grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• A loving and supportive husband. I'm keenly aware of what a blessing this is.
  
• The opportunity I had to go to the temple yesterday as part of our Stake Relief Society temple day. I had been feeling unsettled about some things, but my morning in the temple reminded me that I just need to turn things over to the Lord and have a little faith! Feeling so much better now.
  
• My new food storage ideas and ambitions. I'm going to start canning meat this month!
• My sweet mama who celebrated a birthday this past week. I'm so thankful for her.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The lesson I gave in Relief Society last week and that talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting today about Relief Society. Since I'm now officially out of Relief Society and into Primary, I'm grateful for the opportunities I had for some closure. I'll miss it, though.
• The wonderful talk we heard in Sacrament Meeting today on the sacredness of prayer.
  
• My sweet kids, who make me laugh every single day.
• The health and safety of our kitty, Plume, who got in a cat fight earlier in the week and spent a very unpleasant day at the vet. She's much better now.
• Weather that makes it actually feel like wintertime, though I was wishing for a fireplace today. And the kids were wishing that they were at Granny's where it was snowing.
• My wonderful mother-in-law who had a birthday this past week.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• my health. I've had a cold with a nasty cough for the past couple of weeks and I'm finally feeling healthy and whole. So very grateful.
• Todd's new calling in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. He's had this gig before, but he's so good at serving others, I know it will be a good change for him. Maybe we'll get a little more family time as well?
• my marriage. I get to be married to my best friend. Forever. Isn't that incredible?
  
• good food. I really like good food and Todd and I have done just as much cooking this week as we did last week for Thanksgiving. I'm confessing that I've had two pieces of (homemade) pie every single night for the past 4 nights and it has been awesome.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• the amazing Thanksgiving we had.
  
• the giving side of this holiday. We have so much and I'm so thankful that we have enough to share with others. I hope I'm teaching my children to be charitable and generous and to find joy in giving.
• couponing. Seriously, folks, I'm kind of addicted. It combines three things that I really enjoy: finding a bargain, organizing things on paper and shopping!
• the cinema. We live in a small college town and movies at the cinema are so cheap! On Friday we took the kids to see Megamind ($3.50/ticket) and on Saturday afternoon I saw Harry Potter while Todd went to see it that evening (a whopping $5.50 for his ticket).
• that the Relief Society lesson I taught today is over. Right before I stood up to teach, I realized that the lesson I had written was at home on my printer! But I learned a valuable lesson: I'm not very good at winging it.
  
• the change in weather. I realize that I mention the weather ever other week, but on Thanksgiving day we went from warm and muggy that morning to cold and windy that evening. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The people who support me in my church calling. I was gone for most of Saturday at a leadership training meeting and I'm so thankful for the people who planned and worked to put that event together. My biggest support comes from Todd. I've been away at a lot of meetings this week (and let's face it, over the past 2 1/2 years) and he's always there to take care of the kids and house and pick up the slack. There is a part of me which looks forward to the day when we can team-teach a primary class together so we get to see more of one another.
  
• That voice-over gig I mentioned before. I think it's going to be a big blessing for our family and an engaging creative outlet for me. Multiple times this week I've found myself overcome with gratitude and giddy with excitement. "Thankful" doesn't begin to describe how I feel.
  
• My kids' friends. I realize that my children are young and I have a lot of control over who they play with, but the children they have become attached to during their short lives are awesome and I truly love them.
• Good news at the doctor. Silly really, but I had some foot pain and was convinced that there was a piece of glass embedded in my foot. It was a plantar wart! A little liquid nitrogen and I can now walk pain-free. Happy day.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The security of Todd's job. It seems that the downward turn of the economy has finally hit our little town. We feel that Todd's job is safe, and we are so grateful.
• The Primary Program, perhaps my favorite Sacrament Meeting of the year. The children sang beautifully. Gwendolyn and Linus recited their parts perfectly (and I'm so glad for their work memorizing their parts). The Spirit was there and Linus was only mildly disruptive (because of his fascination with the hymnbook under his seat). I'm so grateful for the loving and dedicated Primary teachers and leaders who bless the lives of my children and nurture their budding testimonies.
  
• The opportunity that Todd had to teach Sunday School today. I love watching him teach. His lessons are so thoughtful and well-constructed, and he has such a love for the Hebrew Bible (and Isaiah in particular).
  
