Gratified Friday: Good Food

Garlic stuffed green olives, homemade mac & cheese, and a thai lunch buffet.

Good food is like the glue that keeps my life together.  No matter how hectic things are (and they are!!), I love looking forward to a good meal, discovering a new restaurant, or planning dinner for the family.

Mmmm, yum.

Gratified Fridays: Simple Summer Pleasures

It is that time of year where outside is the best place to be.  I've been grateful to have time to enjoy simple summer pleasures like walks to 7-11 for slurpees, puppies in the kiddie pool, fresh garden veggies from a friend, good food, and lots of time to play.

Here's a little Instagram catch up from the last few weeks:

“Sometimes the questions are complicated 

and the answers are simple.”

-Dr. Suess

Hope everyone else is enjoying summer fun too, happy Friday!

If you'd like to link up a post from your week about something that made you happy, feel free!  Follow and link back.

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Grafitied Friday: Still Breaking

McMenemins, White Eagle Hotel, Portland

This week:  Catching up on jewelry orders, stealing a lunch date with Matt, stocking up on books at the library, working out, eating healthy (minus the lunch date :))...still enjoying the break from classes!

I am grateful for this time to relax, enjoy a day without too many deadlines; this mini "stay-cation".  

Gratitude is the Best Attitude.

Are you grateful for something this week?

Gratified Friday: Quote

"I like to walk alone on country paths,
rice plants and wild grasses on both sides,
putting each foot down on the earth
in mindfulness, knowing
that I walk on the wondrous earth.
In such moments, existence is a miraculous
and mysterious reality.

People usually consider walking on water
or in thin air a miracle.
But I think the real miracle
is not to walk either on water or in thin air,
but to walk on earth.
Every day we are engaged in a miracle
which we don't even recognize:
a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves,
the black, curious eyes of a child--
our own two eyes.
All is a miracle."
Thich Nhat Hanh, "Miracle of Mindfulness"

Gratified Fridays: Spontaneous Moments

Life can be so hectic sometimes you nearly miss it!  I have been working the last few weeks on spontaneity because sometimes that is the only way to fit in those much needed memorable moments.  Some of the recent spontaneous adventures have been a bowling night (!!!), puppy walks, thrift store shopping (we scored an old Sears sewing machine, and a new coffee cup), and going to the library.  It has been those little moments where we were able to seize a mini adventure that have helped me get through this busy time in my life.

What do you do to keep life's ruts at bay?

Gratified Fridays

>>>P.S. (at the beginning):  Come ***WIN*** a pair of my earrings over at Clussster!  All you have to do is be a follower of my blog and you can even get extra entries!  I would love to see one of you be the winner!  AND....you should follow my friend Fi at Clussster because she has a beautiful blog, and she just combined her old blogs into her new blog.  So go give us both some support and GOOD LUCK if you enter!!

Back to the regular post...

Good news, everybody!  I finally got a new Iphone, so you can expect better photos on my blog from now on!  Really, I got the phone just for you, sweet readers.  See:  Here are two really good photos of all the work I've been up to this morning:

Much improved, no?

On to being grateful for things other than the latest material gains...I want to talk about how great my customers have been.  Seriously, they have the best ideas sometimes!  I have listed three new things this month that customers came up with.  I know if I just listen and take these great ideas to the bench that  my shop will continue to grow.

#1     I got an order for my Isis Hoops, but she wanted them a bit smaller...totally cute that way!
#2     Instead of copper, these rough diamond studs were requested in golden brass...bling!
#3     Over Christmas a customer turned my copper dot ring into a copper heart ring...so cute!

And then there's these two:  Matt & Ruby  *LOVE*

Happy Friday all, I hope everyone has a lot to look back on and be grateful for today too.

Gratified Fridays: Healthy & Happy

Looking back over last week, I am happy that I had this cute pup to keep me company through the first week of my semester (can you resist those ears??).  We did a lot of reading and even took a few quizzes together, the pup Reuben was very supportive.

Once I got past the enormity of my class expectations (it is quite overwhelming reading all the syllabi in one day--don't do it) I felt like I could get through it, if I just took things one week at a time. My planner is coming in handy for that!

This week was also full of healthy stuff!  Matt and I went running five times and I watched as my cardio improved exponentially, it seemed.  (We are working to get back into shape ater a long holiday hiatus.)  I started counting my food calories, because, can you believe this, I was not eating enough during the day!  I am now working on meeting my 2000 calorie diet goals every day.  It helps me to eat two breakfasts.  I can really tell a difference in my energy levels.

Quite a surprise to me, my shop has been very busy.  I imagined January would be quite dead, with the after christmas lull and all...but no!  I have been a busy girl out in the shop whipping up stacking rings and hoop earrings and little post earrings too!

Quite the busy week, and I am so grateful it is the weekend!!!

Happy friday to all of you who I imagine are ready for some R&R as well.

Too Tired To be Grateful...just yet

Who knew that I would be this busy filling orders for Christmas?  I had plans for making some of my own gifts, but have been so swamped with orders (on average three orders per day through the month of December) in the shop and trips to the post office, that I still haven't even mailed my Christmas cards!

But thankfully, the rush must be over because there are only 8 more days till Christmas and probably not enough shipping time for last minute orders.  I can take a breather and focus on my own little Christmas plans, which I cannot name in case we have some familiar readers (wink wink).

So, today's Gratified Friday Post is a flop....until I find the energy to write the post about how amazingly well my shop has done for Christmas, the super helper of a husband I have who works the shop details from behind the curtain, and the trooper kids I have who, even though they have been super sick, have given me the space and time I've needed to get everything done.

Time for some TLC for my much neglected self (things like fried spaghetti, bad TV shows on the couch with the kids, ignoring all housework, and lots of napping).

Gratified Fridays: Christmas is Coming & Happiness

I think this pic speaks for itself.  I am so grateful this week for my husband.  He surprised me and took me to the quaintest local tree venue for a Christmas tree (they had cocoa and were third generation family tree farmers).  He climbed up on the roof and put up lights.  He's just the best.

The kids are downstairs as I type this, singing random versions of Christmas songs in a fort they made in the front room.

Thank you, Christmas for the cheery spirit and the inspiration to love large.

Gratified Friday-Sporty

This week was an active week for me, I am thankful for my health and for muscle memory, otherwise I would not have known what I was doing!

------->>>>>  I managed a killer swing while golfing; I teed off and hit the ball 115 yards!  That was a beautiful fall morning on the golf course!

------->>>>>  We recently joined a volleyball league which meets once a week on Thursday nights.  Last night we won AGAIN, our second game and second win.  I am proud to report that I actually scored a ton of points, and somehow remembered the rules (last time I played this sport was in junior high school!)  I am also quite proud of the huge skid mark-bruise combo on my knee, and the very sore state of my muscles.  Go Team!

Via

This morning (right this very second) I am off for a looong walk which will hopefully make me less sore. :)

Happy Weekend All!