Days of Thanks

 Happy Thanksgiving!

It's November, which means it's almost Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving is hardly noticed anymore I thought I would take a Facebook meme and apply it to blog land. A few words of thanks from the first day of November all the way to Thanksgiving day.

1. Thankful for my good friend Amy who made my family dinner when I wasn't sure how I was going to make it happen.

2. Thankful for my mom, Michelle, and Lisa for taking me to lunch on my birthday.

3. Thankful for all my friends and family who sent me birthday love via Facebook.

4. Thankful that my knee allows me to do The Dailey Method (I had ACL replacement and meniscus repair late August).

5. Thankful for a hard working husband. Love you Jeff!

6. Thankful for the right to vote.

7. Thankful for the banter of 3 boys in the living room.

8. Thankful for warm fires and hot coffee on cool Fall days.

9. Thankful for mom's words of wisdom, I now have serious leverage. Trevor earned an iPod but never has access to it due to behavior and missing school assignments.

10. Thankful for family movie night.

11. Thankful that Scout (our dog) puts a smile on my face each and every day, no matter what my mood is.

12. Thankful for the men and women who represent our country, keep us safe, and continue to fight for our freedoms. Thank you for your service, you are all greatly appreciated.

13. Thankful for 3 boys getting along and playing UNO. This is rare, they usually end up fighting and throwing the cards out of frustration.

14. Thankful for good friends, good wine, and good food.

15. Thankful for all the goodness that touches my life each and every day.

16. Thankful for the comedy the boys bring me when I least expect it.

17. Thankful for dessert, there is ALWAYS room for dessert.

18. Thankful that my family can and is overcoming uncertainties.

19. Thankful for a nice day spent with my mom and boys.

20. Thankful my sister is doing well, has a beautiful family and a successful restaurant.....even if it is halfway around the world.

21. Thankful my boys enjoy helping me bake. Luke is helping make Monkey Balls, Trevor is helping make apple pie, and Adam is helping make pumpkin pie. At least they will know how to bake.....

22. Happy Thanksgiving!

A to Z.....all about me.

A. Age: 40

B. Bed size: California King

C. Chore that you hate: House cleaning of any kind.

D. Dogs: 1 chocolate lab named Scout.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee

F. Favorite color: Blue

G. Gold or Silver: Why not both?

H. Height: 5'5"

I. Instruments you play: I can play a mean set of drums, a rocking guitar, and beautiful piano...in my head.

J. Job title: Wife, mom, short order cook, laundry service, taxi, office assistant, nurse, soccer player, cleaning lady, grocery getter, banker, landscape maintenance, conflict resolution manager....and the list goes on.

K. Kids: Luke, Trevor, and Adam.

L. Live: California.

M. Mother's name: Betty.

N. Nicknames: Suzi, Sue (only by my sister), mom.

O. Overnight hospital stays: each time I had the boys, so 3 times.

P. Pet peeve: When people cut me off because they need to turn 3 blocks away.

Q. Quote from a movie: I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you I throw up (Stand By Me).

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: 1 younger sister.

T. Time you wake up: 5:30-6.

U. Underwear: every day.

V. Vegetable you hate: peas -my mom's go to veggie.

W. What makes you run late: lolly gagging kids.

X. X-Rays you've had: broken wrist, teeth, and MRI for both knees.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Pumpkin cupcakes.

Z. Zoo animal: I always liked the monkeys.

The Magic of 12

12 things I love about Jeff

1. He is a hard working man.
2. He works so hard, I get to stay home with the boys.
3. He is patient with the boys.
4. He loves me despite my short temper, lack of patience, and through all my rants.
5. He will surprise me with flowers for no apparent reason.
6. He tolerates the dog being in the house even though he would rather her be outside.
7. He doesn't complain about my clutter piles....I am getting better at these.
8. If I am having a hard time he will take the boys or send me out the door to cool off.
9. He is patient with me, no matter how ridiculous I am being.
10. He doesn't complain when our school auction takes over our time together.
11. He takes the boys on Sunday's so I can go play soccer with my girlfriends.
12. He has been known to surprise me with a babysitter and a dinner on our anniversary when I had planned on a quiet evening at home.

p52 - Be Still

Baby Blanket

Another one finished.
I feel like I am on a roll with the quilts lately.
This one is for my husband's cousin who just had a little boy.
Congratulations Nancy and James.

Now I just need to get it in the mail.

p52 - Cabin Fever

We have been off for Winter Break all this week.
We needed to get out.
We decided to go to California Academy of Sciences.

We found this, among other animals, in the rain forest.
It felt good to get away.

p52 - True Love

A Match Made in Heaven.

What is peanut butter with out jelley? What is jelly with out peanut butter? That is my go to sandwich when nothing else sounds good.

p52 - Drink Up!

I'm a couple days late but wanted to make sure I got this up so that I don't fall behind on p52. Here it is......Mike's Hard Lemonade. This is the best thirst quencher on a hot summer day.

So go grab one and drink up!

p52 - Shadows

Peace Out!

p52 - Self Portrait

I had a little fun with this one.

I know mustaches are all the rage right not, but I thought it would be fun.

p52 - I Dreamed a Dream

She started as a thought.
She became a bit of a dream for me and the boys.

Now she is a reality who makes us laugh each and every day.

p52 - Made With Love

Made with love...

....for a little girl who is lucky enough to be adopted by a wonderful family.

Jax....Our Own Personal Elf

Better Late Than Never....

The Elf on the Shelf is a huge item this year. It's all any kid I know can talk about. I was hesitant about getting one and introducing it to my household because my oldest is 10 years old and I was concerned he wouldn't buy it. Well he did. If he thought any different he didn't say anything to me or anyone else. In fact, he even talked to the elf.

In no particular order, these are the places Jax was found:

1. Sitting on the window sill.

2. Eating a bowl of cereal at the dining room table.

3. Sitting on a bench with 3 Nutcrackers he brought back from the North Pole.

4. Floating in a hot air balloon to celebrate Adam's 8th birthday.

5. Hanging from a coat hook on the boys bedroom door watching them as they wake for the day.

6. Sitting in a votive candle holder.

7. Sitting on the night light in the bathroom.

8. Reading Christmas stories by the wood burning stove.

9. Eating Adam's birthday cake on the counter in the kitchen.

10. Eating popcorn at the dining room table (he made a mess of it too).

11. Hanging from the ceiling fan in the living room.

12. Hanging on a stocking holder.

13. Resting in a stocking.

14. Riding a LEGO fighter plane from Star Wars.

15. Playing with LEGO's at the window seat.

16. Tied up to a table leg surrounded by LEGO men (bad guys as my oldest put it) and small ornaments.

17. Sitting in a plant.

18. Sitting on a branch of the Christmas tree.

19. Sitting next to a LEGO dragon.

20. Sitting in the netting of an indoor basketball hoop.

21. Sitting in a glass that was turned upside down.

Since we didn't start this new tradition the day after Thanksgiving we don't have as many fun places to share.

p52 - Resolution

I am joining Life with my 3 Boybarians and her project 52. This project is pared down from project 365, so I will take a photo a week for the next 52 weeks and each week there is a theme. This, for me, is doable and realistic. This week's theme is resolutions.

I don't tend to do New Year's Resolutions, but do commit to doing things that will improve my quality of life. I have lots to work on, such as my clutter piles, downsizing, etc. But this year I am going to add a few to the list that seems to never end. One of them being to learn my camera and to learn PSE, the other is to continue giving myself goals regarding exercise.