Thankful for the little things...

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3/16/12 4:32 P

The running shoes are a huge success! I'm looking forward to getting outside again on Sunday!

Today I'm thankful for melatonin. I have insomnia caused by being on too much thyroid medication. I try to look at it in a positive light - if I'm awake, I may as well exercise, lol. So I've gotten lots of exercise today. But I really need to sleep.

Enter melatonin. Its the only thing I've found that helps me. My problem isn't falling asleep, its staying asleep. The only problem with taking melatonin is that I feel really drowsy in the morning for at least an hour when I wake up, so unfortunately I can't take it when I have to get up early for work.

Yay weekend!!!

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3/7/12 1:51 P

Today I'm thankful for my new running shoes, and the fact that I am so looking forward to getting out and using them this weekend, that I can barely contain my excitement! And even better - I bought them at a Running Room outlet store, so they're good quality, but cheap! (Its cause they're not the newest model, but I don't care!) Oh and add to that, its meant to be 15º C here on Sunday, and sunny. PERFECT DAY FOR A RUN!!!


I'm just so thankful that I'm actually looking forward to exercise - what a change a year can make.

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3/2/12 2:33 P

Spring is a great thing to be thankful for.. we get an early spring about this time of year and then a later one after the rains (however paltry they may be) come in mid-summer.. then the whole desert bursts into bloom. Right now there are some wildflowers and lots of birds... the sandhill cranes who winter near here are leaving now, but there are tons of hawks as well as the finches and meadowlarks and cactus wrens and sparrows and all the other visitors.

I'm grateful for relative mental stability, since I've been dealing with a young friend who is dealing with extremes of anxiety and fear.

I'm grateful I coulld get an appointment for a hair cut this afternoon.. I'm feeling like a shaggy beast....

And I'm grateful for pretty much everything else in my life!

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3/2/12 1:13 P

Today I'm thankful for the little sparrows that were singing everywhere this morning on my way to work. I think they're house sparrows, but I'm not 100% sure. It was just so nice to hear them and to know spring is just around the corner!

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2/17/12 8:27 A

Four day weekend??? Nice! I have a 3 day weekend, which I'm also very excited about, and was in fact, what I was going to write about today!

I'm thankful for the long weekend this weekend. It was started 5 years ago (I think this is the 5th one) and since it started, a few of my girlfriends and I drive 3 hours north of the city to go visit another girlfriend. We stay in her big old beautiful house, drink lots of wine, cheese AND chocolate fondue, and on Saturday, we go to the spa! I'm getting a facial and an aromatherapy pedicure. Fabulous weekend ahead, I can't wait! Its become an amazing annual tradition.

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2/16/12 6:25 P

I'm grateful for the four day weekend ahead!!!!!!

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2/16/12 6:08 P

Today I'm thankful for popcorn, and my renewed love of it.

Its my late afternoon snack of choice - I buy portion controlled microwave packs and keep them at work. 100 calories, 2 minutes. perfect.

And because I'm enjoying popcorn at work, I thought I'd like to enjoy it at home, too, except that we don't have a microwave. So I was going to buy an air popper. I mentioned it to a woman at work yesterday and she said there just happened to be one sitting in a cupboard - someone had left it here years ago, and I was welcome to it! So yay! Free air popper! And if it doesn't work, then I can buy a new one.

YAY POPCORN!



Edited by: SUEPERSTARS at: 2/16/2012 (18:09)

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2/9/12 10:09 A

I like your idea of a gratitude journal... gratitude is good seasoning for the rest of life! Today I opened my email to find a message from an old friend who knows I'm working on weight loss. He, himself, is recovering from major and painful back surgery and is starting chemo for multiple myeloma... and yet he took time to encourage me and to be positive and upbeat (and out of nowhere -- I had not been whining!!!). We have a history of almost 40 years of friendship between our families, we are godparents to each other's children.. and it touched me deeply.

I am grateful!

