Gratitude to Bliss 22 (from yesterday)

1. Though I was having trouble at first, I finally got my updated resume uploaded onto resumebucket.
2. I posted a link to it on Facebook and said I was looking for a part-time or from-home job; almost immediately someone messaged me that she might know something. Big yays for helpful friends! :)
3. Rena had a nice long nap in the late afternoon so I had some time to relax. She woke up right after dinner was served, of course. :)
4. We had leftovers after dinner for my husband to take for lunch, there was so much food! :) That doesn't usually happen unless the food I made wasn't so good, but though it was delicious, there was way too much to finish all in one dinner, even though all three of us ate it.
5. I was expecting a long night of cleaning the kitchen, etc., but when I'd barely begun hubby suddenly said, "go to bed." So I stopped and said gratefully, "Thanks, Pie!" He said later that he was trying to be considerate.

Gratitude to Bliss 21

1. When I went to put on my wedding and engagement ring today (I usually keep them on even at night but sometimes I like to take them off to make snuggling with hubby more comfy for both of us), I thought for a moment that my wedding ring was misplaced because at first I saw only my engagement ring. Usually I put them together in the drawer when I take them off. Then I found it in the same drawer; it had apparently been just kind of shoved aside when I was looking for something else in the drawer.
2. Though it was a bit of a challenge with a few items, I was able to find a certified-organic version of everything I needed or wanted at Whole Foods today. I hope that, as more and more consumers choose organic, "conventional" will become unconventional and will be phased out.
3. I got video footage of hubby singing a random, fun song he made up and Rena doing twirly dances! :) I'll hopefully upload it tomorrow.
4. I haven't had to worry about watering our new plants because it's been raining off and on since Sunday when we got them.
5. Though Rena was tired, cranky, and not feeling well most of the day, she perked up and got happy again after her bath this evening.

Gratitude to Bliss 20

1. I have friends who take the time to help me out by giving me information I want.
2. Rena is so happy and so full of energy! She giggled a lot today and did endless twirly-dances!
3. I used some of our new rosemary plant in our dinner tonight. So yummy!
4. I'm glad I couldn't find the pepper until dinner had long been made because it came out yummy without the pepper.
5. I had some empty glass bottles on the kitchen counter waiting to be recycled. I knocked into one by mistake. I thought it was going to fall over and crash into a million little pieces on the floor, but it didn't. It stayed on that counter.

Gratitude to Bliss 19

1. YAY for my gardening-expert-stepmother-in-law! Today she brought pots over, helped us pick out plants and seeds to make our garden, and even paid for the plants! :)
2. My husband is a helpful pie: He helped his father and stepmother move into their new apartment.
3. The kitchen floor and the carpets have been cleaned and vacuumed, and they look so nice! :)
4. Hubby thanked me for doing that while he was out helping his father and stepmother and told me how much he appreciated it.
5. The kitchen floor is still basically clean though Rena already ate dinner because I picked stuff up as she threw it on the floor instead of waiting and having it get encrusted into the floor.

Gratitude to Bliss 18 (from yesterday)

1. On Friday, after grocery shopping for Shabbat, Rena and I had a lovely walk home! :) I enjoyed the warm, sunny weather; spotted some pretty yellow flowers; and heard birds chirping.
2. On Friday night, hubby said I could wait until the morning to finish cleaning the kitchen, as it had of course gotten messy again from Shabbat cooking.
3. I had lots of time before Shabbat was over to both clean and relax due to the recent time change.
4. I loved being able to spend lots of time just playing with Rena without the usual distraction of the computer. ;) (Orthodox Jews do not use computers or other electronic devices on Shabbat.)
5. I finished the book I'd started last Shabbat; see #2 in this post.

Gratitude to Bliss 17

1. It's Friday so it's almost Shabbat!
2. Rena napped this morning due to her being up past her bedtime last night!
3. My cough is slowly getting better.
4. The kitchen is pretty clean so I won't be so overwhelmed when I'm done with Shabbat cooking.
5. I have until 7:10 this evening to get ready for Shabbat, according to Chabad.org.

