Day 7

New nephew - Ryan's sister had her baby today!! This makes me an auntie again! And I love the name they chose, Jacob Ryan. I am thankful that mom and baby came through birth without any problems or complications. Too bad we have to wait two and a half weeks to see the little (10 pound!!) guy.

Feety pajamas - I just love babies in feety pajamas! And I've got one super-cutie tonight as Isabel wears a pair of hand-me-down jammies from Mae. She may be four but she's still my baby!

Good kids - A friend of mine took some pictures of our family today and the kids did great! I wasn't sure how it was going to go as I ironed shirts, bathed kids and did up girly hair. One child (who shall remain nameless) was in a poopy mood today and was not happy about the outfit that was to be worn. This child was a basic all-around grump, complete with frowns and whining. But all the kids were great when it came time to smile and look like a nice happy family. I have high hopes for the proofs!

No rats - nope, no rats in the pool today!!! We are thinking that it may be a good idea to get a cat. A good mouser kind of cat, or better yet....a rat killer. We've heard a critter in the walls since moving in so getting a good cat that will keep the critter population down would be a good investment. I'm already thinking of names. We'd want a good solid name for a rat killer, a cat named Fluffy just won't do. How about Rouge, Spike, or Axel? Or Ryan's favorite so far, Exterminator?

Long-Handled Nets

To care for our pool I need to brush it down every day. It gets the dirt off the sides of the pool and keeps leaves and dirt from settling in and causing stains. To do this requires me to use a great big ol' pool brush. And if I see leaves that have settled at the bottom then I can use the long-handled net to reach down and get them out. It's quite handy.

Today I was out doing my daily pool duty and I noticed that there were some leaves at the bottom. In fact, not only did I see a few leaves here and there, I also saw a small branch with a cluster of leaves too. I thought to myself "I'll brush down the pool and use the net when I'm done to get the leaves out". I'm so proactive.

As I was finishing my last brush strokes I had another thought...."I'm just going to use the brush to capture the branch and then drag it up to the top, then I'll just reach in, grab it, and take it out.". The branch was just big enough for me to do that, so that's what I did. Until the branch got a little closer to the surface and I saw that it wasnt' really a branch at all. It was a dead rat.

Ewe!!!!

This calls for the net! There's no way I'm stickin' my hand in there and pulling out, let alone touch!, a dead anything! Nope. I'm sooo using the net. So I grabbed the long handled net, captured the dead rat and put it in the garbage.

I'm grateful for long-handled nets. I'd be even more grateful for a husband with a long-handled net or even a pool guy with a long-handled net! But I'll just be thankful for what I've got and that I'm not too squeemish and could take care of the situation without freaking out. That, and I now have something to blog about today. See?....now I'm doubly thankful*!

Wanna come over for a swim?

*can this count for two days worth of posting??

Finding Things

I don't like it when I can't find something. It makes me crazy! I consider myself to be a pretty organized person and I can usually find things quickly. But being in a new place makes finding things more difficult when it comes to figuring out how things work and how they are connected.

There is a ceiling fan on our back patio. It's going to be great next summer when I have friends over on hot days. I can see it now.....I'll be able to sit outside, under the cooling fan, and relax with friends as our kids are chillin' in the pool. The only thing is that we don't know how to turn it on, we can't find the switch!

I thought that it had been turned on at one point by one of the kids but none of them fessed up to doing the deed. And course we never did find the switch. The fan wasn't turning very fast so in my mind I chalked it up to the wind moving the blades. Then this morning I happened to look out the back window and see that the fan was spinning at full speed! There was no mistaking that it was on, wind or no wind, it was ON! Now we just had to find the switch for it had obviously been flipped recently.

Last night I had sent Mae outside, through the garage, to put some stuff in the garbage. It was dark and she had come back in asking how to turn on the outside light. I told her it was a motion light and to just throw the stuff away and the light would come one. However, there is a switch right by that door, and one of the two switches works the front lamppost and sidewalk lights. The other switch???.....turns out it works the patio fan and light. Mae had flipped the switch while trying to turn on an outside light.

Mystery solved!

Now, why is the switch for the patio fan not on the patio? Why is it not in any adjoining room like the family room or kitchen? Why is the switch not only in the garage but as far away from the fan as it possibly can be? Who knows. But......

I am so thankful! This means that Ryan won't have to crawl up in the attic and follow the electrical conduit to its end. I'm thinking Ryan is thankful too.

Ability and Strength

Over the past month, as I was packing boxes, moving furniture and cleaning the hard to reach places, a verse often came to my mind.

She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks. ~ Proverbs 31:17

When that last part ran through my thoughts, I was thankful to the Lord for my health and strength. I was glad that I was able to do the things that needed to be done.

I'm typically in good health and there has rarely been a time when I was not able to do what I had set out to do. However, I do remember an exception to that statement. When I was in the last few months of pregnancy with Isabel, I found myself unable to lift certain things and there were several little projects that I wanted to do but knew that I was unable to do them. That was a first for me and it was frustrating, if not a bit annoying. It made me rely more on Ryan to get those projects done for me. But it has also made me more aware of my ability and strength when I am healthy and able.

So today I am thankful to the Lord for His blessing of good health and strength for the tasks I have before me.

Day 3

It is day number 3 of my trying to post daily the things I'm thankful for. It was my plan to go to my dental appointment and come back with good news and therefore sharing my thanks for the day. But things didn't go the way I had planned. In fact, I left the dentists office with an extra appointment. *sigh* I can't say I'm thankful for that, it would be a lie.

However, I am thankful that I remained calm during the entire visit. That is something to be thankful for! For me that is a big deal, it really really is.

The Day I Get A New Number

Yep, today's my birthday. But I'm not gonna tell you how old I am. Nope. Not gonna do it. You'll just have to use your skills of perception and whatnot and figure it out. But I will say that I am not 21 (even if I do still look it! - ha!)

I had a very fine weekend. My parents came to visit and see our new house. It was great! They got here just as Mae and Caleb got out of school on Friday. That night we went to a local church and the kids dressed up for Halloween and played games and got lots of candy.

Saturday we had an easy morning then got busy organizing the garage so Ryan and I could get both vehicles parked inside. Mission accomplished! Then later Ryan and I were able to get away and see a movie and get some dinner while Mom and Dad watched the kids. I love it when grandparents get to watch the kids!

Yesterday, we went to church then went out to lunch and had some fabulous fish tacos! Later Mom and I peeled a bunch of apples from our tree and made some apple crisp. Mmmmmm......apple crisp is one of my favs and it did not disappoint! The only downside is that I had to make myself stop eating it. But the upside to that is that there is leftovers for me to enjoy today, my birthday!

Today I am thankful for my family, that my parents made the trip and spent the weekend with us. I enjoy having visitors and sharing the home that Lord has blessed us with.

NaBloPoMo 2009

It's that time of year again! Yep, it's National Blog Posting Month!!!

I participated last year, and even though it was daunting I did succeed is posting something every day. Given my current track record I'm not sure if I can manage it again this year, but I'm gonna try! I will certainly be taking advantage of the handy dandy auto posting feature, but you'll never know the difference. Trust me.

There is no given theme for NaBloPoMo this year, but I was thinking of trying to post about things I'm thankful for. You know, 'cause November is the month of Thanksgiving and all. I may slip in some things that just plain make me smile, and smiling is something to be thankful for, right? Ok, so I may need to stretch it a bit, but that's ok with you, right? I thought so. Thank you for being so understanding. See?....I'm feeling the attitude of gratitude already!

So let the daily posting begin!