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30 November 2008

Thankfulness in November-Conclusion

Well, we made it! When I look back over the last 30 days, it's full of one thing or another that makes up the bulk of what we call "life." So much has happened this month, including some big things that didn't get mentioned: our 13th wedding anniversary, the arrival of the first great-grandchild, Alexis Nicole Brown, born on my parent's 41st wedding anniversary, a summons for jury duty, more leaky kitchen pipes, and harvesting the last of the carrots in the garden. Whether the events were big or small, planned or unplanned, I found it helpful to find something every day for which to be thankful. I found myself thinking of other ideas that I could suggest for next year--like a clean-out-your-sock-drawer day, and charge per pair, per mate-less sock, and per hole in the socks. Perhaps a clean-out-the-fridge tax would be good in preparation before Thanksgiving, and another tax if you've started to decorate or listen to Christmas music before December 1. Other suggestions are welcome--just leave comments in the comments section.

All that to say that I'm thankful that I have so much to be thankful for--there's so much more to be thankful for than we often think about. And even though this is the time of year when we all seem to go broke, it will be a thrill to bring so much "little extra" just to give to God and to show our appreciation for His bountiful blessings. Thank you for participating with me and following along, even if you didn't post any comments. I'm looking forward to doing this again!




Please bring your contribution to church on December 7th.

Thankfulness, November 30

This has been quite a month! We had our fair share of sickness and car troubles which kept me from church a couple of times. And today I'll get taxed again! It just goes to show that it never pays to skip church!

Day 30:



If you missed any church service in November, fine yourself 10 cents for each time.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

29 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 29

Day 29:



How many dinner plates do you own? A penny for each plate please.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

28 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 28

Day 28:



Were you a guest in someone's home yesterday? Say Thank You with a 50 cent gift.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

27 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 27

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! We plan to get up early today, bundle everyone warmly, hop on the local train, and ride into Philadelphia to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's fun to try new things. I hope the weather isn't too windy or wet. I'll have to report on it later.

Day 27: Thanksgiving Day



Say thank you for at least 10 blessings. Pay at least 5 cents each.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

26 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 26

Day 26: It's the day before Thanksgiving!



Do you have guests coming for dinner? If so, relax, all others pay 25 cents. ( I dislike going a day without paying a toll, so we'll pay for each guest we have coming, which is only two.)

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

25 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 25

Today's Thankfulness in November challenge has to do with pets. My husband and I grew up with pets in our homes, although he had far more than I did. But now that I'm a housewife and mother (of children who are still in diapers), my desire to own a pet is little to none. In fact, before Rosalind came around, I told my husband that I'd much rather have another baby than to get a pet, because at least with a baby you eventually potty train them and they can do work around the house, whereas with a pet, you are stuck cleaning up their poop and messes for LIFE! At least a person has an eternal soul. We've had 2 more children since then.

I did say that once the last one is potty trained, I'd be open to getting a pet that helped contribute to the household--a working pet like in the olden days. Maybe a mouse-hunting dog or cat. But there's still the issue of poop. A chicken would be nice. Their poop can be used in the garden for fertilizer (I think), and they can produce eggs and meat for our growing family, and they are outside animals, so my house wouldn't get dirtier from them. Sounds good to me! I'm just not sure how well a bunch of chickens would do in a yard that's so close to a couple of dog kennels. And our yard is very very compact. We'd have to be real careful where we'd place the coop. Plus there's the zoning issues we'd have to get approved, not doubt.

I know pets can offer something that is hard to match: companionship. That's why today, instead of not contributing to the bank because we don't have pets, we'll charge the kids for every stuffed toy that they keep as companions. At least each one of them will have to pay something, since they all have their own special "doggy," plus a few more. How about you?