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2/9/12 9:35 A

Today I'm thankful for my discovery of my nasal rinse. It is the best thing ever when you have a cold - this may be TMI, but it was so great this morning, seeing all that crap come out of my nose. Its all back now (stupid cold) but at least I had a bit of relief. I'm sure it'll make my cold shorter, if I can only get some good quality sleep.

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2/8/12 9:02 A

Wow, its been a while since I've posted in here. Its amazing how easy it is to fall out of a habit... especially when it wasn't a very solid habit to begin with.

Today I'm thankful for my earlier work days. Last week, my boss suggested we work an hour longer each day, instead of having to work on the weekend. I agreed that was the better solution (long story short, he's been working Saturdays for months, and not getting paid for it, and its been hard on his health), so we now start at 8 am. This means I have to leave my house by 7:15. I had been thinking about getting up earlier so that I could exercise more regularly in the morning, but its tough when there's another person sleeping who you don't want to disturb. Well, now that I have to get up way before my husband, I just get up a little bit earlier, still, and get some exercising in 3 times a week (the days I don't wash my hair!). Its been a week or so now, and I'm still getting used to it, but I think it'll be good.

now, if only I wasn't getting another head cold.

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1/17/12 3:50 P

Today I'm thankful that my husband was snoring this morning!

I set my alarm to get up at 6:45, which would leave me enough time to do a 40 minute Turbo Jam workout before getting ready for work.

Unfortunately, I slept horribly. And when my alarm went off, I wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep for another 45 minutes.

But I was awake. And once I'm awake its hard for me to get back to sleep. And my husband was snoring. I lay in bed for about 5 minutes, trying to convince myself I could go back to sleep, lol, but that wasn't happening. So, I climbed out of bed and put on my exercise clothes and went downstairs. I only did one of the 20 minute workouts, though, because I didn't have enough time for the 40, but I think that was good because as I said, i was very tired. And I still had my 45 minute walk to work ahead of me.

So today, I'm thankful for my husband's snoring - it gave me the motivation or encouragement or kick in the butt to get out of bed and work out.

My husband = Me

Edited by: SUEPERSTARS at: 1/17/2012 (15:51)

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1/13/12 4:16 P

Today I am thankful for dark chocolate! mmmmmm good. I know, it seems pretty funny after my previous post talking about how I'm hopefully losing my sweet tooth, but good quality chocolate I will always love. It has to be at least 70% cacao for me, too. The best part is that it satisfies my craving for chocolate, but I don't need very much to be satisfied. I have two squares of a chocolate bar and then put the rest away. In fact, I've already had 2 squares today, and the rest of the bar is sitting behind me in my office. And it will stay there until Monday.

I love dark chocolate!

Added bonus, its also good with red wine (which I also love). If you haven't tried them together, give it a shot!

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1/12/12 5:05 P

Thanks, 1HAPPYWOMAN!!!

Today I am thankful for my discovery that I'm losing my sweet tooth. I forgot to take my thyroid meds first thing this morning. I have to take them on an empty stomach, and I can't have calcium anytime right after, either. I usually take them right when I wake up, then I have a shower and get ready for work, and by the time I eat breakfast, its been about 45 mins, which is okay. But I forgot today. So I had oatmeal instead. I made it with cinnamon and walnuts (both put in the water to heat at the same time), and then added maple syrup at the end. I measured out 1 tbsp of maple syrup, as I have done many times in the past, but today, I found it a bit too sweet!!! I'm excited to have oatmeal again, but with less syrup!

I also think I'll add a touch of maple syrup to my greek yogurt / apple / walnut snack in the afternoon... I think that will be a nice combination.

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1/11/12 10:52 P

Today I'm thankful that I got to read your gratitude journal!

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1/11/12 10:13 A

Today I'm thankful for spaghetti squash.

I enjoy eating pasta, but I don't like the huge amounts of calories in it. So I've been using spaghetti squash as an alternative for a while.

