Grateful Sunday

It has been forever since I have done a Grateful Sunday post and I figured I should do one this week.
This week I am grateful for....

• Our new house! We will close in late March (sorry I haven't posted pictures).
• My new calling as Primary Secretary. I was disappointed to leave my previous calling-teaching the 14 year old Sunday School class but it is nice to get to know some new people.
• Book Club. I finally got invited to a book club. Oh how I missed being with people who loved books and talking about books. Carma, I'm so glad I get to be your neighbor!
• Steve, Tobie and Maddy V. We went out with Steve and Tobie for Valentine's Day and their oldest daughter Maddy who was home for the weekend watched all our kids for us. Steve and Tobie even paid for dinner to thank Brad for a favor he did for them. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day evening. Thanks!
• My MIL, Dianne, for watching Ben and Sam so I could help at Emily's class party. I was hoping Brad would be home in time to watch the boys or else I would take them with me but Brad had a late appointment scheduled and Ben was sick and grouchy and I didn't want to take them after all. I decided I wouldn't go but then Emily actually asked for me to be there. I appreciate Dianne taking the time to help me out.
• The Jason and Ashley Y family. Brad and Jason have been friends since Brad was 12 and we have been friends as a couple since before Jason and Ashley got married. They came over to play games on Friday but Ashley and I ended up sneaking away to watch Twilight again. Thanks Brad and Jason for watching the kids! Thanks Justin and Hannah for playing Powergrid with Brad and Jason.
• Cheap movie theaters. It is so much more fun to see a movie knowing you only paid $3.50 instead of $9. With that price you can actually afford popcorn! Which is only $3.75 for a large.
• My new nephew, Dimitrie. He turned 2 weeks old on Friday. We are so grateful he was born. It was a close call during his delivery and we thank Heavenly Father he is with us and healthy.
• Winter. I actually don't mind it but I'm glad it doesn't last forever. Brad has taken up skiing and it is fun to see him enjoying every ski trip (except for the first one).

Have a great week!

Grateful Sunday

As I prepare to leave the wonderful state of Minnesota this week, I'm grateful for many things:

• A full-service move. I'm so lucky that I'm not up to my neck in boxes. Mayflower will do that Wednesday and Thursday.
• Brad has Wednesday and Thursday off. I'm glad he'll be around.
• Wonderful fathers who have blessed my life.
• Nice weather. We were able to have some family time outside this weekend.
• Brad's patience and kindness. I had a migraine this afternoon (not good timing). Brad was nice enough to keep the kids quiet while I recovered in my dark bedroom. I'm so grateful I don't get them often.
• Emily. After her accident on Monday, I realize how precious and fragile my kids are. She recovered quickly and her scrapes are healing faster than I imagined. We are so grateful she is okay.

Grateful Sunday

This week I'm grateful for:

• Weekends. We all need them.
• "Summer". It has been nice not having to drag Emily out of bed to go to school (but the weather here has been windy and rainy-we are waiting for real summer)
• Happy children. There have been many moments this week when they were not happy children. I'll take it whenever it comes.
• Friends. I have been fortunate to meet many wonderful people in Minnesota.
• Cheesecake. We had some cream cheese that we had to use before we moved so we made a cheesecake. Sarah, Scott, Tessa, and Abel were gracious enough to help us enjoy it. Thanks for coming over!
• Blogs. I still am in denial that I will be leaving all my wonderful friends in Minnesota. I know that I will always be able to stay in touch through their blogs. Thank heavens!
• Vicki's (my youngest sister) good news. We are so excited!

Finally Another Grateful Sunday Post

I have missed quite a few weeks of my Grateful Sunday blog. It is good to be back.

