Thankfulness, day 5

Tonight I burned my fingers as I was serving winter root vegetable soup out to my family and it spilled the hot soup on my hands. As I ran my fingers under the cold water I said, "I am so thankful I can feel the pain, its the really serious burns you can't even feel!" I am thankful for my health. When I think of where I was in my health 15 years ago, and even 3 years ago, its wonderful to know how merciful God has been in bringing slow healing to me. I am thankful for my friend, Priscilla, who when I was at my wits end and being eaten alive by Candida took me to see a nutritionist, Margaret. I thank God for this wise woman who gave me the courage and knowledge to set things right in my body and who so wonderfully supported me in this process. Thank you God, its so nice to have health in my body, with my only ailement at present a few blisters on my fingers.

Thankfulness, day 4

Today I am thankful for how free my son is to do crazy skipping and jumping down a city sidewalk. When I asked him what all the jumping about was for he says, "Just practicing my soldier moves" I am thankful for my 2 boys and their wonderful daddy and God for blessing me with them all. I am thankful for the freedom and happiness of a child to move about anyway they want to without the restraint of self consciousness. Thankful that as a mom this kind of joy streams into my life everyday.

Thankfulness, day 2 and 3

OK, so I didn't get off to a good start! Here's a combined thankfulness! Just shows how hard it is to be thankful, can't really do it on my own strength!

So today I am thankful for the shop keeper at the news agent who was smiling today. A smile in the midst of a sea of disintersted, apathetic, or even mean faces is so refreshing. Thank you, God, for people who smile!

Yesterday, I am thankful for friends and birthday parties. For friends with listening ears and cups of tea who make you laugh at the end of it all, thank you God!

Thankfulness, day 1

So lately I have been festering and fostering a lot of grumbling in my mind and heart. To combat this, I am going to try and blog each day between now and Thanksgiving about something or things that I am thankful for, and perhaps the grumbler will be evicted by the end of it all.

Today a friend was telling me how her grandfather survived during WWII and the horrors he endured. Being forced out of his home country of Poland, he and countless others were abandoned without food and freezing. One in seven made it back. I am thankful tonight to be in place of peace, not having seen the horrors of war. Thankful to lead a life of freedom, I am thankful for the basic essentials. The things that would create a state of desperation if I were without them...food, clothing, shelter. Thank you, God, for these good gifts. Thank you also for bringing my friend's grandfather through, and for her sharing that story with me today.

Oh the things they say...

Ethan has come up with some real zingers lately...
After hurting himself with a stick in the back garden, he says (after freaking out, slightly) "When I get hurt, I just need to thank and praise God, and then it doesn't hurt so bad"
After finishing his rice with a small bit of liver mashed in, he says, "I just have to pretend like its my favorite food, then I can eat it okay."
"When I grow up I am going to make a part of the pavement that will push you up into the sky." (I say, "really, that sounds exciting") "Just remind me that I want to do it, okay?"

Good things to keep in mind, eh?

Our freezer had been getting progressively frostier and frostier, ice forming on the top, ice on all the food. I had wanted to defrost, but was waiting for the guests to leave, so as to have less food to worry about. (I was procrastinating) I never had defrosted a fridge before, so this was all new to me.
We had scrambled eggs for dinner the night before just to get rid of extra food. Then I emptied everything that remained out. Todd pulled the freezer drain and pulled the fridge out. He said it looked like, (oh shoot, I can't remember what he said, was it planet hoth from the Empire Strikes Back?) Anyway, it looked like a planet covered in ice. We put a pan of hot water inside the freezer to let it cool more quickly. After finishing breakfast I sat to take care of some things before my parents visit in a couple of weeks. The kids magically were playing so quietly and beautifully, I was able to get everything I needed to done.
Then I come into the kitchen...
All of our hand towels are on the floor in a big pile, including an apron my friends gave me at a bridal shower, that I don't ever wear and I don't know why I moved it to the UK. Anyway, thats in the pile, and a rubber glove. "What's all this?" I ask. "Well we needed it." My boys reply.
They had been floating various toys in the bowl beneath the freezer drain plug. Lego men, Buzz Lightyear, Diego, a key chain with a shoe with the flag from Hungary on it, a helicopter. Then they put all their toys in the various compartments on the door. "This is our store, come and buy something!"
Next thing I notice, Tim has taken a very large towel and put it in the very cold water...he's washing Ethan's back with it. (Did I forget to mention they had taken off their shirts and trousers..."We feel wild." was their reply I got when I asked why they had done this.) "Oooh that water feels good!"
Anyway, the freezer is defrosted, finally everything is wiped down and put away. I washed all the towels and hung them out to dry, which was a bit of a risk, but the weather had said--light rain. Later I am taking a nap with Timothy, and Ethan is watching the neighbors burn garden waste from the up-up stairs window, he comes rushing down. "Mom, its raining, the towels!" (so sweet that he's even concerned about them!) I open my eyes and see the very very heavy rain coming down, Oh well, it will be alright. The sun came out later and dried the towels, and tomorrow the Tesco man will bring me a refrigerator full of food!

Oh the things they say...

Here are some things my kids have said recently...of course I was thinking of more, but now that I go to write them down I can't remember them all.

Ethan, "Its something of my business." "Knock knock." (who's there?) "banana." (banana who?) "knock knock" (who's there?) "banana" (banana who?) this continues about 10 times, then "knock knock" (who's there?) "Apple" (apple who?) "apple aren't you glad I didn't say banana?"

Timothy, "Look, hairplane!" "Lets watch oovie, okay?" "Its not spaghetti, its snake pasta." "Poppa, my miss (meaning kiss) you!"
"My God is so big, so strong, so my team, there's nothing I dare not do."

(While playing with animals at the holiday club, another boy comes and stomps with his lion on Tim's animals. Tim says, "Give me space." Boy keeps stomping. Tim takes his animals and moves to otherside. Boy follows. "Give me space." Boy stomps on his animals. Tim moves back to the former side. Boy comes back and stomps. Tim's face turns bright red and the veins bulge out the side of his neck, "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"