Today I am thankful for.... friends

Today is the last day of the challenge and I am grateful for midnight scrapper for starting it for us.
Today I am thankful for friends. Whether you are my IRL (in real life friends) who I have spent a ton of time with or my internet friends who I just know by a nickname and a series of posts. You all have touched my life and made quite an impact (personally and on my wallet!!!)
I think we truly realize the importance of friends as we become older... and as my family shrinks I am grateful to have these friends to stand by me. I have friends that drove quite a ways (across town) to attend my Dad's funeral and are willing to watch my children whenever I need help. I have friends that have been a shoulder to cry on and are there to laugh with. I have friends that have known me for years and friends that I have just met. I am grateful for each and every one of you.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... music

Today I am thankful for music. I have always been a music lover... I have played a couple different instruments and have sang in various choirs... I love various types of music.. I think music can have a profound effect on mood... whether it is upbeat and makes you happy or it is sad and makes you cry.
I cannot imagine life without music. And I think whoever invented the car radio and ipod are genuises.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... books

Today I am thankful for books. I am a fast reader. And I am a big reader. This means I can devourer books. I have actually had a few times where I have read a book in a night, and other times in 24 hours. Nick jokes with me about how I can read a book in two hours (an exaggeration unless it is a kids book). I don't know how come I can read so fast probably just a lot of reading when I was younger. And yet I have a ton of books at home to read, and even more on my list at the library. Ever since Carter was born I haven't had as much time, and now that I am working even less. But I still enjoy books and am grateful that we have so many to choose from. And as an adult I can choose to read whatever I want (with some nudges from the book club I am in). I do have to say, my favorite books are chick lit... they are usually light enough to take me away without depressing me... though I have read some real tough stuff. And now if I start a book and don't like it I don't waste my time and read it. Life is too short.
So to anyone that has written a book, thanks! Maybe I will return the favor some day and write my own book.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my father

(taken on Thanksgiving 2006)
Today I am thankful for the one person I missed the most today. Today I am thankful and missing my Dad.
With this challenge I find it really appropriate to write this post on Thanksgiving. See, Thanksgiving was probably one of or the favorite holiday of my father. I don't know if it was because he loved to grill the perfect turkey or if he loved always having it at their house or if it was because with Jewish and Christian relatives, this was the one holiday we all "agreed" on... probably a mix of all three. And that made this holiday really hard, especially for Mom and me... of course adding on the death of my Mom's Mom this year didn't make things any easier.
My father was the best person I have ever known. He would do anything for anyone and along with that he would talk to anyone. The conversations my Dad had were legendary. When he died I posted the eulogy on here so I wont re-tell everything but I do want to say a couple things.
Last year at this exact moment my Dad got to fulfill a dream, he got to take his whole family to Mexico. That says a lot about him, he was all about his family, especially his grandchildren. He always made me feel special.. whether it was him always calling me his favorite younger daughter or him always being there for me when I needed him.
But he isn't here now when I need him and for that I feel it is so unfair. I talked to someone yesterday who had also lost her first parent this year and we decided there is no way to sugar coat today when you are missing them so much.
Even so, I do want to thank God for the 28 years I had with my father. In many ways I am a lot like him, and I feel that is a good thing. Dad, I know you know how much we love you but I want to say it again, I love you so much.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my son, Carter

Today I am thankful for my baby, my buddy, Carter.
Many of you know he was a surprise, the best surprise I have ever received. Looking back at the first year of his life I realize that he was put on this earth for a purpose. It was like God knew all the bad stuff that was going to happen to us so he first wanted to bring us something good, something that would not let us fall into a deep, dark dungeon of depression. You really do not have as much time to mope when you have a baby to take care of (not taking anything away from the other kids, they are just a lot more independent). A year ago this past Monday, Carter was my first child I ever had to bring to surgery, it was scary but also a blessing because it "fixed" him. Carter is the hardest of all my children to leave every day to go to work because every day he is doing something new. And he is learning everything faster then Jeffrey and Samantha. And speaking of Jeffrey and Samantha, he loves his older brother and sister so much. Of course tops on his list is his Mommy and Daddy, his face just lights up when he sees us, and he gets jealous when any of the other kids or Lucy wont let him get to us when we come home. One of the first sounds Carter could make was the mama sound.. and even though he is not saying it towards me yet... I love to hear it. Carter can be quite the handful at times, he loves to try to get into cupboards and pull things out to throw or chew on and his new favorite game is throwing things down the stairs.
I love my angel, Carter.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my son, Jeffrey

