Thankful Thursday | We went back to Hershey!
New here? Thankful Thursday is our weekly practice of sharing things we are grateful for. Appreciating what we have and experience costs nothing but can provide a serious happiness boost. Join in and share your own list in the comments!
This week, I am thankful:
for a fun Hershey Park trip with Lisey and Zoe
After I took Zoe and a friend earlier this summer, Lisey said she'd really like to go along with us some time too.
Then Hershey Park sent me an "upgrade your tickets to season passes" offer that cost about the same as a one-day ticket.
So, I bought three season passes, and yesterday the three of us coordinated schedules and went to Hershey for the day.
(Sonia's not as into amusement parks, in case you were wondering why she didn't come along!)
Since we have the passes now, we might try to get to Hershey for some of their fall/winter offerings as well.
that I had the money to take the girls to Hershey
As you know, I've been working hard to keep my expenses down (please see all my painting projects!) and due in part to those efforts, I had the money to pay for Hershey tickets for us.
I'm happy I can rehab furniture and then use those savings for things like this; it's probably the last summer that Lisey will live here, so prioritizing fun times with her is super important to me.
that the three of us are compatible amusement-park visitors
We all appreciate the more thrilling rides, so we never have any trouble agreeing on what to do next.
And no one gets left out because we all want to do the same things!
for a not-too-hot day at the park
We got sweaty, of course, but the skies had partial cloud cover, and the temps were not as miserable as they'd been the previous few days. Yay!
Thunderstorms were forecast, but they never materialized. And I think the not-so-great forecast kept the crowds down; this is exactly the reason I purposely choose to go to amusement parks on days when the weather looks slightly sketchy.
for safe travels to and from Hershey
Zoe drove the whole way both times (her driver's test is coming and we are trying to squeeze in all the hours before then) and on the way back, it was dark and rainy, which makes for challenging driving.
I mean, I've been driving for decades, and even I have a hard time seeing the lane markers in weather like that.
But she did great and we made it home safely.
for an extra summer with Lisey
She was originally slated to do all her aviation mechanic semesters back-to-back, but she opted to take a gap semester to work this summer (she will do her last two semesters this upcoming school year.)
This was definitely a good decision for Lisey, but I'm also happy about it! Now we have the gift of an extra summer to see her and do fun things (because working doesn't take 100% of her time.)
that the carport snake is not dangerous
As you know if you follow me on Instagram, a long black rat snake appeared in my carport the other day, then left rather quickly.
But when the girls and I came home after dark that night, he was back, and he was climbing up our carport walls and over the door frame. SO CREEPY.
The only thing I can think is that perhaps some little critter has made a nest inside the carport attic area, and the snake is trying to figure out how to get in there.
Happily, rat snakes are non-venomous. But still, I prefer not to have a snake above my head when I go out the door to the carport, and I hope he either finds his prey or gives up soon!
that a break in the weather is coming tomorrow
It has been a seriously hot last few weeks here, but starting tomorrow, we get some cooler days in the low 80s.
And most importantly, my weather app tells me the humidity will be significantly lower. YES.
Maybe I can actually finish up a few of my painting projects then. Even if I wanted to suffer in the weather, it's been too hot and humid for the paint to even work properly!
that we are all done signing up for college classes
Mine are all taken care of, I helped Sonia figure out her path a few weeks ago, and this week, I helped Zoe pick out and sign up for classes.
Yay!
I just have to drop off a piece of paperwork to get Zoe's 50% high school student discount, and then I will be good to go.
Except...I just realized I have not looked at textbook lists yet. Hmm. I will have to see what we need.
But at least our schedules are all figured out.
I'm thankful to be home again after a long vacation. It was great, but I love coming home and always start to feel anxious towards the end of a trip away. I'm also thankful that everything was fine here. No flooded basement, and even all my porch plants survived the heat wave. I think it helps that ove conditioned them to tolerate neglect. 😉
@Becca, I’m always happy to travel and always happy to come home. It is blissful to sleep in your own bed after being away.
@Bee,
Yes to my own bed even though I had to put it all back together before I could sleep in it! My husband was home for most of our vacation, but the cats apparently missed me and expressed their anger over my absence by peeing on my side of the bed! Grr...so I am also thankful that my husband did all the laundry before I got home... I am thinking that next year I will just take the cats with me. Cleaning a cat box in a vacation house beats coming home to a peed bed hands down!
