Month of Thankfulness - Day 30

I am thankful for...
...a weekend with my hubby
...that my best friend is my hubby
...heated seats in the car
...new Christmas decorations
...music (I may have mentioned that once or twice this month)
...my sewing machine (I'm working on a couple of projects and I just love that my machine doesn't cause me any problems)
...BBQ for supper
...a whole room to do my sewing in
...the month ahead to think about Jesus coming to earth
...that Jesus would have come just for me

Month of Thankfulness - Day 29

Today has been a day to be thankful for technology. My niece, who lives in North Carolina, gave birth to twin girls today and my phone has been exploding with text messages and pictures. So fun to be able to see them and my niece right away!

My niece may not like that I posted this picture, but I think she looks fantastic! Last I heard everyone is doing fine. The babies were born at 36 weeks and don't need to be on oxygen and are in the regular nursery. Those tiny girls have two big sisters who were excited to meet them today.

I am thankful for...
...the ability for pictures to be sent instantaneously
...two healthy grand-nieces (or is it great-nieces?)
...a happy mama

Month of Thankfulness - Day 28

A couple of other things about our Thanksgiving week away. (Just for my own memory.)

Our Friday night meal at the family reunion was pizza. This is a tradition in the family. Hubby's aunt (the one in the adorable vest and boots) always made homemade pizza on Saturday nights. She makes THE best homemade pizza. I've watched her make it, but it seems to be one of those secret things that can't be passed on.

There were fifteen pizzas like these in the photo. A bunch of us moms helped with putting the toppings on.

It was delicious.

We talked that night about a cousin of Hubby's who has passed away and how he just loved that pizza. He could eat a whole one all by himself. Good memories.

Saturday we drove to Columbia, Missouri to spend a day shopping in a town with real stores and to eat pizza (yes, again) at one of our favorite pizza places. We lived in Columbia for a number of years and I always enjoy going there and remembering when the kids were little-bitty.

Sunday we drove back home and five minutes after we arrived our son and daughter-in-law pulled in the driveway! Yes, we knew they were coming. They were on their way to the Twin Cities and stopped for a night along the way. Sooooo fun to have them here for a bit. We shared stories about our Thanksgivings and just had a lot of fun together.


I spent today still catching up on laundry. Being gone from home for ten days sure does create a ton of laundry! After I put this last load in the dryer, I'll be done! Well, except for the fact that we keep taking showers here and we keep getting clothes dirty.  

SIGH.

It's never really done, is it?

I've also been working on catching up on sleep. Last night I slept for ten and a half hours! It felt so good! I know the "experts" say you can't really catch up on sleep, but then why do I feel so much more rested today after that looong night's sleep?

I am thankful for...
...good memories from the family reunion
...a whole ten days spent with my hubby (the withdrawal is never easy)
...laundry that is all washed and dried and all put away
...homemade spaghetti sauce in the freezer that makes a yummy quick meal
..sleep

Month of Thankfulness - Day 26

I know, I know.....

 I should really call this "Month of Thankfulness Minus One Week."

When I set out at the beginning of the month to write daily about things that I am thankful for I didn't think through that we would be gone for a good part of a week. And that we would be without any phone service or internet.

Thus my silence for the last week.

As I wrote about before my week off, we had a marvelous long weekend hanging out with our kids the weekend before Thanksgiving. As we were driving out of their town, I told hubby that I was so excited that the fun wasn't over. Where were we going? To a family reunion! This was a reunion of my father-in-law's family. There were a total of 59 family members and some extras. It was a wonderful time. My father-in-law has five siblings. They were all there, but sadly my father and mother-in-law were not able to make it. They are struggling with some health issues. (Father-in-law had surgery today to remove a superficial cancerous tumor from his bladder.) So Hubby and I represented that part of the family.

Here is a photo of the five siblings (ages ranging from 68-84). One sister is reading from their mother's journal. They sat here for quite a while reading the journal and laughing and telling childhood stories on each other. Such a treasure. The brother second from the left lives in Argentina. I haven't seen him since 1994. I so enjoyed listening to them and taking photos.

