Thankful Thursday - Edition 41

It's a rainy Thursday here today thanks to Hurricane Michael.  We are supposed to get 3-6 inches today in our area.  That's our normal total average rainfall for the whole month of October - in one day.

But the good news is that after the rain clears out tonight, tomorrow and the rest of the weekend will be cool (high in the 60s) and sunny!

Here are just a few of the things I'm thankful for this week...

1. My best friend's son just got offered a paid summer internship with an excellent company!

2. A brilliant red cardinal flying past on grey and cloudy day.

3. My Keurig which faithfully delivers fresh, hot coffee to me every morning and sometimes in the afternoon too.

4. My 20-year-old washing machine which is cleaning a load of dirty clothes for me right now and the 20-year-old dryer that will be drying them.

5.  Carpool got switched around this week which means that I didn't have to drive a car full of kids to school in the pouring rain AND I don't have to drive next week either! 

6. Because I didn't drive car pool this morning and the weather is gross, I decided to stay in today and do my normal Thursday errands tomorrow.  A nice cozy day at home is always good for the soul.

7. Once I get the laundry done and dinner prepped, I'll be eating bonbons and watching This Is Us.  Well, technically I'll be eating leftovers for lunch and watching This Is Us but still.

8. Beautiful weekend weather means that Dan and Peter will be able to go on their Boy Scout camping trip and Sarah and I will be able to do some fun girly things.

9. I'm sure you've seen it already, but this meme made my day when it saw it.  Dan laughed at it too but the kids just rolled their eyes.

Thankful Thursday - Edition 40

It's Thursday and here are a few of the things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Foggy mornings and my favorite tree:

2. Gorgeous sunrises.

3. Clean laundry.

4. An empty dishwasher.

5.Leftovers for lunch.

6. Parents that love to drive my kids around.

7. Good health.

8. A new episode of This Is Us waiting for me on the DVR.

9. Time spent with friends.

10. Checking things off my to-do list.

11. Indian summer.  I will be ready for cooler days at the end of this month but right now the mid to upper 80s is perfect!

12. And my blog friend Mary's book Be Brave In The Scared is available for pre-order on Amazon today!!  I just ordered my copy and I can not wait to read this book when it comes out!

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 39

It's Thankful Thursday so let's go...

1.  My sweet husband.  He had to come home from a long day of work and the immediately went to the basement to fix a clog in the heat pump which was causing water to leak all of the basement floor.

2. And then after fixing the clog in the pump, we had to rescue a hummingbird that was trapped in our garage.  Poor dumb bird kept flying up and into the ceiling instead of out the giant open garage door.  It had been in there at least three hours. After failed attempts at making a "net" out of a table cloth and two broom sticks, we found success with a giant dust broom and thankfully after 30 minutes of trying were able to get the bird out of the garage.  And THEN, at 8:30, my sweet tired husband was able to sit down and relax.

3. I had lunch with my bestie yesterday.

4. I've been slowly marking things off my to-do list.  This week I knocked out a couple more closets. Well, not knocked them out but cleaned them out.  It's always a good feeling to open a closet door and be able to find what you are looking for.

5.  Sarah's Girl Scout troop is having a yard sale this weekend and that was the main driver in the two closets being cleaned out.  :)   I love her troop and am very thankful for them - yard sale or not!

6. Homecoming is over and a good time was had by all.

7.  I'm slowly learning to use my Instant Pot.

8.  Fall TV!  Yes, I 'm thankful that the new shows are starting up.

9.Selfies with my sweetie.

10. Dinner time.  We always try to have dinner together every night. I love this time together. There's usually laughter, arguing, complaining, discussions on who did what at school, and more.  Even though cooking is not my forte, I am always thankful when we are all gathered around the table together.

12. A sweet friend and her husband who towed our old undriveable car to the scrap yard for us.  They went above and beyond with their offer to help us.  I'm so lucky and thankful to have such good friends!

11.  Ebates and cash back! Every time I shop online, I check Ebates first to see if I can order through them.  It's simple - I have a link in my toolbar that usually pops up when I'm in an online store asking me if I want to activate a code. Of course I do.  I just bought some shirts online for my brother and I'm getting $8 back from Ebates.  EIGHT DOLLARS - not eight points.  Actual dollars.

They mail me a check at the end of every month.  If you haven't already signed up with Ebates do it now with my code and I get some extra cash back.  The holiday season will be here before you know it so why don't you get into the habit of using Ebates now to maximize your cash back!  Who among us is not thankful for cash?!

What are you guys thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 38

Thankful Thursday - let's go!

