Thankful Thursday | no legwarmers, please
New here? Thankful Thursday is something we’ve been doing in these COVID times; an exercise to help us hunt for the good that is in our lives and in the world, even in the midst of a pandemic.
It's Thursday! Time to exercise our thankfulness muscles, everyone!
(Imagine me as a perky 1980s aerobics instructor, except I'm helping you be thankful instead of teaching you dated dance moves. Also, I'm making a rule that we are not wearing leg warmers.)
This week, I am thankful:
that our insurance covered a provider
I wasn't sure they would cover this one, so I submitted the first two bills to see what would happen.
It took a long time, but they just cleared those two appointments. Woohoo!
So yesterday I sent the other four in, which means two checks should eventually be coming our way.
that a lot of my college credits are going to be useful
I have 31 credits from 1996/1997, and when I talked to an advisor yesterday, I found out that a fair number of them work as prerequisites for the nursing program.
So, I'm pretty happy about that! It's nice to have my work pay off, even if it was 23 years ago.
that my mom gave me a good solid education
My 18/19 year old straight-out-of-homeschool self got straight As, so if I go back to college, I'll be starting with a very good GPA.
Before college, my mom was my only teacher aside from my kindergarten teacher. So I figure she deserves most of the credit for grades.
that Zoe helped me do some decluttering
Zoe is a minimalist at heart, so she's very good at decluttering. She helped me with the laundry room and the under-the-stairs closet, and they're in much better shape now.
for how easy it is to give things away online
I love how simple it is to put the word out on the internet after I declutter.
I love to give my extra and unneeded stuff to someone who really can use it and Facebook groups make it really easy to keep it very local.
Related: Here's how to declutter without creating trash
that my thumb is feeling better
My nail got a little separated from the skin at the tip, and it got infected. In fact, my whole thumb swelled up!
Happily, I was able to treat it at home, and it feels so, so much better now.
that I can cut up peaches again
My thumb got infected shortly after I bought a box of bruised peaches. And the thumb that got infected is an important one for cutting and peeling peaches.
Since my thumb is all better now, I've been able to slice and freeze all the rest of the peaches.
(Here's how I freeze summer peaches.)
that seasons change
We've had some pretty hot and humid days this week, but I am feeling very zen about it because I know that the heat is coming to an end pretty soon.
Usually right about the time I think I can't stand more heat, autumn arrives.
And right about the time I think I can't stand any more gray and cold, spring arrives.
What are you thankful for this week?
I'm thankful for:
-my para educator who makes it so I don't have to virtually teach three-year-olds by myself
-homeschooling which means two of my three kids don't have to sit in front of a screen all day
-that all the food I stocked up on is still holding out well and I still don't need to grocery shop (going on ten weeks now)
-that the weather is supposed to be beautiful for a three day weekend
-that I'm slowly getting used to getting up earlier for work
-that it won't be too long before a frost kills all the mosquitoes so I can enjoy the yard again
-that my husband likes cooking so I don't usually have to think about it
PS Leg warmers are awesome and I reserve the right to rock them! 😉
Ok, well, as long as you are not wearing the legwarmers with shiny tights and a leotard with high cut legs, it's fine. 😉
*sheepishly goes to change...*
You’ve reminded me to be thankful for my leg warmers, which I’ve just realised I can wear while working from home to keep me warm!
I almost laughed out loud at the aerobics pictures, but I'm at work, so I'd better not. Where on earth did those pictures come from?
Admission time -- I took aerobics in the 80's, and although I didn't wear legwarmers, I was dressed in a shiny leotard and tights. The whole class was. We were just so cool - we thought.
1. I'm thankful that a co-worker's wife brought Chick-Fil-A breakfast biscuits and hash browns for everyone here at work yesterday. I opted out, but I took a leftover portion home and it made a nice, free breakfast for my husband today.
2. I'm thankful that we were able to get our front porch re-screened, because when cooler air does finally, finally come, it will be a delight to sit on the porch without swatting bugs.
3. I'm thankful for the birds at our feeders. They entertain my husband while I'm at work. He especially enjoys watching the doves chase the squirrels away from the spilled seed on the ground. They have some battles, but the doves always win.