We gathered at a church camp that a cousin is the director for. Perfect location for a huge gang. Lots of housing, big dining hall, a kitchen to fix oodles of food in and several people who love to cook for crowds.

Thanksgiving Dinner consisted of something like three roasted turkeys, two smoked turkeys, some deep fat fried turkey nuggets, six turkey breasts, and a ham. Oh and a little tofu turkey. All that and sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, corn, 40 or so pies and rolls.

The Post Thanksgiving Dinner Coma:

It was such a good time with family we don't see often. People were there from three countries, and nine different states. The ages ranged from 4 1/2 months to 91 years. So awesome to have everyone together.

I must end this with a picture of Hubby's 81 year old aunt. She is so styling. She knit that long vest herself. In fact she made up the pattern herself!

I can't decide what I like the best, the vest, the necklace or the jeans tucked into the boots.

I am thankful for...
...family (even the one I married into)
...good cooks
...yummy food
...a wonderful weekend of fellowship

Month of Thankfulness - Day 20

Hubby and I spent a good part of today sitting at stoplights. We were shopping around Kansas City. And that means we were driving a lot around Kansas City. We enjoy shopping together and it was good to knock some items off our list.

The kids were all busy with their jobs and school during the day, so we entertained ourselves well  by using GPS and finding the places we needed and a little lunch at Chick-fil-A. Yum.

At the end of the day we met our daughter and son-in-law at an Asian market. I think I mentioned in my post about our visit to St. Louis that we enjoy wandering around different ethnic grocery stores. Asian ones are particularly fun because of having lived in Singapore for three years. Son-in-law spent quite a bit of time in Thailand when he was a college student. He's a terrific cook and likes to fix Thai food and other Asian yummies. He knew of the Asian market, so the four of us met there and spent about an hour wandering around. I had no intentions of buying anything, but Hubby found lots of items that were too good to pass up. The prices there were quite low, so that helped.

I'll treat you with a few photos from the market. You're welcome.

Every shelf in this aisle is full of different kinds of soy sauce. I remember it being like this when we lived in Singapore. I had no idea what to buy. So I bought Kikkoman. Sad, I know. Hubby picked out some robust flavored stuff today. I'll be anxious to try it.

Anyone know what Durian is? In Southeast Asia they call it the King of Fruits. Those weapon looking things are a bit smaller than a volley ball. And. Oh. The. Smell. Hubby's boss always said it was something along the lines of dirty sweat socks that had been left in a gym bag too long. And let me tell you that smell is STRONG.  I never tried it when we lived in Southest Asia. Never could bring myself to do it because of the smell. But there are people who love it.

 The labels on these little bottles say "Green Green." No idea. They were near a bunch of Lucky Bamboo plants, so maybe a kind of plant food?

The day ended with the six of us going out for dinner at one of Caleb and Amanda's favorite restaurants. So fun to all be together.

I am thankful for...
...a day in a big city with my sweet hubby
...my son helping me with my new cell phone
...fun experiences with the gang
...interesting new foods to try
...being with my kids


P.S. Hubby and I are headed to a family reunion over the Thanksgiving holiday. I don't think I will have internet access, so even though I intended for this to be a whole month's worth of daily thanksgiving posts, it probably won't be. I will definitely post about all the Thanksgiving Family Reunion Fun when I get back to internet connection.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Month of Thankfulness - Day 19

^{Romans 8:35, 36-39}

 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

I am thankful for...

...the love of Christ 

...the fact that nothing can separate me from that love.

Month of Thankfulness - Day 18

Sunday: A Blessed Day

Hubby and I joined our son and daughter-in-law at their church this morning for worship. I love their church. The music is always fantastic. Today's instruments were a piano and a cello. (The sound of a cello just gives me the chills.) I am so thankful that they are able to worship at a church that truly preaches the gospel. I always get so much practical stuff from the sermons. Every sermon wraps up with the gospel message. The service usually ends with me in tears, I am so moved. What really got me today was being served communion by my son and daughter-in-law. Words cannot describe the emotions. What kind of a loving God do we have that would allow me (& hubby) to experience that moment?

