#30

It's the last day of November.  Why do we all stop being so thankful and shift straight to greedy in one day's time?  It's interesting that Thanksgiving comes one month before Christmas.  Now, the leftover turkey isn't even cold in the fridge before we're all out trying to score black Friday deals on Thursday night!  I can neither confirm or deny if I was shopping for myself on black Friday...  but, I will say that forcing myself to count my blessings every night has made the days seem a little nicer - at least at the end of the day anyway.

So, my last one.  Well, I've got 2 for today.

1- I am so thankful for our beautiful fresh REAL Christmas tree!  We got it tonight and it smells so good.  I also want to give another plug for Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.  We got the tree from their Christmas Corral.  I'm so thankful for the Wade family too and all the really hard work that they do so that they can run the ranch.  If you're interested in getting your tree from them click here.

2- I am thankful that I'm picking up my mom from the airport in an hour!  Since traveling at Thanksgiving or Christmas is pretty hard to do (especially when we lived in Boston), she started the tradition a few years ago of coming to see us the week after Thanksgiving and starting the Christmas season with us.  I am super thankful for my mom.  I would have to write a multi-volume series to list all of the reasons why.

See you later November.  Bring on Christmas!

#26, #27, #28, maybe #29

Just got back from a really great Thanksgiving weekend at Jane and Richard's house in Denver.  We had a great time visiting with them, David's parents, Aunt Christine, and cousins Evan and Janie.  I am so thankful that the girls have been able to have lots of cousin time this year (well more than most other years.)  I am very thankful that the 4 of them got along really well all weekend long and played their hearts out together.

the kiddie table

could NOT get a good picture of these 4.  little stinkers!

I am thankful for the fun night that we got to spend at the swank Marriott in Boulder (David's traveling job does have a few great perks, including lots of Marriott points.)  We had a delicious Indian dinner, a fun night away (well almost away - Harriet did insist on coming) and then a good splash in the pool and hot tub the next morning in the gorgeous Colorado mountains.

Today I am very thankful that we got home to New Mexico safely and are back with our doggies.  We are so thankful for our wonderful friends who let them stay for the weekend too.

I bet David would also post that he is pretty thankful for that last second block by the Utes to win the game yesterday.  We are thankful to be on the giving end of the Utah/BYU teasing for the rest of the year and not the receiving end.

#24 and #25

So, yesterday, I was very thankful we drove (David drove) from Albuquerque to Denver safely, quickly, and without a hitch.

Today, I was thankful to have a totally kick-back Thanksgiving with David's sisters, parents, and our Vigil cousins.  Richard and Jane have been gracious hosts to put us all up for the weekend.  We went to see the new Harry Potter this morning, lounged around all afternoon and had a great dinner together tonight.   I'm thankful for everyone who cooked, because I'm pretty sure nothing on the table was made by me.  Tonight I am thankful that Harriet is asleep in the girls' room.  Tomorrow I will be very thankful if she is still there in the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!!  I'm thankful for all of my family and friends who are scattered all over and wish I could be with them all in one day (well, maybe not, but the idea sounds nice.)

#21 and #22

Ok, I've got a couple more:

#21 - I am very thankful for my friend Sacha who spent her whole afternoon yesterday teaching me how to make fondant for cakes.  I am grateful for her mad skills, her friendship, and her generosity in sharing her kitchen with Grace and me.  We made a pretty darn cute and very delicious cake.  Whoops, guess I should have taken a picture of it before we ate it!  Bring on the birthdays - I'm excited to make some cute cakes!

#22 - I was at Costco today getting a few basic essentials - you know - dog food, tortilla chips, instant breakfast.  In the time it took me to decide on something I was looking at on a shelf, someone either took everything out of my cart, or stole my cart and replaced it with an empty one.  I know - why didn't I notice?  There were only 60 people in the aisle shoving their carts around.  Anyway, when I made my choice and put it in my cart and started pushing it away I realized it was completely empty of everything else I had just shopped for.  I looked around and couldn't see anyone with my cart.  Crazy!!  I have never been so THANKFUL to look down and see my purse hanging safely from my shoulder.  What if I had put it in the basket?  It would be gone.  Ladies - hang onto those purses when you're out doing the holiday shopping!  So, the biggest bummer was that I had to go back through the crowded store and get everything I had already shopped for.  I'm hoping the person who took my cart enjoys having dog food and tortilla chips with a glass of instant breakfast for Thanksgiving dinner instead of the turkey and pies they were probably shopping for.  