4. I'm thankful that research and development continues on Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. I know that our close descendants at least are at risk for it since my husband has it and his sister had it. I'm thankful it skipped our kids while hoping it skips the grandchildren as well.
5. I'm thankful for the caring community here, and for this blog, where there is humor and kindness along with honesty, and some really good posts!
If you google "1980s aerobics teacher", well, there's a treasure trove of material.
I am thank for your blogs, with the keeping it real but uplifting posts and that you have built such a following of caring people.
That I did not have a serious reaction to the first dose of the shingles vaccine.
That I will meet up with friends today, outside, for charity knitting/crocheting.
That I will visit with a friend, outside, tomorrow.
That I have gotten use to going to the grocery store and have been able to shop sales a little bit lately. For months I was totally price insensitive. It gives me a bit of joy to pay less occasionally.
That the weather is not so hot and going out after dinner is not torturous. Our early morning walking weather has been more pleasant though generally it is dark.
That we were able to give away many items using Freecycle. I think we'll have another pile soon.
For continued good health and the ability to get a lot done during the day.
I am thankful for your blog, with the keeping it real but uplifting posts and that you have built such a following of caring people.
That I did not have a serious reaction to the first dose of the shingles vaccine.
That I will meet up with friends today, outside, for charity knitting/crocheting.
That I will visit with a friend, outside, tomorrow.
That I have gotten use to going to the grocery store and have been able to shop sales a little bit lately. For months I was totally price insensitive. It gives me a bit of joy to pay less occasionally.
That the weather is not so hot and going out after dinner is not torturous. Our early morning walking weather has been more pleasant though generally it is dark.
That we were able to give away many items using Freecycle. I think we'll have another pile soon.
For continued good health and the ability to get a lot done during the day.
Glad to hear you didn't have a reaction to your first shingles vaccination. When I got the series last year, I had flu like symptoms for three days afterwards. Better to have the side effects than the shingles, though.
Thankful that I have a piano, which I am listening to my daughter play right now.
Thankful that we are having hybrid school - while I'd rather have a full day, this is better than fully remote for our family.
Thankful that I have the resources to give my daughter access to other social interactions and team sports that she wants to participate in
Thankful that I have a job which has many aspects that I enjoy
Thankful that I have found a way to support surrounding communities that are struggling during this tough time by using my porch as a drop-off point for donated goods, and redistributing them to organizations and individuals that need those things! Yay for keeping them out of the dump and also getting them to people in need.
Random blessings, big and small:
That the little birds also feed at the feeder right next to our window - so I can watch them gobble away;
That the 1st of September was a golden en glorious day, all warm and sunny and slightly autumnal;
That I have finally shed some weight;
That our young adult children will still on occasion cry out on our shoulders. We cannot mend all the ills in the world, but they allow us to let them feel they are not alone in bearing them;
That I allowed a colleague to take over a task that I did not have time for and as a result could not do well. It is good to swallow your pride, and also give someone else a chance to excel!;
That we did not have leaks during a rain storm, like we did in earlier ones.
I always look forward to this weekly post Kristen, I have started to keep a "gratitude diary" as a result of it and it makes me a happy person twice - first in writing down and then in rereading later. So thank you for the Thankful Thursdays!
That picture is hilarious!
-thankful that I have a job that can be done online even though is a lot harder to do that way
-thankful one out of three kids can go to school in-person(.
- lots of veggies in the garden
- my mom’s surgery went well.
- for this blog and the wonderful people who comment.
I can think of lots of frugal things and thankful things until I try to make a list! 😉
I am thankful for...
Gray days. The hot, sunny, humid weather has been so oppressive this year that a few rainy, cloudy days actually cheered me up. Yes, I'm weird. 🙂
Finding my sense of humor again. I've spent too much of the last few months taking things way too seriously and it's not good for my mental health so I made a commitment to just laugh more even if I feel like crying.
This blog and the community here. Reading the blog and comments has been very cathartic for me this year, so thanks to all of you.
I'm so glad that all of us here have helped to get you through hard times! Hugs to you.
Here's a youtube video of the 1988 National Aerobics Championships, which apparently existed. Super perky!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozoTzkCeO-A
Just imagine the energy in that room!
