November 15, Hello Gratitude!

On this fine Saturday, I am thankful for:

1. Friends who call you in the nick of time so you can help prevent a social faux pas and hurt feelings. Whew!

2. Hair dye. Oh yes...now you are curious as to what I look like, eh? Pictures coming soon (and AFTER I wash this gunk off my head! Zoinks it stinks.)

3. Family traditions for CHRISTMAS (this means I can still use this for Thanksgiving Day later, right?). I tell ya, every year...and I mean EVERY YEAR, I start making the calls to see what we are doing for the holidays ("we" being MY side of the family) and where we will rendez-vous and start the planning, much like a cruise director. Do I like it? Hmmmmm. Not as much as I used to. But it's always good to get the ball rolling, knowing that no one will make a solid commitment for a couple of weeks, we'll have to renegotiate the date a couple of times, and someone invariably irks someone else through the course of finalizing plans. But the outcome...getting together to celebrate the Yuletide, is worth it. So, today, I am grateful for the start of this particular tradition, because it means the best is yet to come.

I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God. --Helen Keller

Focusing on Gratitude November 14

Today, please know I'm so thankful that...

1. I have had such a nice day! It's had its crazy wild moments (this morning, Miss O was VERY VERY 2 years old heading into The Wal-Mart. I was a bit concerned, but she eventually stopped yelling. sigh. Oh! And let me just tell you how difficult it is to prepare 2 different kinds of soup when your baby will NOT LET YOU PUT HER DOWN, even though she's exhausted and so are you!). But overall, very nice. And I'm so grateful for nice days! We even saw a double rainbow!!! How cool is that? See? Nice.

2. I have a husband that isn't ashamed to plant one on me in the Automotive Section of Wal-mart. I'm not for gross and weird PDA, but still...Super J totally surprised me when he called me on my cell and asked that I pick up some car wax for him. Since I was already at Wally-world, I just wheeled the cart in that direction and before I could say, "Where do you think they keep that stuff," he suddenly appeared and gave me a kiss and a hug. And then we smooched AGAIN in the dairy section just before he had to leave! Ohhhhh, we are two wild and crazy people. We later laughed and wondered what the surveillance monitors thought about that.

3. I am really working on taking moments to talk with my daughters, especially if they've caught me in an impatient mood or if I've snapped at them for no good reason (and sometimes even if there was a good reason). I realized that I don't want my kids growing up being rude little monsters, but I also don't want them growing up thinking that their mom is this moody beast who always yelled and who didn't like to have her picture taken. I mean, seriously, I didn't realize how much I *DON'T* want to be a Sasquatch. I want my kids to know that I'm human, yes, but I want them to know that I love them. I LURVES THEM! They are the most amazing creatures, and honestly, the good Lord has gifted me with the incredible opportunity to be their mom. Sometimes I worry that I am going to botch it up so bad! But then I remember that I have the ability to apologize and work to be better. And I'm so thankful for that.

And here's a bonus one!

4. I'm so thankful for spellcheck!!!! Can I just say that??? So grateful.

"Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted--a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul." ~Rabbi Harold Kushner

Lucky 13

Others have commented on it, but I just have to add that this Gratitude Challenge has been so fun! I, too, enjoy reading other people's lists and learning all sorts of stuff about the list makers themselves at the same time. It reminds me, yet again, of the truly remarkable people that I know and love. Thank you for participating, my friends and Gentle Readers. You define the word "Awesome." Keep up the good work!

And now for my list:

Today, I am grateful for

1. Bedtime...both the children's and my own. Ohhhhhhh how glorious to have some time with Super J, or the computer, or the tv, or a book, or meditation and prayer without someone needing me to put on yet another episode of Dora the Explorer. And how glorious is it to lay down at night, ready to get as much sleep as I can. It is indeed glorious. :)

2. And while we are on the subject, how I love Dora. Ahhhhh, that sweet Latina explorer has been la Amiga for my three girls...I thought perhaps Miss O was going to be unswayed by her daily escapades with her faithful friend Boots, but I was wrong. She is addicted and currently ENAMOURED with all things Dora. You should see her dance and sing, "I'm the Grumpy Old Troll" and then yell, "Solve my riddle." It makes me laugh and laugh (don't know WHO the Grumpy Old Troll is? Take a look and tell me that you can't see Miss O in that. Btw, she's my only daughter so far to have discovered and bonded with Mr.Grumpy. Figures. (and sorry it's such a bad video segment, but it's all I could find)):

3. I love it when recipes turn out. Today I learned how to cook Italian Sausage Links without under cooking or burning them to a crisp (while STILL under cooking the insides). According to Rachel Ray's recipe for "Sausage with Garlic Lentils", you,

"...place sausages in a small pan and add 1/4-inch water and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, a little drizzle (note: I just now read teaspoons...I did 2 tablespoons and it turned out fine. In fact, I just poured the extra stuff into the lentils and it was delicious). Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium-high. Let the water simmer away 8 minutes or so, then crisp the casings 3-4 minutes more."

