious chicken in mushroom gravy. I plan on putting it over noodles. Or maybe potatoes….we’ll see. Yum!

Sometimes I need all the help I can get. 😉

So what are YOU grateful for today?

My Incomplete List of Small Pleasures · nonfiction · postaday

My Incomplete List of Small Pleasures ~~ Dec. 15, 2016

December 15, 2016 JackieP15 Comments

I have to admit to feeling a bit blue lately. Ok, a lot. I do get melancholy sometimes. I think we all do.

For the past month or more, it’s been more than melancholy for me. Like many people I usually get a bit down this time of year. A bit sad, a bit reflective. My mood has been even more than that. It borders on depression.

I had depression years ago. I mean I was down that dark, deep hole of blackness so far I thought I would never crawl out.

I did crawl out, though. It took me several years, a divorce and suicidal thoughts (not necessarily in that order)….but I did it. I crawled out and never crawled back in. I’ve been close to the brink of that hole a few times. I always caught myself before I fell in.

Many people see me as a strong woman. I don’t consider myself strong. I consider myself a survivor. Plain and simple. I survived my abusive childhood. I survived a rotten first marriage to a man bent on destroying me. I survived several attempts on my life. I survived….I survive…..I am a survivor.

But, am I strong? I don’t know. Most days I don’t think so. I certainly don’t feel it.

So today, I felt the need to write down some things I’m grateful for. Something for my soul to hold on to. Something to help this emotional cripple to keep waking up every morning. I find it helps…..sometimes.

I will not fall down that black hole.

The Incomplete

Friends. They make me smile even when I don’t feel like it. They make me think with the words that they write. They make me feel like maybe….just maybe….I’m not alone after all.

My dog Sam. He cuddles with me every night. He helps me feel like I mean something to someone, even if it’s just a small 8lb dog. Most days he’s the only other living thing that ever physically touches me.

Distractions. Books, blogs, writing, things that make me come out of my shell and look at things differently. Sometimes it helps to have a different perspective.

Optimism. Even though I’ve been staring at that deep, dark hole lately, in my heart there beats my optimism. I will be ok. Things will be ok. My life can change on a whim. It has before, it will again. Usually for the better. All things are temporary.

The holiday season. Even though I tend to get a bit down this time of year, my heart sings at all the good things that usually come out of this holiday season. The cheerful lights. The jolly Santa’s. The ever-present snowmen. The feeling in the air that things might….just might….improve. Human nature’s spirit is unquenchable. Even if this past year has been damn hard for many reasons for many people we as humans keep trying to move forward to make this a better place. The bigger the obstacles the more determined we are to overcome them.

So make your own list of small pleasures, even if it’s just in your own head and heart. It still makes a difference.

christmas-baubles-1806968_640

Blogging · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction · postaday · Stories of my life

Thankful Thursday

December 18, 2014 JackieP16 Comments

Nerd from Nerd in the Brain does a Thursday post called Three Things Thursday.

In her own words, this is her explanation for the post.

*three things that make me smile: an exercise in gratitude – feel free to steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog with the happy*

So, I’m stealing her idea with wild abandon. Here is my take on it, which I called “Thankful Thursday”. Go read her post first though, I can wait. Go on now!

Back? Ok, let’s get started.

1. I’m thankful for friends. I have the best online buddies a girl could have. They are genuinely concerned for me and let me know. I appreciate that more than I can say. They keep me smiling, even when I don’t feel much like smiling. You guys are the best of the best! ❤

I have a few offline good friends too. A couple of guys that when the husband and I need help they are there, willing to give a hand. Nothing will show you who your true friends are like hard times.

2. I’m thankful for Mother Nature. Yes, I know she can be a real wild woman on PMS sometimes. Even when she’s bad she’s awe-inspiring. I’m in the middle of winter in the Great White North. I hate winter. With a passion. But, I can still appreciate the beauty in this cold, frigid season.

a bush in my yard full of ice and snow and looking beautiful.

3. I’m thankful for the generosity of others. The husband and I receive food from one of the local food banks every month. During December they have special ‘baskets’ that they give out that has almost everything in it to make a Christmas feast. Without the kindness of strangers, we would be having a really hard time putting food on the table every month. (we are hoping this is a temporary thing) I’m not too proud to take it, as one has to eat. I’m also not too proud to say ‘thank you’.

