Today, I’m thankful for my mother-in-law and father-in-law. It’s her birthday today, and I hope she can have a wonderful one. I couldn’t do HALF of what I do around here without them. They help in a hundred different ways every week, with child care, picking up Samuel from school, encouragement, and friendship. I just adore them both. I’m also REALLY thankful I managed to snag their son before someone else found him.

In other news, it’s been just over a month since my computer decided it didn’t want to work anymore. I spent three or four days restoring it, and it’s been working great for just about 30 days. This morning it decided it wanted to quit again.

Today, I’m thankful for a laptop that allows me to keep up with essentials while I let my PC and my mind rest.

Today, I’m thankful for Bloggy Giveaway, through which I’ve been able to share a little about what I do, AND to find a lot of great blogs, fun home businesses, and neat gals doing just what I’m doing – raising kids and working hard. (Be sure to check out my giveaway at Delight-Designs.com).

Be sure to read Laura’s Gratituesday post and leave us both a comment about what YOU are thankful for – we’d love to hear it!

(Oh, and check our her giveaways too!)

And I’m giving away some items over at my blog at Delight-Designs.com!

Check it out… leave a comment… you just might win!

Laura tagged me, and I figured what better way to spend my Saturday morning than by writing all about ME.  (Cause I’m like that… all about ME).  Hang on, it’s bound to be thrilling…er…interesting…er…something! 

Four jobs that I’ve had:

1.  Nurses Aid in a convalescent hospital (where I broke my back (literally) at age 16)
2.  Nanny
3.  Cashier at a Craft Store
4.  Web Designer / Desktop Publisher / WAHM

Four movies you would watch over and over:

1.  Sound of Music (I know all the words and every nuance of this movie.  Believe me, don’t watch it with me if you don’t want to listen to me act and sing all the parts!)
2.  Sense and Sensibility (the end gets me every time, and I bawl like a baby)
3.  Pride and Prejudice mini series with Colin Firth from A&E
4.  Umm… I guess that’s it!

Four of my favorite foods:

1.  Nachos
2.  Home-made pizza
3.  Popcorn with diet coke or root beer (and if I’m at the movies, I need milk duds with it)
4.  Chocolate

Four TV shows I love to watch (or used to watch):
This one took me forever – I finally decided I’m just not much of a TV girl

1.  Law and Order, any variety
2.  Project Runway
3.  Top Chef
4.  Ace of Cakes

Four Places I’ve lived:

1.  Lincoln, CA
2.  San Leandro, CA
3.  York, NE
4.  Las Vegas, NV

Four places I’ve been on vacation:

1.  Disneyland
2.  Grand Canyon (weekend vacation)
3.  York, NE (hey, seeing my family and best friends is a GREAT vacation!)
4.  Las Vegas (before I moved here!)

Four websites I visit daily:

1.  HeavenlyHomemakers
2.  DigishopTalk.com
3.  DigiScrapbookPrints.com
4.  Google.com (about 50 times a day, at least)

Four places I’d rather be right now:

1.  Under a blanket reading a book
2.  On a train with my hubby
3.  Sitting in a comfy lounch chair on a warm beach somewhere with a big umbrella and a few magazines
4.  In bed under a few blankets, sleeping uninterupted

I’m not very good at the tagging thing, so if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Oh, and as I was doing this, I realized I’ve done it once before.  I think my answers are fairly consistent with the last time.  I’m nothing if not boring…I mean, consistent.

Today, I’m thankful for a clean living room, a clean kitchen, a clean bathroom, and even more rooms to clean later this week

Today, I’m thankful for a laptop, which allows me to sit in my clean living room with my kiddos while we watch Max and Ruby and Blue’s Clues.

Today, I’m thankful for food in my pantry and freezer, a menu plan on my fridge… but even better, leftovers from last night so I can relax and not worry about dinner tonight.

Today, I’m thankful that Martha is 10 months old (TODAY!), and that she is happy and healthy and sweet and cute…. and crawling!

Today, I’m thankful for our super smart lil Allan who blows me away every day with his humor and quick wit.  Who knew an almost 3 year old could have quick wit?

Today, I’m thankful for big boy Samuel who keeps us on our toes and informed about all things Transformer, Bionicle, and SuperHero.  Oh yes, and for his sweet heart that worries about things like if Fluffy needs more food or not (100 times a day).

Today, I’m thankful for my husband, who always takes especially good care of me, and displays a good example of how to love someone ”in sickness and in health”.  Never complaining, always helping and always filling in the gaps where needed.

Today, I’m thankful for Gratituesday.  I have such a long list of things to be thankful for, it’s a blessing to stop and think about it for longer than a few seconds.

I’ll share more from our long list next week…in the meantime, what are YOU thankful for?

And P.S. Be sure to click over to HeavenlyHomemakers, and check out Laura’s Gratituesday post.