Then last night, I came to the realization that its not the pasta (ie noodles) itself that I enjoy, but rather the sauce! I can fill up on spaghetti squash, literally a HUGE plate of it, for about 90 calories. Then I added a tomato sauce that had a mix of salami and scallops in it, and that was only another 250 or so. And I was FULL, and satisfied.

I cooked normal pasta for my husband - he's not a fan of winter squashes in general, and he's also Italian, so he eats the normal pasta. And I'll eat spaghetti squash. Both pasta and spaghetti squash are so easy to cook, so its not like its a big production to cook two different things.

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1/9/12 9:49 P

Today I'm thankful that my husband had to work a bit late. lol

Usually I'm the one getting home late from work - I get home around 7 or so, but tonight, he didn't get home till 8. It gave me time to do the "Learn & Burn" workout from Turbo Fit which just arrived today!!! I did the 15 minutes of learning, then the 15 minutes of burning, and just before the burn was finished, he texted me to tell me he was on his way home. Which left me just the perfect amount of time to make dinner.

A perfect evening.

And now I have sore sides. But it was fun! I'm so glad I ordered it and I've only done it once! lol

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1/8/12 6:58 P

Ha ha!! That's AWESOME!

Today was another quote that I want to reflect upon:

You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.

- Shira Tehrani

The reason for this journal was to remember to appreciate the little things in life, because they are what make up the width and depth.

Today I am thankful for my slow cooker. I'm making Chef Meg's Moroccan Beef Stew and it smells AMAZING! I'm looking forward to a delicious and healthy dinner tonight...and lunch tomorrow, too.

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1/8/12 11:59 A

Lord Chesterfield even did work while sitting on the toilet. He didn't believe in wasting ANY of his life.

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1/6/12 9:43 A

Today I'm thankful for the quote that came in the "healthy reflections" email:

Know the true value of time; snatch, seize and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness...never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

- Lord Chesterfield


I am a procrastinator. I procrastinate on EVERYTHING. In fact, I'm procrastinating right now! I'm reading emails and posting on Sparkpeople when I should be working! lol This is one thing that want to work on this year. I don't do resolutions, rather goals. I just need to figure out how to go about changing this procrastination habit - what are some steps i can take, or challenges I can do? Hmmm... I'll figure it out later. Seriously, though - one thing I am good at is thinking about things in the back of my mind while I do other things, so this is what I'm going to think about today while I work.

I'm thankful for this email today because it reminded me that this was something I wanted to work on. And now I'm going to take the next step and figure out just how to go about doing it.

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1/5/12 2:37 P

My 30-day gratitude challenge didn't work out quite as well as I would have hoped. But I'm glad I started it and I'm going to keep it going.

Today I'm grateful for the time I get to spend with my friend while she's visiting.

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12/23/11 9:39 P

Today I'm grateful for being able to look up nutritional information online before going to restaurants.

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12/21/11 9:46 A

Day 21

Today I'm thankful for free wifi at the airport!

And a big thankful - I get to see my brother and sister-in-law in about 5 hours! I haven't seen them in 3 years!!! So excited!

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12/20/11 9:55 A

Day 20 - another day missed... hmmmm.

Today I'm grateful that I have the day off work. I get to go and get some (hopefully all) of my Christmas shopping done, before going to see my doctor and hopefully getting a new prescription, and then coming home and packing for my trip to visit family for Christmas! It'll be a busy, but productive day, filled with lots of walking - it should be great!

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12/18/11 4:38 P

Day 18

Another day missed yesterday, busy running around prepping for our Christmas party we had last night. Oh well 2 days missed so far is not that bad.

Today I am grateful for baked Brie. Yummmmm. Dangerously yummm.

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12/16/11 11:33 A

I'm Thankful for my kids!!!!

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12/16/11 11:29 A

Day 16

I'm grateful for the fact that I feel stronger. When I walk to work, I sometimes have to stop for streetlights, and I notice a difference especially when I'm standing still. I feel stronger, taller, more balanced... I have better posture. I'm sure some of that comes from confidence, too.