@Becca, many years ago I went back to work after being a SAHM and apparently the cat was pretty torqued. He went into my closet and sprayed. I didn't catch this until I wore one of the dresses to work. While driving I kept smelling cat pee and, of course, I couldn't figure out why. Sitting at my desk I still smelled cat pee. I had to go home at lunch and change.
I never gave up on cats, though. Twenty-five years later, I currently have two.
@Anne,
It's like they are daring us to hate them...but I just can't...so furry and cute...
Hershey Park Happy! I recognize that river bridge photo since I only live about an hour away. You're very brave to have her drive that highway. Did you tour Chocolate World? How does the park feel since the Wildcat is closed?
It is wonderful to spend time with (semi) grown kids, no matter what the activity really. On our holidays, we always towed our kids to castles and historic reenactment whenever we had an opportunity. In turn, we were dragged into London comicon a few years back. We had always thought of cosplay as a quirky hobby and there we were, the only ones (with a handful of other flabbergasted parents) in slacks and shirts. But such a cheerful and friendly atmosphere?
I equally enjoy grocery shopping with our kids-
This week I am grateful that I am back in the groove of productive working. I had a hard time to focus for a few weeks, and I was getting concerned about that.
Back to work it is!
I am thankful for the rain we have received this week. I have been watching over a neighbor's garden and have only had to water it once since they left. Plus rain on our lawn is a huge blessing to help the new grass take hold and thrive.
I am thankful that we are harvesting crowder peas from our garden which I was certain would not produce at all this year. Many of my plantings are looking much better now that we have gotten out of the 90's and I am hopeful that they will continue to rock on in the months to come.
I am thankful for the new pup that joined our family in June. He is growing well and his antics and affection have helped us all not to be so sad over the loss of Luna Grace. We see a little bit of her in him every day and that is such a blessing to my family.
I am thankful for several productive weeks in our household. My husband and I have been working hard to get lots of projects marked off our to do lists. We have been tired but we have made lots of progress and I am grateful that we are healthy enough to tackle these & that we can see light at the end of the tunnel.
I am thankful for the beautiful zinnias I am harvesting from our yard. They are colorful & cheerful and are providing long lasting bouquets all over my home. Plus they are very frugal!
Happy Thursday friends!
Oh, that looks like such a fun day!
I am thankful for our son, who stuck around for part of his vacation to help his dad rent a truck and take our sofa to the repair shop. Also for a good report for me from the eye specialist, for yesterday's bountiful rain, for my faithful little old car, and for a quiet summer at our house.
TT, moving edition!! This week I'm thankful for our move. The packing and actual moving is not fun, of course, but the change is something we've been wanting for a long time. In a week it will be done!
I'm thankful that our new town has many options for buying inexpensive furniture. Our current landlord left a bunch of his furniture in our rental, so we didn't need to outfit the entire condo. Our new place comes completely empty, so we get to furnish it ourselves, to our tastes, yay! I'm excited to use online options + second-hand stores to find (and perhaps rehab?) some inexpensive furniture. I love thrifting (and finding stuff for free!), so this part of our move energizes me!
Related to my last point, I'm thankful that the amount of things we need to move is manageable! If we had a house full of furniture, it would be so much harder. This move is not quite as easy when we moved across the country with only what we could carry in our car (haha, we did that twice!), but it's going to be fine. 🙂
I'm thankful for friends willing and offering to help.
I'm thankful for rainbows after the storm.... metaphorically speaking. God uses all things for the good, and I've been thinking and wondering lately about how He will use painful things in my life to help others. It will be exciting to see.
@Brooke, I am strange (and my husband is this way, too) in that I like moving. Of course the actual shifting of belongings isn't that fun, but I like the way it makes me reassess my possessions, get rid of things I really don't want to move (and therefore must not really need/want) and I love the change. I hope you have an easy/fun time settling into your new place!
@Brooke, be sure to check “open box” specials for furniture online! There’s a $400 couch for $80 available on Wayfair right now, all because someone changed their mind and returned it. (I poke through now and again, just to marvel at the price differences.). If shopping locally, Habitat Restore is an incredible resource.
@N, Thank you! I'll check them out.
@Karen, Thank you! It's definitely a good time to let go of things that are no longer wanted or working.