1. Very thankful the hurricane did little to no damage here and just left us with a lot of rain.  I continue to pray for those on the coast of N.C. that weren't so lucky.

2. I'm very thankful that we found a dress and matching shoes for the dance this weekend.  Sarah's super excited.  I'm just a little nervous that her heels are going to be a little too high,.  They are chunky though so hopefully she can walk without falling.  She's been practicing! 

3. My bestie (who I'm always thankful for!) gifted me with a Target gift card AND a Starbucks gift card AND flowers on my birthday.  She knows me too well!

4.  Look at the gorgeous Hearth and Hand (thanks Jojo and Jennifer!) pitcher that I got at Target on CLEARANCE for half off!!!  (And check out the bush clippings I put inside of it.)  Thankful for clearance merch and FREE greenery!

5.  Tomorrow is officially fall so I guess I'll start decorating.Feels like everyone else has been drinking pumpkin spice lattes and decorating for fall since August.   Thankfully the weather has been warm and sunny here (my favorite) except for the rainy hurricane weather and it just didn't seem right to start bringing out all the orange and yellow yet.  So, maybe this weekend...

6. So many people in the state are without power due to the storm so it's a great reminder to be thankful for something that I take for granted all the time.

7. Early morning rainbows!  Peter spotted this one the other morning before leaving for school!  I love a good rainbow.

8.  Porch time with my parents.  Last night, we had no activities, Dan was home from work at a reasonable time(before 7), dinner was done at a reasonable time (before 7:30), and we sat on the front porch with my parents.  Rocking chairs make me happy and so does spending time with the old folks! 😊  Just kidding mom - you guys aren't old - just OLDER than me!  💙

9. I'm thankful for sugar free mocha syrup at Starbucks.  Now I can get a cup of coffee (the Casi Ceilo is so good) with a couple of pumps of the syrup and heavy cream and have a low carb, cheap drink from Starbucks!  

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 37

It's Thursday so I thought I better bust out my thankful list!

1.  It's my birthday!  Happy 49 years of life to me!  I was emailing my oldest friend this morning and mentoned that I still feel 21 so I'm always shocked when I look in the mirror and wonder who the old, wrinkley, pudgey face string back at me is!

2. Dan's birthday was yesterday.  Very thankful for him and so glad that he's still around - especially considering that he is ancient at the rip old age of 52!  :)

3.  Speaking of Dan, he's been in Switzerland this week but he should be home tonight.  I'm praying that he gets home before all of the rain we are expecting arrives.

4.  Speaking of rain and Hurricane Florence, I am very thankful that she has been downgrading and is moving more south of us.  We should still get a lot of high winds and rain but not nearly as bad as they were predicting earlier in the week. I'm still praying though for a miracle and that she will stall and vanish.  That would be a miracle and if it does happen, you heard it here first! 

5.  Thankful for a little elf that held on to and delivered my birthday card from Dan.  It was waiting on me when I came down to make my coffee at oh dark thirty this morning.

6. I spent 4 hours yesterday with my girl shopping for a dress to wear to the homecoming dance.  Even though we were not successful (she tried on at least 25 dresses) but I still  enjoyed spending time with her and I'm hoping that the rain isn't so bad that we can try another mall in another town this weekend.   (I was hoping that shopping for a homecoming dress with absolutely no restrictions would be easier than shopping for a dress for a dance at a conservative Catholic middle school.  It was not.)

7.  I'm thankful that I still have a week until she needs the dress.  (This is me trying to be positive!)

8.  Mani/pedi's.  I'm always thankful for a fresh one and I treated myself to one this morning in honor of my birthday!

9. Schedule changes.  Even though he missed the cutoff by one day - I'm very thankful for an administration that let him make a much needed schedule change.  Whew!  Alllllllllll the praise hands!

10. In advance of Hurricane Florence, school is cancelled tomorrow!  And while I'm not excited about all the wind and rain, I am thankful the kids can sleep in and catch up on homework and maybe if it's not to bad a little dress shopping!

And that's just a few of the many things I'm thankful for this week.  What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 36

It's Thankful Thursday and here's a little list of just a few of the things I'm thankful for...

1.  Warm September weather.

2. Carolina blue skies with fluffy clouds.

3. Sugar-free mocha syrup at Starbucks.  (A couple of pumps and some heavy cream makes a delicious low carb coffee drink!)

4. The nice pop of red these gerber daisies bring to my kitchen.

5. The beautiful sunrises I see when I'm grabbing the morning newspaper for Dan.

6. Trader Joe's Everything But The Bagel Seasoning on an avocado. Delicious!  Dan likes it on his eggs.

7. Bumping into a friend at swim practice and talking for the entire hour! 

8.  Wings!  My parents grilled a ton of them and we ate them on Labor Day.  We had some leftover and I enjoyed them for lunch today.  (This should count as two thankfuls because I love good leftovers for lunch!)

