G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y

Today we are joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for

G r a t i t u d e  *  S u n d a y 

{Sunday's heartfelt tradition. A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful. A list of gratitudes.} 

It has been a challenging week with increased forest fire smoke causing my allergies to really flare up, headaches almost everyday and having to stay cooped up indoors most of the day since the air is too unhealthy to be outside for more than a few minutes. Taking time to focus on my gratitudes each day has helped me to find some positives in a very tough week. Another mama friend said it perfectly this week that this forest fire smoke is really testing our sanity. I think we're all hanging onto our sanity by a small thread after several weeks of thick, smoky air.

My gratitudes for the week: 

-Taking a few minutes one afternoon to go outside and check the gardens. We found some ripe strawberries that our little nugget and I shared. Such a wonderful, sweet treat and a bright spot in our day.

-Making a new recipe for Zucchini Lemon Cookies to use up some of our abundant zucchini (here's the recipe if you want to try it!) They were really yummy and it felt so nice to have time to bake. When I was working full time I rarely had time to bake and I missed it since baking and spending quality time in the kitchen was something I grew up doing and for me an important part of leading a balanced life.

-Our first sale in my newest Etsy shop, Old Montana Treasures. I've been so busy sewing up creations for local vender events and to restock at one of the shops we sell at in town that I haven't put a lot of energy into the new shop since I just haven't had the time yet. I was ecstatic when we had our first sale and had a little time yesterday to list some more treasures for sale.

-Calling my student loan lender and finding out that I qualify for a loan repayment program that is income based. This is probably one of my biggest gratitudes this week. Since I put myself through undergrad and grad school, I have hefty student loans I've been paying on. I have been struggling to make a large payment on my loans since I quit my full time job last winter. It has been a source of stress for me so finding out my monthly payment can be adjusted according to our current income is such a blessing. I just wish I had heard about the program and called sooner!

-The sun shifting in the sky so it hits our crystal prisms hanging in the windows and casts rainbows all over the house for several hours of the day. Such a simple thing that always brings a smile to my face.

-A little chickadee hopping over and stopping about two feet from me on the branch of one of our lilac "trees" like she had hopped over to say hello and check us out. We were only outside for a few minutes one afternoon when there was a tiny patch of blue sky overhead so this was a lovely treat.

-Finishing up my Upcycling Sewing Challenge on time and making a fun creation out of a box of "trash" mailed to me. It was the first one I signed up for and was a little nervous I couldn't come up with something by the deadline but I did. It was so much fun! If you missed the post about it, you can read it here to see what I made from the "trash".

-Going to Tiny Tales at the library and getting to visit with some other mama friends and have fun singing and dancing with our babies. I am SO grateful for Tiny Tales, just knowing that three days a week if I am feeling stir crazy in the house and just need to get out for a little, we can always head into town to the library to socialize and have fun. 

-Our little nugget starting to say more words and enjoying reading books. Her favorite saying is still thank you, which comes out "Dank do" but we know what she means.  I've read books to her since she was a newborn but she is finally at an age where she will sit in my lap and actually listen as I read and help turn pages instead of wanting to just grab the book and chew on it. Several times this week she even picked up a book to look at it herself, she's becoming a book worm just like her mama!

-Committing to another big vender event in town in a few weeks. This means the next few weeks will continue to be busy for me trying to sew and create extra stock for a vender stand but it will be worth it to have a venue to sell at since our little neighborhood market is done for the season. 

-A weather forecast that does not say "smoky"!!!! This is what it has said for the last several weeks but finally for this next week the weather forecast says "chance of rain". Hallelujah, forest fire season may soon be over!

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