Thanks 58 - 60

Well, its been a busy Thanksgiving holiday. Between setting up Christmas, shopping, homework, using my new birthday presents, having long talks with my kids, cleaning, and cooking I feel like its been productive. . . and I completely forgot yesterday to come here and post my last three thanks.

58. I'm thankful for ordinary days, when there is nothing big or no emergency, just the regular stuff my life is made from. Usually that means just cooking and cleaning and laundry and running an errand or two, planning for something coming up and making time to make sure all is right with my individual family members, checking my email and reading a bit of news. Those are the kinds of things I do every day. Nothing special, but its what makes my life hum along smoothly. While this hasn't been my life for most of this month its made me realize that having those ordinary days for most of the time is truly a blessing.

59. I'm thankful to my mom and dad for all they have done to foster my talents and unconditionally love me. I know how blessed I am to have them in my life, and I know they are one of my greatest blessings.

60. I'm thankful for the gift to progress in life. I especially see it with the family that I live with. When I think of myself as a young bride and see where I am now, I see a different person. I have grown up so much in having a family. I have learned things that only experience and sacrifice and trials and starting over could bring. I have become much more calm inside and yet still care deeply about the things I value most. I have grown steadier and become more responsible. Its taken a while and I know I've still got a long ways to go, but its a wonderful feeling to be able to look back and see a better person than was there before.  I remember at my college graduation, looking back over the last four years and seeing just a little change. Now I see much change, and I give the Lord full credit. He has changed me slowly, almost imperceptibly, with experiences I would never have wished for, and yet I can see that it is exactly what I've needed to really grow, and for that, I am most thankful.

Thanksgiving Day - 55-57

Happy Thanksgiving! I know the day is almost over. Its just after 9pm my time.
We have had a lovely day. It just so happens that its Hanukkah and my birthday also today, so I feel that it was just an all around extra special day for much of the Judeo-Christian world. However, I'm also reminded that every single day - someone loses someone they loved, someone gets some bad news, someone is hurting, someone is lonely. Thus, I feel extremely thankful that my day was lovely. My heart aches for those who cannot say the same.

55. I'm thankful for the wonderful dinner my mother made, and that my family could enjoy the afternoon with both her and my dad. All of my children but Cowgirl were with us, but we got to talk to her twice today, so that was still good.

56. I'm thankful for the challenges we've gotten through this year. There have been several. I don't believe some of them are over yet, but I can feel within us a determination and strength that I know is a blessing from the Lord. Trials are hard. We don't like to go through them, but on the back side we can see that in them we grow. I read a quote today, "Calm seas never a seasoned sailor makes," that spoke to me.

57. I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father and knowing that His plan for me and my family makes everything okay. The goods, the bads, and everything in between, I trust, are part of our learning and growth, thus I can be thankful for challenges. I can feel His love for me as I'm going through challenges, and I'm grateful for that. He knows I won't give up on Him or on the responsibilities He's entrusted to me, and I know I can't do it without His help, so that's why I'm so thankful for Him. He makes the impossible become possible and changes my heart and vision from seeing the here and now to seeing into eternity. Thanks be to God for His unchanging love and goodness!

Thanks 52-54

52. I'm thankful for the internet. Hasn't it made looking up things and finding information so much faster than the days we had to go to the library or make a hundred phone calls? Its also made genealogy so much easier. Big Blessings!

53. I'm thankful for dinner time. Its the first time, usually, in each day that everyone is gathered all together, at least everyone that's home. After that we may all hang out together or we may go our separate ways. It depends on the night, but I love that we have this ritual that brings us all together, starting with a prayer, and sharing with each other our happenings as well as the food I've prepared with love for my family.

54. I'm thankful for language. I'm thankful for the ability to communicate. I'm thankful for written words. We learn by language, so I'm grateful for the ability to learn, to be inspired, to be able to understand what someone is communicating to me, and to be able to share my own thoughts and ideas back with them. When I read that the Lord confounded the language at the Tower of Babel I can see how devastating that must have been.

Thanks 49-51

The big day is almost here. Guess I didn't start in time... will only be to 57 by Thanksgiving, so I'll blog again on Friday to get me to 60. I'm sure you weren't worried. Just I think about these things.

Today:

49. I'm thankful that BigBuddy is coming home for a few days. It'll be great to see him again and a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Will really miss Cowgirl, but hopefully next year.