9. Spending a long weekend with my favorite people.

10. Looking forward to date night this weekend with Dan to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays!  He hates it when I call it date night so let me rephrase that - Looking forward to eating dinner and spending time alone with Dan to celebrate!

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 35

Oh my gosh.  Is it really already Thursday again and I haven't posted anything since LAST Thursday?  Somebody needs to get her act together!

Here are just a few of the many things I'm thankful for this week:

1.  Carpool - last week I had to drive to and from the high school two times a day for three days in a row and let me tell you what - it took a lot of time and a lot of gas.  That made me all the more thankful for the carpool group that we have which GREATLY reduces my time spent behind the wheel each day!

2. Lunch with Jennifer!  Now that school is back in session I can get back on a regular schedule for lunch with her.

3.  Meeting with my old MOPS care group.  Same as above - it's so nice to get back into the swing of everything and I do enjoy my time with this group of ladies!

4. Sarah seems to be adjusting well to high school.  Almost every day she tells me of another nice girl she talked to.  Whew!

5.  The weather is gorgeous right now.  It is still very warm but when I walk outside it just feels perfect.  Even though it's hot the humidity is low and I love it!

6.  Long weekend on the horizon!  We don't really have any plans and that's fine with me.

7.  We FINALLY finished painting the garage this past weekend.  It looks a million times better and I am so happy that it is done!

8.  The world's longest to do list. I am currently in processing of writing down the following:  every area I want to clean and organize, every phone call I need to make (I hate making phone calls), every  project I want to do or have done around the house, everything that I keep thinking I need to do or take care of but totally forget about, etc.  I know I won't get to all of it any time soon but having it all down on one list means I might actually get some of it done.  Maybe...

9.  More yellow roses in the window...

What are you thankful for this week?

First Day of School and Thankful Thursday Edition 34

It's the first day of school! 10th grade and 9th grade!

Notice the fatherly photobomber in the back?  He likes to to try drive me crazy when I'm taking photos before we rush off to school.  Good thing he's so cute!

And just to make me feel really old and sad and melancholy I thought I would share these two posts from the archives:

Peter's first day of kindergarten.

Sarah's first day of kindergarten.

Look at my babies!  SOB!

My how time flies!  (You knew I was going to say it!)

And now how about a little Thankful Thursday?

1.  My kids are in school!  Time to get back to a regular schedule that doesn't involve me forcing them out of bed at 11:00 AM (okay - that's Sarah.  Peter always had me get him up around 9:00 this summer after we were done with swim practice because he didn't want to waste the whole day sleeping. Sarah on the other hand would sleep until 2:00 PM if I let her.)

2. My kid's school.  I really do love their high school.  I loved their elementary/middle school as well. I'm a firm believer that no school is perfect you just have to find the one that is perfect for your kid.

3.  The teachers.  I am so very thankful for people who are willing to teach my kids.  They all have different strengths and weakness and my kids like some of them more than others but it's like I tell my kids - you've got to learn to work for and with a whole variety of people in your life so get used to it!  (Said lovingly of course as they were complaining....)

4.  A rose on the window.  Dan picked this little beauty from the bush in our yard and it makes me smile.   

5. Target/Starbucks.  Is it silly to be thankful for a Target that contains a Starbucks?  I hope not because I really am thankful for it.  I enjoyed a grande skinny mocha latte this morning as I consoled myself with a little retail therapy after carpool.  I really enjoyed that mocha as I browsed the clearance racks.

6.Sunny and cool.  The weather is sunny and cooler than average these next few days and it makes it look and feel like fall around here...  I'm enjoying it but I hate to see the hot weather end because that means cold is right around the corner. 

7.  Sarah had a great day yesterday at Freshman Orientation.  She was extrememly nervous but once she got through the crowd of cheering upperclassmen she said she saw a bunch of people she knew (from some middle school events the high school held over the last couple of year) and she said everyone was friendly and she felt good about heading back today for a real day of class. Whew!

What are you guys thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 33

Here is a list of all the things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Our back-to-school shopping is done!  We found pants for Sarah last week at the mall and it wasn't too traumatic for either one of us.  Back packs, lunch boxes, uniform shirts and some initial supplies have also been purchased.  The balance will come once the kids know exactly what they need for each class.

2. Coffee.  The first thing I do in the mornings is get a cup of coffee.

3. The Keuring.  I do not miss brewing a whole pot at one time.  I can enjoy my weak coffee and Dan can enjoy his strong coffee.