Today I am thankful for my first born, Jeffrey.
I always say there is nothing like you first time having a baby. Everything is new and unknown. Jeffrey is my child that we get to try everything out on. This year Jeffrey is in first grade and wow has he already learned a lot. Before school started he could only read our names and No and now he is reading short books to us. His does well in math but really feels challenged in english, especially writing. Jeffrey use to be my laid back child but that has changed a little bit since he has gotten older and hangs out with his Dad. He is still the kind of kid that has just a couple close friends and can have a bad day when they upset him. He also still wants to be a landscaper some day, even if Dad tells him he should do anything but. Jeffrey loves being the older brother to Samantha and Carter, whether it be teaching Sami how to write words or giving Carter hugs and kisses. And Jeffrey usually tries to be the helper around the house, though he would rather vacumn over picking up his toys any day. I was thinking today about how I feel I never see him (even with working) because he is in school all day.
I love you Jeffrey.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my daughter, Samantha

Today I am thankful for my girly girl Samantha.
I always knew I wanted at least one of each... so after I had Jeffrey and got pregnant again I knew I wanted a girl, though I was surprised to get my wish. In so many ways she is such a girl, she is highly sensitive and many times you have to be careful about setting her off, but in other ways she is just like the guys, especially when it comes to playing in dirt and sand. Lately she has really enjoyed dresses and she even wore a no sleeve shorter dress to church yesterday (when they high was in the forties). Nothing can take her away from her coloring, she hates to stop to even eat and watch out if you come to our house, you may leave with many pictures (she even gave one to the pizza delivery woman once!). In a way I want Samantha to be just like me, but in other ways I want her to be better then me. I do not know if it is because she is a girl or because she has a brother just 17 months older then her, but she is soooo smart. The stuff she is doing and trying to learn amazes me, I wonder if Kindergarten is going to be boring for her (of course there is all the projects that she will love). And she is awesome at helping Carter, she feeds him, gets him things and makes sure he is doing alright. She has a dimple on each cheek and is wrapped around her father's finger.
I am so thankful for Samantha, I love her so much.

C-Ya!

This Week I am thankful for....

If anyone has been a regular reader of my "today I am thankful for" blogs, you may be wondering why I haven't mentioned my children. I mean of course I am thankful for them. Well I thought it was appropriate to wait till the actual week of Thanksgiving to say why I am thankful for my kids. And just to change things up, since my sons always are bookends with being the first and last kid born, I decided to go in reverse alphabetical order starting with Samantha (can you tell I put a lot of thought in this?)
And then on Thanksgiving I am going to write a special post about someone special to me.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... medication

Carter has a horrible case of teething mixed in with a small cold. He is miserable!!! I am thankful for that we have medicines though, because it seems to help. I just feel so bad for him... he walks around and is not happy doing anything for too long. I just hope he feels better soon.

C-Ya!

$25.00!

That is how much I paid for a full tank of gas today. As sort of my addendum to my "thankful for low gas prices" post. I bought gas for $1.72 a gallon today and filled it up for $25!! Way better then the $50 I spent earlier this year!
I just hope our government can do whatever it takes for gas not to spike again. That would really help the economy!

