2 More Days...

Holy smack, this month is almost over! I hope that even though I'm not recording them everyday, I will still look for the blessings that surround me throughout December.

However, I still have 2 days to go and these are the things I am thankful for today:

1. A girls night out. Went and saw Twilight (or, as is written on my calendar: Twight. Ugh. Can I share with you that I didn't even notice that until this afternoon, and it's been on the calendar for WEEKS! Yegads.) and it's a decidedly C+ or B- movie, but you know what made it great? Yes. Seeing it with friends, who could then share the experience and talk about the pros and cons of it, like Jacob's exceedingly white teeth and long (!) and bad hair wig/extensions (?). (NOTE!!! I don't want to spoil this for you if you haven't seen the movie, so feel free to skip to #2 blessing if you don't want to hear this yet. Have you skipped it yet if you want? Okay, good. Moving on. Hmmmm...the hair thing, that was a theme for all the characters in this movie for me, except Bella, who we decided had good hair. Jasper? BAD hair and strangely constipated look. Very odd. Edward? BIG Foofy hair. Sometimes I found him handsome (but not in the way I pictured Edward handsome), other times very angular with lipstick. He looked best when he looked relaxed and happy and just chatting with Bella, instead of in the throws of angst. Other things that I noticed: Carlisle? Very PALE with slicked back hair. Victoria? I noticed in one scene, she had 1 leaf in her hair...I guess to give her that WILD vamp look. lol. Laurent? cool dreads, though I never pictured him that way. Why were all the "bad" guys truly the best looking of the vampires? Hmmmmm.). ANYWAY! So fun to be to spend time with the girls, seeing a movie and then going for ice cream for a post picture chat! And please keep in mind, I had NO CHILDREN WITH ME!

2. Seeing a movie!!! I'm not sure how many people know this (and for sure, my daughters don't), but when I was single, I was a movie buff. Truly. I LOVED LURVED L.O.V.E.D. seeing movies and owning them and watching them and talking about them, and frankly, wasn't all that concerned about the ratings. I used to tell my friends, "Don't rent it, I own it!" But I gradually mended my ways and then when I married, I REALLY changed my viewing habits (rating wise and time spent at the theater and purchasing movies) and then once I started having kids, well...suffice to say, the last movie I saw on the big screen was "Ironman". Can I just say that I was shocked by how much the tickets were and how much the vat of popcorn and beverage was (but, hey, I got the "free" candy--gummy bears--they were offering with the #1 Combo). That being said, how glorious to be able to go to the movies in the theater and have that whole experience. So fun. I look forward to next July when Harry Potter comes out. :)

3. Super J as THE P.O.D.(Parent On Duty): I hope this doesn't count as a repeat, but I just have to express my gratitude that all of this was made possible because Super J was willing skip seeing the movie and stay home with all four girls. I believe this might be the longest I've been away from the baby (5-ish hours, and she was already sleeping when I got home, so we're going on 6 hours of no baby/no nursing. I'll have to wake her up before I go to sleep, but I digress), but I had total peace of mind knowing they were all in such good and capable hands. When Super J and I were first married and I was still working, I was talking to some friends (who just happened to have been my bishop and his wife when I was still single) how Super J and I traded off care taking duties, and that Super J would babysit while I was at work. My past bishop was like, "Babysit? Isn't he the father?" I was taken aback! "Well, yes, he is!" "Well then," he said, "he's not babysitting. He's raising your daughter." And that's so true. I have never forgotten that exchange. Super J is an awesome dad, and he's amazing at raising our daughters. And it's nice to know that because it makes it easier to take a little time "off" for myself, which then helps ME be a better parent. And I'm super grateful for that.

We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count. ~Neil A. Maxwell

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it "white". ~Bing Crosby

The Day After

Today, I'm grateful for

1. Last minute cancellations and deciding to make a Post Thanksgiving Dinner anyway...and that the turkey turned out. Of course, we have lots of turkey left over, considering the smallest one I could find at my grocery store on Wednesday afternoon (when we thought the in-laws were coming) was a 20 pounder! Yepppp. Anyway, it turned out good and much of it is now in the Freezer, but that just means that I have turkey meat available for that next interesting recipe.