#23

1, 2 skip a few, 23.  Sorry, I guess I haven't been too grateful this week.  Let's see... today... I'm thankful for a fridge-full of ingredients to make cranberry salsa and I'm looking forward to whipping it up this afternoon.  It is going to be so good and it reminds me of all the lovely ladies who shared the recipe with me and devoured it by the bowlful with me in New England.  I'm thankful for them as well.  You know who you are.

#20

And, my gorgeous Gracie.  She's been my best little pal for a long time now.  I still miss her when she's gone at school.  She amazes and inspires me every single day.  She has turned into a giraffe of a girl with a jack-o-lantern smile, and I just can't wait to see what direction she takes - she has so much potential to do so many things.  I was very thankful to get to spend some time alone with her at the aquarium this week.  She and I don't get much 1 on 1 time anymore, so I am thankful when we do get some time to ourselves.  Love this girl!

she makes you take a picture every time she has a tattoo that she likes

at guitar lessons after crazy hair day at school

#19

I'm going to do the girls one at a time, because I am so thankful for each of them as truly unique individuals.  Harriet's turn is today:

I love this kid.  She has been a tough one to raise since she was 2 weeks old with her fierce personality and unrelenting perfectionism, but she melts my heart on a daily basis too.  She is the cutest little stinker on the planet.  I tell her every day that she the most smoochable cheek.  My favorite spot is that right dimple.  So thankful for my Hattie Marie!

#18

Did ya notice I skipped #17?  Well, my mom used to say if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.  That was yesterday.  By the time I got Harriet to fall asleep, I really wasn't in the mood to count my blessings, even if I finally had the blessing of her being asleep!

So, tonight, it's a bit early for blessing counting - not even 7pm yet.  But I hope to have a long late night with the girlfriends - at least late enough that the kiddos are asleep by the time I get home.

I am very thankful for:

*David - that he actually changed his flight home today to an earlier flight so that he could be back in time to take the girls to karate and let me go to book club.  He even booked it home from the airport so quick that I didn't have to get ready early and meet him there.
*my clean house.  Ok, it's not "clean", but it's layers clean-er than it has been in a while.  Icky bathrooms are probably my #1 pet peeve and they are now nice and sparkly - all at the same time too.  Vacuum lines in the carpet  just make me plain giddy (instead of little tufts of dog fluff everywhere) and being able to see all the surfaces of my kitchen counters - divine.
*BOOK CLUB!  I have belonged to one book club or another for at least the last 10 years.  My current one in ABQ is the one night a month I can (usually) plan on to myself.  I love getting to hang out with friends and I love reading books that I wouldn't otherwise choose for myself.  More often than not, they are books that make it to my list of favorites.  Even if they aren't, it's nice to have a variety in reading and have a reason to finish at least a book a month.  I never used to hit that goal, but since moving here I'm averaging about 2 a month.  I can't wait for tonight's discussion.  We read "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer.  Again, a book I probably would have never chosen, but it was SO fascinating and interesting despite being a pretty tragic true story.  Yay for books and book club!

#16

Tonight I am thankful for:
*my nurse practitioner who thinks it's more important to get a mom better than to give her the runaround on treatment and make her wait it out sick all week "just to see what develops."
*fantastic friends who bring me delicious salad and soup
*my hot cup of orange tea with honey
*feeling much better tonight than I did this morning when my throat was burning like Stephenie Meyer's descriptions of thirsty vampires and I could barely squeak out a whisper to speak.

