Gratitude Project, Day 11

Today I'm thankful for my teapot! It was a Christmas gift from my folks a few years ago, and I LOVE IT! I use it almost every day to heat water for tea or hot chocolate or cider or something. It's always on my stove. I love it. :) Tonight's drink of choice is Stephen's Gourmet Hot Chocolate (it's the BEST!!) with French Vanilla mini marshmallows--perfect for a cold night when the lovely weather we've been having is making it's exit, and soooooo delicious.

Last night I must have slept wrong or something, because I woke up in EXCRUCIATING pain. Anytime I try to move my head or neck, I have this incredibly sharp pain in my neck and shoulder. I worked for a few hours, but it was no fun, and now I'm pretty much down for the count. So today I'm super thankful for sick time at work (so I could give up and come home early), good pain meds, and the awesome rice bag my mom made me years ago. They are definitely helping, even if only a little.

I'm also thankful it's college basketball season again! You know I love my Gonzaga basketball!!!!! Tonight was the first regular season game, and since my budget does not allow for cable (which I normally don't care too much about anyway) and I wasn't feeling up to going out, I was bummed I wouldn't get to watch it. However, leave it to the Zag fans, because one quick post on facebook elicited a couple places to watch it online (plus an invite to another friend's house to watch it). So I got to see it after all, and the first game of the season was a WIN! :) GO GONZAGA!!

I'm also excited and so, so thankful that I will get to spend my goddaughter's 2nd birthday WITH her this year!!!! :) Janna and Ryan's sweet baby girl, Olivia, is my goddaughter, and I haven't seen her since she was four months old! Originally I had thought Jan and Ryan weren't coming until late on the 23rd, or maybe even the 24th, but Jan just texted me that they'll be there on the 22nd, and I am sooooo excited!! I love my sweet Livy and I can't wait to see her! Living far apart is hard because I want to have a relationship with her, but we're doing the best we can. :)

Finally, today I am so thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, and more importantly, for the men and women in the military who fight and sacrifice and risk everything to guarantee those freedoms. I'm also thankful for their families, who give up so much to support the troops in a very real way. Tonight I'm especially thankful for my Uncle Jim and Aunt Joan, who were both in the Navy; for my Grandpa Einar, who fought in WW2; for my friend Mike, who is on his second tour and currently serving in Afghanistan, and his wife Sarah and son Patrick--Sarah is raising a two-year old AND completing her first year of PT school while Mike's deployed, which is certainly no small feat--they are an amazing family; despite the struggles of the past few months, for Zack and his dad, who are both military men; and for the rest of my family and friends who are serving right now or who have served in the past, and for all veterans and military men and women out there. Thank you for your service.

Also...Happy 11/11/11!!

What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude Project, Day 10

Today I'm thankful for PLANE TICKETS!! :) I booked my tickets to Utah for Christmas and I am sooooooooo excited!!! I haven't been home for Christmas in three years! Last year my folks came up here and had Christmas in Portland, since my sister was new to her job and didn't have any time off yet. The year before that, we all went to Portland because Amy had PT clinicals she couldn't miss. So I haven't been back to Utah since our class reunion. SO EXCITED! :) So, who's going to be in Vernal around Christmastime? I'll be there from December 21st-January 3rd, and I'd love to see anyone who's going to be around. I'll be home for Christmas....

Today I was shopping for mass amounts of snacks for my after-school programs, and I went in the brand spankin' new Safeway just down the street from the school. Since it was only the second day it was open, they were doing all their crazy Grand Opening hooplah, and HOLY COW--you think Costco has good samples?!? They were sampling crab and shrimp and steak and sausage and fresh pineapple and all kinds of crazy good stuff! I'm thankful for the fun little break in the day while I searched the aisles for Capri Suns and fruit snacks and granola bars.

I'm so thankful to live in the same time zone as my sister! When she lived in Denver and I was here in Portland, we'd watch the same shows but could never talk about them because they were usually just starting here as they were ending or already over there. But now we can text things like, "NO FREAKING WAY!!! DID YOU SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED ON GREY'S???" It's awesome. And speaking of "Grey's Anatomy"--does anyone else watch it? I just got caught up on Netflix, and now it's the only show that I really am bummed if I miss it. SO GOOD.