I am off to Hershey Park at the end of August. My best frugal tip at all amusement parks is to ask for ice water at the concession stands and it’s free.
Thankful that we are moved into our new house and that it is around the corner from the library with a great story time 🙂
@Sam, That is so neat! I used to live within two blocks of a library and I loved it. So convenient to be able to return books without hopping in the car!
1) Thankful that I'm driving my last week of summer camp drop offs & pickups ever. Next summer, both kids will have a license, and it's unlikely that my (now) 15 y.o. will do more than one tennis clinic. I've been driving to & fro summer camps for 14 years, and it's a lot of logistics to manage with work. This week was particularly challenging to schedule, so I'm ever so grateful to be in the home stretch.
2) For my office for offering free workout classes. I took a spinning class to start off a really hairy day yesterday, and it really helped my mood.
3) I say this a lot, but leftovers! Between the kids, we have a lot going on in life right now, plus our work schedules. I don't love leftovers any more than the next person, but without them, we'd be either eating cereal, or eating out a lot.
4) One of my carpools is drawing to a close (the other teen got his license), so I'll be grateful about the 8 years of carpooling we did with him. All of those miles & hours saved, by coordinating rides!
5) We have had lovely weather all summer. Very few days over 85, and evenings cool enough to open all of the screened doors. We've only run the AC a handful of times, which makes me grateful. I love this time of year.
Also thankful for a break in the heat/humidity--my headaches get worse then and it's so nice to get relief when the temperatures go down a bit.
I'm thankful I was able to order a lot of my homeschool curricula for the year from Amazon, using my rewards points--that will maybe offset the fact that after our move I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I put the history curriculum I had carefully saved for my youngest! We have no basement and very few closets, so I'm going to scour the garage. Knowing me, I tucked them away in an odd place, thinking I'd remember....worst case scenario I'll order a new set, but it stinks!
@Karen, I often hide things from myself. One year Easter, I hid the candy from the kiddos. Unfortunately, when the time came, I couldn’t find it either. I didn’t come across until a month later. I hid it really well!!!!
I'm thank for A/C, modern plumbing, appliances, and vehicles. Our lives are so different for the lives of people a few generations ago.
I'm thankful for rain storms several times in the past week. It sure beats drought.
I'm thankful for my Instant Pot. I've used it this week to cook chicken, a whole butternut squash, and legumes. It adds very little heat to the kitchen/house and I don't have to babysit it. I wouldn't leave a pot of beans cooking on the stove but I left the Instant Pot while they were cooking.
I'm thankful I've been able to spend time with various friends this week.
I'm thankful that the babies my nieces gave birth to last month are doing well. I'm also thankful for modern medicine as they both needed C-sections.
I'm thankful that another niece will become a college graduate next week. She's had some struggles but has persevered.
I know snakes seem creepy, but this black snake is good snakes. I had one that lived in my front hedge for several years. He would pop up and look around - like a periscope.
On this day, I am thankful that we are approaching mid-August and the hottest of the summer weather is nearly over.
I am grateful that contractor for AT&T sent someone out to fix the damage done when laying fiber optic cables.
I am thankful that the medication the doctor gave me to help with my lingering covid symptoms seems to be working.
I’m thankful for morning coffee, birdsong, butterflies, my sweet family, Calico kitty and Rescue Pup who is begging for her morning walk.
Wishing everyone peace and good health.
@Bee, cheers on the AT&T win!
@Bee,
So glad to hear that your long haul symptoms are improving! Can I ask what med your Dr prescribed?
@Bee, we had a big king snake that lived in a bed of ivy at our old house. We showed the new owners the spot and asked them to leave the snake alone because it would keep the house free of rats and poisonous snakes. They were totally cool with that. In the cool of the evenings, the snake would come out and make its rounds in our side yard around the vegetable garden. It was neat to watch.
@A. Marie,
I wish that I could say that I fixed the problem myself. I am fortunate to live in a Municipal Service District staffed by helpful people. They sent me to the number of a knowledgable contact person and even sent me a form to get credit on my water bill for all the water lost when the pipe was broken. If it was not for three expertise, I’d still be in AT&T purgatory.
@A. Marie, I was in a hurry and not focused. With a little help from spellcheck, I made a mess of this post. Hope you can understand my response. You will need your editing skills!