So if you can, next time you go grocery shopping, buy a few extra cans of something. Or a treat for a kid, hell, even adults like treats. Give to your local food bank (most grocery stores have a way of giving food items to food banks, ask!) And not just during the holidays. The food banks need donations every month. It’s not just for families with kids that are struggling. It’s families like the husband and I. Who, through no fault of our own have fallen on hard times. We appreciate everything we get. Lot’s of older people are trying to live on very limited income and the only way they might have food on the table is through a food bank. The elderly go to them as much, if not more, than the younger families. Remember that.

4. Last but certainly not least, I am thankful for the internet. My life would be so much less without the internet and everything I am able to do on it. From blogging to finding resources for the husband. I am grateful I can start-up the computer each morning and find that one new thing to learn every day.

What’s one thing you are most thankful for this Thursday? (Friday for my advanced friends in the world.)

Blog challenge · Blogging · nonfiction · postaday · writing

Today is a Good Day ~~ Ten Things of Thankful #40

March 22, 2014 JackieP41 Comments

Hello everyone!

Hope your weekend is going great! Mine so far has been absolutely fantastic. Even with the snow and the -14c (7 F) weather. Spring right? Ha-ha! At least the sun is shining.

I have joined the great bloggers who post Ten Things of Thankful over at Considerings. It seems to be a Saturday event. Go on over and look around and maybe join. Lizzi is a very nice woman who writes so well. You will enjoy her blog even if you don’t join the Ten things of Thankful.

I also have a love affair with lists…..so it’s perfect for me! So let’s see what I’ve been thankful for this week.

1. Chances – Sounds strange right? Let me explain. I’m thankful for having more chances to live, to love, to be happy. Every day that I wake up in the morning is another day of chances. I am going to grab mine with both hands. Every. Single. Day. I have had some chances come my way this week that is frightening and exciting all at the same time. And you know what? I’m going for it!

2. Best Friends – I am so grateful for best friends. People who love me for me. For laughing with me and actually understanding my humor. For talking to me, for liking me. I love my best friend.

3. Coffee – Oh my, coffee is to me like a brown elixir of heaven. Really. It smells divine and tastes even better. It gets me going in the morning and winds me down at night. If anyone ever makes a perfume that smells like the finest coffee, I will buy it, wear it and fall in love with myself. Ha-ha!

4. Words – I’m so grateful for words. They can relate so much on how one feels. Either happy, sad, or worse. They can tell someone how you feel about them, they can lift a person up. They can save lives. Words are so powerful. They can make you powerful and strong and brave. Words can make you breathe in and say, “wow”. They make you feel. That has got to be one of the best things in the world, to feel. This week I have read and heard some pretty amazing things in words. Things that have me smiling all week.

5. Clean water – Here where I live, we had a time very recently where we had to boil all our water and conserve it at the same time. Our water treatment facility couldn’t keep up with the job of keeping our water clean. We had higher than usual runoff from the winter snow and it ran into our rivers where the water comes from. And our facility couldn’t keep up with keeping it clean, so there was bacteria in it. You really don’t appreciate clean water till you don’t have it anymore. No showers daily either. No washing clothes for a few days. Ugh. I was so happy when it was lifted and we could go back to normal.

6. Sunshine – It’s spring! Yeah, well, it’s supposed to be anyway. Here we had snow on the first day of spring and the day after. But today the sun is shining bright with the promise of warmer weather to come. We shall see. As it’s pretty cold yet. So I am just grateful for today’s sunshine.

7. Technology – I love technology. It’s so much easier to keep in touch with friends and loved ones. Even if they are thousands of miles away. Send an email, have a chat, send a message, and it is delivered instantly! I love it. And this week was extra special because of it…….

8. WordPress – Yes, I know, I hear you say, “that’s just strange girl!” It isn’t really. I am grateful for WordPress this week as I have ‘met’ some pretty awesome people on here this week and in the past. It’s a place where I can release my words, say things I want, no, need to say. It’s a place where good friends are made. I have some read some pretty wonderful things from other bloggers this week, so I’m grateful to have a place to go to that has that kind of great reading.

9. Books – I am always grateful for books. I love books. But this week I am grateful for friends who write books. Like my great friends Maddy Cochere and Helen Kuusela. They even let me interview them. Such trusting good friends that they are. You should go see what they are up to.

10. YOU! – Yeah, you! I’m grateful to all the readers who are nice enough to take some time out of their lives to read my blog and like or comment on all my stuff. Without you, this place would be pretty boring and sad. So yes, I’m grateful to each and every one of you.