2. De-cluttering. What to do when you find yourself with another P.O.D. (aka: Parent on Duty [h/t to Bethany!])? Why, team up to attack some of the stuff that has been AGING you because you haven't been able to get it done. This means, Gentle Reader, that Super J and I tackled the kitchen and literally threw bags of stuff away as we de-cluttered. One of us would hold the baby while the other cooked or went threw the junk drawer or the "art cupboard". The result? A huge blessing: so much counter space I actually have! Who knew? Yay!

3. Leftover from Thanksgiving: Cherry pie and homemade whip cream. Yum. Kinda says it all.

"It’s so easy in life for us to receive blessings, many of them almost uncounted, and have things happen in our lives that can help change our lives, improve our lives, and bring the Spirit into our lives. But we sometimes take them for granted. How grateful we should be for the blessings that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings into our hearts and souls. I would remind all of you that if we’re ever going to show gratitude properly to our Heavenly Father, we should do it with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—because it was He who gave us life and breath" (David B. Haight, "Were There Not Ten Cleansed?," Ensign, Nov 2002, 24).

Day of Thanksgiving

Today I am grateful for:

1. My Daughters. I wish I could explain the swelling of my heart when I think about them. It's like The Grinch who Stole Christmas, "...in Who-ville they say That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day." That, and I start to cry because I love them so much. Being a mother is the hardest thing I have ever done. It regularly displays my weaknesses, selfish tendencies, and inabilities in sometimes blinding light. However, that being said, I have never known such amazing little people who love me. Unconditionally. Who value me and what I say and do, and who depend upon me like no other. It's scary sometimes and freaks me out, but it's also instilled in me the desire to work to be better and to stand up for what I believe so they can understand who exactly they are and the awesomeness of that statement. They are amazing. AMAZING! Each one has her own special abilities and gifts and talents and drama, and I am sooooo blessed and grateful for my daughters and the opportunity that I have to know them. I thank the Lord for them each day.

2. My Husband. The other day I had a quote, "I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom." (Author Unknown), and that is how I feel about Super J. I waited (and waited and waited) a LONG time for him, but he is so worth that wait. And I'd do it again if I had to. After I graduated from Grad School, I was very blessed to have two job offers in one week. One would take me to Michigan, where I would be a few hours away from a friend who I had casually dated, while the other led to a small town in Missouri with few "eligible" guys my age. I prayed and pondered and I felt I should take the one at UMR, but I never had that burning witness that, "YES, this was what I should do!" until about almost a year later. I remember I was in the computer lab with another librarian and we were shutting the computers off after a class, and I had this amazing sensation that I was where I needed to be. Talk about overwhelming. I knew I had made, absolutely, the right choice. Years after we were married, Super J and I were looking at our respective journals. Turns out that at about the same time I was getting that confirmation, Super J had made the decision that after he came home from his mission (he was serving in Belgium at the time), he'd go to Rolla to prepare for a doctoral program in Utah. How blessed my life has been because of those two choices. I love my husband, who is also my best and most constant friend. I'd love him from the bottom of my heart, but for him, my heart has no bottom. He is such a gift, and I'm so so happy to be in this companionship with him.

3. My Testimony. This one continues to grow and, hopefully, strengthen. I'm so blessed to know where I come from and where I am going and who I am. When I was a child, I learned a simple truth: I am a Child of God and that Jesus Christ is my Savior. As a Young Woman, I learned even more that I am a Daughter of God. There is such power in those words! When I was 14 and my parents relationship was failing, that truth and the words in the Book of Mormon which I read for the first time that summer, provided a rod of iron upon which I was able to cling. When I was 21, I learned for myself that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and became a prophet. Those anchors have impacted almost all my decisions that I have made in my life, one way or another. In times of ease or times of hardship, they continue to guide me along the path. And I'm so grateful for that! And I'm working on keeping it that way.

Today's thought is a quote of a quote, as quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley,

"One of my favorite newspaper columnists is Jenkin Lloyd Jones. In a recent article published in the News, he commented:

"'There seems to be a superstition among many thousands of our young who hold hands and smooch in the drive-ins that marriage is a cottage surrounded by perpetual hollyhocks, to which a perpetually young and handsome husband comes home to a perpetually young and ravishing wife. When the hollyhocks wither and boredom and bills appear, the divorce courts are jammed.