4. After 14 years Sarah has finally been trained to empty the dishwasher without me having to ask her.

5. Having another mower in the house.  Dan was just saying a few weeks ago that he really enjoys/appreciates having Peter around to mow the grass (he's been doing it for three years now) and he's glad he doesn't have to do it any more.  I then reminded him that Peter will be gone in a few years and he'll be back to doing it himself.

6. Sleeping in.  I've really enjoyed sleeping until 6:30 this summer.  During the school year I get up at 5:30 but over summer vacation I sleep in until Dan gets up for work.  I'm going to miss that extra hour next week.

7. $10 bouquets from the farmer's market.

8. Our health.  Other than a few minor hiccups here and there, our family is healthy and I hope I never forget to be thankful for that!

9. The sunshine.

10.  The warm but cooler weather.  It has been so nice around here this week.  It's warm but upper 80s warm instead of mid 90s warm.  Perfection!

11.  Peter gets his braces off today!

12. My workout partners.  I'm going to miss them next week when they go back to school.

13.  Football season!  I love football season and this Friday night is the first high school game.  I guess Fall really is coming and there's nothing I can do to stop it but I do love watching football! (Go Patriots!)

14. The Red Sox.  Not sure if you knew or not but they are currently the best team in baseball.  One of the best things about this time of year is that I get to watch baseball and football!  And it's even better when your team is winning!

15. These chicken patties from Aldi.  I like the Mexican version and Sarah likes the Mediterranean version the best.  So good with avocado salad and creama - and low carb too!  Such a quick and tasty lunch!

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 31 and 32

It's Thursday and that means it's time for a list of what I've been thankful for the past TWO weeks since I wasn't able to post last week.  Here goes...

1. Safe travels.  It's a long drive to Massachusetts and back so I'm always thankful for safety while on the road.

2.  Good vacation weather.  It only rained on us one afternoon.  The rest of the time it was sunny!

3. Lots of rain at home.  Unfortunately while we were gone we got a lot of rain at home which lead to flooding in a lot of areas around here but the grass which was so brown and dead before we left is so green and gorgeous now. 

4. We lost a lot of tomatoes to all the rain (too much rain makes them split and bust) and some of the vines are diseased BUT we still had plenty of tomatoes when we got home and I was able to try a delicious recipe last night for dinner - Tomato Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese Soup.  And even though it's hot outside soup felt perfect last night because guess what?  It was raining! 

5. We had a really nice vacation. I love my family and spending 10 straight days 24/7 with them is always fun.  It's not always perfect because in between all the fun activities and laughter there was definitely complaining and arguing but I think that's exactly what a vacation is supposed to be - it's never perfect but at the end, time spent with the people I love the most is always good.

6.I am also thankful for time spent with Dan's family - Dick, Jennifer, Jillian, Cathy, Great Uncle Bob and Ronnie.  We don't get to see them enough so having extra time with them during vacation is always a blessing.

7. My parents and brother - I am thankful for them always but especially when we are gone because they watch the house, bring in the mail, feed our cats, clean the litter box, tend the garden, and water the plants.  AND on the day we arrive home, my parents always have us over for a nice meal so I don't have to worry about cooking dinner - which is always nice because there is never anything in the fridge after a 10 day trip! 

8. Shoe Carnival's BOGO sale!  Yesterday Sarah and I went shopping for shoes for school.  I always have the worst luck at the BOGO sale because one kid will like something and the other won't and I don't get to take advantage of the sale.  Sarah and I went and she found the cutest pair of pinkish grayish Adidas (I think) and then we found 8 pairs of Nikes we thought Peter would like and texted him pictures of each pair and he picked one. Easy peasy!  Now all that's left to get is pants for Sarah and that's going to require a trip to the mall and a whole lot of prayers! :)

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 30

It's time for Thankful Thursday.  What am I thankful for this week?

1. Swim season is over and we got in our meet with no rain on either day!

2. I always stress about getting the tent set up for the swim meets and at the championship meet where all the teams compete, I always stress about parking.  They allowed us to set up our tents the night before and Dan was able to help me.  And the next day when we got to the meet there was the perfect parking place mere steps from our spot.  Not sure why no one had parked there yet but I took it!  In fact, before I parked, I even asked someone if it was okay to park there because why had no one taken this perfect space yet??  

3. Rain!  We finally got some rain this week and it's been very good for the grass and garden. Peter was able to mow yesterday finally and it looks much better.

4.  The perfect tomato sandwich. I love it when the tomato is so big that you only need one slice to cover the bread.

See?  It's the perfect size!!