#15

Today I'm thankful for David's job.  I feel so lucky and blessed that my husband has a great job that he loves, especially in this economy.  It's even better that it pays enough that I don't have to work.  Sure, we catch ourselves in those moments thinking of how nice it would be to have 2 incomes, and all we could do with the extra cash.  But, being able to choose to stay home with my kids while they are little, is a different kind of luxury that I am keenly aware of every day.  Tonight brought it to light again when I was chatting with a fellow karate parent - a divorced dad who is a teacher by profession.  He looked at me wide-eyed when I mentioned that I don't currently work and said "my I ask what it is you do to pull that off?"  He was truly stunned.  We aren't millionaires, but I am so thankful that David's job does provide all that we need and even some of what we want.  Thanks babe, for bringin' home the bacon.  I'm doin' my best to cook it.

#14

Grace and Harriet's turn.  I asked both girls what they are thankful for today:

Grace:  football

Harriet:  princesses

Grace really does love Saturday and Sunday afternoons with her Daddy in the fall.  They have a long history of football naps together.  Harriet, well, she's 4.  Of course she's grateful for the princesses - they live happily ever after.  We are all grateful for glimmers of that.

#13

Today, I'm thankful to live in a neighborhood with tons of kids.   My kids don't have any "best" friends here yet (yes, we are still missing those "bests" in MA!), but there are hundreds of kids within a short walk of our house.  I love that we can have impromptu playdates and walk 3 houses to a birthday party.  Both girls had friends over today and it was so nice to just say "hey, can you come over and play for a couple hours this morning?"  It was one of our many reasons for moving, and one of our reasons for choosing this house - to be in a kid-friendly and kid-filled neighborhood, so I'm just glad it turned out.

#12

I am so thankful for Grace's new guitar teacher.  I am so glad we found him and that we found him quick.  She was so heartbroken when her last teacher left so quickly for his new job.  She's had just a few too many "lasts" and good-byes this year, it was really hard to take one more so unexpectedly.

She had her 2nd lesson today with her new teacher, and so far, I think he's really great.  He is cute and chatty with her, serious about playing, but also willing to have fun and make her feel good about her progress.  Whew.

#11

Well, now that it's taken me 30 minutes to make Hattie happy in bed, I'm going to make this quick.  I'm thankful that it didn't take me 2 hours like it used to take me to get her planets in alignment.  Progress is slow and easily unnoticed at that pace, but there is progress.

I'm also thankful for a fresh haircut and highlights to hide my mousey brown with gray spindling through it.  Other things that have come to mind today:  Trader Joe's delicious creations in a bottle that make dinner in 10 minutes.  We had the Indian Masala Chicken tonight.  Also on my list are:  our fireplace that turns on with a flick of a light switch, the 20 minute nap I took sitting by it, and the day off without anything to do that everyone had today.  David took the girls on a date to the McDonald's play place while I got my hair done and that was really all we did all day long.  We don't get very many days like that.

10

I'm thankful for a husband who loves his iPhone as much as he loves his wife and brings it to bed every night. It makes it possible for me to be OCD and not miss making a post when I get to bed and realize I didn't post today. Ok I admit it. The iPhone comes in handy ONCE in a while.

Oh, and many thanks for 3 nightly episodes of That 70's Show which gives me 2 to end my day laughing and 1 more so that I can fall asleep.

#9

Today I'm thankful for friends.  I spent the day with a super awesome new friend of mine and it just made my day so much nicer.  I could never begin to name all the names or find pictures of all of them, but I have made some pretty stellar friends over the years, and in a lot of different places.  I miss the ones I have had to leave behind, and I'm excited when I get to know someone new who clicks with me.  I am so grateful for all of them, whether they are a friend I made in 7th grade and we only keep in touch on the internet, or a friend I get to see every week.  I'm most grateful to those friends who have been perched, waiting for me, at just the right time, in just the right place, to help me along and keep me from making a total mess.  Thank you to all my incredible friends.

#8

8, 8, 8, I forget what 8 was for...
(note to self:  download some Violent Femmes for the old ipod.)
It's been such a Monday.  I'm thankful it was a decent day and we made it to bedtime.  I'm very thankful for the bed waiting for me to climb in.

#7 - Halloween!

