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Time for another installment of my "Ten Things" to be thankful for, always varied, always random bits in no particular order.
Today, may I present you with a few older photos (again, oh, but timeless already! LOL), with new ones sprinkled all the way through.
This past few weeks has been most interesting living here in the east, in the thick of the Lenten season, looking ahead to Easter and what lay before us.
I've been recording and categorizing my many photos, from family visits, hockey tournaments, running teens to their jobs, fending off the idea of coyote packs nearby to tracking small mammals in the snow. Nature continuously unfolds its beauty season after season. And that sky! And that robin's egg colored bright blue sky!
Please know for certain that my own personal thoughts on true thankfulness can obviously never be offered, nor delivered in true completeness within one simple post. And in case you just might find it interesting and want even more today, you can always skip along to view other "thankful" posts by clicking onto the archives located - right HERE.
1 - I'm thankful for animals in winter, those that leave their tracks in the snow so young children can easily follow along to arrive in their approximate locations. This is how we found out where our weasel, and where the mice were romping about at the back of our home on the property. It's been interesting to study their daily habits, where they find water and where they are living.
It's also been interesting to hear things without seeing them, like the blood curdling sounds of a pack of coyotes when attacking their prey in the distance, followed by two gun shots. The squealing sounds left one very restless for the rest of the evening and the rush to secure our dogs was in swift force. Apparently there are wild turkeys about out yonder, a delicious feast for an entire pack due to their size.
2 - I'm thankful for a little escape to downtown Toronto for a Stampin Up conference. Though I am not a consultant, I was invited along to have a creative and most pleasurable day.
We entered the name tag contest, and all three of us created ours similar and yet they varied at the same time. My goodie bag was filled with make and take projects and winning two of the stamping set door prizes was pretty sweet too. On top of everything, these two were so much fun to be with for our journey (beginning at 6:30 am outside of Starbucks, and not arriving home again until 7pm.) and great ladies to be surrounded by for an entire day. I can't wait to do this again with them in June.
3 - I'm thankful for our family traditions, another birthday breakfast with mom and dad alone, embedded in our memories forever. This young gal also chose her favorite breakfast time restaurant at "Cora's".
She not only devoured the waffle with fruit topping, she also added a fresh pressed juice with a fruit stick to begin with. She almost rolled out of the restaurant, so full from her yummy choices this day.
4 - I'm thankful for the last minute choice to surprise our older daughter with a second birthday cake, so unexpectedly several months later. She was such a good sport about the blessing of her brother's birthday cake creation, complete with four cups of granulated sugar for the icing instead of icing sugar, we thought to bless her with her very own cake around her sister's Valentine's Day birthday. There was plenty of cake around this home for a while, believe me.
5 - I'm thankful for all of the fun and varied photo gifts available to make with my own pictures, like this mouse pad above that I had made for my husband at Christmas. He gets to use it daily and is filled with warm memory recalls within this sporty family.
6 - I'm thankful for our GPS, the hand-held device we purchased when first arriving here in this area to get to all the hockey games our son's team was involved in. This device is something we've truly come to rely on for assisting us in arriving at our destination without being frazzled. This device speaks to me and even though her voice is very annoying, I like being directed while traveling, even if I'm the passenger.
7 - I'm thankful for another round of Pulmonary tests and specialist's visits now complete. A stronger prescription was given for better quality breathing due to ongoing obstruction and inflammation within the interior of his lungs. The specialist's referral is in place for the assigned lung transplant doctor's office to call for the purpose of setting up an appointment with my husband for the big meetup. Please say a prayer for this next step, so very frightening.
8 - I'm thankful for Lenten and spring cleaning, for having the opportunity of rolling up my sleeves and entering my daughter's room to assist her in the big clear out of clothing and other assorted items she never really organized and stored properly since our move to this home.
I don't know about other folk's daughters but all of ours have had a penchant for too many articles of collected clothing. This one gets doubles when older sisters offer hand me downs. :)
I find our girls sometimes forget what they own if all are shoved and stored away in the dark recesses of their dresser drawers. One of the main objectives with my daughter was to show her the value of getting all her shirts up on hangers, the ones we brought home for free from a ladies' clothing store at the mall. Color coding her clothing also had a wonderful display ability so she can mix and match things easily.
Two full black garbage bags departed from her room, two! Now she is organized and finds it much easier to keep her room more manageable, with all those clothes that is. And since one thing leads to another, the task list seemed to continue to grow until we were both tired by the grand finale completion. After she took the vacuum to her room and dusted it well, all looked incredibly tidy and less overwhelming to her. She's happy. I'm happy. Who wouldn't be?
9 - I'm thankful for Starbuck Schooling! Yes, the three of us have become accustomed to cruising over to Starbucks in pursuit of jazz music and a change of scenery. We've been feeling the ill effects of cabin fever this winter season, so the odd time, we escape to complete the schooling for the day at the local cafe, and return home all refreshed again.
10 - I'm thankful for PINK flowers! And Laetare/REJOICE Sunday! I've made an attempt over the years to capture all the colors of the liturgical year on the altar when I'm able, various items and the backs of priests during mass in their fiddleback vestments. With my camera in my purse at all times, it has helped to have it along for accomplishing my goal.
I've learned though - not to glance over at the look on my teenager's or husband's face when they hear the little sound after turning on the camera. No more anticipated "tsks" occur because I just casually and very discreetly locate it next to me in my purse on the pew, remove the lens cap and press the camera close so no one hears the sound when I turn it on. If I'm really good, I can usually do this during one of the choir's lead, drowning it out in a jiffy.
And then, I try not to bring any attention to myself as I point and shoot my objects, subsequently placing it away once I'm done. I keep my eye movements forefront and don't become ruffled when a sigh is sounded, for my family likes these photos once at home. Yes, they do.
