Thankful Thursday

It has been a LONG time since I have posted.  Some of that is because life is busy and some because I forgot, but mostly it is because I feel guilty that I haven't done it for so long and I am so behind.  How much sense does that make?  I don't want to post because I feel like I have to catch up on everything that has happened in our lives and there is just too much.  But, I was reading LeShell's page and I was thinking how fun it is to look back and see all of her happy moments and then a girl in our ward gave a talk about writing down things you are grateful for so I thought I should go back to blogging; at least occassionally.  So, I am going to start simple.  I am not going to go back and update everything that has happened in our life right now, I probably never will, but I want to focus on just the past week.
Since Thursdays are the best day for me to blog, I am starting Thankful Thursday.  Here is what I have been thankful for this past week.

I am thankful that things don't always turn out the way I planned.  I put this in the washer and Peter wen't to take it out.  He felt bad because he said it had been ruined. I saw it and think it looks AWESOME.  Even better than before.  Now it looks more worn; perfect for Halloween.

The new wardrobe my mom gave me!  So happy about this.  She buys the nicest stuff and since she was going to send some of it to DI, she decided to send it to me.  Happy Day.

I am thankful for the times that Porter and I get to read together.  He is such a great reader.  I can't believe what he can read on his own. 

I am thankful we were able to have Mia Love come to our home.  While she didn't win, it was neat to meet such a neat lady and have her visit us.  She is fantastic and the state missed out by not electing her.

I am thankful for the food our family has had to eat.  I have been working on freezer meals this past wek and so far I have been able to make the following:
7 Appricot Chicken Dinners
1 Chicken Noodle Soup Dinner
2 Cheesy Vegetable Soup Dinners
5 Meatloaf
And today I made a crock pot full of refried beans.  After having burritos for dinner, I still had enough to freeze beans for three more nights.  It feels so good to have food ready.

I am thankful I was able to teach Julia and Brigham to play Ticked to Ride tonight though I am not so thankful Julia killed me.  It was her first time!

I am thankful for "disposable" income.  I saw this super clearanced at Michael's the other day and I was so glad that I could get it to put above our light until Thanksgiving.  How many people don't hav ANY disposable income.  How long will we?  It is a blessing I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the wreaths I was able to make this week.

This one is on our front door and we will put it up every week that someone in our family has a birthday. 

This is the one I made for the pantry.  I made it out of split peas.  :)

I am thankful for the chance I had to take these cute olympians trick-or-treating.  I know there won't be many more years of this so I love doing it now. 












At first Eleanor HATED her costume.  She wouldn't wear the sweat band, or the medal and she didn't want to carry anything.  after the first house she realized if she did they would give her candy and she refused to take any of it off.


I am thankful for my friends Leah and Nicole. I like to get together just to talk, work on projects, exercise, etc.  I will share the project I worked on later.

I am thankful for my awesome example nephew Brad who received his mission call today.  He is going to Cleavland Ohio Spanish speaking mission on January 23rd.  I know everyone probably feels this way about their family but this is one fantastic kid.  He has an incredible commitment to the Gospel and he has always been so loving and fun with my kids.  Ohio is one lucky state (though they don't deserve it after the election last night).

I am thankful for cell phones that have unlimited long distance and airline tickets.  LeShel had her beautiful baby Anna and I love that while we don't talk as much as I wish we did, we can chat on the phone about anything and everythong and nothing for 30 minutes without having to worry about charges.  Life is good when you can chat with a friend thousands of miles away while driving to pick up your kids from school.  I am thankful I was able to get an airline ticket to go see her next week as well.  I can't wait to hold that baby in my arms and spend a few days sitting on her couch talking about more of nothing for a few days.  :)  Sor excited.  I am also thankful that Peter is willing to take care of all the other kids while I am gone so I can have this trip. 

I am thankful to my incredible husband who turned our garage into this last weekend.  I wish I had a before picture.  Every time I walk into the garage I smile.

This past week I realized how thankful I am for blow dryers for hair.  How many people in the world live somewhere that they can push a button and have hot air blow out to warm them up.  I can go from freezing to warm all over and I love it.

I am thankful for my strong body.  Tonight we had an enrichment where we shared things we are thankful for.  Sometimes get caught up thinking about what I would make smaller, bigger, smoother, etc. but the Lord has blessed me with a strong body that can do amazing things.  This past summer I ran Ragnar where in 27 hours I ran a 7, 4, and 3 mile run.  Then a few months later, I was able to run a MARATHON.  26.2 miles.  Bodies are amazing and as I look around I realize that a strong body is something not everyone has and I may not always have one.  So, I am thankful for mine, as long as I am able to have it.