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... the weekend

Just like my day off post... I am thankful for the weekends moreso because of working. But even when Nick works I cannot wait for the possiblity that he will be home with us. Again my weekends are for catching up, today I did some cleaning and laundry. I also got to kind of sleep in till 8-something. And I spent some of the day delivering fundraisers the kids did - wreaths and butter braids. Now I am enjoying some hang out time with the family. And tomorrow is church and sport watching.
I think no matter what I will always be thankful for the weekend.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... good food

I am thankful for good food. That may be a 'doh' moment. But I really figured out today how much I love good food. We were filling out a secret santa form at work (yay, a bonus of working again), and I realized I could not live without good food. If I had the money I would never bring a lunch to work, I would go out. Now I just try to bring some frozen dinner or leftovers and maybe go out one day a week. Thankfully Nick and I are both decent cooks so we can make good dinners. But I do really enjoy eating out. One year that Nick and I were dating he aproximated how much we spent on going out to eat and it was huge, of course when you both live with your parents you try to go out as much as possible and restaurants are great places for a date. Now we rarely go out to dinner... and especially with the kids.. they can really bring the bill up.
So I am thankful for good food. Yummmm!

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my crazy community

We have lived in Mound for over 7 years now. It took a little while to meet people outside of close neighbors. Now with our involvement out here with church, Knights, school, MOMS club etc. I feel like we know a ton of people. I do truly feel like we are part of the community.
And at times our community can be crazy. I found this out today. For years we have had an outdoor tree lighting ceremony. And tonight was the first night any of us have gone. This year they invited OLL's K-2 graders to sing as the first act. So Jeffrey and I went and wouldn't you know it was like the coldest night we have had so far this weekend. Needless to say we came, he sang and we left. We actually didn't get to see the tree lighting or Santa, we didn't stop for hot cocoa or go on a horse drawn cart ride. But Jeffrey did sing and we had a blast.

I always think it is only us crazy Minnesotans that have many things outside in these cold winters. But I am thankful for this craziness (at least for others).

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... a day off

With this new job I have one day off a week. A part of me thinks if I ever went back to work "full time" I would still need a week day off. Today was spent being Mom again. I took and picked up Samantha from preschool, I picked up Jeffrey from the bus, I went to a MOMS club meeting, I spent time with Carter and got to put him down for a nap. I also spent time doing laundry and I did make dinner.
And I did not go to work!
So I am thankful for the day off and a chance to catch up with my kids and my chores.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my cell phone

You would think when I put in my blog I am thankful for material things that I am materialistic... but you may not realize how some of these things can be life savers or at least sanity savers.
I have had my cell phone for 11 years. And it became the only way to get a hold of me around 3-4 years ago when we gave up our land line (Nick also has a cell). For some the thought of not having that land line seems hard, and it was at first, but now it is great because if you want to get a hold of me, call me... if you want to talk to Nick, call him. Now of course I do have the option of not answering!!
Having a cell phone has really become more important for me since having children. I know that the school can call me if anything happens with one of the kids, no matter where I am. And for those times I had to call 911 when Nick was not home, being able to call him on his cell at a job site made me feel at least a little better.
Now, I am working again and I do not have an extension yet. No worries, you can just call me on my cell or text me as is the case with Nick some of the time. And I can even check my email and websites on my phone now on my breaks.
So while it is fun to have a cell, it also brings piece of mind.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... the internet!

So we were temporarily disconnected from the internet (really it is my fault) and I found out how thankful I am for the internet. Yea I know I normally spend a lot of time on the internet (though haven't been able to since working), but when you cannot use it for certain needs it can drive you crazy. I could not look online to help a friend's child with her homework or check our bank account or even see the news.
Thankfully it was only temporary.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... a warm blanket

After a beautiful early November, it has gotten cold. And today I am thankful for a warm blanket. Because today I wrapped myself in one and was in it for a long time. I just couldn't warm up but with that blanket I felt better.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... BINGO!

