A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm SO thankful to have our computer back! It caught a virus last week & has been in the shop since last week. I took it as God's answer to my prayer...to not spend so much time on the computer. He really took me seriously!

2) I'm thankful that I finally went to the doctor for my lower back. It's been bothering me for at least a year & has been getting worse the past couple months. I tried not going for so long to avoid co-pays, prescriptions, toughing it out, etc. but just couldn't wait any longer. Thankfully the X-ray showed nothing. I was given a two week prescription & I start physical therapy this morning.

3) I'm thankful for The Prophet's motivated self yesterday! He was done w/ the majority of his school work by 8:30am. We usually don't even start until 9am!

4) I'm thankful that I was blessed in knowing a very sweet lady at the nursing home where I work on Saturdays. She was 97 years old, blind, going deaf, & I really enjoyed talking to her. She passed away a week & a half ago and while it hit me hard, I celebrate that she is now w/ God in Heaven.

5) I'm thankful that The Princess is really enjoying the Little Flower's Girls Club. They only meet once a month, but she is so motivated to go through her tasks here at home to earn her badges. She's even going to be St. Therese of Lisieux for Halloween & is VERY excited about it! I love that she has such a strong love of our faith!

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings (2nd Post Today)

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for the extra hours of work Casinodad & I were able to pick up on Monday. I will be paid double time for my four hours & he will receive an extra five hours of work at regular pay.

2) I know this was on last week's list, but again I'm thankful for the past few days weather which enabled us to open up the house & this time, even sleep w/ the windows open. Usually it's way too hot upstairs for sleeping, but these few days were perfect...almost too cool. (Did I just say that?!?!?)

3) I'm thankful for shoe sales! In the past few days, we've gotten new sneakers for all four munchkins & new dress shoes for The Princess & The Prophet...all total under $100. The Saint still needs some dress shoes, but he's been a bit picky lately & wouldn't let me try any more on his little tootsies!

4) I'm thankful for snuggly toddlers! I rested this afternoon & The Saint came upstairs to rest w/ me. He snuggled w/ me, patted my cheek, smothered me w/ little kisses...he was too sweet!

5) I'm thankful for a night out w/ my dear friend, Angela (of Pretty in Orange). We went out for an early dinner Friday night & walked around several shops...including Trader Joes, Crate & Barrel, and The Container Store (& I held such restraint, not buying a single thing!)

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

Before I post my thanks, I'd like to ask prayers for Casinodad's best friend from childhood (& best man from our wedding). He is in the hospital w/ pancreatitis (sp?), a severely damaged esophagus, & kidney failure. He's on a ventilator & will be for the next 2 weeks to a month. They are keeping him sedated for now, also. Needless to say, Casinodad is very worried about him.

On to my thanks...
1) I am thankful that Judy is back online. I've really missed her daily post from her blogs. Welcome back, Judy!

2) I am thankful The Prophet is finally feeling better. We thought he just had allergies, but it turned out to be a sinus infection also. After just two days on antibiotics, he's almost back to his old self & definitely sleeping better!

3) I am thankful for the dear, sweet residents at the nursing/rehabilitation center where I work on Saturdays. Last Saturday, one of the residents (who is blind & mostly deaf) was having a bad day. She came to visit me up front & said I always help cheer her up. I'm thankful I was able to be there for her.

4) I am thankful that we've had two fairly productive days of school this week. I sat down over the weekend to make up our plan for the last five weeks of school so that we know how many lessons we need to complete each week. So far, the boys have been fairly cooperative!

5) Above all, I am most thankful for all that God has given me...my life, my family, my friends, a roof over my head, & plenty of food.

Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings (#2)

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Judy in my life. If you've never been to any of Judy's blogs, you are missing a TON of GREAT stuff. (Links to all can be found from on her link above.) She's such a great source of inspiration to me...whether it be family oriented, homeschooling, or faith life.

2) Thank you, Lord, that Casinodad has made it safely to & from work the past couple days with all this snowy weather.

3) Thank you, Lord, for the hill at my parents' house & for their hospitality on Monday. The munchkins spent several hours there sledding down it, then enjoying Grandma's homemade hot chocolate afterwards.

4) Thank you, Lord, for my new job & for the people I work with. The dietary staff took great care of me on Saturday by bringing snacks & dinner to me in the front office.

5) Thank you, Lord, for the faith I see coming out in my children. Just when I don't think they're getting it, they say or do something that completely changes my mind. On the way home from church Sunday, The Prophet told me that he thinks he might want to be a priest when he grows up. The Princess always walks around singing made-up songs about God being in her heart.

Thank you, Judy, for hosting this meme & for inspiring me!

Small Successes - The "Just Getting By" Edition!

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

It's been a bit of a rough week around here between another stomach bug, freezing temps, an irritable momma, & misbehaving munchkins. So, this edition of Small Successes is exactly that...the "small" things I've managed to accomplish.

1) I've done at least 2-3 loads of laundry each day since Monday...most have even been put away.

2) Each evening, we have a "clutter drill" before Daddy gets home...about 12 minutes of the munchkins picking up the downstairs & me doing the kitchen. Depending on what time Daddy will be home, we either do it before dinner or right after we've eaten.

3) My first day on my new job went well on Saturday. I think I only lost two phone calls & told one person to turn right down the hall when she should have gone left. Not too bad for a first day!

Check out Faith and Family Live for more successes today.