Washed and Dried

One might not think it possible with a family of nine (including two in cloth diapers!) to get the laundry done, but when I went to bed last night, it was really and truly done.  Hooray for clean laundry!

Today I am thankful for my washer and dryer, my loyal companions in our never-ending struggle against the dirty laundry.  I've had the same laundry machines for twelve years now.  That right there is a major blessing, all by itself.  There have been a few rough spots where major repairs were necessary, but we have persevered.

Not that I couldn't get by with a washboard, a tub of water and a clothes line if it ever came to that.  I'm just so very grateful that I don't have to.  Thank you, modern convenience.

What are you blessed with today?

Leftovers

Dinner tonight was leftovers.  Like, WAY left over.  I took the Thanksgiving turkey and gravy leftovers out of my freezer, thawed them, and made yummy turkey tetrazzini.  It was really very good.  We ate it with peas, and biscuits ...left over from yesterday.

I love leftovers.  It means we have more than sufficient for our needs.  It also means I am off the hook for actual meal preparation in the near future.  Leftovers are a beautiful thing.  The recipe made about twice what we needed, so I am probably going to freeze it...and have tasty leftovers again in a couple of weeks.   I am thankful for leftovers!

What are you blessed with today?

Kid-Friendly Reads

At least twice as I was falling asleep last night, I thought I ought to get up and do a post, as I had never gotten to it yesterday.  But I opted for sleep instead, which was a good thing.  My toddler is ill, and he climbed into bed next to me just before 4:30 this morning.  None of us slept very well after that.  So choosing sleep was good.

Once morning was inevitable, I changed and fed and watered my little patient, and then tucked him back in to my bed, surrounded by books.  He is a really active person, normally, but with a stack of books and a comfy spot, he will calmly sit and peruse them all.  Today, he was surrounded by his board books, pillows, and solicitous sisters...sisters who read to him and fetched him drinks and goofed off for his entertainment and otherwise met his every need.  And after the girls lost interest in playing nurse-maid, the books were still there for him.  Sandra Boynton and Eric Carle make it a lot easier to be a sick little boy.

Today, I am thankful for good little books for sick little kids.

What are you blessed with today?

Sunbeams

Even though it's the second Sunday of the year, today was my first day teaching the bumper crop of Sunbeams in Primary.  In the past, I have been known to say  - only somewhat sarcastically - that I don't really like kids.  Today, that wasn't true, not one little bit.  I love these little souls!  They are so bright, not just with intelligence, but with enthusiasm and joy for life.  Each one is an individual, a fully fledged person.  They are only three (three!) years old, but they are eager and intent on doing what is right and good.

I have five Sunbeams, and four of them are oldest sons, little alpha males, all.  And the lone girl is a forceful personality in her own right.  It would not be an exaggeration to say I had been dreading this Sunday with these children for weeks.

But it was wonderful.  These are (somewhat) fiercely independent beings, to be sure.  Nevertheless, I found myself delighted as I began to make their acquaintances and earn their friendship.  They are so sweet.  And I am surprised by how much I miss my little flock of sunbeams from last year, now that they have moved on and moved up.

Today I am thankful for my Sunbeams, and for the opportunity to teach them and to learn from them, and get to know them....cute lil' things!

What are you blessed today?