Thankful Thursday

What a week. A trend seems to be starting where my posts are waning. However, I am never at a loss for thankfulness.

- I'm thankful for our first significant snow fall. Maybe it was only two inches but it was snow and it was quite lovely.

- I'm thankful for the warmth of a fireplace and it's fantastic glow.

- I'm thankful that I have a 20 year old son who is willing to do my running about for me. Oh so thankful that he picked up my turkey bacon on the last day of the sale AND ran to pick up dinner for me and the kids. He's a wonderful wonderful bright spot on this earth.

- I'm thankful that my kids played well together this week while my favorite little girl was out of school. I think my mom will second this.

- I'm thankful for a peaceful home tonight! I have not had to referee once!

- I'm thankful for family time. Like tonight. Just curling up in the family room with the kids (all three of them) and hanging out.

- I'm thankful for a husband who takes good care of the sidewalks and steps. He did such a nice job getting a path to the cars that didn't ice over!

- I'm thankful for abundances. In every aspect of my life. My needs are met.

- I'm thankful for dreams. Things to look forward to. Delight over. Smile about.

- I am thankful that a weekend is upon us. And chances to eat cake! (and Superbowl food)

How about you? Anything special you are thankful for? Go ahead and share. I'm telling you it makes you remember what you truly have.

Eco What?

I finally got to go the the Anthropologie store that I keep hearing so much about. I now know I am not in the same class as some of my blogging friends. (Hopefully they won't hold that against me)

Wow. Beautiful stuff but not at my kind of prices. I fell in love with a beautiful mocha sundress and mocha sweater to go over it. Oh and let's not forget the beautiful head piece that went with it. Fortunately for me they don't sell my clothing size--yet. Or else I would have bought that just on a splurging whim.

My children were fascinated with these little spheres they had on display at the checkout counter. I have to say they were really cute. I explained to the kids that they were NOT for sale but rather "conversational pieces". Imagine my surprise when the sales woman exclaimed indeed they WERE for sale. "Yes, these eco-friendly ecosystems ARE for sale!" She went on to try and tell me how they last for up to 12 years and if you consider how much food and care goes into maintaining a pet how much of a bargain these were. Hack hack cough cough.

Check these ecoSpheres out for yourself. Yes, a bargain. Only one hundred and forty-eight dollars each! Um, did I mention they were little breakable glass balls? And that I know for certain my children would wish to carry them from room to room? Yes, suffice it to say that was more than a wee bit rich for my blood.

I did manage to find a very beautiful apron. Thank you so much Jennifer for your contest. My grandma always wore aprons but all of the ones I inherited from her are skirts only. I tend to drop a lot on my upper half. I am so excited about this cutie (as seen modeled by my favorite little girl in the world).

Thankful Thanksgiving

I'm thankful. So very very thankful. For so very many things. And aren't you so very thankful that I'm going to share them all with you?

- I am thankful, for Ibuprofen. I know I've said that before but a few of these tablets and I am able to walk so very very comfortably even with an unruly sciatic nerve!

- I am thankful that a new season of Lost started last night. (My one TV show vice)

- I am thankful that my kids love each other--even if they run around the house like freaks and get a bit wild at times.

- I'm thankful that my favorite first born son made it home safely from North Carolina. I love that guy.

- I'm thankful for chances of snow. (Please God just one good snowfall this winter season would be so very awesome)

- I'm thankful for ground beef and the very versatile nature of it!!!!

- I'm thankful for a group of friends who will begin a "Biggest Loser" type challenge with me next week!!!! WAAAAAAHOOOOO WEIGHT BE GONE!

- I am thankful for a branch manager who has given me an extension on turning in my performance review.

- I am thankful that my lil sis was able to come home and connect with family. I know she needed that very much. I love her. Even if she doesn't always believe me.

Thank you God for taking such good care of me and my needs.

Validation

iGoogle has taken to posting daily youtube picks. I'm hooked. This video clip should definitely make a few folks' happy meters soar a bit. It's just over 16 minutes long but worth the viewing I promise.