Gratitude to Bliss, Day 16 (from yesterday)

Yesterday was jam-packed! So here's what I should have written yesterday:

1. On Wednesday, the weather was really warm with a nice breeze so I opened a window in the living room and one in our bedroom, held open the door to our terrace with a chair, took off my sweatpants, put sandals on, and enjoyed letting the outdoors into our home! :)
2. I finally washed most of the dishes that were waiting to be washed, either in the dishwasher or by hand.
3. A big thank-you to our new friends from the Seattle Stay at Home Moms meetup group who came yesterday! :) We had so much fun and loved meeting new people! :)
4. Rena and I also attended HyperThrive Health and Superlongevity Tour at the University and managed to get there on time despite not knowing where the heck we were going! Thank you to my friend who posted it on Facebook!
5. There I scored a great book for Rena: The Adventures of Junk Food Dude.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 15

1. I'm feeling well enough that I didn't have to postpone my Seattle Stay at Home Moms meetup that I'm hosting tomorrow.
2. A lot of people are planning on coming.
3. Last night, before going to bed, I'd already finished the majority of kitchen cleaning that needed to be done so I don't have so much to do in the kitchen to get ready for the meetup.
4. I'm so excited for Rena to make new friends tomorrow! :)
5. I'm excited to make new friends myself tomorrow! :)

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 14

1. This morning, I was able to print the most important document for my husband, right before he had to leave for work!
2. Rena fell asleep (or at least got quiet) right away when I put her to bed for her nap this morning, and she let me nap as well, for about four hours, from about 8 to about noon!
3. I'm starting to feel better after my nap!
4. Rena is such a sweety-pie! :) She hands me stuff, and I give an enthusiastic "Thank you for [whatever it is]!"
5. I'm caught up with my lists, as I did yesterday's list first thing when I got on the computer.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 13 (from yesterday)

Apologies for being late with yesterday's list! I had quite a day yesterday, as you'll soon see:

1. I found my phone charger that I'd been missing so I could finally use my phone again! :)
2. I got our awesome walk-in closet organized again and put most of the clean clothes away in sensible spots.
3. Hubby got up in the middle of the night to help me set up our new printer, as he needed to have some personal documents printed that he couldn't print at work. He figured out the solution where I was having trouble.
4. Hubby helped me recover from the frustration due to not being able to figure it out by giving me some nice forehead rubs and back tickles to calm me down.
4. I got the printer all set up and working. I was able to print some things.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 12

1. I experienced my own Purim miracle today! In the afternoon, after this morning's festivities (about which I'll write momentarily), hubby sent me to buy a printer. I got an all-in-one machine, of course. I'm grateful that I didn't have to lug the heavy box with the machine all the way home held with my hands. What happened? I spotted a shopping cart from the grocery store parked outside in someone's driveway! Though I felt strange going onto a random person's driveway and taking something from there, it's not like I was taking their own personal property. Also this way they won't have to schlep the cart back to the store. They'll get another one there in any case! Anyway, I emphatically said "Thank G-d!" and walked up the driveway to get the cart. I pushed it to where I'd left the box, heaved the box into the cart, and went on my merry way with a huge smile on my face due both to relief at not having to carry the box anymore (it was on the verge of falling apart and killing my back at the same time) and to the realization that G-d was looking out for me!
2. My local in-laws took us to a Purim carnival for young kids. It was in a beautiful building in a gorgeous neighborhood, and to get there, we had to cross a bridge over a lake that was right above the water!
3. I got to nap in the car with Rena after that while my in-laws and hubby walked around a different lake because Rena had fallen asleep in her car seat on the way there and we didn't want to disturb her by transfering her to the stroller. My in-laws' two dogs, who had come along with us for the ride, kept us company and, thank G-d, did not disturb our sleep.
4. I put Rena in bed to nap more when we got home. She went back to sleep almost immediately so I was also able to nap in bed for a couple of hours.
5. I did not get distracted with email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs I read, or anything else before writing this post! And now I need to go on Facebook and Tumblr to share it, but that's all I'm going to do!

