Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is over, let the Christmas chaos begin!  The first thing I am thankful for this year is that I'm already done with Christmas shopping, moo-ha-ha!  All I have to do is wrap & bake, yay me. :)  Christmas cards are already printed & picked up, and I'll stamp & address those later this week. I'm ridiculously pleased with myself to be this far ahead of the game, and knowing that I won't have to face any holiday crowds is one sweet reward.
We saw both sides of our family for Thanksgiving, so we ate twice as much. It was nice, but my scale hates me.

For the month of November I posted something I was thankful for on Facebook every day.  I thought I would share my list here for my non-Facebook peeps.

Day 1 -  is joining Pam in the Thankful Posts for November. :) I'm thankful for Jesus, without whom I would be lost forever.

Day 2 - November 2nd - Month of Thankfulness..... have to go with the obvious one, lol..... I'm thankful for the right to vote! :)

Day 2 - is thankful for all of our troops. May God bless you & keep you ♥

Day 3 of Thankful Posts - she beat me to it, but I am so thankful for Keri! So glad to have a good friend to walk and laugh with every day!

Day 4 of Thankful Posts: I'm so thankful for my Bible study! It's a great group of ladies and we have learned so much together.

Day 5 - I'm so thankful for MOPS! I have met some of my best friends there, and had my sanity saved multiple times there. I'm off to babysit at LPC's MOPS this morning :)

Day 6 of Thankful Posts - I am really thankful that the soccer season is ending! Taking Ethan to his final game in the morning. Not sure if I'll be back in time to make it to Barb's service, but I'll be thinking of & praying for her family ♥

Day 7 - I'm thankful for my church!

Day 8 - I am so thankful for my prayer partner Anne. It's such a blessing to spend time with a friend in prayer & conversation.

Day 9 - I am so thankful for friends who pray! ♥

Day 10 - I'm so thankful for Tyler's preschool teachers. He's entered a *ahem* delightful phase of defiance and they are so patient with him!

Day 11 - ★★ "When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?" ~ George Canning So so thankful for all of our men & women who have served in the armed forces. ★★

Day 12 - In honor of To Write Love On Her Arms Day, I'm thankful for the family & friends who supported & loved me when I needed it most. Depression can be a silent killer, but there is hope! ♥

Day 13 - I'm thankful for all the sales & deals that retailers are coming up with! Funny to see Doorbuster deals this early!

Day 14 - I'm thankful that we can get out & enjoy this beautiful weather today. Heading to Churchville shortly :)

Day 15 - is thankful for an amazing husband! He did most of the work tonight in making two pans of chicken parm casserole and two pies! Love you baby!

Day 16 - I'm thankful for the chance to watch Keri's kids; they are hilarious and I love hanging out with them!

Day 17 - I'm so thankful for Ethan's teachers! I got to observe his class today and they are just wonderful. His whole team has done so much for him. ♥

Day 18 - I'm thankful for my sister who is my friend, and my friends who are my sisters! Love you Emily! ♥

Day 19 - I'm thankful for Facebook, reconnecting me with many old friends :)

(I missed Day 20 because Tom and I were in Maryland seeing Steven Curtis Chapman!)

Day 21 - thankful for real cheesesteaks on South Street, mmmm

Day 22 - I'm thankful that the kids have some time off this week. Looking forward to playing games & baking cookies together :)

Day 23 - I'm thankful for our cozy wood stove on chilly days.... but also thankful that it's 60° and I don't have to keep a fire going all day today, lol.

Day 24 - I'm thankful for lazy & fun days with my kids! Still in our PJs now and making plans for baking cookies & homemade pop-tarts this afternoon.

Day 25 - Now more than ever, I am thankful for recovery. Without it, I wouldn't have any of the other things that I am thankful for. I'm so thankful for Dr. Bob & Bill, who paved the way to sobriety for us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Day 26 - I'm thankful that we can get together with both sides of our family this week to give thanks to God. Can't wait to see my little sister!

Day 27 -  I'm thankful for my in-laws.  I know there are many who have difficult or strained relationships with their in-laws, so I really appreciate the good relationship I have with mine. They are wonderful people! ♥

Day 28 - I'm thankful that in spite of all the changes in the past few years, we can still remain close to some really amazing people. We may have set out in different directions, but God has kept us together. ♥

Day 29 - I'm thankful for 16 years today with the love of my life! (dating anniversary)

Day 30, the final day in a month of thankfulness.... I am thankful for my children, in heaven & on earth; I love you. You are amazing & beautiful, and I am so blessed to be your mom. ♥

This & That

100 Best First Lines From Novels - This list practically made me delirious.  So many amazing writers that I deeply admire.

