{ giving thanksgiving thanks }

Okay, I'm trying to get a head count. I'm up to 35 people at my house for thanksgiving, including your family that puts us at 39. I'll set your plate next to mine! Come early and we can talk and sample pumpkin pies before anyone knows what we're doing. We'll hide out in my pantry--I have child-proof locks! It keeps out adults too :)

Then we'll play the Wii, make fun of ourselves as we groan and roll on the floor like bloated eclairs because we are so stuffed from dinner as we dial the John Deere's hotline for a rental on their forklift...."

That was the beautiful and thoughtful invite I received from Camryn not too long ago.

{Sometimes it totally stinks that I live 7 trillion miles one entire state away from her. Don't you love it when you get along with family? It makes the holidays SO MUCH easier! Unless you're like me and live 372,968 hours a whole day away. Then it doesn't matter if you get along or not...}

This Thanksgiving I decided to list things that I am grateful for. Cliche, I know, but bear with me...

1 | a daughter that finally pees in the toilet.

2 | most of the time.

3 | a son that has finally learned that using a whole roll of toilet paper is unnecessary when going #2.

4 | the same son who sometimes substitutes w's with h's, making me giggle when he talked about Star Wars the other day.

5 | a husband who lovingly bought me a Christmas present, but forgets that it is I who pays the bills and checks our online bank statements.

6 | it's from a store that sells really specific stuff.

7 | no, it's not Victoria Secret.

8 | a husband who eventually takes out the trash.

9 | and trusts me enough inform me that he has laid claim to 'under the bed' as his Christmas Present Hiding Territory.

10 | then adds "no peeking".

11 | a roof over my head.

12 | the pigeons would like to add that to their list, too.

13 | genius people who concoct divine pie/cookie/cake/pastry recipes.

14 | ibuprofen and Icy Hot.

15 | UPS for providing tracking numbers.

16 | a son who would rather stay home with me than go to school.

17 | but when I told him he still had to go, he coughed {fake} and said "See Mom?! I have TWO coughs!"

18 | I always wonder if he enjoyed school that day.

19 | sore muscles from yesterday that make it convenient necessary to skip my work out session today.

20 | a son that pulls out his own teeth.

21 | fingernails.

22 | Christmas bonuses.

23 | my mad doodling with a mouse skills.

24 | *snicker*

25 | the strike-out feature . . .

Okay, so the list could go on for miles. But I am now warning you that the sappy meter is about to go off the charts as I type these next words...

I am also grateful for you, dear readers and followers. You are my validation that I'm not completely insane! I love your comments- every one of you has said the most thoughtful things. It's weird that I feel endeared to everyone, yet we've never met - Warm fuzzies all around!

So Thank You! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you are. Eat an extra piece of pie and and extra helping of mashed potatoes for me, will ya? Oh, and Camryn: Get Better Chica! Eat lots of this . . .

{It's turkey flavored so that makes it festive, right? And what screams holidays more than snowflake clip art?}