• I'm grateful for blogs. I have missed it a lot lately.
• I'm grateful Brad is done with working in the ER!!! The past 2 weeks were not as bad as previous ER shifts because he was working 6a - 6p (instead of 7-7-what a difference an hour makes). But it still wasn't fun.
• I'm grateful I have had a busy week. It is good to have things to do.
• I'm grateful that my neighbor, Ann, did the garage sale with me and Brad was home on Saturday to help.
• I'm grateful I was able to attend Relief Society yesterday without Ben. I was able to really listen and be uplifted.
• I'm grateful for all the wonderful people I have meet in Minnesota. There are truly some amazing people here. Thank heavens for blogs so I can stay in touch with most of them.
• I'm grateful that Ben is starting to walk more. He is just too heavy to pack around. He is still unsteady on his feet but he can only get better.
• I'm grateful the Call's were able to come over for dinner last night. They have been such great friends and we will miss them so much when they move on Friday.
• I'm grateful I do not have to pack when we move (the moving company will do it). Otherwise, I think I would be a wreck.
• I'm grateful Emily only has 4 more days of school. I'm ready to have a more relaxing morning.

Grateful Sunday (A Day Late)

I am grateful for...

• The Internet. Ours was down for several days and I felt so isolated. I missed the blogging world (Oh gee-I really need some real human contact).
• Brad. I have been so down and frustrated and worn out lately. He has been really understanding.
• Brad's schedule is back to normal. He was working nights for 2 weeks and as much as I love to see him in the afternoon, I am really happy for normal hours.
• My mom. She let me cry my sorrows away last night with understanding and love.
• Ben. Who can resist a face that is so full of pure love.
• Emily's birthday party went well (I'll post pictures later). I really stressed over having one with the house for sale but it worked out okay even with a showing two hours before the party.
• The hope of summer. It has been so bleak and cold. I long for summer.
• Grateful Sunday posts. It forces me to look for the good.
• Emily and Sam when they play nicely. No explanation needed.

Grateful Sunday

There were many times this week when I really felt like I had nothing to be thankful for: Our house hasn't sold, I'm tired of keeping it spotless, Brad works too much, and on and on (I won't bore you with my pity party). So I guess I'm grateful that I have a chance to reflect on my week and think of the good that has happened.

• This week I'm grateful Emily has a caring, proactive teacher. We had a situation with another boy in her class on the bus. When I emailed Mrs. C. she immediately called to address the situation. The situation was minor but I'm glad that her teacher took the time and effort to address the problem with all the parties to ensure everything was okay. From my experience I know that not all teachers would take the steps that Mrs. C did for us.
• I'm grateful that we had five showings this week. We don't have any offers but at least people are looking. I feel a lot better knowing that at least it is being shown.
• I'm grateful Emily gave a talk in Primary today. She was so excited and practiced hard so she could give her talk without any help (I was forbidden by her to go in the front). She was a little nervous and forgot to show the pictures until the very end but I was pretty proud of her!
• I'm grateful everyone is healthy. Being healthy makes my life so much easier.

Grateful Sunday

Sometimes this weekly list is hard because the same things pop in my head. Maybe my life is too monotonous. Here's a few:

• I'm grateful for spell check. I had trouble with monotonous.
• I'm grateful for thoughtful friends. I have had several people tell me they are praying for our family to sell our house. I was very touched by that.
• A working car. A couple of weeks ago the check engine light flashed on the minivan. It happened on a Saturday when Brad was driving. We drove to the mechanics and asked about it. They were able to fix it on Monday. I absolutely HATE car trouble (one reason we usually buy a new car). This was relatively painless. Brad dropped it off Monday morning. Their shuttle took him to work and picked him up at the end of the day. And it only cost $300 which I was grateful for. Could have been a lot worse.
• Recipes. This sounds silly but I have been so bored with making the same food over and over. I went through my hodge-podge of recipes that I have acquired over the last couple of years. I think I might try something different for a change. (If you have any good ones, pass them on!)

Okay, I'm tapped out for now and Ben is screaming in his bed. He usually goes down so nicely so I'll end with saying I'm grateful when kids go to bed without fussing because it doesn't look that way tonight.

Let's cross our fingers that Emily and Sam are already asleep.

