Post Holiday Gratitude

It seems like Thanksgiving comes and goes faster and faster every year.  I can't believe that we're 2 days post-holiday and roaring toward Christmas.  Thinking about what I was grateful for in the days leading up to Thanksgiving was good for my attitude over the last few weeks.  Now as we head toward Christmas, I want to remember what it is really about and not get caught up in all the craziness of it.  Before that, though, here is my last gratitude post (maybe) until next year.

1.  I'm grateful for the great Thanksgiving we enjoyed on Thursday.  Time with both families was good for all of us.  Even the littlest ones had a great time.

2.  I'm so grateful that I was not doing the Black Friday deal yesterday.  Brandon got out (against his better judgment) to Nebraska Furniture Mart when it opened to see if he could get a TV he has been researching that they had for a great price.  He said he knew as soon as he parked that it wasn't going to happen - but he went in anyway, just for the experience.  He said that should cure him of ever wanting to do that again in the near future!  I don't love to shop & I really dislike it even more in big crowds, so I'm thankful I stayed home in my nice, warm, & comfy bed!

3.  I'm grateful the tree is up and looking pretty.  Luke has been so excited to get it up & ready, but I'm a strict - not-until-after-Thanksgving person. It always goes up the day after and down the day after Christmas (with the exception of one year - can you sense my OCD-ness coming through?).  It looks "nice and beautiful" and "splendid" to quote Luke at different times during the process of getting it all up and decorated.

4.  After the tree lighting & decorating extravaganza, I set to work cleaning my house.  I even cleaned some windows & washed some curtains.  I'm grateful that I'm done with that!

5.  I'm grateful that I can listen to Christmas music out in the open now.  I usually tend to be a strict no-Christmas-music-until-after-Thanksgving person too, but I couldn't stop myself.  I've been secretly listening to it for the last 2 weeks.  I can't help it - it just makes me happy. 

6.  I'm grateful for so much.  The list is too long to even begin to try to say it all.  My life is full & blessed.  I'm so thankful to the One who has given me all that I have.  I don't want to take a minute of it for granted. 

DGD - Day 24

Thanksgiving
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

This expresses my thanks better than I can myself.  For all the big things, the small things, the mundane things, and everything in between...I am so grateful.  My life is beyond blessed.

DGD - Day 23

I mentioned in a post last week about how much I love reading & for my gratefulness for getting to read chapter books with Luke.  I am going to expand on that today and express my gratefulness for what an amazing library system we have here in Kansas City.  The Mid-Continent Libraries just rock, if you ask me.  I seriously am at the library at least once a week, because I am always getting new things to read.  Not only can I get books there, I can get music and DVD's too.  And to piggy back on my post  from yesterday - it's all free! (if you don't count the taxes you pay to support it - but hey - it is well worth it!).  If you don't have a library card from your branch - get one.  They are always wonderfully helpful and I think that I get the books I want pretty fast - even when I'm the 457th person on the waiting list for something popular.  Thank you, Mid-Continent Library for feeding my need to read (and rhyme).

DGD - Day 22

It is no secret if you know me well that I am a bit of a frugal person.  Call me a cheapskate, a tightwad, a penny pincher - whatever - I'll take it as a compliment.  There is nothing I love better than feeling like I got a good deal on something.  Being the budget-minded person that I am, I love free stuff (of course - don't we all?).  That's why I am really grateful for a friend at work who shared with me the program we have through our health insurance that allows us to get free gift cards to restaurants or stores if you log the time you exercise.  Now, I exercise anyway, but I want to exercise even more, so I can get more points, and more free gift cards!  I've gotten $90 worth of gift cards so far & before the end of this week will be sending off for another $25 one!  Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me, and so, while it's available, I'm quite thankful for the way it feeds the thrifty girl in me!

DGD - Day 21

Sunday night - I usually dread Sunday night.  I like my job, but the thought of getting up at oh-dark-thirty the next morning, just makes me cringe inside.  Not tonight, though.  When I'm only facing a 2-day work week, Sunday night does not seem so bad.  A 2-day work week & a 5-day "weekend" - now that I can handle.  Not to mention that I can look forward to spending time with my family in the days ahead.  I am thankful tonight that even though I have to get up tomorrow morning, I will only have to do so once more this week!

