Thankful Tuesday

1. Nadia enjoyed roller skating last Thursday evening at the Christian radio station's monthly event. I'm grateful Paul took her.

2. The kids and I enjoyed a performance of Beauty and the Beast on Saturday afternoon.

3. I'm thankful we have a jacuzzi tub. Prior to last month, we had used it probably less than 5 times total in the eleven years we've lived in this house. The first several years it was a ball pit for the kids. Paul took out the silicone from around the tub in the kids' bathroom last weekend and then this week he's been scraping the paint off the walls. So this means neither of our two showers can be used for the time being. I really, really prefer showers, but at least we have indoor plumbing and a hot water heater, which are two things many people around the world don't have access to. And I learned my lesson the last time and once Paul started working I removed everything I could from the bathroom (valence, towels, toilet bowl brush, floor mats, toothbrushes, etc.) so I will have fewer things to clean this time around than I did the last time (sanding is messy!).

4. The kids really enjoyed the first Vanderbeeker book. Oliver is the hardest child to get "hooked" on a chapter book of my three kiddos, and he liked it a lot! He immediately asked if there were any more books, and I was able to tell him YES (two more thus far). We are in the middle of the second All of a Kind Family book which the kids like, but they like the Vanderbeekers a lot more and can't wait until we get back to that family. The Vanderbeekers have five children - four girls and one boy, who happens to be a nine-year-old named Oliver. Of the 531 chapter books we've read so far I don't recall any characters named Ian or Nadia whereas I do recall several named Oliver along the way.

5. I've gotten back into doing some couponing at CVS. This past weekend I purchased 2 big bags of M &M's (for making cookies) plus 15 boxes of cereal for a grand total of $12.95, and after I submitted my receipt to Kellogg's, I was emailed a $6 certificate that can be used toward concessions at a movie theater.

6. I've not typically done much grocery shopping at Walmart, but lately I've been placing orders online. I still go to our local store for some things, but I've found that Walmart does have good prices on quite a few things. I won't buy things like chicken breast or cereal there. It's super convenient to show up and they bring my order out to the van, and because I'm using my Discover card on those transactions, I'll be getting a 10% rebate from Discover in the near future.

7. As we celebrated Veteran's Day this week, I am very thankful to the men and women who have served in our military in the past and the present.

8. I decided it was time to get back into exercising. I know I'm out of shape. I thought all my clothes fit me again, but I found out this past weekend that my dressy black pants don't fit yet. I'm hoping exercise alone will be enough as 5 1/2 months of strict dieting was enough for me. I'm trying to use the elliptical for 30 minutes a day as many days of the week as possible. Maybe at some point I'll try to lengthen the time, but for now my goal is 30 minutes a day. I started using the elliptical again yesterday. I also know the endorphins will be appreciated.

9. I had a coupon code for the DVD kiosk at our grocery store, and we used it to see the new Lion King movie. Nadia wasn't too excited when I told  her what I had brought home, but the boys were! The movie she can't wait to see (on DVD) is the Dora movie that came out this summer.

10. I really, really liked the crock-pot chicken taquitos recipe I tried for the first time on Sunday. Oliver did as well. The other three tolerated it. All three kids LOVED the peanut butter bars I made for the first time last Saturday. Ian, Paul, and I really enjoyed the chicken Caesar wraps I made last week. In fact Ian and Paul already asked me to make it again. The other two didn't like the Caesar dressing, but they ate them.

11. I've not really been paying attention to football much at all this year. Part of the reason is that I feel that in trying to rebound from emotionally from losing my brother and my job, I don't want to watch something that might add any stress or sadness to my life. I can really get very emotionally involved in the Steelers football games. So I've just been pretty much avoiding the games. They had a horrible start this season, which further cemented my desire to just take a year off from watching football. I ended up watching part of the game on Sunday, and thankfully it had a happy ending. The Steelers finally have a winning record for the first time this season (5-4). I'm still not planning to watch much football this year, but I'm thankful I was able to see part of a game where the team won. Unfortunately the Giants are having a really crummy year (2-7). My poor hubby!

12. Penn honored my brother last Friday. My dad and Margie were able to attend. I am very proud of my brother and part of me wanted to attend, but I was pretty certain I'd be a soggy mess. I miss him something fierce. I keep thinking I've completed all the paperwork regarding his passing, but today I received another collection notice. I called them and it turned out that yes they had received the death certificate but some how that hadn't been marked in the system. That has happened more than once over the past few months. Maybe this was my last call of this nature? The Post Office can't distinguish between my Dad and my brother's names (dad is the IV and brother V) so we get more mail at our house that actually is intended for my Dad than we get for our family. Once I'm fairly certain I'm not getting any more mail intended for Maurice, I'm going to change his address to my Dad's address in Virginia so that my Dad will receive it instead of me (since almost all of it is meant for my Dad anyhow).