@Becca, they have given me a steroid to help with the inflammation as well as an antibiotic for any potential infection. I am also taking some supplements including NAC which you recommended.
I am grateful for much less stress this week. I am grateful for cooling rain. I am grateful for having hope that things will get better.
I'm thankful for the abundance of garden produce right now, for the beautiful morning, for friends, for giggles, for kids who are big enough to make supper on their own, for the local ice cream shop, for clean sheets, for little to no pain.
@Jody S., AND it's still Thursday, and a muscle on the paralyzed side of my face is working!!!!! It's only a little voluntary movement under my eye, but this is so exciting for me!I am very, very thankful!
Ohh, this is the best news. Yay!!
@Jody S., Rejoicing with you!!!!! I've been thinking of you as you've battled this paralysis and am so happy to hear your lovely news! What a mental relief it must be to see improvement.
This week I’m thankful for having the opportunity to meet old friends that had taken a spontaneous trip here visiting.
Very grateful for having access to my sewing machine again and that I’ve gotten a nice, dedicated place for it.
Thankful for the rain so it looks like it will be a good year for mushrooms.
And right now I’m so thankful that my first week back at work is over and that there is a break in the rain so I can enjoy some of the high temperature (18c/64f) out on the porch.
Rat snakes, based on their name, are really great because they eat rats, mice and other rodents.
I am kind of envious of your second day in Hershey. My daughter had a great time there (Coal Cracker excluded) and has been asking to go back again. Maybe in a year or two. 🙂
I'm thankful that I have a child free weekend! I love my daughter; I really do! I also really love having some time with my wife where we can do some things together. It's been over three years since we had an overnight where at least one of us didn't have our child. So it's just nice that we can take a couple of days together. My parents never really went out together or did anything together (they almost never spend time together now) and I kind of want to break that cycle.
I'm thankful that my manager has been happy with my work lately. I still feel imposter syndrome a lot but it's nice to be recognized.
Otherwise I'm just thankful for not having a lot to do today. It's nice to not be going at full speed.
@Battra92,
I'm a bit jealous of your child-free weekend. My husband and I have been giving each other breaks when we can, but haven't been able to swing both of us away at the same time since before the pandemic hit. I hope you have a wonderful time!
@Becca, thanks. It's taken ages to plan and I'm still amazed we have this opportunity. We occasionally get a couple hours but even that is rare. My mom is almost always taking care of my sister's kids (gee, I wonder who the favorite child/grandkids are) so this is nice.
@Battra92,
My parents and mil watch my nieces and nephews way more than our kids too, but that is mainly by our choice. Our kids are special needs and super high maintenance, and with the added levels of stress/precautions from the pandemic, we've just been buckling down and doing the parenting slog. I know it will get better eventually, but I really miss that precious one-on-one time with my husband!
@Battra92, enjoy your kids-free time!
Oh, we did Coal Cracker yesterday! Among many, many other rides.
Yay for a weekend with your wife; I hope you guys have a fabulous time!!
@Battra92,
A child free weekend or even a day is so important! Luckily I had 2 sisters and my mom who would keep my 2 girls and my dog. It will get better as she gets older and spends the night with friends. Keep stealing any time you can manage.
TT, "Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History" Edition:
Thankful that my JASNA NYC bestie is coming up here this Sunday and staying till Friday morning. The meeting will be a somberer one this year than before, since my DH is in the state he's in and my BFF's DH died in May (complications after open-heart surgery). But, by gum and by Jane, we still intend to get out there and paint the town a discreet Wedgwood blue.
Thankful also that our JASNA friend from the next city over to the west will be able to get time off work for our traditional Triple Birthday Celebration (we all have birthdays in the second half of August). We've agreed to meet for this year's TBC in a village roughly halfway between our cities, best known for the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Women's Rights National Historical Park. We plan to visit both and commune with the spirits of Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, et al., in addition to having the TBC itself at a nearby pub. Huzzah!
@A. Marie, JASNA looks like a lot of fun. Did you meet your JASNA friends at events or were you friends that joined together? I have a friend that needs to get out a bit more and I'm thinking I may ask her to join with me.
@A. Marie,
I love the discreet Wedgwood blue. Happy birthday coming up! My oldest is having a birthday later this month, too, and she likes Jane Austen as well!