DGD - Day 20

It has been so hard for me to believe that my little guy, who is not so little anymore, started kindergarten this year.  I have been grateful all year for the amazing and wonderful teacher he has had to start him off in his school career.  It is so nice to have him come home from school each day happy and excited about what he is doing in the classroom.  As a teacher myself, it has totally blown my mind how much planning and organization must go into the day in the life of a kindergarten teacher.  And not only that, the weight and responsibility of training these kids who have never been in "real" school how to be students and hopefully teaching them the joy of learning.  All I can say is that I am very thankful, in particular, for Luke's teacher, and for all the people out there who want to teach kindergarten.  I know people say that middle school teachers have to be special people, and maybe that's true in a sense, but in my opinion, you must be really, very, extra special to be a kindergarten teacher.

DGD - Day 19

The picture above is not really a link to a video - I just couldn't find a picture, so I snipped this from a video about what I am grateful about today.  It's a big one too!  You can read about it or watch the video here.  Today, the bridge over Weatherby Lake that has been closed for 2 years, 3 months, and 6 days (yes - I keep track of these things) has finally re-opened!    For the past 2+ years, we have dealt with very heavy traffic through our neighborhood, and in particular, our street, due to people having to detour from one side of Barry to the other.  There have been many frustrating moments of waiting to back out of our driveway, waiting to pull into our driveway, waiting to cross the street to get our mail, and watching people fly by as our child played in the front yard or as we walked down the street.  I am so, so, SO grateful that the road is now open and we can return to normal traffic in our neighborhood.  We live on the busiest street (first-time homebuyer mistake we will not make again if we ever move) and the extra traffic this bridge closing brought was inconceivable!  As Brandon & I walked Ginger this afternoon, it was almost eerie how quiet our neighborhood was once again.  Hallelujah!  Now - it is only until 2012 until they finish the rest of the construction around Barry & Amity. :)

DGD - Day 18

Today my gratitude is in the form of relief.  For the first day in many, all my students are caught up on tests and quizzes that they were not finished with yet.  Extended time for taking tests is great in theory, but in practice, it makes my life heck trying to chase everyone around to finish things!  I am grateful to know that tomorrow, I don't have to sort tests, check tests, re-sort tests, read tests, or really have anything to do with tests.  Of course, it will all start over Monday when my kids have a math test...but for the next 3 days I'm going to not think about that!  Yay for feeling caught up!

DGD - Day 17

What a cold, gray, dreary day it has been today.  It was pure pleasure to walk in the door to my house today & feel its warmth envelope me.  (And the smell of the homemade soup that my amazing husband had simmering on the stove didn't hurt a thing either!)  I am so thankful to have a warm, dry place to come home to on days like today and every day for that matter.  I realized today that I have lived in this house longer than I have ever lived in any house in my life...10 & 1/2 years!  From the moment we moved in, this place has just felt right, and for that I am unbelievably grateful.

DGD - Day 16

Look at those faces...don't they just make you smile?   They sure make me smile & my heart melt.  I am grateful for my nephews, Brady & Cooper, and my neice, Ellie.  If I think of them, it never fails to make me smile.  In fact, I have a silly grin on my face right now as I write.  They are each so special and they just make our family better because they are there.  It is a delight to see them all together --- and believe me when we took this picture this summer, it was amazing we kept them all together as busy as they are.  I am so looking forward to getting to spend time with them all on Thanksgiving Day!