Validation

Oh and by the way. You are awesome. You are beautiful. You matter.

Just when I wasn't sure...

what I was going to post about I checked out my friend, Jennifer's post over at Life With the Stanford's. She tagged me. Phew, I'm tired of running! Anyway, I'm supposed to post the fifth picture in my fifth picture folder. Thank God for me it wasn't any of my kids faces. I'm not that brave yet and I have a huge paranoia issue. Anyway, here it is...
Ain't she just the cutest thing? I caught her in mid scratch. And from the date this was before she even had fleas. I think someone has a voodoo house with my name on it and every now and then decides I need to learn to cope with new bugs. Itty bitty tiny ones that are very very annoying. I'm not proud that I just said that but I want you to know people..."I can relate!"

Ms. Dora was just over four months in this picture. Back when I ruled her upbringing. Before she was plumpened (new word that I think sounds better than plumped) with table vittles and allowed to sleep on my couch, white furniture, and our bed. Something I never ever thought I'd agree with.

So thank you Jennifer for the cute game. Hmmmm, who can I tag? I have to do more research this time since I tagged folks with my last "game" that had already been tagged previously. So, I am asking the following folks...

Liz over at Mabel's house --she always has interesting pictures
Alex --if he's even still reading my blog (thanks again for the hats by the way)
Deb over at ByGeorge
Casey over at Bundles of Beginnings (she's got a lot of glue and holds things together real well)
Anita over at Mud and Coffee (she's a model now!--really check out her blog!)

Thankful Thursday

Once again time to give thanks! Ah so much to be thankful for really. I'm thankful for...

a three day weekend. This one is especially sweet because my favorite little girl does not have to rise early for school on Monday.

extra sleep. WOOOOHOOO.

for my favorite first born son. (who scraped my windows of frost this morning without me even asking)

for crock pots!!!! Can I get an amen here?

for a dog that can pee on command. No seriously. It's freezing outside! I like to get that walk over with A.S.A.P. sometimes!

for spirited children--which lead to a life that is never dull.

for hot showers...brrrr I can't even imagined not having hot showers.

for a gym membership that I am actually using!!!!

for friends. People who pick me up with prayers, encouragement, smiles, and time. You know who you are. I APPRECIATE YOU!

changing seasons. Four of them in my part of the world. I love them all. Each for different reasons. Kind of like a work out. The warm up, the fat burner, the cardio, and the cool down.

Thank you, God. For everything.

Words Can't Say...

Have you ever had one of those days when you really want to have something meaningful to say but nothing comes to you? I'm having one of those days.

I attended a funeral today for a 35 year old, happily married, father of five. It was a skiing accident. He was a good father, a loving and caring husband. Every thought in my head pales in comparison to what that family must be feeling right now. The children are young. They have a long road ahead of them. I know God will bring them through this but that does not mean they won't feel the sting. Please pray for them. Pray for their mom. That God will give her the strength to continue raising children that are firmly planted in the path that God leads.

Not Me Monday

McMama started this "Not Me Monday" thing over at her blog some time ago and boy do people have some things to say about things they just would NEVER do. Turns out it's a lot of fun!

Some moms resort to tactics I'd never dream of implementing in my household. Like I'd...

never let my 3 year old have Christmas cookies for breakfast reasoning that he'd be saving me from extra calories and prevent me from wasting them by throwing them out. Some moms would do that but oh no NOT ME.

never get so impatient, because the vehicle in front of me is driving 10 miles under the speed limit--when I'm late for work, and contemplate getting a bumper sticker that says, "Get thee behind me Satan!" No way, that would be, well, not very nice. No way 'd do that.

never feed my kids dinner at 930 at night just because I was too busy cleaning the house and enjoying the fact that they were actually playing nice together. I mean what mom would wait so late to feed her kids?

Game Night...

Thursday night my daughter asked me, as I was tucking her in, if we could play some games the next night. Because we never play games together. So I planned a game night for us Friday night.

