Gladitude Monday

Howdy, howdy, howdy! Hey y'all, and hi!

Top o' the mornin' to ya.

I'll be busy taking planes, trains, and automobiles over the river and thru the high altitude to parents'-in-law I go this afternoon, so I'm using the handy autopost.

I used to scoff at all my midwestern family members who hacked and wheezed and wheezed some more when they would come visit us thin-blooded mtn types, living nearly a mile high in altitude. Then, I scoffed some more the higher we moved. Let me just say, I won't have those midwesterners to kick around anymore, as I re-acclimate from 300ft above sea level to over 6,000 feet. God has a mighty funny sense of humor.

Anyhoo...Here's the Gladitude 10...

10. Glad that we got screeeeeamin' deals on tickets so that we could sup in the homeland with lurved ones.

9. Glad snow is not in the forecast for said trip. Friday's flight home might be dicey, but I can assure you that we in our little plane seats, with seatbelts securely fastened, will be more safe than early morning shoppers at Walmart.

8. Glad for the Body of Christ, both in my own local church and in the world. There's some really rough $h!t going on for a great many people right now, not only because of the economy, but all manner of personal little hells which aren't necessarily revealed upon first handshake. How very grateful I am for folks with which to pray, to lean on, and for receiving the lean every now and then. How grateful I am that I can not only ask others to pray freely for me, but that they can and do ask for my prayers, as well. What power and joy in lifting others up to God! Even if joy comes in the midst of pain and tears...Jesus bring the rain.

7. Glad that my pantry is barren when it comes to nummy sweet treats for desserts. No cookies. No fun food. I suppose I'm glad in a very grown up way, though. Not with my usual perky gladnessiosity. I guess gladness comes in more than one form.

6. Glad for a coffee date with one of my favorite moms on last Friday. Our kids are now at 3 different schools, but we're trying to commit to a monthly or every 6 weekish coffee together. Oy, but we need our girlfriends. She's one with whom i did a swap last year (2, actually). I made a quilt for her, and she made a painting for me. Voila! Bartering is alive and well.

5. Glad to see our church decorated all festiv-y and stuff. As Drama Girl and I were at an all day rehearsal for our play on Saturday, we noticed no fewer than a million people raking leaves, patching paint, and generally, just giving the old girl an overhaul before Advent.

4. I'm so dearly glad that the weeds/grass are now finally deciding to slow their growth for winter. Now, it's moss the rainy season. I hope we get snow at least once. Oh, there i go again...talking about the weather. boooring.!

3. Glad I finished my baby quilt! Yay! I probably bit off a little more than I wanted to chew, but I think it's pretty cute. I dearly hope they'll be happy with it.

2. Glad for a little levity: Another Big story. Big was shopping in Shanghai when a sales person said, "Ah, You an American...like beer!" and proceded to pat Big's tummy. Poor guy had to admit to just liking American food, instead. And Pepsi. Kinda like those days when I wore empire waisted jumpers...Yeah, about after the 3rd time you hear, "when are you due?", and have to respond with..."Huh? Oh, no...I'm just fat."...as you skulk away, trying to smile...it's time to burn that jumper and buy a belt.

1. Glad for Thanksgiving this week. I'm so thankful for my husband, I think I'll focus on him. Beer belly and all, he's loving, puts up with me, provides well, puts up with me, supports the kids and me in church, and one day i know he'll go. Puts up with me. And, one of my favorite things? He never complains about what I serve for dinner. Seriously. This makes my heart so glad because I'm often a very non-motivated cook at 5 p.m., whether I have meal-planned or not. It's so nice for at least one person in the family to look forward to my viddles and eat them with if not pleasure, no grimaces.

Sending you love, my bloggy peeps, for you all make me glad. SDG!!!

Sometimes, I Don't Mind When It Rains...

Howdy! It occurs to me that I use the greeting, "howdy" a lot. I am not a Southern girl, but with the way they talk, they do knock me out when I'm down there. I'm more of a transplanted Midwest farmer's daughter type. I'll make ya feel alright. Perhaps it's cowgirl wannabe-ism...Maybe I'm channeling JR and Bobby Ewing. Not sure. Big uses "howdy", too. But he usually triples it: "Howdy! Howdy! Howdy!" Apparently, I digress. And I'm not even started...