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 11

I'm having a wonderful weekend so far! :) I'll pick just five highlights from today:

1. I got to sleep in because it was Shabbat! It was 11 by the time I got up, due to having been awake in the middle of the night, so instead of having to drag Rena to synagogue we got to stay home and have Shabbat lunch soon after we got up. ;)
2. The weather was lovely today, so Rena, hubby, and I hung out on our terrace outside for awhile. He and I discussed plans for our garden in pots that we want to plant around the terrace, and then I sat in one of our outdoor chairs and read the book Moving Up: an aliyah journal by Laura Ben David. As we will be making aliyah (moving to Israel) at some point in the (hopefully not too distant) future, this is a very enjoyable read for me. I also played with Rena with Greenball and a bunch of small sticks that she found.
3. The Jewish holiday Purim, which celebrates the saving of the Jews in Persia from the evil Haman as told in  Megillat (the Scroll of) Esther, started tonight and ends tomorrow night. I'm so glad that Purim is over the weekend this year so hubby can fully participate though he works full time during the week! :)
4. After the Megillah was read, there was a fun party that including music by the Od Yishama Orchestra. I got to dance with some kids while hubby took a turn with Rena. Rena and I both made new friends, and we stayed until the very end, when the orchestra stopped playing music.
5. One of our new friends invited us to a Rainbow Gathering. It's so cool that it's going to be in Washington state this year! I was surprised, but apparently there are indeed Orthodox Jews who attend these. I don't know yet if we're going (hubby doesn't know about it yet and I had some questions that I want answered) but it sounds so awesome! :)

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 10

1. I'm grateful that I found the clicker thing for my PDA that had been missing for some time.
2. I'm grateful that I found two pens, the only two working pens we have at home.
3. I'm grateful that I have a washer and dryer in my apartment so that I can easily do laundry on a Friday without having to worry about picking it up at a laudromat before Shabbat.
4. I'm grateful that I have a dishwasher in my kitchen so I don't have to wash piles of dishes by hand anymore.
5. I'm grateful that, because of the time change, I have an extra hour before the sun sets to get ready for Shabbat.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 9

1. My Rena is so smart and loves when I read her books! :)
2. I joined the Seattle Stay at Home Moms meetup group and suggested a couple of activities already.
3. Rena is vaccinated against deadly diseases so I don't have to worry that she'll catch them.
4. Someone I don't even know personally is taking the time to share and discuss with me her take on some important health issues.
5. I have many relatives who are doctors whom I can go to with any questions regarding health issues.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 8

1. I'm grateful that Rena is healthy and developing normally!
2. I'm grateful that my husband has a job he loves!
3. I'm grateful for Google- I can quickly research any topic of interest! For example, I found out that, while some fluoride is useful for preventing tooth decay, overexposure to fluoride -- common nowadays because the levels of fluoride in water were set before fluoride could be found in other things such as food and toothpaste -- can pose certain health risks. I won't give specific links here; please Google it yourself! :)
4. I'm grateful for Facebook- I can share helpful links with my friends because I can see from their newsfeeds what might be useful for them. For example, I shared Share Some Sugar, a website that connects people who want to borrow stuff with people who own it and are willing to lend it, with a friend who often posts that she needs to borrow something.
5. I'm grateful that our on-site building manager is so helpful- She had a light bulb we could use, and not only that but got up on her ladder herself and changed it herself before I even had a chance to ask if she had a ladder I could borrow! We live in the Saxe Apartments; highly recommended for anyone looking to relocate to Seattle!

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 7

1. I love my Little Bean! :) Rena's name is Hebrew for Joy, and the name fits! :) She has the best smiles and giggles! :)
2. I didn't have to go out in the rain today because I didn't have any errands to do.
3. My husband, who loves me anyway though I'm an imperfect human being.
4. G-d, Who loves me anyway though I'm an imperfect human being because He created me that way.
5. Music, and the ability to dance to it! :) See this recent post about a fun dancing experience.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 6

1. I looked into getting groceries delivered online today because I didn't feel like going out in the rain. By the time I got tired of looking for a service that could deliver today, it was lunchtime, and by the time Rena and I finished eating and were ready to go, the sun was shining and it was beautiful outside! :)
2. I saw pretty yellow flowers growing on our way home. Right when I saw them, I also saw a yellow traffic light and noted the matching colors.
3. Rena and Greenball, a green plastic or rubber ball filled with air that she loves to toss and kick. She's so cute when she plays with it!
4. My husband, who thoughtfully requested brown rice at the restaurant yesterday (see previous post) so they wouldn't automatically give us white rice.
5. Just a moment ago I noticed that I was writing this post in the wrong blog by mistake, because I wanted to link to the previous post. I'm grateful that I caught the mistake before publishing this post in the wrong blog!

