10 Things of Thankful, Week 12

Yeah, it's going to be all over the place today. 

1.  I am thankful for steroids.  My family is ridiculously allergic to poison ivy, and this week Turken was the victim.  It came on fast and furious, and as usual with us, it was all around his eyes, as well as most every other place on his body.  One dose of steroids calmed things down, and now that we are on day 5, he is doing much better. 

at the doctor's office, gettin' some meds.

2.  I am thankful for compassionate, generous people.  A day after I wrote about my friend's baby being born stillborn, I received a gift of an e-book and a very nice email from a complete stranger.  The author of the book, You Will See Your Baby in Heaven, Drew Kelly had read my post and wanted to help.  He gave me an e-book to read immediately, then asked for my address to send a paperback for my friend.  I read every page on my Kindle before I even received hers in the mail.  I am so grateful for the help in figuring out the best ways to support my friend through these difficult days. 

3.  I am thankful for a cupcake maker.  Not a baker, but an actual gadget that has the sole purpose of baking cupcakes.  Buttercup got one for Christmas one year.  It is the only kitchen gadget we use semi-frequently.  Cuckoo's birthday was yesterday, and we were taking birthday cupcakes to the park to share with some friends.  It cooks them perfectly, and I didn't have to make the house even hotter by turning on the stove.

This is the same one we have.

4.  I am thankful for Cuckoo.  I can't believe it's possible, but the little man turned 4 yesterday.  He makes me laugh out loud each and every day.  The entire day yesterday, everywhere we went, he asked me, "Do these people know it's my birthday?"  If the answer was no, he had no trouble marching right up to any and all strangers to say, "It's my birthday today." 

I shall tell you the latest thing that made us laugh the hardest.

COW had Cuckoo in the car, and they were listening to the radio.  At one point, Cuckoo started laughing hysterically, and screaming in delight, "She said taco!  Why is she singing about a taco?"  Cuckoo wouldn't let up, laughing harder and harder as the song went on.  "She said taco again!"  COW listened a little closer, and finally heard it.  At one point, she on the radio sang, "You're gonna miss me by my walk, you're gonna miss me by my talk, oh, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

Every time "Cups" comes on, our entire family stops, waits for it, then belts out, "miss me by my taco".

5.  I am thankful for our washing machine.  Despite the fact it doesn't spin my clothes dry, I am very grateful for it.  Between the kids' school uniforms and soccer clothes, my pig/chicken/garden clothes, and the towels, sheets and miscellaneous other articles, can you even imagine trying to wash it all any other way???

6.  I am thankful for my brother.  He stayed the night Friday night in order to take a flight out tomorrow.  His wife's sister's husband (complicated way of saying brother-in-law) came with, and we had our usual good time.  He and I can't help but laugh when we are together, and when there is someone in attendance who has never heard our family stories before, all the better.  Within 10 minutes of stepping foot in my house, guess which story he was telling the brother-in-law.  Yup, the stick shift story.  It sounds even funnier (and less true) each time he tells it.

7.  I am thankful for my kids' choices in friends.  Friends.  They are so, so, so important to a teenager, and those friends can be either a hurt or a help to a teenager's choices.  I am so grateful for the wonderfully kind, polite, fun, compassionate, responsible friends my kids have made.

8.  I am thankful for sunflowers, especially when they came up without our planting them.  We planted sunflowers last year, and they did very well.  This year, many, many sunflowers sprouted up in the same area.  We simply weeded around them and now have gorgeous flowers in the garden.

Even better when those sunflowers are back-dropped by a brilliant sky!

9.  I am thankful for COW'S willingness to coach.  We always let our kids start playing sports when they are in kindergarten, and Turken has been counting down the days until he can play soccer.  This was the week, and COW is the coach.  He did the same for the big kids when they first started playing, despite the fact he had never even seen a soccer game before that.  His knowledge has changed, but his coaching has not.  He's back to playing Sharks and Minnows with the short set.  Turken is happy, and COW is cracking me up with his Tales from the Soccer Field. 

10.  I am thankful for Steak-n-Shake's Half-Price Happy Hour.  For one, Phoenix had a rough couple of days with the new braces.  A milkshake helped him feel better and got some much needed calories in him.  (Don't even care that it wasn't the healthiest form of calories.)  For two, it means we can afford to get a yummy shake for our Friday ice cream treat each week after school.

Your turn!  Let us know why you are bursting with gratitude.

Have a lovely day!

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