Today I am thankful for Bingo, especially when I win!!
Nick is the Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus at our church. They do various bingos throughout the year. Sometimes I do well, most of the time I don't, but I have fun trying. Even though there are other bingos in the area, this is the only one I have gone to. Tonight was turkey bingo. I think the last time I won was last year's turkey bingo. And I won again tonight. Plus I won a door prize. So I am thankful for bingo!!

(may be another stretch but hey, it made my night)

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... entertainment

Ok... I admit.. I am grasping for straws on this one. It is late at night and I am really trying to get this done every day. And I really am thankful for entertainment, right now I am being entertained playing on the computer and watching TV.
And as an added bonus, everyone else is asleep, so the only noise I hear is the TV and the typing of the keys.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... employment!

Yep you read that right. Today I am thankful for employment. Yesterday I officially joined the workforce again. Honestly it is hard to leave my children, especially Carter because I never got to be a SAHM with the other kids at that age, but this was too perfect to not take. I am working 32 hours a week and am contracted for 2-3 months. This means I get one day off to be Mom and also participate in MOMS club stuff as well as get stuff done around the house (of course Nick is already putting me to shame on that end). And even though the commute is long (though shorter then when I worked downtown), I get to carpool with my friend who got me the job. And this is good time because Nick is slower now and can get his stuff done on my one day off as well as at night or on the weekends. Now if I could just get use to the earlier mornings!!!

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my husband!

(taken yesterday for his official Grand Knight photo)

I think it is appropriate that I choose today to be thankful for my husband because today is his birthday. Nick came into this world 33 years ago, and even though he says he is a dirt bag and maybe shouldn't been born (he actually was a miracle baby), I am grateful that he is here. Like most people, our marriage is filled with highs and lows but in the end we know we will be there for each other, through thick and thin. We have been through a lot, the worst being saying Goodbye to both of our fathers and his and Jeffrey's burns as well as Carter's surgery, but I am so grateful we have had each other. And of course he is the father to our three wonderful children (who all look like him!). So Happy Birthday and Thank You Nick for being my Love.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... a perfect check up!

Today I am thankful for a perfect checkup for my kids!!! This afternoon we took the children to their well visits. All the kids had no problems. In fact the Doctor kept asking if we had anything else to talk about. Here were their stats:
Weight Height
Carter 22.6lbs (50%) 30in (60%)
Samantha 35lbs (20%) 41in (25%)
Jeffrey 45.5 lbs 45in

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my mother

(Mom & Carter on Halloween)

Today I am thankful for my Mother. I have always had a good relationship with my Mother, though it did suffer since I became an adult and she had to focus a lot of energy on people in her family that were sick. Now with the death of her mother she has all this energy and is finding a different focus. Now she can really focus on her grandchildren (and kids too). The past couple months she has spent a ton of time over here, having sleepovers, trying to help clean or just hanging out. And I am enjoying having my Mom back. The other day she even did something that was very unexpected but reminds me how wonderful she is. I know I am lucky to have my Mother in my life... Nick's Mother is completely different then mine and is not in his life because of her actions... so he even calls my Mom "Mom". And of course you cannot count on that she gave me life.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... The Mall of America

Yes, today I am thankful for Mall of America . Funny I should choose the biggest mall in the United States and a shrine to capitalism but since I was there today I felt it appropriate. I cannot forget 16 years ago when it opened to much fan fare. We didn't go that weekend.. we actually waited about a month later when my Mom, Dad, Brother and I got our first glimpse at this huge mall. Up until I got married 8+ years ago I lived only 15 minutes away. At that time the mall was great for get to gethers with friends and dates and I even worked there for a summer. After I got married the trips there haven't happened as much. Doesn't mean I dislike the place.. it is just 45 minute to get there now. And when I go it may be for a dinner with friends or to take the kids on rides. I have also been to parties there and know of people that have gotten married there.
I am just amazed that someplace really can have something for everyone. And I actually have online friends that plan trips there or have it on their list of places they want to go someday. I guess I am lucky and grateful it is so close.
Jeffrey and I were there today for a friend's birthday party and my brother just got a job there.
It really is "The Place for Fun in Your Life!"

