Thankfulness

All month long, you've endured reading my blog each day to find out all the things I am thankful for. By now you've probably said at least once to yourself, "Boy she is sure materialistic". I, like most other people do love my "stuff" but don't let this blog be your only judgement on my character. The things that I am truly thankful for are not "things" at all. They are the people and experiences in my life. There are far too many people to name individually but I will name a few.

First, I want to thank my Parents. Although they are no longer on this earth, I feel their presence every day. They taught me right from wrong, good from bad and wisdom to know the differences. They taught me integrity and honorability. They taught me how to love unconditionally.

Next: I want to thank the love of my life, Brent. Thanks honey for sharing your life with me. For standing by me through thick and thin, better and worse. For loving me even when I have a hard time loving myself. For giving me three of the most wonderful children a mother could want.

My Children: I want to thank each of my children for being who you are. For standing up for what you believe in. For making me proud to call you my children. For giving me the most beautiful grandchildren on this earth (hurry up Jeff) and for choosing me as your mom.

The rest of my family: I wish I could express how much love I have for each of you. My brothers, sisters, neices, nephews, cousins etc. Each one of you holds a special place in my heart... "My cup runneth over".

And last but certainly not least: My Heavenly Father for which none of the above would be possible without Him.

Friday

It's only Sunday and as I am trying to catch up on my blog posts, I can't even remember two days ago. What did I do on Friday? I've been sitting here for 5 minutes now and cannot think of one thing I did.

Ah Ha! I went in to ask Brent what we did and though he could not remember, it came to me as I saw the new table we bought at Ikea to go under the new 52" TV we bought from QVC a couple weeks ago. After Brent put that together, he hung the TV. It took him the rest of the day (yes, I know he's slow)while I worked on doll clothes.

Preparing for the Feast

It's barely 8 am. I was awake at 4:15 (I always wake up at this time but usually stay in bed for a while). I got out of bed at 4:50. Showered, dressed, did hair and makeup (always do, every day!), had breakfast and was out the door to the grocery store by 6 am. After the shopping, I even cut up the bread so it can have more time to dry out for the stuffing. My motive of getting up so early? To beat the crowd of course. Last night as I was getting ready to fix dinner, I realized that we were out of spaghetti noodles. You can't have spaghatti without the noodles so Brent ran to the store for me. He mentioned how busy the store was and he was going to take off work early so he could go to the store to shop for our Thanksgiving dinner before it got too busy. When I woke up this morning and couldn't get back to sleep, I decided it would be better to go early. Even though I made a list, I still forgot to buy olives (yuk), cranberry sauce and eggs so Brent will still get to go to the store after work, after all.

We're going to be a small gathering this year. Just me and Brent, Kim, Shawn and the kids. Brent invited his friend from work since he is usually alone. I always tend to make too much but hopefully, everyone will be hungry.

The menu:
Crackers and cheese ball
Veggie tray
Turkey (of course)
Stuffing (homemade, not a box)
Corn, Green beans and brussel sprouts (Brussel sprouts are a tradition started by my mother and Thanksgiving dinner is not Thanksgiving dinner without them)
Cooked Apples (not my mother's recipe because she never wrote that down but mine taste almost as good)
Rolls (sorry, don't home make these because that's just too much work!)
Jello Salad ( Kim is going to attempt to make the orange jello my mom used to make)
Pumpkin Pie (no, Kim is bringing the pie and she doesn't bake anything herself. I told her to have Shawn bake the pumpkin dessert he made once before, hopefully she will).

That's it. That's enough I think.

On a totally different note:
I have the silliest kitty. He fits nicely into this little bed but when he stretches, he ends up in the funniest positions. This time, he stretched out his front paws and his body and layed his head down on the cold counter. I couldn't resist taking these pictures.

Hurt Feelings

Sometimes people say or do things that hurt other people's feelings. Like talking down to them or treating them as if they were a child or as if they have never experienced certain things and how dare you give advice when you don't know anything?

My feelings were hurt today over something so stupid and silly. This is an ongoing thing I have with this individual and although this person most likely isn't aware, I want to apologize to anyone that I may have been rude to, said something unintentionally that hurt your feelings or for appearing to be stuck up or snobbish. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt someone's feelings so I am making an effort from this day on to be more kind and thoughtful and think before I speak.