First up was Battleship. Complete with snacks. Healthy. Because Daddy was bringing home subs and pizza in a bit.
My favorite little girl in the world plays a mean game of Battleship.
Here was my chart way into the game. As you can see I was not doing well. I was getting pretty discouraged. Surely I should have a hit by now. I was feeling quite sure no armed forces unit would want me on THEIR boat with my pitiful homing skills.
But wait. Hmmm. Just LOOK at all that white! Wait look closer! Now I am positive both the enemy and I had the same number of ships. Oh and that they were all the same sizes. And that ONE of those boats is five pegs long. Hmmm, does anyone else notice that I have NO spaces that have five pegs in length and ZERO red pegs signifying a hit? Interesting. Me thinks the enemy is playing dirty. (Or hasn't yet learned how to play this game.)
Moving on...This one is always a good time. She's pretty good at putting those words together. GNU is the game.
She was wearing me out but talked me into one more selection. Sight word bingo. How could I resist? I mean it was another skill builder after all!
Notice the clothes change? A short break for vittles resulted in a juice spill hence the new wardrobe.
We had a good time. I think we'll be doing this again real soon. Maybe it will keep her occupied so I'm not watching her in scenes like this. (Though the ending was pretty good)

Marry Me

I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by a delightful, fairly, sweet, positive, fairly new blogger lady, Casey to post ten things about me. Wow!!! An excuse to talk about ME! (Like I've ever needed one before) Anyway, I'm delighted. Try not to fall asleep reading them.

(First the rules)
Honest Scrap Award Rules
When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!

Ten things about me.

1. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one NOT reading Twilight. Mostly because I'm not sure God would approve and also because I get in trouble with the family when I veg out for more than 10 minutes at a time. GOOD READS DEFINITELY CAUSE ME TO VEG OUT FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AT A TIME!!!
2. I'm left handed.
3. I'm a middle child. Older sister. Older brother. Younger sister. Younger brother.
4. I used to sing in a folk group at a Catholic church that consisted of no more than five people at a time.
5. I now would be petrified if asked to sing in my church choir that consists of no less than 20 people.
6. My favorite children's author has always been Hans Christian Andersen. Even though most of his stories didn't end with the uplifting finishes we usually see in the movies.
7. I tried to make the Pioneer Woman's chocolate milk syrup and messed it up. Twice. ( On a happy note I now have a happy replacement for Starbuck's discontinued Chantico. Not something I need to be indulging in.)
8. I would rather be a stay at home mom. Not because I think the job is easier but because I wish I could say "I" was THERE for every possible moment of my childrens' life.
9. In my dream world I would not awake before 6 am. I do only because I want to be home for as much of my kids' waking moments (and because I hate walking FAR FAR FAR from my car to my job).
10. I've never been to New York City.

There. Not the most wildly creative things but hey, it's like after 5 in the morning and I should be out the door already.

So, I'm begging and pleading these folks to carry on. I've been faithful readers of their blogs for some time.

1. April Showers
2. The Country Doctor's Wife
3. Life With The Stanfords
4. Gitz
5. Mud and Coffee
6. Mabel's House
7. Blessings Times Two

There. Wasn't that neat? Go post.

Thankful Thursday

We now return to your regularly scheduled program...

Ah, I've missed Thankful Thursday. I need it more than I can say. A time to remember what I have--not what I have not. A time to reflect on positives. Not negatives. I challenge you to think of just ten things you can be thankful for. Feel free to post them here. For me thinking of them is not hard. Sharing them is the part I get lazy on.