After that simply marvelous morning we enjoyed a yummy BBQ lunch and some fun shopping with the son and daughter-in-law.

Then I spent three and a half hours at Panera (which in and of itself would be great) with an old friend. We first met in choir when Hubby and I were first married and lived in Wichita, Kansas. My friend and I have moved around a lot over the years and even lost touch for several years. We got back in touch and text each other often, but don't often get the opportunity to actually see each other. This trip it happened to work out that we were both able to spend some time together. SO MUCH FUN! I don't think we really spent three and a half hours just sitting there talking, but that is what the clock indicated, so I guess I have to believe it.

This evening we enjoyed a late supper with our daughter and son-in-law. They encouraged us to try something brand new to Hubby and I.

Sushi! At one point in my life I thought I would never want to eat sushi. Megan and Zach have told us about this place and we said we'd like to go with them sometime if they would order for us. And can I say? We really did like it! I'd go again (with someone who knew what they were ordering).

I am thankful for...
...God's truth being preached
...singing with the body of Christ
...partaking in communion
...an afternoon spent with a friend I first met 28 years ago
...that friendship
...my daughter
...the enjoyment of food

Month of Thankfulness -- Day 17

Another lovely day here in the land of Oz. (or is it Ahs?)

I just commented to my hubby that coming here to hang out with the kids for this half a week was a really great idea. Funny thing is, neither of us can remember who was the first one to suggest it. In my opinion, that's one of the beautiful things of 28 years of marriage. The two of us tend to think alike and we talk things through as though we were one. Hey! I think that was God's plan all along!

Our day started with a late breakfast with our daughter and son-in-law. Yummy, yummy food and great company. The belly laughs sure helped too!

The rest of the day was spent playing dominoes;

 

 (I didn't win one single game. I may or may not have been distracted with my new toy phone.)

and watching this little guy's antics:

(I'm not really clear on why he did this. But he seemed very happy.)

Megan fixed us some yummy soup and fresh bread for an early supper, and then Hubby and son went to a football game. Their Alma Maters were playing each other in football. Us girls went shopping at........
wait for it....
TARGET! So fun to wander around together.

I'm thankful for...
...my kids (all four: the two I raised and the two we were blessed with)
...laughter
...that silly dog
...God's blessings on our family
...the oneness in marriage

Month of Thankfulness - Day 16

I have just had THE best day and I am overflowing with thankfulness.

Hubby and I are spending a chunk of time with our kids. They will both be at their in-law's for the Thanksgiving holiday so we thought we'd go hang out with them for several days.

I think the best way to recap this day is to go right into my list:

I am thankful for...
...breakfast at Chic-fil-a
...more time in the car with Hubby (I was in a very chatty mood this morning and he put up with me graciously)
...almost TWO hours at the Missouri Star Quilt Company (such a great quilt shop and I had so much fun chatting with several different people. I even got a signed pattern from Jenny. She does the YouTube tutorials. SO MUCH FUN!)
...the joy my hubby has when I am excited about buying a bunch of fabric
...my hubby's encouragement of my hobby and my obsession love of all things quilting
...lunch at Panera (LOVE their Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich)
...Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shakes from Chic-fil-a's
...an afternoon and evening spent with my son and daughter-in-law
...watching the very first Star Wars movie with my son and daughter-in-law
...celebrating daughter-in-law being 7/8 of a doctor with a yummy supper
...a new cell phone (!)
...my son's willingness to be my tech support and adviser in choosing a new cell phone

***happy sigh***

Month of Thankfulness - Day 15

I am thankful for...
...time in the car with my hubby
...supper with old friends
...BBQ and ice cream
...my cell phone which is now dead :(

Month of Thankfulness - Day 14

Today was a Pinterest day in action.

