My thoughts on the Penn State scandal

Please read my new post at http://jeanninejersey.blogspot.com about the Penn State scandal. I went to Penn State in the late '90's, and this whole scandal is breaking my heart.

Love notes, Gleeks, and Inspiration

New gratitude list posted in http://jeanninejersey.blogspot.com. Thanks for switching over!

A month of Thanksgiving

New gratitude post up in the NEW blog - http://jeanninejersey.blogspot.com - thanks for checking it out!

A husband that cleans, baby showers for a friend, and boundaries

Today, I feel gratitude for:
- A husband that cleans the house on a regular basis - with my busy schedule, it wouldn't get done if he didn't do it (and he does a better job that I would anyway!)
- A fun gathering of my favorite ladies yesterday to celebrate a new baby on the way- In-laws that I like to spend time with - they are fun and great cooks!
- A successful celebration of one of my favorite groups last week - great food and fellowship!
- Generous donations for this year's Race for the Cure - y'all know who you are!
- Seeing my friend J make such great progress on his weight loss goal
- Being able to put down boundaries and set aside some time to do "nothing"

Dear God, thank you for the many, many blessings in my life. I would have included more about S - he really is the best husband ever! - but you already know how great he is. I am a lucky lady! Thanks for the time with friends and family, as well - it's nice to be surrounded by so many people that enrich my life. Please look over K as she tries to get healthy, and J-M as she travels to get answers on her cancer treatments. My sister is traveling this week, too - could you keep an eye on her, too? Please help me know what to do with the _____, and help me to stick to my guns with eating right and take care of myself. I hope if I can be of service today, I see the opportunity - if I am going to miss it, please nudge me in the right direction. Amen.

What do YOU feel gratitude for today?

P.S. I am going to start migrating this blog over to http://jeanninejersey.blogspot.com. If you would join me over there, I'd love it!

Electricity, November, and Nanowrimo

Yesterday, I noticed that LOTS of people in my Facebook feed were posting what they were grateful for - and it took me until today to figure out what was going on. At first, I thought "Yay! My daily gratitude blog has inspired other people to talk about gratitude....", and then, I realized, "Jeannine - you doofus. It's November. Thanksgiving is this month." Whoops! :)

At any rate, it made my heart happy to see other people expressing thanks for the blessings in their lives. They were grateful for things like being able to go to school to get an education, having a job to pay the bills...or electricity.

Many of my friends back in Connecticut have been without power for days - they had a HUGE snowstorm this past weekend, and it put the power out of commission since Saturday. According to the official reports from Connecticut Light and Power, they won't be able to restore everyone until Sunday, at the earliest. By that point, they will have been without power for EIGHT days.

Think about all of the things you use power for each day: showering, cooking, doing laundry, heating your home, charging your phone, lights for when it gets dark, watching TV, using your computer, and the list goes on. EIGHT DAYS without that? I'd be losing my mind.

So, today, every time I flip a light switch or use something that is powered by electricity, I am going to take a moment to say "thanks, Dude."

Today, I am feel gratitude for:

- Power - see above.

- A husband that is good at ironing - I am terrible at it, and he doesn't mind...thank you, Lord!

- Headset for my phone - taking care of business while I drive, baby!

- Nanowrimo - what a fun new adventure to try to write 50,000 words in 30 days

- Being back on track with eating - Halloween candy is my new nemesis...but it's out of the house now.

Dear God, thank you for the power You bring into my life, both physically and spiritually. I know that I am a lucky lady. Please keep an eye on all of my friend up North that are dealing with having no power. Please grant them comfort, protection and warmth in any way possible. Please continue to watch over my friend M, on her venture, and over my friend L, as well. If I can be of service to You or Your kids in some way, please show me how and give me the tools to be of maximum effectiveness. Finally, please let me let go of the outcome of the _______. I am trying not to be a control freak, but it's kind of kicking my butt. Amen.

Fun idea for a gratitude journal

I love this idea! What a fun way to keep track of what you are grateful for - EVERY day!

To find out more about this adorable journal, go to: http://iloveitallwithmonikawright.blogspot.com/2010/12/get-ready.html