Today I am thankful that

I have developed a habit of going to the street with the light to leave our neighborhood.
I had a Home Depot gift card to buy paint with. Too bad it wasn't near enough paint.
I don't have to paint houses to put food on my table although I'm sure professional painters know a lot of tricks to make the job easier.
my daughter helped me paint.
our Primary is small enough that we can easily give each child individual attention.
I get to serve in the church with people I really like.

Today I am grateful for

an early morning text that meant I didn't have to be ready for the grandson to arrive at 7:15 AM.
a daughter that bought me lunch.
libraries.

Welcome to scouting - June 2000


The end is in sight - January 2011


Actually, there is never really an end to scouting in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but don't tell the youngest son that right now.

Today I am thankful for

a son who put his scout uniform on when I asked him to.
a daughter who took pictures of her brother.
another daughter who provided the camera and technical support.
a son who made a special trip to my house to help me get all my scout pictures into one file.
a husband who burned the pictures to a cd and delivered it to where it needed to be.

Today I am grateful for

a daughter who planned Family Home Evening.
the church hymns and the spirit they bring into our home.
a family that enjoys singing together.

Today I am thankful for


family members who happily do things with me.
my sister who provides the resources to do fun things with my family.
a daughter who supports her brother in difficult tasks.
a jumbo hot dog grilled to perfection.
the enthusiasm of little children.

Today I am thankful for

cheap fruits and vegetables.
a resourceful daughter who came up with a way to make a meal for us using those fruits and veggies and then made it.
an unexpected sale on chicken tenders.
a grandson who isn't overwhelmed by large groups of people.
my nice, comfortable bed at the end of a long day.

Today I am thankful for

a 3 day weekend.
a son and daughter-in-law who took me to lunch.
sweet potatoes.

Today I am thankful for

help making dinner even though my kitchen is too small for that much help.
reminders of the blessings of the temple.
primary children who sing like angels while standing on one leg like a flamingo.
brownies with nuts on top.

Today I am grateful for

friends who say positive things about me.
leftovers and a husband who is willing to eat them.
my refrigerator that keeps those leftovers edible.
good, generous people who share their home with me and my family.

Today I am thankful for

some unexpected free time that I chose to use productively.
a spiritual prompting that I acted on without second guessing myself and a stroller in my car.
my everyday decision to make my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a priority.
Keri's blog play list. She may not be happy to know that she and a 50 year old share similar taste in music, but I am.

Today I am thankful for

a friend who motivated me to go to the temple, by going with me, and even let me have the aisle seat.
my glasses - I couldn't see anything without them. I am also glad that I have worn them since 4th grade so wearing them isn't a big deal and I don't have to get used to wearing them now.

my blooming bulbs.


This is the 4th year they have come up and the 1st year they have actually had flowers.
a son who bought us pizza for dinner.

Today I am thankful that

my daughter reads to my grandson - with enthusiasm.

January weather in my neck of the woods is great park weather.

the oldest daughter didn't have to stay for jury duty and got to come and play with us for a change.

my daughters made dinner.

Today I am thankful that

there are a plethora of grocery stores within 5 minutes of my house. (Doesn't that word just make you smile?)
I took 2 boxes of stuff to our "clean your closet and share" Relief Society tonight and came home with absolutely NOTHING!
I have Relief Society sisters that I can laugh with.

Today I am thankful for

beans - a simple and tasty dinner option.
my babysitting assistants who took the grandson grocery shopping with them.
my clothes dryer.

Today I am grateful that

my son made me pancakes and sausage for breakfast. YUM!
my 2 youngest children removed the piece of glass from my foot with no permanent damage and enough entertaining comments to distract me from the pain.
I have sisters-in-law who make sure my family is fed while I go to bed early.
my hubby and my son did their home teaching.

Today I am thankful that

all the decoration boxes are back in the storage shed. Hopefully all the decorations are in them.
I didn't have anything urgent that I had to do so I could just lay down when I didn't feel good.
the youngest son got to run up A mountain in full gear 3 times today and not me.

Today I am thankful for

the Church Magazines.
kids that do what they say they are going to do.
flannel sheets.

Today I am grateful for

the last Fernwood Mint Sandwich, the hubby that bought them for me in Utah and the sister who asked about them when she called so he was reminded to get them out of the daughter's car and give them to me.

Laughter - laughing feels so good and it's fun!

colorful carnations.

girl time with my daughters.

Today I am thankful for

the peaceful alarm music that was supposed to waken my sleeping beauties. I will take "As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth" over their other choices everytime. It brought such a calm, peaceful spirit into our home that they slept for 2 more hours.
silly things that remind me of my mom like making fruit salad with frozen cool whip.
a long break from babysitting duty so I was really, really excited to see the grandson today.

My little cowboy and his trusty zebra steed.

10 cents a gallon off on gas (that still cost way too much) and a husband who filled my tank up for me. My van hasn't been that close to empty in a long time.

Today I am thankful

for the cd "4 things That Will Wreck Your Life and 4 Truths That Will Save It" by Sheri Dew and the friend that gave it to me.
for the legacy of righteous women that I am a part of.
that my son knew where the CD player I had been searching for was.
that I don't smack someone everytime I feel like it.

Today I am grateful for

a cleaner kitchen floor than I've had in a long time.
all the dishes washed and all the clothes clean at the same time.
the opportunity to laugh with my family (who would have guessed the hubby could snort with the best of them).
a healthy new member of our extended family.

Today I am grateful for

a whole row of family members sitting by me at church.
the variety of fruit available to me any time of the year.
little boys with folded arms and sweet smiles.

Today I am thankful for

the promise of a new year (perhaps it will even include more than 49 blog posts).
the realization that I don't need to buy everything I like or that is on sale really cheap.
one on one time with my oldest daughter.