What I Did On My Blog Break!!!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope you did too!

I enjoyed my short blog break.

I relaxed.

I read.

I cooked.

I got the hooks out and had some hooky fun.

Cassie decided she had to help me while I had the camera in hand.

She's getting soooooo big!

Our vet says she has a sweet disposition ... we agree ... most of the time!

This is what I'm doing with the hook:

really cute Christmas trees, Gingerbread Men and Houses.

You can find the pattern for the trees (and other wonderful crochet goodies) at

The Royal Sisters.

The Ginger Bread Man and House are from a pattern of six Christmas potholders that I've had for years.

I think I purchased the pattern from Annie's Attic.

The designer is Crochet Village Designs.

The trees are fun, but I have to tell you I don't like the yarn I used to make them.

It was left over from a doily project I made last year.

The sparkly thread running through the yarn has a mind of its own.

I want it to go one way and it wants to go another! 

But it does make a pretty, glitzy, Christmas tree!

I'd like to thank Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Each mosaic is different and has its own story to tell. 

Wishing you all well and a JOY filled week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving To You and Yours

Gratitude Makes You Happy

Why Gratitude Makes You Happy & Wealthy by Christine KaneGratitude is more than being thankful one day a year. Gratitude is a practice. For some, it's a way of life. Why do some people swear by the practice of gratitude? Why do these people have joy-filled andabundant lives? In other words, why does gratitude make you happy and wealthy? • Because gratitude is about presence.  It's about waking up in this moment and being here -really being here - and noticing what's around you. Most people are so busy thinking about the next thing, or about their horrid past, that they don't wake up and look around at their present moment - the only moment there is. • Because gratitude is about honoring YOUR precious life.  Do you ever compare your life with someone else's? Do you ever wish your life were better and more like [insert famous person's name here]? Sometimes we can lose ourselves in wondering how we "measure up" to some standard set by our families or by the media. Comparison is the mind killer. The antidote is gratitude. Gratitude requires that you validate your own life. (And you really don't have any other life, do you?) It forces you to say YES to the gift that is you. The choices you've made and the changes you've gone through -- they have brought you here. Even if here is a place that needs a little adjustment, that's okay. There are always gifts in any present moment. • Because gratitude is about attracting.  It's difficult to attract abundance and joy if you are constantly saying "no" to what IS. You say "no" each time you focus on the future or past, or when you criticize something that is in your present moment. Attraction is about saying Yes. When you say Yes, you shift. Gratitude says, "Yes, I love this!" And then more of this is attracted, because the this is what you're focusing on. • Because gratitude is about choice.  How you translate any situation is the situation. What you choose to see is the truth (for you). This isn't proposing that you live in denial or phoniness. It's reminding you that your translation of any life situation is your choice. We've all heard stories of people who have ignored others' translations of their talent, their projects, their art, their looks, their lives. These people chose their own translations andsucceeded. You always have a choice when it comes to how you look at things. Choose to choose gratitude. • Because gratitude is about wisdom.  I think people believe they're being smart if they criticize, complain, and focus on the problems of the world around them. Smart? Maybe. Clever? Sure. But not wise. It is wise to look for and find the knowing place in your heart. It is wise to choose joy. It is wise to honor your riches. It is wise to focus on and grow the blessings of your life. • Because gratitude is about recognition.  Use your power of focus to hone in on beauty and on what makes your heart sing. Recognize the spirit in your life. It's all around you waiting to be noticed. In the words of Franz Kafka, "It will roll in ecstasy at your feet." • Because gratitude is about receptivity.  Gratitude makes you receptive. It makes you a vessel, waiting to be filled. I carry a tiny notebook with me everywhere I go. In it, I write down song ideas. I write down quotes I hear. I write down ideas for stage stories. As I do that, I become more receptive, and more ideas and songs come to me. It's a tool that says to my subconscious, "Send more my way!" And the subconscious always responds. Gratitude is the same way. It says, "I am receptive! Send more!" And more arrives. • Because gratitude is about creativity.  Creativity is really all about attention. (So is genius.) When I write a song, I build a relationship with that song. I spend time with it. I get to know it. I pay attention to it. Artists do the same thing with drawings. They spend time in rapt attention, and the drawing is born. Gratitude is how we Live Creative. It is a creative act to notice and pay attention to the moments of your life. Some days it's an enormous act of creativity to find things for which to be thankful. Start today. And have a Thanksgiving of presence, creativity, and gratitude! Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com. WANT TO SEE HUNDREDS MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? See Christine's blog at ChristineKane.com/blog. *** Snap is still on a short blogging break, but couldn't resist sharing this with you today.

Postcard Friendship Friday

The Friday before Thanksgiving and one more postcard from

the New York Public Library Digital Collection.

Hearty Thanksgiving Greetings

The card is postmarked 1915.

Aunt Ida must have sent a Thanksgiving postcard to Master Ralph 

each year as this was not the only Thanksgiving card from Aunt Ida in

the NYPL collection.

I enjoyed her comment 'I was very pleased with your letter'.

Letter writing -- a lost art.

Beth is our hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

I going to be taking a small break from blogging.

Think I will do some reading, crochet a little, and relax.

See you after Thanksgiving.

Everyday should be a day of thanks -- don't you agree?!

Wishing you well, a JOY filled weekend and to my American friends

a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Good Morning!