Grateful Sunday

I almost forgot to compose this week's post. Here it goes:

• I'm grateful for TiVo. As Brad and I tried to listen to conference, we kept saying, "Be quiet-we can't hear." I think I will listen to it again later.
• I'm grateful for friends. We had a small dinner to celebrate Ben's birthday. It was fun to spend some time with friends who are like family. I wish we could have invited more.
• I'm grateful for a clean house. It has been really difficult keeping the house as clean as it has been (due to showings) but it is totally worth it. I love living in a clean house.
• I'm grateful for nice weather. On Saturday the temperature was actually 60 DEGREES!!!! The kids played with friends outside for hours! (That really helps keep the house clean!)
• I'm grateful for nice neighbors. We don't have a lot of kids in our cul-de-sac but that means they all play together and usually quite nicely.
• I'm grateful our babysitter was able to come at the last minute on Friday night. Brad and I really needed a night out alone.

Grateful Sunday

• I'm so grateful Brad had the weekend off. He has worked through 8 weekends in a row. One day off in the middle of the week just doesn't cut it. I was seriously about to lose my mind. He'll even get next weekend off!!!!!
• I'm grateful Brad was able to go to church with us. Again, I don't think I could have sat through 3 hours of church with the kids and a very tired baby who really fights taking a nap if I'm holding him. It was nice to get up with Ben when he was fussing and not worry about either taking everyone out with me or leaving Emily and Sam alone.
• I'm grateful for the speakers in church today. They each had a nice message.
• I'm grateful I made tonight's dinner last night. We came home from church and put it in the oven. No mess, no fuss but had a home cooked meal that was delicious!
• I'm grateful for Brad. He always seems to make my grateful Sunday list but seriously he is great. He has done a lot for me this weekend. I won't list it...he knows.
• I'm grateful for the best friend in the world. It was Angela's birthday this week. I can't say enough about how wonderful she is. She means so much to me. I just wish we lived near each other again. I guess phone calls and summer visits will have to do. I'm just glad her extended family lives close enough to mine and we can see each other at least once a year.

Grateful Sunday

Oops. I have missed two Grateful Sundays. I guess I better get on the bandwagon again.

• I'm grateful someone liked our house so much they put an offer on it. It's not quite what we hoped for but gives us encouragement. We'll see what happens.
• I'm grateful my lesson in Relief Society went well. We talked about Elder Dallin H. Oak's talk Good, Better, Best. It went much better than when I had to do a last minute lesson on The Mission of John the Baptist (that lesson went poorly-the worst lesson I have ever done, ever!). This talk is so inspiring to me. It helped me keep things in perspective. Now the hard part is incorporating it into my life consistently.
• I'm grateful Nikole and family invited us over for Easter dinner. Since Brad had to work all weekend, I didn't put too much effort into Easter. It was nice to spend time with others on a holiday. She even let me bring the rolls. I used Rhodes frozen rolls and I didn't even have to mess up my clean kitchen.
• I'm grateful the house is still clean. I love it but it is killing me to keep it this way. It helps to be gone for long amounts of time during the day.
• I'm grateful Brad is a patient, loving husband. I truly have been a bear lately. I'm so stressed.

Grateful Sunday

I'll get right to the bullets:

• I'm grateful for happy children. Enough said.
• I'm grateful for good pizza. I finally had some Saturday night. I have wanted it for a week.
• I'm grateful for good friends. They really bless my life.
• I'm grateful that Ben giggles when he eats something he likes. He is a joy!
• I'm grateful that Ben has been sleeping better at night. Sleep is so wonderful!
• I'm grateful that Brad has been getting up with Ben when he fusses. Ben might be our first child to sleep through the night before he is weened.
• I'm grateful that Brad is on call tonight. Why you ask? He'll be home tomorrow afternoon!!!! I might actually make a real dinner and we can have FHE as a whole family.
• I'm grateful for the library. I would go broke buying all the books we read.
• I'm grateful that we booked our plane tickets for our trip in May to buy a house. I'm even more grateful that we didn't have to pay for them!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Grateful Sunday

There is so much to be grateful for this week. Here are just a few:

