Thankful Thursday | I come by this honestly
This week, I'm thankful:
for potholders from my aunt
My aunt has been busy using up fabric scraps by making potholders, and she's sent some along with Lisey the last few times she's come home to visit.
My aunt told Lisey she's making these because she can't bear to throw fabric away, and she's also using up 100 spools of thread that my grandma left when she died.
So I was again reminded that I seem to come by this waste-averse, frugal attitude quite honestly. 😉
for an appointment opening for Sonia
She's getting an evaluation for the hand/wrist pain she gets when she draws and knits. I called yesterday and happily, they had a cancellation for tomorrow!
I'm happy we didn't have to wait long for two reasons: 1) Sonia can get help sooner and 2) between now and the end of the year, we have no copay for any in-network appointments.
So, yay for prompt, free help!
for a lot of days in the 60s this week
Fall and spring days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s are just the best, in my opinion. I could go for that kind of weather year-round.
that I live with one other cool-weather fan
Mr. FG and Sonia are solidly in the warm-weather camp (Lisey too!), but Zoe and I both enjoy cooler days. So I do have at least one person who can appreciate the fall days with me.
My dad also appreciates cool, sunny, low-humidity days, so he and I often text each other to exult about the weather whenever we get a particularly glorious day. 🙂
that I understand this A&P module pretty well
I am feeling really good about the upcoming Monday exam; I think I have a really good grasp of how nerve signals to muscles work, aaaaand this exam is all multiple choice!
(The last two were fill-in-the-blank muscle and bone ID. Definitely harder than multiple choice.)
After this exam, we only have two more regular exams, plus the final. I hear the last two modules are doozies (lots of nerve stuff to learn), but hey, at least we are in the home stretch.
that I was pregnant in the modern era
Writing yesterday's post about hyperemesis reminded me how thankful I am that I was not having babies hundreds of years ago. Without Zofran, IVs, or birth control, I probably would have eventually passed away from malnutrition and dehydration.
My pregnancies still were not pleasant experiences, but at least I lived to tell about them.
And thanks to the meds I took, I was able to mostly stay out of the hospital until it was time for delivery. That's a serious mercy!
that I had easy deliveries
My longest labor (#1) was 8 hours and my shortest (#4) was about 2 hours, start to finish and I had no c-sections.
The incubation stage of pregnancy was not kind to me, but at least I did get off easy* on the delivery end!
*ok, relatively speaking. No one who has given birth categorizes that as truly easy. Ha.
for a full November calendar
Last year at this time, the virus metrics had started a steep upward climb. So, we had a pretty dull month, with not much going on.
But this year, our metrics have been on a long downward trend instead of an upward one, so my November calendar has quite a bit of stuff on it. Yay!
that Sonia can drive herself to some appointments
Obviously, there are some that I still have to be there for, since she's a minor. But ongoing appointments, such as her allergy shots? I can send her there by herself now!
for bright, sunny mornings
I appreciate how much more the morning feels like morning since the time change.
that it is only 5.5 weeks until the shortest day of the year
I do not love how quickly it gets dark in the afternoon right now (why yes, that is an unthankful Thursday thought!), so I am reminding myself that the days will only be getting shorter for another 5+ weeks.
After that, they'll start getting longer again!
We are practically almost there. 😉
for lamps and twinkle lights
They help a lot when the sun goes down so early.
I am thankful for the delivery of my newest grandchild. It was long and arduous and ended in an emergency forceps delivery. I truly felt for my girl and the baby as that's how my first delivery ended. I was so grateful for the next two which ended in c sections.
I am so happy that your aunt has made you some pot holders. I need to be that industrious or else I will be leaving my daughters way too much stuff.
Yay for a prompt appointment. I hope that there is a simple resolution to this problem.
We are under a rain event. After years of drought we need several good years of rain to fill the aquifers etc. I have enjoyed the cooler weather that comes with the rain.
Your post about the equinox filled my heart with gladness. The sun rises about 4:50 am and I can't wake for it to be a little later.
@Suzan, Congratulations on your family's new addition! I hope you get to see and hold that baby soon.
Oh wow! I do like a sunny morning, but 4:50 am is TOOOO early.
Congratulations! I'm sorry for the long and arduous delivery, but as long as the baby is healthy and safe, in the end that's all what matters.
With my first, he was huge. I pushed for five hours and then I was just too tired. I said, "I'm not doing this any more." The doc said, "Then how about a C-section?" I said, "I'm not pushing for five hours and getting a C-section scar, thanks mucho." So they used the vacuum thingy to pull out my 11 pound, four ounce baby. I usually tell people he was born via Shop-Vac.
@Suzan, congratulations on the new addition to your family. The birth sounds very similar to the arrival of my little girl last month, via forceps after 30hrs. It was tough but I keep reminding myself that we are so lucky to have her healthy and happy, and lucky that I suffered very little during my pregnancy.
@Rose, I love it. I even read this out loud to my tool loving husband.
Thankful for a day off and a delightful lunch date with hubs!
Thankful for the most gorgeous Autumn, clear skies, warm afternoons, muted rust colors, fresh air--joy!
Thankful for filling my calendar with doc appointments before my FSA runs out of $!
Thankful for my students, they are working, learning, growing, appreciating being in school and excited to be in my class!
Thankful for the simple pleasures of the upcoming holiday season, I've long since let go of a consumer-centered holiday season, this has meant the world to our family.
Coffee!!!
After yesterday's post, the first thing that comes to mind is thankfulness of becoming a mother without too much need of medical intervention. I gave birth in hospital on medical grounds but did not suffer throughout pregnancy.