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 5

Cross posted in Foodiscovery

1. I'm grateful that I did not accidentally delete the email draft where I'd saved links to recipes I'll be using for the week.
2. I'm grateful for my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law who took us to the
Children's Museum despite the rain.
3. I'm also grateful that they treated us to kosher Chinese afterward at Bamboo Garden.
4. I'm grateful that the food was good, even though it's a vegan restaurant so the general tso's "chicken" was made with tofu. Rena, who LOVES chicken, appeared to not be able to tell the difference: She scarfed it up the way she would scarf up real chicken.
5. I'm grateful Rena has her own bedroom, where she falls asleep fast usually and often stays asleep until morning.

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 4

Today's 5 yays:

1. The Chabad synagogue near us had an entertaining guest speaker from Israel today. I heard him speak at lunch after the morning service, and Rena was a good girl so I was able to listen to almost the entire thing.
2. I had a nice Shabbat nap! I fell asleep on the couch as Rena and hubby played nearby.
3. My husband- He reminded me that he, Rena, and G-d all love me.
4. My step-mother-in-law: She's a sort of gardening expert, and she's going to help me garden on the terrace that we have with our new apartment! I'm going to plant veggies and herbs on one side that's near the back door which is near the kitchen, and on the other side, where Rena will be able to see it from her bedroom window, I'm going to plant a butterfly garden.
5. Freshly washed clothes- they smell so good!

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 3

Today's five yays:

1. My husband- He gives me great advice for any project I'm working on. Today I got emails from him linking to some articles with advice on marketing my online shop.
2. I had the same yummy breakfast as yesterday! (See previous post.) I made some more mixture of dates and cocoa to use.
3. Baby Rena- She does really cute twirly dances! :)
4. My new glasses that I received recently in the mail recently from my optometrist in NY. It was so nice of them that they sent it to me at our new Seattle apartment!
5. Our new Seattle apartment- It's so much roomier and easier to keep clean!

Gratitude to Bliss Project, Day 2

Cross posted in Foodiscovery

I received a welcome email that requested the following:

It's important to set your intention. Please take a moment to think about and write down what you are hoping to get out of your participation in this project.

My response: I hope to gain a more positive outlook on life by emphasizing the good things in life, and a greater love for G-d for having given me this wonderful gift of life.

Now, on to today's list of five yays:

1. Another day of life. As part of daily Jewish practice, we say a prayer first thing in the morning thanking G-d for returning our soul.
2. Hubby woke up at 5-something in the morning and asked what time it was. We don't have a clock in our bedroom so I reached for my cell phone, which serves as my time piece for the night. I couldn't find it next to the bed, so I used hubby's iPhone to call it and found it in my purse in the closet by the front door of our apartment. Yes, I could have checked the time on the iPhone, but you see, my phone also serves as our morning alarm. I'm grateful that he woke up before we had to get him ready to go to work because without the alarm next to my bed we probably would have overslept. Sure, this happens occasionally, but this is a new job that he started a few weeks ago and it would have made a bad impression.
3. I had the best, healthiest breakfast ever this morning! I started by pouring some Ezekiel 4:9 Almond cereal into a bowl. This was the first time I'd tasted it; I'd found it at Whole Foods yesterday where I'd taken the opportunity to do some shopping because I'd gone to a shoe store nearby to buy hubby new sneakers. I though it tasted kind of like Grape Nuts so it needed something extra. Last night, I'd taken some medjool dates and mixed them with unsweetened cocoa into a doughy ball to make a quick dessert for hubby. (I'd made and enjoyed some for myself for lunch during the day and he said it sounded yummy.) I got the idea from a Yahoo! article I read awhile ago, believe it or not, that suggested rolling dates in cocoa. There was some left over so I broke it into small pieces and mixed it with the cereal, then I poured fat free milk over it. I savored every bite! :)
4. My parents- Even though I'm an adult living far away, they still concern themselves with me, keep me updated on their lives, and take interest in what I've been up to.
5. Lots of healthy snacks from Whole Foods, in addition to the cereal!
 -Raw Revolution Cashew and Agave Nectar (I got a box of ten bars cuz they're so good!)
 -Food Should Taste Good Jalapeno tortilla chips
 -365 Everyday Value Thick & Chunky Salsa to go with the tortilla chips
 -three healthy varieties of Snyder's of Hanover pretzels:
   -whole wheat and oat
   -8 grains and seeds
   -honey whole wheat (we haven't tried these yet but I'm grateful for the opportunity to try a new flavor!)
 -Flamous Organics Falafel Chips (I got the spicy ones this time; another new flavor opportunity!)

