A-Z - My list of things to be thankful for in 2010

Today is the beginning of a new blogpost on our blog that is being written to be an inspiration, so please take it in that context. This blogpost will feature a post daily for the last 26 days of 2010, and will list something that I am thankful for in 2010 alphabetically (beginning with “A” and following thru to Dec 31st and the letter “Z”). Last week a former instructor of mine passed away, and in an article that he had written he challenged us to remember to live, so with this continuing blogpost, I am going to do just that - think of all the good things in life and all the things I have to be thankful for in 2010.
With that said, and beginning with the letter “A” for me this is a no-brainer. The first thing I am thankful for in life is my grandson, whose name just happens to begin with the letter “A” and who is also very awesome. Last week, he shot his first deer. He has gone deer hunting for the last two years, and now he can add this to his list of accomplishments. Added to his accomplishments that I have had the privilege of witnessing in 2010 are hitting an out of the park homerun in baseball; several baskets including a 3 point shot in basketball; and several touchdowns in football. My grandson has given me so many joyous moments that I can’t even count them, but about every great memory within the last 11 years has included him. So as I look back on my journey thru 2010, I am thankful for my awesome grandson (whose name also begins with "A").

Today is the 2nd day of our 26 days of 2010 blogpost, which leads us to the letter “B”. For today’s post, I am thankful for blogging. Although blogging began in the 1990's, I didn’t start my blog until a couple of years ago. If it wasn’t for the changes in technology (blogging, tweeting, texting, etc), blog posts like this one would not be possible. I am thankful that I have been able to blog in 2010 and am looking forward to the next new technological communication breakthrough.

Today is the 3rd day of our 26 days of 2010 post, and today’s letter is “C”. For today’s post, I have chosen to blog about changes. Changes make life interesting. Changes can be good or bad depending on how we view them. Changes can also be of our own making, or from things that we cannot control. Changes can help us find our way in life or get in the way of life. Regardless of how they are viewed, changes are an important part of life that (for the most part) I am thankful for.

Today is the 4th day of our blog post, and the letter of the alphabet is “D”. Today’s post is going to be about dreams. Dreams add spice to our life. Dreams can be the beginning of a goal, and can also help us to reach our goals. Dreams can also be a way to remember someone. Years ago, a famous speech began with “I have a dream”. Today most people still have some type of a dream. This is the end of the 4th post, except to wish you “pleasant dreams”.

Today is the 5th day of our 26 days of 2010 post and today’s letter of the alphabet is “E”. One of my favorite things in 2010 would have to be “entertainment”. I have enjoyed participating in many forms of entertainment including watching & participating in my grandson’s sports and academic activities, going to live shows & movies, shopping, dining out, watching tv, hosting and attending parties. All of these and many more forms of entertainment have made 2010 a much more enjoyable year.

Today is the 6th day of our blog post and today’s letter of the alphabet is “F”. When thinking about the letter “F”, I have double things to be thankful for 2010 - family and friends. Relationships with family and friends are one of the things I am most thankful for in 2010, and these relationships are a very important part of life.

Today is the 7th day of our 26 days of 2010 post and today’s letter is “G”. For today’s post, I have chosen to blog about goals. Goals help me to accomplish many things. I have set goals that can be reached easily, and others that take much longer time (months or years). One of the good things about goals are they can be changed as the need arises. This blog post is one of the goals that I have set to help me end the year on a pleasant note by acknowledging all the things I have to be thankful for.

Today, December 13, is the 8th day of our 2010 thankful blog post and today’s letter is “H”. For today’s post, one of the things that I think I am most thankful in 2010 is “heat”. Our weather during the summer and spring months included extremely high temperatures, even setting new records. This week has been extremely cold (wind chill factors today were below 0) so I am thankful for the heat that we had in the summer. Right now my house is pretty warm because we have a wood stove, but I am anxiously waiting for summer and spring to return.

Today is the 9th day of our 2010 thankful blog post and today’s letter is “I”. For the letter “I”, I have chosen to blog about independence. I am thankful that I live in a country that is independent, and that I can live a life that is independent. I am free to make my own choices and to live with the consequences of those choices. One of the greatest things about our country is the fact that we have our freedom and independence.

Today, December 15, is the 10th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and today’s letter is “J”. For today, my blogpost is about jogging. Jogging is a great way to reduce stress, and is also a way to stay healthy. Jogging can also allows you enjoy nature and to be outside.