This post is an answer to Cheryl's Random Tuesday post regarding...waaaaaaiiit for it: Thanksgiving. If you don't currently read Cheryl, you're missing a treat. She's a rabid Tide fan (and I'm not talkin' detergent), and has a beautiful family who often grace the posts she writes. She also has just opened an Itsy scrapbooking store, so if you're of a mind to scrapbook, and need help getting started, she's your woman. Without further ado:

A Thanksgiving Tradition: Our Thanksgivings are relatively boring and sloth-like, and we like them that way. Well, I suppose the years I don't cook are sloth-like. Every other year is pretty busy. But again--I wouldn't change a thing. It's all about the Macy's Day parade, stressing over whether the bird is cooked, and hangin' out snacking until the big meal.

A Thanksgiving Memory: My mother, God rest her, went to Hawaii for one Thanksgiving, and the following year for our Thanksgiving dinner, she made this killer pumpkin soup that she'd had at a fancy shmancy restaurant while in HI. Ummm...the only problem was that she unwittingly substituted confectioner's sugar for flour in the soup when she made it. She was horrified, poor thing. And we did what any loving family does: we laughed at her. OH, I'm NOT proud.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Food: Garlic-cheddar mashed potatoes and gravy. 2nd runner up is my very own plate of 20 or 25 devilled eggs. 3rd place: green bean casserole. Couldn't really care less about the turkey. It's all about the fixin's.

My Plans for Thanksgiving this Year: We will be celebrating with my husband's folks, his sister, our BIL, and our nephew, Justin (4). We are in CO (Ft. Collins) so short a time this year that we are visiting few friends, but I'm very excited to MIRL a terrific woman who lives at about 7000 Feet, so I'm definitely making time for that. I cannot wait. My aunt and uncle are returning from a long term mission trip in Germany on the 25th , so we'll try to sneak over there, too. They, too live in Ft. Collins.

5 Things I'm Thankful for Today (not including the "generic" family and friends):

1. Thankful for my health, and that of my family. Nearing that 4-0 mark really puts into perspective how finite life is, and how much I take my health for granted. Oh, I complain and whine about not liking to work out, and not liking to eat right, but I'm a ninny. I have clean air and water, and plentiful, bountiful food. I also have health care services at the ready and insurance to cover the expenses.
2. Thankful for my DVR for those times when I can't jam enough TV into one day. :) I mean, if I'm not DVR-ing House, something's wrong.
3. Thankful for Soe, my sewing machine. She whirs right along, as we quilt together. No back-chat, always ready to go...She occasionally fusses by tangling a bobbin, but I try to be patient with that.
4. Thankful for my church "family". Not only have they taught me that they've got my back, having said "family" has really shown me that we are all EGRs (extra-grace-requireds). Seriously. I'm learning patience. I'm at level 1.
5. I'm truly thankful for a hairapy appointment this Friday at 2 p.m. PST.

SDG!!!

Note to Self

Proofread your posts, Gretchen.

Ahem...sorry for the many typos and grammatical errors. Just being all Amish and showing that only God is perfect.

Gladitude Monday

Howdy, Howdy, Howdy! How was your week? I know for some, life seemed sweet; not so much for others. We had a good week. Praise God. I tiring, busy week. But good.

10. Glad that the "Forward Into Light" 5th grade women's suffrage play was a complete success. The drama teacher, though not a nurturer, according to my "source", churned out a play with 34 kids. Each had a fictional character role, a historical figure speech, and an opportunity to work the set. Brava and a tip of the hat to her. And if you're wondering? Drama Girl was the best one. She was. Sorry other parents...your pride is in vain. Oh, I kid. They were all amazing. Really tip my hat to the International Students. Seeing those Korean kids up on stage, wrapping their mouths around speeches and lines really amazed me.

9. So, so, so glad that Big got home last Tue p.m. Even the drive home in rush hour traffic was pleasant because we got to hear tales of interesting food, Big's being thrown out of yet another cab--yes! Apparently, the cabbies cannot refuse a fare at a hotel; they must get the passenger and go. However, if they don't want to take the fare, they go about a block or so away and shove the person out of the cab. I.am.not.kidding! Big said the clue for him was that the cabbie didn't push the meter down upon his entrance to the cab. The cab driver shooed Doug out of the cab, but was kind enough to hail him another...You see they want to take people to the airport--none of this nickel and diming around town stuff...Nice to know that greed is alive and well across the globe. Though I don't pretend to think that these guys are wealthy. I guess it's more aptly put that n.e.e.d. is alive and well...BUT it made for an entertaining story for us.

8. Glad I get to make a baby girl quilt for a friend who is becoming a grandma early next year. There is simply nothing funner to sew for me than a baby quilt. My friends, I have NO BUSINESS taking on a baby quilt at this time of year. But I don't care. It'll get done.