Delicious. The lentils turned out good, too, but I changed that recipe around a wee bit based on other readers comments. Anyway. Long story short: this is the first time I've made lentils and I was really happy with how they and the sausage turned out, and I wish you the best of luck if you decide to try them. :)

Until tomorrow!!! "Solve My Riddle." hahahaha. Cracks me up.

Update: I forgot my quote! Here it is...and after the whole recipe thing, I thought it quite appropriate:

I feel a very unusual sensation - if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude. ~Benjamin Disraeli

On the Twelfth Day of Gratitude, My Blogger Said to Me

Today I am grateful for:

1. Super J's job. How grateful I am that he is willing to work, that he's employed, and that it has brought us to where we are: in a state near family, with amazing friends, in a comfortable home with four beautiful daughters. As it is a small "start-up" (though can it be considered a "start-up" if it's 5 years old???), every night we pray for its success. If that success means that we'll still have a job by the time the recession is over, I'd be pretty happy with that.

2. Tuna Helper. Some nights, you just need the help.

3. Showers. I've never been a tub/bath kind of gal, and I'm not super keen on long hot showers (unlike Super J, who, I believe, could drain the hot water heater per shower if it wouldn't cost so much...and that's not a criticism...it's a fact), but I do like a nice medium warm shower that gets the job done.

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's Acknowledgements

I am grateful for:

1. Cool Mist Humidifiers, especially since the house's heater has been turned on and is so so drying

2. 32oz (or more) plastic cups, especially if they contain half Coke/half Caffeine-free diet coke OR ice water

3. Quiet moments to myself, not including bathroom breaks (though I am grateful for those as well)

"I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate." ~Elbert Hubbard

New Do's

So, here are some photo's of our trip to The Great Clips.

First up, Miss O. Alas, we forgot our camera and it wasn't until she was done that Super J remember he could use his phone.

So, next up is Miss A. I kinda felt bad for the hairdresser, because Miss A has THICK STRAIGHT HAIR. This means, it's very hard to cut a straight line, as those of you who also share this plight realize. Plus, she's so curious, she kept looking around at Miss O and Super J. Still, she did a good job sitting still.

Now, I realize that going to this "salon" is dicey at best. Sometimes you get a great cut and other times, well...let's just say that I'm so glad my hair is curly. Even Super J has gotten a "bad" cut before (for him, this means too short. Growing up an USAF brat, I'm used to really short haircuts and I think it kinda looks hot on him, but que sera sera).

Below is Miss E in the chair. She totally has one of those Julia Roberts smiles, if you ask me.
Now, for those of you who have been to Great Clips, Fantastic Sams, or the like, you know that you can get their basic "haircut" and all they do is spritz your hair til it's wet and then cut and there you go. No drying. No styling. This is what happened to me.

In this next shot, you see Miss A and there I am in the background. Once we got home and my hair was drying, it looked extremely frizzy. NOT my best look AND, since this was a last minute F.H.E. decision to go, I hadn't done any prep on myself (ie: NO makeup, etc.). So, in this "AFTER" shot, I just put a headband on and called it good. As a result, I ask you to focus on the cute cute hairdo's for the kiddos and know that mine turned out much better AFTER I showered and styled it.

Thank You So Much (Nov 10 List)

Today, I am grateful for:

1. Paper plates (and for any of you who have been to dinner at my house, you know of what I speak). I love 'em.

2. Hair cuts...I and the girls went and got our hair(s), well, cut today. Hope to post pictures on the blog about it, if we can get the pictures from Super J's camera. Even Miss O got her locks trimmed. We did this for our F.H.E. activity...gotta love that.

3. ...Not getting a ticket. Not that I wanted one, but I'm really glad I didn't get one today while still being on time to pick up Miss A and our neighbor.

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" (Thomas S. Monson, "An Attitude of Gratitude," Ensign, May 1992, 54).

"Can I use the phone?"

Today, mark my word Gentle Reader, things change here at the Zoo.

Today, Miss A brought home (are you ready for it???)...her school directory.

Yes. She has been looking up the names and numbers of all her friends. She wants to call them for play dates. She's now sitting right by me as I'm typing this. These are her words:

"I would like you to help me find something in it," (she says this in a goofy voice and then says, 'heh heh.' Weird) "I cannot find the last name of our next door neighbor." (I told her I can't use last names on my blog) I can find my own name! It's just right after Mrs. H's class. Here's Mrs. R's class. And I can even find my own name, Miss A! I want to have a play date or, as my friend Chloe would say, 'friends over'. I want to have all my classmates over."

She wants me to type that she's been looking at this for hours. She's a smart kid. She actually says, "Type, 'Miss A's been looking at this for hours.'" And I now have. :)

Now Miss E has come into the office. She is bored. So I decide to share with my daughters my experience this morning. I start out saying what I'm typing. Miss E leaves the room. lol.