I am also deeply thankful that I live in this day and age, because one of our children is transgender. To see them live and thrive after years of depression and wretchedness is a blessing I could never have conceived of or anticipated when I gave birth. In all honesty I have to add that I am very grateful that the choice for hormone treatment/surgery was never ours to make - our son was of age and made the choice, after much deliberation and years of counseling.
I understand that this is a topic that may be far from the experience and beliefs of some of your readers. I am plucking up courage to bring this forward as I know your readers to be kind and thoughtful in their responses.
I deeply feel that in life there is far more that I do not know and understand, than that I do. So I trust, and am thankful.
I just wanted to tell you that I know that had to be very hard to share, so big hugs to you.
I too am grateful that even though my pregnancies were hard, I did not have any serious challenges getting pregnant. Everything worked great; I just was not feeling too well!
@Nona, I admit that I do worry about what seems to be an epidemic of transgenderism. (Is that a word?) I know ten young people personally who have changed gender, and I wonder why so many? What is going on?
That said, I do not judge anyone's personal journey, and I am glad your son is thriving and happy. It's so hard to see your child struggle.
@Nona, bless you girl. I'm sure you have been through a lot.
@Rose, just as it seemed that "more people" were coming out as gay once it became socially acceptable to do so, more people are being able to honor their true selves now that there is much more understanding of gender and sexuality. It's not that gay people or transgender people didn't exist before there was so much discussion about it, they just weren't as open to showing it in public for one reason or another. It could be that they feared the stigma. It could be something like that a transgender person knew something wasn't right with how their body was versus how they knew they were inside, but without the larger conversation in society, they would not have been able to name it.
@Nona, your son has a wonderful mother.
@Nona,
Thank you for sharing this. I can appreciate it was difficult. I felt the same way the first time I mentioned my wife in a comment here. It’s hard to reach across the perceived chasm between different groups in society, but doing so in a safe place, as Kristen’s blog has always seemed to be, is an important step in building bridges over those chasms. In today’s polarized world it’s more important than ever. You’re a brave mama!
Sorry, hit submit too soon!
Thank you for sharing, that is wonderful for your son and makes me happy to know that he’s doing so well now.
@Nona, I have a number of friends with transgender children and am also very thankful that those kids and young adults have more opportunity to live and thrive than in the past. I have also found it fascinating to learn about how the biology involved in both sex assignment at birth and in gender identification is a lot more complicated than I realized. For most people, it's all very simple, but for others, it is anything but.
For any FG readers interested in a fictional but really insightful look into raising a transgender child, I highly recommend a book called This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel. I received this book in a book exchange last year, and I admit I wasn't very excited to start it, because I fully expected it to be one of those books that I felt I should read and would be good for me but that I wouldn't particularly enjoy. I was so wrong! It's a REALLY good story and not didactic or dull at all. I recommended it to my sister, who I don't think had any particular interest in the topic, and she also loved the book.
@Nona, thank you for sharing the tenderhearted story of your son and entrusting it to us. He's a lucky man to have you as his mama. I'm in your corner.
@Elizabeth,
I do not have any transgender people in my life, but I totally loved that book - a great read!
Dear everyone, I felt some trepidation posting my comment today and I am moved (to tears, frankly) by your warm replies. To me this blog does indeed feel like a safe place, which is thanks to great example set, and followed, for introspection and compassion. Big hugs to you all in return!
@Nona, thank you for sharing about your son. I'm glad he was able to make the decisions that were right for him in terms of his gender identification (I hope I worded that correctly - I'm still learning, too!). I have a niece who is now in her mid-30s - she revealed to her mom (my sister) about 10 years ago that she had always felt like "she was in the wrong body". She had known this since she was about 6 years old. My entire family has been supportive of whatever decision she makes in terms of her gender; for now, she has not chosen to pursue surgery, hormone treatment, etc. We all love her because she is a warm, kind, generous, and hilariously funny person, and this will continue no matter what.
@Emily U., thanks for saying almost everything I was about to say, and saying it so well. I'd add only that the medical options available now to transgender folks did not exist until fairly recently.
@Nona, So many other readers have said what I was thinking, but more elegantly. You've been a good parent and I, too, am deeply thankful for the change in attitudes. Hell, just having ~terms~ for things that feel wrong make it easier to approach those things - transgender, gaslighting, mansplaining; I hope the terms and the acceptance continue to proliferate.
@Nona, Your son is so lucky to be born to parents who love and accept him, hopefully society will mind its own business.
@Nona, It is wonderful to see a supportive parent, when so many kids don't have that blessing.
@Nona, your child is so lucky to have you as a parent.
@Nona, I am prompted to comment here for the first time because I find so much that touches me (to be grateful for I guess!) I am so happy for your son who was able to make this choice and thrive; that you are so supportive of him; that you had the courage to speak about this here; and that everyone replying to you has been so lovely. I also have a transgender child and it is not always easy to talk about with people you don’t know well. Thank you and thank you Kristen for generating such an atmosphere of kindness.
@Nona, I am humbled by your brave and honest post -- your son has a wonderful mom. I am so glad he has found his way and that he was born to you. My thankful Thursday is that I got to read this and be reminded to open open open up my heart.
"I deeply feel that in life there is far more that I do not know and understand, than that I do. So I trust, and am thankful." Says it all. Thank you!
@Nona, you’re a good mama. Thank you for sharing your story, for opening up about something vulnerable. I’m thankful for people like you in this world, who are loving their children unconditionally and not for who they want them to be. It makes my heart happy to see kindness and goodness in this world and I’m sure your son is grateful to have you as his mom.
@Elizabeth, I LOVED that book when I read it last year. The parents are just the kind of parents I want to be - loving, fun, open-minded, deeply thoughtful and trying to do the right things for their kids - and yet, still, many of their decisions are very difficult. It depicts a beautiful, imperfect, wonderful, and hard family life. Highly recommend!
