Thankful Thursday | red shoes, for starters
This week I am thankful:
for my happy red shoes
Thank you, eBay!
for the readers who signed up for my food waste course
There is something a little bit scary about making and selling something, and when even just the first person signed up, I felt quite grateful.
I'm thankful for all the people who are willing to be my beta testers this first go-round!
(Course registration ends tonight at 9pm EST. Click here to join us.)
for a lot of sun this week
Yes, the days are awfully short. And I do not love making and eating dinner in the dark.
But the daylight hours have been mostly sunny this week and I am thankful!
for my window light
Obviously, a window does not solve short days.
But it DOES make the daylight hours much brighter inside my house, and I am thankful for that!
for the overnight freeze
The first freeze usually knocks out a lot of the problematic allergens and it's been down below freezing the last two nights.
So, I'm thankful for the freeze because it should improve life for the fall allergy sufferers in my house.
for time with my cousin
I am certainly not happy that she is having prolonged morning/all-day pregnancy sickness. But I am thankful for the time I get to spend with her while I am helping her out with household chores.
And I am happy that I get to see her little boy too.
for my piano
Sonia was asking about a piece of music the other night, and I ended up sitting down and playing through a bunch of pieces (partly for her entertainment, partly for mine).
It's kind of funny that even though music, and the piano in particular, has been a huge part of my life, my musical life and my blogging life rarely overlap.
that my parents facilitated such a useful hobby (piano playing)
I don't think hobbies necessarily need to be useful to be valuable, but I'm really glad for the ways I've been able to use my piano hobby in my adult life and I'm grateful that my parents paid for lessons for all those years.
Of course, I really enjoy playing the piano, but in terms of usefulness: I taught piano lessons for 20 years, played at church for 10 years, taught my own kids how to play, and have played at parties, weddings, and funerals.
I love it when hobbies are fun and practical!
that Mr. FG is able to keep working during COVID
There are some things that are not ideal about working from home, of course, but it is far, far better than not working at all.
that Mr. FG got to go to his conference virtually
Usually he goes to an IT conference each year in person, but this year it was virtual.
The main reason I am happy about this?
We don't have to submit an expense report!
The system we have to go through to get reimbursed for his trip expenses is truly terrible, and it takes FOREVER to get paid. So, we always end up having that money gone for months at a time.
(The suspicious side of me wonders if companies make reimbursement software terrible on purpose so that people don't follow through for reimbursement.)
that there's a new season of The Crown out
Sonia and I are delighted to have a new set of episodes to watch!
that groceries are still in stock here
I've heard rumors that people are panic-buying again, but so far, things look mostly fine here.
I feel less worried about empty shelves this time around because I think stores will implement buying limits earlier now than they did in the spring.
So, hopefully toilet paper will not be such an issue as it was earlier this year!
1. Super thankful that our house was spared in a small tornado that came through at the beginning of this week. Our neighbors up the street weren't so lucky.
2. Thankful that my mother's cancer has been reduced by 50%! Though she still feels crappy from the medication she is on, she does find happiness that it is shrinking!
3. My raise started with this paycheck. I work in higher education and we rarely get raises. So this small raise is much needed and was a great surprise when I saw my pay stub this morning!
4. Thankful that we are all healthy right now. My son does have a rudolph red runny nose, but its just a small cold.
A veritable miracle happened in my life. My mother's go-to guy found TWO propane heaters at a big box store. One is tall, the other like a firepit. I now have three sources of heat, one for each sub-group of my now-outdoors Thanksgiving family gathering.
That I have good people to bounce ideas off of. As a result, the outdoor feast will be heated by sterno, with the baking pans/platters resting on bricks.
That I can afford as much sterno as I need, despite it being $12/can.
Silver lining: that I was unable to sell 2 outdoor teak tables and the 8 chairs that go with. One table will be for a sub-group, the other for the Thanksgiving food.
That I have lots of blankets, and chemical handwarmers left from a February trip to Quebec a few years ago.
That Warner Brothers decided to stream Wonder Woman 1984 for Christmas.
Woohoo for heaters!
I am thankful that you have so many homemade (and tested) bread recipes posted. I just tried your English Muffin Bread last night and it was a huge hit. My husband said very dramatically "I've been waiting 10 years for you to make homemade bread!". He's very low drama, so this was a big deal!!!!
Oh yay, this makes me so happy!
Your comment about expense reports made me both lol and cringe. I'm sure some companies may be taking that route, as we all know it takes all kinds but for most of us:
1. Available software or systems are limited and writing your own app well...
2. The IRS has so so so many rules in place so that employers can't, or at least really have to work hard to, hide using reimbursement systems to increase pay without paying into the system.
