Thankful Thursday - Halloween Edition

Taking just a few minutes out on a very busy Thursday evening to think about the good things that I am thankful for this week:

 I am thankful for these three happy Trick-or-Treaters, in Utah,

 this little guy in Maryland...

and his big sister (and baby sister - too little for trick or treating).   I am also thankful to their mamas who sent Halloween pictures to grandma and grandpa far away.

Although we couldn't  be together on Halloween, we did the next best thing...

...and sent boxes full of Halloween love and surprises across the miles!

I am thankful to hubby and son who took over the "giving out treats on the drive-way responsibility" tonight so I finish a final project for an online class.

Charly made good use of his time and got a little reading done between trick-or-treaters.

As usual, we had lots of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. We refilled this bucket twice and at the end of the evening...

...this was all that was left.

I am thankful for Friday night football games with Josh.  The season is almost over (last game tomorrow night) and attending these games with him has been fun. The football action on the field is exciting, but I think that Josh really is more interested in...

...the cheerleaders, and that's OK too!

I am also thankful that we were able to see this movie as a family last weekend.  It is the extraordinary true story of two Mormon missionaries who were kidnapped and held for ransom in Saratov, Russia in 1998.  If you get the opportunity to see this excellent movie, take it.  It is one of those films that stays with you and changes you for the better. 

As always, I am thankful for gorgeous autumn sunsets at the end of busy, but satisfying days.

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise;  be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations."
                                                                    --Psalm 100:4-5

Hope you also have much to be thankful for this Thursday evening!

Thankful Thursday - Grateful for Little Things

Thinking about the blessings of this past week, I find that I am most grateful for some simple pleasures and little joys in day to day life.

These sweet little yellow desert wild flowers growing in the rocks in our front yard, made me smile.  

 There have been lots of blue sky and sunshine this week.

I found a new thrift store not far away...

...and some great thrift store finds...

...to help me take this messy, disorganized area of my bathroom from this...

...to this.  At least the hair dryers no longer fall into the bathtub!

Enjoyed a delicious meatloaf - one of my favorite fall dinners!  

Classic Meatloaf with Red Sauce - Jones Style!

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

2 packets of dry onion soup mix

1 cup panko or traditional bread crumbs

1/2 cup flax seed meal (just to make it a bit healthier)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix together the beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, flaxseed meal, milk, eggs and pepper until well combined.  Form into a loaf and transfer to loaf pan.

Red Sauce

2/3 cups ketchup or tomato sauce

2 tablespoon prepared dry mustard

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup dry onion flakes

In a small bow, combine brown sugar, mustard and ketchup. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add dry onions and toss to coat and pour over the meatloaf.

Bake meatloaf with red sauce for 1 hour.   

More blessings (but no pictures):

• Our car is back from the body shop and the deer damage from our fall break trip is Utah is a thing of the past.
• I lost my car keys at school, and someone found them and turned them in to the office. They were returned to me before I even knew I had lost them!
• Hubby and I have been extending our nightly walks a bit
• We looked at more single-level houses that were much nicer than the ones we saw last week.  We have decided to suspend our search until Josh graduates from high school, but when the time comes, it's good to know there are some nice homes, in nice areas, in our price range.

"This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Psalm 118:24

The Week That Was

It has been a week of beautiful, cool fall weather here in Arizona.  This is the time of year when the temperatures are just right - into the 50s and 60s at night and the 80s during the day.  Gorgeous!

 The grass and leaves on the trees are still green...

 ...and it isn't too warm to go for a walk in the late afternoon or early evening. 

The sky has been a beautiful, cloudless blue all week long. After a miserably hot summer, our Arizona autumn has been very nearly perfect!

This has been a week on the go.  In addition to work and school every day, there have been almost daily appointments and errands in the afternoon and evening.

Monday, we had to pick up a rental car and drop our deer-damaged car off at the body shop for repair. 

Tuesday, I had an appointment with the doctor that brought good and bad news. The good news is that I won't be needing knee surgery any time soon...the bad news is that the reason I won't need the surgery is that it won't help me or my knees to feel better.   The MRI I had two weeks ago showed no injury causing my pain, just very severe arthritic joint deterioration.  The doctor says it must be genetic since my knees seem to be aging about twenty years sooner than the rest of me.  Pain management as well as the possibility of moving to a house on one level at some point was discussed since going up and down stairs puts the equivalent pressure of 3x the bodies' weight on the knees.  