Imagine how it smelled.
Part related, part not.
My only experience with aerobics was right when my family moved in 1989 and the new school had a PE segment dedicated to aerobics. We had to do them in the gym used for wrestling practice — a gym with a very distinct non-aerobics odor, lol.
Furthermore, the student video yearbook staff recorded a class of boys following a video instructor but without the video instructor visible and then set it to Blue Danube. To this day I can't hear that tune without mentally watching eight-graders aerobicize and simultaneously reciting "aus-ausser-bei-mit, nach-zeit, von-zu" in my head.
Well, that needs to be on YouTube
They are very fit! I like that the contestants have their natural facial features - no botox or fillers! It is good to see a group of people actually looking different from each other!
Everyone else is noticing the leg warmers, but ... what about that awesome hair??? 😉
Thankful for hybrid school starting, for our church bonfire last night where we could socialize outdoors safely, for friends who listen, for a boss who is kind, and for my family.
Ok, no one at the thankfulness aerobics class is allowed to have that hair either. 😉
People can laugh all they want but I think the two women are quite attractive there.
They ARE attractive .... but since I was a teen in the 80s (yup, aging happens .... ) I do NOT miss the hair perms and curling iron shenanigans I had to do to have a mountain on top of my head. Hair styling has come a long way, baby! 🙂
And don't get me started on my gargantuan eyeglasses with the curved earpieces. It does get my teens laughing to see old pictures of me, so I suppose that's a plus.
1. Our 20 year old grandson called my 78 year old husband yesterday to wish him a happy birthday. We have done tons for our children and grandchildren, and this was the only family member who acknowledge him. It made his day.
2. Our feral cat who we sort of adopted but lives in the back yard finally took a nap in the very expensive two story cat house we bought for her. We were absolutely thrilled.
3. That each year I get a little wiser about what will make it in my flower garden, considering our thermometer hits 110 and more during the summer. It's an ongoing education.
4. That I am having so much fun stocking up for any future grocery and toiletry needs. It sort of satisfies the shopping itch without being wasteful.
5. That my sister and I have grown closer during this pandemic although we live on different continents. She calls every Sunday and we talk for an hour, sometimes smoothing over some issues from our awful childhoods.
The opening pictures and your comments cracked me up. Thanks for the laugh. 🙂 I'm also thankful...
That all 3 kids love pb&j sandwiches. Not having to worry about being creative at lunchtime is great.
That preschoolers are so stinking cute!
That my oldest is back at school in-person and it's going really well.
That we've been able to walk the path behind the school on a number of mornings and most of them I've gotten to walk with a friend that I've wanted to get to know better.
The patient and easygoing nature of my youngest two kids that are home with me. Going to the store is no big deal. Sitting in the stroller or riding a bike while Mommy walks is no big deal (knowing they get the playground at the end.) Most everything the 3 of us would normally do is still closed, so it's nice that they're helping it be enjoyable.
That I'll get to see my brother this weekend! Yay holidays!
Coming back hours later to add... Thankful that the business where my husband works can reopen next week!!!!! A very small portion of their business has been open for a couple of months, but the rest can reopen at 25% capacity on Wednesday. Yay!!! It'll take away some of the "how long can this place bleed money and not close for good" stress.
Extremely thankful that my ankle fusion went well and 3 weeks post-op I’ve been moved to a boot. Still non weight bearing but I can shower and sleep like a normal person now. And I’m one step closer to healing!
I for one welcome our leg warmer wearing aerobics instructors. We laugh at the 80s fashions but I think a lot of pop culture was better then than now (movies, television and yes, some fashion but not all)
In no particular order:
My magnetic USB cables. I'm probably annoying everyone with them but they are the best under $10 purchase I've made in ages and I'm telling *everyone.*
Having some food from the garden to look forward to.
That it's pay week.
That we were able to say "no thanks" to the local public Pre-K. We don't like their setup so our daughter will stay home for now. Next year we may opt for private schooling.
That I get a three day weekend. Most of my family does not but I get Monday off, which is nice.
Battra, seriously, fashion IS in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? I love the ladylike looks of the 1940s. Everyone has their own ideas of what is classic.