I'm grateful for my increasing feeling of strength.

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12/15/11 11:55 A

Day 15 of gratitude

I'm grateful for the cloudy skies this morning. It's raining today, and about 12º C (which is very unusual for this part of the world in December, it should be around 1º and snowing) and the clouds were very low on my walk to work this morning. So low, that we couldn't see the tops of most of the buildings!

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12/14/11 2:12 P

Day 14

I'm grateful for my awesome doctor (my GP). She's on the ball, friendly, and caring.

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12/13/11 11:19 A

Day 13

I missed my daily gratitude post yesterday. Not because I didn't think about it, but because I thought "I'll do it later". I'm a great procrastinator, even when it comes to the little things. I guess that's something to work on next!

Today I'm grateful for something I've learned recently. I've learned how much I love it when I'm active. I'll think to myself "this is a great day" or "things are really good" when I'm walking to work, or out for a run. So today, I'm grateful for the realization that I enjoy being active... no, that's not quite right... that I am HAPPY and CONTENT when I'm active.

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12/11/11 4:55 P

Dec 12

I am grateful for my creative streak - I love doing things that require imagination.

I spent the morning with my sister making lip balm & body scrubs, and some coasters for Christmas gifts. I also do stained glass. Collages. I work in the film industry and love playing with sound.

I'm content when I'm creating. I guess I'm also thankful that i realize that.

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12/11/11 12:34 A

Dec 11 - day 11

I'm thankful for the airplane bringing my friend to visit. She's been in Australia for the last 5 years, I haven't seen her in 3. Yay airplane!

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12/10/11 9:42 A

Dec 10 - day 10

I am grateful that I like to read. I enjoy reading fiction - I love being taken into another world for a while, and using my imagination. Its especially good when I'm having a bad day, I can escape the crap for a while.

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12/9/11 12:30 P

Day 09 - Dec 09

Today I am grateful for my Wii fit. I don't use it for exercise very much anymore, but I use it todo my weigh ins. I know that it is accurate because I weighed in one morning just before going to the doctor's office, and it was almost exactly the same. I also like that it keeps a record ... I've had mine since 2009, so I can go back and look and see where I was. And by looking at that record, I can see just how well I'm doing now.

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12/9/11 12:42 A

Day 08 - Dec 08 (well, just past midnight on dec 8, so yes, I'm cheating... but I was thinking about this all day so I'm giving it to myself! lol)

I'm thankful for my iPhone and for the fitness apps that I've found. Yes, I also like the games, but the ones that have made the biggest impact on my life are: loseit, spark people, and run keeper. I'm grateful for my iphone!

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12/7/11 2:17 P

Dec 07 - day 07 of 30 day challenge

Today I'm grateful that I had a day off. I didn't know I would have today off until yesterday mid afternoon. I got to relax this morning, sleep in a bit, which I desperately need. And soon I'll be leaving to get some errands done before my stained glass class tonight.

I could use another day of sleeping in, but I'll take what I can get.

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12/6/11 3:03 P

Dec 06 - day 6 of 30

I am grateful for the delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookie recipe I found (and made). Delicious, relatively healthy, and only 80 calories per cookie! YUM!

Its called "Cookies For Rookies" from "Crazy Plates" by Janet and Greta Podleski.


Cookies for Rookies

If you’re kookie over cookies, these easy-to-make treats are no sweat and no threat, even for the confirmed kitchen klutz.

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 tsp. each baking and salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup light margarine or butter (see hint below)
1/3 cup light peanut butter
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, cream together brown sugar, margarine, peanut butter, and buttermilk. Add dry ingredients and stir to form a smooth dough. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Using a fork dipped in flour, flatten cookies to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, as cookies will dry out.