50. I'm thankful that I could be to the grocery store at 8:30 am and it was pretty empty but with plenty of cashiers. In fact, as soon as I pulled up in line behind someone, they called for someone to come open up a new lane for me. Always thankful when that happens.

51. I'm grateful MyGirl could finish another of her classes yesterday. My mom helped her with her final sewing project for her Clothing/Textiles class and it looks wonderful. She was so proud of herself for being able to sew a straight line and I am so thankful for my mother's wonderful tutelage which made it a pleasant experience for my daughter. MANY thanks for this. Only 4 classes to go, and one is close to be doing done also. Horray!

Thanks 43-48

Here we are at the week of Thanksgiving and here is my gratitude for yesterday and today.

43. After eating Sunday dinner, once again 45 minutes after getting home from church, I'm grateful for the crockpot. It frees up my time to fix the other parts of the meal and it creates a tenderness that would take hours in the oven. Its one of my most favorite appliances.

44. I'm grateful for electricity. Its easy to take for granted. We've lived with it our whole lives, but I've gone camping enough to know that living without it is a lot more miserable.

45. I'm grateful for inspiring people. I meet them everywhere. I hear about them, I read about them, and I've come to the conclusion that many, many people are inspiring if you just get to know them. When you see what they've gone through, when you hear their stories, and when you come to know them you realize that they are amazing people and it just makes me want to do my best and do good things too.

46. I'm grateful for the animals that I see everyday out my back windows. Whether its the brown cow, a coyote, deer (saw a big one last week with a big rack), or all the many birds that come to our feeders, it makes my heart to happy to share this land with them. We even saw rabbit tracks in the snow heading towards our big tree. We don't see the rabbits often like we did in Maryland, but they make me happy too.

47. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon. I woke up this morning realizing it is a month until Christmas and I'm contemplating finishing it up by that day.  It truly testifies of Christ and I wonder if it would do more for me to get into the Spirit of Christmas than anything else. Its a book I Love. Its a book that touches my soul. Its a book that helps me to see that Christ is the foundation of our lives if we will just see His blessings and follow His commandments.

48. I'm grateful for the whisperings of the Spirit. . . the thought my dad had to tell the ambulance to take him to Memorial Central instead of Memorial North (where we learned they aren't set up for cardiology procedures like he needed) or when Mike felt the need to skip the gym the one day he needed to be home to save MyGirl. It is truly a Comfort to me to know that the Lord desires to bless us with inspiration when it is needed. I am so grateful for that great gift!

Thanks 40 -42 and a card

Yesterday was a snow day and we officially started our Thanksgiving Break from school . . . a whole week!
I know. Love it!

I sent this card to a loved one. Loved the subway stamp from October's Stamp of the Month by CTMH.
That shimmer trim in copper is a new favorite embellishment. Its adhesive backed and so easy to use. The patterned paper is from the Huntington paper packet.

40. I'm thankful to have the opportunity and supplies for making cards. Its something I enjoy. Its always a gift from my heart when I create one to send to someone.

41. I'm thankful for weekends.  I need the change from the regular work week. I need a Saturday to get things done with Mike and all the kids and I need the Sabbath to recharge, renew, and recommit myself to the Lord.

42. I'm thankful that I learned about organizations that we can donate to, like Kiva, where your investment in someone's business gets repaid and you can reinvest that same money to bless even more people. Its a micro-business investment and I have been interested in these for a while and finally found out how I can be a part of it. I'm excited!

Thanks 37-39

I always start these kinds of projects before life takes some really unexpected turns. . . or maybe its just that my life has a lot of surprises. Oh well, here are the next three...

37. I'm grateful for the opportunity to progress in life. I am especially grateful when I see opportunities come to my children or their own growth and progress.

38. I'm grateful my freezer was fixed today and for the nice gentleman who did that for us. No more living with a towel at the base of my fridge. I should just say I am grateful when my appliances and cars run smoothly. It sure makes life easier.

39. I'm grateful the roads were less slick than yesterday so it made it easy to pick up Dad from the hospital.
I love the snow, driving in it - not so much. But, I'm grateful for four-wheel drive, for the sand that was on the roads today that wasn't yesterday and that my dad could just walk out of the hospital two days after he had a massive heart attack. His doctors said 60% of people with his kind don't survive, so just being able to pick him up and bring him safely home felt like a tremendous blessing for me. Surely in all the hard stuff, the Lord still blesses us. I see it and feel His Spirit with me a lot. And I am VERY grateful!