My first task was to use this scrub for shaving my legs. It combines sugar, oil and lime or lemon juice. It does a wonderful job of making my legs super smooth. I've used it a couple of times. The only drawback is that it makes a mess of the shower. The oil makes it kinda slimy. (Would it be tacky to take that mixture with me when I am going to stay in a hotel and let someone else clean it up?)

The next task, then, was to clean the shower up. I used this tip for cleaning the shower. Basically you combine vinegar and Dawn dish-washing liquid and spray on the walls. It did a good job. My shower isn't spotless, but then it was quite grungy, I'm embarrassed to say. I'd use that mixture again.

For supper tonight we had tomato soup, sliced apples and grilled cheese sandwiches (yes, I burned one side) on some whole grain bread I bought at Panera. I also doctored up the sandwiches some with some sun-dried tomato pesto. Mmmm! I found that recipe on Pinterest as well. Here's a link to the original post. I only made a half a recipe and that seems to be plenty for the two of us. I put the extra in the freezer.

(See? I told you it was a Pinterest Day in action.)

Whew! I'm tuckered out. I haven't even opened a box of stuff I ordered from Lands' End that Mr. UPS delivered today. And yesterday I got a quilt back from the Missouri Star Quilt Company that needs a binding sewn on it.

Name this kitchen gadget:

No, I didn't find this on Pinterest. :) I just used it tonight when I made the sun-dried tomato pesto. It takes the skin off of garlic cloves. I had seen it in kitchen gadget stores I had always wondered if it really worked. I told Hubby that when we in a kitchen store and he encouraged me to just go ahead and buy it. It really works! I totally love it.

I am thankful for...
...a place to easily find ideas and recipes
...a new kitchen gadget that works well
...a clean shower
...having an evening at home with my Hubby

Month of Thankfulness - Day 13

I'm finally getting around to posting this kind of late tonight. I was out of town until this evening, then Hubby and I had to talk for a while to catch up on each other's day.  Now we're watching the evening news and I thought I'd better get to writing.

Where did I go today? I drove back to the town we lived in previously to get my hair done. The gal there has done my hair for 11 years and I just can't seem to bring myself to find someone new. So every couple of months I make the 90 mile drive. She and I always have a great conversation and she is a magician at taking years off my look! ;) I also add in a little Target shopping while I'm in that town. So it's worth the drive, of course.

As I've said before, I love to listen to music while I drive. Today's indulgence was Travis Cottrell. He does the worship for Beth Moore's Living Proof Live conferences. Today's CD is called When The Stars Burn Down. The last song on the CD is called Thanks Be To Our God. Awesome, awesome song. I hit repeat multiple songs and have my own little worship service.

(And it's taking me a long time to finish this because I am distracted with Pinterest and chatting with a friend on Facebook and email and look! at all those pretty pictures on Pinterest...)

(I'm easily distracted tonight)

(Squirrel!) (Name that movie...)

I am thankful for...
...music (again!) (surprise!)
...my hair magician
...coming home to my hubby
...Target
...for these lyrics:

For the mysteries beyond the veil of death,
For the peace that opens with our closing breath,
When our struggles pass away, and we finally see Your face,
And a greater glory rises into You.
Thanks be to our God! 

Month of Thankfulness - Day 12

I am thankful for...
...God's word that is alive and speaks to me daily
...prayer
...music (kind of a common theme, huh?)
...homemade applesauce
...homemade poptarts

Month of Thankfulness - Day 11

Seasons.

They come and they go.

This morning hubby and I stayed put and didn't make the almost hour drive to church. It was raining and thirty degrees. After I finished getting dressed, (I was three fourths of the way through putting on my makeup, so I finished that and fixed my hair.) Hubby suggested we sing some songs. So he lugged out one of his huge binders of music, sat down at the piano and I pulled up a chair from the kitchen island and sat behind him. We sang for probably thirty minutes. Well, Hubby played, I sang. Hubby is a wonderful pianist. He played for worship at our church in the previous town we lived in. I sometimes sang with the worship team. When the kids were still at home they would help with worship as well. Megan played the piano some and sang (beautifully). Caleb played his guitar and sometimes his alto saxophone.

