My belly is happily full of crumble cake and sweet potato and spinach salad and I am sleepy from a day spent out under a tree canopy picnicking with my family. Now I am slow cooking some beef ribs for Chris and experimenting with a new eggplant recipe to share with you all this week. There has been a lot to be grateful for just today, and the rest of the week has been just as wonderful. Here is my Nourished Life Gratitude List 2015 – Week Nine:
Monday: Today when I got home and got to work on a new project that I am working on, and that I will reveal soon. I was so grateful for the opportunity to take part in this venture and I can’t wait to share it all with you.
Tuesday: I had some cupcake making to do tonight! Even when they aren’t for me to eat, I do love making cupcakes and I am always grateful to have a chance to make something that is going to be part of someone’s celebratory occasion. And there were leftovers, so I got to make the guys at Chris’s work very, very happy with some chocolate cupcakes.
Wednesday: Today I was grateful for the morning hours. I woke up super early (I’m changing up my running schedule) and went for a 9km run at the gym, then came home and decorated some cupcakes for a job that I needed to deliver on the way to work. Even though my commute was awful this morning, I had a great start and some mad endorphins to be grateful for and to keep me smiling all morning through.
Thursday: Tonight we watched the final episode of Parks and Recreation (no spoilers I promise) and I still wish I could live in Pawnee, Indiana. I’ve never even been to Indiana, but Pawnee seems like a perfect place to live. It’s always sunny, there are lots of national parks to go hiking in, and there is a heavy emphasis on breakfast foods. Plus, who wouldn’t want Leslie Knope as a boss? That is one sassy and inspiring lady. I am grateful for all the laughs and ‘aaaawwws’ this show has given Chris and me.
Friday: Today I went for another awesome long run before work. I am actually enjoying running on the treadmill at 5am because they show an hour of CBS ‘This Morning’ and I get to catch up on what’s happening on the other side of the world while our work is waking up. I am grateful for their company while I am running away. Then I made my way to work and had an awesome breakfast featuring my new latest creation ‘Pecan, Buckwheat, Coconut and Date Granola’. I was grateful for lunch out with my friend Jess. Friday lunches are the best weekend starting point!
Saturday: Today I started my day off with a long walk by the water and then I headed over to spend some time with my Dad and Molly! Molly and I snuggled while Dad fixed the brakes on my car and then we washed my car until he was shiny and new. I am grateful for Dad’s help and expertise and that I got to spend such a lovely morning with him.
Sunday: Sundays must always start with a walk, and it always gets the day off to a wonderful start. Then Chris and I joined my parents and Jess on a picnic with my cousin Carmen, her husband Colin and their gorgeous little boy Taj. I was grateful to see some of my family who I don’t get to see very often. We are planning more visits in the future, and I am grateful that I have such wonderful family close by. I was also grateful for the follies of some fellow picnickers and their attempt to barbecue about 4 kilograms of bacon. So much smoke, and seriously, who wears gloves to barbecue (they all had matching ones?) but it was good free entertainment for us :)
Also this week:
- My friend Matt (married to my friend Lynn) has a wonderful new inspirational podcast called ‘Bent On Better‘. If you like interviews with everyday, motivating people who are trying to make their lives, and the lives of others, better, you will really love ‘Bent On Better’. Keep your ears open for someone you might know coming soon….
- On Friday I finished the final cookie from the perfect dozen cookies I made last Sunday and they were still perfectly chewy. You have to try my Pumpkin, Oat, Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies soon. Chewy, gooey, chocolate chip goodness.
- Need something exciting for breakfast tomorrow? My Pecan, Buckwheat, Coconut, and Date Granola is a quick and easy way to refresh your breakfast and bring a little healthy sprinkle to your morning meal.