Thanks 31-36

Well, yestterday was a day I do not want to repeat, but even in that there are things to express gratitude.

31. I'm grateful my dad survived his heart attack.
32. I'm grateful I didn't crash the car as I was driving on the freeway when my mom called me with the news.
33. I'm grateful I could communicate so easily with modern technology via text, phone messages on cell phones or directly to their cells with each of my brothers.
34. I'm grateful that my husband could take over my hard jobs and just step in when I needed to be at the hospital.
35. I'm grateful that there was so much support from my church family.
36. I'm grateful when I got home that there was dinner brought over by my neighbor. She is an angel.

Thanks 28 -30

28. I'm thankful for prayer.

29. I'm thankful for my education.

30. I'm thankful for the changing seasons.

Thanks 22 - 27 and some pictures too

I realized why I keep getting behind on my Thanks - I don't use my laptop on Sundays. 

So, to make it up to you I'm posting a few photos of what things are going on around here. 

Nov. 1 MyGirl got out all the Thanksgiving decor and went to town.

 I rearranged some things - moving the pumpkins over the dining room with the little ceramic turkeys

 I've made several cards lately. This is the only one that got photographed.

 The Relief Society Presidency gave me this for my upcoming birthday, and to thank me for my service as compassionate service leader which I got recently released from.

 MyGirl copied these to give to here VT sisters, and made a copy for us also. 

Its a quote by Pres. Monson and I love it!

 And last but not least is the cute advent project she and I made last weekend.

Its waiting in BigBuddys room until after Thanksgiving to be part of the Christmas decor.
Each door has a Candy Cane Kiss and Andes Mint inside. I'm going to add a service event to each day too, but don't have that organized yet. . . . but I will.

 This project was created by downloading svg files for the Cameo Silhouette that my friend bought. 

However, cute as it is, it was a pain for my friend to have to cut the doors, and get everything worked out right for all five of us that made this. It took about 4 hours to make and isn't the kind of project I would teach to a group. She was a braver woman than I, but I'm still glad we did it, and I'm grateful that she would go to all the headaches as I just am not up to that. 

 I hope it helps us to feel the Spirit of Christmas by giving and gets us celebrating the season by looking outside ourselves and focusing on others.

On to my Thanks for yesterday and today:

22. I am grateful to be accompanying our church choir for the Christmas program this year. I'm also accompanying Littlebuddy that same day as he performs on the viola a medley of Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful and The First Noel. It does my heart good to play beautiful Christmas music, and while the choir arrangements are difficult, I'm grateful for the chance they give me to practice and keep my skills up. It also gives me and my son something meaningful to work towards together and I always love that with my children.

23. I am grateful for the scriptures. As we read them in Sunday School yesterday my heart was pricked with things I can be doing to a greater measure. As we read them at home I am grateful to share with my children the truths of the Lord. We have had a lot of really good discussions lately as they ask questions and I LOVE that!

24. I am grateful for the good people that I have met wherever I have lived. Everyone has their struggles and everyone has their strengths and weaknesses but I can always find people that want to do good, that are kind hearted and that I can learn from whether by their example or by the words they speak. And I'm glad they're all imperfect because I am too.

25. I am thankful for the home I live in. As I think about those who have lost everything as natural disasters continually dot the earth it is such a feeling of peace to have a home intact with whatever belongings you have. And, so difficult for those without. My heart aches for them all.

26. I am thankful for hugs. When someone gives you one you don't have to say a lot. You just know that they care and they care enough to reach out and touch you. When they are genuine you just feel good inside, and I'm grateful for those who hug me because they love me. Its a great blessing to give those and receive them too.

27. I am thankful for Pinterest. The good quotes that I read, the creative ideas I see, the practical tips I read, all remind me that there are a lot of people out there who are looking for good, being productively creative, trying to save money and bless their families just like I am. I, for one, don't feel any pressure to be like anyone. I'm just inspired by the ideas they feed me and often after spending time on that site I just want to go and be more productive and do more good, and bless my family in the ways that I can. We all have unique ways of doing that and I'm inspired by this place of sharing. Its like an awesome Homemaking meeting. Some things you try, most you don't, but you're grateful you could be there to learn. I love that.