When we finished our two person worship service this morning. I kinda sighed and said, "I miss singing for worship." I thought for a while and said, "It was a good season when we did that."

Earlier last week when I was visiting my sister-in-law, I apologized to her for mumbling about my current life situation. She just hugged me and said, "I understand. It's just a season." ( I can't tell you how relieving that simple statement was to me. It says to me that she just accepts where I am and trusts that change is coming. She's a sweetheart. I am blessed to have known her for close to 25 years.)

Sister-in-law is right. Seasons change. Winter doesn't last forever (even though by March here in the North Country it seems like it will never end). Everything is for a season. Situations change. Our attitude and outlook on life changes. 

As I was mulling over this whole seasons thing, the song Every Season by Nicole Nordeman came to mind. I remember listening to this when we were living in Singapore. (I'm sure the kids remember...they say there are certain CDs that remind them of driving around Singapore.) I suppose it caught my attention then because of the whole theme of seasons. (In Singapore, the weather is the same every day since the country is only 80 mile north of the equator.)

I found this YouTube video some creative person put together. It's Nicole Nordeman's song put to pictures of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Awesome.



Some of my favorite lyrics:

Still I notice You when change begins
And I am braced for colder winds
I will offer thanks for what has been and was to come
You are autumn 

And this last verse perfectly describes why Spring is my all time favorite season:

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are re-creating me
Summer, autumn, winter, spring

I am thankful for...

...music and singing

...my husband's ability to play the piano beautifully

...seasons

Month of Thankfulness - Day 10

Gadgets.

I am a sucker for kitchen gadgets. Send me into a store that has kitchen gadgets and I can get lost for a long, long time as I look everything over.

Last month I made a huge batch of applesauce cooked in my crockpot. I spent a little more than an hour peeling, coring and cutting up apples.  And ended up with yummy applesauce and a sore hand.

After that hour I made a momentous decision. I decided to buy the ultimate kitchen gadget. I bought one of these:

This is the slickest thing ever invented!  I know, I know. It's been around forever and ever. I've eyed them (for over 20 years) whenever I looked through a Pampered Chef catalog. I just finally decided I would put it to good use. Today I bought a ton of apples. I like to use a lot of different varieties. I probably had 6 or 7 different kinds of apples. I set up my nifty new apple peeler/corer/slicer and went to town.

Here's what left after a few turns of the handle:

In LESS THAN THIRTY MINUTES this is what I had:

I know it's overflowing, but it will all cook down. Those brown sticks are cinnamon sticks. All I add to the apples is cinnamon sticks and lemon zest. Well, I would add lemon zest if I had a lemon. I didn't, so today I just added a splash of lemon juice. I don't add any sugar.

I am looking forward to...
...kitchen gadgets
...apples
...a hubby who works hard on little jobs around the house to keep the house in tip-top shape
...a warm Saturday in November

Month of Thankfulness - Day 9

The other day when I was getting new tires for my car, I was listening to some music while I was on the road. Whenever I drive somewhere by myself I love to crank some music and sing along at the top of my lungs. I currently have three CDs that I adore. One is Christy Nockels and the other two are Kari Jobe. This week I listened to Kari Jobe's song What Love is This. Awesome words. 




