Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 30

Today I'm thankful for:

• venison chili in the crockpot


• the chance to wrap up birthday presents for our nephew's 2nd birthday party


• a not-so-little treat I just ordered for our house... I'll tell you all about it when it gets here!


• the library


• Christmas movies, especially this one!


• the Thirty Days of Thankfulness project (which I did not invent); it has kept me thinking all month long

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 29

This morning before work, we hung up our Advent calendar. I still need to fill it up, but it made me so happy to get those 24 little stockings up on our fireplace.

Last night I got home from work after a looooong work day (ending at 9:00) and I found the sweetest surprise! My mom had dropped off a copy of this book, which I've been secretly wishing for. I'm thankful for my mom and her thoughtful treats. Can't wait to try some of the projects in the book-- there's even a squirrel ornament, which of course will be perfect for Woodland Critter Christmas!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 28

Today I'm thankful for the fantastic thrift stores in our area. I love shopping at thrift stores because of the prices, the environmental impact, and the fact that the money I spend goes to an organization doing lots of great things in the community. I also love the idea that any item I purchase has a secret past that I'll never know about. So mysterious and fun! But even more fun when this sign is posted on the door:

That's right, twenty percent off at my hometown St. Vincent de Paul store on Black Friday. My mom and I found a few treasures, including wrapping paper that I've already put to use. Whoever thought of thrift stores was a total genius.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 27

Overheard today (from a little boy):

"Ya, but infinity only goes up to 'and beyond.'"


I'm thankful for all of the candid little comments I overhear on a regular basis at work. I'm not eavesdropping; a lot of kids just aren't really good at talking quietly.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 26

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with lots of family time with Karl's family and my mom. We had amazing food, celebrated our nephew's second birthday, and got some plans nailed down for Woodland Critter Christmas. The newest addition is the meringue contest. I'm imagining meringue mushrooms and possibly squirrel tails. I'd better start practicing!

I'm thankful for our family and friends, and for what promises to be a delightful Christmas!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 23

Remember the other day when I broke a mug? Well, a chunk of the handle was still hanging around in the garbage disposal today, causing all kinds of havoc. I'm thankful for:

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 22

I paid our mortgage today. While I don't love paying that ridiculous amount every month, I am thankful that:

• We have a house to live in



• We have enough income to pay for our house



• Our bank (UW Credit Union) is fantastic



• My sweet husband is great at home repairs



• We live in a safe neighborhood within walking distance of lots of things, including the bus line, grocery stores, and a movie theater



• Karl and I have an emerging shared vision of how we want our house to be "someday"



• Our cozy fireplace is willing to work for us all winter long, keeping us happy and warm



• I get to wake up tomorrow and not have to leave the house to go to work... I took the day off and I'm looking forward to an around-the-house pie-baking jammie-wearing kind of day. Hooray!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 21

I know a girl who is allergic to corn. I am really thankful that I don't have that allergy. Talk about inconvenient. Actually, the only thing I'm allergic to is nickel, which is pretty easy to live with. I just have to keep a sweatband in my banjo case to protect my wrist from the nickel-laden metal part of the instrument. Who doesn't want to play banjo while wearing a pink sweatband?

I'm also thankful for a nice sunshiney run this morning, for friends who make me laugh, for fires in the fireplace, and for the fact that I don't own any clothing that says "ZUMBA" on it in rainbow colors. Unlike one of my Zumba classmates last night (not the teacher). Who knew they make parachute pants and matching tank tops with ZUMBA written all over them? I really was dying to know the back story on how that woman got her outfit. Where, when, and why, please.

Oh my gosh. Do a Google images search for "Zumba clothing."

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 20

Today I tried Zumba for the first time. And the last time. It was an okay workout, but man alive, that music is dorky. I was thankful for:

• the rest of the people in the class, who seemed just as uncoordinated as me
• the opportunity to leave early (during a water break)
• an open lane in the pool, where I went to finish working out. No dorky music there, thank you very much.
  