If I may suggest another great book on the subject : Love lives here.
@Elizabeth, Excellent book suggestion. I loved it and have highest regards for the author for sharing her experiences.
I’m in the cool days camp with you Kristen. That weather is perfect to me.
1. I’m thankful to be writing this from home. This job is the only one I have had that gives me Veterans’ Day off, which they just started doing last year.
2. I’m thankful for veterans! My husband, dad, five uncles, brother-in-law, cousin and nephew are/were vets. I’m especially thankful for my dad’s bravery in the often unknown and unsung emergency rescue squadron, which risked everything to land slower amphibious planes on Pacific waters to rescue downed pilots in aerial battles. He had a box full of war medals, as many of those brave ERS men did.
3. I’m thankful for flannel sheets on a cool morning, although that can make it hard to get out of bed!
4. I’m thankful for my new pineapple sage plants that haven’t looked back since I planted them.
5. I’m thankful my daughter and her ex were able to agree on a price range for a used car for my granddaughter and then that they were able to find one. The hunt seemed futile for a long time.
@JD, I'm with you on being thankful for veterans. And your dad's service in WWII sounds amazing. No surprise that you cherish those medals!
@JD, As the granddaughter of a WWII pilot (in the European theater, though, not the Pacific), I will join you in being grateful for your dad's service.
@JD, I also join in the thanks for veterans and their service, (father infantry, WWII Europe, among other family members. Dad stayed in the army reserve for a couple decades after his army service).
And thanks for those who held down the home front.
And thanks to those who coordinate Honor Flights. As my father got older, it became much more common for people to acknowledge veterans' service, and this affirmed how he became so much of who he was when he was barely twenty years old. The Honor Flight to Washington DC was very moving to him.
When we were preparing to sell my parents' home recently, we found their original mortgage documents from 1955: about three-fourths from the bank, and the rest a VA loan. We hadn't know that.
@Heidi Louise,
The last time I flew the flight was full of veterans on an Honor Flight returning from Washington DC. So wonderful to see them being honored!
Has Sonia tried compression gloves? Speaking as someone who has spent a lifetime trashing my hands with creative pursuits (painting, sculpting, print-making, etc.), compression gloves have been an absolute life saver. At their worst, my hands would swell so badly at night that they'd wake me up if I didn't remember to take my rings off at bedtime; my hands would also be next to useless the next day. Compression gloves keep them from swelling (I wear mine at night) and consequently, I have hands again!!! Dr. Arthritis (seriously, that is the brand name 😛 ) was the compression glove recommended by a fellow artist, and they've been AMAZING. I've been a devotee for two years now, and the gloves seriously make a difference in whether or not I have fine motor-skills. I can paint for 4-6 hours, wear my gloves that night, and then do the same the next day, vs. 4-6 hours painting and having useless hands for several days.
I find I need to replace the gloves ~3 months, after which they lose their tension, but that's a small price to pay for functional hands. They are ~$15 per pair on Amazon, and each set comes with a $5 rebate card--the company PayPals you the money, so it's very fast. The listing has directions and a size chart, so Sonia can measure her palm to find the best fit.*
*I'd recommend always getting the gray or black gloves. I bought pink the first time just so they'd stick out better in the laundry, but they always looked dirty!
Bonus recommendation: Ted's Pain Cream. Think of it as Icy Hot's less stinky cousin. 🙂 Ted's + the gloves = my hands, basically!
She does have a pair, but she'd mostly tried wearing them during an activity, not at night. I will have to suggest the night-wear to her!
@N, Thanks for the info! A good friend has been thinking about getting 5em for her arthritic hands. She’s an artist as well and gets depressed regarding her fine motor issues. I just texted her most of your post:)
@Sandra, Compression gloves can be useful but I would like to put in a plug for first getting a good assessment from a therapist who is skilled in treating upper extremity issues. Sometimes it will be an occupational therapist, sometimes a physical therapist. I would ask first before scheduling an appointment, since therapists tend to specialize. You will have more luck finding someone in an urban area. There could be multiple reasons for what is going on and they should be able to steer you in the right direction. And if you have had a bad experience in the past, please don't give up. Try a different practitioner. Just as all doctors aren't wonderful, either are all therapists.
Yep, an OT is the person we are seeing tomorrow to help Sonia!
@Sandra, I so hope the info helps your friend! I know that “My hands won’t obey my brain” depression too well. I also second Sandra’s recommendation of seeing a therapist, as there’s so much besides surgery that one can do. In my case, my hands aren’t quite bad enough to warrant carpal tunnel surgery—nor do I want them to be!—and the gloves help mirage 90% of the worst of it. I also make a point of taking 15 minute breaks every 60-90 minutes to stretch my whole body, including my hands, and I’ve learned that six hours is as far as I can push my hands in a day. Your friend’s hands will have their own needs, and I sincerely hope she’s able to find relief.
As for Thankful Thursday, this week's is short and impactful: A huge cosmic THANK YOU to whomever found my wallet (it fell out of my pocket in a parking lot) and turned it in to the customer service desk at the nearby grocery store! Everything was there, everything is all right. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh my, what a relief!
@N, I had about a 30-second panic attack in the checkout line at Wegmans last week when I couldn't find my wallet. I was having a bad day to begin with and had that 30 seconds to think about how much worse it was going to get if I couldn't find that wallet. I hear you.
A new store has opened in the village only ten miles from us! It's a kind of convenience store, I guess, though they do stock some onions, bananas, and so on. Probably less stocked than the average convenience store in a city, but VERY EXCITING here, 100 miles from anywhere. This is the same village where the micro-grocery closed about a year ago, and that was a very sad day for me. So I am extra grateful to have another place where I can (usually) find milk and cheese without driving for hours.
