Day 30 - whoops!!!

Did anyone realize that I missed a few days of giving thanks?? I had a feeling that would happen since we were traveling for Thanksgiving. It was my intention to do my postings while we were gone, but it just didn't happen. I wasn't about to stress over it, so I just sat back and enjoyed our families instead.

We left early on Thanksgiving morning for Modesto. And by 'early' I truly mean super-duper-pooper-scooper early! As in before-the-sun-was-up early! We were on the road by 4:00. See! Told you it was early. Anyway, since we were up before the sun, the kids got a wee tired while on the road. They don't usually sleep on these trips anymore, however, not only did they doze off, they fell asleep at the same time! It was cute so I had to take a snap to capture the moment.

Well, I didn't complete the 30 day challenge of posting every day, but I did find many things to be thankful for. While we were gone over Thanksgiving I found a few more. Here they are;

* coffee - makes super-early-morning-trips easier

* sleepy kids - makes road trips easier

* Thanksgiving meals with all the fixin's

* a boy named Jacob - my new nephew, and he's so stinkin' cute! ("stinkin'" in a good way) :)

* leftovers

* Mom's pumpkin pie (there's nothing better!)

* Thanksgiving - a fabulous reason to get together with the families I love so much!

* fully charged portable dvd player - again, makes road trips easier (aka quieter)

* being home again - as it was great to get away and spend time with our families, it's always nice to be home again.

There, that should sufficiently make up for my lack of posting over the past few days. Don'tcha think?!

Flip Flops

Living in Southern California has it's advantages. Among them is the fabulous weather! I can pretty much wear the same shoes all year around. It's great! Especially when my daily shoes are a nice pair of comfy sandals. However, this fine weather is hard the kids shoes. They don't last quite as long. But I suppose that's more the kids fault than it is the weather's.

Since this past spring, Caleb has worn out of three pairs of flip flops. My son is a flip flop kind of boy. He was certainly born to live here, that's for sure! The only thing is that you can't always get flip flops whenever you want/need them. For example, Caleb's flip flops broke just the other week and I was at a loss to replace them. Poor guy, he's been wearing his tennis shoes instead!

I looked at Wal-Mart and thought maybe I had scored. But the only flip flops they had were WWF. Sorry, but there is no way I was buying my son World Wrestling Federation flip flops, even though all of that would be covered by his foot when wearing them. Nope, not gonna do it. Sorry kid.

Then a friend told me that they had seen some at Target. So to Target I went. They did have some, but only for girls.

So I had given up and consigned myself to wait for spring.

Until I went to the dollar store to get things for our recent house warming party. I wasn't even looking for flip flops but there they were! They not only had some, they were a nice gender-neutral green. So I snatched them up right quick!

I only wish I had grabbed more than one, for I know that one pair is not going to last the winter! Maybe I'll go back next week. But there's probably some relative law of something or other that will determine that there will be none left. Alas, I will be thankful for this one last pair of flip flops found out of season.

Day 24

This week the kids do not have school due to Thanksgiving. I don't remember having the entire week off when I was a kid. But alas, mine do. And in the spirit of giving thanks, I will choose to not complain about having the kids home 24/7. Instead I will focus on the good and fun things about it!

- I don't have to get up and take the kids to school.

- thus meaning I can sleep in (depending on how 'quiet' the kids are)

- and there is also no rush to go anywhere, unless I want to.

- which also means I can stay up later and watch a few more shows (instead of letting them fill up the DVR)

- we leave for Modesto early Thursday morning so we can spend it with family! (again, I choose to not focus on the fact that this requires me to get up too-early in the morning and drive for hours on end. nope, not gonna do it! we have a dvd player and that is very helpful on trips like this! - see??....I'm so thankful!)

Day 23

Today I am thankful for play dates.

Caleb has had a rough start to his new school. It's funny because he's not the one I was concerned about with the whole school change thing. I was spending more time with Mae and talking about her transition than I was with Caleb. See, Caleb is just an easy going kind of guy that has never had problems making friends. Mae, on the other hand, is more reserved in new situations where she doesn't know anyone. So I was quite surprised to hear from Caleb that his first day went so badly. It broke my heart.