"'Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. . . .

"'Life is like an old-time rail journey--delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.'"

Even when life is hard, I am thankful for the ride. For my family. For my daughters. For my husband. For my friends. For my Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this all possible.

Happy Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving Eve

I'm saving the big guns for tomorrow, because I do like to procrastinate. That being said, today I am grateful for many a random thing such as:

1. "The West Wing." Yes, the television series. Early this morning (I'm talking 1:30ish, Gentle Reader...it was a Long Night), when I was up with Miss Q, we were flipping channels and guess what? The Dish Guide indicated Bravo was showing "The West Wing" again!!! Yippee!! I literally squealed. I love this show! Even the repeats are so satisfying to watch for me. Why? How? I mean, I am an admitted social conservative, and the West Wing is all about a Democratic Presidency. But I love to watch politics and, I honestly believe that, for the most part, people are trying to do their best to serve. Granted, I also believe there are power hungry people who use politics to further their ambition, but that happens on both sides of the fence. "The West Wing" reminds me, though, that there is true good and service minded people on both sides of the fence. Plus, I just loved the drama and comedy and pacing and the subtle romances and the acting and...just loved the show. So happy Bravo is repeating it!

2. Magazines that have new recipes to try. They say that you shouldn't try out new recipes ON Thanksgiving. Oh well for that tip. If you know me, Gentle Reader, you'll know that such advice is rarely headed by yours truly (anyone remember the Hair Color near fiasco of my wedding???) Anyhoo. I've made a Pumpkin Cheesecake (a no bake one, even) from a recipe from Real Simple. We'll see how that turns out. I'm excited, though. :) (on a completely different note, and I'm trying not to dwell, but I just gotta say that "unflavored gelatin" STINKS something unholy. Ewwww.)

3. I truly am grateful that we made it out alive and in one piece from today's Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping Extravaganza. "We" being me and the girls. I tell you, we were like a float during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! Seriously, I kept having to tell the girls to keep one hand on the cart, which they did great at doing (for the most part...Miss O tended to brazenly hoof it down various isle or not take corners with us, but overall, well done), but then they wouldn't move to get out of the way of on-coming shoppers. I realize I still need to learn better verbal commands when moving my "fleet" out and about, but again, overall, they did really well. Miss Q didn't even have a melt down until we were in the checkout line. Talk about blessings. lol.

"We can live in thanksgiving daily by opening our arms to those around us. When was the last time you told someone you love how much they mean to you? When was the last time you expressed your gratitude to someone who has always been there for you, someone who has sacrificed for you, someone whose heart has always been filled with hopes and dreams for you?

"When was the last time you unselfishly reached out to help another in need? Every time we cheer another's heart, every time we ease another's burden, every time we lift a weary hand, we show our gratitude to that God to whom we owe all that we have and all that we are.

"Choice blessings await those who live in thanksgiving daily. "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness," the Lord has promised, "shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C 78:19).

"Don't wait to start. Open your eyes, open your hearts, and open your arms. I promise that as you do so, you will feel greater joy and happiness. Your life will have a new level of meaning. You will forge relationships that will transcend this life and endure through the eternities."
-Joseph B. Wirthlin, "'Live in Thanksgiving Daily'," Ensign, Sep 2001

OHmyholycow.

Because I'm not 100% sure I could say I was grateful for this, I just had to say:

I took all four girls grocery shopping today...for a Friday Thanksgiving Dinner...with Jason's folks...if they actually make it.

ALL FOUR GIRLS. Right after lunch. Just before nap time.

Because I AM a masochist. lol. But we made it.

...and there was much rejoicing. Whew.

25 Days, So many blessings

Yesterday it was short and sweet...one of those days where it was all I could do to find things to be thankful for. But today, I am surrounded by blessings and yet, how can I say just three? So, I'm not going to. I'm just going to go with it...I know some will be repeats, but I am looking at more than 3, so that's probably okay, right? Besides, I'll probably be back to short and sweet tomorrow, so I'm going to take advantage of it today!

