Friday, May 15, 2015

HAPPY 100 WEEKS TO THE TTOT!!!

One hundred weeks ago, I wrote:

What we look for, we will find.  If we look for the bad, we will most certainly find it.  There are bad things happening around us every day.  However, there are also good, kind, wonderful things happening at the same time.  We simply need to look for them.  When we do, our attitudes improve.  We become happier. 

It was part of my very first thankful list, and I stand by it.

Ask any one of the people who have participated in this hop regularly. Knowing we will be writing thankful lists at the end of the week forces us to look for those good things. Even when we have been at our lowest, we have looked for and found things for which to be grateful. Writing them down helped us to feel better.

Happier.

What we look for, we will find.

And 100 weeks later, we have found unbelievable goodness and kindness and friendship.

It has been grand.

I will forever be grateful for the chance to be a part of this weekly endeavor.

And I'm thankful for 9 other things, too.

(The details of the PRIZES will be at the end of the post. Patience!)

2. Ya'll, I dropped my baby off for his last day of preschool. We have been a part of this preschool for the last 13 years, and I dropped the youngest one off for his last day. You can probably guess I cried. It was the teachers' fault. They started it, getting all sentimental and hugging me and getting all teary when I was trying to be strong and not crying. I am so grateful that my kids had the chance to attend this preschool with teachers who were there all 13 years.

"I don't care if you smile, but I'm getting a picture of my youngest child's last day of preschool whether you like it or not." Bet you can't guess that he chose "not". This is the best one. :/

3. I've been so, so busy lately my mind has been nothing but logistics. I was afraid I had lost my ability to laugh. And then I had a conversation with a friend on Facebook. It started innocently enough, and then my inability to make an emoji led to the funniest thing I had seen in a long, long time. Tears were streaming down my face. I was having a hard time breathing I was laughing so hard. It was awesome.

4. I am no longer the crazy egg lady. Word has gotten out, and there is a line of people who consistently purchase eggs from us. There is plenty of room in our fridge for milk and other things besides eggs. (This may change once summer break hits. I won't be seeing these customers at pick-up all summer long. We'll see just how dedicated they are.) :)

5. Phoenix finished out the volleyball season on a good note. And with that, one more thing is checked off our activity list.

This was early in the season.

6. A couple of months ago, a friend in my Catholic Bloggers group put out an announcement that she was organizing a conference for the Ohio region. I didn't think too much about it until she said the venue was going to be almost directly across the street from where I grew up (and where my dad still lives). Well, that just sealed the deal; I have to go! It's next week, and I'm so excited.

7. For years, the tradition for Mother's Day is for the kids to clean out and plant some flowers in the front flower beds for me. Thanks to a little suggestion that there be a bit more supervision and planning, I now have two hydrangea bushes front and center and some other flowers scattered around. It looks so nice.

Fun fact: Hydrangea blooms change color depending on the soil in which they are planted. So, while these flowers are blue now, they could become pink!
8. I know I've said this before, but our music teacher is just plain awesome. She gets kids to beg to sing in front of a crowd. She pulls the talent out of the kids no one would have guessed had it in them. And then she puts together mini-musicals (about 20 minutes each) for each grade to perform. Turken and my goddaughter performed in each of their musicals this week, and they were as fun as always.

9. I spend a whole lot of time on the sidelines of games. The experience can go many ways, depending on the parents sitting there with me. I am happy to say, all of the teams this year have fun, laid-back parents. The kids have mentioned several times over this season that they can hear me laughing while they play. (I have a loud laugh, much to their chagrin.)

10. There has been some discussions among bloggers about their "voice" and how they write. One common suggestion is to know your readership and write like you are talking to one of them. I pondered that advice for a while during my many drives this week. I am happy to say that when I picture my readership, it is full of a giant variety of people. Different ages, different religions, different phases of life. You all bring your experiences with you, and it has been a pleasure to get to know you and all of your different perspectives. Thank you for sticking around and encouraging me and my family each and every week.

And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...