Things got better for Caleb after that first day, but it was still difficult for him to get in the groove with new kids. Actually, I thought things were going well until last week when he told me at bedtime one night that one of his 'friends' wasn't being nice to him. Again, my heart broke for my sweet boy. There wasn't much I could say to help him feel better, so I told him about a play date that I had arranged for this week with a friend of his from his old school. It helped a little

Anyway, that day was today and Caleb had a great time with his 'old' friend and it was like they'd never been apart. And I'm glad that for one day I didn't have to wonder how my boy was doing.

Last Minute Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday we had an open house for our new home, and as this past week closed in on 'party day', I had a spur of the moment thought - I think I shall put together a scavenger hunt for the kids! The idea was to give the kids something to do while the adults are busy doing boring things, like, talk. Within a few hours of my most brilliant plan, I had a list of ideas compiled.

I thought of things for the kids to go out and find, some in the house but mostly all outside in the backyard. There were only six things on the list but I think it was enough to occupy them. I took close-up pictures of certain areas or objects and then paired the picture clue with the question. These were questions;

"how many steps are there?" - partial picture of the steps at the back of the property

"what kind of fruit is on this tree?" - picture of the lemon tree

"who sleeps here?" - partial picture of Mae's bunk

"how many orange ribbons are hidden in the backyard?" - picture of one stand of orange thread on a branch (seventeen in all, this kept them very occupied!)

"find the five hidden letters around the yard and unscramble the word"

"Find this object, look inside and take one." - picture of the giant terra cotta pot in the yard

The last clue led them to the giant pot, and inside I had put goodie bags for each kid. And may I just say how much I dearly love the dollar store??? It comes in so handy on occasions like this where I don't want to spend a whole lot but still would like to give something more than a solitary piece of candy. So, anyway, I think the scavenger hunt was a hit! The kids were pretty occupied with their search that they were well entertained and not getting into trouble or getting grumpy with wanting to leave a boring party.

I am thankful for last-minute-party-saving ideas!

Celebrating the Blessing

I was home all day today. And it was a gorgeous So Cal day, too! I was up and moving before 9:00, and that's unusual for me on a Saturday. Plus, I didn't sit down once between 9:30 to about 7:00. But it's all good......we had an open house today to celebrate our new home with our friends!

We've never had an open house for any of our other homes we bought. At first I felt a little funny about having an open house since it isn't our first home purchase, but the blessing of this house isn't the house itself, it's the journey that has brought us here. And that is what we celebrated today.

It was decided that we'd host the party from 1:00 to 4:00. Ryan designed the invite and I emailed them out (we're so 'up with the times', we are). Ryan made three different appetizers (which all got rave reviews from everyone!) and I made a fabulous apple crisp (if I do say so myself). Also, I got a wild idea two days ago to put together a scavenger hunt for the kids that would be here (as if I didn't have enough on my plate with getting the house clean and ready). I was rushing around as the first guests arrived, but as our wonderful friends are, they jumped in and helped us finished getting things ready.

Other than Ryan burning his hand early on in the game, the open house was a success! Good food was had by all and we enjoyed sharing our home with our friends as a bunch of kids ran around looking for clues! I kinda like having an open house, they're fun. It's a lot of work, but totally worth it!

Hamburger

Isabel still says certain words in her own way. We love it! And in most cases we don't correct her. At. All. We like to hear these sweet mispronounced words as long as possible. It's our way of holding onto our baby as long as we can.

Lately she makes us laugh when she says 'hamburger'. Just yesterday, as Isabel and I were driving around town, she spotted a McDonalds and said something to the effect that Mickey-D's has hamburgers. But that's not what she said exactly (hee hee) so I asked her again and again and again! We were having fun saying the silly mispronounced word, and she said it many different ways but never the right way. I was just eating it up (so to speak).

Here are a few ways that she tried to say hamburger, I think she may be related to Steve Martin's Pink Panther!

bigger

ham-bigger

ham-beh-bigger (this one is most often said, and my favorite!)

Day 19

Today I am thankful for the store that is practically down the street from me. This store has a gas station attached to it and if you have a membership with this store (which I do!) then you pay three cents less per gallon. Aside from the three cent per gallon savings, it is still a good ten to fifteen cents cheaper than other gas stations around town.

Today this is what I paid (and yes, that does include my three cent savings!)

