Thankfulness: Day #30

Really, 30 days will never be enough to express all that I am thankful for. And this November's thankful list, once again, reminds me to find something, anything, to be thankful for each day, if not simply the day itself. I tried to touch on random things to be thankful for this year: technology, my couch, my co-workers.

It just goes without saying, although I'll say it now, that I am thankful for...

life: for all the adventures I've had & all that are still to come; for my family: which includes two wonderful munchkins that light up my world; for Jesus Christ, my Lord & Saviour: who gives me hope & peace & joy, who died on the cross to save little ole me (& little ole you), who loves me (& you) more than could ever be imagined. He is why I have a happy heart; for my health: though I had some scares this year, I went through crap to gain a new perspective (& that was a good thing)...

I know that goodness & blessing rain down on me every day.

Sometimes, like a giant sponge, I soak up every drop.

But sometimes I may just be in too much of a funk to recognize it.

Or other times I may take it all for granted.

So I will make an effort, every day, to pause & affirm those gifts that are mine.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #29

I'm thankful for...

...a found puppy!!

I know several of you have been asking, & I'm SO happy to report that he has been found!

My friend's puppy, Steev, went missing. And, oh what a horrible feeling that is. I haven't experienced that so-sad-you-feel-sick-in-the-gut feeling in a long time. And he's not even my dog! That must mean I like him or something. It's really hard to see your friend so sad & not be able to do anything about it. We looked & looked & looked but couldn't find the little brown monster. 

 BUT, a nice lady found him (apparantly not too far from his home, but across Main Street nonetheless) & took him home, with the intent to call the authorities the next morning. And she did. Steev & his mommy master were reunited the next day.

I'm so relieved! And thankful! The day he was gone really was one of the saddest days ever.

I bet he gets a microchip in his stocking this year.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #28

I'm thankful for...

...everyone who came & played along at my Cyber Monday sale. It means so much to me. I had tons of fun! I would make a sale, & then immediately go shopping online for Christmas gifts. And then I'd make another sale & do the same thing. I even went holiday shopping for the girls today, with the Mr. in tow. So, thanks for that! I appreciate you very much!!

♥

Thankfulness: Day #27

I'm thankful for...

...a new perspective.

The Mr. made a fort for the girls by tipping our sofas & chairs face-forward & propping pillows & blankets here & there. It was a regular couch castle.

Zoey & Pazely played their hearts out & then it was time for bed. The couches stayed as they were.

And, instead of propping them back to their rightful upright spots, I left them as they were. And I re-propped some pillows, grabbed my crafty supplies, tuned into "The Sing-Off on nbc.com, & had a marvelous time in the leftover fort while the rest of the house snoozed.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #26

I'm thankful for...

...a warm house.

Tonight we went to dinner at some friends' house.

Four hours later, when we scooted outside to get in our van & drive home, it was BITTERLY cold.

I HATE the cold. Like, a lot.

I was so happy when we pulled into our driveway, ran through the opened garage door & up the stairs into the kitchen. It was warm & cozy.

And I am thankful.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #25

I'm thankful for...

...a chance at getting to meet new family.

Because, really, I always wondered about them. I didn't wonder to the point of actually making a true effort at finding them though. I was intimidated by the thought of it all. Not sure I wanted to open that door. (It's a big door to open.) But when my sister discovered me via facebook, then I guessed that it was supposed to happen one way or another. Meeting my family last Christmas in Seattle was so thrilling!
And, having a visit from my birth father last month was really neat.
Although I am not the best at keeping up with communicating with my newly found father, & I'm sure he thinks I'm not interested in a relationship, I'm happy inside, though tentative & nervous at the same time. Don't know why, just am.
But either way, I'm thankful to have another part of the "Nikki mystery" solved.
♥

Thankfulness: Day #24

I'm thankful for...

...this quiet Thanksgiving.

And, really, it wasn't that quiet. But it was just the 4 of us in the WhiMSy love household.
While I was doing my thang in the kitchen, hubby watched movies. The girls fought half the time & the other half they played in the sunshine, streaming through the kitchen window, right at my feet.