Here's what I said/typed:

I took Miss O and Miss Q to the great world of Wal-Mart. We had about an hour to go before I had to pick up Miss A and her friend Chloe (we carpool and I do pickup) from school, so I figured I could shop for about 35 mintues, check out and then go pick her up. As things go, I shopped for about 40 minutes and then went to check out. I changed lanes once because the other lane was moving faster. And at this point, Murphy's Law struck. Just as I was unloading my groceries (behind the people checking out in front of me), they changed cashiers.

Oh My Holy Cow.

No. I should say, "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Mmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Hhhhhhhhoooooollllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssslow (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

It took FIFTEEN MINUTES to get through the line. Seriously. I would have put all my junk back in my cart, but I'd already unloaded and there were two carts behind me! I totally wanted to say, "PLEASE HURRY UP!" but I was worried this would fluster her and she'd only go slower!

So....let's add together, shall we?

40 minutes plus 15 minutes means that I had FIVE MINUTES to make a 15 minute trip to pick up my daughter. OHHHH NO!

So, I did what any good mom would do...I literally threw my grocery bags into my car, buckled my kids in record time, and then drove WITH A PURPOSE (70-75mph in a 60 zone...thankgoodnesstherewerenopoliceatthetimeandIpromisenottospeedagainanytimesoon)to the school. I got in the pickup line and, luckily, there were still a handful of cars ahead of me, but I was the last in line. I was sweating bullets, but because it was cold outside, I only felt clammy afterwards. Whew.

Have you ever done something like that, Gentle Reader? I try not to DRIVE WITH A PURPOSE too often, but every now and then....I hope I'm not alone in this.

Follow-up to some Gratitude Thoughts

I am really enjoying thinking about things I'm grateful for. I think it has been making a difference, at least during some parts of my day. Sure, I still get grumpy and cranky, but there are other times when I realize I am truly blessed.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if you have the same problem, Gentle Reader, but throughout the day, I'll think to myself, "Wow! I sure am grateful for that," and try to make a mental note to add that to my list. And then I sit down to compose my list for the day and I'm like, "Duhhhhhh, I THOUGHT I knew what I was grateful for..." sigh. And so it goes.

Still, I wanted to follow up on a few comments that have been left over the past few days:

1. My favorite mascara? CoverGirl LashExact Mascara (regular, black). I've tried the waterproof one and it just clumps up too fast for me. I've tried CG LashBlast Volume Blasting Mascara (um...no. Well, that's not quite fair. I guess it might do something but it gives me NO length) and Fantastic Lash Mascara (supposedly no clumping but it's very gooey). I've also tried some Revlon ones and an Almay brand (one coat). The Revlon one was supposed to give me fake looking eyelashes, and indeed, if I was looking for the Tammy Faye Baker-Messner (bless her soul) look, I achieved it. Not attractive on me, though. And the Almay was okay. Not terrible, but not great. Soooooo, it's LashExact Mascara for me...right now, anyhow. :)

2. I, too, love feminine hygiene products! Holy cow. Where would we be if we still were, literally, "on the rag" like women of generations past? AND, where would we be if we were still wearing wool underwear, "on the rag?" Ohhhhhhhh good heavens. It make me marvel, yet again, that ANY of us are even here and that all of the women didn't die of infections of one type or another.

3. I am so grateful for Jennifer and her initial Gratitude Challenge. Many of my friends have joined in and it is a TREAT to see all of the things people are thankful for. Indeed, it reminds me of how much we all have in common even with all the diversity we enjoy. I lurves it. :)

There are more, but my Internet Explorer keeps closing on me, so I'm going to post and call it good (for now). Remind me to tell you about the fight between Miss A and E that prompted me to leave the computer which then started hiccuping very annoyingly, thus prompting me to end early. And all over those dumb Polly Pockets. sigh.

November 9th...Gratitude Challenge

My gratitude list for November 9

I'm grateful for

1. The Primary Program...I love to see and hear my kids and the rest of the Primary sing and share their testimonies. So sweet. And watching the Sunbeams (of which, Miss E is one) in the front row crack me up.

2. Other people sharing sweet experiences with me, even when I was in the midst of my own not so sweet experience. I heard from several people today at different times of the day, the most amazing stories where the heavens opened and smiled upon them. It reminded me, yet again, that there is a greater plan that I'm not necessarily always aware of, but it is aware of me...and of those around me, whether they are 4 or 35.

3. Miss Q and her ability to sleep. I almost don't know what to do and I'm kinda afraid to say anything because I may just jinx it, but Miss Q has slept for 5-6 hours, at night, in a row, for 2 days now. This is almost unheard of in my children. Indeed, the fruit of my womb almost never do this until they are well past a year old. Seriously. I'll keep you updated, but I'm indeed grateful for the two days that I've had.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melodie Beattie