@Elaine N, we met through JASNA events. I met my friend who now lives west of here at a local JASNA meeting when she lived in my city. And my NYC friend and I were assigned as roommates on the 2009 JASNA tour of England, and hit it off immediately--so much so that the pair of fraternal twins on the tour said we were more like twins than they were!
@A. Marie, It all sounds a lot more lively than the societies I belong to. (William Morris Society, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society and Orwell Society. Maybe they're all too guy-centered, I dunno. I do make a joke about it being awkward on softball signup time to be a member of both Morris and Mackintosh. It's fine, I'm also the only person who finds that funny, too. sob)
@Rose, I'll be sure to ask my NYC friend whether she knows that there is a Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society. She's a CRM admirer, but I've never heard her mention a CRM Society. She may want to join!
@A. Marie, well, it's based on Glasgow, of course. I'm a life member.
I'm thankful for:
* Having had the energy to work all week (I`m usually part-time)
* Living where there is no snakes!
* Vaccines, and modern medecine in general
* Having found my cellphone (outside.... in the rain.... but it still works!)
* Kristen and this blog, which is my favorite!
Kristen, I’m so glad that even if you don’t like snakes, you appreciate that the rat snake is just harmlessly going about its day, just existing. My husband and I were delighted to find a sizable garter snake living under our porch when we moved in—he’s welcome to all the crickets in the basement! 😛 House snakes are considered good luck in some cultures, so maybe your rat snake is trying to tell you something. 🙂
Thankful-wise, August 6th marked the one year anniversary of saying goodbye to my fourteen-year-old soul cat. While I still miss him desperately, I’m also deeply thankful for the hard luck trio we adopted from the no-kill cat shelter after enduring a too-empty house for a month. They are AMAZING, loving, playful pets; my husband and I still don’t understand how they were at the shelter for over two years. We sometimes joke that “[My soul cat]’s ghost knew what was up”—that is, he knew others were waiting for a home, and he was ready to pass us on. He woke me at 2 AM the day of just to be held, and so we stayed until it was time for the appointment. Then, too. It was in fit of missing him that I visited the shelter’s website—ostensibly just to see who got his donations of food and medicine—and spotted the first of our trio; the other two had shared his kennel for two years. Brothers all. So one cat became three, and I’m thankful for each and every one.
Yes; there is no point in killing a harmless snake. He's just doing his thing, and he's not going to hurt us.
But I will be happy if he stops hanging out above my door!
1. I'm thankful that the violent, potentially dangerous thunderstorms we've had during these last few days have not done any serious damage or, surprisingly, cut off power at my home or work. We've had several really fierce storms sit right on top of us.
2. I'm thankful that the VA nurse returned my call quickly and seems to understand what I will need from her and the VA doctor. With his move to a nursing facility, my husband is now under the facility's doctor, but I need to get him transferred back to the VA's care. Since I need to do this without causing a lapse in medication, especially his insulin, this will take some coordination.
3. I'm thankful that the cut on my thumb is healing well. I was opening a package that was sealed well enough to protect it against nuclear disaster, and the cutter slipped. I've been wearing bandages plus using a glove when cooking and cleaning, but I can finally quit that. I'm also thankful that I grow yarrow, which can be used in a poultice to help stop bleeding.
4. I'm thankful that we have another three-day weekend coming up. The first half of my work year is bereft of work holidays, so the frequent holidays of the last half are welcome. It also means the heat and humidity of summer is going to wind down in a month or so, rather than crank up.
5. I'm thankful that the rain that passed through this morning has left the town I work in breezy and cooler (only 78F right now!), even though I know it's temporary. Often, rains leave us just more muggy, with spirals of steam rising off the pavement after the rain passes.
@JD, I feel for you on the juggling act between your DH's nursing home and the VA. I do understand that the VA is a lifesaver, but at the same time it often seems to add a whole other layer of complications in caregiving. (I don't have personal experience of this, since my DH is not a veteran--but I hear plenty about it on the alzconnected.org caregiver forums.)
I think JD deserves a million gold stars for skillfully navigating all of this!
*Like Kristen, I'm thankful for predicted cooler temperatures. I got to take a walk this morning for the first time in over a week.
*A funny medical success -- my 7 year old granddaughter won a contest with her 5 year old brother. She won by getting the biggest dried bean they could find into her ear, his ear was too small. Alas, the bean got stuck. A trip to the ER yesterday did not get the bean out. This morning she had a successful surgery to remove said bean.