I felt a tiny bit of sorrow for being so far away from my family this holiday, but I was grateful for the chance it gave me to build memories with my own little family.
This was the first year I made Thanksgiving dinner too.
I tried my best. And I'm rather proud of myself.
Though I cooked casseroles & stuffing & a pie, I wimped out & didn't cook a real turkey. We ate Jennie-O pre-cooked turkey breast. NOT the same, let me tell you. It only made me long for the real thing. Hubby & I decided that when I do this again, I've definitely gotta try a real turkey.
It felt like the longest day ever. But in a good way.
And, however silly it sounds: I felt like I grew up today.
♥

Thankfulness: Day #23

I'm thankful for...

...Zoey & Pazely's teachers.

Every year, I like to gift their teachers. Specifically at holidays. Or on the first day of fall (which really should be a holiday.) Or when the girls & I have made something new & we want to share it. And it's not to gain brownie points or get my kid on the 'teacher's pet' list.

It's because I'm grateful. For nearly 7 1/2 hours a day, 5 days a week, I hand my girls over to teachers, & trust that my munchkins will learn. Teachers are helping to grow knowledge & endow wisdom in those little brains. Teachers are even sometimes the disciplinarian that some of their student's parents fail to be. Teachers train your kids to do their best, to make good with what they have. Teachers help children discover their talents. Teachers help grow those little people into responsible adults. Teachers help to affirm the things I already knew about my children & give me insight about the things I was unaware.

I mean, really....pumpkin butter?

It's the least I can do.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #22

I'm thankful for...

...a helpful Mr.

He takes the girls to school every morning.

And helps with the dishes.

And vacuums.

And takes out the trash.

And does his own laundry. (Due to a "pink laundry" incident when we were first married. But, hey, the point is: he does his own laundry.)

And he sometimes helps with the rest of the laundry.

And he takes care of the bills.

And other stuff.

And I don't think I let him know enough how much I appreciate that.

(And the fact that I have no picture to accompany today's post is perfect. On the rare occasion he obliges, but mostly he hates it when I photograph him.)

♥

Thankfulness: Day #21

I'm thankful for...

...my couch.

Some days it's hard to find something to be thankful for.

Especially when I'm feeling sickly & rather selfish & whiny.

But I love my couch. Particularly on days like this.

It's giant & cushy & cozy & swallows me up.

It's one of the first purchases the Mr. & I made together 12 years ago.

Even Tia, 1200 miles away, misses my couch.

It's a great nappin' couch.

And an excellent ploppin' sofa.

And it's one of my most favorite places to hang out in the house.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #20

I'm thankful for...

...free entertainment.

I call this photo "Happy Feet".

The Mr. had helped a friend move furniture earlier in the day & brought home a giant sheet of bubble wrap. Zoey carefully counted the rows of bubbles & split it in two equal parts. I tossed the wrap on the floor & watched the girls, fresh out of the tub & in their jammies, dance.

Oh, here's something else the girls picked up for free over the weekend.

Who needs video games & hours of TV watching when you got stuff like this??

♥

Thankfulness: Day #19

I'm thankful for...

...my thoughtful Zoey.

The other night I went into Zoey's room & saw that she was reading "Ramona the Brave". I suddenly remembered that I am pretty sure I read that book as a kid & thought it would be fun to read again.

So, I asked her: "Zoey, can I borrow that book when you're done?"

 She replied, "Well, it's the school's book, mom. I need to bring it back. But I suppose I could ask my teacher if I could just keep it for longer."

"No," I said. "I'll just borrow it from the library sometime."

The girls spent a large part of the weekend with some of my friends. Included in all their fun were things like: a picnic, late night movies, painting pictures, pheasant feather plucking, walky-talky adventures, playing with Steev, visiting goats, seeing bucks in the backyard, spying kitties on the farm, & a visit to the library. When they returned home, Zoey handed me this book.

She had found it for me at the library.

Sweetest, most thoughtful thing ever??

I think so.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #18

I'm thankful for...

...technology.

Mostly 'cause it keeps me "closer" to my family.

I'm a family girl.

Love my family. 

Still feel like I sometimes stumble around 'cause I'm so far away from them & without my family I can feel lost & lonley.

I'll never get used to the distance.

Sometimes my heart aches so great.

But the texting, the skyping...

It helps.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #17

I'm thankful for...

...moments like these.

Last night, Pazely lost another tooth. She wrote a note to the tooth fairy that read:

"From Pazely. Dear Toothfairy, Can I borrow my tooth for show and tell tomarow. pur your anser hear ---->"

Without kids of my own, I wouldn't get very many moments like these. They are priceless. And they definitely fill my joy tank to overflowing. 

