Family

Sometimes the best friends you have are your family.

Even though I don't have nearly this many people in my family, I've learned that my best friends really are the people I'm stuck with forever!

Car

I'm so grateful I have a working car. I don't think I could have done the journey I did today like this . . .

Weatherbug

You see all that blue hitting the almost west coast? That's what I'm glad I missed last night.

I'm so grateful that we have the technology to be able to see what the weather is going to be like days in advance. Otherwise I'd be having myself a Merry little Christmas without our extended family.

Hugs

Today I was able to give away this wonderful tricycle away.

and I'm glad that I only got a hug to repay me for it.

Steamable

This is the most amazing machine!! Despite 3, yes I said 3, accidents today, I still love my 3 year old. (or at least that's what I have to keep telling myself) I really do love him.

I think a large part is due to this machine today. Without it I would have had him in bed much earlier than his assigned bedtime.

Of course he had to be super cute as I was cleaning him up from the second accident of the day. He looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry I had a accident. It was a accident. Thank you for cleaning me up. Thank you for not getting mad at me."

How PRECIOUS is that??

I cried on the spot!

Pajama Days

I love a good day to stay in my pj's all day long.

Even if it does mean a day of housework.

I think I may love my pj's a little too much.

Easy Recipes

I may not be the best chef around, but my food has NEVER looked like this . . .

On days like today when time is short and everyone is starving,

I'm grateful for "dump" recipes.

These are recipes that you open cans and jars and dump them in a pot and cook.

Dinner sure was good! (and very easy!)

Don't forget to wipe!

After all the rain we've experienced here over the past few days, I'm extremely grateful for windshield wipers!!

I can only imagine how rough my drive home would have been tonight if I didn't have those beauties! Let's give the man who invented them a raise! (wasn't there a movie about him?)

Hello?

I must say I love the convience of a cell phone. No matter where I am in the world (most places) I can just pick up that small piece of plastic and microchips and be connected with anyone in the world. I'm so glad that most providers don't have a long distance charge anymore. If they did then we'd be in even more debt. And we definately don't need that!

Power Nap

I never appreciated a nap until I had children. Today is one of those days I wish I would have taken advantage of my time. There is just something about a nap that is so refreshing and wonderful. Here's to getting a nap tomorrow, and a little more sleep tonight!

A Pizza Stained Shirt

Today I could not be more grateful for the sight of a pizza stained shirt. Our heater went out last night. We have plastic taped over the windows, blankets blocking the draft coming in under the doors. We put a small heating pad on the baby and the small child recieved a second set of pj's and another large blanket on his bed. We crawled into bed and snuggled for about half the night. At that point we both woke up to the baby fussing, wanting to eat. She was pulled into bed with us and we checked on our little boy. He was cold too. All four of us spent the night in our queen sized bed. When we woke up it was 56 degrees F inside. We put a call in to our property management compay, and then began to wait. and wait. and wait. FINALLY at 4:30 pm a man with a very large pizza stain knocks on my door.

He's here to fix the furnace!!!!

I lead the way to the furnace for the good/bad news. The good - the heater is still working. The bad - it may not last through the night. The good - the part that needs replacing is very easily accessable. The bad - that same part won't get here for another 2-3 days. The good - we have AMAZING neighbors that let us borrow some space heaters just in case.

Service with a Smile!

Today I'm grateful I was the receipiant of some much needed service. I always hate to be the one to ask for help. I'm usually the one that is out trying to help others (when time acutally permits). But today I was on the receiving end. I know we are constantly taught that we need to be the one doing the service, but I think that being the receipiant is also an important part of service. After all, if everyone was out to give service, but there was no one to receive it, we wouldn't be able to serve.

(It wasn't this bad, but to me it felt like it was)

"Staircase" and Raccoons

Today I'm grateful for that tiny almost staircase that caused me so much pain yesterday. Today I still have the resultant headache from the huge hit, but at least I didn't have to go outside into the rain and have whatever rabid, nocturnal varmints we have living in our backyard chase me around. Which reminds me of a story. . . Don't worry if you don't want to read it. I won't know and I won't be offended!!

To get to our washer and dryer we either have to go out the front door, around the house, and down into the cellar, OR go down some crazy steep stairs that are really more like a glorified ladder in what was once a broom closet (the owner had cut the floor out of this closet. It's TINY!). I had been choosing to go around the back way, because they are at least normal stairs. Hunter LOVES to help me with the wash, and I've gladly welcomed the help. It was three weeks ago tonight, and we were going around the back after dark. Hunter had the huge Maglite. He was shining it around our backyard as he was waiting for me to open the cellar doors. He starts getting really anxious and says, "Mommy, there's a raccoon." (Now we knew that we had raccoons, but they've always ran away with a light put on them, or with us making noise.) I reassured him and we started making noise and flasing the flash light at it. What does it do? No, It doesn't turn and run the other direction like you think it would. It starts running toward us. We literally RUN to the safety of the basment and shut the door behind us. I yell up the "stairs" to Erik to toss us down some more batteries for the flashlight, because they were dying. I then tell him about the raccoons and what had just happened. Hunter and I start the washer and the dryer, and just as we're getting ready to go the door to the basement starts to open. I SCREAM as loud as I can. Of course that sets Hunter off. So here we are both screaming as loud as possible and the door keeps opening. I'm about ready to drop my basket of clean clothes, but I'm frozen still, just screaming. I'm trying to think what I can hit this rabid raccoon with to keep it away from Hunter, but again, still frozen, still screaming. The door finally opens enough for me to see what's opening it, and it was Erik. Here I was thinking that both Hunter and I were going to end up in the hospital getting our anti-rabies shots, and it was just Erik. He told me that he had yelled to me that he was going to come down to help us get back up past the raccoons, but we didn't hear him because we had both the washer and the dryer on. It was aweful. I literally almost peed my pants.

Hard Headed

I've been thinking of starting a Gratitude blog for a while now. I've read that a way to be happier is to have a gratitude journal. I'm aweful at writing in a journal, but I'm on the computer quite a bit, okay, a lot!

Today I'm grateful for my hard head. During one of countless trips to the basement through an impossibly steep flight of stairs (the house we're in has what used to be a closet and is now a "staircase" to the basement. Mr. Zodiac, the old owner, had cut the floor out of this closet and put up a "staircase" so there would be a way to get to the basement without going outside and around the back. This "staircase" is more like a glorified ladder.) I stood up too early and whacked my head on a 2x4. I immediately blacked out, but luckily was able to keep my balance, and the load of laundry I was carrying didn't tumble to the ground either! Yeah me!!

My skull bone was able to take this hit, without fracture. I was honestly shocked. I still have a headache though.