• My health and the health of my family. This is something I'm ashamed to say that I often take for granted.
• My faith and hope for the future and all the wonderful conference talks that focused on hope and optimism. I feel so strengthened and lifted each time I re-read or listen to some of those talks.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Fall weather. We haven't had the air conditioner on for over a week; just open windows and the house fan. Amazing! It isn't even November yet!
• The opportunity I had to volunteer at the food bank earlier this week. It was a fun evening of service (though days later, my wimpy arms are still sore). I want to get the kids involved in more community service and the food bank would be a great place to start with them.
• The good news that the weird bite and huge rash on Gwendolyn's arm is nothing more than an allergic reaction. I think it's always good news when the doctor tells you that your kid doesn't have rocky mountain fever or lyme disease.
  
• The productive Saturday we had and the nap I got! [Thanks again for keeping the kidlets quiet, Todd. oxox]
  
• The wonderful Relief Society lesson we had today and how it touched my heart (which has felt a little bit worn out and maybe even complacent lately).
• The opportunity I have to use my talents. I got a phone call tonight asking if I would be interested in doing some voice-over work. I knew that theatre degree would come in handy one of these days! But seriously, I have been feeling for a while that I need to use some of the talents and skills that I have been blessed with, so my heart is full of gratitude for this opportunity.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The wonderful 36 years I've had on this earth. I have a good life and I'm glad that I get to keep learning and growing and making it better.
• The cold front that came in on my birthday. Windows open and night time temps in the 50s -- in September?! Awesome.
• General Conference. Especially the talks by Uchtdorf, Oaks, Eyring and Monson. I'm still trying to work through some of the others.
• Quiet weekends spent (mostly) at home. Home is my favorite place.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Mom and Dad Sam and their days-long visit with us. We had so much fun and wish that we could see them more often. Gwendolyn believes we all need to learn to apparate and I couldn't agree more.
• The great extra-curricular activities my kids are involved in. Gymnastics started this week, Gwendolyn is loving piano and Spanish and we had our bi-monthly homeschool co-op on Friday. I'm thankful for the talented people who teach my kids, the intelligent moms I get to know because of these activities and the sweet friendships my children are building.
  
• The General Relief Society meeting. I loved Julie Beck's talk. I love this organization. I love the women I get to know and serve because of my calling.
• The wild and crazy thunderstorms we've had this week. I love the rain. This is the one good thing about hurricane season.
  

grateful sunday

Today I am thankful for:

• My sweet little girl and her decision to be baptized. Is it possible that she has grown and matured since yesterday? It certainly feels like it.
  
• All the family who came to town to celebrate her big day and all the lovely friends who surrounded us at the ceremony. My little family has felt such love this weekend.
  
• Safe travels. Flights and long drives this week and everyone got here and there in safety.
  
• All the delicious food that people brought and bought that is currently stuffed into our refrigerators. What a blessing to be overflowing with healthy food.
  
• My talents and Todd's talents. I'm glad that we have strong minds and healthy bodies and that we can use the talents we've been blessed with to teach our children and better our lives. It hit me this week what a big deal that really is.
  
• Gwendolyn's eagerness. Her eagerness to learn, to do good, to help others and set a good example. I think eight must be the sweetest age.

(My kids adore their cousins. These two are especially fond of each other. I love watching them interact. Seriously, when was the last time you saw something that cute?)

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• My sweet eight-year-old (!!!) and the joy she brings to our home every single day. It's been fun to celebrate her.
  
• My old and new calling(s). Today I was released as 1st counselor in Relief Society and then called as 1st counselor in Relief Society. I'm thankful for all the amazing women I've had the opportunity to serve with the past two and a half years. I have learned and grown and stretched myself in so many ways because of their influence. I'm thankful to have had a front row seat and been able to observe their charity and love and devotion and service. I'm also thankful for the incredible women who were called to the new presidency today. I'm looking forward to working with and learning from women I admire so much. The past month or so, I've been feeling a bit of calling burn-out, but today I felt recharged.
  
• The copious amounts of rain we got this week. Also, that the tornado which was sighted a couple of miles away didn't come and gobble up our house. Also, that the playroom has no windows. I'm usually not thankful for that, but it does make a nice storm shelter.
• The exciting week we have ahead of us, complete with visits from grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and Gwendolyn's baptism on Saturday!
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• My wonderful trip to Salt Lake for a "girls weekend" with my mother-in-law and four of my amazing sisters-in-law. All the details in another post, but needless to say, it was amazingly fun, exhausting, and worth it.
  
