Thankful for Veterans - Nov 11th

Today is Veteran's Day! My family has many veterans in it - and I am thankful for their service. I have been around the military since I was 4 years old. At that time, my mother (who is German) married an American soldier, and we moved to the United States with him. My (step)dad soon retired, but we stayed connected to the Army by shopping on military bases, using their medical services, and later my (step)dad got a job with the Civil Service that again stationed my family in Germany with the military while I was in college.

My husband attended ROTC to help him pay for college and ended up with an active duty commission with the Army. He spent 2 years in the National Guard and then once we were married, he served 12 years on active duty. From February 2003 - February 2004, Dan was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom 1. It was a long year for us all; but God's grace was sufficient and Dan came back to us safely. I am so thankful for the people God used in our lives at that time to get us through - especially my real-life friend Amy who blogs at It Is Well. Her husband and mine were deployed together - and it was good to know they had each other's backs over there while we held down the "home front" here.

Over the generations of America, so many military families gave so much more than we ever did - many made the "ultimate sacrifice" - and may it never be in vain. Even now, I know there are military families who are experiencing multiple deployments - and some for more than a year's time. I can't begin to imagine that since the one year Dan was gone seemed like an eternity!

Happy Veteran's Day - and THANK YOU to our veterans who have kept American free and safe. I am thankful to be a naturalized citizen of this country even though I am very proud of my German heritage as well. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to live on each coast of this county, as well as in between, thanks to the military moving us all over (to include Germany for 3 years with my husband) - California, Washington State, Texas, Virginia, and now Missouri (it is thanks to the military we settled here - by the Lord's leading).

Share what you are thankful for by linking up with me today!

Thankfulness Continues - Day 10

When one works for a small Christian school, you never know what you might end up doing on any given day! Though my job is in the office, I have substituted several grades, helped wake up K4 students from nap time, fussed over all kinds of boo-boo's, and cleaned classrooms. I tend to stay away from the kitchen and lunch room because it's just not my comfort zone - but today our "lunch lady" had to be at a medical procedure, and my husband asked me to fill in. And feeling somewhat courageous, I did!



I am thankful I survived :) Actually, it wasn't too bad. My biggest problem was that with about 55 children in K4 and K5, I don't know all the names and faces. Thankfully, the teachers helped me out A LOT!! Both K5 teachers even practically ate lunch standing up so they could get every one's food opened, warmed up, etc. After the youngest students left, the rest of the lunch time was - well - a piece of cake ;)

Today I am thankful for

~my children's school where my husband and I work

~my children - they are healthy and doing well in school.

~my husband - he's pretty incredible ;)

~a healthy pregnancy

~a cozy home

~home made chicken soup simmering on my stove!

Days of Thanks - Day 9

Today I am thankful that I don't have to be at work until NOON. Since we are training my replacement, my co-worker is working with her this morning - and I'll take the "afternoon shift". I am thankful I was able to linger in bed a little longer than normal. I haven't been sleeping well - not sure if this is because I am now 32 weeks pregnant - but it seems that my bladder is now the size of an acorn (I was going to say a pea, but somehow that didn't sound quite right!!ha), I can't get comfy, and I toss and turn a lot so I end up on the couch around 2 a.m. I bought a body pillow but it seems to disturb my sleep even more as I shift the HUGE thing around, trying to get comfortable.

So, this morning I've been working on my office notebook that I am going to leave behind at work. It explains all the tasks we do on a regular basis. I still can't believe that after 6 1/2 years of working outside my home & having my children in school, I am about to be done and go back to what I've always just wanted to do - be a SAHM/WAHM. It will be very different this time since when A&A were little, my husband was still in the Army, and we were very active in a lot of activities and had money to spend. This time, my life will be much quieter, mostly because I am older and more of a homebody than ever - I will not be attending PWOC, MOPS or Musikgarten or any of the other things I did with A&A, like taking advantage of the hourly care program on the Army post we lived on. I will be cooking at home a lot more & learning to live on a much smaller budget. I will also - God willing - be working from home some & will need to really be careful about how I manage my time. And I can't wait to get started. :)

I am thankful the weather here is still pleasant. After weeks of rain, it was great to have temps in the high 70s over the weekend. I don't like winter/cold weather, so I'm thankful it is unusually warm right now!

I am thankful that I baked that yummy turkey last night - and supper will be EASY for the next few nights :) I am thankful that I have a few hours this morning to putter around my quiet house and do a few chores. I don't think I've vacuumed in weeks - it's definitely time to pull out the ol' vacuum cleaner!

Hope you all have a great day - full of experiences and blessings to be thankful for!

Giving Thanks - Day 8

It was a good day at our church (as usual). In Sunday School, we are studying this book:

It's my first exposure to Nancy Leigh DeMoss' writings (though I did not actually buy the book, so I am gleaning its lessons by listening). Our pastor's wife talked about how SELFISHNESS is the biggest hindrance to the serving - our spouses, our children, our church, those who are not easy to please ... Often we serve or do something, expecting appreciation. It doesn't always come. However, the appreciation should NOT be the motive for our acts of service. We are serving OTHERS, not for our own gratification. Appreciation is nice, but would we continue on if we were totally taken for granted? As my husband reminds me sometimes - if only God notices, that is enough.

I am thankful that my husband balances me out - and often gives me perspective. He serves at his job without much attention drawn to himself or to what he does. We have many humble people who work with us who are the same way. They just get the job done. What a blessing! I try to make it a point to say "thank you" often and to appreciate even small acts of service - but some things just get overlooked. It is nice to know God sees all (in this case!) and sometimes has His own ways of encouraging us to keep going.

On a more non-spiritual note, I am thankful our local grocery store has turkey on sale for $ 0.39 per lb! My husband brought home a small turkey on Saturday - and I baked it today for a pre-Thanksgiving meal!

My Turkey Recipe (roasted garlic version)

I roast garlic bulbs (cut off the tops, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil - bake at 400 degrees for about an hour); when cooled slightly, squeeze out the baked garlic inside the cloves into a softened stick of butter in a bowl. Then I mix that up - squish the mixture between the skin and the meat on the turkey breast & into the legs (which totally grosses me out - but it is SO worth it!) - and save about 2 tbsp of it to coat the outside of the turkey too. Bake the turkey at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Tent with foil - and use guide to bake it until done (basting occasionally). This has always given us such moist meat!!

When my husband prayed over our meal tonight, he unknowingly mentioned the whole theme of this month of thanks --- he prayed that even though it is not Thanksgiving yet, may we be always thankful for the blessings in our daily lives & remember how God provides for our needs. Amen.

November Thanks - Day 7

A whole week of focusing on GIVING THANKS has gone by!! It sure has helped my attitude and been a lot of fun as well. I look forward to reading the blogs of those who are joining me each evening. Maybe I'll go for a WHOLE YEAR of giving thanks - actually, surely, this thinking process will just become a way of life. I have been convicted for a long time that I need to work on turning my negative thinking habits around because GOD IS GOOD (even when circumstances aren't), all the time.

It's my favorite day of the week: Saturday!! And on this quiet, sunny day, it is again EASY to reflect on the blessings I have. Today I am thankful for:

~ a quiet morning. My husband is a morning person so he wakes up at the crack of dawn every day, no matter what, ready to GO. I, on the other hand, do NOT. So, today my husband has taken the kids to the library, and I am basking in the silence of the house.

~last night my husband was at ballgames with our Christian school's volleyball and basketball teams. He was in a town that has a Panera Bread Co., and he KNOWS it is one of my favorite places to eat/have coffee/have a snack, so he brought me back the crispy-crusted, soft-dough french bread that came with his Greek salad (the volleyball team ate at Panera for supper) -AND bought me a blueberry bagel to eat for breakfast today. :) I am in carb-heaven!

~I never in my life imagined I'd become a sports fan ... but due to my husband's excitement over his native Iowa Hawkeyes being UNDEFEATED this season, I have caught the fever of college football. I've always cheered unintelligently, non-commitally for my own home team, the Tennessee Volunteers - but at this stage, I can actually tell you players' names and give you stats! YIKES! Who'd a thunk?!! At 11:00 a.m. today, Iowa will face Northwestern - and we'll be watching! :) My Vols play Memphis later tonight, and hopefully they'll give us a WIN too.

~Somewhere in there, we need to get some groceries. I love love love Aldi's - and we'll probably start there. I have shopped at Aldi's since I was a kid who spent my summers in Germany with my grandparents - Aldi's is a German chain (ALbrecht DIscount) that is spreading across the U.S. We also have a Surplus Grocery store nearby there (lovingly known as the crushed-can-place). They get groceries that have been damaged (like cereal boxes that are cut, cans that are crushed, etc) that regular grocery stores are unable to sell. They are priced (usually) way cheaper than the regular stores, and one never knows what you might find. Grocery shopping that is fun & adventurous - ha! :) My husband actually LIKES to grocery shop, so we often make it a family trip. I tease him because he is seemingly the only man in our entire church and circle of friends who doesn't hunt- never has, never will - so I say this is his way of helping our family to "stock our freezer" and provide us with good meat and food instead of with wild life and game (whatever you call it) that the other guys are bringing home during the hunting season! :)

This may all sound like a pretty boring or quite average day ... but for our family, it sounds PERFECT :)

What are YOU thankful for today?? Link up & tell me!

Day 6 of Giving Thanks!

One of the ladies joining in this 30 Days of Thankfulness commented that it was so neat to wake up and start the day thinking about what to look for to share that we are thankful for! I haven't really had any "bad" days yet this month, but I have found that I am seeing things in a positive light as I focus more on God's goodness and blessings instead of myself and things in my life that aren't always going my way.

Today I am thankful I had a doctor appointment on Thursday. My doctor didn't have a lot of time to visit, so I didn't get any of my questions answered - but I will be seeing him again in 12 days (supposed to be 2 weeks but my schedule didn't work out to do that). I did get to hear the blessed whoooooooosh-whooooooosh of the baby's heartbeat. Of course, she is moving a lot these days so I know she is there! I love my belly and am thankful that everything has gone well these last almost-32 weeks of pregnancy.

I still don't feel too overwhelmingly uncomfortable, and I can still bend over! - but I know the next few weeks could make a HUGE (pun intended!) difference.

I am thankful for -

1. I was off work yesterday. Today (Friday) I will be at work -we've been training my replacement so that's been making it seem more real that I am actually going to get to go back to being a SAHM (and hopefully WAHM) soon!! :)

2. Safety traveling - my doctor's office is about 50 miles away - so I spent a lot of time in the car yesterday.

3. I had gotten a coupon booklet in the mail for Target's new off brand "Up and Up" - and I was able to get some things we needed anyway for a cheaper price. :) I am just hopeful the quality of the generics will be good - laundry detergent (free & clear), hand soap, napkins, lotion, diapers, etc.

4. I am thankful the sun is shining - and it was about 65 degrees on Thursday. Perfect weather for traveling and being out & about.

Nov 5 - 30 Days of Thanks

Birthday Blessings - cupcakes at school, cards, lots of attention, and PRESENTS!! Anna had a great birthday yesterday. I am so thankful that so many people were so kind to my daughter.

My daughter LOVES American Girl dolls and movies. Last year - thanks to one of my sister-in-laws - Anna got Samantha, a doll that was being retired at the end of 2008.

This year, another doll, Kirsten, is also being retired in December (2009). Anna really liked that doll because she is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl - just like her! If you know much about A/G dolls, you know they are EXPENSIVE!!!! So, we told Anna if she could save up enough money from her birthday and Christmas, she could probably still buy Kirsten before she was gone.

Well, this summer when my parents were with us, my mom caught American Girl fever too. My mom loves all things wholesome, old-fashioned, and girly. She was totally impressed with the whole American Girl concept - and she was determined that Anna should have Kirsten for her birthday. And a few weeks ago, a box arrived at my office (sent to my work so Anna wouldn't know what she was getting!!) ... which I hid away until yesterday:

I think Anna was just a wee bit excited about her new doll, don't you??

Anna got some other presents from us and her brother too - but Kirsten was the hi-light of the day, that's for sure.

2 adorable girls - Anna & Kirsten (who came with ACCESSORIES - a bonnet, apron, wooden spoon [since a good Swedish girl never knows when she might have to stir up a batch of cookies??], and necklace):

My mom called later to say Happy Birthday to Anna, and I shared how THANKFUL Anna was for the doll, my mom said, "Just consider it a blessing from the Lord." Exactly!

I am off to the doctor later today - I'm at the going-every-2-weeks stage now! I can't believe it. Today I am going to ask my questions about VBAC vs. scheduled, repeat c-section. I wasn't even going to consider anything less than a VBAC for this upcoming birth, but now I am weighing the pro's and con's of both deliveries. In the end, whatever happens, we will be most THANKFUL to have a healthy baby girl when all is said and done. Pray that we'll have wisdom to make the best birth option decisions.

I so love the variety of posts that are being linked up each day!! THANK YOU for encouraging me on this journey! Please continue to spread the grateful heart attitude! :)