1. My family. Each one unique and different. There is never a dull moment.
2. Time. It heals all. (remember I believe in the eternity)
3. Distance. It helps me choose love over gnashing of teeth sometimes.
4. Eyes. God gave me a good set of them. Sometimes I even take Him at His word and look around to see the good He has done, and take in the beauty of His world. Like this morning's sky--which my poor camera can only see this way...
To see it through my eyes (at 443am this morning) The sky was not quite black but had an orange-ish hue. The silhouette of leaf-bare trees complemented the bright ball of beauty. Thank you God for the simple pleasures of waking to scenes such as this.
5. I'm thankful for days when all I really have scheduled is playing with my kids. As a working mom they sometimes get lost in the madness of the work and home balance. But aren't Legos just the bomb?
Oh and that future pilot SO creative. Check out his plane (he took this picture--I see photography in his future).
Me? I'll never stop dreaming of building homes (complete with a comfy couch and fireplace).
7. I'm thankful that I'm past the stage in my life where I feel I face the world alone. This was a "me" original from my teen years. If you know God you are definitely NEVER alone and He will always put help in your path when you need it most. Can I hear an amen?
8. I'm so very thankful that I don't feel the need to tout most of these types of "flare" anymore. Really. What was I thinking? Hey parents--MOST KIDS DO GROW OUT OF IT!!!
9. I'm thankful that I have readers. I take great delight in knowing that there are other people out there and that they've felt comfortable enough to open up to me. It's exciting to know that when I get to heaven on that appointed day I'll be able to look across the vastness and say, "Well hello there good and faithful blogger--nice to meet you in person." (Don't judge me for being corny. Heavens a safe place to meet!)
10. And last but not least I am thankful for God's word. I have to admit I'm not a faithful reader but God still gets His message to me in the most creative ways. Take for instance the following verse I found while cleaning out my desk at work!

"You will make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
-Psalm 16:11


So thank you to God, of course, all else will fail you. Not on purpose all the time. Take time to remember that people are human. They were put on the earth to be needy. I truly believe that we have a jealous God and He wants us to need Him. We just get confused sometimes and think we are in pursuit of someone or something else.


Have a blessed Thursday folks.

Not Me Monday

Here goes my first attempt at a Not Me Monday---something started over at My Charming Kids.

I did NOT pull a pair of pants out of the hamper and rub it with a dryer sheet to freshen it so my future pilot could go to church in a pair of pants that smelled fresh and were appropriate. Nah, that wouldn't be like me at all.

I did not avoid a call back about ice skating with some awesome friends and deprive my kids of a day of fun because I can't ice skate. Honestly because what 40 year old is so uncoordinated she is afraid to fall down on the cold hard ice? And what mom would not make that sacrifice for her childrens' sake?

I did not fall asleep on the computer Friday night talking to my sister and forget about whether we had made plans for the weekend yet or not. Nope that would so not be me to ever fall asleep mid conversation.

I did not drive to another state with the sole intention of going to a store to buy stuff to organize my house and instead go to a fancy mall and window shop instead. Nope. That's something folks with time to spare do. Not me.

Purging: Part I

One of the things I committed to last Fall is getting organized. I'm not there yet. I get side tracked. A lot. I've been thinking about some of the things I know I've been holding on to for a very long time and really shouldn't be.

I watched this "Clean House" episode yesterday and was appalled by a super messy house they aired. One of the things they told the owner who simply could not find it in her heart to part with ANYTHING was, "Hang onto the memories, not the materials." That is something I really need to take heart in. My grandmother died of Alzheimers but that is no excuse to think I need to hang onto "things" for fear if I don't have anything to jog the ole memory I won't remember things. If I don't remember, looking at things is NOT going to bring back the memory.

So begins part one of purging. I thought I had just one tote box in the basement marked "Mementos". Imagine my surprise when I found two.
True to my word I grabbed a box and headed upstairs. I obviously picked the wrong box because I'm not even all the way through and so far I'm having a problem parting with things.

An "X" rated anniversary card from my hubby...
With this risque message inside...(and his signature XO on the bottom--he had me from XO)
Two count them TWO autograph books from circa 1982-83. (That would be 8th and 9th grade for me) I thought, "Surely I can throw these out." Then I turned to THIS page and this signature belongs to a news anchor. I rationalized that she's famous therefore I must keep it. I need therapy don't I?
Then there were these...
from my first TDY. I'd never been TDY before. Never left my great state alone until this time. This trip I hit two states for work back to back. The first state we were in for a short time and both evenings were spent exploring with my coworker since the town was small and nothing was within walking distance. Then we hit San Antonio and I was left to my own devices. I was prepared to stay holed up in my room forever. We got back to the hotel at 4pm. Work was over for the day and the first thing I did was call home. I got all choked up when I talked to my husband and sat on my bed for an hour. AN HOUR! Finally I got mad at myself and decided I needed to leave the room.