I am supervising ministry this year for five seminarians from Mt. Angel. I am so thankful for these five awesome young men who come up and give their time for the kiddos. Today they were exceedingly frustrating, and these guys were so awesome with them. I know they are learning, but they're doing a great job being patient and understanding with them.

And finally, I am so thankful for how beautiful it is around here these days! It makes my lousy commute so much better! This morning I went a slightly different way than usual to work, and it was so pretty--all the trees on one side were red, and the other side were yellow! Then when I got close to my exit, there was thick, thick fog, but the sun was shining through just enough to make the bridge and the water glint with gold. So beautiful. So I'm thankful for things that make that crazy 1 1/2-2 hour commute just a little bit better each day.

What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude Project, Day 9

Today I'm thankful for my sweet dad and his soft, soft heart. He is seriously the best dad in the world. One time when I was little, one of his friends/coworkers said to me, "I'm going to tell you something about your dad and I want you to know I'm serious. Your dad is SO nice, he could tell someone to go to hell, and they would enjoy the trip." I strive to be just like that.

My family has been through a lot this summer (another post for another day), which has had my mom making frequent trips to Montana to help out with my grandparents. Even though my dad HATES when my mom is gone and HATES being alone, he has been 100% supportive of this and has encouraged her to go each time. She's in Montana right now for the fifth time since May (plus she was gone to Portland for my surgery and to Boston for training for her new job).

Before she left, their dog got sick. Bailey is about five years old, and she is 100% my dad's dog. She LOVES him. When he's home, she never lets him get more than a few feet away from him. So my mom took her to the vet, they thought she had a cold, so they put her on antibiotics. They gave her all the antibiotics, but she hasn't gotten better, so my dad took her back to the vet today. They found out she has a very inflamed liver and pancreas, plus she's anemic, on top of the weird cold symptoms, and they don't know why. So she's on all kinds of heavy-duty anti-inflammatory meds and antibiotics, they've "flushed her system" a few times today (whatever that means), and they're keeping her for awhile until they can figure something out.

My sweet dad gets SO attached to his animals. He loves them so much, and he is sooooo worried about Bailey. So today I'm thankful for my dad and his big soft heart, and also for their vet, who is really great, and who is working hard to figure out what's wrong with their poor puppy. (Please, God, let her be okay.)

On a less serious note, I'm also thankful for warm, comfy hoodies--is there anything better than pulling on a big, comfy hoodie when it's cold outside? I doubt it. :)

I'm also really thankful for music. After Zack and I broke up this summer, I couldn't handle listening to music for almost two months. (Thank goodness for Radiolab on my iPod so I had something to listen to on my commute.) I'm not sure why music was so hard for me (although that was a big part of our relationship), but some songs would remind me of him, plus if you listen to the radio, it seems like practically every song is either a love song or a break-up song, and I couldn't handle either of those! But I'm in a much better place and I'm back to being able to listen to music (and if you know me, you know I'm ALWAYS listening to or singing some song). When music is one of the true great loves in your life, like it is mine, this is a big, big deal. So especially watching the CMA's tonight, I'm thankful for beautiful, fun, spunky, joyful, sad, lovey, heartfelt music of all kinds.

And finally, I'm SOOOOOO thankful the holidays are coming up! My folks are coming up next week to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, and I took a couple days off while they're here (HOORAY), which means after next Friday, I'm working only ONE day out of the next nine days (and probably only half a day, at that!). AND, in even better news, I get TWO WEEKS off at Christmas!!!!!!!!! So my optimistic, forward-looking self is SUPER THANKFUL all my vacations requests were approved and I HAVE TWO BREAKS TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!

What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude Project, Day 8

Today I'm thankful for dental insurance. I know it sounds lame, but seriously, I was without it for a couple years, and being without it stinks! One of my teeth has been hurting, so I went to a new dentist today and, although it will still be an expensive fix (my tooth is apparently broken and will require a root canal soon), it would be way more expensive if I didn't have insurance. Thank goodness for work benefits.

I'm so thankful that the weather has been AMAZING so far for November. We've had some rain here and there, but we've also had some actual sunshine, which is hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. I don't take that for granted for one second.

I worked with a student for almost two hours today, trying to help her with her math. I quickly discovered that this girl has WAY bigger struggles than just not understanding the current homework, and when I brought those opinions and observations to her counselor and her teacher, they totally validated what I had to say and appreciated my effort. I'm thankful to work in a place where, even as an outsider coming in, I am so supported. And hopefully those two hours spent with her can result in getting her the help she really needs.

