“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Oh, friends. I think it so often, and wish I said it out loud more than I do. How appreciative I am for all you
Some of you are new to the site; others have been following along through stories of ups and downs and changes and shifts for the past (almost) five years. Whether you're a loyal reader, or simply stop by every now and again, I want to say a heartfelt “thank you.”
The site has opened so many doors, and complimented my life in ways I never would have dreamed possible. If you were to ask a small-town girl from Iowa what she'd be doing in 2017, my answer would be vastly different than what I feel so lucky to work on a little every day
Because of the blog, I'm able to follow in the footsteps of a family of creatives. I'm grateful for their example, and I thank you for helping to make that possible
Love to you all, and I hope you enjoy this beautiful week in September
Photo Credit – Instagram – @vsco
(This post may contain affiliate links)
My #ForThisIAmGrateful list (as always) has been long this week. A few other excerpts
New hair week. My own, two kitty cats, and two puppies. Creativity is always welcomed. Clothespin chic is a favorite
Dinner and a love note waiting when you get home
Neighbors you love, especially when they share fresh pineapples shipped from Hawaii
Pajamas 'till noon
A self-indulgent lunch all by yourself at a great restaurant with a marvelous book
Terri Gross and Fresh Air
Friends who send cookie recipes because they thought of you when they saw them
Kitty forts, because afternoon napping is easy under a blanket of soft, and even better in a cardboard box
Goat cheese pizza, sitting cross-legged, and comfy sofas
Saturday afternoons with college football on the radio
Planning a surprise visit to see you grandson
Your favorite quilt in the summertime, September light, and falling asleep on page five
End of summer tomatoes filling the kitchen windowsill
Doing the chore you've been putting off, then rewarding yourself with watermelon, a margarita, and a square or two of chocolate (not necessarily in that order)
The tiniest reminders that here all of us are alive and trying
What are you grateful for this week?
ps: For This, I Am Grateful No. 1 and No. 2 and No. 3
(Featured Image Photo Credit: Instagram – @myflowerdiary)
68 Comments
I love your grateful list and it looks like you have a lot to be grateful for. It sounds as though you have lovely friends and family. Id love to have dinner and a love note waiting for me! This week I am grateful that my son is enjoying school for once, I had a great holiday and its not raining so much this morning!
Sounds like you have a lot to be grateful for. I am grateful for my kids and the fact that they are healthy and happy. That’s all I ever want 🙂
I just love your grateful lists. I’m currently grateful for pumpkin flavored foods. I love them!
Oh I like this a lot. I’m new here but really like your tone of writing. I especially connect with “Creativity is always welcomed” what a wonderful mantra to remember for those days when blogging or a career seems much too monotonous. We all need a reminder of this sometimes so I thank you for that!
This week I’m grateful for beautiful weather, abundant healthy food and being allowed the time to relax without worry. All the best to next week 🙂
It’s sad how quickly we can forget all we have to be grateful for. I love how you share these lists, it encourages me to do the same, and doing so really puts things into perspective. I am grateful for so many things, friends and family especially. This week, topping my list, is that we were able to get my elderly mom out of her home in Naples, Florida and to our home in Birmingham before Irma hit.
I love this post, it’s so positive! With so many things going on in the world, it’s important we remember to be grateful <3 I'm forever grateful for my 2 boys!
I had no idea you were from Iowa, Iowa is actually top on my list of med schools I want to attend. It sounds like you had a very cozy and pleasant week 🙂
First of all I am grateful for the energy and time you putting for us other blogger! And yes, I would be very grateful for a moment to myself in a restaurant reading a good book. But for last week I was very grateful for the asian festival they had here where I had the most delicious noodles soup…under the pourring rain..thats how much I appreciated it!
I love reading your grateful posts. So inspiring and makes me stop to appreciate what I’m grateful for in my life. I’m grateful for sunshine and bike rides.
Everyday I tell myself 10 different things I am grateful for. All in recognizing how blessed you are.
Amazing post, it is so positive and i think we should be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
I love how this post brings positivity to your readers. This is a good reminder for all of us to be grateful even with the simplest things that is happening in our lives.. Everyday, I am always grateful for having a happy and healthy family.
I’m grateful for my son tackling his ADHD head on and starting the school year with a more positive mind. I’m also grateful for the promotion I received at work yesterday!
I love to write out all the things I am grateful for. It is a great way to change your mood when you are feeling down.
