day 7...

I am a junkie. I won't apologize for it either. I know some of you think TV is ridiculous or a waste of time or mindless. Maybe it's all three of those things but I love it. I have very little time in my day to be mindless. To zone out. To veg. Evenings by the TV are my time. I'm thankful for a husband who will watch all of this with me. Thankful too that I have stuff to look forward to every night. Don't worry, I'd give up a show (tivo'ed of course) to hang out with any of you. Better yet, trash television WITH you. Dave and I have a good time laughing together every night. It just works for us.

*Bonus points if you know what all these shows are. :)

day 6...

Today I am thankful for my ward sisters. My Relief Society sisters. My friends in my neighborhood and across the country. I am grateful for their testimonies. They strengthen me. They may not even know how much. The Lord blessed me to have amazing women in my life. Women He knew I would need. Women He knew I could learn from. Women who would teach me, uplift me, support me. Each was given to me for a different reason. A unique purpose. A special lesson to be learned. I treasure each of them so much. They enrich my life.

day 5...

I am thankful for the relationships my children have with baby Margaret. She's 2 1/2, so she isn't really a baby any more, I guess. I'm thinking that usually by this point, the novelty of a new little sister has worn off. Somehow it still hasn't. My kids LOVE this little girl. They love to play with her. They want to be the one that gets her up from a nap. They teach her things. They include her when quite frankly, I wouldn't really want to. Yesterday, Emily and Elizabeth had a friend over. They were limited on time since I had to get her home. They were playing in the living room when Margaret woke up from her nap. I got her out of her crib and she wandered into the front room looking for the girls. She could hear them and wanted them. The big girls were talking, but when they saw her come in, everything stopped. Their eyes lit up. They ran to her and loved her. She played with them until Eliza left. The whole time. I KNOW she notices things like that. She just has to. These older kids of mine will help Dave and I shape her into a confident, secure, happy girl. 

november 4th...

Today I am thankful for Hi Chews. Thankful that all those months ago, I decided to pick up a pack at Macey's and give them a whirl. Aside from some chocolately favorites, my candy of choice. I love getting other people hooked on them too. Now they can alert me when they see them on sale. I'm thankful Harmon's marked them down to 69 cents from 89. Not thankful that Macey's only marks them down a penny. I'm serious. A penny. With a sign right by them telling the customer that they can save one cent. I think these may be an acquired taste. There is a gummy, chewy texture that you have to get past. Once you do though, you'll never look back.

day 3...

I am thankul for my cameras (and a dad who enjoys buying them for me). He has always loved photography. He is amazing. I don't think you will EVER find more amazing pictures than the ones he took of his kids when we were all little. He captured the every day better than I can ever dream of doing. I've inherited that passion. I am SO thankful that photoshoots are able to supplement our income. I always seem to be busiest when we need the money the most. What a blessing. Don't you just love my niece Charlotte in her neighborhood overlooking the Puget Sound?

2...

I am thankful for the plan of salvation. A knowledge that this life is not IT. There is more, with our families and loved ones. I am 100% confident that families can be eternal. I know it. I have known it for a long time. I remember attending my Grandmother's funeral when I was much younger. I also remember not crying enough at that funeral. At least I didn't feel like it was enough. I cry a lot. The tears just weren't coming that day. In my little girl heart and mind, I KNEW that Grandmother was once again with Pop. He had died a few years earlier. I knew they were together and that brought me peace, not sadness.

I have no doubt. I know.

what am I thankful for?

Today I am thankful that this beauty is on it's way to our house. Our kitchen aid died on Sunday...and a part of me died with it. We have had it for at least 10 years, and it was finished. We used our mixer all the time. Many times a week, at least. I loved it. I thought it was pretty. Not quite sure if this one is a little TOO green, but we will just make it work. Dave gets oodles of rewards points as the purchasing manager for his work. He works hard so that I can get things like this without spending a red cent. I am thankful for THAT.

Also thankful for a little girl named Molly who handed me 6 small boxes of DOTS and 5 mini Almond Joy bars after trick-or-treating. I told her I just couldn't take them. They were HERS. She told me that she walked up to each house just hoping they would have DOTS and Almond Joys so she could get them for me. Who knew she loved me so much?