7. Selfish glad: For once, I'm glad I was gone when the toilet overflowed. Sorry Big, but it was your turn. 99% of the poop, vomit, pee, and "other" clean up appears to have fit into my job description, so I was relieved for the break. No pun intended.

6. Glad in all this pre-play (A Christmas Carol) madness, Big and I snuck away for a lunch date to our favorite little haunt.

5. Glad, so, so very glad that David's progress report showed straight A's. I don't care as much about the grades as I do about the confidence. All the teacher comments were positive and they each seemed genuinely happy to be working with him. Can I get a hallelujah? An amen? Really. My son is 12 and he smiles when he leaves his school. How very cool is that?

4. Glad that, despite the mysterious return of my asthma, I was able to sing on the worship team yesterday. It was exhausting in the very best kind of way. Also glad that I am so comfortable with my team and the band that I had no problem asking them to pray over my health. That's family.

3. Glad that I invested in a little book called Preparing My Heart for Advent, by Ann Marie Stewart. What a gem this book is! I'm a bit behind the 8 ball because the study starts in Nov. But I'm going to do 2 a day until I'm caught up. I saw it at my church's resource sale yesterday. I HAD to buy it because it helps to fund the resource center, right? Had to... I'm actually writing all my answers in a notebook because I think I want to do this every year.

2. Glad for some hangin' time with Drama Girl last night. She showed me all her "designs". She's quite the fashion diva. Fun to just hear her personality come out as she described each one.

1. I know this is sort of a Drama Girl post, but I have to share such a proud parenting moment. Disclaimer: I gave full permission for her to buy said book. We've read many a "banned" book in our house and will continue to do so, but I thought this was neat... DG wanted to buy Twilight because of all the hype around her school, and because the movie is coming out. Her dad took her to B & N, allowance in purse, ready to purchase. Big called me from the store to make sure I was okay with the content for her age. I said I had to trust her, and that based on what I knew, I thought DG could handle it. Well...30 minutes later, DG and Dad come home. No Twilight in hand. Why? "I think I'd rather read ________, Mom. I don't think I'm ready for Twilight yet. Maybe when I'm 12."

Yay!!! She has received discernment! Oh, honey, I KNOW it's despite my efforts, but I don't care! He is in her. Woo Hoo!

Thanks for reading so long! A marathon, to be sure! SDG!!!!

Not EVERYTHING is bigger in Texas...

So as I was taking Annie for a walk the other day, I picked up a few fallen leaves. Sadly, most of our trees are bare (at least those w/o pine cones) now. I happen to think these are amazing, though...

Perspective!

Meow, meow, meow, anybody?

And while I'm at it...some mindless brain lint:

• Who really cares what kind of puppy the Obama girls get? I say good for them, and let's move on. It's.not.news.
• I actually do have coverage of Big in the Shanghai golf tourney. There's marvelous footage of the lower 1/2 of his shirt to his knees as he walked by my other husband Phil.
• We now have our headlights on most of the day in the PacNW. Usually we're fine w/o them between 11 a.m. 1 p.m. Time for my sun lamp!
• And lastly...sometimes the idea of doing things is much better than the effort poured forth on their behalf. E.g. putting away and taking out decorations, doing laundry, mopping the floor. Just keepin' it real. I really, really, really wish that my need for a sense of accomplishment trumped my creative vision of having it done already. Anyone feel me?
  

Prayer

Philippians 4:4-7 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Friends, my girl Mer could use a bit o' the body of Christ around her. Please go give her a love and pray for her if you feel so led.

love you Mer!

Gladitude Monday

Howdy, howdy, howdy!



Time for some glad attitude for the week:



10. Glad that one of my bluddies (blogging buddies) has decided to preach again. The Dirty Shame is a fave of mine. I'm excited to get to know The Spoiled Priest, too. The chief thing that impresses me about John's writing and his voice is his lack of pretention and his touching transparency. This lack of pretention and transparency lead me to trust. Caint listen to a preacher if I caint trust 'im. I trust him...not because it's about John, but because it's about his leading me to God on my own path. Lurve.