There was a positive COVID test result in our high school, which means the whole school is now on Zoom next week. But, since the kids didn't bring their laptops home with them yesterday--because the school didn't get the test results until after school hours--the remote classes don't start until Monday. That means my sons have today off.
I was supposed to substitute for the 2/3 grade teacher today, which means that I have the day off too. 🙂
Our Thanksgiving break starts after next week, so it's only four days I have to deal with my sons on Zoom (they are not fans). (Also the week after Thanksgiving, which the school had already planned as a preventative measure, but I won't think about that now.)
That my husband and I both have very flexible work schedules, which means things like me working an extra day or unexpected online schooling aren't a big deal for us. Thinking back to previous jobs we had, with no time off or flexible hours, I can't imagine how we would have handled this then.
For the very generous holiday breaks our school district has. With the three-day weekends we always have, it ends up being 10 days for Thanksgiving and 17 days for Christmas. Given the difficulty I have getting my sons to school most days, it's always a relief when I don't have to get them up and on the bus.
Important question: Does this new store have lettuce??
@Kristen, Ha, no. It's not THAT convenient. 🙂 Lettuce only comes from stores that are within a somewhat reasonable distance from the shipping routes--meaning interstate highways--and the farther a store is from those, the more limited and sad the lettuce selection is. So the store closest to us that has lettuce is 60 miles from us, about thirty miles from an interstate, and only has the hardiest of lettuces, i.e., iceberg and romaine. And those are not always in good shape. The store that is 90 miles from us is more likely to have better and more kinds of lettuce (though still not the selection and quality you would see in an average grocery store in a big metro, especially lately).
The same is true of other highly perishable produce, like raspberries or mushrooms. Which is why I never take them for granted when I can get them.
Thankful for my friend, Janet. She's in the middle of certification to be a hospital chaplain and was able to be with another church member who had to be admitted to the hospital yesterday after a fall. Since none of us can visit friends in the hospital right now, it's good to have someone on the inside and who we know is such a kind and loving person.
Thankful for a decent night's sleep last night. I'm not sure why I've been having trouble sleeping lately, which makes it kind of hard to fix the problem. My last dream before I woke up was even mostly pleasant and involved eating chocolate pudding with a silver spoon. I was polishing some silver yesterday, so now all I need is some pudding to make my dream come true!
Thankful for my husband. There's not enough room here to list all the reasons, but for one, he volunteered to start playing handbells in the handbell choir I now lead. Has he ever played them before? No. Can he read music well? No. Did he know I needed more ringers? Yes, so he stepped up and started something new at 49, completely willing to be bad at something at first in order to help me.
Aww, I love that your husband is going to play handbells with you! I used to direct a handbell choir back when I was a teenager; it's a fun way to make music.
That my father, who had delayed getting vaccinated by recommendation of his doctor, got vaccinated and only had minor side effects to the second shot. He's usually one who gets a lot of pain and sickness after getting vaxxed so it was nice that he just had some aches and pains and not the two day long bedridden fever that I had.
I'm also thankful that my daughter is scheduled for her first shot next week. I'm not happy about it but I've accepted it. I honestly can't stop worrying about her but I've accepted it's necessary.
That I was working from home and later on vacation when someone at work came in sick (they didn't know they were sick at the time.) Even though I'm vaxxed and should be okay it's just nice to not have to deal with that.
That I don't have to be involved in the super annoying time change systems at work any more.
Oh, I'm so glad your dad had an easy time of it. Yay! Lisey almost always gets terrible side effects from any sort of medicine or treatment, so we thought she'd have a rough time after the vaccination. But nope, she felt better than I did.
@Kristen, I'm really dreading the prospect of a booster shot because they said it's similar to shot #2. I just don't want to go through that again.
@Battra92, I know everyone reacts differently and I had heard the booster shot was similar to #2 shot but for me the booster was the easiest.
@Battra92, my booster shot was a non-event. I hope yours is too
1. For being able to sleep in today after a bad headache had me awake for part of the night. Thankful the kids have the day off school so I was able to wake later than usual.
2. For our veterans, for their service and their sacrifice.
3. That the holidays look to be much different than last year. Looking forward to gathering with family again.
4. That my 10-year old was able to get his first Covid vaccine this week and has done fine with it. Also that he was brave about it and encouraged his friends to get theirs, too.
5. For a fun weekend planned.
1. For the enormous whale I saw leaping out of the ocean repeatedly on Sunday morning, with huge splashes. I saw this from my easy chair. I am so lucky.
2. The eight-point buck who came along drinking out of a puddle on my front lawn soon after.
3. The disadvantages of living here are far outweighed by the advantages.
4. My new laptop is soooo much faster than my old one. Since I work all day on a laptop, mostly, this makes my day much easier.
5. I'm stunned by my daughter's artistic talent--her latest creation blew me away.
I feel the same way about my kids' artwork...like, how did my offspring turn out to be so good at art?? I'm at the stick-figure level of drawing.
two things:
My mother often says "comes by it honestly" for family traits so I loved your headline.
My daughter comes by it honestly, too. My father was a fabulously talented artist, and even went to specialty design school in NYC for high school. But he came from a poor family who scoffed at art as a career, so he eventually became an NYPD officer. But he continued to draw and paint, especially after he retired. He painted signs for me for my house, Christmas and birthday cards, and so on. I absolutely treasure them now he's gone.
I too was very talented in art. I wanted to go to art school, but [insert rant about not being able to make a living / poor family] so I went to an Ivy League school instead of art school.
