02*01*14

:: That we have been able to live here with Mark's parents while we are waiting for our housing situation to change. I know that I haven't really acknowledged that because I have been irritated that we are still here, but honestly, it really has been a ginormous blessing that I need to announce more. All of my things today will be about that!

:: I'm grateful that my kids will have great memories of their grandparents.

:: I'm grateful that we can help them with Steve. Having lived with Steve several times, it can become exhausting to think that they have been caring for him for 26 years and there will be no break until he passes on. That is a LONG time to take care of anyone. I'm glad we can give them a break.

:: I'm grateful I don't have to make dinners on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It has been a huge blessing to come home from a long day of piano teaching, we're all hungry and ready to be home, and have dinner warm and on the table.

:: I'm grateful we don't need to stress about a mortgage any of those things that come with owning a home. It's been a perfect time for us and I'm confident that it hasn't been a coincident. :0)

02*09*14

:: For no one throwing up at night and for kids sleeping in.

:: For getting to church on time after a fun stay-cation in Denver

:: For hearing talks in sacrament that were good for me to hear.

:: For getting farther on my blog book.... I'm in November!!

:: For Davis saying "stacious" for statues. "Look Mom! A horse staciou!" :0)

02*08*014

:: For no schedule. It was nice to sleep in and be lazy in the morning and do what we wanted to do.

:: For a new wii game. We got Super Mario Galaxy.

:: For ice cream.

:: For books on tape. I love falling asleep to them.

:: For new card games to play with the family.

02*07*14

:: For taking a mental health day and taking the kids out of school, getting a hotel, and doing activities in Denver.

:: For warmer weather... it's only low 40s, but compared to the below freezing, no one was wearing coats. :0)

:: For Mark not working on Fridays so he didn't have to worry about taking it off.

:: For a swimming pool at the hotel.

::For history. We went and saw a farm built in the 1800s and then the Denver capital. I'm amazed at how resourceful people were with very limited supplies and technology and what they were able to build.

02*02*14

:: For having the sun be out and fresh snow be on the ground. It was beautiful!

:: For doing fingernail polish with the kids.

::  For playing button, button with my primary class and my kids later that day.

:: For my primary class being really good today. It only took 5 weeks to get into a good routine! I know have everyone's initial listed on the board and if I have to get after them about something, they get a mark. Three marks and they can't play the game after the lesson.

::For popcorn. It's my go-to snack!

02*01*14

:: For getting the house cleaned quickly.

:: For spending a few fun hours with McKinney to get her ears pierced, go out to lunch, and have "the talk".

:: For McKinney getting teary-eyed about still liking Cinderella, but being afraid to admit it because her friends say anyone who likes Cinderella is a baby. It was pretty cute!

:: For McKinney being completely clueless about "relations." I'm sad we have to talk about those things so early, but it was comforting to know that we were the first people to talk to her about it.

::For going and doing errands with Mark after the kids were in bed. There are some perks with living with the in-laws.

01*31*14

:: For Mark's robe. I don't have one for myself and his is extra long and comfy and with it snowing all day, it was a  perfect companion as I wore it around all day.

:: For delayed start for school because of the weather.

:: For Mark driving to and from Thornton safely for a job interview.

:: For an understanding husband when I just didn't want to go upstairs and "be" with anyone. He pretty much took care of the kids while I moped and vegged because we still hadn't heard about the house.

:: For great friends who send wonderful texts or called when I sent out an SOS text that was super bummed about my life still not changing or being different.

01*30*14

:: For computers and the internet. Without those things, this blog and other blogs wouldn't be possible. Not to mention all of the times I was curious about something and how quickly I could find out my answer.

:: For going to institute today. It's been a while since I've gone, but it was nice to go and think about something other than my current dramas or issues in life. The Lord has made it possible to be happy in this life and return to Him. He wants us home!

:: For Face time. I was able to see my sister, Emile's room that she's been working on through our phones. It's so cool that we have that technology that can connect us no matter where we are.

:: For girl's camp. I'm helping with YCLs again this year with the stake and serving with most of the same women and it feels like it's going to be a party! It's not often that you serve with your dear friends at one time so I can't wait to get started on planning and seeing what we can make of Girl's Camp.