HAPPY 100 WEEKS TO THE TToT!!

Everyone who links up this week will get her (or his!) name put into a hat. Lizzi will pick out 10 names and assign one to each of the co-hosts. Each winner will receive a box (in the real mail!) full of 10 things. All different, all personal. Just because we appreciate all of you being here.

Lizzi even made a fancy badge for the occasion.

So what are you waiting for? Get your thankful on and link up!

And then have a lovely day!


Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group

23 comments:

  1. Well, I just tried to claim frist, but it doesn't look like my comment went through. (It will probably show up in triplicate later, though.

    Seeing children grow up is difficult.

    I would like to see that emoji!

    I did know that about hydrangeas, but I can never remember if it is acidic or basic soil that keep them blue.

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    1. Surprisingly, you are frist, and you only commented once!

      It is difficult. For me and my selfish self. It's hard to be happy for them and sad for me at the same time.

      Ha! I was trying to make a heart, but couldn't find the less than sign because my keyboard letters are half worn off. I hit the colon instead, and the three just looked like butt cheeks to me, with a colon. I hit return to show Kristi (Campbell, who I was talking to) and some weird emoji face popped up that we could not figure out what it was supposed to be. It went downhill from there. Clearly we were both at a point where we were so over-taxed that something kinda funny became downright hilarious.

      Bryan says it is probably acidic that keeps them blue, since blueberries need acidic soil. I have no idea. But they are turning pink!

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  2. WOOHOO!!! I love that you were there from the VERY beginning!! And isn't it awesome that you wrote something so BRILLIANT to stand the test of time? LOVE that.

    Do I remember your dad living near me? My eyes perked up when I read that... as if perhaps,by chance, maybe so... we could meet? I don't want to be a pushy gal... so I'll leave that up to you! If it's a conference, I'm sure you will be crazy busy! But...

    I WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU!!!

    Happy hundred, girl!!

    And oh, how hard that must have been to say goodbye after all those years... and yay for one less activity... and well, bring eggs with you if you end up coming near my neck of the woods. ;)

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  3. Im with Kristi... EMOJI, EMOJI!... I wanna see it! do you recall how to make it!? Or not make it as it were? Last kiddo in the nursery school! Amazing that the same teachers stayed all that time. My mom cried when I took my entrance exam to high school... Im the youngest of eight.

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  4. Remember the words of my wise friend Celia - you're not supposed to cry when your child (finished preschool, graduates from high school, or the like); you cry if they DON'T.
    Phoenix looks awesome tipping that ball over the net!
    Spring sports are almost over, and I'm still hoping to hear Buttercup's team made it to regionals.
    THANK YOU for inviting me to link up with the very first TToT! It's been the BEST blog community ever.

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  5. I did a happy dance when we were done with daycare - such a relief to remove that line item from my budget.

    I bet at lot of your customers will keep coming for your eggs. Once you've had genuine farm eggs, grocery store eggs are a disappointment.

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  6. Last baby through the preschool...I can imagine that was quite emotional.
    If I lived near you, I'd be at your door looking for eggs. I've often thought about how I could buy eggs and have you ship them to me, but that definitely kills the whole "farm fresh" concept. So, yeah.
    So you brought Dyanne into the fold, eh? Well she turned right around and got me here. Look at that - we're a generation thing! :D

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  7. Your hydrangeas are beautiful. I like the blue color.

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  8. When things get too serious, laughing is the best release. Preschool is such a warm loving place where the teachers co-parent with you, for at least part of the day. I'm sure this was very emotional for you. But Cuckoo is off to Kindergarten. That's really exciting. I love hydrangeas. We have several different kinds in our yard. They just make me happy.

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  9. Two entries about laughing loud and long makes a good list. Happy 100 to you! I'm glad to be doing this with you.

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  10. got to link up for the first time! Thanks!

