That Was Easy

Remember those painted hand prints and words I was worried about getting off the sliding glass door? I didn't bother with soap. I just got out the razor blade scraper and scraped off the paint. It came off in little colorful shreds very quickly and easily. We have tile floor near the door, so I just swept up the pieces and threw them in the garbage. Since clean up was so easy, I think painting on our sliding glass door is going to become a regular thing around here. Oh, and none of us are sick anymore, thankfully. Health is a blessing.

Potato People

The evening after Thanksgiving, 90% of us came down with a stomach virus. Bland foods have been on the menu ever since. Last night, I brought in the potato bucket from the garage so I could make baked potatoes for dinner. The bucket was full of potatoes of all sizes from my mother-in-law's garden. We especially love to scrub and bake the tiny ones. With skins on, they almost crunch when we eat them and it's like eating healthy french fries. I was surprised when I pulled out these little guys. They actually grew this way. In order to thoroughly clean them, I had to pop off the heads, but of course I took a picture before I did. I'm up in the early hours thanks to stomach discomfort. Food is normally one of my favorite things. I'm looking forward to healing soon.

Today

I am Thankful for Messages of Heavenly Love

Colorful glowing sky, gentle billowing breeze

Hug from a loving friend, flower that catches my eye

Face of a beautiful child, smile of an elderly man

Mountains that lift my chin up, progress that helps me stand

Painting Fun

I saw THIS idea and decided to try it.

It was so much fun.

She wanted to paint with me. And I thought it needed something more.

She came up with the idea of hand prints. I came up with the idea of using several colors. I really like the result.

Now you ask, Will it wash off?  And I answer, I have no idea. But I'm suspecting it will. It's just craft paint.

For Snow

The snow waited until after we were safely home from our date last night to stick to the ground. It was pretty and magical. This morning, everything looks fresh. The roads and sidewalks were warm enough that most of the snow melted away. And I am safe and warm. 

For Flowers All Year

When I brought these flowers home from the store today, I was happily surprised to notice they remind me of this painting my daughter made when she was in second or third grade. They were learning about Van Gogh in art class. Her teacher liked it so much they posted it on the school district's website. I like it too.
Yes, it's that flower-buying time again. I'm thankful flowers are available all year. 

For a Good Friend

Today, I went to a church-related meeting. Before I went, I'd been thinking about some personal problems. I thought I might mention some of my concerns to the person I was meeting. Instead, I decided to just do the job that needed to be done. I decided to see how things went and hope that my feelings wouldn't stand in the way.

After a while, she asked me how I felt about something personal. I told her. I mentioned my worries. I was surprised by her response. She was so sweet, understanding, and reassuring. She helped me feel better about everything and then gave me the opportunity to serve with her. Her good opinion of me helped me feel better about myself and more capable of doing the tasks I've been asked to do. That is good leadership. That is good friendship. I was surprised because, even though she gave me the flowers above after my elbow injury and she's always been nice to me, I haven't always felt a closeness with this person. Today, I am grateful for her.

For Fall Flowers

It's almost flower-buying season. I thought all our outside flowers would be dead by now. We've had cold temperatures and some snow. This morning, I was surprised to see a white snap dragon that looks about ready to bloom. I walked around the yard and the only other happy flowers I saw were the purple pansies. Finding fall flowers was an unexpected blessing this morning.

For Sunny Days

Today, the forecast predicted snow and rain. I'm thankful we had relatively warm temperatures and sunshine. It was an unexpected blessing. For the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I'm going to keep my eyes and mind open for unexpected blessings and document them on this blog. 

Glowing Balloons

We went up to ID to celebrate my daughter's 20th birthday a couple of days ago. Thankfully, my brother and his wife allowed us to hold the party at their home. I splurged and bought glowing blue balloons. Have you seen these? They have LED lights inside that last for over 15 hours. Ours were still going after 24 plus hours. They come in different colors. They cost more than regular balloons, but they are worth it. I will definitely buy these again.

Before we left UT, there was no snow on the ground. The tree in our front yard was almost bare. I thought it was cool how the leaves caught in the spider webs we hung between the tree and the bushes for Halloween.

Little Drops

I was taking my daughter out to her bus this morning, and I saw these pretty drops on fallen leaves. I wondered, Are they frozen? I bent down to touch one. Yes, they are frozen little drops. To have to question whether or not they were frozen was intriguing to me. I'd never seen anything like them until today. Most water drops around here evaporate before they have the chance to freeze. Some of them remind me of those little candy buttons-- so perfectly round and pretty. It's tempting to taste one.

I've been watching mini leaf avalanches out the window this morning. A leaf at the top falls off, tumbles down through the trees, and brings another bunch of leaves down with it. I don't think our tree will have leaves for much longer.

Saved by Pomegranate

When is the silliest time to start a new diet? You guessed it. Right before Halloween. I nearly gave into the temptation to eat candy last night. If it wasn't for my younger and wiser sister, I am sure I would have eaten at least one of those little candy bars. Thankfully, she brought me pomegranate seeds. This is the first Halloween I remember when I didn't eat any candy. Shocking. I've decided pomegranate seeds are my new candy.