Saturday, November 29, 2014

I'm Too Excited to Come Up with a Clever Title! TToT #76

Happy Week of Thanksgiving!

Thankfully, I started this list on Wednesday before we left for Ohio.  I never would have remembered the things that happened earlier in the week.

I am thankful for...

1.  electricity.  We had some serious wind blow through on Monday night and it took out our (and 7500 other families') power for two and a half hours.  Ya'll, it is DARK when there is no power! Two and a half hours is long enough for the temperature in the house to drop to cold levels and the novelty of the dark to wear off.  We were thrilled to bits when those lights popped back on.  (Well, my family was.  I was at the school, where there was power, since I the boys had basketball practice.)

2. the power going out AFTER I finished dinner.  Some boys were in the middle of setting the table and I was pulling the corn bread out of the oven when it went dark.  We were able to eat by the light of the many, many candles I have received from students over the years.



3.  the fact that I have received many candles and that some weren't scented.  I imagine pumpkin spice/sugar cookie/peppermint stick/pine tree/lavender scent might have been a bit overpowering.

4.  Phoenix and Star's hard noggins.  They both took nasty hits to the backs of their heads/necks at their practices on Monday (during the power outage (Phoenix when someone served (badly) and hit Phoenix, and Star when they were having a basketball scrimmage and someone illegally blocked a shot), but only had some soreness by Tuesday morning.

5.  Gordon Food Servie (GFS).  It is a foodservice distributor that has smaller stores where the public can shop.  I was supposed to bring dressing to the 8th grade Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday morning, and I found some already made in the refrigerator section of GFS.  I just had to put it in a pan and heat it up.

6. the respite from the cold we had early in the week.  It actually got up to 50 degrees.  Sure, it rained the entire time, but it gave me the time I needed to wash my filthy fuzzy robe.  I didn't freeze to death while it was in the washing machine and dryer.

7.  my guy.  Well, my three guys.  I always wanted a guy who I could call to fix things around the house.  (Bryan is many things, but a handyman he is not.)  I finally found my dream guys.  It's a father/son/son's best friend team.  They do electric, plumbing, drywalling, painting, roof repairs, and just about anything I can come up with.  They fixed not only the kids' bathroom, but they managed to get the front porch light changed.  It's 30 feet in the air!  We thought we were going to have to rent a cherry picker, but no!  They did it.  And, AND they are the nicest people.  The one guy said he was running out to get a sandwich and asked if I needed anything while I was out.  And, AND, they only charge $35/hour, regardless of what repairs they are doing.  Really, this could count as thankfuls 1-43.

8.  Giant's great hunting abilities.  We have had to buy our fair share of library books that couldn't be found (until the day after we pay for the book).  This time, I wasn't going to pay.  We had one book that had been due June 8.  JUNE!  We had renewed it as many times as we were allowed. I told the kids they didn't have a choice but to find that book.  All the kids were searching the house; under beds, in the mud room cubbies, in backpacks, under couches.  After 30 minutes, Giant found it.  In the basement.  aka the dungeon.  How?  How does a library book make it to the basement???

9. high school friends with whom I still keep in contact.  Two friends from high school and I even went on to room together when we got to college.  I haven't seen either of them for several years, but this Thanksgiving, we were all back in our hometown.  We and our families had a great time catching up again.

10.  the marvelous time we had celebrating both Thanksgiving and my grandma's 90th birthday.  One highlight of the day was the family question/answer/bingo time.  Each Thanksgiving, my grandma brings a bunch of $1 bills and a bingo game.  She plays with all of the grand kids, and the winner of each game wins a dollar.  This year we added a twist.  The winner received a dollar, but also got to ask Grandma a question.  It was a huge hit.  We all got a better idea of what a rebel Grandma was in her younger days.

One of two Bingo tables.  Thanks to my kickin' table decorations, we could play real Bingo with paper cards and daubers.

11.  a compassionate family.  At one point during the festivities, an elderly homeless man walked into the hall.  (Our family has many people.  We can't fit in a person's home anymore, so we rent the FOP hall, which isn't in the wealthiest of areas in town.) Not only did my family welcome him in for a meal, but they gave him some cash and a ride to where he was going.