5. Our jalapenos are starting to come in and while I hate to can tomatoes, I can can jalapenos with the best of them. 

6. Jennifer's daughter, Caity, has been dealing with a kidney stone for the past week!  Poor thing!  She finally passed it last night! 

7.Mani/pedi!  I got a fresh mani/pedi yesterday and boy was it needed!  Because not only was I overdue BUT....

8.  VACATION!!!  We are headed to the Cape tonight after Dan gets home from work and I am very thankful about that!  I'm looking forward to spending a lot of quality time with my family and seeing extended family members we don't see often enough!

What are you thankful for this week??

Thankful Thursday - Edition 29

It's Thankful Thursday!!

1. Dan will be home tonight after being gone since Sunday.  Unfortunately his Uncle Jerry died so he will be flying to Boston tomorrow morning for the funeral.  I am thankful that Dan's Uncle is no longer suffering and I'm thankful that Dan will be able to attend the funeral. Please pray for Uncle Jerry's wife, Barbara, and their 5 grown sons and their families.   

2. Flying out over the weekend for his meetings meant Dan got to spend a little fun time in San Antonio.  He visited the Almo and the River Walk. I'm always thankful when he gets to have a little fun because he works so hard for us.  He also got some really good Texas BBQ and that made him happy as well!

3. See this little guy? 

He's been literally hanging around the last couple of days.  The first day, he was hurling himself against the kitchen window trying to get in and would rest up on the feeder and then hurl himself up against the window again.  He repeated that cycle multiple times until I finally opened the back door and for some reason that caused him to fly away in the right direction.  But then he showed up the very next morning just sitting on the feeder.  I'm thankful he didn't hurt himself on the window and I will be happy to see him sitting there again this morning if he decides to hang around again.  Yellow birds make me happy!

4.  And speaking of yellow making me happy - our sunflowers have bloomed!  The rest of our little flower garden did not come up this year.  Not sure why.  So I am extra thankful the sunflowers bloomed.  Although, I will say, they are a lot shorter and thinner than they normally are.  Dan uses seeds from the previous years crops (he's been doing this for 5 or 6 years now) and this is the first year we've had an issue.  Maybe it's the dry weather? 

5.And speaking of dry weather...it has been so dry around here this summer that the grass is brow and dry.  The only green parts are near the septic system and/or are weeds.  BUT  - we had a nice little thunderstorm in the middle of the night a few nights ago and a really quick shower during the day this week as well that I was very thankful for.  Rain means I don't have to water the garden!  I am hoping that it doesn't rain for during the two day swim meet tomorrow and Saturday but rain any other time would be good!

6.  Sarah has discovered all these videos on my phone from 2013 of her signing and dancing.  We have really enjoyed watching them and laughing.  She has been cringing through each video but to see her 9 and 10 year old self and to hear her little voice has made me so happy.  And even though I stopped using the video recorder years ago and really wish that I had taken more videos of them when I got a smart phone, I'm thankful for the digital memories I do have of them.

These are just a few of the random things I'm thankful for this week.  What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 28

Once again, I'm amazed at the speed the week has flown by.  It's Thursday so I am going to list a few of the things I'm thankful for this week:

1. Our little garden.  The Early Girls are ready!  They are small but they are ripe and delicious! 

2. Our lovely weekend.  I wrote about it here in case you missed it.  The boys went one way and the girls stayed close to home and we were all happy.

3. We had our last regular season swim meet on Tuesday. I'm always so thankful for our swim team and the fun and competition it brings to our summer. The county championship meet is next Friday so basically one week of swim practice left for the summer.  And once again I am shaking my head at how fast the days are moving.

4. These $10 flowers from the farmer's market have been making me smile all week.

5.Our White Althea bush is in full bloom and that is also making me very thankful this week.  I love summer when everything is in bloom. It's like God is speaking to us in every bloom reminding us that he made all of this for us so that we can feel his presence in the beauty.

6. Aldi. I am thankful for Aldi every week when I come out of there with a shopping cart full of food that I purchased at excellent prices. In addition to their regular items I also love their special buys.  Last week I picked up some marinated mozzarella and made this delicious lunch with tomatoes from our garden:

And this week they had adorable little succulents in tin pots for $4.99 each.  I picked up these two but already wish I had grabbed a couple of the other varieties:

Aren't they adorable?  I feel like Joanna is  responsible for these!  :)

These are just a few of the things I'm thankful for this week.  What about you?  What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 27

Oh my goodness!  I haven't posted since last week's Thankful Thursday.  I haven't really been that busy.  Mostly just swim practice, errands, gym.  Just regular life.  Regardless, here's just a few of the things I'm thankful for this week.