3. One company I worked for just gave up on it all and increased pay to "cover" reimbursable expenses so employees had to pay income tax on it. That was a very unhappy place to be.
I did mean that kind of tongue in cheek. But one has to imagine that there IS a way to make this easier.
For instance, he has to book all his travel thru the company portal. But he has to pay with his own credit card. Why would the company not just cover that travel when it's booked? It's clearly for company work, or it wouldn't be booked through the company portal!
I dunno. I'm not an expert in this area, so there are probably obstacles I'm not thinking of.
I worked for a company that issued employees credit cards so they could book travel directly and have it billed to the company (although it meant they got the mileage credits...which if you travel a lot can be a nice and significant perk). They had to stop doing it when an audit discovered that a large number of employees where using the card to charge things like porn on the hotel channel, liquor with their expensive dinners, and, in one case, paying for her dog to travel with her and get special spa doggie treatments. So the system had to be changed into a cumbersome one of reimbursement (although then I got the mileage credits when I charged the tickets on my credit card).
Weird as it likely sounds, I am **SO** thankful for the local cemetery. (This morning, in particular was pure magic--more on that shortly!)
--I'm grateful for a safe, beautiful place to exercise by myself without having to worry about "Hey, baby" nonsense. It's also become my go-to place for meeting with a friend or two every few weeks for a hike and catching up.
--It provides a safe place for my husband to work during the pandemic. It's hard to be more socially distant than a cemetery groundskeeper! (Think lawn care + tombstones).
--His health has improved dramatically since starting, as it's a very active job. He's dropped 30 lbs and gained another 10 in muscle weight, and he's not done yet! At his last quarterly check up, his doctor was so pleased that we're now on a six month appointment schedule. Yes, yes, and yes!
--The cemetery has several fox families, and it is an absolute joy whenever we cross paths early in the morning. I'm there often enough that they're cautiously used to me, but I was absolutely floored when one came within 10 feet of me this very morning! I had sat to watch him when he was 50 feet away, and he circled back to check me out. Since I was sitting on the ground, we were eye level with one another. He came so close, I could see the details of his facial fur and his nose twitching as he smelled me. Content that I was nothing to worry about, he leisurely went about his morning of marking and sniffing. I teared up and then some. That was hours ago, and I'm still positively floating! So, so thankful.
I'd love to see a fox so close up!! That is awesome. What color are they? We have both gray and red here, but I've yet to catch a glimpse of a gray one. Some day!
Our foxes are all red, with just enough difference between them to tell a few of them apart from each other. I’d love it if even more colors appeared!
The good thing about a cemetery is you are guaranteed to be six feet from the closest person.
so true!
Very true!
My husband and his handful of co-workers make that joke all the time. 😛
You sure are getting a lot of happiness mileage out of your new window. Whatever you paid for it was definitely worth it.
Ha, yep! And I've had it for less than a month. Imagine all the happiness it will bring me over the years!
Red converse=modern day ruby slippers
I had to get a biopsy this week to test for cancer and it was negative. Very thankful for that!
That is indeed a thing to be thankful for. Yay!
Congrats on the negative biopsy! Truly something to be thankful for.
Thankful for...
My own new happy red shoes (see #5 in my comment on yesterday's FFT). Mine are actually SAS T-strap flats in a bright shade of coral, but happy red shoes are happy red shoes, whether they're SAS or Converse or whatever. Thanks to my local Rescue Mission's Thrifty Shopper chain.
My local region of the Jane Austen Society of North America, which will be having a Zoom meeting this Saturday. I go to the trouble of getting home care aide coverage for DH on JASNA Saturdays so that I can have a few hours of uninterrupted company with like-minded folks--and can think about something besides Alzheimer's.
My regular purchase of TP by the 80-roll case (although, as noted in an earlier FFT, the most recent case got wet and I had to spend some time drying out TP!).
I am thankful for a wonderful bear sighting this week! My husband is in his 50s and had never seen one. We were driving home and he was so big I thought maybe I had mistaken him for a cow. We turned around, pulled over, and it was an enormous black bear. He was happily munching on something across a field, so we got to see him for a long time and even take pictures. He was my second bear. I saw my first with my mother, who is in her 70s and that was her first sighting. It's the little things, although I'd say nature is a big, wonderful, glorious gift from God! 🙂
How wonderful for you! I’m so excited for your bear sighting!
That's exciting. I visited Yosemite about 10 years ago and we thought every burnt trunk we drove past was a bear! Sadly none ever were.
