Thankful Thursday: Gratitude Brings Us Happiness

Last week I decided to intentionally begin cultivating gratitude, and this week I’m going to begin logging a few things each day in my diary. Do you keep a gratitude journal? Many years ago, after reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I kept a daily photo journal of sorts. Each day I looked for something beautiful while I walked Chester, my dog, through our neighborhood. Truly, that time was transformational as I worked through the grief of losing my dad. If you’re interested in learning about the benefits of gratitude, scan through this article from Positive Psychology.

This week I’m so thankful for all the leaves filling out the tree branches, and new blossoms unfolding daily. Late spring and early summer are spectacularly beautiful in southeast Minnesota.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”

Proverb

Are You Travelling This Weekend?

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer and vacations. I’m a homebody, so I’m happy to have plans that keep me in my own cozy corner of Minnesota. I do occasionally dream of visiting a warm sandy beach somewhere with views of turquoise waters. If I could travel in the blink of an eye with no jet lag, I might be looking for seashells along the southeastern seaboard. Although, the Bahamas would be hard to beat! If you’d like to read about other people’s travel dreams and plans, visit Leanna’s blog, I Like Thursday #351.

There’s More Than One Right Way…

I am sewing half-square triangles (HSTs) for days as I construct the Summer Picnic Quilt with the Fat Quarter Shop quilt-along (affiliate link). I’m thankful there’s more than one way to sew a half-square triangle, and I’m trying all the methods: diagonal seam tape, Bloc-Loc ruler to trim, and triangle paper (affiliate links). After days of experimenting, I decided that I prefer the eight-at-a-time method of sewing HSTs and then trimming them with the Bloc-Loc ruler. The All-in-One Quilter’s Reference Tool includes charts so that all the math is done for me. Sherri McConnell from A Quilting Life recommended the handy guide, and I reference it often.

And here’s a progress photo I snapped this evening. I plan to make one more block this weekend, and I’ll be at the half-way point of the quilt along!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! I hope you spend time cultivating gratitude this weekend. It’ll make our world feel like a much happier place.

Joyfully,

Tracie