Every single night I am thankful for the fleece sheets on my bed! Seriously, why did no one come up with this idea sooner? I got them last year at Costco for super cheap (like $30 for a queen set), and I LOVE THEM. I bought another set a few weeks ago. It is like climbing into a big, fluffy, warm blanket every night. They are amazing. It almost makes me wish I lived somewhere it was cold longer so I could use them more during the year. Heavenly. (It's the little things, right?!?)

Speaking of little things, one of the kiddos at work gave a bag of oranges to our vice principal at lunchtime today, who promptly turned and offered me one, and it was delicious! I can't even remember the last time I ate a fresh orange. YUM!

An old college friend (who is now a co-worker) and I got together tonight for happy hour after work. We were friends in college, but we've gotten to be much better friends these last couple months as we've worked together. It's great to have him at work because we have that former connection, and our conversations are always really great--way beyond typical surface level co-worker chatter. So it was nice to just go hang out at a restaurant for a couple hours and talk about life and work and relationships and things in a real, meaningful way. I can tell he values my opinions and takes my suggestions seriously, and it's just really nice. Plus, he is a total gentleman and he treated me to the appetizers we shared. :) So I'm thankful for him and our friendship tonight, and a chance to connect outside the office.

And finally, I want to give a shout-out to my friend, Cat. Last year, when I started doing the Gratitude Project on facebook, she picked it up and ran with it, and decided to do it FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR!! She posted her 365th Gratitude Project Post tonight, and it was so awesome to see it. She always has a giant list of things she's thankful for, which has really helped me take stock of my life and think, "Gosh, if every day she can come up with a list that long, surely I can think of a few things today I'm thankful for, too." It has been a blessing, and she says it has really blessed her life in big, big ways, and changed her outlook and the way she looks at things. That's the amazing thing about doing this Gratitude Project. Throughout the day, I find myself consciously and purposefully looking for things to be grateful for, and I think going about the day with that mindset is very different from the way we normally look at the world. It's easier to be positive and upbeat about things when that is your outlook. So I'm thankful for Cat, for continuing this project and seeing it through an entire year. She's amazing. And I'm thankful she's planning on continuing it in a few different ways--less formally on facebook, and formally in a daily journal she's going to keep, which I think is brilliant.

What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude Project, Day 7

Today I'm thankful for my sweet, hilarious, awesome brother-in-law, Sterling. He is a great guy, and he is adorable with my sister, but that's not why I'm thankful for him today. Ster has been volunteering for me for the last couple months in my after-school program. He's running a Drama Club, and he's decided, with the kids, to put on a play. He chose a script, held auditions, cast the show, and today they had their first read-through. I'm so proud of him! This is a major challenge for Ster, and he is totally rising to the occasion. The kiddos in my program can be tough kids, but they totally love him--if he's not there the second school ends, I have so many kids coming up saying, "Jen, Jen, is Sterling here? Is he coming?" He's doing such a great job with them. I'm thankful for his help, and for his presence in the lives of these kids, but I'm especially thankful I have such a fantastic brother-in-law. (I always wanted a brother!)

I made pumpkin cinnamon rolls last night (see last post, and thanks again, Erika, for the recipe)! They turned out beautifully, and my house still smells amazing because of them. I made a double batch so we could freeze some for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning (my poor sister has to work on Thanksgiving, so I thought that would be fun to have something quick and easy and special that's already done), and I also wanted to share with a few people. So I got to do a few little random acts of kindness and drop off cinnamon rolls for some unsuspecting friends, family, and co-workers. :) I love sharing the fruits of my labor, and I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to do so!

In September, my friend and I tackled a giant canning project, and we made 22 GALLONS of homemade, organic pasta sauce. It is DELICIOUS!!!! (I will dedicate a post to this adventure sometime soon.) Anyway, on days like today, when it's late and I'm tired and I'm driving home thinking, "Ugh, there is no food at my house," it is SO AWESOME to remember that WAIT A MINUTE!! I have the makings of a delicious, gourmet pasta dinner and all I have to do is throw it together! :) So I am so thankful for the 24 quarts and 24 pints of sauce that came home with me (even though I've already given quite a bit of it away), and for the amazing flavors and memories and feelings of accomplishment each jar brings. :)

And I'm thankful for "the sing-off." It seriously makes my day every week. I love music, especially vocal music, and I love a cappella! The groups on this show are SO good, and so unique, and it makes me happy to watch it. It's the little things, you know? Plus those Utah boys are adorable, and you gotta root for the home team! :)

What are you thankful for today?