Wednesday, Charly had a class after work and didn't get home until late.  Josh and I ate dinner out, then Josh went to put in some more job applications and local fast food places that might be hiring soon.

Thursday, we finally had an evening where we were all home.  I was able to get some work finished for the online class I am taking.

Friday, I went with a Realtor friend after school to look at a couple of single level houses.  I was unimpressed.  Looking at houses can be fun - but not when every place you see is older, dirtier and in much worse condition than what you would be leaving behind.  I did come home with renewed appreciation for my own home, even with its stairs.  My knees are just going to have to hold out a bit longer!  Grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry rounded out our Friday evening.  

Saturday will be busy.  Josh has a Boy Scout/Church activity most of the morning, then Saturday school tutoring after that.  Charly has another class that will last most of the day.  My plans are to finish cleaning, do laundry, iron clothes and write  a paper for the online class.  I also need to complete preparations on  a lesson that I will teach to the women in Relief Society in church on Sunday.  I may take some time out to treat myself to a trip to Goodwill for half-price Saturday.  

Sunday will round the week out with church and family time.  Thank goodness for a day of rest!

As another week ends, I am thankful for a full and busy life filled with challenges and blessing and opportunities for learning and love.  

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee..."

                                                                                 --Palms 55:22

Have a lovely weekend!

Gratitude Sunday: Fall Break Family Get Away

This past week was fall break for Charly, Josh and I, so we decided to spend at least part of our week off visiting family in Utah.  I am grateful that we had the time off to made this family trip.

We left Friday after school and drove as far as Flagstaff, where we ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The Dog Haus. We had a bit of a problem finding a place to stay Friday night.  We had heard that since the Grand Canyon was closed due to the "government shutdown" that there were lots of vacant rooms in Flagstaff.  We thought we would be able to get a room in a motel we have stayed at before and liked. We were wrong. The place we planned on staying was booked solid.  The second place we tried only had one foul smelling, smoking room available, but we did find a room at the third motel we tried. Unfortunately, this place had some plumbing problems and backed up drains, so we had to switch from one room to another about 10 p.m..  It was an inconvenience when we were so tired, but we were all grateful for a warm room (it was cold in Flagstaff) and beds to rest in.

The next morning we left for Utah.  Our route was longer than we anticipated due to a washed out road that is being repaired. We ended up going through Tuba City, Arizona and then taking some back roads into Page, Arizona.  I am grateful that we found all the right roads and didn't get lost, which would have been easy to do.  I am also grateful that the detour didn't put us too far behind in our anticipated travel time.  We also saw some country we hadn't seen before, including some colorful fall leaves which we don't see many of in Phoenix.

 In some places, there were just a few trees with leaves that had started to turn colors.

In a week or two this scene will be more brilliant with colorful fall leaves, but it was nice to enjoy what we could see as we drove.

I am grateful for the crisp temperatures and the beautiful leaves of fall in the mountains.

We got to my daughter's home in Mapleton, Utah, just in time for a quick, but delicious dinner (prepared by her husband).  After eating, the men of the family were off to the men's session (Priesthood) of our church General Conference.  While the guys enjoyed that spiritual uplift, and some yummy deserts afterward, my daughter, the grandkids and I set out for a baby shower she had been invited to.  I am grateful that we arrived safely in Utah in plenty of time for all of us to do what we wanted to and have a pleasant evening.

We really enjoyed being able to stay in our daughter's home and spend time with her and her sweet family.   Here, Grandpa (or "papa" as our youngest grandson, calls him) plays a game with the boys, while our daughter watches.

The youngest, little Clay who is two, really bonded with his "papa."  here he is watching "papa" shave.

Since both Charly and I celebrated birthdays while we were in Utah, we got some special presents, and help opening them!

Birthday gifts are always fun, no matter how old you are...

...and books are always one of my favorite gifts!  

I am so grateful to my daughter and her family for making sure that Charly and I had very special birthdays!

I am grateful for this sweet granddaughter who reminds Charly and I so much of her mother when she was little.  She is so happy and joyful all the time!  It was such a treat to spend time with three of my grandchildren!

My daughter made these cute "General Conference Bingo" cards to help keep her children interested and engaged in our church General Conference, which is broadcast on television twice a year  - in April and October.