1.  Family, friends,food, fireworks, and the Fourth of July.  We invited my family and Jennifer's family over to celebrate yesterday.  We had a simple menu of a few easy dips (guacamole, spinach and artichoke dip, and jalapeno popper dip)and hot dogs with all the toppings, baked beans, corn salad, watermelon salad, and hash brown casserole.  And then everyone brought a dessert. 

After dinner we set off a ton of fireworks!  They were really good too now that we know which ones to buy!

And isn't Dan adorable (disregard my crazy brother's photo bomb!) in the shirt the kids and I got him?  Wally For President!

2.  The newspaper - on time!  We have had issues with our newspaper delivery person for weeks now.  My husband (and according to the Facebook community page many others as well) have been emailing and calling to complain about the late or undelivered papers.  They appear to have finally gotten a new delivery person!  I was so excited the other morning that I snapped this picture:

Dan really enjoys reading the newspaper before he leaves for work so he is very thankful for this new person!

3. America!  I guess I'm still feeling all the 4th of July feels but I love my country and I am very thankful for it.  It's not perfect but I still think it's the best country in the world.

4. Simple arrangements.  Look at this cute flower arrangement.  I saw a similar one online and tried to replicate it.  It's not perfect but it's a cute way to do something alittle different with a grocery store bouquet. I am always thankful for fresh flowers and cute ways to arrange them.

5. Front porch time.  My parents have a great front porch - it's wide and long and there's a swing and lots of rockers and we spend a lot of time out there with them when it's not too hot.  Our porch is much smaller.  When we moved in we put two rocking chairs on it but later removed those and put in the swing.  It's not ideal but the other night all four of us hung out on the steps and swing from after a late dinner until bedtime.  The cats even came out there with us.  It was a perfect way to spend a lazy summer evening with the ones I love the most.

What are you all thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 26

It's Thursday and here are just a few of the things I'm thankful for this week:

1.  I got my Blogger comments back in email!  If you aren't a blogger then you are probably scratching your head.  Previously any time someone would leave a comment in the blog comment section below, I would get an email with that comment.  And if the commenters included their email address, I could respond.  BUT - something happened a few weeks ago an no one (not just me) was getting their comments via email.  You had to manually go back to the blog post and look in the comments section and you had no way of responding to comments.

I kept putting it on my to-do list to figure out what was going on (aka - Google it and see if someone else had figure out how to correct the problem.) But I never got around to it.  Yesterday, however, Gigi, another blogger I read regularly posted the fix to the problem and yay!  Now my comments are coming back to me in email.  I'm very happy!  Thank you Gigi!

And a cool side note about Gigi - I can't remember exactly  how I found her blog but we read and follow a lot of the same people so I'm sure it's from that.  Any who her son actually graduated from Peter and Sarah's school AND briefly taught there as a substitute teacher this past year while he was looking for a permanent teaching job.  It really IS a small world after all...

2. Dan made it home from his trip safe and sound last week.  He had other customer meetings this week but they were local so even though he got home late every night this week and missed another swim meet, at least he got to sleep in his own bed and we got to see him every night for a little bit.

3. I finally convinced Peter to see my hair stylist since he actually has hair now.  The barber is fine when you are just getting a buzz with a razor but Peter has very thick hair and since he wants it a litle longer, he needs a stylist.  He balked for a while but after a hack job from a well meaning and sweet little old barber, he finally agreed.  His hair is looking much much better now and yesterday he got the best cut yet.  I love my hairstylist and am very thankful for her!

4.

Our little garden is starting to produce! We are getting a good crop of cucumbers and there are quite a few peppers to be picked as well.  AND......we have a ton of green tomatoes on the vine.  I am getting very anxious to have a tomato sandwich in the very near future!

5. It was overcast all day on Tuesday and looked like it might rain at any minute for must of the day BUT we got our full swim meet in with zero delays and even though we were swimming a big team since it was only one team (and not two teams like the previous two meets), we managed to finish the entire meet at a reasonable time.  All the praise hands!!

6. Peter is making good progress on his Eagle Scout project thanks to my brother.  He is keeping him on task and making sure they stick to a reasonable schedule for getting the work completed.  Although I'm sure Peter would complain that the schedule is too strict but still...it's getting done and for that we are all thankful - even Peter!  ;)

What are you all thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 25

It's Thursday and that means it's time to get all Psalm 103:2 up in here!

