I have gratitude today for...
* Glennon's post on Momastery about teachers and bullies. I thought it was one of her best yet and important to share. If you'd like to read it, click here.
* ordering Yang Ming for lunch today with the girls. 
* having another good talk with Andy about everything that's going on at work when I got home. He made me feel better and reminded me it's the weekend and to not let things bother me during my days/nights off. He even had a beer ready for me when I walked in the door.
* leftover Carrabba's for dinner. 

I have gratitude today for...
* learning more about blog layouts and how to add the menus at the top of my blog. 
* ordering Primos for lunch. I'm obsessed with their chicken cutlet sandwich with roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe. Unfortunatly they left off the broccoli rabe (second time this has happened.) I sent a really nice email letting them know that I love their sandwiches and order pretty regularly, but I've been disappointed that this mistake has now happened twice. I received an email back from the franchise owner and it was one of the most impressive responses, customer service wise, I've ever seen. He was very apologetic, thanked me for my business and referrals, and offered to not only refund my money, but deliver a min-tray to the office one day next week. Now I want to give him even more business---what a way to treat your customers! There are many businesses out there who could learn from this example. I will be writing a seperate post about the experience. 
* Mia backing me up today---apparently we're not permitted to leave the office during the day. The fact that I left to pick up sandwiches (for everyone in the office) was made into a big deal. I can't even explain how stunned I am that things have ended up like this. 
* Andy ordering Carrabba's takeout for dinner tonight. It's been a while since we went there last and it was a nice treat. I didn't get home from work until after 7 so it worked out great not to have to make dinner. 
* watching American Idol tonight--I'm loving this season!

I have gratitude today for...
* setting up the Tastefully Simple fundraiser for Phi Sig. Hoping they raise even more money this year than they did last year! We set the goal at $2,000 in sales. 

* getting up at 6:00am again this morning- I made a bunch of the samples for tonight and packed everything I need for the party. 

* being able to make the rest of the samples in the little kitchen at work this afternoon. 

* another successful event with the Phi Sig girls at West Chester. We had the TS party at Sykes in one of the rooms there. It was a lot better than doing at the house like in years past. All of the girls were very nice and I think they had a good time. 

I have gratitude today for...
* getting up at 6am to bake Megan brownies for her birthday. We had a birthday celebration at the office today for her. 
* the email Jenn B. sent me with a website for me to check out.
* talking with Tessa a little bit about her blog. It made me feel good when she said "I didn't realize you've been blogging for so long." It is crazy to me that 2014 is my blog's 5th year! Sticking with anything is extremely hard for me and I think it's pretty amazing I've kept up with it (for the most part) over the last 5 years. 
* being able to laugh (sort of) about some of the stuff I'm being asked to do at work. 
* talking with Joe today about benefits at Park Power. I found out we will have 15 days PTO, so that was something. 
* the great friends I have in my life---specifically today, Jane & Lori. 
* getting home by 6 and having time to clean up and make most of dinner before Bethany got here. I set up a Mexican buffet with homemade guac and salsa, and Mexican rice, chicken, steak and tortillas. 
* finally being able to catch up with Bethany. It was so nice having her here. We talked about everything---she's going through a lot right now and I hope she will let me help her with anything she needs. We had some good laughs about work stuff (like talking about crazy customer service situations.) She stayed till midnight---I'll be paying for it tomorrow.

I have gratitude today for...
* "sleeping in" and going into the office at 9 instead of 8. I was up until after midnight last night finishing the rest of the customer moves that Steve sent me during the Grammy's. 
* talking with Steve from ICORP today and explaining what's been going on with me. I'm really going to try to make this work. 
* hearing back from Avalon library- they agreed to credit my account and let me return the mail bag next time I'm in Avalon. Now I don't have to pay the $30 fine!
* spending time talking with Andy about everything going on with work. We talked about our goals over the next few years too. I yet again am reminded how lucky I am to have such a supportive guy.
* taking the easy route and ordering pizza for dinner tonight. 
* talking with Megan on my way to/from the pizza place. I hadn't talked to her since they left PA right after New Year's. It was good to catch up!