Sundays

I love Sundays! My usual routine is to get up around 7 (because 7 is sleeping in for me), shower, dress, do hair and make-up then start a load of laundry. Then I head out to do some shopping. I'd like to say that it is usually grocery shopping that I do but lately, I haven't been cooking so I don't need to buy groceries. If I don't head to Walmart first, around 9 am to pick up things like toilet paper and toothpaste, I will wait until 10 am to head down to Costco to try to beat the rush. I make weekly trips to Costco just to buy milk. I am a milk drinker and the only places I will drink milk from is Winder Dairy or Costco. Grocery store milk has a nasty taste to me and I heard once that it is because it is exposed to light. No one else seems to notice this but me. Anyway, once I am done with Costco and I don't have other things I need such as a new pair of shoes from DSW, it's back home to do more laundry, clean house, and work on any projects I have started. Sometimes, Jenny will ask me to come help her with something or go to Ikea with her. I love this too because I love spending time with my girls. Ahhhh, I feel so productive on Sundays.

Weekly Bowling Scores 11/22/08

Brent did much better for his first three games but blew it on his fourth; too tired, I guess.

Brent 140 / 142 / 150 / 109
Terrie 117 / 118 / 112 / 120
Jenny --- / 129 / 120 / 108

Progress

Well, here it is. We have a new floor in BOTH bathrooms. My wonderful brother in law (Thanks Bob!) came and put the tile down yesterday and Brent grouted it today. He still has to put the sealer on it but I couldn't wait to post. I still don't have a toilet in either of these bathrooms yet but hopefully they will be in tonight. It's real hard getting up in the middle of the night (twice in my case) and having to go downstairs to use the potty. I am laying bets though as to how long it will take to get the baseboards put back on. The hall bath shouldn't be bad but Brent broke the ones in the master bath so we'll need to put all new on there.
From 1985 through 2007



Finally, brought up almost to 2008. Unfortunately, to be real current, we would have put travertine or slate down and re-done the bath and shower but that just isn't in the budget anytime soon. Next up? New granite countertops!

I can't figure it out

I cannot figure this out. Taz (maniac) NEVER lets anyone hold him, let along like this. Aubrey is the only one that can get away with it. The minute she picks him up, he falls asleep on her shoulder. Either that, or he's too scared to move and closes his eyes in fear! Either way, it's so cute.

My Family

My brother Glen got married last Friday. It was a wonderful ceremony and the dinner was delicious. Here are a couple of photos from the wedding. For some strange reason, there is an odd reflection in these photos. Since there is nothing shiny around, no water or anything to reflect, I like to think this anomaly is the spirit of our parents. Glen and his wonderful wife, Diana.

Back row: Ed, Ron and Hans. Front row: Linda, Glen and me.We're missing Rick. He lives in Colorado and couldn't make it. The photo of our spouses didn't turn out at all.


Back row: Logan (Deb's Husband)Valerie, her little boy Jack, Scott, Tyler, Nick (Diana's son) Front row: Deborah, Diana (holding Ella), Glen (holding Gabby), Sheena (holding Kate)The three adorable little girls belong to Glen's son Tyler. Welcome to the family Diana and Nick. We love you!

By the way, Valerie's husband Scott is an awsome pianist. I didn't know he played but he sure plays well.
Thanks Glen for allowing us to share this very special event with you. I just love spending time with my family.

The proof is in the Picture

Saturday morning I woke up to this. Shreds of paper towels on my bed.

So I followed the trail. Or should I say the leader?



What? You still don't believe HE did it?


The proof is in the picture! And that's just one of the reasons I call him Taz Maniac. Luke is not getting blamed for this one!

Sewing Machines

I am thankful for my sewing machine and serger and my ability know how to use them. My dad bought me my first sewing machine for me when I was 16. It's an awsome sewing machine and real heavy duty but I bought a new one about 8 years ago because I wanted more functions. Then I bought my serger. Although I rarely make clothes for myself anymore like I did in high school, I do love having my machines for other projects. Like the Annie Dress I made for Aubrey, the blessing gown I made for Mollie, the bedspread I made for myself and now for the doll clothes I am making for Aubrey's Christmas present. I got her a doll from Costco that looks like the "American Girl" dolls. I went online to buy some clothes for her and all those outfits are over $25 for one outfit. Even the off brand doll clothes are in excess of $12 per outfit. I bought a pattern and some fabric and so far have about 8 outfits and a matching nightgown for Aubrey (of which she picked out the fabric for) for less than $40 and that includes the patterns for both Aubrey and the doll. I've already made two dresses and two pair of leggings for the doll. That took me less than 2 hours to do. I did buy some shoes and a pair of stockings online because every party dress needs a pair of black mary janes.

Furry little creatures

I am thankful for furry little creatures; in particular, CATS and DOGS.

Paisley Jo Daisy has been with me for 7 years now. She's a pretty little calico, ver mild tempered and rather petite compared to most other adult cats.