Eminem's Sober Interview - A fellow sober blogger wrote about Marshall Mathers' recent interview in Rolling Stone, where he talks candidly about getting clean and sober. The language is rough and raw and beautiful, and I give him credit for his honesty. I'm thankful when celebrities can put humanity onto the face of addiction. Thanks for posting this Guinevere.

Overheard

"You are just glowin'.  It's like you have a golden blackness." ~ Black man talking to a black woman in the orthodontist waiting room.  Can't say I've heard such a good pick-up line, lol.

"I have magic pee."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, it disappears when I go." ~ Conversation with the Tyrant, who is 4 and still obsessed with all things related to the potty & body function, ughhh.

There are no words

Operation Christmas Child

It's that most wonderful time of the year folks! Time to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Last year 8 million children received a shoe box filled with gifts and hygiene items, along with the message of the love of Jesus.  I ♥ this organization! Please consider making up a box to send, donating your time at your local collection center or even donate online.  We have so much and it is so easy to give.
I usually pick up a sturdy, clear plastic shoe box at the dollar store at the end of the summer and start filling it as I buy back to school supplies for my kids. My kids enjoy filling it with me, and we're signed up for a time slot at our church to help pack the boxes into shipping boxes that will go onto the tractor trailers. It's a blessing to be able to bless others, and to teach this to my kids is huge in my book.

Home(group)less

I had to give up my home group, which sucks. I have been with that Wednesday night group for years, and I really love those folks. But our family schedule just doesn't work with that anymore. I couldn't even stay for the business meeting to tell them the last time I was able to make it there, because I was already late to pick the kids up from church. (I almost made it to the business meeting the month before, but Lucy rolled in something vile right before and I had to bathe my disgusting dog instead, ughh.) I had my sponsor pass it along, which is lame to me, as I wanted to do the right thing and tell them myself. I resigned as secretary and gave up my chairing commitment. It's sad but I'm trying not to dwell on it.

So now the problem is that I need to find a new meeting to attend, which I've never been good at. Even after attending meetings for six out of my nine years of sobriety, I really don't have any friends in the program. I have a lot of acquaintances, and that's it. So it's been weeks (month?) and I haven't found a new one or even tried. I'm a super fantastic procrastinator, and I just never get around to looking up meetings or calling my sponsor. I'm not in danger or anything; I have a great support network, I have constant contact with God and I'm involved in service in other ways. But I know that I will keep myself balanced if I get back to meetings. So, in the interest of telling another person so I will HAVE to follow-up on this, I share it here. Not making any time promises or anything, but I will get on this. Soon.

A Diagnosis: Better Late Than Never

The Tyrant, whom I was considering re-nicknaming on this blog, but changed my mind since he really has been a complete TYRANT lately, has been diagnosed with asthma.  And really, I'm pretty POed about the whole thing.  The short version is that he was on the nebulizer for his first two winters pretty much non-stop, due to bronchiolitis. Last winter he got a cold, which developed into a cough that never left.  I lost count of how many times he would cough all night, and I would take him to the pediatrician.  Every single time I was told that his lungs were clear, and that this was just 'his cough'.  After the 912th visit about this cough, I asked if I should take him to a specialist.  I was told that there was no point, since it was, again, just 'his cough'.
So for going on two years I have had to explain this to anyone who was a caregiver or parent, that it was in fact okay for my hacking son to be around other kids because he wasn't contagious, etc.  Four weeks ago he had a fever and some cold symptoms, and the dreaded cough began.  After a month of draining bottles of Mucinex and running the humidifier while he slept, I made an appointment.  I dreaded it, because I KNEW they were just going to tell me what they always tell me.  I determined in my mind that I would be firm about asking for a better answer about this.  I was pleased that I got him an appointment with one of my favorite doctors, and not with the PA who is completely useless.  And lo and behold, after listening to him breathe for several minutes, he took off his stethoscope and informed me that it was asthma.
I had a very mixed reaction to this, and actually almost laughed when he said it.  I also wanted to cry, because I KNEW something wasn't right and no one ever believed me.  I wanted to go find that stupid PA and tell her to go pound sand.  He called in prescriptions for various inhaler drugs and a 'breathing chamber'.  I gave him the treatment last night before bed, and he slept.  All night.  Not a single cough.  And yes, I'm about to cry just typing that.
He's never had an attack, and this it's quite possible that he'll outgrow it. As far as overall health he is fine and this is not a gigantic thing. I'm slowly getting over being mad & upset about it, and am so thankful that we finally have an answer and a treatment that works.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. {Inspired by SouleMama}