I have gratitude today for...
* waking up by the sunlight coming into our room. It's been so cloudy lately--reminds me of Syracuse. 
* getting a ton of errands done today. I had so many things to return from holiday shopping and had to get to the store for this week's meals. I enjoyed getting out of the house and having the time to mosey around the stores. I went everywhere- Wegmans, BJ's, Marshalls, Lowe's, Bed Bath & Beyond Kohl's & TJ Maxx. I actually didn't mind all of the running around but I am so tired of this freezing cold weather!
* finally getting most of the Christmas stuff taken down and put away. I actually am not really thankful for this because I'd love them up for months. I love the lights and the cozy feeling the Christmas tree brings to a family room. I was dreading putting everything away so at least it's pretty much done now. 
* talking with Kelly tonight for a little bit. I hoping she can come stay with us for a night during her break in February. 
* watching the Grammy's tonight. Although I think some of the acts that get the spotlight don't belong there, it is an incredible celebration of music and I love watching every year. 

I have gratitude today for...
* getting to Kelley's baby shower safely. I am soooo over this whole "it snows every freaking day" thing. I don't know if it's getting older, or my scare last month while driving in the snow, but I am petrified of driving now when it's snowing. I grip the wheel and picture myself sliding off the road into a tree or pole. I was never able to understand why people flip out about driving in the snow, but after having a scare like I had, I completely get it now.
* Liz making room for me to sit with her and Jess. I didn't really know anyone and I was a half hour late because I had to drive 20 mph the whole way. I had such a good time catching up with Liz. Every time I see her I think we really need to hang out and then we never do. Talking with their friend Jess was great too, she was so sweet and easy to talk to. I had a really nice time and Kelley looks amazing!

The momma-to-be and me at her DaVinci's Pub

* the roads being much better for my drive home. Getting out of Collegeville was pretty shitty but as soon as I got on the main part of 113 I felt ok about driving.
* picking up a bunch of produce from Produce Junction. I've written about that place a lot over the years, but I still find myself in awe. It's amazing to me that I can go there and get fruits and veggies for half (or even less) the price than the grocery store.
* deciding to stay home tonight. I was worried about the roads and just wasn't feeling up to going to Gary & Gail's again. I really just wanted to stay home and chill out and hang with Andy. I feel like I have no time to do anything and am very stressed about everything that has changed at work. It's so hard for me to say "no" when I know it's the best thing for me. As I get older, I'm trying to let myself be ok with not doing everything all of the time. Especially when I can ask myself, "will ______ really miss me, does it really matter to them if I am there or not?" I don't know if it's a female thing or a personality type thing, but I've always had a hard time with this.
* talking with Mom for a while tonight. I was literally thinking about her the moment she called me. I filled her in on everything that's been going on and felt better after talking to her. I think we're going to go to their house for the Super Bowl next weekend.
* reading a few blogs written by friends of mine. It reinforced my desire to start writing topical posts more often. Now that the office is set up I'm hoping to find a time each week to write. 

I have gratitude today for...
* waking up this morning to a text saying I could work from home. Poor Andy had to shovel enough of the driveway out so he could go to work. It was so cold out!
* being able to watch some of daytime shows I don't get to see anymore- The View, The Chew, Ellen. I never actually watched TV all day, but when I was working from home I always had it on in the background. I miss watching Ellen the most. 
* making cupcakes after dinner. So not like me but I was craving them so I decided to make minis. I didn't feel too guilty because the minis are about 1/3 the size of a regular cupcake.  
* watching American Idol---even Andy watched it with me. I love this season so far! It seems there are a lot more singer/songwriter type musicians which I love. I also love that they are showing fewer acts that are a complete joke and more of the talented musicians. 