Today is the 11th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and today’s letter is “K”. For today, I have chosen to blog about kindness. Kindness is a great thing to pass along to others. Kindness means being considerate to others. If more people in the world practiced kindness, the world would be a better place. Several years I followed a blog that practiced kindness Tuesdays where everyone was encouraged to do a kindness to someone without the person knowing. That is a practice that I need to continue daily.

Today is the 12th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and today’s letter is “L”. For today, I have chosen to blog about life. Life is all around us. Life is our existence and all of the activities in it. Sometimes life is great, other times too short, and still other times, things happen that make us question the meaning of life. . Life is what you make of it, so roll with the punches, keep a positive outlook and enjoy life.

Today is the 13th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and I are blogging about the letter “M”. For this blogpost, I am writing about miracles. This is the season for miracles. Many people are in giving moods and spirits, and they make miracles happen for others. Miracles can happen anytime, so we must believe in what we want to happen.

Today is the 14th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and we are blogging about the letter “N”. For this post, I am writing about nights. Nights are one of my favorite parts of a day. When night falls, it is time to relax, and reflect on what has happened during the day. Night also signals a time for me to rest, forget about the current day and to prepare for the next day. Have a good night:)

Today is the 15th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and today’s letter is “O”. Optimism is the word I have chosen to blog about and to be thankful for today. Looking at circumstances optimistically and believing something good will come out of everything that happens makes life enjoyable and makes the future much brighter.

Today is the 16th day of our 2010 thankful blogpost and with the letter "P", I am thankful for living in the present. Living in the present is existing here and now. Living in the present is also a gift so I guess at this time of year, it may also be considered that each present day is a gift to be used and lived as we desire.

Today is the 17th day of our 2010 blogpost and today’s letter is “Q”. For today, I have chosen to write about “quiet”. Sometimes, it is nice to just sit around and listen to nothing, to just enjoy the quiet around you. I am thankful for the chance to have the stillness and peacefulness of a few minutes of peace and quietness.

Today is the 18th day of our 2010 blogpost and today’s letter is "R". For today, I have chosen to write about rest and relaxation. At this time of year, it is good to take a few minutes out for rest and relaxation to be able to rejuvenate yourself. Changes in the weather, holiday celebrations and the end of the year is fast approaching, so a few minutes of rest and relaxation are something that I am thankful especially at this time of year.

Today is the 19th day of our Thankful blogpost and today’s letter is "S". For today, I am thankful for surprises. Surprises can happen anywhere and at anytime. For 2010, I am thankful for the all the great surprises I have encountered and also for the experiences and lessons that I have learned from the not so great surprises. Hope your surprises continue to be great!

Today is the 20th day of our Thankful blogpost and today’s letter is "T". For today, I am thankful for "today". Today is the first day of the rest of my life, so what better thing to be thankful for. I can begin each day thankful for what I have and for a new beginning or continuation of the rest of my life.

Today is the 21st day of our Thankful blogpost, and today’s letter is "U". For today, I am thankful for understanding. I am thankful when other people show me understanding and hope that I continue to show understanding to others. Understanding can help when dealing with many situations because there are several different ways of looking at all situations.

Today is the 22nd day of our Thankful blogpost and today’s letter is "V". For today, I am thankful for veterans. I am very thankful for our military veterans, but am also thankful for veterans of all types because they have knowledge and history that helps to shape our world. Without the knowledge and history of veterans, it would be hard to accomplish a lot of things.

Today is the 23rd day of our Thankful blogpost and today’s letter is "W". For today, I am thankful for warmth. With the changes in the weather over the last few weeks (and the fact that I have had a terrible cold with fever and chills), I am thankful for finally being able to feel warmth and to be able to stay warm. Even with the snow and cold temperatures, it is great to be able to sit in front of a warm fire, wrapped warmly in a blanket sipping a warm drink. So for today, I am very thankful for warmth.

Today is the 24th day of our Thankful blogpost and today’s letter is "X". For today, I am thankful for the symbol/letter "x". The letter x is one of the least commonly used letters, but the symbol "x" is used quite frequently. "X" is sometimes used as a marker (place to designate a signature, X marks the spot, etc). "X" can also be used in place of a signature for someone who can’t sign their name. "X" combined with "O" can be a way to end a letter XOXO. X’s and O’s are used to play tic-tac-toe. So for today, I am thankful for the letter "X" and it’s different uses as a symbol.

