30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Eleven

having my hubby home

a shimmery white dusting of snow on the ground when i woke up...and, even better, frosty, snowy rooftops!

waking up to the chattering and giggling of elizabeth and kate playing "go fish" downstairs--so kind of them to not wake mommy and daddy AND to be doing something so nicely!

family breakfast

watching my kate girl snuggle with daddy at the chiropractor...oh how she loves being with her daddy!

spending some alone time with my jilly

finishing the last of my Christmas shopping for the kiddos...i love being finished by Thanksgiving so i can spend advent focusing on Christ and on family rather than rushing here and there shopping! apparently that means i need to get on it when it comes to shopping for my hubby though--i gave away all of my ideas for him...good thing he is easy to please!

the answer no...sometimes its a beautiful thing ;)

a husband who loves me and serves me and supports me in spite of my emotional roller coaster-ness (and who is patient and wise and quick to forgive...while i am still often nursing my grudge or bitterness...ugh!)

a husband who took the big girls to the Children's museum while the little one's napped...AND that i actually used that time super-productively. i have been struggling to get ANYTHING done around the house while trying to juggle homeschool stuff, grading for the masters, MOPS stuff, and just keeping up with daily life, so it was a huge gift to have a chunk of time to myself IN my house...i tackled the toys...downstairs, the playroom, e and k's room....organizing, purging to donate, rearranging...it was beautiful...all while listening to pandora, sipping diet coke, and munching on popcorn. so i am very thankful for a clean playroom AND a soul that is a bit more at peace too! it gives me hope that i might someday conquer other areas of the house!

a mama who is there when i just need a phone conversation

tears that cleanse

15 minutes alone with "one thousand gifts" which i've been slowly rereading again--beautiful

time to shower, dry my hair, AND put on make-up...miraculous!

a late evening--after the kiddos are tucked away in bed--date...which meant we also got to break free from the chain restaurant dinner and wandering through target routine. hello downtown indy...how fun! california pizza kitchen for appetizers for dinner and then south bend chocolate factory to split a slice of raspberry eruption cake...all filled with some really great conversation, laughter, and togetherness...so, so, so refreshing...and yes, we did wander the aisles of wal-mart at 11:00 at night to pick up a couple odds and ends while childless--but, even then, i'm so thankful for the reason our dates often end at target or wal-mart...four sweet and energetic little bundles

restored friendships

hope

my husband's promise to let me sleep in tomorrow morning! :)