I have gratitude today for...
* getting home from work safely. I will never understand why companies make people drive in the snow to go to the office if they have the ability to do their work from home. It's putting so many people in danger by having people on the crappy roads. It took me an hour and a half to get home today but at least I was able to get home safe.
* working from my cozy office with the blinds open so I could see the snow falling. I was able to watch Revenge and catch up on Biggest Loser while doing my data entry on the other screen. 
* talking with Lori about how I am feeling about work and sending an email about it to Jenn Burke.
* finally getting receipts organized, expenses done and cleaning out the folders full of random papers.
* the fresh batch of guacamole and slow-cooker chicken quesadillas for dinner. I think Andy would eat Mexican food every night if it was up to him. 
* watching the Flyers game with Andy and then the Biggest Loser episode on tonight. It was the makeover episode. I always love watching how far the contestants have come. I haven't watched a full season in a while so I've enjoyed watching this one. 
* chatting with Debbie on gchat tonight for a bit. I am trying to get back on track with eating healthy and it's been really hard for me. It was nice to talk to her about how I am feeling about it. 

I have gratitude today for...
* spending time this morning organizing the pantry (yes, again.) I'm determined to make it functional so I know what we have, what needs to be used, etc. 

* our trip to Lowe's and Target. I found a great expandable shelf and wish I bought a few more. I used the one I bought today for all of the cooking wines, vinegars, dressings, oils, salsas etc. in the pantry. I'm going to get another one for spices and another for canned goods. It's great because this way I can actually see where things are! 

You know you're old when you're excited about this shelf!

* working on the kitchen and pantry some more when we got home. 
* Andy setting up the computer and monitors on the desk in the office. It's really coming along! I really love how the books look on the shelves---now I just have to start reading books again!

 The desk with dual monitors, some artwork for the office, pretty bookshelves. 

* ordering a few things online that we've been wanting---an aluminum pizza peel for Andy and a Le Creuset Mortar & Pestle set and Rachel Ray Carrier for me. I'm so excited for another beautiful Le Creuset piece to add to my collection. 

You can never have too many tools in the kitchen!

* getting the work done I had to take home with me this afternoon. I didn't want to have to worry about it tomorrow. 
* deciding to do pizza for dinner- I just didn't feel like spending an hour making dinner tonight and we didn't have anything easy and quick. I love that we have an excellent pizza place nearby!
* spending a few hours making mailing labels for the postcards I ordered and updating my contacts. I have so many outdated mailing addresses so hopefully now they'll all be up to date. I also chatted with a few friends on Facebook who I haven't spoken with in a while when I asked for their addresses. 
* reading my friend Sarah's blog. It really spoke to me because she talked about falling off with her eating and exercise. She committed to making better choices for 90 days and tracked it all in her planner and on My Fitness Pal. I haven't been able to stay committed to any kind of on-line tracking program but I am going to try to plan my exercise and meals daily in my new planner. I like that it has one page for each day so there is plenty of space for those things in addition to TO DO lists and notes from meetings, etc. 
* deciding that tomorrow is my New Year. I've had a list of goals written since January 2nd---I really haven't focused on or achieved any of them. They've been on my mind but haven't been put into action. I know I have to stop talking about them and thinking about them and start doing them! I am a fan of fresh starts, feeling like there is a reason for a new beginning. But really, every day is a new beginning. For me, tomorrow is the start of a new week. It's also 30 days before my birthday---I'd like to see what I can accomplish on that list of goals between now and then. So even though we're almost two weeks in, it's Happy New Year to me tomorrow!

I have gratitude today for...

* DMB tour date rumors. Summer is so far away but a girl can dream!

* Andy making stew for dinner. 

* finally finding a planner at Target that has enough room to organize things daily. I never even thought about looking there. The best part is it was only $6! I also got a few fun things to decorate my desk at work. I loved their office supplies (I am a weirdo, I know.)

* ordering moving announcements, which will also serve as Christmas cards, Happy New Year cards, etc. At this rate they'll be Valentine's cards too! I also ordered adorable return address labels. Both were from Vistaprint. 

* getting $2 subscriptions to SELF and Yoga Journal. 

* packing my gym bag for tomorrow. I'm finally going to check out Anytime Fitness. I'm hoping I like it. I feel disgusting and have to get back on track! It pains me that I spent so much money on a trainer for 4 months, and now it's been almost 2 months since I've done anything. I don't know if I'll ever be able to break this roller coaster issue I have with working out but I am really going to try this year. 

