"Then I take a nap ..."

Scenes From Thanksgiving 2008:

Chaos In The Kitchen

"Oooh, there's Daddy with the camera! Pick me up, Daddy!"

"Pick me upppppp!"

"OK, crying didn't work ... on to Plan B. "

"Hi Daddy!"
"Never mind. Nana'll do it."

Thankful.

"Thankful for the moment ..."

It's been a little crazy. Trust me.

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Just in time for Thanksgiving, I'm here with a list of some of the things for which I am thankful. My list is totally random and is subject to change at any moment.

Wanna hear it? Here it goes:

~ Family ... that one goes without saying.

~ My health ... so dear these days, now that I'm a Grandma. And considering the sounds of the coughing from downstairs (Jimmy has pneumonia and an almost-eardrum-rupturing ear infection), I am noting each hour that I feel great.

~ Gasoline that costs $1.69 a gallon at Costco.

~ Precious Squish, who means more to me with each passing day.

~ Wine. Most especially Pinot Grigio. Or whatever's in the box in the refrigerator.

~ Our home. For all my complaining and wanting it all to be new and pretty, I'm aware that I am safe and warm and dry every night of my life. Quite comfortable, even! (But really ... the stove and the kitchen floor have got to go.)

~ The beach. Haven't laid eyes on one since late July, but I know they're still there, waiting for me.
~ My crazy plan to "take a little class at Greenville Tech" is finally coming to an end tonight!
~ Chocolate.

~ Friendly friends, even though it's been too long since I've seen a single one of those beetches.

~ A new (upscale! LahDeDah) Wal-mart, almost next door. Yay, traffic!

~ A space heater that blasts the Heat of Hell right here next to my feet as I waste time on the Internet every day.
~ Speaking of the Internet, thank you, Al Gore. I'll be doing a lot of my Christmas shopping right here with my space heater.

~ Music. What would life be without a soundtrack? (And really, you haven't heard good music until you've heard the Squishy one sing "up above the world so high".)

~ I'm REALLY thankful that I can finally replace my aggravating "Chocolate" cell phone in February.

~ My bed. Seriously, I love it. And I'm thankful for the 600-thread count 100% cotton sheets, and the down comforter, too.
~ Did I mention my family? My kids, my husband, my granddaughter, my sisters, my mother, my in-laws, my nieces, and my nephews ... they are everything to me.

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Are you still out there? Let me know by leaving a comment, telling me what you're most thankful for this week!

"What a difference a day makes ..."

On this day, last year, change came to our family ...

This is what change looks like now ...

(Pardon the blurriness of the last picture. She won't stay still long enough to get a clear shot.)

Her gift to me this week has been the presence of her company for 3 days instead of our usual one afternoon. Too sick to do daycare, she came and enjoyed Nana's rocking chair for a couple of days. And yesterday, I got to go along as she had her "One Year" portraits taken, and then had the rest of the day to watch her run around here.

I've started calling her our "Demolition Derby Girl" because ... well, because that's how she rolls. No fear.

Change may have come to America this week, but change came to my house on November 7, 2007.

Happy Birthday, My Squish. I love you!