It’s always good to think of things you’re grateful for. Cultivating thankfulness has really made my viewpoint on life better.
What a wonderful list. I actually have a journal I write the things i’m thankful for. With all the busy and crazy in the world right now it’s so good to stop and be thankful.
What an amazing list, I love the grateful lists idea! I have so many things I am grateful for too, a great family/wonderful friends and grateful for maintaining a healthy lifestyle ^^
Hey beautiful mama! I love this grateful list! I may be inspired to do something similar in terms of just noting what is going right in each of my days. That is often forgotten in the business of life. I love the little bits of humour you instilled here and also that you got to see your grandson. What a blessing! XO
I am grateful (this week) for my maid who has come back from vacation. It is such a relief! Gratitude is the only thing that makes you happy and content.
It seems like you had a grateful week. That list of gratefulness mentions is long and pretty. I can’t recall my gratefulness this past week. But all I remembered is that I was working all days long.
What a lovely post! It’s funny when we sit and think, we really do have a lot to be grateful for. This week I’m grateful for having a roof over my head, a healthy family,l and a stable job.
Thanks for this awesome reminder to find joy in the simplest things. Today I am grateful that I woke up to a brand new day.
I am a big believer in not taking things for granted and the power of being grateful for blessings. IN fact, I love to write in a gratitude journal regularly to document it all.
I definitely need to write one of these because I’m been a right moany bint today. Do you believe in the law of attraction? I genuinely believe that when we take time to appreciate the little things, more of them will follow :).
I am so happy this blog has taken you in a wonderful and unexpected direction! My blog has done the same and it is amazing! I always try to keep in mind what I do have instead of what I don;t have or still want in life. There is so much to be grateful for!
Wow, I feel so happy for you for following dreams. I found so many things from your grateful list related to me like wearing pajamas till noon, Friends sending recipes but here they want to me to make that for them when they visit me next time. I feel it so much related to me.
I love your grateful list! I love that you included an item for crossing off the chore that you put off – that is such a relief when you can cross it off!
You really have a lot of grateful list.. Me,I have a lot too,I am most grateful for my family and our relationship are happy!
Oh how I just loved this post. It totally warmed my heart and inspired me to get back to writing in my gratitude journal. It is crazy how your mindset can change just by writing down things that you are grateful for.
What a sweetheart of a post to share – I love that you have a grateful list. I think it’s amazing to sit down to remind yourself of all the small things to be thankful for. I need to take a leaf out of your book.
A lovely post. It’s not often we take the time to just say Thank You but it’s probably really important to do so. Especially as I believe in Karma.
Pretty tight battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy last Saturday….much closer then I expected it to be.
Good luck against N. Texas this week……
WE love fall weekends because of the constant football coverage on in the background. It is the perfect way to spend your weekend at home. Baking and cooking and enjoying some football. I am grateful for a good week at home. And hoping for some good news on a medical test my husband had.
I am super grateful for my support system, my children and the simple things! I loved those sunflowers, as they have a way of brightening up wherever they are! I loved reading this, thanks so much for sharing this…it was a great read!
Yes! This was one of my favorite takeaways from Happy. What a great, daily exercise!
Today, I am grateful for my morning cup of coffee, my puppy and his unconditional love & snuggles, and the possibilities that after-work free time will bring!
Great post! Thanks, Ali!
xo
I love this so much! Your list is filled with so many wonderful things, I really enjoyed reading it! <3 I started writing a gratitude journal a few years ago and it's made such a positive difference in my life! xx
Ahhhh how lovely that your neighbours shared some fresh pineapples they’d got shipped from Hawaii 🙂 this week I’m grateful for the sun when it graces us with its presence, and I’m grateful to my mum for everything she’s doing for me right now x
What a lovely post, its so nice to reflect and think. I’m grateful for my fabulous husband and family who are super supportive
What a lovely post. I am grateful for having supportive and loving people around me who love me for who I am x
I so appreciate this post! Life is hectic around my house right now and work is even crazier!! I needed the reminder to step back and think about what I am grateful for! There is so much! My first thoughts are my husband, dog, nice home, world travels…
I am so grateful for many things. I feel like I am saying the same things over and over again and it is because I am. I am so grateful to have my best friend be my husband and my daughter is the most amazing person I have ever known. I am truly blessed!
Lady you had me at pyjamas until noon and fresh pineapple from Hawaii. I have been following you for a year now and I absolutely adore all your posts . Plus they are always super tasty too.