I have gratitude today for...

* ordering Chinese for lunch. Yes, lunch is pretty much the highlight of my work days. 

* being able to leave by 5:15 to get home in time for Kerry's arrival. 

* a really fun night hanging out with Kerry & Andy. I made burgers for dinner and we had the fire going. We drank wine and talked for hours, as usual. Every time I am with her I feel so grateful for our friendship. She brought me the materials to make the calendar frame like the one she made at her house that I love. She also made a beautiful Christmas decoration as a house warming gift. 

I have gratitude today for...

* making breakfast for Andy & I this morning. It started out as a lazy Sunday with me sleeping until almost 10 and Andy sleeping past 10! I made breakfast potatoes, bacon and waffles. Reality is starting to set in---short weeks are over, vacation is over, holidays are over and it's back to the grind with many weeks of work ahead with no days off. Yuck!

* watching a couple of episodes of The Good Wife. I am finding it's kind of predictable but will give it some more time. I know a lot of people absolutely love it. 

I have gratitude today for...

* finding wooden crates that are perfect for storing onions, potatoes and garlic in the pantry on homedepot.com. 

* finally putting the desk together and working on the office. I put up picture frames all along the top of the bookshelves. Someday I'll get to swapping out the photos with more recent ones. 

* yum pizza from Rocco's for lunch. 

* the funny/scary statue I found in the book shelf cabinet. I had a good laugh but now I don't know what to do with it. I contacted Cat to see if she can reach out to the realtor who sold the house. Maybe he can find out if the former owners want it back. 

* talking with Yankee Candle on-line support. I bought two candles that don't have wicks (I didn't realize it until I got them home.) They said they will exchange them no problem if I take them to a store. 

* making fresh salsa and guac for chicken fajitas before the game. 

* a fun time watching the Eagles game even though they lost. We had a few beers and dressed up the statue in Eagles gear. We thought she might bring us good luck, but it didn't work. They had an unexpected great season and ended up being a lot of fun to watch. You kind of got that feeling that maybe things would go their way and they had a chance to go deep into the playoffs, but it wasn't all that realistic and now we know we have something to look forward to next season. 

I have gratitude today for...

* being allowed to work from home today because of the bad snowy/icy conditions. 

* catching up on some shows and starting The Good Wife while I worked. 

* dreaming about this guy or one like him that we can adopt some day. 

* making a really great bean soup in the crock-pot today. 

* watching Tammy Pescatelli's stand-up routine on Netflix tonight. She wasn't as funny as I thought she'd be but it was still worth watching. 

* talking with Laura for a little while today.

I have gratitude today for...

* having a better day at work today. We watched the Timber video at the end of the day. It was hysterical!

* getting home safely from work. I should have left a little early because by the time I left, the roads were already pretty bad. I tried to go through Malvern thinking it would be faster but didn't realize the roads are hilly. Soooo, I had a few moments of panic in the Park Power car but I made it. 

* an easy dinner using leftovers- chicken nachos. 

I have gratitude today for...

* sleeping in until 10am. Thankfully the stomach pains went away sometime during the night and I slept well. 

* hanging up and putting away the last of my clothes. 

* Jeff, Megan & the kids coming over to spend the day with us. We all had leftovers from Saturday for lunch and spent some time relaxing at the house. The boys skateboarded outside and in the basement while Erilin napped. I cleaned up the kitchen and talked with Megan about everything going on at work. 

* taking the boys to the skate park in Downingtown. I'm so glad we went because I discovered there is a dog park there too! There were so many people out with their dogs---can't wait to have a little guy or girl to take there someday soon. Maybe one that looks like this?

* another fantastic dinner tonight. Mrs. Roth made rigatoni D with chicken, I cooked the rest of the filet roast, Megan made a salad and Andy did the potatoes. Everything was so good! 

* Megan helping clean up the kitchen and hand washing everything that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher. 

* reading a whole bunch of stuff about cleanses on the iPad and making a list of goals for 2014.