You never change, You are the God You say You are
When I'm afraid You calm and still my beating heart
You stay the same, when hope is just a distant thought
You take my pain
And You lead me to the cross

What love is this, that You gave Your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess You're always enough for me
You're all I need

I look to You
I see the scars upon Your hands
And hold the truth
That when I can't You always can
I'm standing here beneath the shadow of the cross, I'm overwhelmed that I
Keep finding open arms
What love is this that You gave Your life for me and made a way for me to
Know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
You're all I need

Jesus in Your suffering, You were reaching; You thought of me
Jesus in Your suffering, You were reaching; You thought of me

What love is this, that You gave Your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
You're all I need

What love is this, that You gave Your life for me
And made a way for me to know You
And I confess, You're always enough for me
Always enough for me
Always enough for me


I am thankful for...
...music
...Jesus  Christ and that He gave His life for me
...that I can have a personal relationship with Jesus
...that I can have eternal life

Month of Thankfulness - Day 8

Two days ago I wrote about fixing Potato Bologna for supper and a couple of my bloggy friends said they hadn't heard of it.

It's a Swedish thing. My mom is a full Swede, the second generation born in this country. (Her two grandmothers came to this country when they were girls.) My mom fixes Swedish Potato Bologna for Christmas dinner every year. It's a very simple recipe: Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Onion, Potato, Salt and Pepper. (Right Mom?) The onion and potato are grated and the whole thing mixed together and then put in casings. My mom has a sausage stuffer that she attaches to the kitchen table, the meat mixture is put in the top, crank the handle, then it oozes out through a tube into the casing. I know Mom used to get the casing from a local meat locker (pig intestine --ew), I don't know if she still does. (Mom?)

Anyway.

There is a grocery store chain that is an Iowa based chain and near Christmas-time they carry Potato Bologna. This small town has one of those stores and when shopping there earlier this week, I wandered by the meat counter and saw they were selling Potato Bologna! I did a little happy dance and bought some for us. I will likely repeat that over the next few months several times. To cook it, I boil it for about 30 minutes. Then I brown it in a skillet. My mom says her mother would do the browning step. Mom doesn't, mostly because she makes so much of it, logistically it would take just forever and who has forever when there is a swarm of people waiting for Christmas dinner?

So that's Potato Bologna. Any questions bloggy friends?

Yesterday I took my car to get new tires. I got to go to The Big City! That is a reason for a happy dance for this city-girl-stuck-in-a-small-town. My book and I enjoyed a lunch at Panera (of course), the car got its work done, then there was a little bit of shopping. I even squeezed in a visit with my sister-in-law. I was at a store just a few miles from her house and decided to text her to see if I could stop by for 30 minutes. She was home and said to come on by. I checked the time on my phone as I walked up on the house and was determined to only stay for 30 minutes. ha. I was there for 75 minutes. What can I say? Sister-in-law is easy to talk with!

I am thankful for...
...the traditional foods my mom fixes
...the pretty new tires on my car
...The Big City
...my sister-in-law's compassion (when I was telling her about something hard she got tears in her eyes before I even did)
...a phone call from a friend this afternoon who talked me through a decision I was trying to make

Month of Thankfulness - Day 7

A couple of weekends ago our son and his lovely wife came for a visit. I can tell you I was quite excited to have some company and loved planning the meals for the weekend. I tried three or four new recipes. (And they all turned out to be yummy!) One of my son Caleb's favorite meals is my homemade chicken noodle soup and home made biscuits. So, of course, that was our lunch on the Saturday when they were here.

When Caleb was a little boy he would watch me cut out the biscuits and ask me for a piece of the dough scraps.

He still likes the dough scraps:

See how excited he is?

 Here's a collage of him enjoying the meal:

Despite the look on his face in the bottom right photo, he really did like the meal. He's just a goof. A funny goof.

Since they were here on a Friday, Hubby took the whole day off. Well, most of the day. He did go in for one meeting. In the afternoon we went to a historical museum in town here. It was pretty interesting, especially when we stumbled upon this:

This is a photo of my Hubby. Can you see him on the bottom right? I've attempted to blur the rest of the photos to protect the innocent, or something like that. This is a photo of all the Plant Managers. Hubby is the current one. I call this The Plant Manager Hall of Fame. Oooo! (Caleb took the photo of his dad at our daughter's wedding.)