9. Glad that my hubby got to go to a golf tourney in...S.h.a.n.g.h.a.i. Yep...He even saw "my other husband", Phil (Mickelson, that is), and since golf isn't as big in China as it is here, he got to be quite close to the players. The other gladdy thing about this is that I actually found this tournament on the golf channel, and DVRd the dang thing. We'll see if I can make Big out in the audience. He's white and he's big, so I have a good chance. :) Somehow seeing what he's doing, even if we're thousands of miles away, makes him feel closer. Weird, I know. Also weird: Phil doesn't know he's married to me. Same as Bart from Mercy Me. It's okay...Big is free to marry Cameron Diaz or Kristin Davis...I'm not bitter.

8. Glad that said Big will be home on Tue p.m. Just in time for Drama Girl's women's suffrage play on Wed. We'll try to give him a few Pepsis to see if he can make it till 8 p.m.

7. Glad that the kids and I enjoyed a game night on Saturday. Today, I was glad that David had an afternoon goofing off with his youth group leader and the rest of the 7th grade knuckleheads boys at the leader's home. I bet it just smelled like boy...Meanwhile, Drama and I went to lunch and then for ice cream. And didn't eat dinner! I figure with the tiny breakfast I had, all the shuckin' and jivin' I did at church for 3 hours, and not eating dinner, I broke a.l.m.o.s.t. even. Also, no glass of wine. But that pasta and ice cream with my best girl: worth it!

6. Glad that 2 people that God had brought to my church through me were baptized today. Hooray! I never thought I might be used in that way, and you know...I did so little. God did the rest. SDG!

5. Glad for answers to my theological questions. As a later-in-life believer, I'm thirsty and feel like I have to make up for lost time! I know I don't. I'm right where I need to be. But still. I get excited and things get in my craw, and I have to ask or I might combust. I have so many spiritual mentors which just bless my socks off. Thank You, God.

4. Glad it looks good for a transfer sooner than later for little Ashley.

3. Glad I have some extra apples. Time for some oatmeal, apple muffins, dontcha think? With whole wheat flour of course--and lots of butter. Oh, I kid. About the butter. I'll probably use a healthy spread. Oh, again I kid. A little bit of butter. There.

2. Glad I finished these for Knit One Save One. I am not a great knitter. I can knit, purl, increase, decrease, and cast on and off. That's it. These were so fun, and fairly quick--probably about 2-2.5 hours for each one for me. But I'm fairly new at this. I hope the little ones who wear these live long, prosper, and love Jesus.

1. Glad for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive. Blessings on your week!

SDG!!!

Pray Them Home and Her Well, Please.

Sarah reminded me to post this for all to see. Little Ashley Adams is a triple organ-transplant survivor. She is just 3, and is part of the best family. However, life for transplant patients is so variable--one day they can be doing extremely well, and the next, near death. Trish, Ashley's mom, has poignantly shared Ashley's story and the story of the rest of the family. Please give a visit and pray, pray, pray. If you choose to comment, know that it will not show. About a year ago, Trish disabled comments because of the occasional horrid things that would crop up on her blog. There's no room for anything but positive energy and prayer for this little girl and her family. I just wanted to clarify, though, in case you expected to see a comment.

Go here.

SDG!

Randomnosity

So, I did some very important work today...I removed the Halloween neckerchiefs from the hounds and sewed Fall/Thanksgiving neckerchiefs. And got started on a Christmas neckerchief, too. Because I'm sure I'm on my way to being a weird old lady with dozens of dogs and kleenex up the sleeve of my polyester jogging jacket. And, BTW, do.not.look.at all the clutter in the pictures!

Anyhoo...Been reading along in the Good Book. Finally finished Job. Thank goodness. What a downer! But of course I mean that in the most reverent way. God teaches that He gives and takes away, and who are we to question His sovereign plan. Nice to know that the Bible was written for the likes of me in mind: those who need things repeatedly repeated until the light goes on and I have some sense. Yep. Nevertheless, it's lovely to dive into the book of Psalms, though. If I've lost you, I started reading the Bible from page 1 in July. I know...some snails are faster than me. But I don't care.

Now...I'm thinking of Christmas...you know...just the planning stages. The church part and the rejoicing over Jesus is easy. The scheduling all this rejoicing and gladness without overscheduling takes a deft hand. Plus, I'm in a dessert theater musical at church, which I lurve. However, given the Saturday rehearsals from here on out and the actual (6!) performances during the first 2 weekends of December, I'm sort of thrown for a loop in terms of decorating, meal planning, and of course Christmas crafting and shopping. Can you tell I love this time of year? I do. The busyness can be challenging. I try very hard to find balance so I really appreciate Christ in the celebration. I don't always get it right and migraines ensue. But...it's still the "most wonderful time of the year" for me.

