November 22nd

Today is a rather important, sad, memorable day. It has been hard for me as December is my busiest month of the year for my business, with all the gift giving. I also have been blessed with being excepted into numerous shows so that has caused a lot of work to be done. I have been a little frazzled lately. So much on my plate and so little time has created a little stress with me. I am handeling it well enough for the most part. I am still having a social life which is a great asset to my sanity. The things I think about on a daily basis to go on my list has really been helping. Counting the things going right has made, I think, more things go right. I feel creating good energy and sending it out into the world has made more good things be sent to me. So here goes for this installment:

76) My family - I had referenced that today was a sad memorable day earlier and that is because this is the one year anniversary of my Grandmother's death. I mentioned her before in one of my early numbers but I feel she should get a second mention today. I am so blessed to have had a grandmother like her. She, to me, is the standard of pure love. She loved each one of her grandkids with all of her heart. I will always remember her singing "You Are My Sunshine" to me every morning when I would sneak into her bed before everyone else in the house was up. She never had a bad word to say to me and would give the shirt off her back to any friend in need. She could remember people's names and life stories with ease. She was always an ear to listen and a dose of humor and wit in a time of need. My grandma was loved by many and is missed by us all. I am just so grateful that every memory I have of her is so happy. She loved me plain and simple and I am so grateful that I got to have her in my life for as long as I did.

On to less sad things now...

76) Good Friends and Good Food - This weekend I got to go to Talula's Table. It is a restaurant in Kennet Square that you get to get the whole place from 7-11 and they make you about 8 different courses of amazing food. It was AMAZING! The whole thing was delicious. And I got to have a great time talking and drinking expensive wine with friends. Overall a great experience.

77) A relaxing weekend - After such a great dinner we decided to stay in Kennet Square and it was nice to not be out of the city for a bit. I enjoyed it. Walking around a little town and just looking through all the cute stores. It was really nice and relaxing.

78) My friend Denise - When I refer to my idea that putting good vibes out there has brought me some great things in return I am basically speaking about Denise and her gift to me this week. She is also a jeweler. We met at my first craft show. She has helped take me under her wing for many years now. She was also the one who helped to get me a job at Crate & Barrel. Well she had been telling me for ages that she had some stones for me. I was assuming she had a few different types of stones she didn't need anymore and as a curtsy was going to throw them my way. Well she came into work last week and handed me a HUGE shopping bag FULL of stones. I know some of these are worth a bit and she gave them to me with no hesitation at all. It was so sweet and unexpected. It really touched me and I was so thankful that she could have simply sold them online but instead gave them to me with no thought of getting anything.

79) Being called a Hero - I was just sitting there talking to a friend and he had said the sweetest thing to me. It actually made me feel so good. He simply said "You are my hero. So many people go their whole lives wanting to follow dreams they aren't doing. But you are living your dreams. You wanted to make jewelry and now you have a jewelry business. That is really amazing and I am really proud of you for doing that." That was an amazing thing to hear. It all just goes back to how we all have the power to make others happy. He didn't think it was such a huge thing to say, but it touched me so deeply. It is great to be appreciated for the things you do everyday.

80) This American Life - I was gifted with the This American Life app a few weeks ago and didn't think much of it. I listened to some episodes that friends had suggested and soon I was hooked. I have now taken to listening to episodes while I make jewelry. It is more interesting then just listening to music and it is great to learn about different stores. Today I ended up listening to four episodes. They are great. They help me keep my sanity while working by myself as well as keep me focused. I have been a bit scattered brain right now and listening to talking rather then music has been helping to keep me task oriented. I love it! Highly recommend it right now. Go and get it. It will be the best $2.99 you are going to spend in a while.