Bless the Lord, my soul;
    and do not forget all his gifts,

1.  Last Thursday we had what I called "the longest swim meet ever" but in fact the one this Tuesday with 250 swimmers was even longer.  Our swim team managers and pool staff did an excellent job running the meet but due to the huge number of swimmers it still went to after 9:00 and we also did not get the last event in.  I am thankful for no rain delays for either meet.  I am thankful for our little pool and all the great people who run it (the board and the staff) and I will forever be thankful for our swim team.  It gives purpose to our summers, it allows my kids opportunities to socialize, and they are getting great exercise! Not to mention, my kids can do all four strokes well and can do flip turns.

2.  One of the worst things about swim meets is the tent set-up.  Our team is very large and it's always a hassle getting the tent set up.  People wait in line in the sun for 30 minutes before the gates open to get their tents set up on the pool deck and I'm always one one of those people.  Last week I told myself I wasn't going to get stressed out about it (I always do) and basically told Jesus to take the wheel.  Last week and this week set up went smoothly and neither time did I have to wait in the hot

sun. Further proof that God is interested in the little things that worry us and stress us out.

3.My friend Jennifer's son, Cody, was in Italy last week. I had been praying for his safety and that he would have a great time.  I am thankful that he has returned home safe and sound after a wonderful trip!

4.   Avocados from Aldi!  They are so cheap and since they are low in carb (once you subtract out the fiber, I have been eating a ton of them.)  I found this recipe on CafeDelights for caprese stuffed avocados and made my own version for lunch the other day.  It was so yummy that I think  I've found my new summer lunch! 

 5. Lazy summer mornings.  Even though the kids have to be at the pool for swim practice at 9:30 there is still plenty of time for me to be lazy and drink lots of coffee before I have to wrangle them out of bed.  

6. Our little garden!  We've got tomatoes on the vine (not red yet), tiny little cucumbers, and peppers!  And my basil is getting big.  I've always got basil before I've got tomatoes but I'm going to plant another one when my tomatoes are getting closer to being red.

7. I've been going to the gym with the kids after swim practice.  I'm very thankful there is a little gym just a couple of minutes from the house.  It's very small but it's very affordable.  I'm enjoying my time working out with Peter, Sarah, Colton and Cheyanne.  It's nice to have some company! I have no great expectations about weight loss and muscle mass but I figure any calories burned are good!

8. Dan will be home from his business trip tomorrow night!  And it's Friday and the pool is having a food truck!  Mama isn't cooking tomorrow night!  

What are you all thankful for this week?

  

Thankful Thursday - Edition 24

It's Thursday and once again I am left thinking already.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for this week:

1. Time spent last weekend with my family celebrating birthdays, the end-of-school, and old rock bands.

2.The hummingbirds are absolutely loving the homemade nectar I started putting in their feeder this week.  When using the store bought nectar, I would see maybe 4 or 5  each week but now they are coming from morning to dusk, lingering at the feeder, and zooming all around all day long.  I continue to be mesmerized by these little birds and really enjoy watching them hover around.

3. Swim season is in full swing and the first swim meet is today.  I've been enjoying the time I've spent walking with Jennifer.  Catching up with her makes me happy and burning calories is always a plus.

4.  I had an unexpected meeting with my old MOPS care group yesterday. We typically don't meet during the summer but now that all of our kids are older we decided why not!  I love spending time with my Cistas!

5. No cavities!  I am always excited when a trip to the dentist means no cavities for me.  

6. Dan's schedule.  Dan has been home a lot lately and for that I am very thankful.  He has a lot of trips planned this summer so I'm bummed about that but whenever he is home for a month or more, I am happy and thankful.

7. Speaking of my sweet husband, he has lost twenty pounds doing a low carb diet. I am thankful that he wants to be healthy because I need him to stick around for a long time.   His weight loss has already allowed him to remove one of his blood pressure medications.   

8. Every night after work, Dan has been working on taking down our shutters and repainting them and rehanging them.  He is almost done and it looks so much better.  So thankful for a husband that works all day and comes home and works until dark.  💓💓

Thankful Thursday - Edition 23

It's Thankful Thursday - time to list out some of the things I've been thankful for this past week.

1. Sarah's busy, fun, crazy, weekend celebrating her class and graduation. I'm very thankful for the fun times they had.  I know they are all a little sad knowing that they will never be together as one unit again.  But I also know they are ready to take on high school thanks to their time together at Our Lady of Mercy.

2.  Summer is here.  Well, technically not officially until tomorrow when Peter takes his last exam but it is so close that I'm already thankful for the slower pace it will bring.

3.  This guy!

It's my dad's 76th birthday today!  I love you so much Dad!