Day 18

Today I am thankful for my crock pot.

It's so nice to cook up some ground beef, italian sausage, onion and green pepper, then throw it in the good ol' crock pot along with some canned goods and a few spices. I like how I can relax through the rest of the afternoon and as 5:00 rolls around I don't have to scramble to get dinner started.

I love crock pot days!

**want the recipe?? click here, then come back and share with me one of your favorite crock pot recipes!

Day 17

Today I am thankful for:

* preschool

* bible study with God's women

* Starbucks gift cards

* visiting with a friend while all kids are at school

* driving in the truck by myself (did I just have an uninterrupted thought??)

* cooler temps that let me wear socks around the house

Ahead of Time

Last night we didn't go out on a free date as we normally do on Awana nights. But that's ok. Ryan had work to do so when it came time to take the kids to Awana I decided to go grocery shopping during my 'free time'. I know, strange huh? Well, I'm not going to have time to go today while MaeLeb are in school and we all know how important it is to eat so I had to go last night. Besides, going to the store by myself is a joy in itself (any mother knows that!).

So, today I am thankful that I took the time to think ahead and take care of that little nuisance of a chore (grocery shopping) so I could have time to play as a friend and I are going to Ikea! The extra bonus, as I've mentioned before, is that we plan to take full advantage of Ikea's free childcare.

I'm thankful for Ikea today, too.

To Do Lists

Now that we are all moved in, our To Do list is quite different. It no longer includes getting boxes, or filling them, or arranging the timing of getting them to their new destination. Nope, done with all that silliness. But now the list includes household projects. Things like (but not limited to) changing the locks, organize the garage, take boxes away (get 'em outta here!), changing the hinge direction on the fridge and washer/dryer doors, get a pool vacuum, and so on.

Friday night Ryan and made a list of things that needed to get done. The hope was that we'd get to most of them this weekend. And I'm here to say that Ryan is my hero! He completed one of the projects that I've been wanting completed since we moved in.....he moved around the fridge doors!!!! I just love my man so so much!

Our kitchen is on the small side and might be considered galley style. When the fridge door opens you have to stand in the laundry room to do so. I would feel like I was on an episode of House Hunters and displaying the inefficiency or awkwardness of the current home (I know, I watch too much HGTV!). It would make more sense if the door opened in the other direction. And so on the list it went.

But now Ryan has knocked off one big item off the list! It's a more cost efficient solution than remolding the kitchen or buying a new house to solve our issue. Don't you think?! And if you know me, I'm all for frugalness. So today I am thankful for a no-cost solution, as well as for my husband who completed the project for me.

Giving Thanks

Today is Saturday, thus the weekend.

And for that, I am thankful.

I'll Thank Myself Later

I had a fabulous idea this week. I'm sure you've never heard of it, so brace yourself for my brilliance. Are you ready?

As I made two dinners this past week, I made extra, on purpose!, and put them in the freezer for a later date!!!

*cricket*

*cricket*

Well, yes, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking to yourself "Hello Deanne, that's not a new idea. In fact they even have cookbooks for that sort of thing". I know that too, but my point is that I've never purposefully done it before. I even accounted for it when putting my weekly menu and shopping list together. And so I'm proud of myself. And I know I'll thank myself even more when I have one of those days when I feel the need to not cook and I can reach in my freezer for a finished homemade meal.