This is how the Toothfairy responded:

"I suppose that's ok dear. But don't expect extra cash when I get the tooth back for real. Love the Toothfairy."

(Apparantly the Toothfairy has the penmanship of an old lady with a shaky wrist. Or else she wrote the note with her left hand perhaps?)

Pazely ran into my room this morning to show me the dollar she got from the Toothfairy. She was so excited! I asked her, "Well, what did the tooth fairy say about borrowing your tooth?"

She replied, "I couldn't read it. It was in Spanish."

♥

Thankfulness: Day #16

I'm thankful for...

...laughter.

I love to laugh. And I love making other people laugh.

Every week, I talk to my mom on the phone & we laugh. It makes me miss my family. Because we sure know how to laugh when we get together. Oh yes, I do miss them.

Sometimes my friend Tia & I (another one I'm missin') just laugh at the dumbest stuff. Everybody else might not "get it". But we "get it".

And laughter as medicine? Definitely.

When I laugh, I just let it all out. You know how some people muffle their laughter or try to make it sound cute? Not me. I guffaw with the best of them. I chortle & the sound echoes. I tend to be super duper loud when I laugh.

But, you know what? I don't care.

**The photo is from April 2010. Pazely & I are fake laughing. Not even making a sound. HAHA!**

♥

Thankfulness: Day #15

I'm thankful for...

...Family Night.

The Mr. & I have really made an effort this past year to dedicate one night a week as "Family Night". We reserve Tuesays for this occasion & the girls look forward to it. In fact, as Pazely was getting ready for school this morning, she asked me, "Mom, what are we going to do tonight?"

Sometimes it's a hot dog weenie roast in the firepit outside. Sometimes it's board games. Sometimes it's dinner out.

Tonight it was lots of things... The girls & I played with some new air-dry clay. Then Pazely & I cleaned up the mess while Zoey & her dad competed in some airplane dogfighting on the Wii. Then, I played with Pazely's hair. Then, I read another chapter of "On the Banks of Plum Creek".

Mostly our plans are on-the-fly. Mostly they are non-extravagant. It's just the fact that we're in the moment with each other. And it makes us all feel good & happy inside.

♥

Thankfulness: Day #14

I'm thankful for...

...my co-workers.

Because they're also my friends.

And one of them was even the girls' elementary principal until he retired & became my boss at the newspaper, while my former boss decided to go serve in the military in Africa. (Show-off. haha!)

They make going to work fun.

Earlier this year we all got to hang out a lot while photographing the Bridgeport Bulldogs high school football games. Away games were the best. More time to goof off & all.

Monday nights, we work from supper time until midnight. And a lot of times Mondays are pretty much laugh fests. We'll even take breaks from working hard on layout or advertising or editing to go outside & fly homemade frisbees or have office chair races down the middle of the street. Or some other silly nonsense.

I mean, I've had some annoying co-workers in my past.

But this is the first time I can say I'm thankful for each & every one.

Was that too mushy?

♥

Thankfulness: Day #13

I'm thankful for...

...a surprise cupcake from my munchkins.
(Because, surprises pretty much rock!)

While out shopping with my fam & some friends yesterday, I escaped to Joanne's while the rest of the group headed to a coffee shop. I gathered the items on my list (& then some, as it usually goes) & waited in line to purchase my crafty bits. While waiting, my girls came inside to surprise me with this cupcake, while Mr. WhiMSy love & our two male friends waited near the holiday fabrics & clearance rack. I was proud of them for even stepping foot inside this place. But they were happy chatting together & sipping their caramel macchiatos.

The girls were so excited as they handed me the boxed treat. They kept saying, "It's red mom!! It's a red cupcake!!"

And that evening, I sliced into my red {velvet} cupcake while sipping chai tea, placing my Scholastic book order for Christmas reads & watching Project Accessory.

I only ate half of the cupcake. I plan on sharing the rest with the girls after school today.
♥

Thankfulness: Day #13

I'm thankful for...

...meds, portable DVD players & TV trays.
They help me take care of sick kidlets.

Well, one sick Zoey this time.
(And the leaf is a gift from her little sister.)
♥

Thankfulness: Day #12

I am thankful for...

...pajamas.

Without them, what would I wear all day?

♥