A Little List of Gratitude

Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment, with whatever seems to be flustering me at the time, that I fail to see the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is always comprised of a ton of things, both small and large. In an effort to remind myself just how good I have it, I've written a little gratitude list.


Today I am thankful for:
  • The ability to live, breathe, eat and sleep in comfort. Not only reserved for the 11th anniversary of 9/11, but just daily. Sometimes it's incredibly easy to take that for granted.
  • Friends who have made the commitment to stand with me and Mike on our wedding day, even when they live hundreds or thousands of miles away. We are truly truly blessed to have them in our lives.
  • Family who has jumped at every chance to help make our wedding day a dream come true. Words can't even describe. From my mom chopping down berry bushes, my stepdad building picnic tables from scratch, Mike's dad hauling off a billion and seven pounds of brush, his stepmom + sister watching Toby when we need some free time... they've each lifted such a weight off of our shoulders.
  • That special man I'll share a last name with in only 25 days. He's a keeper. He also inspires me with how hard he works to learn a new skill. This past week? Dude learned to sew. And may or may not have made a dress from scratch. Yeah... I rolled my eyes at his ability to pick up + master everything, too! 
  • Toby... that animated and exhausting little child. There are days I swear he's 3 going on 30. He's such a big help around the house. Every day is a new adventure and he's reminded me how exciting it is to explore and learn. 
  • The fact that I'm marrying into such a wonderfully welcoming family. Mike's family definitely falls into point #3 above, but it's worth mentioning how "at home" I feel when I'm with them. It's something I appreciate beyond measure.
  • The ability to wake up every day and do something I love. Be it design work, blogging, photo work, etc. I owe a lot of that to y'all.
  • The beautiful weather we're having as of late. Autumn is on the horizon and the breeze/air is a welcome change from the heat and humidity.
  • Coffee. Always coffee. Most of my days would be in shambles without it. That probably says more about me than anything.
  • Sons of Anarchy, which comes back on tonight. My list is starting to take a very lighthearted turn and that's okay. SoA is really worth acknowledging. (Amirite?!)
  • A clean house. Okay, well, maybe it's not exactly clean right now, but we're working on it today. Seriously, I'm 150% more productive when I have a clean canvas around me. You'd never know that by looking at my office.
  • Glitter. Even though it's terribly inconvenient to clean up and use, it sure does make everything pretty. I'm currently trying to resist the urge to wear at least one glittered accessory at all times.
  • Fresh flowers. They make everything better.
  • New friends. Especially for this socially awkward girl.
  • Pinterest. I know, I know. But I've reignited my passion for design as of late just by browsing some of the recently pinned items in that category. It reminds me of exactly why I started doing design in the first place. It also motivates me to really explore my style and aesthetic so I can do what I love, rather than just what pays the bills.
  • Netflix. And the fact that Mean Girls and Clueless and A League of Their Own are all currently streaming instantly. I'm not even going to discuss how many times they've been played in our house. Seriously.
  • Tattoos. And having the ability to express myself in silly ways like tributes to Clueless and A League of Their Own ;) 
  • Novelty fabric + dresses. Between a pie dress, a cheeseburger/ice cream dress and a few flamingo dresses, I feel like I've cornered the market in my closet. Sometimes you really just need a silly patterned dress to put some pep in your step. I've got a few ideas in my head for fabric I'd like to whip up and make into a dress (you know, if sewing didn't make me super anxious haha)
  • The power of positivity. A little cliche, I know, but my life took a huge turn once I decided to just look on the bright side of things. I've wandered off that path quite a bit, especially lately, so I'd like to make it more of a priority to just be positive. Not the "fake" kind, but just a generally optimistic person. I think I'm a more enjoyable person to be around when I'm not complaining (and that can probably be said for most people!)

