Grateful Poster

Good Wednesday morning!

The Gallery Pics this morning are of various Christmas inflatables I'm contemplating purchasing. Actually, I already know which one I'm going to buy, but in the spirit of Faulkner Five Democracy (which, in reality, is an "urban myth"), we'll have a little vote... And then I'll buy the one I wanted in the first place! Come on "Giant Santa Penguin!"

REMINDER - It's Encouraging Wednesday. Pick up that phone! Start texting or dialing or whatever! It takes less than five minutes, and it will probably be one of the most important things you do all day. Encourage at least one person today!

RANDOMNESS - I have found very few things I do embarrass me at the age of 49. Which is a good thing because EVERYTHING I do embarrasses one of my kids (or Mikie). But I digress.

As I mentioned above, I took my camera into Wal-Mart to take pictures of inflatables. After a few minutes, a voice behind me said, "Okay. I've got to ask. What ARE you doing?"

Thankfully, it was a girl I knew and I explained. She is all about inflatables, too, because she has a little boy who loves them. She was very non-judgmental. She even shared she has the "Santa In a Bathing Suit Sitting In a Hammock" inflatable at her house... which, as every inflatable connoisseur knows, is one of the best/tackiest inflatables ever made. I am so jealous right now. I will never own the "Santa In the Bathing Suit Sitting In a Hammock" inflatable because it clearly does not "go" with my giant "JOY" inflatable. I do have standards, you know.

Nope. My pick of the litter is the 8' tall "Santa Penguin" inflatable. Color-wise, he is perfect. Size-wise, children will be able to see him from three streets away. Tacky-wise... Well, I think we all know the answer to that one!

I cannot wait until he is in my yard... beside my "JOY." It's going to be a good Christmas.

I have a new goal. By the time I have grandchildren, I want to have so many inflatables I will be featured on the ABC 33/40 newscast. Ahhh! A girl can dream, can't she?

Wednesday Wisdom - I copied a little paragraph from a blog I visit from time to time (www.beckyhiggins.com). She is a wife, mother and scrapbooker extraordinaire. I thought this little tidbit was perfect for today's Wisdom.

Becky writes, "Something to think about: 'Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.' (William Arthur Ward) Someone in your life needs to hear your appreciation today. What are you waiting for? Let them know. Send an e-mail or a text — or even better — write a good ol’ fashioned letter and put it in the mail.

"Life’s too short. Express your gratitude."

Excellent advice.

Grateful Poster

This Thanksgiving tradition was also shared on Becky Higgins blog recently. If you go to her blog and scroll down to a post entitled "Gratitude. A Family Project" dated November 4, you'll be able to see the beginning of the actual poster. In another post entitled "Gratitude, Continued" dated November 9, you can see how the project is coming along.

The following are step-by-step instructions (copied directly from Becky's Blog) on how to start this great new family tradition:

Starting the project - I showed the kids this big, blank poster with one word on it: GRATEFUL. (Letter stickers are “Text” chipboard letter stickers from American Crafts). Everyone was invited to think of different things they’re grateful for and then start writing and drawing. No rules. If you’re grateful for it, you write it down. I love that Porter insisted on drawing something next to everyone’s words. I love that Claire thought of “prayer,” but only after dogs and cats. I love that Crew has a talking bubble that says “Einstein!” because that’s what we hear the most from him. I love that Diet Mountain Dew made the list. I love the misspelled words. I love that we’re doing this as a family. Most of all, I love that we’re all a little more focused on what we’re grateful for.

Moving forward - Every day we’ll each add a couple more things. In the frame, the glass is behind the poster board, keeping everything firm and in place. This also keeps it exposed and readily available to write on any time. We will hang this on the wall soon and continue to add and add and add until it is completely full of words and pictures.

Fun twist - We didn’t do this, but it’s something you may want to consider if you do a similar project with your family. Give everyone a different color marker so it’s easier to identify who wrote what.

This is a doable project. Make it your own, and start a new Thanksgiving tradition today!

Have a wonderful Wednesday. I hope you accomplish a great deal today. I have reading material in the form of Blog Linkage and a very nice date for you and yours Thursday. Be sure to check it out!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda