I Am Thankful...really! I am!!!

I've seen a lot of places online where people are trying to find one thing to post about being thankful for every single day in the month of November. While I love that idea, I'm not sure I could actually keep up with it.

I'm flaky like that.

Anyhow, I decided to just to make one list of thirty things (one for each day) that I am thankful for. Now, these are in no particular order. I'll just list them as they pop into my head.

1. Thanksgiving leftovers. I could probably list thirty things I've eaten in the past few days that I am truly thankful for. For instance, the apple pie and coffee I had for breakfast this morning certainly took me straight to my happy place. I'm working on pecan pie right now. The stuffing and the turkey and the ham and the...okay, I won't list EVERYTHING!

2. I am thankful for NOT shopping on Black Friday. Okay, so I did do a little online shopping today, but I did it in the comfort of my PJ's. So there.

3. I am also thankful that David DID choose to brave the crowds today. He took 13YO with him and ended up buying her two pair shoes that she desperately needed and a dress for an upcoming dance.

4. I am so thankful that I did not have to take her shopping for those things. I would most likely have had to drag the other two along and it isn't fun having to shop for something specific when you can't concentrate. When I'm trying to think, they get all antsy and running in circles and getting in the way of other shoppers and then I have to scold them with flames coming out of my eyes and channel my inner demons and...I just don't like to do that very often!

5. I am thankful for my husband. He puts up with a lot and works hard for us. He makes me feel safe, he makes me mad as hell, he makes me laugh. I am grateful to share a car with him on this roller coaster of life. (But if you tell him I said that, I'll deny it!)

6. I am thankful for my kids. They taught me how to grow up. (Okay, so they're still teaching me that!) They teach me about frustration, patience, and how to shoot flames out of my eyes without having to raise my voice. They remind me that I really know NOTHING about life and to just roll with the punches because I'm really not in charge anyway. I'd like to be more on top of things and organized, but I get the feeling that my kids want me just the way I am. (I'm nicer this way. When I try to keep things a certain way, I yell a lot more.)

7. I'm thankful for my family. They did the best they could with what they were equipped and I think I turned out okay. I never ran away from home, never ditched school (okay, so there was that one time, but I never left campus and just sat on quad and watched the diving team practice. Plus, the teacher didn't even notice and didn't mark me absent. Obviously, it just wasn't meant to be.) They raised me to believe that, if I were to ever end up in jail, they would leave me there. While love is unconditional, respect is not. It must be earned. You don't scream in your parents' face and you respect authority. There's enough drama in the world already. Don't add to it.

8. I am thankful for being able to write. I'm not saying that I am in any way an outstanding writer. That's not for me to say anyway, now is it? But, this is my passion, my release. When I put something into words that I can actually look at and read, things seem to become more clear to me. It's nice to have an outlet.

9. I'm thankful that 13YO loves to read. I never really cared for reading books for pleasure as a child. I just hated to sit still that long! There are only a couple of good books I actually remember reading that I didn't have to. She has loved to read ever since she was in first grade and could read independently. Being a strong reader makes the other subjects a lot easier to keep up with.

10. I am thankful that 6YO is so good with numbers. She holds her own with reading, but numbers just come naturally easy for her. She could do so much in life being good with numbers. It makes sense that she likes math, since she's so 'black and white' about things. She's very literal and has little room in her life for grey areas. She loves school and takes it very seriously...so far!

11. I am also thankful for 3YO's ummm...err...'personality?' She has taught me more about patience than anyone else in the world! It will be some time before we know what she'll succeed at in school, but she succeeds in making me angry and melting my heart in the same breath most days. She is an animated little person and will probably end up a temper mental actress or something. She is constantly repeating lines that she hears on TV and coming up with her own 'script' that I have to participate in. She will come up to me and say, "Mom, I'm going to walk out with these shoes on and you say 'I like your dress!' and I say 'Thanks. I got it at Taaaaar-get!' Okay Mom?" It's always something with her. And if I get it wrong or miss a word, she makes me do it over and over until I say it exactly the way she told me to. When she says her 'part,' she does in full character and everything. I think she's definitely my performer.

12. I am thankful that I can type without looking at the keys. This keyboard has black keys and the white letters have faded quickly. (Overuse, maybe?) I forget about it until someone else tries to use my computer. The typing class that I loathed in high school has served me well. Who knew?

13. I am thankful for true friends. I'm not sure if I have what you'd call a 'best friend.' Certain people are in your life for certain reasons. I have a few friends that I've known for YEARS and I can trust them. I never feel alone and I feel very lucky for that.

14. I am thankful for our church. David and I attended this church when we were first married and we drifted away, blaming our daily stresses. We have been back for a couple of months now and it feels even more like home than it did before. Our whole family is enjoying being there each week.

15. I am thankful for my new/not new cousin. She is a member of our family that we haven't always known about. I look at her as a success story when it comes to adoption because she turned out to be an incredible woman with strong values and amazing character. However she came to be, we are so lucky to have her in our family now. And we're not letting her go...she's stuck with us now!

16. I am thankful for my car. Yeah, it's ten years old and always dirty, but it goes when I tell it to and stops on command as well. The radio, heater and a/c all work. It keeps me dry in the rain and I don't worry too much about it getting scratched or spilled in. The first dings and stains happened way before I ever owned it!

17. I am thankful for COFFEE!!! Nectar of the gods, I tell you! I love the taste of coffee, I love the smell of it brewing...that's how mornings are supposed to smell.

18. I am so thankful for warm socks with grippy little dots on the bottoms. HEY! It's November people! Also, I'm pretty clumsy. The grippy dots certainly have their place in my life!

19. I'm thankful that I can knit. Even though I sometimes give myself deadlines that cause pressure, knitting is usually very relaxing. I can sit in front of the television with David while he watches some show that bores me to tears...and it's totally fine. I am completely happy and in my own little 'knit 1, purl 1' world.

20. I am thankful for the three HUGE bags of roving I was given, along with two drop spindles. I've always wanted to learn to spin, but it has always been pushed down on my list of things to do further and further. Our librarian gave me the roving and spindles because she was pretty sure she didn't want to spin anymore and they were taking up space in her garage. When you want to do something but can't necessarily justify it along with all the other things you have, it's nice to have that thing just fall in your lap. And I've already spun a little yarn with the help of all those videos on YouTube. I think I could really like it!

21. I was also just reminded that I'm thankful for Spellcheck. That really is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

22. I'm very thankful I get to stay home with my girls. Even though I could rip my hair out many days and it would be easier for me to just go to work, I am too easily distracted and overwhelmed and the kids would suffer for it. I wouldn't be able to be nearly as organized as I am now...and that's a REALLY SCARY THOUGHT.

23. I'm thankful that we can totally start decorating for Christmas now. The weather is cooling down and the lights and smells of Christmas are so inviting. The girls and I started listening to Christmas music a few weeks ago. (Shhh...don't tell anyone! A lot of people probably think that's really weird!)

24. I am thankful that I've been able to eat enough food to make my rear end this large. I'm not fat...I'm LUCKY!

25. Hopefully, I'll find it in my heart to be thankful for my elliptical again soon. It's collecting dust!

26. I'm thankful for my slow cooker. Seriously! Thanks to my growing collection of slow cookers and the help of the SLOW COOKING QUEEN, it's been easier to stick to a grocery budget and taken the stress out of what to make for dinner. Plus, my family is even eating a little healthier!

27. I am thankful for my doggies, even though I speak harshly of them at times. (Especially Aly..she's a real stinker!) They are both really good dogs. (Okay, so ONE is a good dog and the other is a LARGE PUPPY WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BE A GOOD DOG. There's a good dog in there somewhere...there's gotta be!)

28. I'm thankful for my kitty. He makes me feel VERY SPECIAL the way he tries to swim through the air to get to me when someone else is holding him. He even forgives me when I put a little hoodie on him that the girls picked out. He will truly follow me anywhere...silly cat! He will put up with any amount of abuse to be able to stay in my arms.

29. I'm thankful for where I live. It's a small-town atmosphere and the schools are great. Almost everyone knows each other and the lots are big. What more can you ask for?

30. I'm thankful that I'm learning more every single day about how to appreciate what I have and not worry about what I don't have. I still have a long way to go, but I've never been so comfortable in my own skin than I am today. (Especially since I'm still in my PJ's! HAHAHA!)