The City of Joy

Last night was our book club meeting. Our book this month was The City of Joy and after last month's choice, I found this book much easier to "digest." The story was about life in Calcutta, India. It was terribly distressing in areas, and completely uplifting in others. It reminded me of how many blessings I have... of how easy life is for me. With that in mind, I decided to list some of the things I am thankful for. Here goes.

I am thankful for:
1. My life
2. My home
3. My family... sisters, brother, (mother and father even though they have passed on), uncles, aunts, etc.
4. My children..(Emile is telling me to look at this the next time I say "I hate my life")
5. My employment
6. My pets... Samantha, Kitty, Angel, and Oreo
7. Trusted friends... Kristi, Cheri, Lesa, and Pat
8. My heater
9. Running water
10. Flushing toilets
11. My washer and dryer
12. My van
13. My health
14. My warm bed at the end of a long day
15. Music
16. My books
17. Sunrise and sunset
18. Fresh, clean air
19. Mountains and forests
20. Food to eat
21. My computer (and access to the internet... it's so easy to keep up with loved ones)
22. Electricity
23. My citizenship and the freedoms I enjoy
24. My talents
25. Access to medical care
26. Coca Cola
27. My rocking chairs (I have 3)
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST......
28. My church
29. The scriptures
AND
30. My Savior

Obviously these are not listed in order of importance. There are so many more things I enjoy on a daily basis. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to live in India... in the slums. I have been blessed by being born here in the United States. Yes I had challenges as a child, however, those experiences gave me the drive to succeed and make life better for my own children. Without a doubt I make mistakes all the time. There are things I can do better... and with time I have grown and evolved into a better person. When I stop improving... when I stop seeing the beauty around me... when I fail to see how many blessings I have, I cease to be alive.

Can You Say Service?

Wasn't this just WAY too funny?!

It's Alive!

Last night Emile started a load of laundry for me. I was cooking supper and could hear an unusual sound coming from the washing machine in the basement. Hmmm, that's not good. I immediately called Brad, my repair man. He's fantastic and I knew he'd be able to help me out.Since I was canceled on a case today, I was home earlier than expected. That was good because Brad called around 11:45 to see about coming over. It took him a total of 5 minutes to figure out the problem. Can you say.... UNDERWIRE BRA!That's it. A wire in the pump. Nice. Since I use a mesh bag for our "private items" I'm not sure how it got there. I'll have to inspect bras and find out which one is missing a wire.So 10 minutes and $70.00 later the washer is working like new again. Life is good.

Freakin' Cold

Man oh days. I have no idea where all the global warming has gone, but I sure wish I could have just a little bit of it for a few days. I'm freezing. This winter has been so cold even though we've had very little snow. I'm really beginning look forward to spring and warmer temperatures. That's pretty unusual for me since I normally love winter. Maybe I'm just getting old (and cold).Brrrr!I think I'd be warmer living in this igloo. Em was walking around with a blanket over her shoulders tonight. On top of the cold temps, I'm still refusing to raise the thermostat any higher than 65 degrees because of oil prices for home heating. Come on spring!

Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants when I saw this. This is exactly how my life would go if it were me.

Monday Memories

When I was a child, I loved pretend play. What I'd give to be able to pretend play some days now. I thought I'd go back in time to remember my favorite dolls.I had a Shirley Temple type doll. She had the same style dress, socks and shoes. The difference was that she had her hair pulled into a ponytail. I didn't play with her often, instead I kept her on a shelf above my bed. She was beautiful.I also had a Mary Poppins doll. I thought she was totally cool, especially her tapestry bag and umbrella. She had several changes of clothes, and unlike my other doll, I played with Mary for hours on end. She was great.My favorite doll was "Knickerbocker" from Holly Hobbie. She was the last doll I ever got for Christmas (I was in Middle School). I loved that doll. Holly Hobbie dolls were very popular in the 70's, probably due to Little House on the Prairie. I had her on my bed well into my married life. She stayed there until one of my dogs chewed her braids off. I was going to fix her, but of course I never got to it. I have no idea where she ended up. I wish I had taken better care of her.

Now my "dolls" are Emile and Brie. Not quite the same as pretend. It was great watching Brie playing with her baby doll and remembering how much fun I had doing the same with mine. The circle of life never ends.