Day 24:




Do you own a pet? Please deposit 10 cents for each one.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

24 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 24

Last Sunday Julien had it. Wednesday night was Rosalind's turn. Yesterday was my turn. I spent most of the afternoon at a birthday party with the kids and Julien's schoolmate, and missed my nap. I saw glimpses of a football game involving men wearing Eagles uniforms, but conversing with a house full of strangers was more interesting to me. By evening time, I was feeling very tired and not real hungry. I was ready to call it a day by about 7pm, and I was in bed by 8. But then the vomiting happened. And also the diarrhea. And the overall aches and stiffness. So on a day when I would normally watch a lot of football as well as our favorites, AFV and Nature, I watched maybe a combined total of 1 hour of TV. But other members of our household will most likely have to pay up for today's Thankfulness in November challenge.

Day 24:



How many hours of TV did you watch yesterday? 10 cents for each hour please.


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

23 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 23

Day 23:



Have you addressed your Christmas cards? If not, get started then fine yourself 25 cents. If anyone can say yes to this, we need to talk. Seriously. Please leave a comment or e-mail me. I will even make you a galette aux pommes!

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

22 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 22

Day 22:




Do you have plants or floral arrangements in your house? Four cents for each one please. Thankfully, or not, I don't have very many of these in my home. (As you may recall, I'm a bit deficient in the interior decorator department.) How about you?


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

21 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 21

Speaking of doctor's appointments (from yesterday), I have an interesting one to share. (I'll warn you it's a little gross.) As you recall, I stayed home from church on Sunday with Julien because he threw up Sunday morning. The next one to start sounding stuffy was Rosalind. She also had a couple of nights when she woke up numerous times, and developed a cough. Sometimes she would state, "I got boogers," and I thought it was cute, but didn't think much of it. Wednesday night, she woke up crying and shivering. As I held her in the dark, I smelled her stinky breath, and a familiar pungent smell in her hair, vomit. She had puked all over her bed. Good thing I picked her up in the dark. I think if I had known she was covered in it, I wouldn't have picked her up so readily. Yesterday she was a bit perkier, but still had a stuffy nose. It was raw-looking on one side, and that cheek was also reddish. When Enoch came home and played with her on his lap, he complained that her breath smelled bad. I told him that her breath had been smelly for a week or so. Then he wiped her nose, and smelled the tissue. We called the doctor. They were about to close for the night, but they wanted to see her. Enoch volunteered to take her since I was feeding Brendan and we were about to sit down for dinner. The final verdict: they removed a clump of tissue the size of my fingertip that was packed up in there. Hopefully with it removed, she'll be her normal, pleasant, 2-year old self today. But I'm thankful for our pediatricians, and for my husband, and that our daughter is doing much better.

Which brings us to today's Thankfulness in November challenge. One that is rather convicting for me, I'm afraid.

Day 21:




Did you visit the ill or lonely this month? We Thank You, if not pay 50 cents please. I'll have to ante up, but how about you?

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

20 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 20

Day 20:

Yesterday I was supposed to get two fillings in my teeth at the dentist's office. But one of my newer crowns wasn't fitting properly, and we decided while I was in the chair that instead we would crown the tooth behind the "bothered" one, and in the process correct the problem nagging the first one. I didn't think much about how we would be paying for all of this, until I got to the front desk to check out. The receptionist informed me that the doctor was going to submit this to the insurance, and whatever the insurance doesn't pay, she would cover. I was a bit stunned, especially since it is the dentist office that has been costing us a pretty penny these past couple of years. (After 9 years of being MIA in the dentist chair, you know a lot of work needs to be done!) All of this to say that I actually am thankful for my dentist, Dr. Barb. How about you?



Did you have a doctor's appointment this month? If not, say Thank You with a 35 cent gift.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

19 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 19

While I am thankful for my children, and I consider them priceless, today's page seems it was written with us in mind. At least at this stage of our lives, ten cents each is about all we can afford! How about you?

Day 19:




For each of your children, 10 cents.


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

18 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 18

This one is going to be a biggie. But even if you round it up, I'm closer to a half-dollar than a dollar. So I can be thankful for that!

Day 18:



Fill your bank with pennies. One penny for each year you have lived.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

17 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 17

Well we have a lot to be thankful for today! Aunts and Uncles! Between us, I think we have twelve, mostly from my Mom's side of the family. Not sure if you count widowed non-blood relatives and their spouses. Then we'd have even more. The kids have twelve as well. How about you?

