I Am Grateful.......My choice is to find things to be thankful for when a trial comes......

" One of life's Gifts is that each of us, no matter how tired and downtrodden, finds reasons for thankfulness.... J.Robert Moskin ."
I am going to try again to share what I'm grateful for and quotes about gratitude this year...I realized that I didn't do so well last year.  I have a book that I write in every day about what I'm thankful for. 

Last night on my drive home from my daughters Karate class my car started to act funny.  I'm thankful I recognized that It was not running right and found a safe place to park it.  I'm thankful that my husband is a master auto mechanic and can fix it.  I'm thankful that I got to work that morning and home in rush hour traffic.  I'm thankful I have the weekend off, so that we don't have to worry about getting me to work and fixing the car.

I could be upset at the fact that I'm stuck home and I had plans for today, but really I just changed my plans, and I'm thankful my husband got up extra early and went to work so that he could then come home this afternoon and drive me to work, and then fix the car. The part for the car will cost but I guess that just gives more points towards free plane tickets to the east coast this summer....  I will be glad when we go a few months without car issues....But today I'll find things to be thankful for instead of being upset....

So today I'll clean, and work on projects and find things to be thankful for.....I have so many blessings and counting them makes life so much more peaceful.  I'm thankful that even in a small trial I can see all the blessings....
Have a wonderful weekend.

# Throw Back Thursday....My Garden...Where it all began in New Jersey......

I have been sorting through all my flower photo's the past few weeks and thought about where my love of gardening and flower photography began.  At our house in New Jersey in a very small box garden.  I enjoyed planting things and seeing what would grow.

I enjoyed taking photo's of what grew and making scrap book pages.  I grew giant Sun Flowers which I was told were Marigolds, I left Pumpkins in and ended up with a giant pumpkin plant that grew out of the box and across the lawn.  One year I grew watermelon.  I told my neighbors I knew nothing about gardening.  And every year had great success...They all said I had a green thumb. 

It was fun watching my children as they explored the flowers in the garden.

It was really hard to leave that garden behind....I put so many years of experimenting into it.... Now I barely have time to garden....But perhaps this summer I'll get a little more time to play with seeds, and plants.. and take some photo's too...And if I can't garden then I'll at least visit gardens....
Happy Thursday.
G.G.

# Throw back Thursday....Remembering My Library Job.....

It has been 5 years now since I learned I was Losing My Job in New Jersey.... My beloved Library Assistant Job.  I have been thinking about the Library this week.  I loved making bulletin boards.  I actually make bulletin boards for my job now, but it is more to motivate the team to reach their goals.

I had a desk, where I kept a fun stuffed animal for the kids to see...He got dressed for the seasons and holidays.  I also made book marks for the kids.  I have a desk at my new job, but I try my best to keep it very clean....Sometimes I think it a little sterile.....

The Library was about order, everything had it's place and always went back to that place.... You learn the Dewey Decimal system and you are set......My new job, everything is about change....Every week something is being moved, I can't keep up with it and have a hard time putting things away....I liked the order of the library...

At the Library I fixed books, and Magazines, with tape, and glue and rubber bands....At the store I fix computers with a tool kit...I liked fixing books, so they could be read again and again...I also like fixing computers....I liked helping students find the perfect book, and often times took books home to read...I also liked to sit and listen to the story times.... I sat a lot at the Library...I walk a lot at my new job...

Here are a few of the book marks I made.  The kids loved them.

I also helped with the different craft projects.  The Library was quiet and stress free.... and I think at some point I'd have gotten bored.... Perhaps I left at just the right time, where I still loved it...but knew that at some point I'd need a challenge..... It was a perfect first job after being a stay at home mom though.  And perhaps someday I'll be able to work at a library again...or a book store....or maybe a Family History company...Who knows...Right now I'm happy where I am and grateful for a job...
Happy Thursday to you!
G.G.

# Throw Back Thursday....Remembering walks at Dukes Park in Somerset New Jersey

I've been going through my photo's on my computer and organizing them and came across all the photo's I took while taking walks with my family at Dukes Park.  If you are ever in Somerset County New Jersey this is a park to visit.

Dukes park has lots of trails that you can walk on or bike on.  We loved to go early in the morning and walk around and see all the wild life and plants.  We spent many summer mornings walking down this path...

watching squirrels..

Feeding fish and turtles.  I loved to see the real big turtles.  This one is having a nice time sunbathing.

My husband and children liked to find snakes...I'm surprised that I even have a photo of one, as I would much rather run from something like this.

We took time to learn about the plants that grew in the park.  We passed off many a scout activity out at Dukes park.

I loved all the wild life you could see at this park, and the fact that this bird also ate snakes!  I have a photo of one with a snake wrapped around it's bill.

You never knew what would be around the next bend in the path.  Every walk had special memories.

When we took these walks my daughter read a lot of "Warrior Cat" books so when we saw this cat out in the woods we thought he was probably a "Warrior Cat".  My daughter had so much fun thinking about what this cat's life in the woods was like...All the adventures he had...

We look forward to walking these paths again this summer. 

I enjoyed looking at these photos.  Hope you did too.
G.G.

# Throw Back Thursday....The Kiss Photo's....

As I was cleaning my office and organizing photo's I came across our almost yearly Christmas photos.  We typically go to the Target Photo center to have these taken.  I haven't gone the last two years as I always spend too much and I'm really focusing on cutting back on spending.  In each packet I found "The Kiss"  photo.  My husband to the embarrassment of our children always wants a photo of him kissing me.  I'm usually a bit red in the face too.  But today it just made me laugh to look at all these "Kiss" photos.

I love the faces the kids make.

Oh how embarrassing Mom and Dad....Really Do we have to do this every year??

I'm never sure who I'm more embarrassed for myself, the kids or the photographer.....and yet we get a lot of laughs out of it....My husband if he had his way would have these be our Christmas letter photos.

This is an after "the kiss" photo.....

place the husband in a spot where he can't be kissing her photo...
I have to say as I've gone through our photo's there are a lot of Kissing Photo's...I'm always saying, people would like to see your face too...

The will you please behave photo....

I am not sure if the kissing photo is punishment for dragging him out for family photo's or if he just always wants to kiss me....

Or perhaps he is just remembering our wedding day....Anyways it was fun to look at all these photo's today.
G.G.

# Throw Back Thursday...Photo's from last year.....

Sunset on December 31st 2013......

Sunrise on January 1st 2014....

spring 2014.....

Mothers day 2014

Elle's Brown Belt Test....

Mom and Dad came to visit...

cooking lessons....

Blue kitty....

The Bowlby Men July 2014

Back to school time... Junior and Freshman....Ugh where did the little kids go??

A driving teen.....I'm so not ready!

Karate Challenge....

18 years of Marriage...

Christmas 2014.....

December 31st 2014...



Hoping to have another great year, with photo's of special events to share....Happy New Year!

My Retail Reality....By Thinking of My Favorite Things I Kept from becoming the Grinch this Christmas....

My son made this for me for Christmas....It's has a few of my favorite things....My Cat...Flowers from my garden...The snow covered mountains...A soft blanket....And my daughters buttery popcorn.
I love it, and it made me think....I did it, I did not become a grumpy Grinch at Christmas.  I enjoyed the season despite the stress of working in a retail store. I survived lines that were too long, multiple call outs, being pulled in 5 different directions, shifts changes that are crazy, working without breaks or lunches, and computers breaking down.. without coming home and being grumpy and cranky with my family.
Christmas came and I had a wonderful day with my family and got this beautiful present.
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too.
G.G