12. our delay in leaving town today.  We did a few chores around my mother-in-law's house before leaving while she was at work.  She unexpectedly came home for lunch when we were on our way out to the car to leave for good.  Instead of leaving, we took her to lunch.  While at the restaurant, my dad texted me to tell me my sister was in the hospital in labor with her first baby.  I didn't get to stay for the entire labor, so didn't get to meet my new niece, but I did get to run up to my sister's room and give her a few minutes of moral support.

Say a few prayers for my sister and the baby. She just texted me (10 hours later!) and is at 9cm.  So close!

UPDATE:  Baby girl was finally born at 2:30am!  Everyone is happy and healthy.

Ok, only two thankfuls over.  It could have been worse.  You could have had to read 43 thankfuls.

You're welcome.

So, for what did you give thanks this week?

Have a lovely day!




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39 comments:

  1. Oh, and my friends rented the FOP hall today and the same homeless man showed up! Dinner wasn't ready yet. $20 bucks and he happily went on his way. I don't think it's the last time we will see him!

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  2. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip! Your three guys sound absolutely wonderful! The only thing worse than having an unhandy man is having a man who 'thinks' he is handy. Ask me how I know. ;)

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    1. We did! Oh, I should have made that one of my thankfuls. Fortunately, Bryan is very aware of his lack of handyman skills.

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  3. I'm praying for your sister and the baby.

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  4. I like it when the power goes out as long as we're warm enough ... I know I'm strange that way. It gives us all to sit and talk without being interrupted by all the modern conveniences. My kitchen sink was leaking yesterday and my son thankfully fixed the problem when he got home from work. Always nice to have a handy man or two around the house.

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    1. I like it as long as I know it won't be too long. And we're working on getting an insert for the fireplace so we can at least have some heat if the power goes out again.

      Oh, I hope and pray that at least one of my kids is handy. Both of my brothers are, so it is in the genes...

      Delete
  5. Clean Gown for GownBear. No buying the library books. NIECE! And a family with hearts which show how yours got so big and wonderful. I love your list :D

    Hope that no more knocks to the head happen.

    And I am grinning thinking about the things that your one-day-in-far-off-future-grandchildren will learn about you and your amazing life :)

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    1. Thanks. :)

      Those knocks to the head make me so nervous.

      Ha! I don't know if I can beat my grandma's stories. :)

      Delete
  6. Happy Thanksgiving - and congrats Aunty Christine - we had 4 books form the library due since September and I felt awful - finally Hubby returned last week but decided it best to drop it in the box - and told me to handle the dues aaargh! I still need to go to the library- happy birthday to your grandma - enjoy your Sunday!

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    1. Thank you!

      At least you knew where your books were! Are your fines high? Ours are 20 cents per day, so it adds up quick.

      Delete
  7. The two most important things...the new baby and the handyman team. Wow, that rocks and then some. You do have much to be thankful for. Oh and having dinner done before the lights went out was way cool too.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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    1. Baby is healthy and the handymen are my heroes. Those two things alone could have finished off the list.

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  8. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! HAPPY BABY!!! I love your take on bingo! We may need to try that ... although the grandma in question would be my mom which may be a bit of a loaded gun with the questions! LOL!

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    1. Thanks!

      Oh, don't think my grandma didn't surprise everyone. For example, when asked what her favorite pet was, she answered, "I would say a dead cat, but some of the kids have cats, so I'll say a dead mouse". Yeah, she doesn't particularly care for animals...

      Topics such as her elopement, her first kiss, first time getting drunk, and her sneaking to West Point to see a boy (3 states away!) all were discussed. I strongly encourage you to do it!

      Delete
  9. Oy Library fines and paying for books. Yes I have soo been there. To the point that I am sure the librarians are afraid to let me check out books at all anymore.

    Oh so much fun new babies!!! Glad everyone is safe and happy and healthy!

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    1. With 6 kids who each check out up to 20 books at a time, fines and lost books are certain to happen. Sometimes the kids get so bad about keeping track of their books, I refuse to take them. We've done different things to avoid late fees, some work better than others, but they don't last for a variety of reasons. I just see the fines paid as an investment in their educations.

      I can't wait to get a hold of that little girl!

      Delete
  10. no power…. not fun. power comes back on, very fun! (there is such a sense of , 'things are alright now'…when the lights come back on)

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    1. No power is fun for a short period of time, then it's not fun at all. It is a huge relief when the lights pop back on.