When my daughter wanted to go to art school, I said [but you're so talented in computer programming! You can make a ton of money doing that! Art doesn't pay! <-- maybe it's genetic] but I do pay for her art school, ha! That's one of the reasons I was excited for Lisey to go to airplane mechanics' school. My poor-folks genetic insecurity. She'll make good money doing that!
Ahhh, so you are not feeling confused about how your daughter is so good at art. 🙂
It is true that it is so hard to make money as an artist unless you are willing to teach art in addition to making art. And this is true for many types of artistic pursuits, including music!
A cousin of ours has a textile conservation studio in NYC, and my daughter is very interested in textile conservation. She says it appeals to her artistic side and her science-nerd side. So she could do that as a day job, too. She'll be OK.
I’m thankful for new friends. I’m not the most outgoing person and I’m busy with kids a lot of the time. I’ve become part of a new little group though, of other moms who have 2 kids about the same age as my 2 kids and we all really seem to click. We started the group meeting up outdoors, with no kids (so a playgroup for moms but not kids, haha) but have started getting our kids together a little more and doing more things, celebrating birthdays etc.
I’m thankful that the daylight savings transition was not bad at all for my kids. I’d started adjusting their wake up light 5 minutes as a time the week before and it really worked, they are already back to their normal wake up time (so I haven’t lost out on my morning alone time to enjoy my coffee in peace!)
TT, From the Sublime to the Faintly Ridiculous Edition:
First, the sublime: My French teacher from high school--the ONLY teacher in my final year of high school whose class was worth going to--has just emailed me to say that he's still enjoying a small booklet of my poems that I gave him 50 years ago. I am absolutely over the moon!!!
And, second, the faintly ridiculous: This is the time of year when I never have to buy squash, because they start appearing on curbs after Halloween--and not just huge jack-o-lanterns, but ones that are better for eating. I just rescued two bright orange and green acorn-type squash this morning and may go back there for more later. 🙂
I am thankful for a safe drive across the state yesterday that included one harrowing section of snow-packed mountain pass.
I'm even more thankful for the GORGEOUS scenery along the way! We got to see four 14ers, prairie lands, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Today we can take our time, so we'll stop for pics along the way.
I'm truly thankful for being my own boss so that I can take off mid-week for things. I'll catch up on work this weekend.
I'm thankful for our pet sitter who lives close by. She loves our kitties and we feel confident knowing she'll check on them daily when we're gone.
I'm thankful for a super sunny day for our drive back!
Those potholders are so beautiful, I don't think I could bring myself to use them. I would want to display them instead.
Aww, I love that your poems are still bringing your teacher joy.
And of COURSE I love that you are rescuing all manner of squashes. Do you preserve the squash, like in the freezer? Or do you eat it all right away?
@Kristen, re: the squash: I eat some, give some to Dr. Bestest Neighbor (who makes an excellent squash and carrot soup), and freeze the rest. Just call me the Squash Liberation Front.
Thankful for a cozy house with a good heater and a wood burning fireplace, as the weather turns colder in Minnesota.
Thankful to be starting a new job next week that will be interesting, fun people to work with, and doing work that I love.
Thankful for the beauty as the seasons change. Most of the leaves are off the trees, the sky is grey and it's rainy today. And, the brilliantly colored leaves that are still on the trees and in piles on the ground are beautiful.
Thankful for my new Lands end coat (50% off) that is warm, lightweight and water resistant. Perfect for walking the dog on these colder, wet mornings.
Thankful for my husband, who always believes in me, no matter what.
A week from tomorrow, 19th, is World Toilet Day, a United Nations observance. (My sister's church is collecting hygiene-related donations. I had never heard of this until I looked it up).
I am so, so thankful I am not in the billions of people in the world for whom sanitation and clean water are problems.
@Heidi Louise, Which I guess puts me in with the billions of people who have to decide how to help.
I too am grateful for being pregnant/delivering in the modern age. I had two very uneventful pregnancies, but two very difficult deliveries. C-sections, placenta previa, placenta accreta. I opted not to have a third baby because of my delivery history.
I'm thankful to be able to spend time with my husband discussing a book we are both reading.
I'm thankful for chile peppers to make spicy dishes.
I'm thankful for warm fall days so we don't have to run the heater.
I'm thankful for a night to myself. I'll probably just study or work a side job but the quiet will be nice.
I'm thankful that my husband tolerates my extended Christmas cheer and helps me put the tree up early.
1. That my son avoided a 14-day quarantine because he loves to bike to/from school (potential exposure on his bus).
2. That I can quit my job. My last day is next Friday, and I'm so excited to go back to being a stay-at-home parent. My kids are a little older (13 and 10), so this occasionally confuses people when I tell them what I'm doing, but this is also the age when *I* needed a lot more parental support, so I'm very grateful to be able to be home and available to my kids as they navigate puberty, being a teen, etc.
3. That my house is finally starting to feel more like my home. Last year was so crazy, between work stress ramping up, remote schooling, and a move, that I never really felt "settled". These past few weeks, after I decided to quit my job, I finally had the mental space to really start making my house feel like a home.
4. For all the local businesses that survived the pandemic! We didn't lose ANY of the wonderful local businesses in our downtown area - our community did a fantastic job of supporting everything. Which means they're still here for this holiday season!
5. For a family who enjoys getting together. I really hit the jackpot - not only my family of origin, but my in-laws: all the parents, siblings and their spouses get along and genuinely enjoy each other. Both sets of parents have been married since their early 20s and the spouses still enjoy each others' company. I'm looking *forward* to visiting with people over the holiday season, not dreading it. It's a gift I never want to take for granted.
@EngineerMom,
I think being at home when the kids are in the middle school years sounds great! I am finding that my kids need more attention in some ways than when they were little. I only work part time, but I would rather be at home now. When the kids were little I had no qualms about leaving them with a sitter.