I'm a big fan of fashions from the 1910s -50s. I feel like a lot got sloppy post 1963 or so and oh man were the 70s awful. I admittedly don't understand a lot of the modern fashions but I guess that's just to be expected when you get older.
Of course I might just be biased because I watch so many old movies.
In the days before double-knit and elastic waist bands, let alone spandex, clothing had a very different look to it. I admire the tailored lines of earlier eras but I certainly do not want to do the wash and upkeep for it, nor the precise fitting when weight was gained or lost.
And I will always be grateful my baby-now-adult son was born in the era of elastic and stretch. Can't imagine dressing a toddler in clothing that looked like it needed to be ironed.
-Rain and Thunderstorms--the seasons are changing!
-Educators who are working extra hard this year with our squirrely children and online and inclass education.
-fresh baked bread (it's cool enough to use the oven!)
-children who eagerly helped me look for a glasses lens that popped out of my frames outside earlier today. I have an old pair of glasses I could use in a pinch, but my vision has changed, and it's wonderful that they found the lens and now I can see!
Always thankful for another day with husband and that we both can tool around. "Tooling around was what we did decades ago and it meant being out and about.
Thankful a neighbor called out hello and we could share pleasantries outside her home.
Thankful for a fun phone call with an old friend -- who knew friendship could last over 60 years?
For fresh food, I am grateful.
For this workout -- and the reminder leg warmers look good on very few.
Ha. I did a whole post once about how I stupidly injured my hands with a tree branch just as I was trying to get through a bushel basket of peaches.
https://going-country.blogspot.com/2015/09/slowing-my-peach-roll.html
Those peach juices are no joke, man.
I am very thankful that we've gotten through three weeks of in-person school already. The kids have been absolute troopers about the masks and the distancing and all the changes that they've had to deal with to be there, and the staff has been working so hard to get them there and keep them there. I am so grateful to be in the community that I am in at this point in history.
Also thankful at least some of the rules about the tiny class pods we were required to have have been somewhat relaxed, so I no longer have to act as a kindergarten/first grade teacher. I never felt called to teaching young children, and now I know it is definitely not my life's dream. 🙂 It was fine for a few weeks, but I think I'm ready to get back to helping older kids with reading and math. (I'm a teacher's aide. My job changes a lot depending on what is needed, especially at our tiny school.)
Did I miss a post about nursing school???? I am a retired Nurse Practitioner.Did not go back to school till I was 28, got my RN and a good job. Ten years later my employer helped me pay for Nurse Practitioner education and I did that till retirement! NURSING is a great career!!!!
* thankful for our private health insurance
* Thankful for pleasant collegues
* Thankful that my daughters are both attending the same great school this year, and taking the bus there
* Thankful for the contractor who will finally rebuild my shower!!! I've been without a working shower for 1.5 year now, I'm so over taking baths!!
I am thankful that I am retiring October 2. After 24 years at an animal clinic as a pet stylist ( aka groomer), I will be grooming only a very few dogs from home now. Somewhat of any early retirement, but not too early.
I am thankful that all six of our grandkids live in our same city. They are ages 4,5,5,6, 8, and 11. We are very close to all.
I am thankful that fall is coming. My fall wreath went on the front door yesterday.
1. Going away for a frugal weekend with friends. We split the room, bring our food, and can't go anywhere! Grateful for good friends.
2. Grateful to be back at my job.
3. Glad I can help my sister with every Th pick up of my niece. I'm through the kid pick-up years, but I remember the struggle!
4. Both of my boys have started back at college and are working toward being productive self-sufficient adults.
5. My parents and in-laws are nearby and healthy.
My college room mates were heavily into the leotard and leg warmer look. Leg warmers are kind of making a comeback lately too. I have such short, stocky legs that I look like a gnome in baggy longjohns when I've tried to wear them. 😀
I am thankful for having such a sweet husband, who has been picking up the slack since he's working at home and I am not. Just coming home to find the litter box cleaned every day is a source of wonder! I'm also thankful that he found a veterinary allergist close to home for our middle dog, who has been plagued by allergies her whole life. As you may guess, there are not a lot of veterinary allergy specialists and the only other one we knew of was an hour and half away and charged $750 just to walk in the door. Her first visit and treatment at the local one, with meds, was $250. While that's an amazing savings, the even better news may be that we are finally on track to get her illness under control.