Karl and I went grocery shopping and I think we've got everything we need for Thanksgiving! We're doing the two-family double-header this year, so I better start working up an appetite now! We're planning to get our Christmas tree on Friday and I cannot wait. Did I mention that I'm thankful for Karl? I am. He's the best.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 19

Today I accidentally broke three drinking vessels (two glasses and one mug) in three separate shows of coordination. I'm thankful that we had more than three drinking vessels at the beginning of today.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 18

This morning I got up early and went swimming before work. And it was a looooong day at work, so I was thankful all day for my morning swim. It made the day a lot more bearable. I'm also thankful that my mom called a couple of hours ago! She was in the neighborhood, and she picked me up and we did a little bit of Christmas shopping. It was a fun surprise to see her!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 17

Today I am thankful for:

• Items crossed off my to-do list


• A short Friday to-do list


• A two-day work week next week! (Well, okay, four days if you count Saturday and Sunday)


• The luxury of not needing to own two cars


• A really nice swim last night


• A brisk but sunny walk to the Post Office today

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

Yesterday I started and ended my day at healthcare facilities. I had a 7:45am appointment at the clinic for routine blood tests, which was super fast and easy. But on my way to my banjo class last night, I was rear-ended, so after class I stopped by urgent care. Just a casual spine X-ray, nothing to worry about. So today I'm thankful for access to medical care.

The people at urgent care last night were really nice. I got there fifteen minutes before they closed, which I apologized for about a thousand times. They were all super cheerful and made me feel like I wasn't standing between them and their cozy houses and families (even though I was). I hope I treat library patrons the same way when they come in just before closing!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 15

Is it really already November 15? How in the world did half of November already happen?!

Today I'm thankful for:

• My wonderful husband, who got up early to drive me to work


• The gorgeous, gorgeous weather (I ran home yesterday, with no jacket or gloves)


• The promise of a Chirstmas tree in the near future (I cannot wait to decorate for Christmas!)


• My Tuesday schedule at work, which includes two storytimes and an after-school knitting club


• Working in walking distance of the Post Office


• Approved vacation for the day before Thanksgiving! I work on Saturday and Sunday, but I'll have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. Yay!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 14

I'm thankful for screen-free days (like yesterday!), when I don't look at a computer at all. So refreshing.

Last night I was talking with some friends about curtains. At our house, we still have the boring blinds that came with the house. Snooze. But I've been searching and searching for the perfect curtains-- or at least ones that I like. Nothing too sophisticated. Nothing too drapey. Just something fun and colorful. A few months back, I met the curtains of my dreams at a coffee shop. They were darling: floral but not too floral, colorful but not overwhelming. The barista told me the curtains were from Urban Outfitters, so of course I immediately tried to order them... only to find out that they were discontinued (why a company would discontinue the most darling curtains ever is beyond me). After our curtain chat yesterday, I decided to check out the Urban Outfitters site just to see what else they've come up with. And guess what? THEY'RE BACK! The perfect curtains are now available... backordered, but whatever. I just have to do some measuring at home and then order them. I cannot wait. And let me just say that the photos on the website don't do these curtains justice. They're way cuter than they look online. All that to say that I'm thankful for potential home improvements!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

How luxurious is it to lay in bed mid-morning, reading? Very. I love it. Today I'm thankful for the chance to relax.

For you curious readers who commented with questions:

1. Karl and I went to Luigi's, a new Food Fight restaurant near Sequoya Library, with Nichole and JM. I'll let you wait and read the full report on their blog, but for now, let's just say... go somewhere else. The best part was going next door for chocolate-dipped bananas for dessert and then checking out the self-check machines at the library (Nichole is a librarian, too; we love these things).

2. Photos of the miracle posters, taken in the driveway... there are 12 all together, but I'll just give you a little peek. They're by illustrator Brian Wildsmith and I think they were made in 1971. Each month features a different animal.

My friend Caitrin used to tell me that I was the world's worst photographer, because I was always cutting people's heads off in pictures. I guess that applies to turkeys, too (look on the left). Oops. Always room for improvement, I guess!


This one might be my favorite:

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

Guess what Karl and I get to do tonight? We get to go out for dinner with Nichole and JM of Eating in Madison A to Z! Nichole and I went to library school and volunteered with the Jail Library Group together. We also ride bikes and play games together sometimes. So I am thankful for what will surely be a fun evening of good food and good company!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Four on Ten Edition

Usually on the tenth of every month, I post ten photos of my day, as part of the Ten on Ten project. Yesterday was the tenth, and here are all the photos I took. In my defense, I had an all-day meeting and I didn't want to be the inappropriate person taking pictures during a meeting. Then I got to hang out with a sweet baby, and of course we were much too busy playing to even think about getting the camera out.

Garage roof dusted with snow :: Car heater turned up :: Knitting bag :: Teeny knitted gnome

I'm thankful for tons and tons of great ideas that were shared at yesterday's meeting (youth services librarians are a creative bunch, let me tell you!), and for the chance to play with Baby K, who is cruising around as if he's been walking all his life. He's also on the verge of talking... so fun.