@EngineerMom, amazing and wonderful!
the picture of your grandma looks like Zoey to me (and also a little like you!). She's so gorgeous (all of you) and sounds like such a lovely person
It is always so interesting to hear what family resemblances other people can see. I strongly feel that people outside a family can see this better than people inside the family!
Those are very beautiful pot holders. Your Aunt did such an awesome job on them 🙂
I’m thankful for …
1) Seeing my children’s playfulness and hearing their laughter.
2) My sight and being able to see color. Also my hearing. These are things I take for granted and I’m sure if I lost either, would definitely regret not having.
3) 1st snow day. There’s something beautiful about seeing the 1st snow fall. It’s like a bit of awe and magic.
I am thankful for books, libraries and bookstores. I started a reading log on October 1 and have read or listened to 22 books since then. So I'm also grateful for my eyes and ears!
It’s been another hard week, so again it’s probably the best time to make a thankful list. I was sick through moving last week, then our cat got lost in our new neighbourhood. It turned out, to my great surprise, that my sickness was covid! I was 100% convinced it was just a cold - albeit a very feverish one - so was stunned to see the word POSITIVE in all caps in the text message they sent me. In that moment I experienced terror, like someone shot ice water through all my veins. The bogey man that I’ve feared for two years was here. In my own body! But surprisingly, along with it have come several things that I am thankful for. So this is the thankful list, covid edition.
#1 - I’m thankful, oh so thankful, that I had both vaccines. And that I live in a place in the world where I was able to get them. It would have been much worse without them.
#2 - I’m thankful that, for me, covid was like a severe head cold. So many others are not so lucky.
#3 - I’m incredibly thankful for a huge outpouring of love and support from our friends and family! I felt we had that level of support in the past two towns I grew up and lived in, but never here where we’ve lived for 16 years. Apparently I was wrong! My people have come together and are a force to be reckoned with. They immediately provided everything from meals to support to invaluable medical advice at any time of the day or night.
#4 - That brings me to a harder part of this: my son. He is a 29 year old man, a father of three, who, with his wife, decided not to get vaccinated. He is the one I caught covid from, when he helped me with a moving project. We were unmasked, but were outside. He has become extremely ill. Yesterday his oxygen saturation measured 80. I tried to convince him to go to hospital when it measured 85 the day before but he wouldn’t go. Yesterday his siblings got involved, and although the process wasn’t pleasant, he was convinced to go. So he is there now, being given oxygen and blood tests and being taken care of, for the moment. I am actually grateful that, because of my own covid, I was able to go to his house and put the pulse ox on his finger and show him the number. I was able to follow him to hospital and wait with him in the outdoor waiting room till they came for him. I was able to tell him how much I love him. Then I was able to go back to his house and help his wife (who also has covid) with the three littles who are age three and under to get ready to go to her parents for the night. All that I could do by the grace of me having covid, because I don’t think I would have broken their quarantine if I didn’t have it.
#5 - Unfortunately my wife also caught covid from me. I’m worried as she is immuno-compromised, but grateful that she also had her vaccines and that, so far, her oxygen saturation is good.
#6 - This one is hard. Our sweet kitty, who got lost in our new neighbourhood, was struck by a car and killed. I am so sad, but glad to at least know because having him missing, especially since we couldn’t go looking for him, was terrible. This is a hard one to be grateful for, but it is there. I miss him so much, poor bebe.
My goodness, you have really been through it! Gracious.
I am so glad that your son is in the hospital now and I hope and pray he makes a speedy recovery. I hope and pray the same thing for Shae (hopefully I remembered that right!) And I'm so sorry about your kitty.
@Jem, oof - what a terrible time for you and your family. Wishing a full and speedy recovery for your wife, son and daughter-in-law. And I'm so sorry about your kitty.
Oh, Jem, I am so sorry. I hope everyone gets well without any lingering complications. Your poor kitty. (((HUGS)))
@Jem, you have certainly been through the wringer this week. Best wishes for you and everyone else on the COVID list. And I'm so sorry about your cat, knowing how bereft I'd be without mine.
@Jem, My thoughts and heart go out to you and your family for this terribly hard week you had to navigate. And still you found positive things! You are an awesome role model. Here’s hoping for all good things for you going forward.
@Jem, hugs to you!
@Kristen,
Thank you. And you got it right! That good memory bodes well for your nursing exams!
@A. Marie,
Thank you so much. Yes, my heart broke a little. Poor sweet beeb.
@Erika JS,
Thank you so much. I’m finding it’s true, this gratitude thing is like strengthening a muscle!
@Jenny,
Thank you ❤️
1. Thankful for Veterans. My Grandpa was an Army mechanic, an uncle was a Marine in Vietnam, another uncle who served in Vietnam & Korea in the Army, & many cousins in the Air Force, Navy, & Marines. So thankful for their willingness to serve, their sacrifice and the lessons we can learn from them & their example every day.
2. Thankful for Veterinarians. Our sweet boxer took another trip to the vet this week as she stopped eating and was just very tired. Lots of medication, rest, and a very limited diet and she finally seems to be holding food down again and feeling somewhat better. Her doctors have called to check on her daily, giving advice and making sure she is okay. I am so grateful to these folks - there is a reason I have been using this veterinarian over 35 years.
3. Thankful that my Aunt called me after she fell this past week. I was able to go and pick her up and bring her home with me so that I could make sure that she is eating well, taking meds, and get her to the doctor. There are a lot of challenges to come in the next days but I am just so grateful that she is here with us and I can look after her.
4. For the people I am blessed to call family. No one hesitates at the additional care of my Aunt...it is just what we are doing and everyone in my household is pitching in without question...helping with meals, medications, household tasks. It is good to see that this is happening.