In case you're wondering - the picture in the matching T-shirts was for a gift for our parents upon their retirement in July.  They spent the last 26 years selling Interstate Batteries, which as the shirts say are "Built to Last". :)

DGD - Day 15

I have loved reading for as long as I can remember.  There is nothing I love more than getting lost in a good book.  It sometimes drives Brandon crazy when he is talking to me & I nod and respond with an "Mmm-hmmm" and then he asks me to repeat what he just said & of course, I can't.  As a teacher, I've always believed in reading to my child & have been doing so regularly since he turned one.  But to be honest, there have been many moments along the way when I have gotten really tired of reading Elmo stories, then Thomas the Train stories, endless ABC books, counting books, shape books...you get the idea.  That's why I am soooooo grateful that Luke is old enough to now enjoy some of my favorite chapter books from my childhood.  It is a treat to see him enjoying books that I enjoyed reading as a kid.  It is so much fun to laugh along with him and see him being able to pick out words he knows as we read together.  And an extra thrill to this grateful mom's heart as I finished reading to him tonight, "I want to read for awhile."  A boy after my own heart...but only until 8:15 when I told him lights had to go out. :)  Here are some favorites we've read over the last few months:

DGD - Day 14

Be warned - this may be a little gross.  Sorry...but today I'm not sure where to start being grateful.  First, I'm grateful that I didn't swallow the ladybug that landed in my Mountain Dew can and shortly thereafter, in my mouth when I took a drink.  I knew that my soda was nice & cold, but was surprised when I heard the clink of what I thought was ice as it made it's way from the can to my mouth.  When I noticed that my Mt. Dew did not taste right, I had thoughts of Phoebe on Friends finding the thumb (or whichever finger it was) in her soft drink & knew I had to spit it out.  So...I am grateful that it was only a ladybug & not any type of extremity.  Finally, I am grateful that there was more Mt. Dew in the fridge, because I could not honestly bring myself to drink from the ladybug contaminated can.  So - for all of you pop drinkers out there:

+

=

DGD - Day 13

I am grateful today for my sweet, wonderful Ginger girl.  Well, honestly, I am grateful for Ginger every day - especially since she was so sick last summer and we thought we would lose her.  A little over a year later, she is miraculously healthier than ever and sometimes quite energetic for a 9-year old!  You should have seen her mean skills with her squeaky soccer ball this morning.  Whether she is sleeping, playing, walking, or just hanging out, she is an amazing blessing to our family and to me. 

DGD - Day 12

On this cold, dreary, drizzly/rainy day, I am so grateful for the blanket (pictured above) my mom got me for Christmas last year.  It is so soft & warm & cuddly the thought of myself wrapped up in its goodness either watching a movie or reading a book tonight was what got me through this crazy day.  I love, love, love it & am grateful that it is Friday and I can spend some good, quality time with this wonderful blanket over the weekend!

DGD - Day 11

I join with the many today who are grateful for those who have served & who continue to serve our country and protect our freedoms.  Gratitude can't even cover what we owe those who have fought & continue to fight for us. My husband is a veteran of the army reserves and thankfully, he was never called to go into active duty, though there were a couple of times that it came close. Pray for our soldiers and their families and thank God that we have people who show such courage each & every day.

DGD - Day 10

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor...  Can't you just hear that theme song now?  Today, I am grateful for one of our wonderful neighbors.  And believe me, for the last few years we haven't been very thankful for some of our neighbors who are now gone, but that's not a story for a post about gratitude!  Luke lost a jacket at school last week.  It wasn't really a terribly big deal (though we thought it ironic that he lost it on the same day he was named a Hawthorn Hero for being "Responsible" - October's word of the month at his school :) ).  I e-mailed his teacher & described the jacket and asked her to remind him to go back to art, where he thought he lost it, to look for it.  The next day, Luke looked for the jacket in art and then in the lost & found, but unfortunately, it appeared the jacket was probably going to be gone for good.  That afternoon, we ran into our neighbor, who works at Luke's school as the recess supervisor.  He mentioend that he'd heard Luke lost his jacket & told us he'd go through the lost and found & keep his eye out for it.  It's been over a week, but today as we left to go pick Luke up at the bus stop, there was our neighbor walking out of his garage, holding up the missing jacket.  He didn't have to go to any trouble to look for that jacket, but he did.  I appreciate the great example of a good neighbor that he set for us today. 

