Friday, November 30, 2012

A Month of Being Thankful

So last November and this November I participated in a month of giving thanks on Facebook. I enjoy the time to reflect on the important things in life and on the simple things we tend to overlook. I thought it would be fun to compare last year and this year and have them all together in one place to reflect on. Interestingly, it seems that I consistently stopped on the 25th. Not sure why I didn't finish out the month. I think my entries were more eloquent in 2011. I kept it simple in 2012. Must be the lack of adult conversation =)

Day 1 ~ I'm thankful to be living in an area that seems to miss all the worst of the weather, no hurricanes, no floods, and somehow tornadoes always seem to skirt around us. Sometimes I feel like there is a little bubble over our town. Now excuse me while I go knock on some wood.   

2011. Our wonderful little boy who makes us laugh every day and reminds me to enjoy all the little things in life that I have to remember he is discovering for the first time like laying in the grass and having it tickle your ears. 

Day 2 ~ thankful for a handy husband that takes on our DIY projects without batting an eye. Looking forward to a finished bathroom with new tile!

2011. My wonderful Husband who is such an amazing father.
    
Day 3 ~ thankful for lazy day movies with Big A on my first day of watching both kiddos by myself! 

2011. Parking in the garage on a rainy day...For the First.Time.EVER.
 
Day 4 ~ thankful for Sundays when hubby is always off. Love family day.

2011. I am thankful for our furnace on a cold morning in a house we can call our own. And even though I have a fix-it list probably a mile long and squeaky floors that annoy the crap out of me I feel blessed that there is a roof over our head and a warm soft bed to crawl into at night.

Day 5 ~ I'm thankful for a full nights sleep; little A you're making mommy-hood too easy on me   

2011. I am thankful for our wonderful family and friends - The ones we talk to every week, once a month, and those we only get to see maybe once a year, but can still start right back up like no time has passed at all. We may not get to see everyone as much as we'd like but we're so blessed to have all of you in our lives.

Day 6 ~ I'm thankful for getting to catch a beautiful sunset this evening. They always make me feel like I'm getting a sneak peak into heaven.

2011. I'm thankful for clean sheets (yeah, sometimes its the little things)

Day 7 ~ I'm so thankful for my two beautiful children.I'm thankful they are healthy and while we are still getting to know Little A's personality, in Big A's case, I am thankful for his great spunk and spirited personality. I love his humor and sensitivity and all his silliness. and for the time being at this age I'm thankful they still adore me

2011. As much as I hate when Monday morning rolls back around, I'm thankful we have jobs to go to on Monday morning. I'm thankful we make enough money to pay our bills every month and still have some left over to put away for a rainy day. I'm thankful that even though this may not be my dream job I still fell like I'm living the dream. 
        
Day 8 ~ in this economy when so many people are looking for a handout, I'm am thankful for the strong work ethic my parents instilled in me. They never believed anything should come easy and credit cards were not used to buy things you couldn't afford. I'm thankful they taught me that if I'm going to do something to do it right and to be proud of my hard work 

2011. Thankful for the much needed rain

Day 9 ~ I am thankful for an unusually beautiful day in November 

2011. Today I am thankful that the sun is shining. I am very glad we got the rain we needed but it sure is nice to see the sun again.

Day 10 ~ I don't think today's thankful note needs any words...
Photo: 11/10 ~ I don't think todays thankful note needs any words... 

2011. I am thankful that today is my Friday!

Day 11 ~ today i am thankful for our soldiers, past and present. words cannot express the gratitude we all owe. You are forced to make decisions everyday I wouldn't want to make in a lifetime. And a big thanks to my Dad who has made me so proud, your service will never be forgotten.

2011. today I am Thankful to all of our veterans and their families past and present that have made this place we call home safer.
SOME UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS MOST ABOUT AMERICA ... AND THEY RESPECT IT SO DEEPLY THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICES FOR IT.


Day 12 ~ as the temp dropped sharply today I an thankful for a roof over our heads and heat. We definitely 
don't live in our dream house, but we have a house we can call our own and that's a lot to be thankful for

2011. I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. We are very blessed to have never had any serious illness between us and Big A

Day 13~ I am thankful for bath time again, while the tub was getting tiled our whole bedtime routine was thrown off.

2011. I am thankful for a best girl friend who I can tell anything to. Who knows the best and worst of me. Who I can be myself with, tease and laugh and cry with. Who I know will love me no matter what. And I'm most Thankful that I also get to call this person mom. Love you mom! Thanks for a fun weekend!