Throughout the weekend we did several things together. We shopped for a plaid flannel shirt for Caleb (what better place than rural Minnesota to find one?) and some cute boots for Amanda. I watched them all play some of our new Wii games. (I didn't play because of my burned fingers. I couldn't really bend them to hold the Wii-mote.) I made them watch a couple of episodes of The Middle I had on the DVR, because it is simply my favorite sit-com. They even laughed. We watched the movie Social Network with them. Quite interesting. I'm glad we recorded it on TV because some of the bad language was edited out.

I am thankful for...
...cool days that are made for homemade chicken noodle soup and biscuits
...my mother-in-law's recipe for biscuits
...the visit with Caleb and Amanda
...laughter with Caleb and Amanda
...my son's hugs

Month of Thankfulness - Day 6

Today was a bit of an Eclectic Election Day.

(See what I did there with that clever use of words?? I amuse myself.)

I did a load of laundry.

I remembered my long-time friend who died a year ago today. I prayed for her family. I cried. I missed her. I gasped when I saw her picture on her sister's Facebook wall. I cried.

I had mac and cheese with bits of lobster in it for lunch.

I voted.

I bought a potato that weighed 1.6 pounds. Yikes!

I knocked the mouth off of a giraffe.

I fixed potato bologna and mashed potatoes and peas for supper. Cherry pie is later.

Wait... what's that you ask? How did I knock the mouth off of a giraffe?

Poor Giraffe. I knocked it off the shelf it was sitting on and the mouth broke off. I just need to figure out what kind of glue to use to fix it. My parents bought it in Uganda for me.


I am thankful for...
...having the privilege to vote
...mashed potatoes
...prayer when I don't know how else I can help my friend's family in their grief
...glue

Month of Thankfulness - Day 5

Today was kind of a fun day for me even though it was Monday. I went out for a late breakfast with my book and enjoyed some reading time and some pumpkin pancakes. Mmmm. After breakfast, I picked up a few things from the grocery store and came home to work in the kitchen while I listened to blues music.

My culinary project was a cherry pie. Why? Because a few weeks ago Hubby and I went out for some pie and the restaurant didn't have any cherry pie. He was bummed. So this morning I decided to make him one.

Whenever I mix up pie crust I think of my mom because the recipe I use is her mother's recipe. So as I was rolling out the crust I stuck my Bluetooth (such an awesome invention) in my ear and gave my mom a call. Mom and I ended up chatting for and hour and a half or so. Fun to chat and get caught up. (Mom is 80 and had a major heart attack three years ago, had by-pass surgery and some other bad complications. I am glad I can still call her to chat.)

For supper I made some chicken nuggets that are a copy-cat Chick-fil-A recipe. (I found the recipe here.) I made them a couple of weekends ago when my son and daughter-in-law came to visit and ended up burning the bajeebers out of a couple of my fingers from jumping hot oil. (Oh. That reminds me. I haven't blogged about their visit yet. Hmmm. Some day this week I will do that.) Anyway.... I made those chicken nuggets tonight with nary a bit of jumping oil. It helped that I wasn't hurrying. Lesson learned: never hurry when hot oil is involved.

I am thankful for...
...cherry pie for dessert that was still warm. Mmmm...
...my grandmother's pie crust recipe
...phone conversations with my mom
...unburned fingers
...a dishwasher to clean all those dirty dishes

Month of Thankfulness - Day 4

I am thankful for...
...singing worship songs at church
...having a great conversation about life stuff with my hubby in the car driving back from church
...watching episode after episode of M*A*S*H and laughing despite the fact that I've seen every episode multitudes of time
...electricity
...a comfy bed to sleep in tonight
...listening to my hubby snore next to me (Seriously. This video has changed made me much less annoyed with the snoring.)

Month of Thankfulness - Day 3

I liked this Saturday.

I didn't sleep much last night, but somehow managed to not be a total grump all day.