Also thinking of Thanksgiving. We're going to CO for a short, short time, given a wacky-good price on airline tix. So...even though staying a bit longer would be nice, we're dealing.

David is doing well in his school--thank you for your prayers over the last month or 2. What a blessing for this mother to see her son come out of school smiling. I thank God for His provision that we can send this boy where he needs to go and that he's finally t.h.r.i.v.i.n.g. What a long time in coming. God's perfect time.

Got to catch up with my friend Jean today as we raked leaves in the rain. It was totally fun. The rain glued the leaves together, so it really was quick work. And BTW, all work goes much smoothlier with a pumpkin spice latte. Just keepin' it real.

Oh, also--applause, please. I went for the second night this week to the health club with my children. We all exercised. It was a true and faithful act of God, because I have no love in my body for exercise and health clubs are insanely distasteful to my preferred sedentary self. However, we made it. I think we're going to (gulp/hyperventilate) try to make a Tue/Thur habit of going. To be honest, I'm thrilled that they're old enough to work out with me, both as an example (ha!) to them and as inspiration for me to keep healthy and spur them on toward healthy habits. Dang my mom for being skinny.

But lest you think that we embrace the healthy lifestyle in its entirety, I must confess that we picked up pizza on the way home from the club. Baby steps. Plus, we do a pizza night once a week. We just do. That's how we roll.

Okie dokey. Survivor's on in about an hour, so I'd better feed the laundry beasts of burden and go do mommy duty. SDG!

Oh, Isn't it Time for a Meme?

Okay, kids: one-word-answers. Can you dig? Anyone is invited to play, as usual.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your significant other? supercalifragelisticexpealedocious.
3. Your hair? messy
4. Your mother? Heavenly
5. Your Father? curmudgeon
6.. Your favorite thing? quilting
7.Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? c.o.f.f.e.e.
9. Your dream/goal? peace
10. The room you're in? office
11. Your fear? loss
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? wiser
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? shy
15. Muffins? Blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? contentment
17. Where you grew up? CO
18. The last thing you did? read
19. What are you wearing? scruffies
20. Your TV? beloved
21. Your Pets? expensive
22. Your Computer? communicating
23.Your life? incredible
24. Your mood? content
25. Missing someone? indeed!
26. Your car? cluttered
27. Something you're not wearing? shoes
28. Favorite Store? T.A.R.G.E.T.
29. Your summer? gone
30. Your favorite color? depends
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? recently
33. FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER: Fred Meyer's, School, Target, Pharmacy
34. FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS: Mexican, Chocolate, Cheese, Bread
35. FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW: Shanghai, Maui, CO, Whidbey

Hope

Hi,

I've avoided political blogginess for the most part. I will share with you, and probably lose most of my readership, that I voted for Obama. It was not an easy vote. It was prayerful and thoughtful. I made a promise to myself to pray for whomever won the election. The following is an email I received from a dear friend. Mother of 6. Christian. Someone who is a contemporary of my mom's. Mother of a Marine. As I read her email, I found optimism and hope. Here it is in its entirety (and with her permission). BTW, after this, I promise not to mention the election again. Time to move forward. Soli Deo Gloria!

"I am sending this to everyone on my email list because even if you do not agree with my politics, I hope you can feel a little of my optimism for our country. Together we can do anything.

This night, November 4, 2008, is one incredible night for our country and I am so very proud of this country that I have been in tears ever since the announcement was made that Barrack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States.

First of all, I am overwhelmingly proud of my generation. We were the ones who supported the civil rights battles of the 1960s and cheered when the Civil Rights Act was passed. Our peers marched and rode buses and even died for those rights in the 1960s. Those of us who did not take such heroic parts in the movement still believed that race was not the determiner of a person's worth. And we now see the fruits of our beliefs: we are responsible for having taught our children that race is only skin pigmentation and nothing more. And our children and our nation has tonight become colorblind in choosing a leader. What an incredible accomplishment! Yes, I am proud of my generation.

I further realize now that my parents' generation realized the culmination of their teachings on the night of John F. Kennedy's election as that was the night that we, as a nation, said that religion would not be the deciding factor as to who would lead our country. My parents' generation had experienced the defeat of Al Smith for president based upon his religion (Catholicism) and with the election of JFK that obstacle was put aside. Still, we were left with the prediction: "never a Jew, a woman nor a black man (I think the word Negro was used then). And I was told by a rabbi whose children I babysat that he had voted for JFK in the hopes that someday Catholics would support a Jewish candidate. Tonight, we put aside one more of those obstacles and, perhaps, made the others less difficult to cast aside as totally unimportant when choosing a country leader. I look forward to repaying the rabbi's faith.

