The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 20 of my 31 Days of Gratitude 2015.

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Grateful for…

• An hour to myself after some very busy days.
• For Brian’s good doctor’s report.
• That my stomach bug has passed.
• Electricity (When it is gone you realize how much you rely on it!)

Praying for..

• The intentions of many friends.
• Victims of the recent floods and fires.
• Victims of abuse and domestic violence.
• The conversion of hearts back to God.
• All pregnant moms, those trying to get pregnant, those who have lost their babies and for moms contemplating an abortion.
• The souls in purgatory, especially family, friend and those most forgotten.

Pondering…

My selfishness. Let’s face it, we are all selfish to some degree, some of us more than others. I know that I am especially guilty. I’ll admit that I really like helping people. I like making them smile and brightening their day BUT I have to want to do it or be in the mood to do it. I don’t like when my plans are interrupted or I have to stop what I am doing for the hundredth time to clean up spilled milk, wipe a dirty rear end, stop a fight or pick up meds for my in-laws. God gives me ample opportunity to chip away at that selfishness and to surrender my will to Him.

Yesterday, God must have been pouring out the grace on me because I was able to stop, drop and roll with the punches and without the usual grumbling and eye rolling. (The power of Confessional grace, baby!) However, by late afternoon I could feel myself being pushed to the limit and my impatience was bubbling up. I was thinking to myself, yeah, this Pollyanna trying to be grateful and looking on the bright side of things is starting to suck. I could feel my selfishness and “woe is me” attitude trying to claw its way back to the top. I had to remind myself to turn back to God…to utter a prayer for more grace in the midst of the noise. I had to squelch the desire to just yell and lose it. Thankfully, more grace came and I pulled through.

I sometimes wonder, is it always going to be this hard? But as I look back on my life I realize that I am at a place when it actually matters to me. I am actually working on it and trying to grow. That is a lot better than the days when I didn’t care. I will most likely always struggle as long as I am human but I’d like to think that I am making progress and and at least realizing the key to getting through – continuously relying on God’s grace.

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Around the House…

I washed the breakfast dishes (although now that I think about it, I think I left last night’s dirty pan in the oven) and there’s a load of laundry washing so I’d call that progress. 😉

Family Chit Chat…

Yesterday Brian had his 3 month appointment with his oncologist to check his blood work. Everything checked out and was in the normal range (although I think his red blood count was on the lower side of normal so we can work on that) and his organs looked good so, for now, there are no signs of the cancer returning. He’ll go back in another 3 months for routine scans and if he passes those, he’ll be one year cancer free.I am so, so grateful that Brian is continuing to do well. Frankly, I can’t think about the cancer too much or I’ll start freaking out with the “what ifs.” We’ve just got to keep on moving forward and re-committing to do all we can to live healthy.

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In the Kitchen…

Sunday – Whole wheat pasta, turkey meatballs and salad.

Monday – Breakfast Dinner

Tuesday – Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Kale

Wednesday – Pork Tenderloin, brown rice medley and green beans.

Thursday – Leftovers

Friday – Tuna Melts and broccoli.

Saturday – (Treat Night) Chipotles

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Watching…

(At the Movies)

The other night I saw Bridge of Spies with Tom Hanks. The reviews I read were raving and I was intrigued. I went into the movie wanting to love it and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t move me as much as I thought it would. To be complete honest I was feeling tired (and nearly 2 1/2 hours was pretty long for a movie) so that could have affected my judgment or maybe I was just not in the mood for a drama but it just didn’t grab me. That being said, the movie is still definitely worth watching and it made me want to read more about the time and the struggles of people living in East Berlin. It also made me wonder how I would act if I were in situations like the characters – the lawyer defending the spy, his wife, the pilot. It’s thought-provoking. Did you see the movie? Did you like it? What other movies have you seen lately?

(On Youtube)

The Star Wars trailer. Naturally. (I refuse to say Natch.)

Listening to …

Make You Mine by Family of the Year

Reading…

America’s Test Kitchen: Slow Cooker Revolution  – I know it’s a cookbook and not a “real” book but now that the cooler weather is coming, I need to use my slow cooker more!

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There are too many posts to list since my last Daybook because I’ve posted every day this month for the #write31days challenge but here are some highlights…

• Pinterest Party & Link-up (vol 40): Planner Edition – A Look at My (Erin Condren) Planner & 31 Days of Gratitude (Day 6)
• October 8, 2015 (Day 8): On This Date 16 Years Ago…
• October 9, 2015 (Day 9): October Goals (& A Review of My September Goals)
• October 15, 2015 (Day 15): Laughter & “I Love Lucy”
• October 16, 2015 (Day 16): 7 Quick Takes: Gratitude, #write31days & Theme Thursday
• October 17, 2015 (Day 17): #LoveYourLettering Recap Week

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In the blogosphere…

A number of my blogger friends are participating in the #write31days writing challenge. Go check them out!

• 31 Days of Etsy Shop Process by Handmaid Embroidery
• 31 Days of Bible Quotes by The Littlest Way
• 31 Days of Unexpected Joy by Real Catholic Mom
• 31 Days Photography Improvement by MuffinDome
• 31 Days of Gratitude by B is for Bissonette
• 31 Days of Fall Fun by On the Brink of Discovery

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The latest on Instagram (since my mom’s not on there and she wants to see.) 😉

1 – Power outages on the Monterey Peninsula have made grocery shopping an interesting adventure.

2 – John-Paul lost his first tooth.

3 – Caught in a surprise autumn storm.

4 – Today was Bella’s first try at babysitting the boys so Brian and I could go out to lunch. She did great and we had fun. GAME CHANGER!

5 – It was 16 years ago today that Brian asked me to marry him.

6 – I just found the gift card I got for my bday. It’s been months since I’ve been to the movies, so tonight is mama’s night out!

7 – Happy October! It’s the beginning of my favorite time of year

8 – Despite, the Carmel Mission being vandalized this morning, the celebration is going on as planned. St Junipero Serra, pray for us.

9 – #projectblessed – L is for… The little touches that add loveliness to a somewhat messy and chaotic house.

So that’s what I’ve been up to lately! What about you? What’s currently happening in your life? Do share.

Have a great week!

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