One More Year

Helping out with graduation tonight I am so thankful that I have one more year with Hannah in high school.  I am looking forward to many things that will happen for her in life.  But, I am so glad to have her home for one more year.

May 30 - Cheesy Bread

In general I just plain love food.  But toasted cheesy bread with cream cheese.  YUM

No More Secrets

I am really grateful for truth.  Whether it be in my personal life, the political world or in my everyday interactions with others.  Truth is always better than lies.

A Kiss at the Door

I love it when I am able to be here when Tim gets home from work.  I love that he kisses me goodbye in the morning and kisses me hello when he comes back in the evening.  Many mornings that goodbye kiss is in front of my seminary class.  I especially love that the hello kiss is so much better than the goodbye kiss.  That moment is always worth putting down what I am doing to meet him at the back door.  I take that back.  It's the best when he has to come into the kitchen to kiss me hello - in front of the kids.  Eeeewww!

On His Day Off

I am so thankful to have a husband that is so willing to help others.  He has many times helped someone out with a project on his one day off that week.  Now that Luke is older Tim brings him along to help as well and is such a great example to him of what it means to serve others.

Family Prayer

I love when we end the day with family prayer.  It is such a great way to finish the day as a family.   I just wish we did it on a more consistent schedule.

Grass Carpet

I love this time of year when I go places that have really good lawns.  I love being able to take off my shoes and walk barefoot the whole time.  I love being able to just lay on the grass and read or watch the clouds.  I know for some people this would be considered such a luxury. A carpet of grass to call their own.

Going to bed without setting the Alarm

I LOVE it when I get to crawl into bed at night and curl up with my book.  I especially love it when I don't have to set an alarm for the next morning.  I especially, especially love it when my husband remembers to turn off his alarm.

Under One Roof

I am so thankful to have all my kids under one roof again.  It was too quiet even though when they are all here it isn't necessarily noisy.  I just love having them all home.

Not Going to Town

I love having several days in a row where I don't have to go to town.  I love staying home.  I love having friends that will pick up apples and bananas so that I can put it off for one more day.

Firefighters and Police

I am especially thankful for firefighters and police today.  Locally they responded to a fire down the street today.  In Oklahoma they are digging survivors out after a horrific tornado, and across the world they respond to dangerous situations everyday.  We are all so much better off because they do their job.

May 20 - Digital Photobooks Saved Me from Scrapbooks

I love love love digital photo books.  They have taken a huge amount of stress off of me from the scrap booking days.   I love that within a couple hours of organizing I can make a photo album from a whole year of pictures.  And... I still have copies of the photos (that I don't have to store in a box!) if I want to use them for something else.

Kids Old Enough to Pack

I really appreciate having kids old enough that they can be given a packing list and for the most part pack themselves.  I just double check a few things and we are done.  I think it is actually easier to pack my kids than my husband.

Happy Couch

I love a quiet night just laying on the couch with Tim watching some good tv or a good movie.  Simple things make me happy.

May 17 - All Night Packing

I am writing Friday's post at 3:30 am Saturday.  This is because I have stayed up all night with Hannah packing for outdoor school.  We have been having a lot of fun.  We have not been to bed. The closer it got to the time we need to leave for the school (4:30 am) the sillier it seemed to go to bed.  I will miss her this week.

May 16 - Seminary

I have really enjoyed teaching seminary.  Even at 5:30 am.  I love the interaction I have with the kids and the chance we have to discuss things from the scriptures.  I love how much I have learned in the process.  I love the moments that we all learn something together for the first time.

Clothes Dryer

I know they suck up a bunch of electricity,  but I love my clothes dryer.  I love that I can throw a big pile of wet heavy clothes in it and less than an hour later I can go retrieve a fluffy pile of fabulous smelling clothing or towels or blankets.  And on cold days I just pile them on my lap on the couch as I fold them just so I can be cozy.  I love that I can throw wrinkly clothing back in the dryer and spritz it a little with water and a few minutes later - no wrinkles.  It is magical.  Sometimes I just use it to warm up towels or blankets on cold days.  Just because I can.

Freshly Mowed Lawn

I love the way my lawn and yard look in late spring and early summer before it gets too hot.  I especially love how it looks when I have just mowed it and everything looks so crisp and green. Kind of like a pile of  freshly folded laundry, empty laundry baskets, empty kitchen sinks and a freshly made bed.  A job (temporarily) well done : )

Soft Pajamas

I really, really love a great pair of new pajamas.  No goofy design. Not too heavy, not to light. Pjs that don't cut off your circulation while you are sleeping and have a top half that can pass as normal clothing at school drop offs. Heck, if the bottom and top can pass as normal clothes (excluding the standards at Walmart), that is even better.  Although I would still have to put a bra on underneath.

I Am A Mom and Upside Down That is Wow

Hardest job ever.  Best job ever.  Only job I can never quit, resign, or be fired from.  There are no demotions.  But if you stick around you can get promoted to Grandma or even Great Grandma.  Love this video to moms.  Don't name your kid "Phone". : )

Day Before Mother's Day

For 12 years now Tanya and I have been running away on the day before Mother's Day.  It has kept me sane.  It has kept me connected to a good friend.  It has gotten me some great massages : ).

May 10 - Fridays

I have always loved Fridays.  Whether there are plans for the weekend or not.  Fridays are a door that opens up to the weekend.

Bedtime Cereal

It's a little thing.  Nothing fancy or expensive.  But a bowl of cereal as a bedtime snack makes me happy.

Lawnmowers and Sprinklers

Even though the last couple weeks has involved what feels like an almost daily dispute with either the lawnmower or the irrigation, I am very thankful to have both.  I can't imagine trying to cut my grass with scissors or even with (gasp) a push mower.  I am glad I don't have to rely on enough rain to keep my grass green and my garden alive.  I don't have to pack pails of water with a ladle from plant to plant.  I get to have green grass to walk on instead of just dirt and rocks.  I think sometimes I don't appreciate all the beautiful things I have growing in my yard.

Getting Tucked In

Abby is our last original cat.  She is coming up on 16 years old unless her actual birthday has passed already.  She keeps those kind of things a secret.  All we know is she is about a year younger than Hannah.  Abby likes to tuck me in when I go to bed at night.  There is usually some sort of short bath involved (mine) and then she prefers to curl up on my chest.  This makes it difficult for me to read a book so after a few minutes she tends to move and then take care of her own bath.  She is probably the closest thing I have to a mom to tuck me in.  I'll have to make sure and get her something special this Sunday.

Cats With a Bedtime

Lola the cat has a schedule.  She knows what time Hannah is supposed to go to bed.  Between 8:30 and 9 pm she will come out and meow and then walk down the hall to the bedrooms.  If Hannah doesn't come she does it again, and again.

People That Love My Kids

Thankful for all the people that love my children and go out of their way to make their lives better.

May 4 - Getting a Chance to Do My Thing

It was such a little thing.  But getting a chance to help out on the drama club performance was fun. I got to put myself to work backstage again.  My favorite was getting to age some characters.  I do miss doing this on a professional level - but it was nice getting to get a taste of it again.

Animals in My House

I love living with animals in the house.  Nothing crazy like livestock or exotic reptiles.  Just cats and up until a few years ago a dog or two. I love watching their personalities interact with each other in their own family group as well as with us - the humans that serve them.  We have been dog sitting for a few weeks and it has been fun watching the cats interact with a dog.  They have decided to either befriend or ignore her for the most part.  The most upsetting thing in the house has been the new cat Lola.  She is now coming out of Hannah's room on a regular basis to terrorize the village and play with the occasional golf ball.

Exhaustion

Sometimes it just feels so good to be tired at the end of the day.  The kind of tired that tells you that something got accomplished today because you didn't get to sit down at all. The kind of tired that makes you sleep like a rock.  It's a good tired.

One More Birthday

Thankful today for Tim celebrating another birthday.  Thankful for every day that I get to spend with him.