However, my feelings tonight are even more overwhelming. I have suddenly felt the return of the optimism I last felt when John F. Kennedy was elected president. I was a part of the younger generation then, too young even to have the vote as one could not vote until they were 21. Still, I felt like the world belonged to us and that this country and its people were so good and that they could solve whatever problems the world had. All right, that might have been a little naive and sophomoric, but, nevertheless, that is what I felt. Then, the tragic events of 1963 and 1968 stole that feeling from me. Despite my efforts, I could never quite retrieve it. I found myself listening to the cynical voices around me and resigning myself to the "adult realistic view" of the world. Even as this year's campaign for the presidency progressed, I surroun ded myself with that protective shield that said, "don't let yourself get too in volved because you might be disappointed." So, tonight, I started listening to the election results with a more "adult" view but as the results were announced and then, as I listened to Barrack's speech, suddenly there it was....the return of that great optimism. I felt this great overwhelming faith in the new generation; yes, the one the torch has now been passed to and I do believe that despite all odds, they will find a way to attack the many problems we now face and that our country will emerge once again as a great leader in the world and a champion of the needy wherever they might be. I think that Barrack Obama can and will lead this country towards that end and I believe that our children and grandchildren will make the world better for all of us. That is simply how I feel tonight and I quite frankly do not care who thinks that I am naive, simplistic, sophomoric or whatever other cynical label they can find to apply to me....becau se this is the best feeling in the world and one I hope will never again leave me. Thank you, God, for my tears.

Together we can!"

Wordless Wednesday

I may have run this before...If so...I believe it bears repeating. :)

Gladitude Monday

Howdy! Better never than late, I always say...almost doing Gladitude Monday on a Tuesday...so, without further ado:

10. Glad for dinner-plate sized bright yellow maple leaves on my path as I walked the hounds today.

9. Glad I could walk sans wheezing today. Now, don't misunderstand--I'm still no lover of the exercise--but I know I (and the hounds) need it, and because of the "crud" and some reactive asthma, I literally haven't been walking for over a week. This doesn't make me feel guilty one bit for our geriatric Dachshund, but for our 2.5 year old Golden Retriever, my down time was quite the trauma. Every time I would go near a door, it was like I was yelling "Psyche!!!" to poor Annie. She just knew that one time the door would open and we would go out. Always the optimist.

8. Glad I was able to procure Drama Girl's costume for her suffrage play for under $12.00 at our own Value Village. Not so fortunate in finding my Christmas Carol costume, but all hope is not lost...I'm sure there are other 2nd hand stores in my future. BTW, DG's costume pieces are actually pretty cute--she can probably wear them as separates with the rest of her clothes.

7. Glad that David is making dinner tonight. I'm working with the kids on life-skills and making dinner is one of them. Sometimes, too, I know I'm the only one who goes through this , I feel a little abused underappreciated in the dinner making arena. Times like these call for folks to miss some of Mom's cookin' and make something tasty themselves. The parameters were that we had to have a balanced meal, with veggies. Tonight's fare: peanut butter and jelly/honey sandwiches with carrots, an apple, and milk. It's a start, anyway.

6. Glad for a Halloween care package dropped off by my sweet, sweet friend. Even on Halloween, I was feeling so puny and coughing so much that to see such a thoughtful gesture: wine, candy, and cute fall-ish note paper, was so dearly welcomed.

5. Glad I'm nearly finished with my first cap for the Save the Children's Knit One Save One campaign. You can learn more about it here. Thank you, Barb for the heads up on this one.

4. Glad that, even though my hubby is once again off to Asia, that he's still the cutest, awesom-est, kindest, most hardworking-est, greatest husband I could ask for. I am blessed, indeed.

3. Glad I got to go to a sweet baby shower for a friend having her 4th baby. This one is their first boy, so it was fun to make a dragonflies/forest quilt for his little body. Of course, not wanting to be overly prepared, I only finished up the quilt hours before the party. Right before church. Always on top of it. Don't even get me started on hunting for a gift bag, five minutes before we needed to leave...sigh...I know...

2. Glad for sunbreaks in the midst of our rain.

1. Glad for yet another chance to treat my body well by eating properly. Let's just say that a week of not feeling good leads to comfort eating. Throw in Halloween, and I'm up a pound. I'm sure it's just water weight. :)

SDG!