How to work in the Halloween post?  Can you really be thankful for Halloween?  Maybe in some ways, but I think I'm more thankful for the amazing technology that allows me to post pictures and stories of my family so that people we love, faraway or near, can see them and know what we're up to as often as I'm willing.  It is incredible to me that within seconds of making this post, hundreds of people we know could read it and be updated on our lives.  All costing nothing more than a few minutes of my time, an internet connection, and a reasonable computer.  Since the Grandparents aren't on facebook, I know they are needing some pics.


Halloween this year was just a little bit too much by the time it was over.  We did so many things!  Long gone are the days when you hesitate to spend much on a costume that will only be worn once.  Even without the dress-up factor, the kids' costumes are nearly worn out.

Harriet's preschool field trip to the Galloping Grace pumpkin patch:

I'm 4.

Galloping Grace comes through once again for a much needed horsey ride.

Harriet and her current bff Adalynn

Mommy, Gracie, Hattie trip to the pumpkin patch - the next day:

Janie and Evan made a quick cousin stop in ABQ for the weekend:

frosting Halloween cookies

strolling through the ABQ BioPark

Trunk-or-Treat at the Church:

Daddy is such a scrooge about Halloween.  We held him down and painted his face like Darth Maul so he'd have a costume.

Padme and Vader

Harriet's preschool party:

shortly followed by Grace's class party 5 minutes later... no costumes allowed... momma didn't take pictures of the second graders being gross with their candy.

Zoo Boo with the Wixoms:  (BOO ON THE ZOO!  This was a TOTAL bust... never going back (to the boo that is, we'll still go back to the zoo)... good thing we took pictures this time.)

our ducky little friend, "baby" Rylee

Carving Pumpkins:

Hattie didn't want to cut hers open.  Grace carved a moon and constellations into her "luna" pumpkin.

Halloween Party hosted by David's boss:

Finally!  Halloween - Trick-or-Treating in the Neighborhood!

you under-estimate the power of the dark side

quick dual Darth Vader duel to start the night

the girls with Abby and Tyler (friends down the street)

the "haul" - I'm also thankful that my kids think this is A LOT of candy.  oh, little do they know about filling an entire pillowcase!

Grace's favorites:  Twix, Crunch, 3 Musketeers, Tootsie Rolls

Harriet's favorites:  Jolly Ranchers (she calls them jully ranchers), Tootsie Rolls, Pink Bubble Gum

#6

Today I'm thankful my parents encouraged me to go to college from the time I was a little kid, and paid for my education.  I went to a really great school and they're playing a good football game today.  Go UTES!

#5

Today I am thankful that he

is my husband and coming home to the 505 tonight after a long week in D.C.

Gratitude Journal #4

I need to come up with a different way to title these posts - so boring.   But, for today, I am thankful for fall leaves.  Which is to say, I am thankful for fall leaves that don't fall in my yard!!  I have occasion to drive over the Rio Grande river several times a week.  It is a little more than 10 minutes away from my house.  It is also the only spot in Albuquerque that is covered in deciduous trees, mostly Cottonwoods.  Right now, the Cottonwoods are a deliciously warm golden color, made even warmer by the Albuquerque sun shining on them.  I seem to keep finding myself without my camera when I'm driving over the Bosque.  Anyway, these fall trees are gorgeous.  And, the best part?  They aren't in my yard!!!

I do miss the beauty of New England, but it was such a love/hate relationship with those leaves.  I always felt that Fall was highly over-rated.  Last year, I raked 6 wheel-barrowfuls of leaves just from my driveway, every week.  By the time the season was over, I know we were around the 100 mark for bags and wheelbarrows of leaves raked from the yard.  Then, in the spring, we did about 30 more from the leaves that fell after the snow came.  I tried to count one time, how many trees were in our yard.  I lost track in the 60's and most were at least 50 feet tall - FULL of leaves!

just as the leaves were turning last year

a "few" trees

Now, I can enjoy my leaves, and NOT rake them too!  Ok, today, I did a little raking since the wind has blown neighbor leaves on over - just for something to do out into the sunshine.  I think the whole yard took me about 8 minutes.  Perfection!

the ONLY tree in our yard (and no, it hasn't changed color yet)

"before" - sure, I could have waited for the afternoon ABQ breeze to take care of this

"after" - do you see the tiny little pile of leaves over there?  that's it!