Taz Maniac (aka Dusty) has only been with me for a couple of months. He is a very handsome siamese and extremely high spirited.

IS IT LOVE OR HATE? You dedide...

Silhouette

I am thankful for my Silhouette. I am talking about my digital craft cutter. I absolutely love this little machine. It's hooked up to my computer and I can cut any font I have on my computer to use in my scrapbook or cut vinyl lettering and shapes to put on my walls, the hottest craze nowadays. I no longer have to search for the right style of font of stickers, only to find that I don't have all the letters needed. Now, I just cut any style I want and whatever letters I need for whatever my project calls for. I can even cut swirlies and flowers if I want.

Photo printers, Scanners and Digital Cameras

I am thankful for my photo printer. I know, it sounds stupid but I love my photo printer. I can print a picture anytime I want without having to go to the store to do it.

I am thankful for my scanner. I can scan in an old picture and crop it and then print just the subject to put in my scrapbook without having cut up an original that I no longer have a negative for. (I was way too organized at one time and decided I didn't need any negatives of my children growing up).

I am thankful for my digital camera. Aren't dital camera's the best? Now, I no longer have to figure out how to store all those negatives that you can't really tell what or who they are anyway. Simply insert the carmera card right into my computer, save them to my file, delete the blurry ones and even print the ones I want to scrapbook in a matter of minutes. It's sad though that my camera is a 6.0 megapixel camera and I paid about $450 for it about 3 years ago. Now, you can buy a namebrand 14 megapixel camera for $150. Oh well. That's how it goes.

Sparkley Balls

I am thankful for pretty, sparkley bowling balls and having MY OWN shoes (The accents on them are purple too). I can't even imagine wearing rented shoes anymore. Last year for Christmas, I bought myself a pretty purple sparkle ball. It weighed 12.3 lbs. After about 5-6 months of using it once a week and my hand still hurting and my score never improving, I decided it was really too heavy for me. I bought a new purple, swirley, sparkley ball. It weighs 11 lbs and it really has made a difference. My hand doesn't hurt anymore and I think my scores are actually improving. I love my new bowling ball.

Weekly Scores:
Brent 127 / 119 / 141 / 158
Terrie 136 / 86 / 128 / 151

Pills

Today I am thankful for sleeping pills. I know, it sounds real stupid to be thankful for sleeping pills but since I couldn't sleep last night, I would be thankful for them, for allowing me to fall asleep when I have those nights once in a while where I just can't seem to get to the sleepy point...had Costco not been out of them. I am also thankful for the pills I take for my restless legs. Bedtime was horrible for several years before they finally realized that RLS is real and people really do suffer from it.

Four Seasons

Today, I am thankful for the four seasons. No, not Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons, though I like them too but the WEATHER.

Spring: Because it reminds me of "new life". The tulips and corcus popping up out of the snow, the blossoms on the trees and the beginning of warm weather.

Summer: Because I love the warm weather.

Fall: Because I love the colors of fall and that the days are mostly somewhat warm for about a month anyway.(there is snow on the ground as I type this)
This is Battle Road in Massachusettes. I took this picture exactly 7 years ago when Brent and I were there for our anniversary.

Winter: The ONLY thing I like about winter is snow for Christmas. I've never lived in a climate where there isn't snow for Christmas and I cannot imagine Christmas without it. If I had a fireplace, I think I might like curling up next to it in the winter though.

OK, so this was a dumb post but just because I agreed to post daily this month, doesn't mean they will all be great posts!

Count your Blessings

Since it is Thanksgiving this month and I have committed to post everyday, I will post about the things that I am thankful for. Obviously, they are going to be in random order since my brain doesn't work any other way.

I am thankful for FREEDOM.
Today is the day we are priveledged enough to have the right to vote. I am thankful for this right and to the many men and women who have served this Country over the years to allow me that right. Some may think their vote doesn't count. I am not one of those. I am going to vote. It scares me to think what the outcome might be but I have to cast my vote so that I can say I did my part, no matter the outcome. I refuse to allow those that have served this Country to have done so in vain.

More decorating

I had Brent go through my boxes of decorations in the garage to look for one specific item. A metal pumpkin. I was going to put this on my kitchen table. He found the box that had the "fall foliage" in it that decorated this metal pumpkin but the pumpkin was no where to be found. So, I went to Tai Pan Trading in search of another one. No luck with the same one but I did have success in finding other and similar "stuff". Here is just some of the stuff I found at Tai Pan. The more I walked around, the more I just couldn't do without. This place is dangerous.