I'm thankful for cooler weather too! Though we have a few hot days coming this weekend.
I'm thankful for food to eat every day. Half of the food on my plate last night was from my garden!
Thankful for Netflix. It has given us a lot of entertainment this year. And thankful for Zoom, where we can play trivial pursuit as a family, even though we are spread over 3 different states.
Thankful for longer chats with a favorite aunt, who has more time to chat since Covid. Same with another good friend.
I'm thankful for my patient husband. He is a high school teacher, doing school on zoom. The hours that he has spent on the phone with the curriculum publisher, sorting out kids who have not been able to access their account, is truly mind blowing.
1. I'm thankful my two sisters-in-law tested negative for Covid-19. They both got sick almost two weeks ago, and just a day or two after a potential exposure (one husband's coworker tested positive just two days after a necessary in-person work meeting). Thankfully, they also both got their test results back on Tuesday as testing negative, and they're both feeling better (the exposed husband never got sick, and while the other husband did get sick a couple of days after his wife, he's been working from home and likely just picked up whatever non-Covid bug made his wife ill.)
2. I'm thankful that e-learning seems to be going well for both my kids. I was really concerned it was going to require a lot more parental input (we both work full-time, and mostly from home, this would have been very challenging), but so far, they're doing well quite independently.
3. I'm thankful for my CSA! My CSA box has really made me get outside my cooking comfort zone. Last night I accidentally made a sort of deconstructed baba ganoush in the course of trying to figure out something quick to do with a rather large eggplant. I sliced it, grilled it, then ate it on some homemade grilled pita topped with a tahini-lemon-garlic sauce. I love baba ganoush, but usually making it is a huge pain in the summer because you have to roast the egg plant for so. dang. long, and it makes the kitchen really hot. Slicing and grilling was MUCH faster, didn't heat up my kitchen, and resulted in a wonderful charred touch to the flavor.
4. I'm so thankful my parents taught me not only how to cook, but to experiment. It's been way too hot to bake bread, so I've become very adept at making naan, grilled pizza, grilled pita, and grilled flatbread.
5. I'm thankful for Pasta Grannies. When there's so much going on in the world, there's something incredibly calming and comforting about watching Italian grandmothers half a world away create delicious food with approximately 4 tools in tiny, very basic kitchens, surrounded by their adoring family. I so want an Italian grandmother, but in lieu of that, I'll become one to my own future grandkids and get good at cooking/baking, making my own cheese, etc.
Apparently, my coping mechanism is food. 🙂
Have you seen Depression Cooking with Clara? Look for it on youtube.
Thankful for:
1. an acquaintance is moving to congregate elder living and offered me her FoodSaver machine for free. This will be a real help to prevent freezer burn on moose and fish we don't get around to eating for six or nine months.
2. for a local family jeweler who fixed a stone trying to escape my wedding ring and refused to accept any payment because he made the ring 25 years ago and felt like it should still be under warranty! I am trying to think of some way to thank him.
3. the anonymous person who left 25 empty egg cartons on our porch.
4. for an acquaintance who has two teens learning at home due to Covid. They have to do several hours of gym activities a week so she sent them over here the last two weeks to do labor for us because gardening fulfills the requirement. 12 hours of young men turning compost, mulching, moving bricks...A blessing!
5. as usual, for the husband who is handy, cheerful, hard working, and hilarious. Sometimes I look at him and I tear up in gratitude for him.
I'm thankful for a very relaxing afternoon.
For encouragement and challenge from God's Word.
For homemade peanut butter cookies.
I've been very grateful we've been allowed to see our son, who lives in a group home. We live near him but weren't allowed to visit for over 2 months, earlier in the year when pandemic rules were very strict. Now, we can see him twice a week, and we are all grateful and happy for these precious times spent together.
Also, very grateful my husband has been able to remain employed, that we have health insurance, and food and a roof over our heads. I don't take any of those for granted.