Big and small, when I look at a list like this I can really see how great things are. Every day doesn't need to be filled with dresses, glitter and flowers, but sometimes those are just the cherry on top. Today I'm going to help clean the house, top to bottom, and maybe pick out some flowers at the florist when we go inquire about wedding flowers. Here's to making the most of today! What are you grateful for? (Feel free to write your own post and leave a link below so I can check it out!)

41 comments:

  1. :) I have a husband that picks shit up super fast too, it's so infuriating until I realize that the only thing keeping me from doing it is myself and my fear of failure.

    Love reading positivity and happiness so thanks for sharing!

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  2. What a beautiful post ^^ I felt really moved reading it and realizing how many things I take for granted. Thanks for reminding me of all the things I should be saying 'Thanks' for and not just complain about others so much. xx ♥

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  3. Whoa! SoA baby! I have my gratitude list waiting on my blog drafts too. This mind set is new to me so I try to come up with things to put on my list.

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  4. Clueless is streaming on Netflix?! Well there goes my morning...

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  5. My husband lovingly sat through BOTH Clueless and Mean Girls the other night. Gotte love 'em!

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  6. I really find it amazing how positive you see things in life. I can be a really negative person sometimes! >w< I find this post really beautiful and touching. I should think of more positive thoughts in stead of wasting my time to negative thoughts. :) I'm really grateful for my boyfriend and family who is there for me every day. I'm also really grateful for my friends, I've some friends living far away from me and they are simply the best. <3 I'm gratefull for green tea with honey, my home, photography, the internet, making new friends and many more things. :) Thank you for reminding me to this!

    And btw: I ADORE your new Clueless tattoo! <3

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  7. As lucky as you are to have Mike and Toby, don't ever forget how amazing you are too!! I love that Mike picked up sewing and it's so crazy to see how quickly he was able to whip something up. What the heck?! This guy is like... incredible!

    Can't wait to hear all about the wedding!!

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  8. What a great list - I think it's so great when men can sew ;) I mean us gals don't restrict ourselves to learning 'man' things like woodworking and the like, why should men not learn 'girlie' things?

    xo
    http://kittysnooks.blogspot.ca

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  9. Such a great list. Thanks for sharing! It put a smile on my face. :)

    -Lindsey

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  10. An amazing list that really reminds me of what to be grateful for in my own life.

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  11. Cannot wait for SOA tonight! And I'm right there with ya on the tattoos and glitter thing!

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  12. I'm thankful for the little things too -- Health, love, a roof over my head, the fact that I'm alive and able to enjoy life. (which really are the big things) I've felt like I've been reflecting on this lately too. I'm grateful for today. :)

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  13. This is perfect! Sometimes all it takes is a little reminder of all the things you're thankful for to help you relax, slow down, and just feel overall good about life. That little of yours is seriously too flippin' cute and you and that pie dress?!...a match made in fun fashion heaven! I can't believe there's just 25 days until your wedding...so beautiful and wonderful and amazing! Wishing you all the best...xo.

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  14. What a wonderful list, K. Really nice reflection and I'm super excited that glitter made the list. ;-)

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  15. I really, really love this post. I think it's so important to always remember what we're thankful for, and you have such a great list. It's so easy to focus on the negative, having a list like this (especially written down and hung up somewhere where you'll see it every day) is a great idea to help live more positively. Awesome post, girl! You've definitely inspired me today. :)
    xo Mandy
    missindieblog.com

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  16. Love this list! It's so good to sometimes stop, look around and take in the things we are grateful for :) xxxx

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  17. I love this list. I'm a firm believer that a grateful person is a happy person.
    And with all of the love and gratitude you're experiencing right now I think you're probably the definition of happy!

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  18. Great post...its so easy to get caught up in all the rubbish of life and forget all the awesome things around us. This was just the reminder that I need...thank you:)

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  19. What a lovely post! I love glitter too!

    I'm grateful for the amazing children I get to work with every day!