Remove cookies from tray immediately and cool on a wire rack. Store covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Makes 30 cookies

Per cookie: 80 calories, 2.7 g. fat, 0.7 g. saturated fat, 1.6 g. protein, 13 g. carbohydrate,
0.4 g. fiber, 0 mg. Cholesterol, 94.6 mg. Sodium % calories from fat: 30


(I used natural crunchy peanut butter, regular size chocolate chips, and becel 64% less margarine.)

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12/5/11 5:08 P

Dec 05 - day 5

Today I am grateful for the smell of freshly baked bread when I walk by the Subway sandwich shop on my way to work in the morning.

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12/4/11 11:54 P

Dec 04 - day 4

just sneaking this in before midnight!

I'm thankful for that time, just before I fall asleep, when I've gotten myself into that perfect position and I start to feel myself drifting to sleep.

that's where I'm headed now!

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12/3/11 11:56 A

Dec 03 - day 3

Today I am thankful for the nice (relatively speaking) weather. It was about 5º C, and sunny, and so I was able to go out for a run. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to run before there's snow / ice / slush everywhere, so I'm thankful I was able to go today.

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12/2/11 6:01 P

try it with pineapple, it's really goood! yum.

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12/2/11 11:46 A

Dec 02 - Day 2

I'm grateful for my new-found love of cottage cheese! (I didn't like the look of it before)

I buy it in pre-packaged containers, each is 113g in size, 1 % fat... 90 calories, 3.0 g of fibre, and 12 g of protein!

I'm eating some right now with a cut up apple... its not my favourite, usually I prefer to eat it with strawberries or blueberries, but I think that I'd like to try this apple cottage cheese combo with cinnamon. I think that would be delicious.

There are so many ways to enjoy this wonderful, healthy food, and I'm so thankful that I like it now!

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12/1/11 12:59 P

Dec 01 - Day 1

I'm thankful for my walk this morning... not the walking itself, or the fact that I essentially walk to work every morning, cause those are big things ...

I'm thankful for the moment when I'm walking to work, and I'm in a park in the middle of the city, and all the sounds of the city die down... they're still there, but its muffled. I'm thankful for that moment.

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11/30/11 11:44 P

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11/30/11 1:43 P

After watching an inspirational video on TED Talks, I've decided to start a gratitude journal... and this is it.

GOAL: 31 days of Gratitude, remembering the little things to be thankful for in my everyday life, something new every day. Dec 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2011.


Since today is November 30, I'll start with the big things and just get them out of the way, since that is not what this journal is about for me.

I'm thankful for:

• my amazing, loving, supportive husband, who has put up with a lot of emotional crap as I deal with thyroid issues

• my fabulous family, including my in-laws, who are also very supportive and caring and always want to help (sometimes too much!!!)

• my "new" relationship with my sister - we weren't close as kids, but now she's one of my best friends

• the fact that I live in Canada. I've had some health issues to deal with and I remember one time on a message board for Graves' Disease, reading posts from people in the US who couldn't afford to pay for the blood tests they need - I don't have to worry about that. I also look at what's going on in the Middle East and I think about how lucky I am that I get to vote or protest, without having to worry about being shot by the army, or that I can drive a car and even just be out in public without my husband (I've been to the middle east, so I know there is so much more there than that, but those are some pretty awful things.)

• my awesome and cool job - I get to play all day, working on sound for films and tv shows!

• my home... not only is it a roof over my head, but its a sanctuary - I love how its decorated, and that i did the decorating

• travel - I've been to many interesting places and I'm so fortunate to have been able to see so much of the world. Not that I'm anywhere close to done travelling, but I'm thankful to have had those experiences.

• Spark People - I'm grateful that I found this site and all the fabulous people on it who are constantly motivating and encouraging me

I could go on... the more that I write, the more big and important things I think of to be grateful for! But as I said before, that is not what this is about... this is about remembering the little things in life that make me smile. Its about reminding myself, especially when the day has been pretty hard or crappy, that there is always something good in it.


NOTE: The video I watched on TED talks that inspired me to start this journal:
www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something
_new_for_30_days.html