Small town life

Apparently for 30 days of Gratitude you are given a theme each day...I might follow that some days. We'll see what I feel like.
Yesterday's theme was where you live.
So I'll do that today

I am grateful that my husband and I moved back to the town that I grew up in a year after we were married. I spent a lot of time at my parents house when my son was first born and my dad and my son were very close. We had talked many times of moving to the East Coast but never did. Had we done so, I would have regretted it immensely when my dad died. As it turned out - we stayed and I was very close to my dad. Something I will always be thankful for.
I am also grateful that I have my mom, sister and Grandma (and uncle at present time) living in the same town as us. It is so nice to be close to family.

Sometimes small town life is annoying. But for the most part - I love where I live. I love getting to know new people at my job and chatting with those I already know. I love being able to go for a walk and saying hi to everyone I pass whether I know them or not.

Sometimes though, I think I should move here:

Dana, Saskatchewan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hamlet of Dana is located in Saskatchewan
Hamlet of Dana
Country Canada
Province Saskatchewan

Dana is a hamlet in Saskatchewan located and the intersection of Saskatchewan Highway 637 and Saskatchewan Highway 5. The hamlet is an un-incorporated place within the Rural Municipality of Bayne.

The hamlet at one point in time was closely associated with the CFS Dana, a nearby military installation that closed in 1987.

Apparently for 30 days of Gratitude you are given a theme each day...I might follow that some days. We'll see what I feel like.
Yesterday's theme was where you live.
So I'll do that today

I am grateful that my husband and I moved back to the town that I grew up in a year after we were married. I spent a lot of time at my parents house when my son was first born and my dad and my son were very close. We had talked many times of moving to the East Coast but never did. Had we done so, I would have regretted it immensely when my dad died. As it turned out - we stayed at I was very close to my dad. Something I will always be thankful for.
I am also grateful that I have my my mom, sister and Grandma (and uncle at present time) living in the same town as us. It is so nice to be close to family.

November

It's been over a month! How did that happen?
It has been very busy in our house. My husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! He started his new job. Our kids have been sick with colds and coughs. Work has been busy. The snow has fallen and we had to pull out all of our "winter gear". We had nice weather for taking the kids trick or treating yesterday though! Our son was Batman and our daughter was a Ballerina Princess. They were adorable. We only took them to 6 houses and they got lots of candy! (enough to keep mommy and daddy full of chocolate for awhile)

So it is blogging month and there is a 30 days of Gratitude movement in November. So in keeping with my birthday resolution I am going to try to blog something I am grateful for everyday.

Grateful fact #1
Today I am grateful for my healthy children. So often us parents with healthy kids take this granted. Yes my kids have had colds and we've had sleepless nights. I worry when my son won't stop coughing and needs his inhaler but I've never had to leave them overnight in the hospital or worry that I won't be bringing them home with me.
For this I am so grateful.


On another note -for Halloween some good friends had "The Best Halloween Party Since Elementary School".
It was so much fun! My husband and I got a night out and my mom even had both kids over for a sleepover (our first night away from our daughter!)
We ate lots of yummy food. (spider cupcakes, tombstone puddings etc) played pictionary and pin the tail on the cat. Everyone dressed up and we had a fabulous night! Now to plan costumes for next year...

My husband was the Raisin Bran Lumberjack and I was Octomom :)

and on it goes

Survived birthday number two with no dad. It was actually okay. Of course I was sad. Everyday is tinged with sadness no matter what. But it was a nice day.
I was spoiled by family and friends. Reminded over and over again how blessed I really am and how thankful I should be.
I really do have a great life.

I have slowly come to the realization (and this will be a long post another time) that God wasn't picking on our family when he let (for lack of a better term) my dad die. I still choose to love God and even though I've been angry and will probably never understand the why's of everything. I am still going to love the Lord.

It's the same thing as having an argument with my husband. We still love each other, and don't decide to get a divorce when we disagree about something or even don't like each other for awhile.
I am still a Christian (even though I sometimes don't want to be associated with others who call themselves that). I am not going to throw away my faith because my life hasn't gone the way I planned. Life is choosing joy, happiness, faith and sometimes accepting (not always liking) the things that come your way.
I am not alone in grief. Others are walking this with me and making it more bearable.

I was so lucky to have my dad for 26 years when others don't have one at all. I miss my dad so much because he was wonderful. So many others are not so lucky. I really was and am blessed.
I know I will see my dad again. Others do not have the same assurance.

So, for my 28th year, I am going to try to be positive and always see something bright everyday. Even when I don't feel like it...

Are you kidding me?

There is something wrong when this model is considered plus size...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/12/crystal-renn-z-spoke-zac-posen-spring-2011--show_n_713638.html

Comfort Food

Potato Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Epicure’s Toasted Onion (I added some garlic as well)
  
• 2 cups (500 ml) diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) diced celery
• 2 cups (500 ml) red lentils
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip Mix
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) Epicure’s Seasoning for Cheese Chives & Bacon Dip
• 8 cups (2 L) Epicure’s Vegetable Bouillon, prepared
• Epicure’s Sea Salt, to taste
• Epicure’s Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large Epicure's Multi-Purpose Pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
2. Season with Epicure's Sea Salt and Epicure's Black Pepper.

Per Serving: Calories 400, Fat 8 g (Saturated 1 g, Trans 0 g), Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 170 mg, Carbohydrate 58 g (Fibre 12 g, Sugars 4 g), Protein 27 g.

Tips: Serve with freshly baked Epicure's Focaccia Bread or Epicure's Cheddar Herb & Garlic Biscuits.

Obviously this can switched up a bit and you do not have to use Epicure spices. I just happen to have a cupboard full of them because I sell them. I didn't use the Roasted red pepper or the cheese chives and bacon. I used some Louisiana hot and spicy dip and some Herb and Garlic. I also heated the oil with the onion and garlic a bit first, then added the lentils, then everything else.I like to improvise. I made this soup yesterday and it tastes even better today.

The end of summer

It has been a busy month. Summer is pretty much over and everything is starting up again.

I have been back at work for a month now. I am working ten hours a week. And I do not know how other moms keep it all together. I am only working ten hours a week, that is how much most work in a day. I have always had great admiration for moms who work full time. And single parents - wow (but that's a whole other post).
After my son was born I went back to work 15 hours a week but this time I knew I wanted to do less. I am so lucky to be able to do this. I have a great co-worker who let me pick what hours I wanted and a pretty nice job that although can be stressful, is not hard. Plus I am basically my own boss, which is good for me because I don't like being told what to do.
My children only have to go to daycare for 6 hours a week and are loving it. So overall the going back to work thing has been positive.

August and September are Birthday months for our family. August was my dad's 2nd birthday in Heaven. My sister-in-law, niece, uncle, mom and son all had birthdays as well. September has my husband's, my grandma's and my birthday.

This year is the big 3 0 for my husband and he is celebrating it with a new job - just to keep things interesting!

Yes, this past month has been a busy one. But I am feeling so blessed. There are stresses and worries, lots of things that still need doing and it doesn't always go the way I want it to, but there are so many things to be thankful for. So I will do that.