5. For the advances of modern medicine and my good health which allows me to take care of those around me that I love so dearly.
I am so very thankful for the birth of my 4th grandchild yesterday. She's a beautiful blessing to our family! My heart is so full right now.
@Kathy,
Oh, congratulations to you and your whole delighted family! A new baby is such a wonder and delight. I'm sure your heart is just bursting with love. What a beautiful feeling.
Yay!! Congrats!
@Kathy, So many babies! Hooray for babies!
@Kathy,
Wonderful! Grandchildren are such an incredible blessing.
As the cooler weather sets in here, I’m thankful for the change of seasons. What a show the leaves are making!
My thankfulness extends to books and especially libraries, both the big one and the Little Free ones. I’ve received a number of wonderful kids' books that our granddaughter will enjoy in our LFL, as well as some for us. The Library gets us any book we put on hold request and I would not be able to afford my reading habit otherwise. It also allows me to check out books on hobbies and gardening, cooking, memoirs and biographies that I wouldn’t buy, even discounted, and not have to store/dust any of them. I sometimes send a thanks "up" to Ben Franklin for having created this free bounty and I volunteer there to give back.
I’m thankful for coffee, which, in addition to smelling and tasting heavenly, is loaded with antioxidants, making it a super nutritious food.
I’m the most thankful for my dear husband and wonderful sons—who all love reading and coffee, too!
Quick Trip version:
1. That we went to NM to visit my sis and brother-in-law to make them smile since my brother-in-law lost his sister a few months ago. We had fun.
2. That my sister is doing pretty well with her MS. Can still get around, just slower.
3. That we saw a beautiful part of the country that we haven’t seen before. We’ll be back NM!
4. That we used 90% cash for our trip and the tickets were charged on the Delta credit card for points so we can visit more.
5. That we were not seriously hurt when a person ran a stop sign. Luckily my husband saw it coming and my brother-in-law, the driver, was able to turn the car a little and avoid being t-boned with more serious injuries. Unfortunately, by turning, we slammed into a brick wall and the car is totaled. My sis and I just have a lot of bruising from the seatbelts, the husbands are fine. All this approx 5 hours after we arrived. But we are so thankful for a very safe car (yeah Subarus!), air bags and seatbelts. And the other person is OK and was ticketed for a few violations.
6. That we are home safely! For a 4 day trip, a lot went on!
Oh, I am so sorry to hear of your car crash, but I am glad you guys are safe.
Only 2-8 hours per birth?? Lucky you! Mine were 26, 17, and 19 hours! Though I will take long labors over hyperemesis 🙂
I probably would choose the long labor option too. Even a long labor is over in a relatively short amount of time compared to a pregnancy's worth of hyperemesis.
But at least I didn't have hyperemesis AND a long labor. 😉
You definitely had it rough with the labor!
I won a sweepstakes! It's one I only entered because of the prizes - Bose headphones or ear buds. My dh, who is disabled, spends hours listening to music at a level tough on the rest of us, so it will be a gift for all of us.
I was able to be a listening ear for ds, who recently graduated college but with a degree that doesn't do anything without grad school. He is dealing with some mental health issues and I'm in search of some free services, but those are hard go find. I'm thankful he felt comfortable filling me in on things, although I came away worrying more than ever, but I think it lightened his load and that's what matters.
My other son, seeing his brother suffering, completely rearranged his room, gave up his closet for him and made sure he had a good smelling air freshener in there. No one asked him to, he just wanted to help.
Great medical help. Dh and I both share a dr. who cares, but doesn't push unnecessary things and gives us a chance to correct things naturally before he pushes meds, if it's possible. He takes 11 meds and I take 3, so additionally I'm thankful for insurance and GoodRX.
Finally, if anyone knows of any resources in NC or any that I can research that may be in NC for mental health services that are free or come based for someone who doesn't have insurance, please let me know. Thx.
@Jennifer, Try NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness for referrals in your area. nami. org
I'm so glad your son can talk with you! How brave of you to keep listening and not shut him down.
I love your potholders. They are gorgeous and do not look like they were made of scraps.
I am thankful that we have been getting quite a bit of rain this month. Even though I don't really like it, we have been in a terrible drought, and every little bit helps.
I am thankful that the weekend was nice enough that we could finish picking everything in our garden, and put it "to bed" so to speak. We sometimes have snow by this time of year, so am grateful we did not lose the last of our produce.
After reading about all the pregnancies yesterday, I am thankful that my two were relatively uneventful. My sister's were not, so I knew even then to be grateful.
I am thankful for my wonderful DIL. My son waited until he was 39 to get married. She is a true delight.
I am also thankful that my boss is working really hard to work around my schedule, instead of my having to work around his. I am 67 and have been in my profession for 40 years (I'm a CPA). I was supposed to retire last year, but hung around an extra year due to younger people leaving. I still need to finish training my replacement.
I have been reading your blog for awhile now, but think I have only commented twice.
Well, I'm delighted you joined us in making a thankful list!
Thank you for some of your recent posts about gratitude surrounding your pregnancies. In the past couple years I have had two miscarriages and learned that due to a chromosome issue, we would just continue to lose babies. It's very difficult for me to see positives in this situation, but your posts have helped me. Without very modern medicine we would not have learned why, and I would have continued to lose babies until I couldn't handle it anymore. As difficult as this journey has been I am very thankful not to go through that again.
Oh friend, I am so sorry to hear of this. I can only imagine how tough it's been for you. Big hugs to you.
@Jenessa, I feel so for you and your partner.
You are not alone.
