Thankful Thursdays

This week, I am thankful for:

• snow. If it's cold and wintry, it ought to be beautiful, too.
• catching up
• having married my best friend
• muffins

Thankful Thursdays

Now that I've survived the holidays and all of the illnesses that came with it, I'm reinstating Thankful Thursdays. This week I'm thankful for:

• knowing my hard work is appreciated
• a 3-day weekend
• 2 days off with my husband (this is more rare than it sounds)
• meetings full of laughter, even when we're all under stress
• time to relax at home and let my creative juices flow
• snow!
• a full shelf of books to read (also not new, but I am flying through books right now)
• my local library and the Friendly Library Guy

As a side note, I am really enjoying a book right now by Lis Harris, who writes about her visits with a Hasidic Jewish family in New York. I love learning more about the Christian faith by studying our Jewish origins.

Things I Learned Over Christmas

My husband and I both in industries that are extremely busy around Christmas - he works in retail, and I work in the church. Between the two of us, we put in 13 hours of work on Christmas Eve. I picked him up after work, we went home, changed, loaded the car, fed the dog, and went off to visit family who were gathered 30 minutes away. We were so exhausted and so stressed without time to recoup, the Christmas holiday was a very different one for us this year.

1. "Doing Christmas" is not nearly as special as time spent relaxing with family.
2. Traditions are important. Old ones, new ones - it doesn't matter. But keep your traditions. It's important for everyone to have something special to look forward to.
3. The best part of exchanging gifts is finding something special for someone else.
4. The best kind of gifts to receive are the kind that encouarge you to spend time with people you love.
5. Going to a worship service at midnight on Christmas Eve is special and should not be missed.
6. The best part of not travelling at Christmas is that you can sleep in your own bed at night, and you don't have to worry about how many pairs of socks you've packed.
7. The worst part is that you don't get to spend as much time with your family.
8. Relaxation is an important part of the holidays. If you are stressed, they are far less enjoyable.

All in all, it was not a bad holiday (even though this may sound that way), but it was also not one of the most special. I am thankful to start fresh this year!

Money is Worth More in Dreams than Dollars

Every year for my birthday, family members send money with a birthday card. Even though it feels like it's been ages since my birthday, I still haven't spent half of it. To me, it is far more interesting to dream about what that money could buy than to actually spend it. To walk into a store and realize you have endless possibilities, but to walk out with just one thing, seems disappointing. Was that one item the thing you wanted or needed most? Is it far more special than anything else you could have bought?

Sometimes being frugal is annoying. But it reminds me that spending money and buying "stuff" is not all it's cracked up to be. In fact, my hubby and I were talking just the other night about how we most enjoy gifts that allow us to spend time together in some way. My hope is that we will all spend and give wisely this Christmas season.

Lucy's Advice for the Overworked Human

This is from a card I wrote for my mother-in-law this week.

Lucy the Schnauzer's Advice for the Overworked Human

1. Solar charge yourself. Take naps in the sun.
2. Eat an extra treat.
3. Beg for a scratch behind the ears. Or for scraps from the table. Actually, just beg.
4. Make yourself comfortable on the biggest bed in the house.
5. Play with all of your toys and spread them all over the house. Toys = Happiness.
6. Bark at the neighbors. It relieves stress.
7. Be underfoot. It brings joy to others - even if they don't realize it.
8. Eat an early dinner. There's no reason you can't have dinner at 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon.
9. Chase a squirrel.
10. When all else fails, hide under the bed!

Thankful Thursdays

This week, I'm thankful for:

• my marriage
• hilarious and fun co-workers
• creative moments especially in the kitchen! (This week: beef lo-mein, pesto pizza with veggies, and baked burritos.)
• several free nights to hang out and do nothing, which is truly a rarity these days
• an endless pot of tea to soothe my scratchy throat and sniffles
  
  

Goodreads

Every now and then I like to put in a plug for goodreads.com. If you love to read, are always looking for new interesting titles, or just find it enjoyable to look back at what books you've finished, you should try it. Goodreads is part functional website with a literary focus and part social networking site. You create an account, add books as you read them, and post reviews if you like. You can search for books, read others' reviews, and even participate in free book sharing (which I've never tried).

I have a terrible memory for retaining information I've read, so I like to go back once in a while and see what I thought about certain books. It's interesting to discover which ones you remember most and decide to share with your friends!