:: For making cookies, dancing, and just being silly with the whole family. Mark came home early and the snow was falling and kids were doing silly things (wearing pj backwards, putting 3 ice cubes in the toilet, and a spoon under their pillow) so that they would get a snow day. These times have been far and few between because I don't feel like I can just be myself while living here. It was SO fun!

01*29*14

:: For the sweet feeling I got as I dropped McKinney off at school and she turned, flashed the "I Love You" sign, and turn and ran to school. It was a moment. Her cute smile, ponytail swaying, and sweet expression that made me stop and think, "Wow. I'm so lucky to be her mom!"

:: For getting new piano songs for me to play. Most of the time, the songs I play are church related for a calling or an event I'm playing at, so it's always fun for me to get a song that I'm excited about!

:: For book club and books. I wasn't a big fan of the book we read, but I love to hear other people's thoughts and see how different backgrounds and upbringing affect us all in everything we do.

:: For McKinney praying about whether or not she should get baptized. We were talking about it and told her to go say a person prayer. She came out crying and embarrassed that she was crying. We asked her if she was sad and she said she very happy. :0) I know that she can't understand truly what she felt, but it was sweet as a parent watch a child know they they are loved and important to our Heavenly Father. I know he answered her prayer.

:: For DVD players in the car. I had to bring my kids to piano lessons today (I normally have to on Tuesdays) and it's so handy to have the DVD player for my short lessons, so they can just watch a movie and I don't have to drag them all out.

01*28*14

:: Seeing one of my piano students have everything click. It's so nice when they know they can do it and figure it out. Attitude is everything!

:: For a surprise get together with a dear friend. She had nothing else going on and invited me over to visit and chat. It was nice to catch up.

:: For Activity days. Brightynn just loves it and I love that she loves it. She comes home SO happy!

:: For McKinney staying focused on her homework even though the TV was on. It's a rare thing for her, but was so pleasant and nice to have her get things done so quickly!

:: For leftovers. I know some people aren't a fan of left overs, but I love them!

01*27*14

:: For having lunch with my good friend. Kathi. We don't see each other that often now that we no longer go to that ward, but I love every minute I can have with her!

:: For going to new place for lunch. I had never been to Heidi's Deli and the owner was so friendly and gave Davis a giant cookie for free. He also kept checking up on us and was so friendly and polite.

:: For games on my phone. I needed some finishing touches to the main floor bathroom at Carl and Jaqcue's and there was just a few stores I needed to go to. I downloaded some new games and was able to shop with both boys pretty quickly and painlessly.

:: For snow that doesn't stick to the road. I love snow on occasion and I love it even more when it doesn't affect the roads.

:: For having a family gathering. We celebrated Jacque's 70th birthday today and the Houser's came over. We haven't seen them for a while and it was nice to have everyone over and enjoy their company.

01*26*14

:: For having a small window where I think my primary class actually learned something. :0)

:: For face timing with my mom. So great that we can do that!

:: For face timing with my Dad so that he could help me with some French names and words that I was indexing.

:: For having McKinney ask my opinion about things (i.e. which picture should she cut out next or which color to use) I know it's not a big deal, but it makes feel pretty special that she cares so much about what I think. I know we're a few years shy of her not ever seeking or caring about my opinion.

:: For audio books. I love that I can be "reading" a book while I'm browsing on the internet or doing chores or driving. It makes mundane, boring chores something that I look forward to!

01*25*14

:: For getting our cars taken care of. Mark had a recall on his car has been needing to take care of the van's breaks were sounding really squeaky and we were able to get both those things replaced.

:: For Mark learning Spanish while he drives. We were in the car a lot today, going to different stores for the bathroom project, and it was cute to hear him with his CDs and talk about it.

:: For Mark being so handy to be able to fix things, like the car breaks, to home projects, like the bathroom. He is super handy!

:: For getting the girl's hair trimmed. It was something that kept bugging me and makes such a difference once it is done.


:: For lap tops. It's so nice to do my "top 5" while I"m in my bed, watching a show!

01*24*14

:: For having a day with just Davis. Brenner had an early birthday party and the mom was going to drop kids off at school, so Mark and I had one kid for the whole day.

:: For a surprise going out to lunch with Carl and Jacque.

:: For starting a project. We are remodeling the main floor bathroom.