4. In my post about Sarah's graduation dance, I mentioned that we were running very behind and got to the dinner late but that we made it much quicker than expected because we hit all the green lights.  I prayed that we would make it quickly (and actually prayed that we would just get there because 14 year old girls that aren't happy with their hair can be a little irrational.) My prayers were answered - the girl calmed down, went with the hair even though it wasn't what she wanted, ultimately had a good attitude about the whole thing AND we got their in record time. I'm thankful for a God that is concerned with the smallest details of our life - and for green lights all the way!

5. It's swim season!  I love summer swim season and one of the reasons is that I get to spend extra time with my bestie.  Last night while the kids were practicing we walked for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Always thankful for time with her especially when it includes lots of laughs and lots of calories burned!

6. And speaking of calories burned - my husband has lost 20 pounds since Easter doing a low carb diet.  He's frustrated that he hasn't lost more but he looks great!  I'm thankful that he wants to lose weight because it's getting easier to pack on the pounds the older we get and a lot harder to take them off.  I want us to be healthy in our old age!  :)

7.  Sunshine!  It has been so sunny around here this past week and the humidity has dropped some as well.  I am always thankful for sunshine. 

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Thursday - Edition 22

I have a bit of a crazy day today so my list is short on entries but big on love.

1.  My Mom!

Happy 75th Birthday to this beautiful lady.  She's the one that loves us, feeds us, prays for us, worries about us, takes care of us and she's the one that makes us a family! 💜

She's the one that I want to be exactly like when I grow up! 💜

I love you, Mom!💜

Thankful Thursday - Edition 21

It's Thankful Thursday (and once again I'm left wondering how it got here so fast!)

Here's this week's thankful list:

1. Hummingbirds.  The little hummingbirds are starting to come back to the feeder that's hanging outside my kitchen window.  However, I think the fact that Wally likes to hang out outside now that the weather is warm is keeping more of them away.  I told Dan that if I ever found a dead hummingbird on my back step (like I frequently find the  cutest of baby moles) then Wally is out of here.  He assured me that the hummingbirds are too fast for Wally.  They better be!

2. Little hummingbird swing.  Last weekend at Lowe's, I spotted a little hummingbird swing.  Dan and I scoffed at the idea but when I got home I looked it up online.  Apparently they like to perch right near their food source to rest and watch over their food.  So unbeknownst to me, Dan picked up one for me when he was at Lowe's without me later on.

It's been there for 5 days and so far I haven't seen a hummingbird perched there but if I ever do, you can bet I will be adding it to this list!

3. Our little garden.  Our garden is Dan's pride and joy and thanks to all the rain we've been getting our tomato plants are looking spectacular.  I can't wait to have a tomato sandwich!!

4.Unplanned lunch date with a friend.  I was out running errands in Winston when I got a text from a friend wanting to know if I was in town and if so, was I available for lunch as she had some time to kill after an appointment?  The answer to that is always YES!  If anyone knows me in real life and you are  reading this, I will almost never turn down an impromptu lunch date!  It was so nice to just spend some time with this friend chatting and catching up and the fact that it was unplanned made it that much sweeter.

5. That little voice in side my head (which honestly I think is God).  Many times through out my day, as I'm rushing about a little voice will pop into my head reminding me about something.  It's always something that I knew I needed to do or remember but the little voice always seems to remind me at just the right time.  Every time it happens I feel like it's God speaking to me in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).  :)

6.My health.  I was driving along the other day on the way to pick up the kids when I realized that it has been five years since I have experienced any pain from multiple sclerosis. FIVE YEARS! That is a huge praise!  I don't ever want to take my health for granted!

7.Meeting new people.  I'm going to be honest here - I do not like to meet new people.  I'm not good at small talk, I hate awkward silences, and in general I'm not comfortable around people I don't know.

Now once I know you, you will wish that I would just shut up but in the beginning I probably seem shy and quiet an unfortunately, probably a little aloof.  Anyway, Peter had a track dinner the other night at a nice steak restaurant.  I was nervous about going because Dan wasn't able to go and I didn't know who was going, who I would be sitting next to, etc.  I knew the kids would all be sitting together which would mean I would have to make small talk all through a long dinner. Honestly, I was not looking forward to it at all. 

I prayed  on the way asking God to help me out during the dinner and right as we got there, a friend of Peter's (that he just made this school year) and his mom came in.  It was just the two of them as well - no father and no siblings.    I did something I don't typically do.  I introduced myself to her and hoped that since our boys were friends we would have plenty to talk about during dinner.  She seemed relieved that I introduced myself and we spent the next two and half hours talking about the boys, our other kids, school, etc.  She was really nice and easy to talk to and know I one of Peter's new friend's moms! 

That's my list! What are you thankful for this week?