*The joy of raising children and watching grandchildren grow and the wonder of where they get their inspiration for games, like sticking beans in their ears.
*The many ways we have to communicate with people who are far away from us geographically and most are free. I had a phone conversation on my cellphone with a lifelong friend yesterday that was an hour and 15 minutes long. I was in my 30's when cell phones got rid of long distance telephone call charges. Yesterday's call would have been about $10 in the 1980's.
*I just learned this morning that there are organizations which process breast milk for babies that can not tolerate formula. Wouldn't it be great if that industry were to become bigger than the formula production machine!
@Elaine N, here's a song from "The Fantasticks" (longest-running off-Broadway musical ever) that you may appreciate--and your granddaughter too, when she's older. Pay particular attention to the "Why did the kids put beans in their ears?" verse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ATQsqjrLQ&list=RDK5ATQsqjrLQ&index=1
@A. Marie, what a delightful song! I'll wait before playing it for my little bean fan so the kitten can grow up before being smeared with jam. Interestingly, she is also an A. Marie!
The song reminds me of a very smart job share partner I once had. Whenever she was trying out a new vegetable dish that she wasn't sure her two little boys would eat, she placed the dish in front of her husband's place at the table. When the boys asked about it, she very hesitantly said "This is for your father. You'll have to ask him if he is willing to share." It worked like a charm.
Thankful:
1. That it turns out that the tree that fell on our roof during a wind storm did no real damage.
2. That the freezer alarm I bought a few years ago went off, notifying us that the freezer had shut off so we did not discover it, and rotting food, two weeks later.
3. That there were only three freezers in town, due to supply chain issues, and one of them was in the style and price range we wanted.
4. That the young neighbor saw my husband drive up with a large box and trotted over to help unload it, without being asked.
5. That my 74 year old husband did not fall through the roof when he insisted that he "can too still do this kind of thing" and climbed onto the roof of the greenhouse. Honestly, I stood there with my cell phone at hand, so that I could call the ambulance right away when he crashed through and fell in on his head, got a TBI and died. And I managed to do that while still nagging/begging/threatening him to stop.
6. That I woke up annoyed over a dream, only to open an email from a friend sending me this link to a short video of a bear giving a trashcan CPR in Kodiak, one of the Alaskan islands. It started things off with a smile.
https://www.facebook.com/100000125222580/videos/761949651721717
@Lindsey, Ha, thanks for the video; that was great! Although I kept thinking that the guy in the red truck with his window open might want to remember that there was another trashcan directly behind his vehicle, in case mama bear (or cubs) suddenly decided to try a different one... Also the person who sauntered out with their trashcan who maybe didn't know a bear was right there? (Or maybe that's my lower 48 showing : )
And I hear you about husbands and roofs. I finally convinced my husband that we should hire someone to make a small repair and wouldn't you know - the roofer was over 80 and rickety on the ladder, so then it was just a different person to worry about.
@Lindsey, at the prosecco-soaked birthday brunch I attended last week, both Dr. Bestest Neighbor and the other 80-something man in attendance admitted that they are no longer going up ladders. Discretion is the better part of valor, as Sir John Falstaff reminds us.
@Lindsey, I was rooting for that bear and her three cubs like mad. I wanted to tell red truck to be quiet or go away.
Thankful for ridiculously nice weather this week. Today it is 73 degrees and breezy with almost no humidity. It’s unreal.
Grateful my mom bought me a box of peaches from the Georgia peach truck and they are so delicious. The ones at the store just don’t taste the same and I am so grateful she picked me up a case.
Our good friend’s aunt and uncle have an in ground pool and have been letting us come over and use it every week. Having a whole pool for just the six of us is really fun. I am grateful to them for opening up their house to us.
Thankful for our state and county park pass. It is relatively inexpensive and allows us access to tons of awesome forests, beaches, and trails. We even found 3 pounds of chanterelles the other day on our hike.
I am thankful my husband is pretty low maintenance and doesn’t need a ton to be happy. We are both good with a day at the beach or home playing in the yard with the kiddos. A craft beer and a fire and we are set (he might need a baseball game in in the background too). Throw some steaks or chicken or burgers on the grill with a salad and there’s dinner. It has recently occurred to me that some people require lots of going out and expensive outings or electronics or stimulating things that would be stressful to me and also prevent us from saving for retirement.