DGD - Day 9

Do you ever look back on your life & realize that there were certain times when something happened that totally changed the course you were on?  That if this person hadn't stepped in and made you think in a different way or if things would have happened as you expected them to that you wouldn't be where you are in your life today?  Today, I am grateful for my job & God's hand on me getting me there when it wasn't the direction I was heading in way back when.  Not that I was heading in a bad or dark direction, mind you, just different. :)  If hadn't been for my advisor in college who sat me down one day and said, "Have you ever considered majoring in an area of special ed instead of early childhood?", I might be (God forbid!) a preschool teacher today.  Then, if I hadn't been assigned to do my special ed student teaching in a middle school (which was not what I signed up for & cried for days about!), I wouldn't have discovered how much I love this quirky, never-a-dull-moment age group.  I wouldn't have made those choices on my own, but due to one person and circumstances, both of these instances led me to where I am today & where I've been for the past 12 years.  Do I love my job every day?  No.  Do I love every aspect of my job all the time?  No.  But, I do truly enjoy it most days & I'm grateful for a hand wiser than mine leading me to what I didn't even know I wanted.

DGD - Day 8

I love, Love, LOVE music.  Don't give me the TV, give me a radio any day, anytime.  I am so thankful that I can enjoy music as I pretty much do anything...while I drive, while I work, while I exercise, while I vacuum, even while I blog (as in right now!).  Music always lifts my spirits & makes whatever I'm doing more enjoyable than it would be if I had to do it in silence.  My 30 GB Zune (Microsoft Version of the I-pod) still has about 20 GB left for me to fill with more & more music.  I won't stop until it is full!  My goal for when life settles down in a few years is to actually spend time playing my piano that's in the basement.  When I was growing up, it was always such a relaxing thing to do when I could sit down and play for an hour.  Maybe one of these days... Regardless, whether I'm just listening to it or playing it or whatever, I am so grateful for music!

DGD - Day 7

Sunday has somehow become laundry day in my house.  I think it is because I have become so lazy on Saturdays that it just naturally migrated to the other half of the weekend.  Every time I do my laundry, though, I am forever grateful to be doing it in the comfort of my home.  I spent the first 3 years of our marriage when we lived in Maryville hauling sheets, towels, and clothing down the street to the laundromat attached to a nearby gas station.  A laundromat where there was a 50/50 chance that my clean clothes would come home smelling like smoke if the laundromat was busy while I was there.  Yes - smoking allowed in a laundromat - very nice!  When we moved into our apartment in KC 11 years ago, I was on cloud 9 when we bought our washer & dryer.  The first day I got to use my very own washer/dryer in my very own home was pure joy.  Maybe it is not pure joy anymore, however, I do admit to feeling very, very grateful every time I start up the washer that I am not in a laundromat & my clothes will not have a smoky fresh clean scent.

DGD - Day 6

This morning, it is quite simple - I am grateful for the sunshine.  I know it is cold outside, but as I sit here with the sunlight streaming in through my windows with a cup of coffee by my side, I feel warm and cozy and optimistic.  I know we could use a little rain, but simply sitting here enjoying the sunlight lifts my spirits and gives me hope for the day ahead.  Of course, it doesn't hurt that it is Saturday, which is typically the laziest day of my week. I am grateful to just sit here and bask in the warmth and beauty of the sun.

DGD - Day 5

Ahhhh...it is the weekend.  And it is not just any weekend ---- it is daylight saving time weekend.  Yes!  An extra hour of sleep for me this weekend!  This girl is grateful for just one more hour to spend in blissful sleep.  If it can't be a 3-day weekend, this is the next best thing!  Don't forget - set your clock back one hour on Saturday night.

DGD - Day 4

Today, I am grateful for...LESS MESS!  Those of you who know me well are probably shocked by the fact that I enjoy things being, well, not messy.  Specifically, the less mess I'm talking about is in Luke's room.  Since he's started kindergarten, he brings home so many papers that I believe kindergarten might possibly be the demise of all the woodlands around the world.  Seriously!  And he wants to keep only really important stuff everything.  He loves to draw and write, color, and play with play-doh, but he has only had a small table to work on.  And the small table had no working area, because it has been buried in papers, among other random little boy things.  Finally growing weary of the pit of papers, Brandon and I began having the discussion a few days ago that it was time for a desk.  I came home Tuesday to find that Brandon had spent all day re-painting an old computer desk we had in the garage for Luke's room.  We now have shelves to put things on & all the junk truly gifted & special work he brings home does not all collect on the working surface.  Yay!  Will it stay as neat as it is right now?  I think not, but I know that it will be less mess than before & for that ---- I am grateful!