Ah I love this post it’s so inspiring to see some positive energy around. I am grateful for my boyfriend and some of the best friends in the world! 🙂
Sometimes people don’t realize how blessed they are because their mind is clouded by negativity.
We should always be grateful for the things that happen in our life whether big or small.
What a really sweet post. Sometimes we don’t think enough about the things we should be grateful for. I think if we just took moments of the day to cherish the little things, we would all live more positive lives. What a lovely way to remind us that there really is beauty in just about everything!
I think I need to do a list of things I’m gratefull. It’s so easy to complain and concentrate on those matters which are not so fine in life. Yet there are plenty of things, moments which make us happy now matter how tiny they are. I’m so grateful my nephew visited me this week – he is so sweet.
Sunflowers are my favorites by the way. I also want to see your new hair. Did you go shorter?
So many things to be grateful for. My family, being alive, healthy (had some issues but I still can be grateful). I am grateful for all the experiences I can have with my son and all the places I have visited. I try to appreciate everyday all I have
I enjoyed your post! The first picture itself made me so happy Alison! I’m grateful for many things this week. The most important is that we survived the Hurricane Irma. There’s no damage in our house. We all are safe!
hmm. I love that self-indulgent lunch with a good book and a margarita. For me, I’m grateful for the busy week even though it’s.. well.. busy. Grateful that the weekend is coming too. I just wish the house will clean by itself before the weekend, hehe, including the laundry. Enjoy the rest of your week.
This week I’m grateful for my boyfriend. He has been the biggest help with me (taking photos, laundry, etc) and even bought me a drone. Winning!
Love reading your #ForThisIAmGrateful posts, encourage a lot of retrospection. I’m grateful for a good week altogether, good evenings with the family and great weekend with friends while playing badminton. I’m grateful that for the first time in my life, I’ve dared to let go of my fear of drowning and started my swimming classes – adult beginner. 😀
Such a wonderful list, it really got me thinking. I suppose I am grateful to have finally found a group of beautiful people to call my friends, and my dad is properly happy for the first time in years because he has met someone amazing so i am grateful for her being in his life.
I always love your For This I am Grateful as it make us realizing that we should be grateful to many of the beautiful, little things which make our day instead of cursing one thing and making our life horrible. If we really count on things for which we are grateful then, there are many things but we always neglect it and cursing one thing. If I have to grateful for then it would be same as yours like wearing pyjamas till noon, sunshine coming to my bedroom and preparing meals by myself for my family.
Indeed we should be grateful for the blessings we receive. I am grateful that I am alive, despite the challenges. Grateful to have my family around me every single day.
I think it’s great that you take time to list the things you are grateful for. Yay for positivity.
I love posts like this because they get me thinking about what I’m grateful for which I don’t think about enough!
This is such an amazing list you’ve compiled! I think it’s so important to take a few moments each day and dedicate it to just being grateful and reminding yourself what you’re grateful for. It helps for calming you and just gives you a more positive outlook.
Such a lot of things to be grateful for. My mummy is grateful for me, her loving family and her health.
You sure do have a lot of wonderful things to be grateful for! I have never thought of doing this, but realise I too have things to be thankful for, so I am going to be jotting things down over the coming weeks xx
Great post! I think it is very important to stop and remember the things in our lives that we have to be grateful for! Those sunflowers are beautiful!
What a lovely list (and goats cheese pizza – yum!). Today I’m thankful for cuddles with my dog, a cosy bedroom and catching up with friends.
How lovely to have so many things to be grateful for – I love that your friends randomly send you cookie recipes 🙂
Such a lovely thing to have a what I am grateful for list. Mine would be for the kids settling back into school nicely
This is the first grateful list I have ever read and it is inspiring, wonderful and makes me very happy. I think we all forget what we need to be grateful for.
Thank you for all your lovely posts and hard work too! It has been a great pleasure reading your posts and learning so much about cooking!
I loved reading your list of things you’re grateful for it’s made me feel much more appreciative of the little things actually and nice neighbors are always a win especially when they share pineapples haha!
Being grateful everyday is so imporant to a healthy lifestyle! I appreciiate you reminding me of this! Thanks for sharing!
That’s so cool that you have been able to do some amazing things with your blog and that it has afforded you some great opportunities to be creative. I love hearing from your blog and seeing all of the beautiful creations that you have made and all of the amazing recipes. You truly are an artist in your own right.