• I'm grateful that Brad used his only day off this week to help me with my list of things to do. I spent part of the morning and the evening helping with Emily's school carnival. We also stored TONS of boxes above the garage. I think I have finally decluttered our house to get it ready for the move. My kids have little left to play with which means there is little left to clean up!
• I'm grateful my neighbors kindly let us use their ladder. We have one but it is not tall enough for Brad to safely place heavy boxes over his head into the storage space above the garage. The one we borrowed made the job so much easier and safer. I always worried that Brad would fall off and hurt himself horribly.
• I'm grateful Brad took the kids around the school carnival. I'm the PTSA treasurer and I had to monitor the ticket booths. Even though Brad doesn't enjoy that kind of adventure, he kindly did it. The kids had fun with the games but I think the cotton candy was the best part of the evening. Oh, I wish I could still eat cotton candy!!!!! I had one taste and that just about sent me into sugar overload-but it was worth it. Emily gave some to Ben and, of course, he was wild about it. I saw him reach over and grab her hand so she could give him more. (Third children are raised so differently than the others. There was no way Emily and Sam ever tasted cotton candy or anything quite so sweet at such a young age.)
• I'm grateful for my health. I am currently enduring a bad case of laryngitis. I have absolute no voice. For someone who likes to talk like I do, this is one of the worst things that could happen to me. But I don't have any other symptoms-no stuffy head, no cough, no sore throat, so I consider myself blessed.
• At this moment in time, we are all healthy (except of course my laryngitis). We have had so much sickness this winter, it is nice to not be wiping any one's runny nose.
• I'm grateful for Jessica J. who taught our Relief Society lesson today. I was supposed to teach but without a voice, I had to get a substitute. It was interesting that it was Jessica's husband who chose the General Conference talk that our lesson was based on. She did a wonderful job and Ben actually was pretty good and I was able to listen carefully.
• I'm grateful for books. I love to read and I actually read a few books this week. Each of them was short enough to read in one evening. I indulged myself and put a few other things on hold to spend time with my favorite hobby.

Speaking of my favorite hobbies, I think I will end this post and sneak in an hour of reading before bedtime.

PS I'm grateful for spell check. Mine has not been working but now it does! Yea!

Grateful Sunday

Has it really been a week since my last posting? What a busy week! I have so much to be grateful for:

• The carpet was installed Monday. Once again I'm grateful for our realtor, Lori, who paid for it up front. By the way, I think the carpet company we used were a blessing. Lori just discovered this company a couple of weeks before we needed them. They have one carpet/one color at a very reduced price. It saved us $250 - proportionately that is quite a bit for the job we had done (every dollar counts!).
• I'm grateful that Brad was home Tuesday. Despite being sick he kindly watched the kids so I could paint the basement. It took all day (I guess I should have had the painters do it for me but I was trying to save a little money). It looks really nice; it makes the fireplace stand out.
• I'm grateful, once again, for antibiotics. Ben was really sick last Sunday night. He had a fever and just sat in my lap all evening. I was up every two hours with him both Saturday and Sunday. I took him to the doctor on Monday and sure enough he had an ear infection and "maybe something starting in his chest" (that is what the doctor said). By Wednesday he was back to his usual plundering self.
• I'm grateful Sarah P. called Monday to invite my kids over to play. Emily and Sam were able to play with Tessa and Abel while I took Ben to the doctor. It was so much easier than bringing all three with me. Thanks Sarah!
• Brad's schedule has been really busy but we are doing well. I am actually surprised at how well we are doing. I have had the patience I need to survive even with a sick baby during the early part of the week. Emily and Sam are cooperating and I am getting a lot done in the house. One week down - six to go!
• This afternoon, just before church started, I was overcome with the feeling that I was in the right place and doing what I need to be doing. I really needed that confirmation from the Spirit. I was tempted to stay home from church and put Ben down for a nap and get some stuff done. But I felt I should go to church. Despite the snow falling, a tired baby, and the hassle of getting four people ready for church, we went and even made it on time. I didn't get much out of it in regards to listening and learning (Ben was really tired and didn't fall asleep until it was time to go home) but that special feeling I had was worth it
• I'm grateful for the long phone conversation I had with my mom tonight. Her uncle died last week and she was telling me about the funeral. She told me some interesting stories about her aunts' lives. It was surprising to hear that Aunt LaVern married and divorced the same man 4 times (and 4 times too many from what it sounds like). Aunt Dora was a character. She married twice and ended up with a one armed man named Charlie. There are some fascinating stories to be told.
• I'm grateful for the country we live in. Mom's Uncle Paul served in WWII so he had a military burial (I'm not sure what you call it but the military was present at the gravesite). She told me how inspired she was by the dedication of the men who were there honoring her uncle.
• So many things to be grateful for. I love Grateful Sunday posts. I could go on and on!!

