Top Ten Reasons to be Thankful...

My MIL tasks us each year on Thanksgiving to bring a list, notes, reasons why we are thankful to share at dinner. This year our task is in the form of a Top Ten list. Thinking about this, of course, you can say what everyone says...my family, my home, my health...etc. etc. Or you can get specific. So, this is me getting specific.

10. JOBS.

I am thankful for my husband's job but specifically his ability to take his talents and pursue them in many ways. He is capable of so many things and has many roads those abilities could take him down. And this leads me to the next...

9. God-given abilities and talents.

He has chosen to bless us in many ways, but I am most thankful that He has given us ABILITIES. We are capable people in this family. We have lots of options open to us and while that can be overwhelming narrowing it down from time to time; we have options and are quite capable of making use of our talents in some way.

8. Creativity.

To me creative thought is the pulse of life. Forgive the cheese, but I couldn't think of another way to put it. If I wasn't able to think creatively, or to manifest it in some form, well,

you just wouldn't want to know...

7. Health.

Easy to take for granted. But when something shocks you out of complacency, it's huge on the gratitude scale!

6. Friends.

There are a few friends in my life that just "get it", and get me. If you are reading this blog, most likely you are one of them. (this counts if you are family too) I am thankful for those supportive few and love that you are in my life.

5. Lj's 2nd grade teacher.

For real. I am so thankful for this woman this year. She is exactly the right person for the job and sees all the potential wrapped up in this 50lb body. I want to hire her to homeschool him for the next 10 years! :) Plus, it's fun to think she's Irina Derevko....

4. Home.

It's not my dream for sure...but it's someone's. And for that I am thankful to have a home and shelter. ( I am also VERY thankful it didn't burn to the ground last month...phew!)

3. Peaceful Moments.

You know those times when you just can't find anything wrong and it's quiet.... you are just content. I am thankful for those moments.

2. Love.

For the ability to love deeply and know love back. I can't imagine not experiencing love; I am very thankful for that.

and the Numero Uno, number one, best reason of all to be thankful! (I bet you know...)

1. These Guys.....

Jumpin' in leaves...."fall"in' down... hangin' around.

You have to take the requisite leaf - jumping pictures. You know...just so you can remember that the leaves do fall and they are pretty. Sadly, they are all gone now. But we sure had fun while they lasted. :)

Ga-ga-gorgeous

Note to self: the 'burbs CAN be pretty....

THE gift list....

If you are anything like me, you love looking through the latest "hot picks" for gifts in magazines (Real Simple, anyone, anyone? no?) and the like. Well, if you are also like me, you are always left a little cold by the "picks". I mean they just don't quite hit the nail on the head...maybe because they are so generic. (Another cashmere scarf?! pulllleeeeasee!!...)

You might think the same of my picks, but I think they are quite awesome.

So, here are my picks for the best (and most fun) holiday gifts this season:

I am ALWAYS checking out new water bottles...it's kind of an obsession. Especially since I threw out all our beloved tried and true, but toxic, old Nalgenes and have only a few (5) replacements. And these new beauties are a sure-fire hit:

For the co-worker, working lady, or coolest SAHM you know: these awesomely artistic re-usable lidded bowls to reheat last night's yummies or re-snack on that delish salad. They're WAY better than tupperware...and BPA free.:)

For the hipper-than-you youth in your life or the not-so-young-but-still-a-hipster: Who doesn't still like to color?!? (besides my son that is.)
I am personally hoping Santa tucks this into my stocking....

For the foodie/wanna-be-foodie or seriously good cook: this just looks fun.

For the techie, geeky, design-y, freak we all know and love: throw out donate the old and start anew with these seriously fab mugs...and learn a little color theory or something along the way.

For your best friend who likes to doodle while she talks or doodle while tele-conferencing: and I did give it to my best friend last year!

For your favorite blogger, wife, seriously deserving friend and favorite cool mom: ooohhh...and ahhhh....

For the art collector, aficionado, collector of all things amazing; a rare, limited edition giclee print of an original oil by artist Rodney Wood. My fave.: The Aesthete

Ok, so seriously, if you are at all paying attention, most of these ideas are from Delight.com. I seriously LOOOVVEEE this site. It has fun deals of the day and just super cool things that you just don't really need....and so many affordable ideas too! There are other sites ...but I am just really diggin' this one these days. So, check it out....I mean if you want to. :)

( And no, I didn't get paid for this advertisement.)

And for a few good laughs...check out this fun blog: Regretsy.com. ...because we can't all have good ideas, be talented AND have good taste.

stay tuned for the coolest kid presents....and the best of etsy. :)

I could....

Dear Reader (are you still there?),

I haven't posted much of interest lately as you may have seen. You may note the brevity in my postings and just a quick word or two. Or maybe a confusing picture with nonsense written about it. I'm sorry about that....those are just random thoughts that I feel I must share. My time has been strained and the time I usually take to do these things has been seemingly better served in dreamland. So, today, instead of napping, I am trying to stay awake, alert and share a little of my life of late. How do I share some of it without overloading you?

I could tell you about my friend's husband who passed away suddenly of what seemed to be a heart attack. And that he left 3 kids behind (11, 8 and 5). How he was only 41 and how I can't imagine surviving that and how I have had thoughts of fear like that a lot lately... (but that's kind of depressing...)

I could tell you about the trip to the Principal's office my 7 year old made last week because he can't seem to remember the classroom rules. ("not talking when his teacher is talking, and following directions about staying on task"...ie: not ignoring her and doing as he pleases....) And how upset I have been because he HAD been doing so well this year in this department so far....(but that's also kind of depressing)

But then I could also share with you that my husband took a trip to the principal in the 3rd grade because "he was ignoring his teacher and doing as he pleased and talking too much." Or about the time he hit a girl in the face in the 1st grade because "she was ugly." In spite of this obviously apparent deviant personality disorder, he seemed to turn out okay and is probably the nicest person you will ever meet. (kinda depressing, kinda hilarious...but mostly hopeful!)

I could tell you about my new part-time gig/job as a "bookseller"/

slave/picker-upper at a well known bookstore. How it keeps me up into the wee hours of the night(morning) and how I know I don't like corporate sales driven mumbo-jumbo...but that I do like it when I can help someone find a book or recommend a good read and that I often get distracted by all the book eye-candy.

Or, I could share with you how I daily wonder what/who I want to be when I grow up. That whenever I hear of a career someone might have, I wonder if I might like to do that or if it would make my skin crawl. Or how I wish most days I could just focus all of my attention on my kids and not worry about making any money.... (but that's kind of depressing too.)

But, I could also tell you how when I get home late some nights and I go re-tuck my kids snuggly in their beds, I might hear an "I love you mommy" mumbled in between incoherencies.

(Not soo depressing anymore....)

Or, how when I see my little one running around in nothin' but his bare legs...feet padding on the hardwood, giggling about something or running to find his not one, but "2 gankets"...how it all just doesn't matter. The world aligns and everything is at it should be.

Maybe, I will just stick to the latter.

Deeeer-dooots!!...

Eat this...Not that.

This morning little a. must have been feeling like he was lacking some good soil micro-organisms. He did a little self-medicating....

(make sure you pause the ipod....and yes, it is so very annoying I said "cheese" 7 times in this...he didn't cooperate...:)