Thankful

Thanksgiving was wonderful and so, so relaxing. The entire weekend was really.

Maggie was extremely excited for Thanksgiving. She asked me every day for a week if it was Thanksgiving yet and on Thanksgiving morning woke up at dawn thrilled that she was going to see her cousins. I adore her enthusiasm and love of her cousins, though I am a little nervous for Christmas if it was that hard for her to sleep in until a decent hour on Thanksgiving.

My lovely sister-in-law Jenn hosted. She did the majority of the cooking: PERFECT turkey (she had this magical roaster), mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing. Another lovely sister-in-law, Lisa, brought some veggies and fruit and covered the homemade pie angle--I'm talking delicious FROM COMPLETE SCRATCH pumpkin and raspberry pies. I am getting her recipes for some day when I am feeling ambitious. I showed up with my store-bought rolls, store-bought pies, and an easy-peasy salad. Basically, I got off nearly scot-free again. (Scot, does that term bug you?) That's twenty-eight Thanksgivings and counting. I'm thankful for that. I had until last-minute envisioned making homemade rolls, but we had a lot going on throughout the rest of November and I got lazy. Life is long. I have had and will have plenty of opportunities to make homemade rolls. Thanks to Mike for being really supportive of my decision. He went out Thanksgiving morning and bought plenty of yummy ones, so we had variety. And we enjoyed lazing around the night before Thanksgiving, just watching a movie and spending time together. It was heavenly. Between kids and work and school, etc., that is always a treat. Post-Thanksgiving was filled with more relaxing, a little shopping, and of course laundry. There is no vacation from that.

Here are my cuties at desert time...I think Maggie and Kate were in those jumpers last Thanksgiving. It's going too fast. And Maggie is wearing her favorite Hello Kitty shirt with short sleeves, even though I tried to tell her it was cold out. Oh well.

I am thankful for so many things right now. Here is a tiny sampling:

-the comfortable home I have to live in
-the car I have to drive
-I never want for yummy food to eat
-wonderful visits with so many family members throughout the year
-good friends near-by and afar
-my health
-little snippets of time I find to keep in touch with loved ones and the myriad of ways I have at my disposal to do so: calls, e-mails, blogs, facebook, texts, instant messaging (does anyone still call it that?), video chats, and good, old-fashioned letters
-all the good weather we've had this year and the park time that's been possible because of it
-outlets like running and music, writing and reading, home projects and photography, and even cooking and cleaning--even though I just dabble, those activities nourish that part of me that needs to grow and learn and accomplish
-the simple pleasure I feel every time I walk by a few recently hung pictures (just a little well-placed effort has given me so many moments of satisfaction)
-my camera, even though I always wish for more, I am grateful for the sweet memories it enables me to capture
-the gold loafers I just happened on to replace my well-beloved gold flats, which I recently discovered holes in
-my lovely little town
-Mike is headed for his last! semester of grad school

Most of all, I am grateful for my testimony and my family. I have a Heavenly Father who has a plan for me and a Savior that loves me and has made that plan possible. I have sisters who I adore, a brother who is just as loved, and parents I am proud to call my own. My in-laws treat me as their own and I feel lucky to be associated with each of them. And my beloved husband makes so many of my dreams reality and makes it possible for me to be at home each and every day with my darling girls Margaret, Katherine, and Emily. Thanks Mike!