Gratitude to Bliss Project

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gratitude-to-Bliss-Project-An-Exploration-in-Health-and-Happiness/101452076604092?ref=ts

For the next month or so -- and maybe beyond that -- I'll be writing at least five yays daily. I'll write each day's yays in one post in a numbered list, in keeping with the format I've seen on the page. Here are five yays for today:

1. finding this project on Facebook
2. baby Rena- She's so cute and learning lots every day!
3. hubby- He's helped me improve my attitude to be more positive by pointing out when I kvetch or say something negative.
4. my online shop
5. CafePress, the site where the shop is

Dancing: Great Fun and Great Exercise! :)

Cross posted on Foodiscovery

I recently saw this video of the staff of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the world's largest nutrition school, taking a dance break in the middle of their work day:





Today, while home with Rena and doing some work for my online shop, I felt really energized after eating some quinoa and mushroom skillet for lunch. I decided to take a half hour to turn on some music and dance while playing around with Rena. Sorry, there's no video of us because I can't really video while dancing and hubby is away at work during the day; but here's the music video for one of my favorite dancing songs, the first one I put on today:





What fun I had! It made me really happy; in fact, I could pinpoint the exact moment the endorphins started to kick in. I think I'll be incorporating a half-hour dance break into my regular routine, at least on days I don't walk anywhere; i.e. days I neither go grocery shopping at QFC or Whole Foods, nor to synagogue for Shabbat services. It's much more enjoyable, and I get the chance to express myself freely and work my whole body. You can try it now, if you're alone or at least at home or another place where people won't be bothered: Press play on one of the above videos, then get up and DANCE! :)

Beautiful classical music! :)

Hubby played some music by Sergey Rachmaninoff on Pandora this morning before he left for work. Here's Itzhak Perlman playing Rachmaninoff:




A splendid listening experience, indeed! :)

Now enjoy this magnificent video of an orchestra playing Rachmaninoff:

Support efforts to conserve marine environments!

Cross posted on Environmental Tip of the Week

You can provide financial support toward this goal and have a fun, educational experience at the same time by visiting an aquarium and paying the admission fee. My husband, baby Rena, father-in-law, and step-mother-in-law had a wonderful time on Sunday at the Seattle Aquarium. Rena got to hold a starfish and play with felt sea creatures. There were so many pretty fish, and the exhibits were arranged quite artistically! It's my favorite aquarium so far. If you're not in Seattle, check out a local aquarium. Israel has multiple aquariums, Chicago has the Shedd Aquarium and Cincinnati (really northern Kentucky) has the Newport Aquarium, for example. Hubby says the Seattle Aquarium was nothing compared to those he visited in Florida. I'll have to check them out if I can get there.

Cool encounter! :) (from Shabbat)

We met relatives of Franz Kafka, one of hubby's favorite authors!

Here's one of his famous books:

Here's a quote from him:

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.

First sale today for my new business! :)

My online store, ButterflyHaiku -- the first product line of Butterflies for Freedom -- made its first sale today! :) My mother-in-law bought an infant long-sleeved t-shirt, presumably for Rena.

Inspiring happy quote

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.  ~James Openheim

Make yourself happy! Your attitude, your effort, your accomplishments can make you happy if you let them.

Our new apartment in Seattle is awesome! :)

The building manager had informed me that there was a problem with one of our windows that I didn't even know about! She had someone come check it out, and then today a repairman came to fix it. This was all done promptly and efficiently. The repairman fixed it quickly --looks like he did a good job -- and he even asked me if I wanted him to close the blinds, which he did when I said yes. The landlords here actually maintain their buildings properly. How refreshing!

I taught myself how to use Windows Movie Maker! :)

This is my first video! :) It's part of my ongoing marketing effort for my new online shop, Butterfly Haiku.