Really grateful to my husband’s company for flying us all to Atlantic City and paying for a nice hotel for their 50th anniversary. A free ocean vacation is pretty awesome and I am glad they are willing to do that for their employees. Also really grateful to my parents for watching our kiddos for those three days!
Not going to lie, the sight of the snake climbing up the carport walls and over the door frame would have elicited a major girlie scream out of me. I know it's a "good" snake and should not be killed but it would still have scared me silly!
1) I'm thankful for the massive amount of rain we had this week, the yard and gardens certainly needed the rain and the temperatures are a little cooler
2) I'm thankful that our rescue dog is hiding under the desk less during thunderstorms. She's still shaking all over when she hears thunder but sat by me on the couch during part of the storm. Just wish all her shaking didn't make me feel like I have motion sickness. haha
3) I'm thankful that while our SIL is out of town on business, we get to have dinner with our daughter and our son
4) I'm thankful that my best friend's brain MRI did not show any brain bleeds. I'm also thankful that I was there to take her to the appointment since she is a widow and has no family in town
5) I'm thankful that the pain from my tennis elbow is better after getting a cortisone injection
We were all having a combo of screaming/giggling at the snake. Luckily the girls were able to see the humor of it along with me.
@Beverly,
I draw the line at snakes inside my recessed light which was installed incorrectly or even baby snakes on the drain board as I put away the dishes. My husband told everyone that I was in bed looking at the real estate ads. I have a barn, fields and a tractor shed for them to hunt for mice. In a 150 year old house, I always have mice. Luckily the rat who lived under the sink did not enjoy Dcon.
Thankful the Cytopoint shot my pupper got made a huge difference in his symptoms. He is happy again! He battles with dermatitis.
I had time to bleach a load of whites, they are so much brighter now. Ya it's the small stuff.
For very few mosquitos this summer, last summer you could not even go outside. I have had only 1 bite this year. I got bit by more bees than skeets this summer.
A work class that hubs was dreading his employer surprised them afterward & took them on a racetrack for a couple of spins around at 135 mph. They had fun.
I am going to help organize my dads house, my sister is a hoarder and saying the house is a mess it putting it nicely. I will take a big cup of patience with me. I'm really good at organizing things so it should be ok. We were going to buy rubbermaid tins for her yarn until she said told us she has 19 milk crates of yarn. We will rethink for larger bins.
I wonder if snakes categorize humans into "good" and "bad" ones.
I am immensely frustrated with attitudes of American health care and with our satellite TV provider. However, after venting that all to my husband, I am moving forward. I give thanks that these are options for us, even in their currently damaged state.
And I had a major smile when I saw how to make Baby Yoda cookies. I don't follow the Star Wars saga, but who doesn't smile at the Babe? The sugar cookies are made with an angel cookie cutter, (a classic design), with the head cut off. Loving it.
Rain! We went 82 days without a drop and before that, only trace amounts in the spring. We have had a lot of showers the last week which makes me relieved and happy.
Telwork days! We have been back in the office 3 days a week since June of 2021 but soon we will be able to work 3 days at home instead of 2. I probably won't be able to take advantage of the extra telework day a lot. I often need the full size printer/high capacity scanner, postage machine and real signatures on documents to get my work done. But it will be nice to have the option to work an extra day at home if I can. (And save some gas!)
Vacation days! I am taking tomorrow off for no good reason. 🙂
Improved health! My tendonitis has eased up to the point where I can finally get some housework done.
Crummy health insurance! Because it beats no insurance at all by a lot.
1. For access to healthcare and insurance; I definitely don't take it for granted. I had a sick munchkin (ok, he's almost 6' tall!) that wasn't getting better and we were getting worried. He's got some underlying health concerns that make things a bit more complicated. The doctor confirmed this morning what I thought was wrong and okayed the course of treatment I had started. A grace!
2. My husband's grandmother has in home care now twice a week through hospice. She's salty about it but doesn't resist them helping her with personal care like she fought us. Grateful to see her getting what she needs and feeling better enough to fuss about it. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to be a part of her care and for my children to walk along with us as we learn what loving elderly people well looks like.
3. My sunshine oldest is back home after all lot of traveling this summer. He's so cheerful and adds a lot of joy to the house. Also, his hard work for the ACT paid off and he's hopefully got a leg up for college scholarships. (We home educate, so it's a boost for teacher-mom too!)