In my city, group homes are just starting to make plans for families to visit. It’s been a long 5 months for the residents. There will be a lot of protocols to follow before any visitor is able to enter the home. Covid was rampant here.
That fall is on the horizon (my favorite season)
That spaghetti sauce is such a great way to use up garden produce (and provide winter food)
That technology allows me to stay in touch with my son/daughter in law/grandson (he is in the Navy)
That work allows me to work from home in this time of turmoil
That friends and family are close and in this together
1. That my teenage daughter will watch movies and shows from my childhood with me. We have watched so many of my favorites during the pandemic and it has been a great joy to have that time with her and that she willingly chooses to spend time with me. I do not take it for granted.
2. For drive-in theaters. Going to movie theaters is something I miss so I am thankful these are popping up.
3. That we have so many parks and areas to bike and hike around where we live. We have explored a lot this summer, finding places we didn’t know of.
4. That I have a job that I can arrange around being with my son while he does his remote learning.
5. For life’s small pleasures: a bed with clean sheets, fresh tomatoes from my garden, my favorite song coming on the radio.
Thankful for...
The beautiful rain we received this evening. San Antonio has been brutal hot lately and the rainfall was such a treat.
My son's attitude towards online learning. He is a senior this year and he's missing his friends, his soccer team and just regular school days, but he's staying positive and doing his best each day.
My job and my husband's job ~ blessed with income and benefits.
Our home ~ it's cozy, organized and filled with things we treasure, which is a joy since we are here so much!
❤Thankful for my husband and daughter, the loves of my life
Thankful for curiosity and creativity, both help me recenter when I feel anxious
Thankful for Fall, the season gives me a fresh perspective on daily walks/drives
Thankful for all that my parents modeled/taught me, unconditional love, work ethic, common sense, citizenship
✔ All on this community who share uplifting gratitude every Thursday!
Wonderful that your college credits transferred! Can you get "life experience" credits as well, to acknowledge the work you have done outside of college?
And congratulations on your outstanding GPA! though know that only you will know that. If it is as at other colleges I know of, the credits transfer, but the grade point average doesn't. Your GPA will be based on only the college you are at. (And no, I don't know why this is. Schools accept other schools' credits with a grade of C or C-/not sure, and mark them all passed. Classes with D and F final grades don't transfer. But always ask at the school for sure).
Luckily for me, the credits I have are at the same college I'm looking at for a nursing degree! I just meant "transfer" in the sense that before, I was working toward a general transfer degree and now I'm wanting to get into the nursing program. So, I was delighted that a lot of the classes I did before are the same ones that are prerequisites for the nursing program.
I’ve been reading this blog for awhile now and never posted, but today I’m so thankful to be released from a brace after badly breaking my leg which required surgery six weeks ago. Also grateful that I can start putting some weight on my leg again building up to full weight in four weeks.
Thankful for my 90-year-old mother who is healthy and active enough to fly 1,000 miles to come help me through my recuperation.
Grateful for the many friends and family who have prayed for my recovery and have sent cards and gift cards and brought us numerous meals.
Thankful for my husband who, despite not feeling all that great after going through a long and terrible health crisis of his own, has still worked to make things easier for me during this time.
So thankful to God for getting us through all this and for everyone on this blog who has shared the many things they have to be grateful for. God bless you all!
So glad you are feeling better now.
I have to say, I am massively impressed that your mom is able to help out at the age of 90. Good for her!
Me too! She’s amazing!
LindaW---What an inspiring attitude you have! And I'm going to stop and pray for you and your husband.
Good for you! I graduated with my Doctorate last year at age 43 and am so glad I went back to school. I hadn’t been in a classroom for almost 20 years.
I'm thankful that my two-year granddaughter is visiting for a few hours today! Also that later, two of my step-daughters and their partners are coming for a barbeque. I'm thankful for an exciting visit to the raptors center with my son and grandson yesterday. We saw eagles, ravens, hawks, owls and vultures up close! I'm thankful that so far, I'm not losing many returning piano students due to the ongoing covid measures. And finally, I'm thankful it's possible to offer online lessons or a hybrid plan this fall, even if I wish summer would continue for another few months. 🙂