Grateful Sunday

This week was a blur. I feel like I just existed and tried to get through each day. Since the painters were here Monday through Friday, I felt like I was off balance. I wasn't comfortable at home because I was trying to stay out of the painters way and I got tired of going somewhere every day (I'm a homebody). But I have much to be grateful for:

• I'm grateful someone else painted the house (I know I have mentioned it before but I REALLY did not want to paint!)
• I'm grateful the bathroom didn't end up costing more because he had included it in the original estimate but didn't realize it until he was figuring out the final bill.
• I'm grateful that the hospital wasn't too busy and Brad got home at 5:00 pm on Saturday (instead of 7:00 or later).
• I'm grateful my kids were very good during Sacrament meeting. It has been awhile since I have had to do church all by myself (okay, I bribed them with candy before church but it worked ;-)
• Ben slept through Relief Society today and I was able to listen to the lesson and feel the Spirit. As I read/listened about how the Book of Mormon came to be I thought to myself about how crazy it sounds-angels, gold plates, etc. But I have a testimony of its truthfulness that despite what others might think, I know it is true!
• I'm grateful that Emily is finally excited about reading! She has had the skills for so long but has been afraid to use them (she is a perfectionist and doesn't want to do anything wrong). She is now eager to read new books and tries to sound out words she doesn't know. Her reading is very fluid, and she is sounding out harder words with confidence and skill. It is so wonderful to see her open up a new interest with such eagerness. We have a reading chart where she puts up a sticker for every book she reads (or about 15 - 20 pages). I think she has read over 15 books this week. She told me we are running out of books she can read. Brad laughed and told her I have been buying books for years just waiting for my children to read them.
• I had Emily's parent/teacher conference this week and I just love her teacher. Mrs. C is an answer to our prayers. I prayed that Emily would have a kind, loving, supportive, knowledgeable teacher. Mrs. C. is wonderful. She recognizes and teaches to the various levels in her classroom (as a former special ed teacher, I just love it when teachers are so proficient at incorporating all different learning styles). She understands Emily and does so much for her both academically and emotionally. We are really blessed to have her as Emily's teacher.

Grateful Sunday

It has been a busy Sunday but I'm going to take a few minutes to write down my thoughts for this Sunday's post before I go to bed.

• I'm grateful that the painters are coming tomorrow to start painting my upstairs. The thought of trying to do all the painting myself, with three kids under foot, just about put me in the crazy house.
• I'm grateful that my realtor, Lori, came over on Saturday to pick the paint colors (again preventing another visit to the crazy house-picking colors is very stressful for me because I'm so bad at it).
• I'm grateful that my wonderful realtor, Lori, is willing to pay the painters and the carpet people. We will pay her back when we close. It is a blessing for us not to spend our cash for these projects.
• I'm grateful for safety and the guidance of the Spirit. We had a really close call Saturday morning. A car ran a red light and just about hit us. It was speeding, and if Brad hadn't of stopped when I SCREAMED we probably would be dead (or at least me because I would have been the first one hit).
• I'm grateful Brad had the weekend off. He won't have another one until April. We were able to go out on Saturday night and enjoy a new restaurant and stroll around the mall.
• I'm grateful for Jen G. who we ran into during our stroll around the mall and told me about The Children's Place sale. I purchased 4 new shirts for Emily for $10.00. She is growing out of her long sleeved shirts. I don't think they will last through the cold weather and all the stores are starting to stock Spring stuff (do they realize it is zero degrees outside?).
• I'm grateful for a new Sunday School teacher. I really liked his teaching style and I left feeling like I learned something and felt the spirit during his lesson.
• I'm grateful for Brad. He is just wonderful, helpful, fun, and everything a husband and dad should be. He's my best friend and I treasure all the time we spend together.
• I'm grateful Ben is sleeping better at night.