Thanks 19-21

Thanks for:

19. Good church community that not only teaches the gospel of Jesus Christ but reaches out in love towards one another.

20. This beautiful world - the sunrises, the majestic mountains, a rainbow over the ocean, a small meadow in the middle of the forest, the prairie grass that blows in the wind, the colors of the leaves in the Fall, snow when you just wake up with the sun shining upon it, sunsets, clouds of various sizes and shapes, a single blossom. . . beauty.

21. Blessings that come unexpectedly. These are the tender mercies of life.

Thanks 16-18

16.  I'm thankful for the abundance of foods we have. We are blessed to enjoy so many different choices.

17. I'm thankful for the good friends of my children that help them to keep their standards and want to make good choices.

18. I'm thankful for the gift of choice. No matter how bad things can get I can still make choices in how I react to things and that gives me a certain amount of control of my own destiny and I like that. I really do.

Thankful 13-15

Today
13. I'm feeling very grateful for our Pilgrim ancestors. Both Mike and I have relatives who sailed on the Mayflower. His survived, and were the first couple married- Priscilla and John Alden. Mine, Edward Fuller and his unknown wife, passed away that first winter. However, knowing that they all came to America to have the freedom to worship God as they pleased makes my heart full of gratitude. I am happy to keep their legacy and make worship a priority in my life.

14. I am grateful for the ability to love and be loved. Its truly what keeps life worth living.

15. I am grateful for all the services that are part of this century and decade I live in. From trash removal to electricity and gas, these all make my life so much easier and able to concentrate on more weighty matters. I am blessed!

Thanks 10- 12

10. I am thankful there is humanitarian services to help all the disasters. I hope the people in the Phillipines get what they need.

11. I am grateful for the sunshine; its warmth, its light, and the way I feel when I see it shine.

12. I am grateful for washing machines. . . it sure beats doing it by hand.

Thanks 4-9

Woops, missed yesterday.

4. I am thankful for the blessings of having my parents live so close.
5. I am thankful for the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the blessings of comfort, peace and hope He offers.
6. I am thankful for the compassion of my friends who care about me and my family.

7. I am thankful for each night I get a good sleep.
8. I am thankful I am a mother.
9. I am thankful for modern technology and its ability to let me keep in touch with loved ones far away.

Thanks 1-3

1. I'm thankful for the health of my family. Its not perfect but we're all still here and I'm grateful for that.

2. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be creative. Today my daughter and I made a really cute advent and baked our most favorite cake - Apple cake with caramel glaze. Fun times!

3. I'm thankful for all the hard work my husband does to keep our family going.

A Treasured Tradition

Back in the days when this guy was about this little, it was Thanksgiving Day.

No company had come to town, I hadn't thought to invite anyone, and we weren't going anywhere. Its one of the few years ever that this happened as I recall. Cowgirl was already at college and it was just going to be the five of us.

Big and Littlebuddies had gone out in the backyard to play basketball. It was a mild and lovely day. I was inside preparing the dinner. I had set the table with three little candy corns tucked under the place cards on the table. Its a tradition that has been observed in my family long before I joined the scene and one I'm sure we'll celebrate to the end of our days. It MAKES Thanksgiving for me.

As I walked into the dining room a little later to set something on the table, I noticed at LittleBuddy's place there were lots more than three pieces of candy corn. LOTS. 

When the boys came in the house, I invited LittleBuddy in the dining room with me.  He looked at me with big eyes, waiting to see what the consequences of emptying the bag of candy corn at his place were going to be.  "I see that you're really grateful for a lot of things this year, " I said as I looked at the overflowing candy and my son.  He nodded slowly. "How about you count that candy for us and then if you can write down something  you're grateful for, next to every number, you can keep all the candy."  

Eager to keep the treats, he began his list. There were 42 pieces there, and it caused him to really think about what he was most thankful for. I kept the list. I remember how earnest he was as he wrote so many things down.  Its in his scrapbook next to the picture of his place setting with all the candy. I was grateful family was #2 on his list, even above friends which placed #3.

Its a treasured memory for me, and a treasured tradition. 

That year, LittleBuddy read all 42 things on his list and the rest of us shared the three we're most thankful for. There are twenty days left until Thanksgiving. 

I am counting my blessings early. I have a lot to be thankful for this year.  Even when life is challenging, the Lord continues to bless us and to see it so clearly just makes me not want to wait two and half more weeks. 

I plan on spending the rest of the month thinking of three things every day that I am most grateful for and writing them down. Somehow I don't think I'll have a hard time writing down 60 things. 

And I don't even need any candy corn as incentive.