Yep, I'm brilliant. And I'm so thankful.

~~~~~

in case your curious, or just want a new recipe, I made (and froze!) enchiladas and chicken lasagna. now you have to share a recipe with me! (and I'll thank you for it!)

Granite Countertops

When buying a house that is not new, you don't get the option of choosing features. Things like flooring, cabinets and countertops are part of the package and not easily changed. It's just something that I have to learn to live with wether I like them or not. Now, I know that granite is all the rage but I don't think I'd necessarily pick it if I had the choice. But, I must admit that I like the countertops in my kitchen.

I like the gray and black combination. And I know I'm gonna like it when it comes time to roll out my pie crust. The other thing I like about my granite countertops is that it covers/hides a multitude of mess. The counters don't add stress to my life as I look around me to see what needs to be cleaned and picked up after. And after a quick wipe down, any clean-up stress I may have had is now gone.

I love my countertops!!

Sour Skittles

Last night I took Mae and Caleb to the fabric store with me as I had to pick up a few skeins of yarn. As always, the kids start looking around and pulling things off the shelves and asking if they can have it, or if I would buy it then they'll pay me back when we get home. I spouted off a half dozen of the typical motherly response - no. However, I was almost to the cashier when we passed by the last-chance-purchase isle (also known as; come-on-sucka-buy-me-I'm-only-a-buck-section). This little isle is a kid magnet! It's not filled with important don't-forget-this-you'll-need-it-for-your-project type stuff. Oh, no, no! There's little colorful note pads, daily calenders, half-dried up markers, and flimsy wooden cut outs that you can paint. But mostly it has candy. And lots of it.

My resistance was weakened and I succumbed to the pleading and allowed Mae to get a cute little notepad with a teeny little pen. Well, I couldn't let Mae pick something out and not Caleb. So I let him get one thing of candy. At first he wanted some bubble tape, but then he changed his mind at the last second and chose a small bag of Skittles, the sour ones. I thought that was an interesting choice considering he doesn't like spicy things. Maybe candy is the exception to that rule.

I had one more stop before going home and along the way I asked if Caleb would share his candy with me, and he did. Of course I couldn't have just one and Mae wanted some too. Again he obliged us (more willingly after I promised to buy him another package at the store). We had fun making funny faces and sounds as we ate the sour candy. At first we'd eat just one and say whether it was really sour or not. It was determined that the green ones were the most sour. But then we upped the sour level by eating two different ones at a time! Again green won out when paired with red.

It's amazing what one package of candy can do. I enjoyed have fun with my kids, which is something I feel rarely happens, and for a small window of time I think they had fun with me too. My tounge feels a bit raw and food may not have much flavor over the next day or so, but it was totally worth it and I am thankful for that one little bag of sour Skittles.

When Your Computer And Printer Need Marital Counseling....You Know Your In Trouble!

Yep, gotta love technology. Ever since the big wiping and cleaning of our computer a few months ago, I have been without a way to print. I've had to email things to Ryan at work asking him to print it for me (please?!) and bring it home. And I must confess that I've hated it immensely!

I like to print things. Things like maps to go places, or a coloring page for one (or all) of the kids, or samples of Isabel's name so she can trace it and learn to write her own name, and regular ol' pictures from our camera. Or silly things like documents needed to purchase a house. You know, trivial things like that. I kinda like the ability to print.

But I've been without this luxury for way too long. I have tried to not complain or whine about it. Really, I have.

At the beginning of this fiasco, I was told by my resident computer techie guy something like this....."blah blah blah computer blah blah printer blah blah blah software update blah blah several months, not sure blah blah Windows 7 blah blah blah....". But whatever all that meant, I'm here to tell you that as of last night I CAN PRINT WHENEVER I WANT!!!! Yay, the computer is now on speaking terms with the printer! And today I am thankful for the harmonious relationship they now share!!!

Doing Laundry

I know, I know.....you're thinking I'm crazy for being thankful for doing laundry. You are, aren't you?! Well, let me put your fears to rest. I only say that I like doing laundry because of the fabulous washer and dryer that came with the house. You see, the washer and dryer is the Kenmore version of the Duet. This means that what used to take me two to three loads of wash now fits into one. ONE I tell ya!!!!!

Now couple that superb bit of information with water and energy efficiency and you've got one happy housewife. Well, as happy as a housewife can be about doing laundry. We housewives do have our limits when it comes to pairing joy and chores.

Sunday Nights

Many thanks to our church and the Awana program, Ryan and I have Sunday nights alone. It's almost like a free date night once a week. It's awesome!!!

We drop the kids off around 5:45 then we pick them up at 7:30. That's a good hour and a half of free time! On these Sunday nights we have gone shopping, perused bookstores, grabbed a cup of coffee or just plain lazed around the quiet house together.

It's a win-win for all of us. The kids get spiritual nourishment and fun time with friends outside of the house. And Ryan and I get some kid-free time together. I love Sunday night Awana!

However, Isabel is not well and she won't be attending her beloved Awana tonight (shhh, she doesn't know this yet). So Ryan and I will not have a kid-free night tonight. But that's ok, whatever we do we can go out and pretend that we only have one kid!

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!