Day 14 ~ today I'm thankful for my wonderful dad who has taught me so much about responsibility, hard work, and honesty. I'm so proud to be able to call you my father. Happy birthday dad! 

2011. Thankful that I live 6 short minutes from work and can go home on my lunch break. Especially days like today when I really needed to vacuum and was too tired to vacuum the night before.

Day 15 ~ today I'm thankful for Big A's preschool, after parent/teacher conferences we're so proud of all he's learning and feel so lucky that he has such a wonderful learning environment full of fun, silliness and love.
2011. Thankful for Big A's wonderful preschool. I don't think there is anything more difficult than having to leave your child with someone all day, five days a week. But there is great comfort in knowing that he is going to a safe and loving place where he learns new things every day. We love our preschool family and are so happy to have them. And while its humbling on the weekend, when Alden gets in his play car and says he's going to see his teacher I'm very thankful he WANTS to.

Day 16 ~ today's thankful day courtesy of Big A., he said he is thankful for trains 

2011. I'm thankful we have family that lives in the county. Where Big A will know what its like to see a million stars all the way to the horizon, to sit in the woods and be surrounded by complete silence, to be able to slow down for a bit and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Day 17 ~ I'm thankful for the path I'm on, with so many forks in the road I'm thankful to have chosen this one. Although not all aspects are how I imagined they would be I believe I'm on the path I need to be 

2011. I'm thankful for prayer. When friends are battling illness or struggling with what life's thrown at them and I feel like there is so little I can do, I am thankful I can pray. And I am thankful I know someone is listening.

Day 18 ~ happy birthday hubby! I'm so thankful to have you in my life. You've filled the last 14 years with so much laughter and joy. And have been the most amazing father our kids could have ever asked for 

2011. Thankful for good friends, good food and a good baby sitter as we celebrate hubby's 31st Birthday

Day 19 ~ Thankful for all our friends, near and far

2011. Thankful for a beautiful day to enjoy at home with my two favorite boys

Day 20 ~ thankful for a long overdue haircut and lunch with Lyria. Thanks for the sushi fix

2011. Thankful for our Crockpot - dinners cooking away while I sit with my feet up.

Day 21~ thankful for our internet to help us keep in touch with our far away family and friends. And of course to entertain us with mindless crap.

2011. Thankful that our little boy loves to read. I hope this interest continues as he gets older.

Day 22 & 23~ thankful for family time 

2011. Thankful that today is my Friday!!
2011. Thankful for a safe drive 

Day 24 ~ thankful for home sweet home 

2011. On Thanksgiving Day I'm so thankful for a life full of more blessings than I can count. God has continued to give to us in so many ways, through wonderful people who enrich our lives, through events that bring us closer together, and through the smallest daily moments when I look around and wonder how I got so lucky.

Day 25 ~ thankful to have had one more rare warm day to get caught up on leaf raking 

2011. I'm thankful for time with family. 
 
 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

My First

My first post on my first blog. I had never imagined I would be a blogger; for a long time I never even followed blogs. Then I had some friends that were blogging, so I started reading theirs. Then I found more blogs I liked and soon I decided it would be a really great place for me to not only journal this journey I'm on so maybe I could remember all these wonderful little snippets of life that are racing by so fast I can barely keep up, but also a place for me to share all the crafts, Pins, house projects and cooking adventures I take on.....because it's too good not to share =)

For my first post I wanted to share my feelings of adding a new addition to our family.
As we counted down the days until our second child was born I found myself in a constant state of worry. I believe on most days we have been the parents we strived to be to our then 2 1/2 year old son. We have given him enormous amounts of attention (sometimes probably too much), we have given him boundaries but have also given him choice and freedom. And we have given him unconditional love. He has been our number one guy, and in return he has given us so much joy and laughs and of course much frustration, but even on the hard days I look at him and I know we are doing something right. I wanted to give all of those things to our second child too. I couldn't imagine how I could give myself wholly to two kids the way I had to our first. How on earth could my heart be filled any more? Something would have to give. And then she came. She was beautiful and perfect, and my heart was filled more.

I also had to adjust. I give all of my heart to my two kids, but I've accepted I can't give all of my attention and time to both of them all of the time. But I can give them loads of quality time. They have adjusted too. Our son has taken it all in stride. I angst over how he would handle it all. Losing his spotlight, having to share his parents, competing with a newborn. Turns out, he's better at sharing than I gave him credit for. Turns out, sometimes I don't need to worry so much. Yeah, tell my mother that. She's the queen of worry...which is probably where I got it from.