I am thankful we are still healthy and that we are not totally miserable in our isolation required by vulnerability of age and conditions.
Also, for grocery delivery: what a wonderful service!
For library books online.
For HGTV.
For Zoom and Facetime.
Your red Converses are pretty. They look nice with jeans!
I am thankful for our health. So far, any one I've know that has had covid, has had a mild case. This includes some that are in a high risk category. I am so very thankful.
I am thankful that although panic buying has resumed here, I am still fairly well stocked, and able to share with others.
I am thankful both of my children are coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I am thankful that both my husband and I have stable jobs.
I am thankful for sunshine and freedom.
I love these posts, and am thankful that you do them weekly! You are an encouragement to me.
I'm thankful we are finally seeing night time temps in the 40's. The fruit flies, which were on overdrive, have subsided, and I sat outside on our unscreened back porch last night for a while without a mosquito biting me.
Thankful I have enough TP already. There were already gaps in the TP shelves this week, and our state isn't even locking down again. We also still have limits on some items and foods, and I still see empty spaces on some grocery shelves.
That I rescued the last avocado before it went bad. (This blog keeps me mindful of that)
That I feel no need to buy a bunch of new decor/dishes/linens/etc. for the holidays. I am comfortable using what I already have, but in the early days, I used to feel envious of those who could do it up new, every year. I'm so thankful I've gotten over that envy and feel content with what I have.
That our goldfish, that live outside, entertain the young grandkids so well. Every time they come to our house, they must feed the goldfish! They love to watch them crowding around to gulp the food.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I'm very, very thankful that I may spend it with my family. I know not everyone will be able to do that, and I feel for those who can't.
I can totally get being excited about more light in the house. My home's lighting is pretty awful (especially in my kitchen) and we're fast approaching the "Going to work in the dark and going home in the dark" days of the year. AKA the worst part of the year.
Let's see ...
Thankful I'm taking time off next week.
Thankful that Thanksgiving will most likely be normal for me. We don't have big get-togethers and my family fits under the limit of people that the dictatorial governors are mandating (but can't enforce anyway.) But yeah, I don't have much family around and I've never been invited to a Friendsgiving or anything like that.
That PBS will be showing A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas this year. I have the DVDs of both but it's nice to see they will be on TV for other people.
That neither I nor anyone I know is sick. Depressed, sure but not sick.
I thought of you when I saw that PBS will be broadcasting Charlie Brown after all!
I, too, am thankful for sunny, chilly and non-humid days we have had recently. I love being able to wear a sweater or sweatshirt and not be overly warm.
I'm thankful for a warm house, warm food and a warm bed - which so many do not have when the weather turns cold.
I am thankful for my family, although some are far away and we will not get to see them during the holidays. But we get to Zoom and Face Time, so that helps.
As the virus seems to be getting worse, I am thankful that I can stay home as needed.
And I am glad for my stash of paper products, cleaning products, etc. that I have slowly gotten over the last few months. Today when I went to the store, the paper products aisles were pretty bare. Thanks to a local TV station saying that there "might" be another shortage, apparently everyone ran out to stock up, so of course there is a shortage.
Yes, I've wondered if that will be the case. I mean, I found myself thinking, "Oh, perhaps I should buy some extra TP!"
And of course that is the way that shortages start.
Our new home office.
Working from home.
We tested negative for COVID.
We have plenty of food.
I am thankful for my Crockpot.
Our beautiful home.
We will be almost debt free in 6 years.
1. We have enough paper/cleaning/food products on hand, (a reasonable amount, not hoarding levels), to last for a bit just in case things shut down or we can't get out to shop.
2. Still working for now for a non-profit that is partially publicly-funded. Our budget will be very tight in the next few years and I hope we can all make it through without more furloughs.
3. I appreciate what I have and am willing to adjust to changes. Not that I always like what happens, but I try to do the best I can with what is and that attitude is helping me feel calmer nowadays.
4. The sunshine when it does come out and candles that make the gloomy days seem less so.
5. Was able to bring home books from the office so I have more to read while at home this Fall and Winter.
We have new health orders here, now stores can only sell essential items, all non essential items can't be done in person. And you can't have anyone in your house who doesn't live there. Looking forward to 2021 - and hopefully healthier times for everyone!
What country are you in that you can only buy essential items in stores?? ... something tells me you are not in the USA because I don't see that flying here.
We had a random 61 degree day today in late November in WI and we got to play outside without heavy coats and snow pants. Woo hoo!