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls...and a Question. ;)

Here is a copy/paste of the recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from my friend, Erika. These are delicious and will make your house smell like heaven. :) My alterations to it are as follows: I made cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze they recommended. I also think I might have added a little too much flour, because they're a little drier than I'd hoped, but that's a common problem with bread making! I can't do nuts, so I didn't add any, but my friend says she chops some pecans and adds it to the filling. She also said she usually doesn't glaze them because she thinks they are sweet enough! And my other recommendation is to go heavy on the filling. :)

She also said you can I get them all set up the night before through the final rise in the baking dish and then cover them in plastic wrap in the fridge overnight. Then while the oven is preheating in the morning you can pull them out and put them on the counter to warm up a little.

(Shhh...don't tell that there's one missing in this photo!)

Ingredients:

1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees )

1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the eggs, butter and pumpkin.

2. Gradually add 5 cups of the flour and the salt, scraping side of bowl, until soft dough forms. Turn out onto floured surface and knead remaining 1/2 cup flour into dough, adding more if sticky. Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Dough will be soft.

3. Grease a bowl; add dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours.

4. Coat two 13x9x 2-inch baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Make Filling: Mix butter, granulated and brown sugars, and cinnamon in a bowl.

5. Punch down dough. Roll out half onto a lightly floured surface to form a 16 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Starting on one long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to close. Repeat with second half of dough and filling.

6. Cut each log crosswise into 12 generous 1-inch pieces. Arrange 12 pieces, cut-side down, in each prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit in a warm spot until buns double in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. (You can refrigerate one pan overnight or cover plastic with foil and freeze at this point. Thaw in fridge overnight, then thaw on counter while preheating oven.)

7. Heat oven to 350 degrees . Uncover pans and bake buns until they are golden brown and bubbly, 28 to 33 minutes (thawed buns, 36 minutes). Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 10 minutes.

Glaze:

8. Blend confectioners sugar and milk. Drizzle over buns (about 1/3 cup per pan). Serve warm.

And on a random note, when I posted this photo on facebook, my friend said, "I've noticed your posts get the most comments when pictures of food are involved!" I told her that was true, and she said, "Maybe you should see if you get the same response with online dating profile pics. ;-)"

What do you think? ;)

(P.S. She DID meet her husband on an online dating site, so maybe she knows what she's talking about...) ;)

Gratitude Project, Day 6

Today I'm thankful for the end of Daylight Savings Time. I do hate that it gets dark so much earlier, but my body is seriously so much happier on Standard Time. It is so much easier for me to get out of bed, and not just on the first day of Standard Time! :)

I got to sleep in today (well, truthfully I woke up early-ish and realized I could keep sleeping, and I was SO thankful)!

I'm always thankful for the chance to go to my favorite church. I'm so thankful for the faith I have--I don't know how people without faith get through the day, especially when hard times hit.

Today was a gorgeous, crisp, sunny, beautiful day! Once October hits in the Pacific Northwest, I am always thankful for every single one of those that come. It was so beautiful, especially with all the incredible leaves we have right now. I really wanted to take a walk or go for a bike ride, but with the now limited daylight, I had to make a choice, and a nap in my sunny living room won out. :) I love days when I can take a nap, and having my little hot water bottle of a puppy curled up next to me under my cozy quilt made it all the better. I watched the Denver Broncos game up until half time, then napped through the second half, so it was a nice surprise when I woke up to a win! :)

Later I looked at my phone, and realized I had missed a call from my bestie, April, while I was at church. Apparently her kiddos have decided we don't talk enough, because this is the second week in a row that little Logan has been the one who called! :) So we had a nice chat, and when she had to chase after Logan later, I had a nice chat with Kelsi, too. :) Love those kiddos!

Finally, I'm thankful for a fun new recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and the smell of heaven wafting through my apartment while they cook. :) Yum!

What are you thankful for today?