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  11. Gulp. The last day of preschool for the last kid after 13 years. Talk about a milestone.
    I got a new hydrangea bush in my haul from the nursery this mother's day too. Love it.
    Wish I was close enough to take some of those eggs of your hands!
    May@Achieving Clarity

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  12. I still feel a little twinge every time I pass by the preschool my son went to and it's at the end of the street. I pass it every day on the way home from the elementary school my youngest two have attended for the last eight years between them. My son will leave there this year as well...on to middle school. I know it's supposed to be exciting but it makes me sad. It's just gone by so fast.
    I love your Mother's Day tradition. I love hydrangeas but I think it's too hot in Florida for them. At least at my house! I'm not very good with plants unless they are very hardy and drought tolerant.
    I'm excited for all of the original co-hosts! One hundred weeks is amazing!
    I love your opening, too. So true!

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  13. WOW! 100 weeks! I feel a cheerio tiara coming on. What. Your kids never made one of those in preschool?????

    I may not always comment (sometimes I read on my phone and don't get me started on my inability to comment on it) but I'm here. I love reading about your families adventures and you always make me smile big!! :D <= See...BIG!!!

    What I wouldn't pay to hear your laugh in person. I can imagine it. But.....

    Cheers my friend! D

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  14. Sure you cried. But I bet it was a good cry:)
    Any excuse/reason/opportunity to get back to the home turf is a go in my book! I bet your Dad will be happy to see you.
    I like your Mother's Day tradition of planting. A garden truly tended with love!
    Interesting topic you mention in #10. I think if a person is true to themself it will shine through their writing. From my first visit to the Coop I liked it. It was comfortable:)

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  15. Hydrangeas are my favorite flowering bush. I have them in my front and back yards. The ones in front do better but I am stubborn and force the ones in the back to stick it out every year!

    Oh no! Your baby is growing up...bittersweet for sure.

    Your opening paragraph is the truth. What we look for, we will find. I am so thankful I went looking for this group.

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  16. now don't take this the wrong way, but we were (apparently) thinking quite alike for the 100 Post celebration….er post. what with the recalling of your first TToT post… well, like minds and such.

    …I'd venture the opinion that you had (an) established 'voice' pretty much right away (well, lets make it your third post)…. but then again I've had the advantage of 'meeting' you in the most 'genuine' of circumstances…. (no, I won't tell that story here) lol
    thanks for the co-hostificationing

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  17. You know, I got teary-eyed at Lily's last day of kindergarten, and I still have one kid there (and soon to be another one in the baby department). I don't even know what kind of emotional mess I'd be after 13 years!! Love your hydrangea! I planted two rhododendron bushes in my front yard, but so fat they have not been too happy. I re-planted them to a different spot yesterday and hope they like it better there.. We'll see! Have a great week, Christine!!

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  18. I remember the last day of kindergarten for my daughter too. I didn't get to go because I could not get off work as a school teacher in another district; so I cherish the photos and the video. I have some pretty Spring flowers too and am doing my Wordless Wednesdays on my container garden. Thanks for co-hosting this community. :)

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  19. I remember the last day of kindergarten for my daughter too. I didn't get to go because I could not get off work as a school teacher in another district; so I cherish the photos and the video. I have some pretty Spring flowers too and am doing my Wordless Wednesdays on my container garden. Thanks for co-hosting this community. :)

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  20. 1. Logistics can definitely sap you out of smiles. You get into that taking-care-of-business mode. All it takes is the start of a laugh though, doesn't it? I'm glad you found that.

    2. it's my dream to attend a blog conference. i'm determined to go to BlogU next year. I was supposed to speak in a conference in April, but couldn't make it there. I hope you'll write about the one you go to in Ohio!

    3. As a coach, I sometimes notice the other sideline. I notice when parents try to coach from there, or belittle their own kids (and sometimes the opponents'.) I hear a lot of noise, like a cockfight just broke out. Just once, I'd love to hear laughter.

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  21. " there are also good, kind, wonderful things happening at the same time. We simply need to look for them"
    So very true!! I'm glad I jumped in to participate!!

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  22. There's a whole lotta thankful in this post! What a great lens through which to view the world.

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Thank you for taking the time to tell me what you're thinking!