Day 17:



Do you have living aunts and uncles? Please deposit five cents for each one.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

16 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 16

Day 16:



If you have an official church related responsibility, you owe nothing. Otherwise, 50 cents please.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

15 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 15

Considering what happened to us last Sunday, today's page makes me smile a bit. If our cars were people, they would be old enough to drive themselves everywhere and almost old enough to vote! How about you?

Day 15:



If your car is more than 5 years old, save your money today. Otherwise we need 20 cents.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

14 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 14

Day 14:



How many times did you use your phone yesterday? A toll of five cents for each time.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

13 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 13

Day 13:



Did you go to a beauty/barber shop last week? If so, 20 cents please.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

12 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 12

Day 12:



Did someone compliment you yesterday? If so, say Thank You with 15 cents each time.


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

11 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 11

Day 11:



How many pairs of shoes in your closet? Five cents each pair please.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

10 November 2008

Five Reasons Not To Play Football with a Furnace

Sunday afternoon. Enoch was across the street raking the neighbor's leaves. I was humoring Rosalind by letting her sit on the potty. Brendan was getting ready to wake up from a nice long nap, and Julien and Tristan were watching football in the basement. Well, Tristan's way of "watching" football involves watching for the snap and then running around the room carrying a Nerf ball, tossing it up and diving to the ground. He's been doing it since before he was two. He hopes to someday play professional football or work on utility poles. (I don't know which one is more dangerous!)


The future football player or utility-pole worker. (He also lost his front tooth--an event that went undocumented on the blogosphere.)

So it was no surprise when I heard the sound of someone hitting the furnace from all the way down in the basement. (I just thought the ball had hit an air duct.) And the immediate screaming from Tristan didn't excite me too much, either, since he tends to be over-dramatic at times. I heard the screaming, and I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs. At least he can still walk, I thought. It can't be very bad. I heard him slip on a piece of cardboard and hit the wooden floor in the living room. Oh, poor guy, I thought. That's like adding insult to injury--I hope he's okay. He kept coming up the stairs, and when I looked over the rail at him, I could see the blood all over his face, and I realized it was a real, bona fide injury. Thank the Lord I was so calm. If I had seen it happen, I may have reacted differently.



Five stitches for the five-year-old football player.

When I sent Julien to go tell Enoch that Tristan will need to go to the hospital, Tristan's screaming went back up a notch. But thankfully he calmed down by the time they left in the car. And when they returned home a few hours later and five stitches later, the same bouncy, energetic, happy-go-lucky boy acted as if it all was no big deal. I guess my football player needs a helmet.




Ready for a re-match.

Thankfulness, November 10

Day 10:



Have you been out of Pennsylvania in 2008? 25 cents for each time please.

If you don't live in Pennsylvania, you will owe the bank $91.25 for every day of the year that you weren't here. (OR, you could just calculate the number of times you left the state in which you reside.) Enoch traveled to NY twice for a language conference, we went to the Jersey shore once, and he went to Delaware to buy our new stove. That's four times out of state in 2008. How about you?


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

09 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 9

Day 9:



Did you go to Sunday School and church today? 25 cents for each service missed.

Well, a funny thing, that. This Sunday, we are all in good health. In fact, I was scheduled to cover the nursery during the Sunday School hour. Enoch went to church an hour earlier than the rest of us, because he's in charge of the sound equipment. We were running behind schedule, but we were able to get ourselves into the car, ready to go. But the alternator had other plans. So we had Children's Church at home this morning, while the van stayed in the driveway. I'm thankful that the Lord gave me a positive attitude to convince my kids that we can "have church" at home when necessary, and they were willing to go along with it as well. I'm thankful that the car died in the driveway, and didn't strand me somewhere else. And I'm thankful for all those children's church songs that lift our spirits and ingrain the Word of God in our sponge-like brains. I'll gladly pay the bank today.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

08 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 8

Day 8:



Have any members of your family visited you this past week? Five cents for each one please. (Since most of my family lives about 3,000 miles away, I'm paying for each member who has visited us in the past year--which is four.)