My family’s health. Nothing like a pandemic to make you appreciate not being sick.
My knives. I have two expensive Wusthoff knives we got for our wedding and I use them so much every single day. They make meal prepping so much faster and easier.
My parents babysitting our boys. We don’t have to pay for daycare when I work and they are such great grandparents.
A husband who is a very involved dad. I work nights so he has both kiddos overnight by himself sometimes and he does a great job.
Wusthof knives are simply beautiful! Pricey, but worth every cent because you'll have them for decades.
Thankful for:
1. Our entertaining and useful chickens.
2. The friend whose son has to do physical activity to get PE credits and who chooses (or maybe his mother chooses) that he does it helping us with winter chores like snow shoveling. We are not allowed to pay him.
3. That we had been careful about using cupboard items up so that when Safeway advertised a free turkey if you purchased $150 worth of groceries, we were able to restock things like tuna and clams and flour and so on. I also had a 10% off coupon because we got our flu shot there, so we used that and still were slightly above $150 so got a 22 pound turkey for free. I am really thankful for this yearly deal and that we can afford the $150 as I know many people cannot.
4. Discovering All-Bird shoes is one of the best things to happen this year. Not only are they heavenly comfortable, they stretch to accommodate my leg brace. It is the first time in six years I have been able to wear something other than sneakers.
5. For the husband, who this week fixed three different electrical issues in the house. He is colorblind so I have to be there to make sure he connects the right colors when he puts things back together but it is far cheaper than hiring it out. I have learned from watching him but, frankly, I am too afraid of electricity to mess with it. I never forget this one man at our local swimming pool who came back swimming after rehab from an electrical misfortune missing a limb and with terrible scarring. It took me years not to internally freak out when my husband tackled electrical issues...
6. For the job I had in college, as a plumber's assistant. (That was very progressive in the 70s, to hire a female for the job.) He taught me how to fix leaks like the one under our kitchen sink. It was a bit embarrassing that I was not strong enough to pull myself back out of the cupboard and the husband has to help me but it was worth it to save a plumbing bill. A bad week for repairs at our house!
Ugh, the repair curse hit your house after mine!
I'm totally skeered of electricity too. I leave all that to Mr. FG.
A plumbing repair deserves kudos even if you had to be rescued from it! Yay for practical skills!
I love the fact that Lisey is working in the motor trade too and having great practical skills. I know how to build a fire because it was my only choice if I wanted to be warm when I got home from school hours before my mum got home from work. We lived in the middle of nowhere with few resources and no other available heating. I didn't like living there but I like having fire building as a skill.
For the strength to be able to pack and move boxes in preparation for listing my house; for being able to sell unwanted items locally while practicing social distancing; for the furnace service guy who is always so cheerful, and his offer to change my a/c filters while he was at my house; and the sunny and cooler weather in my part of Texas.
That I have a home working space.
That we don't have debt and have savings in the bank.
That my work ran online soup making this evening and I made lovely spicy butternut and parsnip soup.
That the landlord agreed to the paint/improvement things I want to do.
That I didn't get the few jobs I went for a year or so ago, because my workplace improved after my old boss left, and I'd probably be out of work right now if I had got those jobs.
The weather this week has been amazing! So grateful to be able to get out and enjoy plenty of sunshine and exercise.
For the funds to afford luxuries like grocery delivery. This is the first time I've tried it, but I'm glad it's an option these days!
For work and clients who appreciate what I do for them...and for the skills to be able to do it.
For my mom who listens when I need to vent
For the hubs who continues to just be a pillar of calm during all the COVID madness.
For my sense of smell and taste. They're not great, due to a lifetime of allergies and allergy meds, but my best friend is suffering after having COVID early this summer. Her sense of smell and taste are really screwed up and most foods taste/smell horrible. So I'm extremely grateful to be able to enjoy foods!
Love these posts. I will even say I'm very THANKFUL for them! Haha
I'm thankful for:
* a warm place to live on a cold and snowy day
* homemade hot cocoa in a mug that a friend I love very much gave me
* that same friend! We meet up on Zoom for a visit about once a week.
* a husband who is my best friend...and who brings me warmed up heating pads when my feet get too chilly.
* all my old books. I know buying them isn't the most frugal option, but I re-read them and they bring me a lot of joy. (And nearly all of them were secondhand to begin with!)
Hello Kristen it certainly is a time to be thankful. We have been here in Western Australia watching the plight of USA with Covid and at church keep you all in our hearts and prayers. Keep safe and healthy.
I have so much to be thankful for every day it is difficult to choose 5.
