Thankful For: A Week's Worth

I never promised I'd be on time, but at least I'm sticking with it!

November 12: Today I am thankful for a whole day to spend with my wonderful boy. Greg was working and Ely and I had a whole unstructured day to do whatever we wanted. We played with his mega bloks for almost an hour, played outside in the gorgeous weather a little, built some new train tracks, read lots of books before his nap, and he even helped me around the house a little. I always need these days to really connect with him and recharge both of us.

November 13: Today I am very thankful that the holiday season is here! We put up Christmas lights all around the outside of our house and put up our "bird tree" - our outdoor tree that we fill with suet ornaments, popcorn chains, and other goodies for the birds to eat. I love this tradition and I am so happy that Christmas is here!

Greg and Ely with our "bird tree" the first year - 2009. (Sorry, no recent pics, camera is still in the shop!)


November 14: Today I am thankful for a day off. My mom and I spent her birthday checking out two thrift stores in Wisconsin. I spent way too much but got a whole trunkful of 4T clothes for Ely, some nice things for myself, a couple Christmas presents, and had a great time overall!

November 15: Today I'm thankful for Ely's tubes in his ears. He has been battling a not-too-severe head cold for two days. I know it may seem strange, but last year at this time, a little bout with the sniffles would have landed us in the doctor's office and walking out with yet another prescription for antibiotics. Very happy that we don't have to go through that this year!

Ely waiting to get his tubes last February.


November 16: Today I am thankful that we don't have anything scheduled after work tonight. It seems like either Greg has a meeting, I have a meeting, or Greg is working with his building partners, or we've got someone coming over, or something. Tonight is free and clear, and I'm looking forward to putting Ely to bed and watching Captain America with Greg while drinking a cup of cocoa overflowing with marshmallows.

Thankful For: Day 11

November 11: Today I am thankful that I had such a wonderful relationship with my grandfather. He was a WWII veteran, though it wasn't something he often talked about. To me, he was the guy who played handball at the YMCA. He was the guy that picked me up at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings to go get sprinkled doughnuts. He was the man I shared a birthday with, who always made sure it was my party, not his. He was the guy I was sitting in the canoe with when I caught my first big fish on Long Lake, Wisconsin. He was the man who sat in his ugly orange chair in the den to eat cherry ice cream and share his bowl with his pug, Beau. He was the person that was always there for my mom and my family after my parents' divorce. He was my biggest fan and the best joker.

I could never picture the "Santa Claus" that he was when I knew him, toting around a rifle on board a ship in the South Pacific. I couldn't imagine the man that wept openly when one his dogs died, holding out in one of the most dangerous naval war zones of WWII, watching his comrades and enemies fall. I couldn't imagine the man who drove a little diesel VW pick up truck, piloting a whole ship. All of which stands to remind us that the veterans of today will someday be someone's grandfather, and the war we are facing today will be distant memory for them, just as it was to my Pa. At least I hope so.

Thankful For: Day 10

November 10: Today I am thankful that my mom taught me how to be resourceful, specifically shopping at thrift stores. Not only is it fun - the hunt for something and the thrill of getting something that's extremely expensive for only $3.99 - but it also allows my family to have huge wardrobes and to be spoiled with lots of stuff. Not that materialism is the end all and be all, because when we're done with it, it's much easier to part with something you purchased for $1.00 and give it right back to someone who needs it. It's the ultimate recycling. I've been toying with starting my own blog just about my thrift store finds. If extreme couponers have blog sites, why not, right?!? Your thoughts?



Anyway, all that to say that today I found some great deals that I am very thankful for. On my lunch break I found about 15 strings of Christmas lights, including 4 consecutive sets of icicle lights for the front of the house. All told, I spent $30. I remember the first year we bought our house, we spent about $100 on half that much at Home Depot. I also found a little tree for my office at work for $4.00.

Thankful For: Day 9

Today I am thankful for snow. That's right, I know there are some very contentious opinions on the white stuff. But for me, it just gives me free license to listen to that Christmas music that's been playing in my car since September. :)

And, Ely is so PSYCHED for Christmas. When I told him yesterday that it might snow today, you should have seen the joyous expression on his face.

First big snow of 2010...can't wait for this year!

Thankful For: Yeah, I'm already behind.

November 4: I am thankful for Netflix, because without it, Friday nights might be even more boring in our house! (Hey, we're all tired from working all week, ok?)


November 5: I am thankful that I work with a bunch of dedicated, knowledgeable, and downright fun people that will give up a Saturday to help volunteers learn more about our mission.

November 6: I am thankful that I have a husband who has access to such beautiful natural areas like Nygren Wetlands, and that he shares them with me! Took a beautiful fall hike today to see a beaver dam.

November 7: Today I am thankful that we moved into a glorious new office at work, and that it's right across the street from Anytime Fitness. Here's to getting in a 30-minute walk on my lunch hour!

November 8: I am thankful for all the people in our community that give selflessly to ensure that non-profits dedicated to human services, the environment, and economic development can thrive. Happy National Philanthropy Day!

Thankful For: Day 3

November 3, 2011: Today I am thankful that Ely slept peacefully last night. Lately he's been having bad dreams that wake him (and me) up at 2 a.m. He always goes right back to sleep, but it's still disrupting for all involved. Last night he had a great night of sleep and so did I!

Thankful For: Days 1 and 2

It seems everyone comes up with a clever way to celebrate Thanksgiving via thankful lists. For some, it's a daily facebook status, a recitation at the dinner table, a written utterance in a journal. For me, I think it's a daily blog post. I've been so terrible at keeping this blog that it's made me question whether or not I should really be a blog owner. I mean, if you didn't feed and water a pet for 6 weeks, you shouldn't be a pet owner. So maybe the same holds true in this case?

I'm going to attempt to post something small each day in November as a reflection on things I'm thankful for. Maybe they're big things like family, friends, etc., and maybe they're just small things like finding an extra Diet Coke in the back of the fridge at work. (Though at 3 p.m., that's not really a small thing, now is it?) And see, in true me-fashion, I'm already a day late.

November 1: I'm thankful my husband had some leftover gas in his gas can for the mower, otherwise I'm not really sure I would have made it to the gas station.

November 2: I'm thankful that we received a grant today to help Girl Scouts who can't afford materials to participate in our programs. Call me cheesy, but I really do think what we do makes a difference in the lives of girls.