For Christmas, my son received a Webkinz puppy from my Aunt.  I explained that it was more than just an adorable puppy, and he was SO very excited to check out Webkinz world online.  We registered the adoption of his dog, and after a few days waiting for the registration to go through, (the webkinz website servers obviously weren’t ready for Christmas!) we spent a few days figuring out the games and ins and outs of keeping Fluffy happy, healthy and full. 

At first I thought the attraction to Fluffy was mainly the computer aspect.  Samuel loves computer games and anything that gets him time on my PC is a winner with him.  He has been VERY concerned about whether Fluffy needs to be fed or played with.  Very concerned = asking mom 50 times a day whether it’s time to feed the puppy.  And while he HAS been a huge hit, computer-wise, it appears that the ACTUAL Fluffy puppy is winning Samuel’s heart too.

Last night he went to bed cuddled up with Bob (his stuffed Tiger) AND Fluffy.  I covered Samuel with his blanket and he snuggled down a little more.  And Bob… well, during the snuggle/shift, Bob slid off the bed to the floor.  And Samuel?  Didn’t even notice.

Now, Bob has been Samuel’s constant companion since before he was one.  Bob is in family pictures, he’s been on all our vacations, and only recently has he started staying home when we go places like church and the store.

But last night?  Fluffy slept with Samuel, and Bob slept on the floor. 

Sniff, sniff. 

Wonder if Bob wants to sleep with Mama tonight?  We probably both could use the hug.

I completely forgot to come back and post about the opening of DelightWrappers.com.  The site is now open, and I’m so excited about all the new designs in the renovated shop. And to celebrate the opening, you can get two free valentine’s day wrappers!

     

Also, I will be giving away a $10 gift certificate to one lucky customer on Friday the 18th.  All you need to do to be entered in the drawing is register in the store (and get your free valentine’s day wrappers while you’re at it).  On Friday, I’ll put all the names in a hat and let my 5 year old pick one.  I’ll send an email on Friday evening to the lucky winner.

Thanks for looking!

  

So, I’ve been thinking for a day or two about WFMW, and wondering to myself if there really is much that DOES work for me.  I spend an awful lot of time spinning my wheels and going in different directions and WISHING that I was doing a better job at most everything I attempt.  That’s what happens when you have three kids, a home-based business (that has several “divisions”), and a perfectionist personality. 

As I was thinking about all this, I realized that I wanted to write about my friend Laura, and her new website, HeavenlyHomemakers.com .  Yes, she IS my best friend, but I know I’m not the only one who thinks she is REALLY good at being a mama (to FOUR boys), a wife, a teacher (homeschools those four boys), and a homemaker.  She has always amazed me with her ability to keep it all together, get it all done, make it all look easy, and be an encouragement at the same time.  I used to say to myself, “it’s ok that I can’t do what Laura does – I run a business from home and that takes a lot of time.  If I didn’t run the business, I might manage to keep up with her….”

But now…. well, Laura has joined the ranks of WAHM-otherhood.  She started her own ministry and business, in the form of the website HeavenlyHomemakers.com.  And you know what?  Visiting the website is a little like visiting Laura’s home – it’s inviting, encouraging, helpful and fun.  And while I know she is staying VERY busy with the new venture, I think she somehow still manages to do all the things she did before.  I no longer have my excuses, and now I just REALLY want to be Laura when I grow up! 

Just to make it easier on you, here are a few favorite things from Laura’s website:

 - Menu Ideas – get a few week’s menu ideas in PDF format, PLUS she has a great list of necessary items to have in your kitchen.

- “Do the Funky Kitchen” e-book – When Laura told me about her idea for this book, I thought it was a great idea.  Then I read it, and cried a little through my laughter, because it’s a SUPER, fun, helpful book.  If you want more organization in your kitchen and subsequently your life, you need to read Laura’s encouraging book.  (And it’s on sale in her shop this month!)

Clever Creations - if you are like me, it never hurts to have LOTS of ideas and projects for when the kids say, “I’m bored!”  Check out this page for some fun, inexpensive projects to do with your kids.

There’s a lot more great stuff on Laura’s site, including her blog, which you definitely need to check out!  I promise you’ll find her site to be helpful and encouraging and a whole LOT of “what works for me!”

Well, it’s not a NEW site, but rather a site re-launch!  I’ve been working for the past few weeks on my DelightWrappers.com website, and I think I’ll be announcing the grand re-opening in various places around the web tomorrow.  I still have quite a bit of work to do today, with more wrappers to upload and a few little things I want to add, but it’s ready enough to show the Internets.

I am especially excited about the “new” site as I have revamped all the wrappers available for download (you download the wrapper designs, customize and print yourself!), and I have been working with some fabulous designers to create a whole new product line of fun and unique designs.

So, just in time for Valentine’s Day, head over to DelightWrappers.com and get yourself a wrapper or two to customize, print, and wrap around some chocolate for your favorite sweetie(s)!

And come back tomorrow as I think a little birdie is planning to post a FREE wrapper (or two) to celebrate “launch day”.