At my age I’m thankful my body holds me well enough to be able to serve my God and family.
That my husbands father who lives with us has Had a promising outcome from his radiotherapy and the amazing medical staff that are so positive around him.
I’m thankful for the mild weather we are experiencing at the moment usually it is hot this time of the year. As I get older the heat becomes less tolerable.
I’m grateful we have a vegetable garden and an acre of land here so my 9 grandchildren can enjoy picking fresh vegetables and running about in the open space.
I’m thankful for my wonderful family and the lovely friends I have that share my good times and are there in trying times. The lord has a purpose for all of us.
Blessings to all of you we are praying for your safety here in Australia. Have a beautiful day.
Brigitte from Perth Western Australia
1. My college kids will be home in a few days. Can't wait to give them some hugs.
2. That we found a chest freezer at Costco a few months ago for < $200. It is making our covid grocery shopping easier.
3. That I have next week off from work.
4. That so far, my immediate family has avoided covid and my college kids were able to get tested this week.
5. For the wonders of broadband internet. The pandemic would have been much harder for me to handle 30 years ago.
I'm in the middle of a virtual conference, too. Even though it's not as stimulating as in person and I don't get to enjoy the usual beautiful setting (Monterey!) I don't have to take the time and pay the travel expenses either. I'm self employed, so I don't get credit for those expenses until tax time.
Your thankfulness for your hobby made me think about what was the most useful class I took in high school? It turns out to be TYPING (and I'm so old I learned on a manual typewriter!) because I use my touch typing skills constantly throughout the day on computers. At the time I took the class, the reasoning was that I could always earn a living as a typist or a secretary, but now that skill provides me with so much more. I have a doctorate and my own professional practice and I'm on the computer 8 -10 hours a day.
I believe the first lesson was:
f f f space j j j space
I was in the first class with electric typewriters at my high school.
I am a medical doctor and I agree with this so much! Took typing in jr high and it has served me so well.
I am so thankful I can type, too! I really enjoy it, probably because I was started on keyboard practice at 6 or so (I was an 1980s baby with a forward thinking dad). I have watched so many peers struggle with tech skills, and while I am certainly not a tech native, like my youngest sister is, I am at least a very competent typist.
Today I am thankful....
For mine and my husband’s jobs. So many are out of work and my job is secure and my husband is working overtime. We are so blessed to be employed!
For a well stocked pantry and food storage. Panic buying has become an issue again and I am seeing empty shelves again. We are better prepared this time around and I am so glad.
For lovely cool weather this week, lots of sunshine and low humidity. We have enjoyed the relief from warmer temps and our first fires of the season in our wood burning fireplace.
For Christmas music and movies and decorations. It is early I know but small joys are so important right now.
For the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. I know it will look different for us this year but again I am thankful for the small joys of roasting a turkey and making pies, cozy fires, & Charlie Brown specials.
Blessings to all!!
I needed this ! Virtual teaching has been so hard of late. I have such empathy for these kids and such PRESSURE from my admin. Terrible combination.
1. I am thankful for mild weather.
2. I am thankful for THE CROWN ( Princess DI)
3. My animals are AWESOME Covid entertainment.
4. That my governor is trying hard to keep people in my state alive.
5. That I still have a job and a paycheck!
Thankful for
my Monday walks with an adventurous group of women, the youngest is 65 I think. We carefully climb hills, over roots and rocks, through mud.
my walk today with my 2-year-old grandson. I read about a park that has exercise stations for adults and wanted to check it out. Today was cold but all one has to do is put on the winter coat, under layers, hat, gloves.
my time with the older two grandchildren, who live through the corridor.
Thankful for well stocked pantry/freezer at home.
Thankful I am quarantining safely and with limited anxiety.
Thankful for the chance for my daughter to be challenged and inspired on her own.
Thankful for my favorite cup of coffee every morning.
Thankful for my husbands good sense of humor.
I'm thankful for...
1. Cool weather and time to be outside.
2. Parents who are hosting me and the kids as we wait for medical stuff for my son. It's nice not to bear the brunt of cleaning or cooking on my own. It's allowed me more time with the kids outside.
3. My daughter's interest in field hockey which is my favorite sport. We have finally found something we enjoy equally.
4. Trees. My parents area has lots of them.
I am most thankful and grateful for celebrating 40 years of continuous sobriety this past summer. I was 26 when I got sober with the help of a 12-step program.
I thought my life was over but getting sober has allowed me to live a wonderful life in spite of it all.
This is an amazing accomplishment. Hooray, you!
That is fantastic! Such an amazing thing to be able to be thankful for.