Back in the good old days when this little table was plenty big.

So proud of his new "grown-up" space (and a chair he can spin around in).

Hard at work.

DGD - Day 3

So I decided to scrap my original idea for my grateful post today, because as I drove home from work today, I realized that today I am truly grateful for people who make me laugh.  I had just sat through an hour-long faculty meeting that had so much potential to be the most boring part of my day - seriously, we spent 30 entralling minutes looking at multiple types of graphs & charts.  Luckily, we get assigned seats (sorry for the sarcasm as I'm supposed be being grateful here).  Actually, today, I ended up with a group of people who kept me giggling through much of the meeting.  Professional?  Probably not, but who are we kidding, we're middle school teachers & may be less mature than some of our students at times.  It made a long day more bearable - so to those of you who were sitting at my table today & may read my blog - thank YOU!

Daily Gratitude Diary - Day 2

Today, I am grateful to be a citizen of this great country we live in.  I am grateful that as a citizen of this country I can vote & let my voice be heard.  I'm sure some of my votes will be for winners & some for losers, but I appreciate the fact that my vote gets counted.  We are blessed with so many opportunities as citizens of this country & it is so easy to take those opportunities for granted as we get wrapped up in the busy-ness of our lives.  If you haven't made it out to the polls yet, I hope you manage the time & have the opportunity to get there!

Daily Gratitude Diary - Day 1

Today I was inspired by 2 things to keep a diary of gratitude through Thanksgiving.  First, Middle Name Marie is doing her 2nd annual "30 Days of Thanks" on her blog, which reminded me last year & again this year when I read today's 1st post that I have so many things to be thankful for.  The second thing that inspired me was from my Women of Faith Daily Devotional.  Each month has a theme & November's theme is (surprise!) - Gratitude.  Sorry for the length of this, but it just really resonated with me as I read it today:

"Gratitude is a mighty force.  It can change the whole landscape of our lives. It can take a situation that seems dead or hopeless and infuse it with light and life.  Mostly, practicing giving thanks in all things changes us.  It is a worthy habit to pursue.

Time after time in the Word of God we are called to give thanks.  Not only is God more than worthy of our grateful hearts, but the very act of thanksgiving also reminds us of who we are and who he is.  Every breath we take comes from him.  Every good thought we have is a gift from him.  When we lie down at night and sleep in peace, it is because of him.  When we rise up and we are still with him, it is a gift.  Gratitude is like laughter:  It is internal medicine.

As we turn our hearts toward God in thanks, we turn our hearts toward each other too.  We begin to noice simple kindnesses and receive them.  The attitude of gratitude is a welcoming invitation to a party that never ends." - Sheila Walsh, The Women of Faith Daily Devotional

So - I am going to "practice giving thanks in all things" & look for the simple kindnesses & goodnesses that are in my life each day. 

Today - I am thankful for daily walks with my husband.  We've been walking together for the last 14 years & it is truly a special and important time for me each day we get to do it.  I'm grateful for all the long talks, the advice offered, and support given on so many of these walks.  I hope that we'll be able to continue walking together for many, many, many more years.  There are days that are incredibly hot & muggy when I don't want to go.  There are days, like those ahead of us now, that are freezing & windy & pure misery, and I don't want to go.  However, I'm always grateful once we get started that we have the time and the ability to spend time together this way.

Trick or Treat

It was a fun Halloween - so much fun that Luke is currently back in full costume & saying he will wear it every day for the rest of his life.  I hated to tell him that he will quickly grow out of it!  We had a great night of trick-or-treating around our neighborhood & will be enjoying candy for many weeks to come!

Patiently waiting for it to get dark.

Luke & Ginger - still waiting

This is from Luke's Fall party at school - he is with his friends Vincent (Bumble Bee) & Timothy (Batman).