As I have enjoyed so many other gratitude lists throughout this month, I often think, "YES!!! I am blessed with that, too!" And I love having friends who can express things in such a funny, poignant, or other insightful ways that make me love them (you, Gentle Reader) all the more.

*...oh, how I love the flush toilets (and not just for me. I can't even tell you the joy in my heart when one of my kids makes it to the toilet to throw up. I mean, seriously!)!
* Modern day conveniences! I love my refrigerator and freezer and it's ice maker/water dispenser.
* Thank you, Feminine Hygiene Products and deodorant and moisturizer.
* And on behalf of my children's rears and my sanity, Flushable Wipes and baby wipes and diapers and nightime "Wonder" pants.
* How I love being able to grocery shop, buy fast food, get dvd's from Red Box and books from the library.
* How I LOVE libraries and miss being part of that culture, being part of that definition: Librarian. I'm so grateful for my education! My house of knowledge!
* How I love being a wife and a mother. How tired I get being a wife and a mother (note: not OF being a wife and a mother, but just tired).
* How grateful I am of having gone through 4 pregnancies and births with such positive outcomes, and that my mammaries have worked to feed those babies!
* How grateful I am for my children, my loud and busy and messy and kind and smart and forgiving children.
* How hard it is to watch a child be sick and how I wish I could just take that from her, but how grateful I am for medicine and doctors and insurance and pedialyte and thermometers and washers/dryers to clean bedding that's been puked on over and over.
* How thankful I am for priesthood blessings.
* How sweet and funny it is to listen to a child pray, really pray, like she's having a sincere albeit often casual conversation with her Father in Heaven and realize that if she talks on the phone like she prays as she gets older, man oh man! * But how grateful I am for prayer that connects me to my Maker! To my Father in Heaven! To know He knows I exist!
* And how grateful I am for phones that connect us to friends and families.
* And I'm so glad for the Internet! And blogs and email and online news and music and websites that connect you with friends, past and present.
* And how grateful I am that I still have more days to remind myself of all the blessings that surround me and to express my appreciation for them.

I am so blessed!

"Gratitude on a daily basis means we express appreciation for what we have now without qualification for what we had in the past or desire in the future."~Bishop Robert D. Hales (April 1992 LDS general conference)

November 24, Short and Sweet

I am thankful for tweezers, doctors and antibiotics (Miss Q is fine, Miss E might have strep. Sure. Why not.)

I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom. ~ Author Unknown

Sunday's Gratitudes

Today I am grateful for:

1. Preparation. This is akwardly worded, but on those rare Saturdays when I actually pull it all together the night before, even when chaos erupts just before we need to leave on Sunday morning, because I spent some time getting prepped the night before, I actually can make it "on time" (I say that because I was still out in the hall, but still!) to church to partake of the sacrament. And I'm really glad for that.

2. The Thanks-singing Turkey. Yep. It's a primary choristering thing that Melissa and I came up with, but it worked out great. The kids got to pick a "big" feather to pick a "wiggle" song and then someone else picked a "small" feather to figure out how we'd sing it (Loud or soft, humming, opera style, etc.). You know, if I'm still to be in Primary, as it appears I am, I must say that I enjoy working with the Junior Primary and then being able to go to Relief Society. And it's all the sweeter when the baby has a good hour and things like the Thanks-singing Turkey work out.

3. Little Cupcakes. My friend, Sungti, had a birthday today and, as he is THE Child/Toddler/Baby Whisperer (seriously, SO gifted with small children it is NOT funny. You should see my girls with him. They practically swoon. I. kid. you. not.) and is in Nursery on Sundays, someone brought in these cute cute tiny cupcakes (mayhaps Cryptic Jennifer??? I do not know, as I did not hear the details) to the Nursery-ites so they could celebrate. As I was leaving, I was offered one of the last ones. It's dumb, but it kinda made my day! I mean, it was such a treat! So unexpected. So cute. So good. I don't mean to gloat that I got one, but I seriously had a bit of an epiphany. I think that is how all cupcakes should be. A lovely little morsel with no guilt, but lots of yummy goodness. It was like a cheery cherry atop a sundae. I can so see those in my dieting future.

Thank God--every morning when you get up--that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you a hundred virtues which the idle never know. ~ Charles Kingsley ~