Speaking of Ben, I hear him crying so I need to end this post.

My New Goal

I've set a goal and maybe by posting it on my blog it will make me commit to following through.

Today I taught our Relief Society lesson on President Henry B. Eyring's conference talk O Remember, Remember. In this talk he challenges us to record our experiences so that we can "recognize and remember God's kindness." President Eyring wrote in a journal "a few lines every day for years." He said "I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family" and so that his "children could have the memory someday when they would need it."

One purpose of my blog was to create a scrapbook/journal of my daily life. I have never been a consistent journal writer and I love to scrapbook but don't have the time anymore. Blogging filled both of those gaps. I have missed blogging over the past month. I miss writing down the thoughts I have had or record what our latest adventures, mishaps, and experiences have been. But now I want to spend more time recording how I have been blessed by God and recognize his hand in my life. In my lesson today I said I would start this new goal by following in the footsteps of Natalie and Leslie and make an effort to post a Grateful Sunday entry every week.

So here is my first consistent Grateful Sunday entry (I say consistent because that means there should be one every week).

• I'm grateful for modern medication especially antibiotics, Tylenol, Advil, and Sudafed. It seems like we have been sick frequently this winter. What would I do without a little help to make the body aches, strep throat, nasal congestion and headaches go away! I'm currently experiencing nasal congestion (again!) and I probably would not have made it to church today without taking some Sudafed and Advil before church to help ease my yucky symptoms.
• I'm grateful for a loving husband. Brad is so helpful. I was able to sleep in and take a nap today AND yesterday. I'm so spoiled!
• I'm grateful Heavenly Father sent me Ben. I am amazed at how much I LOVE this fat, happy baby. Ben is just what I needed for a third baby. He giggles and laughs at everything. He brings such joy into our lives.
• I'm grateful for Emily. This morning as I was finishing my lesson downstairs, I heard Emily helping Sam get ready for church. She was helping him put his shirt on and get buttoned. She is an amazing girl and the best big sister ever!
• I'm grateful for Sam. A few months ago Sam was a challenge. He was so slow at everything and it took him forever to do anything (not because he couldn't do it, but that he was distracted by everything). Now he is almost always the first to jump up and get ready to go when asked. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father gave me the patience to help this little boy get his act together.
• I'm grateful for my calling as Relief Society Instructor. I love this calling. I love that it makes me study the inspired messages given during conference. I just love it!
• I'm grateful for blogs. I love staying in touch with my Texas friends and I hope my Minnesota friends can stay in touch with me after I move.
• I'm grateful for my house. I love the house we bought when we moved to Minnesota. It was our first "house." We probably won't make any money on the sale of this house but it was worth it because I loved living in it.

Okay, just as President Eyring promised in his talk once I got thinking about God's hand in my life, the evidence of what God has done for me has begun to flow and I could go on and on. But I'll stop here because I have a cute picture of Ben to post.

Grateful Sunday

Following the format of so many of my friends' blogs, here is my first Grateful Sunday blog:

• I'm grateful it is not raining like it has been the last few weekends (see picture above). In fact, this has been one of the most beautiful days this summer. Low humidity, temperatures in the 70's and I even saw RED leaves (Fall is just around the corner).
• I'm grateful that I don't have flooding in my basement like so many in Southeast Minnesota due to the incredible amounts of rain we had last weekend.
• I'm grateful for tomatoes. We bought some yesterday at a produce stand (picked that morning) and they are wonderful!!! There is nothing like a tomato picked fresh off the vine. The only thing better is growing them yourself but I have yet to try that.
• I'm grateful that Ben slept through Junior singing time and played nicely on the floor during Senior singing time. (I'm the Primary Chorister-that is another blog of the future.)
• I'm grateful for 30 minute naps. I fell asleep on the couch just after I put Ben down for a nap. Emily and Sam played nicely while I slept although I awoke to them eating Cheetos on the kitchen floor.
• I'm grateful that Brad had yesterday off. It was his first whole Saturday off for a month (since he was working nights his day off was more of a night off). He installed our new blinds in our bedroom. No more lace covered, mauve blinds that have been there since we bought the house. Yeah!!!!!!!!