Thanksgiving: The Little Things.

Today is Thanksgiving Eve.  It's been a beautiful November day here in Florida ... sunny, mid-70's and breezy.  Both my little ladies are napping, Food Network is on in the background and there's a fat orange cat sitting behind my head on the sofa.  It's been a quiet day, but a busy week. 

Last night, once the babies were in bed, I pulled out my laptop and started thinking about this place ... this place as in my blog.  Since this is my first November post (pathetic, I know) and the day before Thanksgiving, I wanted something good to write about.  Instead of coming here, I ended up where most good internet fanatics do -- Facebook.  I scrolled my home page looking for something interesting to read.  Not much there other than gossip and talk of turkey.  I logged out ... closed the lap top ... and just sat staring at the Christmas tree.  Appropriately, I started thinking about my blessings - the big ones like family, health, faith, good friends, and so on.  And I thought why, at Thanksgiving, do we only talk about our thankfulness for family and friends?  We should be doing that every day.  Yes, I know, most of you are thankful and you probably even thank the Lord for your family at some point on a daily basis, but we seem to always talk about the same thing(s) every year.  I sound heartless ... I'm aware of that ... and I'm not making light of family because I have the best family there is.  But, instead of talking about the BIG things, I've decided I want to talk about the LITTLE things that make day to day life enjoyable.  It's a small list (no pun intended), and I hope it inspires you to think about all the little things you're thankful for this year. 

• Coffee.  Whether I'm up at 6:00 A.M. or my children let me sleep past 9:30, Folgers makes my mornings a little more enjoyable.
• Christmas Lights. 
• Lotion.  Weird, I know.  But have your hands ever felt super dried out and craving moisture, yet you don't have any lotion on you?  Once you finally have some in your grasp, don't you feel about thirty times better?  You know what I'm talking about ... don't act like you don't.  
• Ceiling Fans.  
• Light Bulbs. 
• Chap Stick.  This ties in to what I said about lotion ... but for your lips. 
• Netflix. 
• Toilet Paper. 
• Mascara.  Those of us who are natural blondes with blonde eyelashes are extra thankful for this.
• Chocolate. 
• Forks.  Imagine everyone at your table tomorrow trying to eat cranberry sauce with their fingers.  Did you picture it?  Not pretty, huh?  Aren't you thankful for forks?
• Clorox Wipes.  
• Dishwashers. 
• Tooth Paste. 
• Baby Monitors.  I honestly don't know how my generations' parents survived without these things.  If I didn't have one, I'd never get any sleep at night due to sitting up worrying about my children.  
• And finally, Hot Showers at the end of a tiring day ... so relaxing.

There are dozens and dozens of things that I'm thankful for ... not just at Thanksgiving, but every day of the year.  And I hope that tomorrow, when you're sitting around with Granny and Gramps listening to stories that you've heard forty-two times ... or having to suffer through awkward conversations with your Uncle Larry ... or entertaining your cousins who get on your nerves, that you will remember all the things you are thankful for - BIG and SMALL.

Count your blessings, and have a safe & very happy Thanksgiving!  

Day Fifteen: November in Pictures.

In honor of the last day of my Month of Thanks series, I decided to do a recap of the month of November.  Instead of trying to organize my thoughts and spew them on to cyber paper, I thought it would be more fun to flip through all the still moments that have been captured throughout the month.  There are shots from Mr. M's birthday, and our weekend getaway.  You'll also see random photos of Miss G doing her thing.  And of course, you'll get a glimpse of our road trip to Tennessee for Thanksgiving - there will be more to follow with that.  But for now, please take a minute to share in my favorite moments of November.

The Jacksonville skyline from our weekend away.

Me & Mr. M in Ballis Park.

This was taken from inside MOSH in Jacksonville.

The John T. Alsop, Jr Bridge in Jacksonsville.

San Marco Boulevard.

Miss G.

Pure joy.

This is Mr. M's 34th birthday cake.  For some reason, all we had was a number 4 candle, so he grabbed one of G's magnets from the fridge and stuck it on top.  I guess it worked out.

Our tree was up before Thanksgiving - there's a first time for everything.

One of my favorite ornaments.

Strutting her stuff at a rest stop in Georgia.

The sexy and rugged Mr. M.

This is the view we got to enjoy during our stay in Chattanooga.

This is a shot from the Chattanooga National Cemetery.  There will be another post on this soon.

A Month of Thanks.

Goodbye October, Hello November!

If there's a month I love more than October, it's November - hands down, without a doubt, no question, absolutely love it!  Could it be because it's my birthday month?  Yeah, that probably adds to it, but the eleventh month of the year has so much to offer - the weather is cooler, the air smells fresh and crisp, there is delicious food all around us, we get to celebrate Thanksgiving, and it's the month right before Christmas!  I mean, what more could you ask for in a month?  With that said, and Thanksgiving only three short weeks away, I thought this month would be the perfect time to talk about all the blessings that have been showered upon my family and I.  So, starting tomorrow, for the next thirty days, you will get an inside look at all the things - ordinary and extraordinary - that I'm thankful for.  From family members to freedom, and Starbucks to comfortable sweat pants...you'll read about an array of things (and people) that I'm thankful to have as part of my every day life.  I hope you'll enjoy the read, and most importantly that you'll be mindful of the blessings in your own life. 

Happy November!