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... sleep

Funny, it is the absence of sleep that is making me thankful for sleep. I am almost always tired... not just because of the three kids (though having a baby doesn't help) but for other undetermined reasons. So I will say I am thankful when I can sleep in.
Of course that actually didn't happen today... and I went to bed way too late last night because Nick and I stumbled on a movie and watched it.
But I am thankful for sleep when I can get some.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... my house!

Sometimes these gratitude posts are easy to figure out and some take some thinking... this one actually came to me as I was (and still am) cleaning up our house for Samantha and Carter's birthday party.

(this was actually taken in July 2006 - if I would have taken this today you would see snow - yes, snow - on the ground)

Today I am thankful for my house. Even though today we have the "fun" task of cleaning it, I am grateful I have a house to clean. I am grateful we have a comfortable place to sleep and even space to keep our junk. I am grateful for the neighbors we have near our house. And I am grateful that it is OURS (well and the banks).

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... lower gas prices

Funny, I was thinking about doing this one and then I saw Shirley's post one what she was grateful for yesterday. Today I am thankful for lower gas prices. I filled up the other day for either $2.00 or $2.10 and I actually saw it for $1.97 yesterday. Who knows if this will last, but for now it is nice to get away from "high gas prices". And you know, I don't even drive a lot, but it is nice to feel a little more freedom.

C-Ya!

Mobile Blogging
This is a test of the mobile blogging system... This is only a test...
C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... change

Today I am thankful for change and that it is coming. I know that whoever we would have elected as our President we would have a change, but just knowing that we are closer to that change makes it an exciting new world. Right now we have a President with a very low approval rating and many of us are excited for him to be shown the door.
Congratulations President-elect Barack Obama and his Vice President-elect Joe Biden, I look forward to the next four years!

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... democracy

I think it is only fitting that today I am thankful for democracy and the privelages of living in the United States of America. I love that we have this ability to vote and have our voice heard (or kind of heard when it comes to the President and electoral college). And I am so glad that so many people will be exercising that right. Also, I am proud of my state of Minnesota which usually has the highest rate of voter turnout... early estimates put this year's number at 80%. Now I haven't voted yet... we are waiting till Jeffrey gets home from school and Nick gets done with work and we will all go vote. I remember going to vote with my parents and am proud to take my own kids - especially during this monumental election.
So I am probably that 1000th person to tell you this... but if you are allowed to vote.. please go vote today. And be thankful that you can.

C-Ya!!!

Today I am thankful for.... water.

Today I am thankful for water.

Water is central to everything we do in our lives - our food and drink, our bathing, our recreation.... I think our bodies are like 75% water.
And so I am thankful for it.
Particullarly the water we drink and the water we have fun in. I usually drink water at home and don't even mind the Mound water that comes out of the tap. I also love living a block away from the biggest body of water here in Minnesota - Lake Minnetonka - and sometimes people even take us out on their boats on the lake.

C-Ya!

Today I am thankful for.... beautiful weather

Today I am thankful for beautiful weather. It is the first week of November and today and tomorrow should hit around 70 degrees!!! I need to remember days like today when next weekend could bring snow.


C-Ya!!!

A thankful November..

My friend at this blog midnitescrapper has set up a challenge to blog every day this month what you are grateful for in honor of Thanksgiving... and you know I am always up for a challenge. So hold me to it.....

C-Ya!!!

Happy November!

... well I guess... it is November... all the kids are calming down from the sugar high (except for when Grandma says they can have another piece). Tonight we fall back... I just hope Carter sleeps in a little bit. And tomorrow is All Souls Day at church... another reason to think about Dad and how much I miss him.
And here I sit... at 10 o'clock at night working on homework with Jeffrey because he is having a hard time with it. He is good with math but not so good with spelling/writing/reading. *sigh*
Well off to clean up the final last things from dinner and watch SNL.
At least the weather is suppose to be nice this week!

C-Ya!