Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 30

Day is done and so, too, is my month of Thankful Thoughts.

In my many years of blogging I have never blogged every day.

Heck, I'm doing good if I post once a week.

My Thankful Thoughts were a way to be mindful of the little things I am thankful for on a daily basis.  They were also a test of whether I could follow through with a daily post for one month.

Although a few days I had to play catch up, I was successful in covering each day in the month of November

and

for that I am thankful.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 29

Thankful today for rain.

Our last rain here was on October 8th.

Since then we've had wildfires in the mountains of NC and now in TN.  We're a few hours from the NC mountains, but still close enough to experience several days of a smoky haze and smell in the air.

Our rain today was a most welcome sight.

I pray that it will bring relief to the areas affected by the wildfires.

It is heartbreaking to see the devastation the fires are causing in the Gatlinburg area.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Days 27 & 28

Thankful on day 27 to enjoy my morning coffee in front of the Christmas tree.

It seems every year I do my fair share of grumbling about all the work involved in creating Christmasland.

Once it's done it doesn't take long to realize that it was all worthwhile.

Day 28

Today ( and every day) I am thankful for kind people.

While out running errands today I paid particular attention to the little acts of kindness happening out there.

The man returning someone else's shopping cart to the store, the little boy holding the door open for me, the lady with an overflowing cart allowing the person with a few items to go ahead of her in line, etc.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 26

On day 2 of my Christmas decorating I am most thankful for the pictures I have taken for the past several years.

It sure does make it easier to remember how I decked the halls in the past when I can consult my blogging photos.  I'm not one to re-create all of the décor every year.  I make a few little tweaks each year and call it good. 

You'd think I would remember what I did last year.

I guess I do for the most part, but there are always those little details that come back to me quicker when I can see what happened last year or the year before.

Have you started your Christmas decorating yet?

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 25

Just before heading out the door yesterday, I decided to take a quick picture of the dishes I was taking.

After our Thanksgiving feast I thought I might never eat again.

I was s.t.u.f.f.e.d!!

But then today came along and I packed up the fall décor.

After that I began decorating for Christmas and before you knew it, I was hungry once again.

Funny how that happens :D.

Which brings me to what I am thankful for today.

LEFTOVERS!

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to polish off the last piece of pie.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 24

"

Yesterday I saw something on Facebook asking whether we were "hosting and roasting"

or

"baking and taking".

I fall into the latter category.

My apple pie, homemade rolls and butternut squash casserole are ready for the "taking" and my mouth is watering for that traditional once a year turkey dinner.

Before I head out the door I want to wish all who are celebrating a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Today I am thankful for each and every one of you who takes the time to visit and share with me on this little blog of mine.

You make it all worthwhile and I thank you.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 23

~ Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall ~

Yes, it's true.

I love them all.

Thankful today to live where the seasons change and I can appreciate the unique beauty that each has to offer.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 22

I have no photos to accompany my post today.

It was a busy day.

Chiropractor visit.

Mammogram.

Grocery Shop.

A wee bit of Christmas shopping.

Dinner made.

Dishes done and now I'm ready to climb into bed and watch This is Us and then, hopefully, drift off to slumberland.

Last nite's sleep left a lot to be desired and I've been trying to stay awake all day.

However, no matter how tired I may be, I am still thankful and today I am particularly thankful for having all of the groceries bought so that tomorrow I can do the cooking and baking for Thanksgiving day.

Nite Nite,

Thankful Thoughts ~ Days 17-21

Making up for lost time here today.

While Jaxson was visiting last week, we met up with Brett's brother and his wife for dinner.

We spend most holidays together as the remainder of our extended family are out of state.

Amber is the photographer for the above photo so...

let me include her in the group too.

There, that's better.

My family is something I am thankful for every day.

On day 18 we had a simple supper of soup and salad.

The salad was made with greens from my garden.

The soup was homemade chicken noodle.  The final ingredient I added to the soup was finely minced parsley, also from the garden.

It made me smile when my son said the thing he likes best about my cooking is that everything tastes so fresh.  To me that was a very nice compliment and also easy to achieve when the garden is still producing fresh greens.

Thankful today for my wee vegetable garden.

 

Day 19 found me searching for a new muffin recipe.

I had some bananas that needed to be used up and I wanted something a little different than the recipes I usually make.

A little browsing on the internet led me to this recipe.

Exactly what I had in mind for a slightly different, yet super delicious muffin.  This is a definite keeper!

Thankful this day for the many good things the internet has to offer like finding recipes in an instant.

During Jaxson's visit my older son ventured into the attic looking for toys he might like to play with.

In the process he came across a dead mouse.  Eek!

Day 20 found Brett and I emptying the contents of this attic which contained toys, games and various mementoes from our boy's younger days.  Some of the boxes hadn't been opened since our move 17 years ago. 

We spent most of the day going through every single box.

In the process we discovered another dead mouse.  Thankfully they were in traps that were set years ago.

Once the boxes were gone through, we gave the attic a good vacuuming and returned the boxes of Legos and edited toys that Jaxson will likely use someday.  The rest were donated this morning.  Two full boxes of Beany Babies were just a portion of the donations. What a waste of money that craze was. 

Anyhow, it now feels incredibly good to have that attic clean and the load significantly lightened.

Very thankful for a clean attic.

You may remember that Brett and I have been working from home for the past two years.