Oh and I am thankful for the Meeting Miracle of yesterday. For a long time, I've been looking for a certain set of posters that we had when we were growing up. They're basically impossible to find. At yesterday's meeting, some people brought extra stuff to give away. I brought a really awesome tri-fold flannel board that we weren't using (it got snapped up right away) and two pitiful marionettes that no one wanted. The poor things are going to Goodwill later this weekend. But I scored-- you guessed it-- the entire set of posters. The whole set! They're not perfect but they're intact because they were laminated and honestly I think it was meant to be. I was so happy that I nearly hugged the librarian who put them in the swap pile. A Meeting Miracle, I tell you!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

This morning Karl and I left the house in the pouring rain. By 9:15am, I was watching snow fall sideways out the windows of the library.

I'm thankful for:

• My co-workers, who are lovely to work with


• The teensy bit of sunlight remaining in the sky at 5pm


• A weekend, only two days away!


• The promise of a fire in the fireplace tonight


• The cutest little itty bitty gnome on my knitting needles

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

It's rainy and dreary, and we finally turned on the heat (but I'm trying to convince Karl to turn it off-- it's in the mid-50's today!). I'm thankful for:

• Storytimes this morning


• My 'tween knitting club this afternoon


• Banjo class tonight!


• A husband who chops up butternut squash and helps me make delicious dinners

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 7

How is it already November 7? Wasn't it just September?

Today I'm thankful for:

• A reasonable to-do list


• A newly cleaned storage closet at work


• Fun ideas from other librarians


• Finding my pinking shears (they were in the storage closet)

Usually I work from noon till 9pm on Mondays, but today I'm working 9-5, which is AWESOME! I love it. You guessed it: I'm thankful for today's work schedule.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

I'm so thankful for the extra hour we had today! I slept in, went to a baby shower, visited Karl's grandma, and did a bunch of canning and freezing. We now have several quarts of beets (not pickled; I used my new pressure canner so I didn't have to pickle them!) in the pantry and a few bags of frozen kale, squash, and pumpkin in the freezer. I'm thankful for the big bucket of beets my mother-in-law picked for us; we'll enjoy them all winter long!

It's not even six o'clock and my to-do list is basically finished! Hello knitting. Hello reading. Yes please.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day Five

Today I am thankful for gorgeous weather! I'm just about to walk out the door to frolic in the sunshine. I love fall!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day Four

Today I am thankful for a day off with my husband. Seriously this never happens. He has clinicals every Saturday and Sunday right now from noon to 11pm. So a whole day together is very rare. We went on a little tour of thrift stores this morning. I scored a water bath canner with the insert for jars and everything. I already have one water bath canner, but having two means I'll be able to process twice the number of jars at one time. Oh and it was $1.67 after tax.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day Three

I'm heading to a conference in Milwaukee today, where my library director and I are giving a presentation. I'm thankful for the bus ride there, a nice long chunk of uninterrupted knitting. I love sitting back and relaxing while someone else takes care of the driving. With Christmas just around the corner, I 'll take all the knitting time I can get!

And I'm thankful for the chance to hang out with two of the coolest kids ever, William and Henry, tonight!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 2

Today it's rainy, and I'm thankful for:

• an indoor job


• hot tea


• wool socks


• my husband picking me up after work

Today is the birthday of my lovely friend Bridget, who passed away this spring after a courageous battle with cancer. I'm thankful for the chance to have dinner with her sweet husband, who lives in Portland but is coming through Madison, and friends tonight at one of Bridget's favorite restaurants.

Thirty Days of Thankfulness: Day 1

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's already Thirty Days of Thankfulness time again! Many thanks to Cassie for being on the ball and posting her first Thirty Days entry super early today-- I probably would have forgotten otherwise!


Today I'm thankful for sunshine and leaves turning colors. I'm thankful that I got to drive to work today, which means that my commute was super short and I can go run a couple of errands at lunch (I'm buying tomatoes and ginger for slow cooker Palak Paneer, if you must know). I'm thankful for my husband, who was washing dishes as I left the house this morning, and who studies around the clock so that he can finish his nursing program.

And I'm thankful that Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team is back on in its full glory. Man, I love that show. We don't have cable, but the full episodes are available online. If you've ever secretly wanted to be a dancer or a cheerleader or a prancy-prance type of girl, you'll love it.