• The incredible people I'm related to. I admire these women so much and feel I came back renewed and a better person/wife/mother. I hope this becomes an annual tradition.
• Todd and the great fun he had with the kids over the weekend. He really is an amazing father.
  
• Safe travels. The drives, the parking, the shuttles, the airplanes, the driving around in the city. I'm home safe and sound and so is everyone else. Hooray!
• Mountains and dry, desert air. Two things that Texas is lacking.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• My sweet husband who always helps me see the other side of things when I get too worked up or emotional about things. It's been an emotional week and I'm so thankful that I have Todd around to keep me grounded and give me a shoulder to cry on.
• My sweet Gwendolyn. She has grown and matured so much this summer. When she isn't pushing her brothers' buttons, she is a shining example to them and a tremendous help to me.
  
• My loving Linus. He's such a cuddle bug and I love his goofy little smile. He's sensitive, but so easy-going. His loving, affectionate nature is just what I need some days.
• My little Casper. I can already tell that 3 is going to be tough with this assertive, energetic guy. But for now, he's still my baby (just don't tell him that I called him a baby) and he cracks me up.
  
• All of my dear extended family, many of whom I'll get to see in the upcoming weeks due to a trip to Salt Lake and Gwendolyn's upcoming baptism. Sometimes I just sit and marvel at how blessed I am.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• My health, which has been questionable lately (and also provides my excuse for the lack of recent blog posts). I've had a few good days recently and I'm so grateful.
• The rain we got this week. It seems I mention being grateful for rain every time we get a drop, but I really am.
• Good neighbors. Our little house is surrounded by some really good people. I'm thankful to know them and for the ways in which they touch my life.
• The wonderful teachers my children have at church. Linus's teacher is moving in a couple of weeks, and he's brokenhearted. (Linus is pretty sad about it, too. He came to Todd at the end of church last week and said, "Daddy, the saddest thing happened today -- Brother Farrer is moving in three weeks!") Casper still talks about and misses his teachers, who moved away weeks ago. I know my kids are loved and cared for in their classes. What a blessing.
• Knitting. I love this craft. I started a new project this weekend and it feels good to get my hands in wool again -- it's been a while. It also reminds me of my awesome Boston friend, TGL. She rocks.
• My sister Tiffany and all the good, happy things going on in her life. She rocks, too.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Independence Day. I'm thankful for the people who fought for our liberties so long ago so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. We've spent a lot of time reading about and studying the American Revolution the past couple of weeks, and this week, we got to visit Todd's library to see an early printed facsimile of the Declaration of Independence. We then went to see the state's 1950 replica of the Liberty Bell (all 50 states have one, and Texas' just happens to be a few yards from Todd's office). [Todd is offering a bigger and better tour on Wednesday morning. Let me know if you want in.]
  
• Rain! This week has been mostly overcast, cooler and wet. We've needed the rain and I'm thrilled that we got some.
• My bed. I don't know how I end each day so utterly exhausted, but I love our bed and it makes me so happy to be able to collapse into it at bedtime.
  
• The good conversationalist that I'm married to. Somehow, we've found some time this week to just sit around and talk, which is one of my favorite things to do with Todd. How thankful I am that I get to spend eternity with such an interesting person.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Todd's successful trip to Philadelphia and his safe return to Texas. I'm thankful for the research he got done, the interesting conference he attended -- and that the university pays for him to fly directly into our little town so I didn't have to drive to the big city to drop him off and pick him up.
  
• Our safety and sanity in Todd's absence. Swim lessons, lots of play dates, and a busy schedule helped make the bedtime routine smooth (people were too exhausted to fight me on anything).
  