It was fun to watch our daughter interact with her children.  Here, our daughter is reading to her youngest right before nap time.  My mother read to me every afternoon before nap time, and I read to this daughter every afternoon before nap time.  I am so grateful that both of my daughters are excellent wives and mothers. They go the extra mile to impart their faith in God and teach their children good things. They are also great role models and examples, not only to their children, but also to their mother, and I am grateful for that!

We spent some time with Charly's family in Salt Lake City, while in Utah.  Charly's mother is very elderly and not well.  She has Parkinson's Disease and other health problems.  Josh stayed with her while we were in Utah and provided respite care for her.  He is getting pretty good at this since he did it last summer as well.  He is a blessing to his grandmother and I am grateful that he is such a kind and responsible young man, willing to help and take care of his grandmother when she needs him.

It was good to see Charly's, brother, sister and mom again.  I am grateful for Charly's family.  They have always treated me very well.  I am blessed to have married into such a good family.  

Charly's sister went all out for our birthdays.  She had a cake made for us (as well as our son-in-law, Joey, who also has an October birthday).  

She is an awesome cook and made sure we had some delicious meals while we were there.  In this picture, Josh and Charly wait patiently to cut the birthday cake after a wonderful family Sunday dinner.

No vacation, however brief, is complete without a little time for rest and relaxation...

 ...and I am grateful that we had some time for that.

Heading home, after a delightful few days visiting with family, we encountered a slight problem when a deer came bounding out of the lovely fall foliage,  leaped over the guard rail and...

...and crashed right into the right front fender of our car.  

While this was certainly the most unpleasant part of our trip, I am grateful the we were not hurt and the damage to the car was not extensive (although repairs will cost our insurance at least $3,000).  I am also grateful that some very nice people helped us make the car drive-able after the collision, so we were able to get back to Phoenix safely in our own car. 

Life is never perfect, but no matter what, there are always blessings to be grateful for.  Here are a few other things I am grateful for this week, but don't have pictures of...

• I was able to get into the dentist quickly for replacement of a crown that fell off one of my teeth.  
• Josh, Charly and I are starting to feel better after sharing one of the worst colds we have had at our house in some time.  It was nice to have a few days off after getting home from Utah to rest and get feeling better.
• My oldest son, Alex, moved to Pennsylvania at the beginning of October and arrived at his destination safely.
• My dear friends Karen and Lynn took me out to lunch for my birthday and showered me with lovely gifts and good conversation (as they do every year around my birthday).

Have a lovely week filled with love and gratitude!

Joining today with Danielle at Blissful and Domestic for Sunday Blog Hop!  

October Thankful Thursday

On this first Thursday in October, there is no shortage of things to be thankful for.

I had an MRI of my painful left knee yesterday at the medical imaging place shown above.  I am thankful that the MRI went off without a hitch and that I may soon have some answers on what is causing the problem and what can be done about it.

It is fall in Arizona and that means the festive fall scarecrows come out and welcome visitors to our home...

...but what I am really thankful for are the cooler temperatures!  Just look at that lovely 7-day forecast!  I am so thankful that the triple digits seem to gone into hibernation for the winter!

Another wonderful thing about October that I am thankful for is fall break - which is next week.  A week out of school to rest, relax and regroup is just what our family needs.

I am also thankful for all the members of our family who celebrate birthdays in October - my son-in-law on October 2, my husband and oldest son on October 6, and me on October 9.

I am thankful for a good friend who went to lunch with me here, on short notice, after a stressful and anxious morning.

I enjoyed one of my very favorite lunches (potato cream cheese soup in a bread boule) with one of my very favorite people, and I felt much better afterward!

I am thankful that when I got in my car to drive to school this morning, and it wouldn't start, I was able to get a sub for my classes so I could get the problem taken care of.  The battery had died (a very common occurrence given the hot desert summer temperatures) but I was able to get a replacement and I am now back on the road again.  

Even with all the arguing and chaos going on in our government right now, I am still always and forever thankful to be an American and live in this country.  I am not sure which side, if either, is right in this whole budget/healthcare/shutdown mess, but I pray that those we have elected to govern will come to some kind of agreement that will allow us all to move forward and succeed as a nation.  God bless the U.S.A.!

What are your thankful for on this October Thursday?

Happy Fall!