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about "the business" being in my home.  Overhearing Brett talking business on the speaker phone as I went about my daily tasks seemed rather strange.  Maybe even a little intrusive.  But now we have fallen into a rhythm and I rather like it.

One of the boy's former bedrooms serves as our office.

It's a good thing we get along well because we sit at desks a few feet away from one another.

At one point this afternoon I looked towards Brett's desk to this view.

We're still enjoying the beauty of autumn here.

Thankful to be able to work from home today.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 15 & Day 16

So, the doorbell rang and look who was on the other side.

Now you will see why I was so excited.

We have been having fun and keeping busy, hence the lack of post yesterday.

Without  a doubt, ranking right at the tippy top of my thankful list is my little grandson.

The weather yesterday was picture perfect.

That called for a visit to our local play park.

This park was funded and built by volunteers in the community.

Many families were out enjoying the lovely day.

My kids think the way I am standing in this photo is hilarious.

I just like the big hug I am the recipient of.

The love we share for each other is something I hold dear.

I'm not sure there are many things quite as sweet as hearing "I love you" from your grandchildren.  Warms my aging heart and is something I am especially thankful for.

We'll be making memories over here for a few more days.

The thankful posts may not be right on schedule, but the spirit of thankfulness is still going strong.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 14

Thankful today for that feeling of excitement one feels while waiting for the doorbell to ring.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 13

While it's far too early for me to be decking the halls of my happy home for Christmas, it's not too early to start thinking about it.

Even though we are trying to pare down on our decorating around here, I still love to see pretty Christmas displays.

So, when my favorite local shop sent out the invitation to their annual Christmas Open House, I happily took them up on the offer.

I know from past experience that they go all out to create a magical Christmas wonderland. 

The moment you walk in the door you can tell you are in for a special treat.

This shop has such a nice way of creating their displays.

Sometimes I just shop for ideas.

New ways to display things I already own.

I thought these galvanized metal shelves were an adorable way to highlight a special collection.

It was a most enjoyable day taking in the pretty décor and sampling different holiday treats.

We came home with lots of inspiration,

a few new appetizer recipes along with special ingredients to make them and a new book.

As soon as I hit the publish button here I'm curling up under the covers to seek further inspiration.

I think this book is right up my alley.

***

Salem Creek in Winston-Salem, NC is the name of the shop we visited today.

This was their 35th Christmas Open House.

With many shops coming and going throughout the years, I can see why they are still going strong.  I hope they enjoy many more years of success.

I know it must take a lot of hard work to create such a lovely open house for their customers and I am thankful that they do.

Thankful today for those special little shops we love to visit and especially for their holiday open houses.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Days 11 & 12

Yesterday was the day we set aside to remember and be thankful for our veterans. 

On a shelf in the living room sits a little shadowbox honoring my best known veteran, my dear Dad.

After he passed away I assembled the small collection of his World War II memorabilia into this little memorial. 

He looks so young.

He was so young.

Nineteen years old then.

Like so many of that generation, he kept his wartime experiences to himself.

It wasn't until my own two boys reached that age that I really realized what it must have been like for him and for his family.

Veterans Day is a good reminder to stop and think about the

many sacrifices our veterans have made and continue to make to keep our country safe and strong.

I

Today I am thankful for the last rose of the season.

I'm especially thankful to have spotted it in time to bring it indoors to enjoy in a bud vase. 

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 10

When it was time for a little afternoon reading, it wasn't hard to decide which chair to sit in.

The only problem is I kept getting distracted by the beauty going on all around me.

Thankful today for reading on the patio... in November.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 9

~ Silence is Golden ~

Well, for better or worse, our election is now over.

I'll keep my thoughts to myself on that subject.

But, I will say that with the election in the rear window so are the numerous annoying calls and to that I say Hooray!!!

I am most thankful today for the end to those unwanted phone calls.

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 8

I'm thankful today for the right to vote.

We chose to do so by absentee ballot this year.

On a recent afternoon, we sat at the kitchen table surrounded by our voter's guide, the laptop and the many flyers received from the various candidates.  We read, researched and discussed our choices.

Once decisions were made we filled in the little bubbles on the ballot, signed, sealed and delivered them to the mailbox.

Today on election day there will be no waiting in long lines, which just might be something else to be thankful for :).

Thankful Thoughts ~ Day 7

I'll give you one guess what I'm thankful for today.

If you guessed bright blue skies, then you would be correct.

When I wake up to a sky like this, I feel happy and energetic.

Unlike gray skies which make me feel tired and lazy.

Unless it is just one gray day accompanied by rain.

In that case I feel slightly lazy yet very cozy.

Funny how the color of the sky can affect my mood, but it does.

I took a little stroll through the garden this morning to see what was blooming.

These shrub roses have been going strong all summer and continue on into the fall.

Lovely!

The Sasanqua Camellias are loaded with buds and a few blooms too.

Azaleas in orange. . .

Pink. . .

and white too.

Not the clearest photo.  I was trying to capture the bee who was wiggling around in there.

I probably say this ever year around this time, but those Encore Azaleas have been great performers.  Pretty in springtime and then again in the autumn season.

Last, but not least, the water lilies are still going strong.

Growing up I always thought of November as a dreary month.

Everything seemed to die or go dormant fading into a landscape of gray and brown.

In time the frost will arrive here too.

For today I'll enjoy a world filled with bright colors.