      Delete
  11. What a grand list! Thanksgiving, family, power, old friends, babies - so much good in one place. I hate power outages and you're right - two hours is about how long it's fun. Then not so much.
    Those head knocks are scary - everybody's noggin is OK, yes?
    Now, let's talk about your three guys. Do you think they would come here to my house? I love my Hub, but he's an artist, a musician. Not. Really. A. Handyman. We could use some dudes like yours. Tell them to call me if they're ever feeling like a drive to PA. :D

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    1. Everybody's brains seem to be normal, thank heavens.

      I can't imagine they will go to PA, seeing as how they've lived here forever. Good luck finding your own. It took me 16 years to find mine.

      Delete
  12. Sounds like the party was a hit! How were your decorations received? I love the young kids asking the grandmother questions. What an excellent tradition to start!

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    1. It was a great party. People really liked the decorations, and I'm kind of torn about that. :)

      The question and answer session was awesome. The kids had just as much fun as Grandma did.

      Delete
  13. 7 - How great to have found not one but three guys to do repairs for you - can you send them over here please when they've finished? lol

    11 - What a lovely gesture by your family

    12 - Congratulations to your sister on the new baby :)

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    1. I don't think my to-do list for my guys will ever be finished. There's a lot to do around here!

      My family is full of kind-hearted, generous people.

      Thank you!

      Delete
  14. Your thankful list is COLLOSAL!
    Glad to hear power was returned quickly, no one keeled over from scented candles, no boy's craniums sustained lasting damage, the family enjoyed learning about Grandma and that Thanksgiving was a success:) AND! there's a new baby! Congratulations Aunt Christine! What a special birthday for your new niece:)

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  15. Oh, I remember those library fine days! Lost books, damaged books. Never put the library book basket on the floor near the fish tank--at least not if you have a toddler who is swinging a wooden lacing toy around. Those toys are tougher than fish tanks, and water beats paper. Just sayin'.

    I'm so happy for you, though! Sounds like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

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    1. Oh, no! I can picture it, and while it sounds like it would be funny in time, what a mess! Did you take a photo? (Your water beats paper comment cracks me up.)

      The fines are an investment in their education, right?

      We did! Thanks!

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    2. We were too busy grabbing towels, the shop vac, and various flopping fishes to remember the camera. Besides, this happened in the era of film cameras, when we didn't think to document such things.

      Libraries are a bargain, even with fines factored in. :-)

      Delete
  16. Wow, 12 thankfuls.
    I totally agree with number 1, electricity. I lost power one night, and boy, i could hardly do anything!

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    1. It gets easier to find them the more you try. Stick with the TToT and you'll find 12 in no time. :)

      Power outages are especially rough in the winter, when the sun goes down so early.

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  17. Oh my! Your family is really nice! I love hearing things like that! Crazy to the power situation. I think it has happened to us before in the past when I lived in NJ when we had a hurricane. Having just candles can be fun. :) But when it initially happens I can see how it may not be so much fun. Glad you had a great week with your family!

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    1. They can annoy me to no end, but my family is full of kind people.
      Thank you!

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  18. Well, I'm getting here so late that I get to say congratulations on the new addition to the family! What a great week for you (power outage and head bangs excluded). I think the most exciting part was the handymen doing some fixing up. It's hunting season and Jeff is gone all the time and there are quite a few things that need fixed around here. He is very handy but I have to wait until mid-January before any of it will get fixed and he'd have a fit if I hired someone to come do it!

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    1. Ah, there's always a problem with getting stuff done, isn't there? Either we are unhandy and have to pay to have other people fix things, or we have an unhandy relative who doesn't have the time to fix the broken things.

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  19. AW!!!! I love love love your list of thankfuls, and I would LOVE all 43 of them too!! My favorite is how compassionate your family was to that homeless man... ah, how it melts my heart to think of the beautiful hearts that were gathered for grace and ended up giving. That shows their TRUE heart. And I bet that precious lost soul will never forget it.

    Congrats to a healthy and happy baby!!! YAY!!

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    1. Thanks. :)
      I was very happy to see so many of my family members step up to help him.

      Thanks!

      Delete

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