:: For chocolate chips and peanut butter

:: For easy dinner of cereal. :0)

01*22*14

 :: For being able to sleep in while Mark drove the kids to school twice. We normally have an arrangement where he takes Brightynn to early orchestra and then I take McKinney to school an hour later, but we let me sleep in. Nice hubby. :0)

:: For being able to go to the cat pee and poop house. That's what we call it now, anyway. We met with a few more carpet people and paint to get some more estimates so that when we do get approval and we can close, that we can hit the ground running with updates.

:: For having the budget to do our "must haves" in the house plus a little bit more to do our "want to haves".

:: For stumbling upon a cute shop that I had no idea was even there. It had all of these trinkets and vintage stuff and painted furniture that was pretty reasonably priced. I wanted to take everything home!

:: For having Mark home when school is out on Wednesdays so that I don't have to take the kids to piano and they can get going on their homework and play sooner than if they came with me.

01*21*14

:: I had to go to jury duty today. And while that is not necessarily one of my top 5 things I'm grateful for today, I did have to get their early and so I was able to drive while the sun was coming and making the countryside look brilliant. It was peaceful and was just me.

:: Because of jury duty, I had a few hours to read and catch up on a letter and 'thank you' cards. As annoying as having to drop everything and do my civic duty was, it was great to have a few uninterrupted hours to catch up on things.

:: For the Internet. Really, for so many reasons, but today, I was able to find out that you can substitute eggs in a brownie mix with one spoon of mayonnaise per egg. Internet saved the day and most importantly, the brownies. :)

:: For finding one of Brenner's drawings of a crane in his back pack from school. His drawing has really improved over the last few months and it was cute to see all of the detail he had put in it.

:: For giving Brightynn and email address. It's brightyn.blue :0) We wrote each other a few emails to practice and I can see this becoming something so wonderful between us!

01*20*14

:: For having all of the bedding washed and put back. I asked the girls if they wanted to earn some money so they did it...well, with some help, but for the most part, they did it and it always feels great to have that done.

:: We were talking about the Blendtex (awesome blender) and Gma was saying that it could make ice cream and knead dough. Davis pipped in, "It can do everything except turn into an air plane." Right you are, buddy. Ha!

:: For Brightynn doing the FHE lesson tonight. It was something she made for her activity days. She has a long way to go as far as giving a lesson, but it was cute to see her try and how the other kids responded to her.

:: For having one more day without schedules.

:: For our tradition of Black Cherry Floats for Martin Luther King day. It didn't work out to do it with friends, but we still had a good time.

1*18*14

:: For Lego Wars. The library hosted a Lego building competition and we had the girls on a team and the boys on a team. We built cars that we raced. We didn't win, but got prizes at the end and they provided snacks. It was a fun morning!

:: For getting my lesson done early in the day so I could enjoy the rest of my day without it hanging over my head.

:: For a Mark's haircut. I love it when he gets a hair cut and is clean shaven.

:: For getting new books to read.

:: For marshmallow mateys. My kids usually devour that cereal before I can, so I got the very first bowl this time!

1*17*14

:: For a day off of school and Mark having the day off so that we could go the Children's Museum. It's been ages since we've gone and they've really changed things up! It was a great day!

::We were going to have a busy Saturday, so we got all of chores done super fast Friday evening. I loved how quickly everyone worked and we didn't have to hound or stay on top of anyone. I knew they had it in them!

:: For exercising with "Just Dance". It is quite a workout and so fun! My kids are cute to watch and cheer me on.

:: For bubble gum. I love chewy and flavorful bubble gum. Unfortunately, Mark doesn't like bubble gum.

:: For good TV shows. It is something that both Mark and enjoy doing together. It is always a nice way to end a busy day!

1*16*14

:: For new recipes and them turning out okay. I made cauliflower mash potatoes and they tasted great. They were a little runny and I don't normally like cauliflower, but I was pleased with this!

:: For having a quite afternoon while Davis was at a play date. I normally do have a few hours of peace total throughout the day, but was nice to have a big chunk of time just to myself so I could listen to my book, catch up laundry, and even watch short episode.

:: For the girls having a play date after school. They don't get that very often and it was nice.

:: Knowing that I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow morning. :0)

:: For having a clean car. It's amazing how much it makes my life feel more organized.

01*14*14

:: For having enough to time really plan out my day and bring healthy lunch and snacks from 10-6 today. It was amazing at how much that helped with my energy level towards the end.

:: For coming home to dinner. Carl cooks the dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday and those are also the days I teach piano so it's a huge blessing coming home and not having to think about a meal.

:: For snow. I'm not a snow lover, per say, but I do love the beauty it brings as well as the chance to wear layers and boots. Also, I know it will just make Spring and warmer weather all the better!

:: For volunteering. Some kids are annoying, but most of the time, I really enjoy connecting with kids and giving the support they need as well as helping the teacher. I don't know how they do it!

:: I love seeing how Brightynn comes home from Activity Days. This is the first time in the Pinery ward and she was just as bubbly and happy as she was in our old ward. I'm happy and impressed she made this choice and is making new friends, even if it will only be for a short time.

01*13*14

:: For getting a text from our realtor about the house. We should "get" the approval letter this Wednesday, Not getting my hopes up, but at least it's better than not hearing at all.

:: We had a play date with the Lindbloom kids and it was great! Everyone played well and it was fun to see my kids be with friends again. One of the hard things about leaving 15 min away from our old area is because it really affects the amount of friend time my kids have.

::For Brenner cheering my on while I exercised. I'm doing this Daily Burn exercise program online and I was in the middle and paused to catch my breath. Brenner yelled, "Mom! Keep going! You can do it!" So cute and encouraging. : D

:: For me and Davis making cookies this afternoon. I also struggle once I drop Brenner off at Kindergarten, not to have Davis' time be filled with electronics so that I can get a lot done while I only have one kid. I wanted to make cookies for dinner and while it would have been faster not have help, it was really fun and he actually was helpful and was great at listening.

:: My mom told me today that the last time I left a message, I actually never ended the call so she was able to hear me as me and Davis were going some where and getting in the car. She said that I was engaged and patient with him and thought it spoke volumes since I didn't know anyone was listening. This was the perfect thing for me to hear because I have been feeling guilty for the way that have talked to my kids when the in-laws are not around. I seemed to jump quickly to a stern voice because I knew we were alone. Can't say I'm always good at this, but it was nice to hear that once, I was!

01*12*14

:: For being not only on time to church, but  5 minutes early. Sure makes a difference when you're not sprinting to a pew. :)

:: For taking a nap today. My naps a few and far between so it's nice when it's timed just right and my kids actually let me take one!

:: Legos. They keep my family playing and creating. Brenner made his first Lego video (heaven help me) and while these can be time consuming, it was fun for him to create it all by himself and be SO proud of it!

:: For technology. It's amazing what has been invented just in my life time let alone the last 5 years. I'm excited to see what comes in the future.

:: For Mark and his skills in just about anything. I can't think of anything that he couldn't figure out and execute well. He has facilitated in many of my projects and ideas and I'm so grateful that he share his talents with me!

01*11*14

:: For being able to help my friend in her daughter's baptism by playing the piano. This talent has been so rewarding and I'm grateful I stuck with it.

:: For going to pet store and looking around. I'm not a animal lover, but I do like them. We are contemplating about getting a hamster so it was cute to look at all of the stuff and animals.

:: For a clean house. I could say this every time the house is clean, but every Saturday, each space is cleaned at the same time. We are starting to get little to no grumblings from the kiddos and they just get it done. So nice!

:: For new TV series. I really do consider watching TV as one of my hobbies that me and Mark share and I love to snuggle up and watch something with him.

:: For finishing a book. I just finished "Fever 1796" and Brightynn said, "Oh, we have this book in our class library." That's right. I read 4th grad literature. :0)

01*10*14

:: For having a good conversation with a friend. They will be embarking on a similar housing situation like we have and it was nice for me to share the quotes, talks, experiences that have been helpful for me. We are still in the thick of it, but I do know that some of the reasons we have trials is so that we can help someone else going through the same thing.

:: Date night. With Mark only working 3 days, we do see a lot more of each other than we did, but there is something about a date night that seems to polish up a relationship. We went to eat, the temple, and then ice cream afterward. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I do tend to love those the best!

:: For good friends for my kids. I had great friends growing up and I know that they were instrumental in my getting to where I am today.

:: For my girls sleeping together and actually sleeping! We have had them separated for the past week and since it was the weekend, we let them sleep together, and they did it!!

:: For blogs. I love to go back and read mine and as I'm turning 2013 into a book, it's been so fun to read what I documented and how they bring up the memory. I've always been a journal-er and started when I was 8. It is a big part of who I am and I'm grateful for the technology they have that makes it so easy to have my blog entries tangible.

01*09*14

:: For exercising. I tend to fizzle out by the end of the week and so I was happy that I kept going.

:: For Davis having a play date. It's been a while and even before the holidays, we were traveling or sick so it was nice to have someone over for Davis to play with.

:: For new recipes. I tried a lasagna spaghetti squash and cauliflower bites and they both were so yummy  (at least the majority though so. I do enjoy trying something new and it's a total bonus if they actually taste good!

:: That my kids love pjs. I know everyone likes to be in pjs, but the minute my kids get home, as long as we won't be going anywhere, they all want to get in their jammies right after school. It's pretty funny!

:: For thrift stores. I seriously love them and the possibilities that they bring. I would probably only have a handful of clothes if it weren't for thrift stores!

01*08*14

:: Having a great conversation with a friend about faith, trusting the Lord, and seeing the blessing that comes from doing those things.

:: For Brenner's conversation with Mark about his bathroom experience. He said that once something starts coming out, you can't force it back in. Ha! Brightynn walked in while he was saying that and saw we were laughing and asked what we were talking about. Brenner said, "Dad, you can fill her in." Ha!

:: For playing the piano. This is something that I am forever grateful to have and be able to do not only for my personal enjoyment, but also as something I can share and serve with others.

:: I can't say I'm 100% grateful for this, but I kind love how fussy Mark gets when I start talking plans. It's something I can count on and makes me internally giggle how opposite we are on how we spend our money, but we balance each other well. Sigh. Marriage is great!

:: For being consistent with this gratitude journal. I've done it for more than a week and I really love how I only have to jot down 5 things, but I know that looking back, these are little snap shots of my dad and I know they joy they'll bring me and my family for years to come. Go me!

01*07*14

:: For seeing my piano students again. I do love all of them and love to see them progress in their skills and their love of playing.

:: For Davis' good night routine. He started this a few months ago where he would want a high-five, handshake, then a hug and kiss. I started doing our routine, when he skipped the handshake. I said, "What about the handshake? "
"Oh, I'm waiting to do that until we get into our new house."

:: For morning routines going smoothly. There's nothing I hate more than starting off the day getting after my kids so we're not late. It's nice when the girls just do what they know to do and then having extra time in the morning for them to get a jump start on homework or practicing the piano before they leave.

::For knowing Mark will be home tomorrow. Yes, having him work 5 days a week would be ideal, but it does take the edge off knowing he'll be home mid week and I can run or do errands with him or without kids.

:: For talking about McKinney's baptism with her and about things gospel related. She has a ton of questions, which I love!

01*06*14

:: For getting back on Skinny Taste blog again and finding recipes I'm excited about.

:: For my girls hair still staying pretty curly from the night before. I know that's little, but they're hair doesn't hold curls very often ad it was a pleasant surprise!

:: For waking up early and getting scripture reading done and exercise before I took McKinney to school.

:: For getting ringtones of some of my favorite songs. It makes a difference to hear happy upbeat songs every day.

:: Catching up with friends now that the break is over and we are all back from travels. My friends are an important part of my life.

01*05*14

:: Watching my kids play church. Brenner was the bishop (though, McKinney pipped in saying it was her idea so she wanted to be the bishop. :) McKinney was the RS president, and Davis gave the talk. They had put ties and hair bow on their stuff animals as the other members of the ward. It was pretty cute to watch!

:: For hearing my girls play the piano again. After the recital and with the holidays, they didn't really play. We started up lessons again coming from a nice break and it's amazing how much I missed hearing them play until they were again.

:: For my cute primary class. I have seven kids, including Brenner, and they were all pretty good. The classroom we had didn't have any chairs and because I'm only going to the teacher for just over a month, I said if they could be reverent and not move around, we could sit on the ground. :0)

:: For an early church time. We were at 2-5 and that was just brutal. It was so hard coming home from church in the dark. It really makes a difference in the day starting earlier and having more time to be together instead of feeling like we are taking the whole time getting ready for church.

:: For finding games that all of us can play. We played Spot It today and it is always a fun time!

01*04*14

:: For taking the time to sew and fix a handful of little things. The liners in the kid's hats that my mom for them fell out probably the end of last winter. It took me a total of 20 minutes to do all 3 hats and so amazing how those things, as small as they are, can be heavy mentally. It felt great to get those done!!

:: For another snowy day. It snowed most of the day today and the kids were out there for hours...the girls were out there for 4! I love watching my kids play from the window and seeing them laugh and be together. Next snow day, I'm going to go out there with them.

:: For Davis calling for me after he is tucked into bed. Normally, I would not be grateful about this because I need that few hours once kids are in bed to not be in mommy mode, but I walked up the two flights of stairs (after I was all comfy and in the middle of a show) and opened the door to hear him say, "I never got my hug and kiss from you. " Thank heavens I didn't bark at him when I walked in! His kisses are so sweet to me and I know they are fleeting. I was grateful to be reminded how lucky I am to be a mom!

:: For my Father-in-law. Living with people for an extended period of time is never easy, no matter how much you like them or get along and I struggle with all of the extra stuff that is not ours that I can't do anything about or change... but Carl is one of the most agreeable, happy, easy-going person I know I'm trying my hardest to glean what I can from him and how he is purely wonderful.

:: For not having to cook tonight. We have an arrangement here where I cook on Mondays and Thursdays, Carl on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and then we kind of fend for ourselves on the weekend. The missionaries were suppose to come over for dinner, but because of the weather, they needed to cancel. It was nice, on a weekend, to have a real meal and not just cereal or frozen pizza. I will definitely miss this!

01*03*14

:: Finally getting our health insurance sort of figured out. We went down to the office in Denver and only waited  5 minutes and were able to get things squared away. It was so painless compared to all of this hold-on-the-phone-for-hours like I've been doing for a week.

::We got some news from our Realtor and we should have approval for the short sale by next Friday. I think this is happening!!

:: For how silly Brenner is about playing the Wii. We haven't had it hooked up until Christmas time and that is all he seems to live and breath. I don't love that electronics take over his soul, but he does say some funny things about it. :0)

:: For not being a single parent. We were helping McKinney and Brenner with riding a 2-wheeler and both kids can do it, but good gracious, they are timid and not confident in their abilities. I have a short fuse with this since I know they can do it. Mark is good to come in with a different approach since mine never seems to work (uh.) and usually balances me out.

:: For sunshine. I think I could say this every day the sun out or even if it isn't. I really feel so great seeing the sun/ feeling the sun. So good for me!

01*02*14

:: For being caught up on my posting for Christmas on the family blog.. Now, I can start on my blog book for 2013 way sooner than I normally do!

:: For the automatic expansion putting away Christmas adds to a home. We really didn't decorate that much and used Mark's parent's stuff, but it's nice having more counter space and to give your eyes a break from the over stimulating.

:: For speaker buttons on phones/and or blue tooths. I've been on hold trying to get health insurance figured out and I have spent HOURS waiting (still haven't talked to anyone) for several days and it's nice that I can still do things I need to while I wait...and still get no where. ugh.

:: For designing and dreaming. I love to look at spaces that are designed well and dream about how I can implement it or change it to fit my space. I'm getting antsy to decorate again!!

:: For Exercise. I have been mega lazy this holiday break and I haven't been very diligent about exercising. I did today and it man, does it make a difference! After, I had no desire to eat candy/chocolate/junk food and it made me be more productive.

01*01*14

:: For a snowy day with enough snow so my kids could get on their snowsuits and play outside. First time of the season and I didn't want to pull my hair out in the process of getting them out the door.

:: For reading a book on a cold, snowy day. Nothing better!

:: For doing crafts from Christmas. So nice to have some down time and putting off everyday stuff to do a bunch of crafts.

::Bubble gum. I just love it!

:: For a clean shaven hubby. I get that is fun to try something different and I don't mind the look of a beard or facial hair, but it sure is scratchy! Brightynn said Mark looked like a teenager once the hair was off!