Today is the 25th day of our blogpost and today’s letter is "Y". For today, I am thankful for this "year". This year has brought many highlights and challenges. As the year comes to an end, I am thankful that I have survived this year, and am looking forward to beginning a new year filled with many new highlights and challenges.

Today is the 26th day of our blogpost, and for the letter "Z", I am posting about "Zero". There are zero days left in this year, zero letters left in this blogpost. Another good thing about the number zero is that with zeros tomorrows date will be 01/01/11. Have a safe and happy New Year. Happy 1/1/11.

Black Friday Sale - check out these deals

Hello everyone. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We are offering a discount on merchandise today - so check out our items available for auction. The sale is 10% off purchase price (item price only, shipping not included). To receive this discount, please enter code BLACKFRIDAY10 when you purchase your item and we will send a corrected invoice. If you are purchasing an item that does not end for a few days, the discount still applies when the auction ends, as long as you have made a bid today November 26th, 2010. Here is a link:

ebay ID deb6999 formerly Debonaire Flea Market

Stay safe and warm shopping from home. Have a great day!!!

What a way to end the year!! Being Thankful.

Looking back thru my blogposts, one of my firsts posts was one that was probably my most interesting. The post I am talking about is from 2008, and it was titled “Today I am Thankful For”. Each day from November 18 thru the end of 2008, I posted something that I was thankful for. The postings were a great way to start the day and it was a great way to remember how many things I had to be grateful for. When I didn’t post at the beginning of the day, I had the entire day to think about things that I was grateful for. To me, it was a very inspiring way to end my year. Hmmm, maybe I will end this year with a similar blogpost.

Breast Cancer Awareness Auction to benefit Susan G Komen Fund

October is Breast Cancer awareness month. To show our support for breast cancer awareness, we have listed an auction thru Ebay with all of the proceeds going to the Susan G Komen fund. The item we have listed is a small white bear dressed in pink. This auction also features a small wicker chair also decorated in pink. The bear can be removed from the chair or can set in it. Here is the link to this Bear Breast Cancer Awareness Auction

Halloween - then and now

Halloween is just around the corner, and little munchkins will be out begging for candy. They don’t have the chance to experience the freedoms that Halloween used to be associated with. Now Halloween is usually centered around a town square, or similar area where businesses distribute treats to the ghosts and goblins. Door-to-door trick or treating is almost unheard of - many people don’t even know their neighbors. When we were young, this was like a rite of passage for children. It was safe to go trick or treating door-to-door thru your neighborhood (or town for that matter) and you knew everyone. Treats included many homemade items like popcorn balls, baked cookies, and cupcakes. Children in the 21st century don’t have the freedoms we had, but will still have their memories of celebrating Halloween in their own special way. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Hosting a Foreign Exchange Student can be a rewarding experience

Have you ever wanted to know what another country was like? Ever wanted to know the different customs and ways other countries celebrate, and how their day to day activities vary from yours? In the 1990's we hosted several different foreign exchange students through a group called Youth For Understanding (YFU). The students we hosted were from Germany, Denmark, and Brazil. Each student left a lasting mark on our lives. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to have these students in our home for 10 months each, and to learn about their cultures and for them to learn about ours. There were trying times (there always are when someone new comes for an extended stay), but we must say, the good times and memories outweigh the bad times. We have been fortunate enough for some of the students to have come back to visit. They have brought their spouses and we have had a great time visiting with them. The last visit was actually only a couple of months ago. We also stay in touch thru email. It is interesting to see them with their families and to see the wonderful adults they have become. It is also great because our daughter was an only child. She now feels like she has brothers and sisters. Her children have learned a lot about the different cultures, and countries thru their visits. They have also learned a few new words in different languages . If you ever have a chance to host a student from another country, it can be a very rewarding experience.

October Virtual Online Learning Blogging Challenge

Guess what? A whole month has passed since the last Virtual Online Learning Blogging Challenge, so here we are again. This challenge is for members of VOL to post five different blogposts in one day. It is a great way to keep your blog active. I have only been a member of VOL for a little over a month, but have learned a lot in the short time. VOL offers many different training sessions and challenges and you only participate in the ones you want too. There are many helpful people in the group, and there is also a message board if you have problems or need help. A few days ago, there was a training session on "Tweeking your blog". Although I did attend the session, I haven’t had a chance to implement all of the ideas I came away with. If you would like more info on VOL or interested in joining, check out the website. Virtual Online Learning