Thanksgiving 2009

A million years ago in a Thanksgiving blog I told the story about the circle of thanks and why I hate it, but when someone you love asks a room full of people to do the circle of thanks-you go along unless you're a real cold hearted beaoch. Which I'm not. So someone explains the circle of thanks and how it works to those that don't know-everyone is in a circle and it starts with one person.The first person says what he or she is thankful for and then the second person says what she is thankful for until everyone in the circle has gone and said something that they're thankful for having. A lot of people are thankful for having a job. More people were thankful for their family.This all sounds wonderful and heart warming and I bet you're wondering why I hate the circle of Thanks. Because I always cry.This year no different. The wonderful man holding my hand said he was thankful for one thing-me. He's not very affectionate in public, but he had no problem telling twenty-one people that he was thankful for me.Out of all of the things in the world he could have said he said me. I think that's when the tears started but then Darlene said the most perfect thing of all and I wished I had said it
I'm thankful for my wonderful family, my job, my health, and my life-I have too many blessings to count. Just thinking about that brought the rest of the tears because I also have too many blessings to count.

What do you want for Christmas?

1. I want to hear my kids laugh.
2. I want to kiss someone special under the mistletoe.
3. I want to see Hopper's face when he looks at Santa for the first time.
4. I want to go to Midnight mass with the people I love.
5. I'd like to see some snow-not ice just snow.
6. I want to remain flu-free.
and that's all I can think of today.

More happiness

A friend of mine encourages everyone to take responsiblity for their own happiness, but to do this you need to know what makes you happy. Do you know? What makes you happy?
One of the things that makes me happy is riding my horse. Every single time I climb up on the saddle I get a little thrill. I thought it might slowly disappear with time but no-last ride was just as great as the first. And when Sassy responds to something that I want-that's a whole other thrill. Nothing feels like it and I'm glad.

Accident waiting to happen

There's a problem when we feed the horses grain-the ducks love it too so the ducks hang around hoping the horses will drop some. Remember the old joke-why do duck have flat feet? To stamp out forest fires.Why do elephants have flat feet? To stamp out burning ducks. Hopefully, the ducks will stay alert and avoid flat feet of all kinds

The Library

If you're in Little Rock this weekend check out the used book sale at the main library on Rock Street. The sale is sponsored by FOCAL(friends of the Central Arkansas Library). It's Friday, Saturday and Sunday.I went today and got five really great books for a mere $3.50.
I love the library-always have. It must have started with the book mobile that came to our neighbor hood. Julie and I would race as hard as we could to get the newest Nancy Drew.Later, my kids had to go to story hour and check out their own books (ever tried to keep up with the library cards of three children plus your own? Not happening). The kids even got to check out movies to watch. Beth literally has enough books for a small library but she still goes to the library and Barnes and Noble is a favorite hangout. She's even gone as far as to say she loves the smell of old books. Me-I judge the books by the content not the smell. Anyway go support the library if you can and take a good wiff.

Men go shopping

The weekend meant a shopping trip with the boyfriend. I should have been concerned when he and my step dad poured over the sales circular for Gander Mountain for twenty minutes before we left. Dwight had several things he wanted to look at and had a detailed plan of action- look at guns first, then scopes, then ammunition, then seasonings for meat,etc. When we drove into the parking lot, his eyes kinda glazed over and a new person emerged. Think shoppers on Black Friday. The parking lot was packed and upon entering the store there were more men with the same glazed look that Dwight had. Old men, young men, rednecks, yuppies.... and the ammunition isle-forget it. I'm a seasoned shopper.Black Friday is my holiday, but these men were animals.Maybe the sale was just that good and I don't know what I'm lookin' at, but oh no the men at Ft. Thompson's have the same glazed eyes. I now call it the "Fever" before deer season.When you count more that half a dozen four wheelers on a trailer headed South-you know the fever has begun.

From one generation to the next

October 31st, 1988, I gave birth to my oldest child. She came in the middle of the day. Before the baby comes, you read as much information about babies and parenting as you can get your hands on, but nothing can ever prepare you for the real thing. There is no way to describe how much you instantly, completely, insanely love your child. No words to prepare you. I remember it shocked me a little to feel so much so quickly so completely. The next morning my mother came to see me and to hold the baby for the first time. I saw her in a completely different light and have ever since.I don't know how she didn't lose her mind raising four children. I pray every day that I get some of her strength and that strength that she passed on to her granddaughter. My daughter is one of the strongest women I know and I think I know where she got it from. Happy Birthday to Bunny and Beefy.