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

07 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 7

Well, with all the excitement of the World Series and the Presidential Election, and my new discovery of Facebook, it seems that this past month has been spent with fewer and fewer hours of sleep. Daylight Savings helped a little, but I think I'll just have to sleep the entire month of December to make up for all the hours I've lost. How about you?

Day 7:



Did you sleep in? A DIME for every half hour past 6am.

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

06 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 6

After visiting my family a few years ago, I returned home, and the first thing I noticed was how bare my walls were! It seems the interior decorating gene is recessive in my case. I have managed to hang a few favorite paintings, but most of my pictures are in small frames on the piano and on bookshelves. I'm still going to count them for today's page.

Day 6:




To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

05 November 2008

Add it to the List of Favorites

Today we took a field trip to the Brandywine River Museum with the first grade classes. I wish I had taken my camera to show you how beautiful the grounds were with the yellow leaves falling into the glassy water! (Photos aren't allowed in the museum, and I'm just glad I remembered to bring diapers and snack foods.) I wish we had stayed longer, packed a lunch to eat outside (except it was rainy today), and brought crayons or pencils to sketch and draw what we saw.
It was beautiful. The best part was looking at the paintings done by N.C. Wyeth that were used as the illustrations in Treasure Island and King Arthur, books which I had read to the boys this summer! (If you're curious, follow the link to the museum's website, and check out the online gift shop--you'll get to see small versions of what we saw.) I'm looking forward to going back!

Thankfulness, November 5

After finally getting my fall and winter clothes out of storage, I realized it was time to splurge and buy new socks. (I got a great deal at Kohl's.) But now it's going to cost me a little more.

Day 5:


Align Center

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

04 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 4

There's one thing my husband does for me almost every morning that I am so thankful for; he makes coffee. Okay, if you know him, you know that I'm not the only person for whom the coffee is made, but still: when I take that first sip, I usually say with my light coffee breath, "I love my husband!" I do know some people--even people I call my friends--who don't drink coffee. But that's okay today! Today we're going to be thankful for tea, cocoa, hot cider, bottled water--whatever that special beverage is that you drink daily and are so thankful for.

Day 4:



How many cups of coffee/tea/water did you drink yesterday? FIVE CENTS per cup please.


To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

03 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 3

To learn more about Thankfulness in November, read the introduction here. I would love to hear from you if you are participating! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation! I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December).

Day 3:



Did you get a friendly letter or e-mail this week?
Say thank you with 25 cents each one.

02 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 2


At a time of year when we are all gearing up to go broke, I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December). I would love to hear from you if you are going to participate! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation!

Day 2:



Did you invite someone to come to church this week? No! Your fine is 35 cents.

01 November 2008

Thankfulness, November 1

At a time of year when we are all gearing up to go broke, I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December). I would love to hear from you if you are going to participate! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation!

Here's the first one:




If you have grandchildren reward the bank
. (It doesn't say how much to reward the bank, so if you have deep pockets, give generously to the bank, perhaps give a quarter for each grandchild.) I think since we don't have grandchildren, we'll give a quarter for every grandparent, and 50 cents for every living great-grandparent.

Thankfulness in November-Introduction



Enoch's Mom sent us this booklet which arrived yesterday, and I thought it would be fun to share it with everyone who reads my blog. If you wish to participate, you'll need a container to hold the change that you'll be collecting, which will be referred to as the bank. Each day there is something to be thankful for, and a small monetary donation to put into the the bank. At the end of the month, you'll have a heap of change (and a heap of things to be thankful for). Then you can bring your contribution to your church on December 7th, and glorify God for His generous provisions in your life.

At a time of year when we are all gearing up to go broke, I'm looking forward to seeing what a big blessing we can bring with us on December 7th (the first Sunday in December). I would love to hear from you if you are going to participate! Please leave a comment below, and even your website if you are going to post about it on your blog. Thanks for your participation!