4. For kind friends that invite us out to their lake house every year. They have all of the fun stuff and love to share it with us, and even take hundreds of pictures to enjoy (I usually get our Christmas cards photos from the weekend). We get to have a blast without the commitment of the house, boat and equipment. It's a win!
5. For AC, hot running water and a washing machine. Having spent time without, and in countries that don't have them, I'm daily grateful for those blessings!
I hear you on your #4!
@Amanda P, oooh, I forgot a biggie! For the brand new 8 quart InstaPot with all of the gadgets my MIL passed on to me. She heard me mention how much I like our 6 quart (also a hand-me-down) and bought one for herself but never used it. So now we have a bigger one for feeding the ravening hordes (teen boys).
Thankful for:
An unexpected visited from my Seattle living daughter in law!
Great bike riding weather.
For my little front porch!
An impromptu visit from our old and dearly loved neighbors.
Our last summer ( prob) with our 21 year old at home.
I love roller coasters. So glad you could go with those sweet young ladies.
I HATE snakes. I have always said that if I see a snake anywhere near my house, I'm moving that day and NEVER coming back. So I am thankful that I have never seen a snake on my property (rattlers are indigenous here . . . ).
@jan, My brother and sisters used to show me the snake pages in the encyclopedia just to hear me scream. As a new librarian, I used to shelve the snake books by the very edges. I still hide my eyesifone comes on TV. I do feel your pain.
Today I am am thankful for:
1. Kristen's cleaning solution for showers using blue Dawn and vinegar. Works very well.
2. The person who posted here about using rags soaked in vinegar to get rid of water scale in the shower. My shower was stained a dirty brown, and nothing I tried had made any difference. Three days later after continued soaking and scrubbing my shower floor is now almost white! I am seriously so pleased with how nice it looks tha I keep going to look at it!
3. Roads--I recently went on a road trip that included a lot of driving through mountainous areas. I was imagining how much more difficult life must have been for First Peoples and early pioneers and how daunting those mountains would have been. I just blithely sailed right through in a single day. Along the way, there were various areas where repair or new construction was happening, including areas where they were blasting holes through mountains or building extensive bridges over precarious areas. I'm so thankful for good roads!
4. Picking enough saskatoons so that my class this year can try making either fruit leather or pemmican.
5. The aquafit class at the local pool.
I’m a Hershey Park fan as well!!
The Fall and Winter events are great. Some rides are closed, however it’s still a fun (and less crowded) time.
Good opportunity to check out their attached zoo
The holiday lights are really enjoyable as well
Thankful for my sweet and entertaining dog, the opportunity to catch up with a friend over lunch, and a quiet week at work.
So many things to be thankful for this week! I am thankful that the last few projects I have to wrap up before leaving my current job are all going well. I was even able to turn around one problematic client and get him onboard with a new test strategy (I am a scientist designing and running testing services). I am so thankful for my husband giving both kids a bath last night so that I can work on something for my future employer. He also made dinner while I was out with our older one on a play date. I am also thankful for the upcoming vacation to see my family for the first time in 3 years - only 8 more days to go! I am also thankful that we don't have scorching heat anymore. Upstate NY never has long summers but we had a heat wave for a few days, and no A/C because we can't put the standard units on any of our windows.
I am sure I am forgetting something 🙂
I am thankful to have found this peaceful community, celebrating the good and the quiet as well as more splashy experiences.
And for a happy evening last night at an outdoor picnic concert, fireflies in the dusk, small children pirouetting to the music until they fell down.
For stiffness finally receding from my right thigh, possibly due to a change in statin medication.
For the new shirt I made for my husband, fitting perfectly after a wonderful YouTube teacher taught me how to adjust the pattern for his tummy.
And for my piano teacher, who is helping me become a better player and musician, and keeping it interesting.
So thankful the wedding weekend is finally here. Our son is getting married Saturday. The celebration should be quite a joyful shindig!
Very glad the forecast looks like beautiful weather for the weekend.
Thankful for Kristen’s tip on crisping cucumbers. We eat a lot of salad with cucumbers and I use the cucumbers even if they’re a bit soggy… but now I know how to crisp them.
We live in Harrisburg so I recognize those bridges! We are headed to the park tomorrow to get more use out of our season passes.
I love those bridges! The arches are so beautiful.