@Jenessa,
I’m so sorry you’re going through this multi-leveled loss. Not being able to have children when you want them is such a painful thing to bear.
I am thankful we were able to take a road trip, to visit family, last weekend. We were able to help celebrate a family member's birthday and visit a toddler. The traffic was heavy but the various slowdowns added less than an hour to the trip, each direction. My vehicle is comfortable, fuel efficient, and has a lot of safety features.
I am thankful for the wonderful weather we are having this week. Of course I put flannel sheets on our bed on Friday and I've been hot every night since. It's all good.
I am thankful for the USPS website. I was able to pay postage and arrange for a package pickup.
I am thankful for food. I am someone that is frequently hungry and the easy availability of food is a godsend. I don't know if I'd have survived in the old days.
I am thankful for good health insurance and that fact that coverage should continue after my husband retires. We are lucky that we don't require much medical care but it is nice to know it is available when needed.
I too am thankful for modern medicine. I had injections in my back last week and they're helping a LOT. I've been able to start on the Pilates regimen my physiatrist recommended and I'm enjoying it, without pain (well, without my usual pain, anyway!).
I'm thankful for a warm house full of food and warm blankets, for living in a town with a fabulous library, for a working car, and for the internet, which provides me with information (recipes, directions, the answer to questions that wake me up at 3am, like, "What's the capitol of Bangladesh?"), entertainment, and connections to family and friends far away. 🙂 Lots to be thankful for today. 🙂
Man, I love being able to look up answers to my questions too! The internet is much easier than an encyclopedia!
HA! When I read your remark about only five weeks or so until longer days, I thought, "What?? Already?" I love the darkness of November and December...
Anyway, thankful for:
1. A husband who willingly eats the same dinner for three days, as in this week when I made way too much mac and cheese and other weeks when we have had the same soup for three or four days in a row.
2. Holiday lights, which are starting to appear on houses. So festive and pretty.
3. A new medication that is working perfectly and has not shown any side effects yet (I am usually the side effects queen.)
4. Three nights in a row of no insomnia. I often lie in the dark, obsessing, for four or five hours, and then have to get up and try to function on three or four hours sleep. These last three days have been so wonderful!
5. The library. I remember when I read about that politician who said with Amazon, no one needed libraries anymore and I worried that now they would come after libraries.
Haha, yep, I thought of you when I typed up the one about the dark days!
@Lindsey,
I have that same kind of sleep problem and it’s awful. May I ask the name of the medication you’re taking that’s helping?
1) Thankful for seeing coworkers in person. We hadn't seen each other since March, so it was nice to catch up again, in real life.
2) Thankful for being back to working from home today, after two very long in person days (12 hours each). It was so nice to not have to pack my bag today & enjoy that commute time with a walk instead.
3) For a gorgeous, sunny day
4) For my husband, for stepping in during my long work days
5) I was able to use our work gym yesterday (only one in there) & running on the treadmill felt so fun, after no gym access for months & months.
6) Bonus: the fancy sparkling water my office provides
I love the potholders and the beautiful picture of your grandparents! Thanks!
Thankful for those who have served our country. ( Navy mom!)
Thankful for some nice weather.
Thankful for being a minimalist. No worries for me about supply chain issues this holiday season.
Thankful for my sweet fur babies.
Thankful for kind coworkers when work duties are hard.
I am thankful for the beautiful Fall days, cool mornings and upper60s-70s days.
I am thankful for a super clean house with nothing big on my “to-do” lists.
I’m thankful I found a lovely lady to help me keep things super clean which I feel is money well spent as it saves my back.
I’m thankful I’ve completed cutting up the 12 pounds of candied fruit for my Christmas cakes. (I’ve converted quite a few fruit cake haters to lovers of mine!)
I’m thankful for the fond memories of my mom that this season of cakes brings back to me.
I’m thankful that I was able to rescue one of her tube pans that she used for her cakes when my parents sold their house and went to a senior retirement apt.
And most of all, I’m thankful that my “baby brother” in the hospital with Covid is improving daily.
I am grateful for the rain we've been receiving for two reasons, we are in the middle of a drought and if it's raining in town it's snowing on Mt Bachelor. That brings the skiers in, which improves our winter time economy.
Grateful for being able to afford to run the furnace, as along with the rain has come cooler temperatures (very cold at night, close to freezing).
Grateful for contacting a Facebook friend who manages a community support site regarding the furnace above, it's 22 years old and ices over once the temperature drops to about 35 unless I run it on emergency heat. The friend suggested a local organization, I contacted them, and I MIGHT be eligible for winterization assistance.
Omg!!!! You resemble your grandmother , it is uncanny how much you look like her. Just beautiful!
It's so funny that you see that; I don't see a resemblance, but in my experience, people outside a family are much more able to spot a resemblance than people inside the family. So your opinion is probably more accurate than mine!
Thankful for...
* Services for my daughter who is struggling with mental health issues and in the process of a possible ASD diagnosis, and knowing that we will have guidance if it`s the case
* To have my private reading space in the bedroom, with a comfy chair and a foot rest (and multiple library books!), where I can just shut the door and relax when needed.
* To be able to work part-time while going back to school full-time (at 41!). And to have to financial means, and support from hubby, to do this.
* To not have food allergies and be able to eat anything
* That my daughter is struggling with social relationships but still has a really good friend that lives just 3 doors down. And that this friend is sleeping over tonight
Kristen: I just love those potholders they are absolutely beautiful. I wish I could make some like that, can you ask her for me, how she does it? Are they for sale to buy from her? Just curious? I looked at them carefully and she did a superb job on them, perfect corners and stitching!!
I don't know how many extras she has but I can ask her. 🙂
She is an excellent quilter, so I'm sure she pieces the tops together the same way she does when she does quilting.