We stayed on the Riverwalk so a ton of stuff was within walking distance! I was very pregnant with my favorite little girl in the world and it was very hot (August). I was greatly surprised when I found a candy store inside the very cool mall. You see I was hooked on Sour Patch kids and practically lived off them during my pregnancy. Note to readers...your dentist will hate you for acts such as this. Sugar plus acid equals very bad combination for your enamel.

Sniff, then there was sniff, this. My Aunt Elli painted one for each of my siblings and I. I was a great big like 1 year old. Finding this made me think of her and how much she is missed. Such an awesome being and so talented.
Then, haha, I found these.
That diary is old. I mean OLD. From the early 80's. My my. And that little (aka BIG) baby resembling Popeye--with his winking eye is my oldest baby. At a whopping 1o pounds 13 ounces that baby resembled a Sumo wrestler!

Ah, "my sister's keys". Here's the funny part though. These keys are the keys to my older sister's apartment. An apartment she lived in like TWENTY PLUS YEARS AGO!!! These I think I can get rid of.
Okay, this picture has absolutely nothing to do with the post but the future pilot came by and swiped the camera. This is HIS doing. Honest.
Speaking of the future pilot can you believe I found THESE in the box? The future pilot was THRILLED and ran off with them immediately after I took this picture to show his daddy. I might have to wear them tomorrow.
I also found two of these, that were still in an envelope, that indicated I had sent away from them in 1983. My oh my. Anyway, I think the future pilot will enjoy them for about 5 minutes.
I found this prayer rock someone made for me years ago. I seriously think I need to place in on my pillow. God gets far less of my time than He deserves.
My last pull from the box was this Promises book. I lined up my thumb like that because I've seen that done in detective movies and always wanted to do that. Just like the prayer rock I think I need to open this a time or two.
Just so you know I DID throw a few things away. This is going to be hard though. Anyone want to volunteer to come purge for me? I'm sure if I don't ever SEE what you throw away I won't remember and become attached again. Anyone out there have a method that helps them rid their lives of these types of accumulations? I need serious help here. I might even be contemplating my first contest over this. Hmm...a contest. That would be a great way to start out the new year wouldn't it?

Resolutions?

It seems around the blogsphere people are stating resolutions or or to do's for 2009. I have to say this is the first year in quite a while that it never crossed my mind to think of any. I think it might be because I was so wrapped up in trying to accomplish great things in 2008 that I just didn't realize that hey, a new year is coming. But come it did. Zip zam zoomed right in.

I gave it some thought and I'm going narrow my list to three things.

Live
Laugh
Love

Original huh? Seriously. There must be a reason that these three words are being pictured together all over the place. I want to live and not just literally. I mean I don't mean just having blood pumping through my body and air coming in and out of my nose--or mouth which is usually the case. But living. Honest to goodness doing things. For me and for others. I think if I get this house simplified a bit I'll be able to do this.

Laugh. They do say it's the best medicine. I was eating dinner last night and I happened to see my reflection in the window. What I saw there wasn't very becoming. I can remember a day when I would get stopped walking down the hall and people always remembered me as the girl with the smile on her face. It was natural. Granted many years have gone by and gravity might have something to do with the fact that my smile corners happen to drag down a bit, but I think I'm going to work on smiling more. It's contagious don'tcha know? I'm going to work on NOT letting anyone steal my joy. "Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Love. I've noticed as I've grown older I've become a very judgemental person. This isn't my job. Lord knows I have enough to keep me busy without taking on jobs that don't belong to me in the first place. I'm going to try and do what Jesus taught us to do. Love. Unconditionally. Without thought for loving them because I accept them and what they do but because it is what Jesus WANTS me to do. Not because they are like me. Not because they do something kind for me. Not because they are "cool". Because it is what I should do. Experience has shown me that when someone is shown love it tends to soften them. Clay is much easier to mold and use when it's soft, not hard. Is loving going to be hard? From experiencing I know I may end up working a few millimeters of enamal off my teeth but my hope is that it will get easier with time.