Hubby and I started our day out running errands. We went to a sale that was going on where he works. They were selling things that his company makes in other facilities. We could cram all we wanted into 2 bags. Pretty sweet deal. (I don't really want to disclose the name of the company for privacy reasons. You understand, I'm sure.) We found a bunch of stuff that our son had asked for and even more stuff to give to Hubby's cousin who runs a Bible camp. After hauling our almost overstuffed bags to the car we stopped at a couple of other stores and then had a lunch date.

If you are a regular to this here blog, you have heard me complain write about living in a very small town. There are not very many good restaurants here. We have narrowed it down to two sit-down restaurants we both like and one fast-food we can tolerate. We hit one of those sit-down places for lunch today and the restaurant had a new menu and therefore we were able to choose some new-to-us items that turned out to be very yummy despite the piece of paper I found in my wrap. (Whew! That was a doozey of a run-on sentence!) Yes, there was a piece of paper in my wrap. You know the pieces of paper that separates slices of cheese? Yep. The cook forgot to take that out. Thankfully I didn't eat any of it. The wrap was made with Naan bread and was difficult to pick up to eat, so I tackled it with a fork and knife. That's how I discovered the paper. I found it kind of funny. The waiter apologized and offered to bring me a new wrap. I declined. I figured the paper was food-safe to begin with so no big deal.

We spent the afternoon watching football (not me) and looking through a bunch of catalogs (me) that had come in the mail throughout the week. I was trying to get inspiration for a new look for our Christmas tree. After our kids were married and took the ornaments that had been given to them over the years, I realized how bare our tree was left. But for the last two or three Christmases I haven't done anything about it. Maybe I should just look at ornaments in stores and in catalogs and buy what appeals to me. I kind of prefer an eclectic look, so that may just be the trick. I keep thinking I'll see a whole tree decorated somewhere and have a Eureka! moment. Hasn't happened, so maybe this other approach will work. (Maybe I should talk this over with Hubby.)

Late in the afternoon we drove to an even smaller town about 20 miles away that actually has a movie theater (this town doesn't have a movie theater) that only shows movies on the weekends but still it's a movie theater and they happened to be showing a movie we've been wanting to see. (Yay! Another run-on sentence!) (I'm sure my journalist son is cringing.) On our way to the theater I realized I made a grave mistake. See, across the street from the movie theater is a quilt shop. I should have allowed enough time to so some actual shopping there. Phooey.

Anyway... the movie...

We saw Trouble With The Curve with Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake. We both really enjoyed the movie.


I am thankful for...
...a wonderful day of hanging out with my hubby
...a good haul at the work-sight bag sale
...catalogs
...an extra hour of sleep tonight

Month of Thankfulness - Day 2

Today was a pretty quiet day. I woke up later than I thought I would and that kind of threw off my morning plans. Nothing big, but I was kind of frustrated by lunch time. But it was all made better since I got to have lunch with my hubby!

This afternoon I ventured into my sewing room to try to get some inspiration for my next quilt project. Nothing came to me, so I worked on a project book. I  photograph the quilts I have made and I have been putting them into a little book so I can keep a record of what I have made. (That's about as close to scrapbooking as I get.) But, for some reason, when had I printed out the photos at a local store, some of them printed so some the edges of the quilts were cut off, like it cropped in the printing process. So tonight I got on to Shutterfly's website and figured out how to make sure the photo wasn't cropped and ordered some prints. Hopefully they will turn out better.


I am thankful for...
...lunch dates with my hubby
...a DVR that (so easily) records TV shows so I can watch them later
...having a whole room for my sewing habit hobby

Month of Thankfulness - Day 1

Last November I embarked on a challenge to myself to write about something I am thankful for every day of the month. Yesterday I thought about whether or not I wanted to tackle that again. If I'm honest, I would rather not have to write every day, and, honestly, some days it's tough to find something very positive to think about, but I think it's a good exercise for me to think about what I am thankful for. As I found last November, there is always something I can be thankful for.

So to start off my Month of Thankfulness:::

I am thankful for...

...having the format of this blog to write about my life

...going to the dentist and having no cavities (!)

..."normal" results from my yearly physical (!)

...reruns of The Brady Bunch