Gratitude Journal #3

Oh man, what to write about today.  I think I'll say I'm grateful for Harriet's preschool since we went on another huge field trip today with them.  Sure, they require A LOT from parents and the whole thing is completely over-the-top and a little insane, but I have never seen a woman more excited about doing her job than the woman who runs this preschool.  She is so creative, so imaginative, so loving, so excited to see the kids every day, and is genuinely interested in each of them.  She is teaching them valuable life skills, to do EVERYthing for themselves (which is something I am not good at), teaching them very good and appropriate curriculum, and celebrates each tiny accomplishment that they make.

field trip to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago

Harriet could not write her name before preschool started this year.  She only wanted to write the H and wasn't interested in any more information about how to write the rest.  I tried so many times to help her, but she did not want my help.  Now, only about 8 weeks later, she is writing her whole name (and nickname), and spelling them correctly too.  I'm so grateful for preschool teachers!  I know I could never be one for SO many reasons.  (Reason #1 is that I could never turn on the hose in the school yard ON PURPOSE so that the kids could make mud under the slide and slop it around with shovels and buckets to their hearts content!)  Thank goodness for the preschool teachers in the world!

Gratitude Journal #2

I am thankful for grandparents who like to play with their grandkids.  I had some who did the same for me when I was growing up and playing with them provided some of the best memories of my childhood.

no one is ever sorry in this game except when they lose!

David's parents have been living with us since we got home from Disneyland in September.  They are building a house 12 minutes away from ours and staying with us until it is finished.  Grace and Harriet are LOVING this situation.  They have built-in playmates and their favorite babysitters anytime they want.  Harriet greets Grandma first thing in the morning with her deck of Old Maid cards and the last thing they both do before climbing in bed is to go rough-house with Grandpa, fighting all the time whose turn it is to beat him up.  The Sorry games get a little heated to say the least!  Last night, Grace asked me if I could please do Grandma and Grandpa's chores so that they could start the games earlier.  Guess we know where I fall in line.

You know your house guests have set up residency when you get an invitation to a party at your own house that you didn't plan!  Last week, Grace and Harriet had invitations waiting for them on the coffee table when they woke up.  They were invited to a Halloween party that night in Grandma and Grandpa's room.  The invitation said:  after homework, before bath time.   Will it be fun?  YES!  Will it be scary?  NO

They did crafts and played games and got candy.  Who knew you could have so much fun in the guest room of your own house?

a little 'pin the face on the pumpkin'

I know Grandma and Grandpa are anxious for their own house and space (come on, you who doesn't love sharing the kids' bathroom!), but I know 2 girls who are really going to be missing their grandparents when they don't live with us anymore.  Thanks for all you do for us, Grandma and Grandpa!

November Gratitude Journal #1

So, I just made a comment on Jared's blog that I wasn't going to blog today and therefore would not be able to participate in the overwhelming task of NaBloPoMo (which is National Blog Posting Month and you're supposed to make a post every day for the month of November.)  Then, I headed over to Molly's blog for a quick minute and she reminded me of a great and easy way to post every day.  She does 30 Days of Thanks.  Really, is it that hard to make a list of what you're grateful for once a year?  Maybe it will make me nicer (I know my live-in in-laws would love that!  So would my kids and husband.)

Here goes.  I'm super tired and want to go to bed, so my first entry is this:  I am grateful for the Sun.  It's not a secret and it's not a new thing on this blog that I'm loving our new home in Albuquerque where there are something like 330 days of bright crisp sunshine each year.  We had 2 overcast days in a row about a week ago and I thought I was going to go MAD!  I truly suffer from S.A.D. and I have to say that the good ol' ABQ sunshine is doing a great job of keeping it at bay.  It was a gorgeous, beautiful day today.  It was yesterday too, and the day before that.  I actually got a sunburn on Halloween.  I know I should fear skin cancer, but I just can't get enough!  Thank you Sunshine!  I'll work in the Halloween post somewhere soon.