Sharing Thanks

This is a fun fall activity to start a gratitude habit! Today I want you to sit quietly and think about all the people who have helped you today. They could have offered you a ride, gave you a smile, held the door for you. We tend to forget each day how many people help us in some way.I am going to continue adding names to my Thankful Pumpkin throughout October. Making this little Thankful Pumpkin will help you understand that you are part of a wonderful giving community. All you need to make a Thankful pumpkin is a pumpkin and a sharpie!  I just bought a small sugar pumpkin at Trader Joe's, and found a sharpie in my craft room. We are a creative family so I always look to see what I have in the house before I go out and buy art supplies. Please tweet me a picture of your #ThankfulPumpkin @sharingthanks or email me a picture at sharingthanks@gmail.com. Will share your thankful pumpkins on my blog and twitter. Let's get those creative juices flowing. Here are s...

Love these crimson leaves. Fall is the perfect time to start a gratitude habit. In this spirit I am going to start blogging again about what I am thankful for everyday. Join me in the Sharing Thanks #TurkeyThanks Challenge starting on November 1st! If you want to join like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter. Beginning November 1st post something your thankful for with #TurkeyThanks . You can post words or pictures! Let all of our gratitude send ripples of thankfulness in to the world. Here is what I was thankful for yesterday. So thankful for my friendship nature walk yesterday. I met my good friend Stella and we hiked down to the beach at Caumsett State Park. We spotted several deer families along the path. I have never seen so many at the park. They were fun to watch and were easier to see now that the leaves are changing. I was thankful to my daughter Becky who went grocery shopping for me. I really appreciate when family members pitch in. I was thankful for dramatic...

Amazing playful work by Jeff Koons. Can you find my daughter?                  I was so thankful to get to spend a Friday Afternoon with my daughter seeing the Jeff Koons art exhibit that is at the Whitney! It was a beautiful fall friday afternoon. Here is what we were thankful for. Thankful to stand in front of an inviting steel sculpture of Playdoh. It is so realistic you really want to touch it and make a playdoh sculpture of our own. Craft night is so much fun even as an adult. There is something relaxing about getting your hands dirty and trying to make something. Thankful to explore the upper east side with my daughter. We stumbled upon a great Thai place on Second Avenue. The interior looked like a garden and they had a great lunch special for just $9.  Up Thai  is a relaxing eatery with delicious thai flavors. Thanks to my mom who recommended this fun art exhibit to us. She loves art and I had given her and my dad a ...

Chalk art at Norman J. Levy Preserve Thankful for this beautiful end of summer weather with hints of Fall in the air. It was a top ten day on Long Island so I went for a 2 mile walk at the Norman J. Levy Park & Preserve. It felt great to just get outside. There is something soothing about being in nature. I love bringing my camera along and taking pictures to capture the joy of seeing a moment of beauty. I am listing my thanks today with the pictures I took of these small joys Water Lily Pond at the top of the Preserve I love this part of the park. They have a Monet like bridge overlooking the pond. I was happy to spot a few water lily blooms. After you walk around the pond I came across this incredible view. Great South Bay View from Norman Levy Park and Preserve I love the tranquility of this park. You pass a few kindred souls, walking or running in the park. I saw  someone enjoying the peace and reading a good book. It's lovely to smile and say hi to the few...

My new organized empty closet. Sometimes good things happen from things that go bump in the night. On Friday night I was woken up by the sound of huge crash at 2:00 am. I jumped out of bed and turned on the lights to find that my wall closet rods and shelf had collapsed. My clothes laid half on the ground in a heap, and I'm embarassed to say it reminded me of an episode of "Hoarders." Thank goodness my cat was ok, sometimes she sleeps by a cuddly sweater. How could I be thankful about this? Well sometimes it takes a calamity to force you to become more organized. Here is why I am grateful for my collapsed closet. I was thankful to have the opportunity to go through all of my closet belongings. I made my 3 piles, keep, give away to goodwill, and absolute trash. I have lived in our house for over 20 years. Some of my clothes are even older than that. I decided if I had not worn a piece of clothing in the last 10 years it should be thrown out or be given away. I fel...

Remember a shot of water can be just as much fun! I love being around people who know how to orchestrate fun! I am a UMASS alumni, and one of our college friends hosts a reunion party every summer. It is so much fun to reconnect with old college friends and more important make some new memories together with all of our growing families. Thanks to our hosts Keith and Dora who hosted the party. It's a pool BBQ, and mostly everyone sleeps over. Guests from as far as Arizona, NY, Washington DC gather in Massachusetts to celebrate. Thanks to Keith and Dora for making a Shotski. Looking for something to do with your old skis? Keith organized pool game Olympics. And the games began with the a ceremonial SHOTSKI. There is something goofy about holding a ski and drinking with your friends. It just made me laugh Thanks to my team mate Annie in the swim relay. She held her own with the recent college grads. It was so much fun to be silly and be in an innertube kicking race. Although ...

There is nothing better than going to see a summer indy matinee in a cool dark movie theater with my daughter Becky. Did I mention Becky is a recent film studies major? Boyhood is a masterpiece at capturing life's moments. Some scenes trigger memories of conversations I have had with my kids, fighting in the back seat of the car! Moments matter. Boyhood was filmed for 12 years and shows the cast aging and growing right along with the story line. See this amazing movie. Ethan Hawke's performance is Oscar worthy! What was even better was the discussion with Becky that followed the movie. Hearing her insights on the film and being able to discuss the movie and family dynamics. Take someone special and see this beautiful insightful film. This was a moment I will savor. Thanks also to the Cinema Arts Center in Huntington for celebrating independent films year round! \