• The police officer who broke into my house on Wednesday afternoon. We arrived home from piano lessons on Wednesday to find that the doorknob part of our door was locked (I don't carry a key for that part of the door). The knob can easily be locked from the inside and the door pulled shut, so I imagine that one of my helpers did this by mistake. I felt prompted to drive over to the home of my friend and visiting teacher. She welcomed me and before I could even look for a locksmith's number in the phone book, her police officer husband arrived home for a brief stop (I later learned that he was impressed to go home instead of continuing to where he had been headed). He offered to bring a couple of tools, follow us to the house, and see what he could do. He opened the bottom lock with a credit card in less than a minute! It's not everyday that a uniformed officer breaks into your house. I'm so thankful for his willingness to help me, that he didn't get a call and have to rush off before we arrived at my house, for his sweet wife who watched my kids while all this went on, and that I didn't have to pay a locksmith. I'm thankful that I am worthy to receive helpful inspiration from heaven and that I was smart enough to listen to it this time around. I'm thankful for tender mercies and answered prayers.
• For Casper's health. He's had a nasty case of croup this weekend (and by nasty, I mean that at 2 am Friday night I was sitting with my baby in a steam filled bathroom with the hot shower on full force while Todd looked up the fastest routes to the ER). I'm thankful for Todd's worthiness and willingness to use the Priesthood and for the blessing he gave our sweet boy, who seems markedly improved today.
  
• The safety of my niece, Phoebe. She took a nasty fall this week that resulted in 7 stitches above her left eye. Poor baby.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Fun times with my family. We had a wonderful weekend down at the coast with my parents. I'm so thankful for the beautiful memories made with my family. I'm so thankful for the good relationships I have with my husband, my parents, my kids. Thanks again, Granny and Grandad!
  
• Safe travels. I'm so very glad that everyone got home safely (except, of course, the crabs).
• A sweet friend who took care of our kitties in our absence. Unbeknownst to me, before we left the house, Casper wrapped the full cat bowls in some play silks and then hid them. Thanks again for coming to their rescue, Erin.
• Working air conditioners. At church, at the grocery store, at the library, but especially at home and in the cars. Dang, it's getting hot here.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The happy return of our sweet kitties and the protection they received in their absence. Pudge did have an nasty infection on his tail which he had to have treated, and they were both a little thin and in need of affection, but everyone is doing well now. Also, all three cats now have NON-breakaway collars with replacement tags, and all have been microchipped, although none seem particularly anxious to spend extended amounts of time outside.
• My parents. They are here for a very brief visit, but it's been nice to have them around for the day.
• The days off that Todd got this past week. I love having him home. In an ideal world, we would both be home all day to play with and teach our children. He's great company and a wonderful father.
  
• Fresh Texas peaches. My parents stopped at a road-side stand and bought a big box of very sweet and juicy peaches! I see homemade jam in our near future. Cobbler? Ice cream?

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• Plume's safe return! She showed up at our back door about 9.30 this evening, hungry and covered in burrs, but healthy and happy to be home. I wept with joy and gratitude. I'm so thankful for her safe return and for the protection she had while she was away from our home. I know Pudge will show up any day now. I believe in miracles.
  
• The fun week the kids and I had in Dallas last week with my family. I love my family. [Coming soon: pictures of me on roller-skates!]
  
• Gwendolyn's piano recital yesterday. She's worked so hard lately and though nervous, she did a beautiful job. I'm thankful for her wonderful teacher, Ms Emilee, who helps her be excited about music and lessons. I'm thankful for Todd's musical talent and the time he takes to work with Gwendolyn, which helps her be excited about practicing.
  
• The bounty of our garden. "Bounty" might be stretching things a bit, but we've enjoyed cucumbers, tomatoes and various herbs (and beans from Granny's garden) with zucchini on the way!
  
• Todd's day off tomorrow. He's been working 15 hour days the past couple of weeks, so we haven't seen much of him. How grateful I am that we will have him around all day tomorrow. Just being home with my family is my favorite thing in the world. Seriously.
  

grateful sunday

This week I am thankful for:

• The nine plus years we had with our sweet (and often not-so-sweet) Mason. I really miss him. It's been nice to reminisce and tell the children stories about his kitten-hood. He used to love to eat fruit and run around the tub while I was in the bath and play with his stuffed hedgehog. I'm thankful for the knowledge that he'll be with us again someday, but cured of all that ailed him.
  
• A wonderful Ward Conference. I heard some things today that I needed to hear. Every conference, I feel a gentle push to do a little better and I'm grateful.
  
• The cool weather and rain we've had this weekend. When it's mid-May in Texas and you have a couple of days when you don't have to water the lawn and can throw open the windows instead of turn on the a/c, that's a really good thing.