    Becky
    xx

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  20. On a day that's been a little off, it's a great reminder to smile. It's so important to live your life to be happy and to celebrate and share that happiness. :)

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  21. That is such a positive list :D It's so much nicer to be surrounded by positivity than negative influences. This list reminds me of my gratitude book ( http://www.kikki-k.com/shop/product/gratitude-book/ ), it helps keep everything great in perspective.
    And I had the weirdest combination last week but: anxiety + glitter! I was making glitter shoes for my wedding and it all became a bit much so I ended up buying pre made glitter shoes. On the bright side it all worked out for the best!!
    You should do a 'what i wore' with Mike's dress :)

    Jenn.

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  22. aww, lovely list!
    and OMG YOUR 'A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN' TATTOO!!!
    so jealous right now .. i love that movie! i recently drank a cocktail, just because it was called 'there's no crying in baseball', haha. luckily it was pretty tasty, too!
    xo, cheyenne

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  23. I love writing love lists (or gratitude lists), and I even love reading them. Thank you for the good perspective, and I'm happy that there are so many good things going on for you. Plus SOA tonight is TOTALLY list worthy.

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  24. Totally love that glitter made your list! hahahaha, an excellent reason to be grateful!

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  25. it can be so hard to find balance between "living in the moment" and also "seeing the big picture" . . . it's a constant battle for me. just last week i had to give myself a little wakeup call when i realized i was focusing on too many things i couldn't change instead of appreciating all the little things happening. lately i've just had to remember that the rough situations i'm dealing with are all going to help me reach specific goals i've set or get me where i want to go.

    but alas i've gone off track: basically i love this post because i'm all for lists like these that can help us take a step back and realize what's really important <3

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  26. This post was seriously so awesome. So glad to hear that your life is turning out awesome and fun and everything! That's what really matters!

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  27. yes! you inspired me to write a gratitude post too:
    http://raesock.blogspot.com/2012/09/gratitude.html
    its stupid how much time i waste being bummed out when I have so much to be grateful for. and amen to the clean house. mine has been clean for two weeks straight and it makes me feel so good!

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  28. This is such a good thing to do from time to time...I try to write down 5 things I'm grateful for every night, even if it's a shitty day and one of them ends up being "had a really good sandwich." I feel like it helps me find the positive. Congratulations on the windfall of good stuff!

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  29. This post totally made me smile :) Sometimes it's so good to step back and put things back into perspective. It sounds like your life is full of blessings!!

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  30. I totally agreed when I saw you're thankful for coffee, but then I got totally EXCITED when you said SOA is back on! Yes!!!

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  31. I love this type of post, is nice to read more about you and is good to be positive. Small and large things are the best, is to live as you said. I want tattoos, yours are beautiful.

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  32. I love this positive things, thankful list. I feel like I should make one of those soon! I'm glad you have so many things that make you happy because you're pretty awesome and you deserve it!

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  33. Such a great list! I think it's really easy to take things for granted. Always good to take a minute to think of what you're grateful for! You've inspired me to make a little list of my own - http://buttonmunch.blogspot.com/2012/09/so-after-reading-kaelahs-and-nicoles.html

    - Jana

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  34. This is such a good list.
    Seriously where did you get that pie dress!?
    Love your league of their own tattoo!

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  35. awesome list! we love soa too, it was an event last night haha..i missed jax!

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  36. amazing list, and that first image of Toby is beyond adorable. I'm grateful for having survived the things I have, for being alive this year (it's been quiiiite a tumultuous year) and for the support I have had, whether it be fleeting or consistent.


    XO Sahra
    EffortlessCool

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  37. Ahhh you got the pie dress!! Love your gratitude list - I need to do something like this. =)

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  38. A League of Their Own! Best movie. I'm from Racine! My dad works at our museum and there are actual Racine Belles uniforms there! They're so pretty and I want one desperately.

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  39. A little late, but I do a weekly "Count your blessings" on my blog. http://deligted.blogspot.nl/search/label/count%20your%20blessings

    It's always great and positive to look back on the things that you're grateful for. Kind of like putting your two feet back on the ground again.

    I love the first image of Toby!

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB