I'm 43. Yay Me. TToT Week 75

My birthday was on Friday, so I'm going to go overboard and obnoxious and list 43 things for which I'm thankful.  'Cause it's my birthday and I'll annoy if I want to.

I'm thankful for...

1. my friend's little girl who shares the same birthday as me.  Happy 5th Birthday A!

2. Skip. He's a great, albeit senile, dog of my friend, and his birthday happens to be the day after mine.  Despite his medical problems and oddities, he brings her much joy.

3.  Star's great week.  On Tuesday he played a great game of basketball, and on Wednesday he found out that he scored one of the top scores (Our principal is pretty sure he got the top score.) on the high school placement test.

4.  our school's Moms in Prayer group.  Spending one hour praying for our school, our teachers, the students, and our own kids is a great way to end the week.

5.  the chance to have fun with Turken's first grade class.  Over the years, I have been unable to do much volunteering in the school, but one thing I always do is the Friday reader the first grade teachers do once a month.  I asked to take this week, since it was my birthday.  Much fun and giggling (and Oreos) was had.

6.  chocolate cake.  Bryan bought the best cake in town for my birthday.

7.  a working washing machine.  It even plays a little ditty when it finishes washing a load.

8.  a warm coat and gloves.  It's darn chilly going out to feed those chickens and dogs each morning!

9.  our mud room.  We went more than 7 years without a mud room, and with the cold air, I cannot
appreciate the mud room more.  We have to thaw chicken waterers indoors.  It used to happen in my kitchen, which was beyond gross.  The mud room is a much better option.

10.  a weekend in which no one in the family has to go out of town.  It's the only one we have left until January.

11.  Cuckoo's skin getting back to normal.  He broke out in hives the other day, and while they improved after taking allergy medicine, he was still puffy around the eyes the next day.  Then the hives popped back up that afternoon.  They never itched, and he was perfectly fine, so I didn't really worry about them.  I am glad they are gone, though.

12.  books that are guaranteed to make kids laugh.  I read The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak to the first graders, and they absolutely loved it.  And Saturday morning, the little boys went around making every single person in the house reread it to them.

13.  good meals at new to us restaurants. It was a Mexican restaurant quite close to our house, and we went for my birthday.

14.  Aldi's.  It's the annual food drive at school, and Aldi's is the perfect place for my kids to shop for it.

15.  the chance to watch some of my favorite shows.  I don't get to watch TV very much, but this week I was home and able to watch both The Middle and The Goldbergs.  Those shows do make me laugh.

16.  the healing of my knee.  There are times during the day when I'm walking and my knee doesn't hurt at all.  And I am able to sit Indian style for longer periods of time.

17.  all of the bedding from all 7 beds in the house being clean, blankets included.

18.  sunshine that keeps my car a comfortable temperature when the air outside is frigid.

19.  Bryan's job that doesn't require him to travel.  Besides the fact I would be in a world of hurt without his help with the kids, I wouldn't be able to sleep without his body heat keeping me warm at night.

20.  our dishwasher.  Eight people go through a whole mess of dishes, and I am not a fan of washing them by hand.

21.  clementines.  They are a little bit of deliciousness and so easy to peel and eat when in a hurry.

22.  Lighthouse Catholic Media.  They have hundreds of great CDs covering a wide variety of topics by wonderful speakers.  I just picked up a new batch from church and I'm looking forward to listening while I do my errands around town.

23.  chain party supply stores.  My cousin (who lives in Ohio) and I are in charge of decorations for my grandma's 90th party on Thanksgiving.  She ordered balloon bouquets and sent me a photo of them.  They had the same balloons at the store in Indiana, so I am able to coordinate the table decorations without worrying if they match.

24.  opportunities kids have in high school.  Besides sports, there are over 100 clubs from which to choose.  Buttercup and Phoenix have both joined the Euchre club.  They play every week, but once a month they travel to a nursing home to play with the residents.  I love a fun club that also encourages service.

25.  a dictionary.  It helps me look more intelligent when I'm trying to use big, impressive words.

26.  Facebook.  It's so fun to get pages of birthday wishes from all the people who were reminded that it was my birthday.  Also, it is great to keep up with family and friends far and wide.

27.  the time I had to write the post about a scrapbook I made for my nephews and kids 10 years ago.  People seemed to really like it, so much so that Sarah and her family have decided to make one.

28.  the fact that I followed through with the idea and actually finished the books 10 years ago.

29.  great movies.  Ocean's Eleven is on while I type this post.

30.  jeans that fit.  I actually found some on the shopping trip I took with my mom and sister.  For $39.  Good thing, because the one pair I loved got a gigantic hole in the knee when I was crawling on the floor with Littlest Nephew last month.  A hole in the knee is unfortunate in the middle of a deep freeze.

31.  Cuckoo's desire to skip.  Lately, when we're walking hand in hand, he'll look up and ask, "Can I skip?"  I can't say no to that request.  You can't help but be happy when a cute little 5 year old is skipping ahead of you.

32.  the friendship my children have with with each other.  While I am sad to not have a house full of little kids, it is awesome to have a house full of teens who can have real conversations.  I love to just sit back and listen to them.

33. time to get Phoenix to the BMV.  The boy finally, finally! has his temps and can begin learning how to actually drive.  He'll be getting his first lesson on a real road later today.

34.  Bryan.  I thank God every day for the blessing of my husband.

35.  Phoenix's continued improvement in school.  He's doing so, so well since he began taking medicine for his newly diagnosed ADD.  He is happier, more relaxed, and less anxious.  Which makes our entire house less anxious, more relaxed, and a lot more fun.

36.  pretty chickens.  Looks like we have a rooster in the flock.  He can stay as long as he acts like a hen and doesn't start attacking people.  I'm hope he behaves.  Roosters are such pretty birds.

37.  birthday cards.  While I was thrilled to receive so many well wishes and happy birthdays on FB, I was equally excited to find actual cards in my mailbox.  Snail mail is so rare, when it arrives, it's a seriously special treat.

38.  grocery choices.  While I do think it is overkill that we have 6 grocery stores (7 once Wal-Mart opens) on a three mile stretch of road, it certainly keeps prices down and gives us the ability to find anything that we could possibly need or want at a moment's notice.

39.  the opportunity to lead my teens' Confirmation group.  We Catholics take our sacraments seriously, and before a person receives any of them, he/she must go through classes.  I was able to lead Phoenix's group, and I am currently one of the leaders of Buttercup's group.  Helping these teens grow in their relationship with Jesus and become full members of the Catholic church is inspiring.

40.  wonderful, supportive, fun, caring teachers and administrators in all three of the schools my children attend.

41.  the opportunity my children have to know their extended family.

42.  my hair still being its natural color.

43.  every single day of my 43 years.  There have been rough days.  There have been rough years.  There have been far more good days, good moments, than bad.  I've been blessed beyond measure.

Oh my word.  That took forever to write.  And I didn't even have one single photo.  Sorry about that.

If you made it through half of this list, thanks for sticking with me.

So, where have you been blessed this week?  Don't worry, you don't have to come up with 43.

Have a lovely day!

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