Live
Laugh
Love

For Him.

Thank God It's Friday!

I had this theme of doing Thankful Thursday and I have kind of blown it the past two weeks. I promise to get back on schedule next week. I certainly never run out of things to be thankful for but I have been quite lazy in the computer world lately. Don't hate me. I've been very busy putting my home in order.

Last Sunday I was supposed to go on a hayride with the kids and some good friends but my daughter was feeling queasy in the stomach and since she had adorned my carpet early in the morning with three shades of vomit I decided we needed to sit this one out. So instead I set her up on a computer to register her very first Webkins pet. Me? Well, I went up with the rug shampooer and proceeded to try and do a better job of ridding the carpet of her regurgitated dinner. (Oh I really hope you aren't enjoying dinner while reading my blog by the way. If you are I apologize) I have to say there is nothing romantic about cleaning chunks off the carpet with your sweetie at 330 in the morning. However, it makes you appreciate that you aren't doing it alone.

After I finished with the carpet I reorganized my pantry, and my broom closet. If you will recall my pantry needed quite an overhaul. Since our Brownie troop is going into full swing food pantry donating this month it was easy for me to say we didn't need 10 of this or 15 of that. I felt good. My pantry today is a much more organized place (and so is the broom closet).

Yesterday my favorite little girl in the world opened up her salon and decked me out for the new year. Aren't my nails just FAAAAAB-U-lous?!!!

Today I went to work and had every intention of working out afterwards but ended up staying later than planned. Then I stopped by the mall to pick up the jacket Santa had promised my favorite first born son for Christmas. It was a bit pricey and I have to say I was nervous leaving the store with it for fear I might be mugged. As I grabbed my Starbucks latte and watched all of the people going by with their designer clothes and super expensive handbags, I felt very inferior in my jeans, that are wearing to the skin thin on the inner legs. Please try not to picture that.

Something I realized though, is that if I don't go to the mall I don't feel like "inferior" quite as much. I don't need those things to be happy. Note to self for 2009 STAY AWAY from the MATERIALISTIC FLASHY MALL. I probably should give up the 4 dollar coffee too. That is going to be a bit harder so I think I'll save that for 2010. Okay?

Oh but I should mention that I did win a blog contest over at Jennifer's place and I get to go shopping at Anthropology on someone else's dime! Thank you SOOOO much Jennifer. YOU ROCK. (And she does. That woman is ahMAZING.)

I got home and made dinner. My lovely "never need a repairman" refrigerator is on the fritz for the second time since we purchased it just 8 short years ago. I had to go to Iceland to retrieve the green beans...pick in hand I was able to dislodge them from this mess without puncturing the fridge. Thank you God for that.
I made a delicious dinner for my family. These were a hit, though hubby was a bit freaked out that I "mixed" evil sweet potatoes in with his redskin potatoes. Not a yam fan that one.

I hate meatloaf. My hubby and daughter love it. I try hard to make it paletable so "I" can stomach it. This time I added instant rice, onion soup mix, worcestire sauce, ketchup, hamburger seasoning, and garlic powder to it.
It wasn't a hit. :( "I" liked it. I think there was too much "stuff" in it for them. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow I take down the Christmas decorations. That always makes me sad. I love Christmas and all the decorations and twinkly lights. This year I'm in a hurry though because between the future pilot, RC, and Dora my ornaments are dwindling! I'm finding ornaments all over the house! Some of them not salvageable! So, before I have nothing left, it's time to tuck them back in their hiding places for another year. Sniff sniff wah. Oh but get a load of this beauty I splurged on and bought for ME on Christmas eve!!!!

Happy 2009!