This has been possibly the roughest week out of the whole year. But still, I am grateful, even after all the stress and tears. There have been many!
13. James's surgery went well, and he didn't feel any more pain after a few days.
14. We were able to stay with James's parents for the trip and actually enjoy it on Saturday.
15. My kids did not get violently ill, and 99% of the puke landed in beds or buckets, not the floor.
16. My washing machine did a great job until the very last load of puke stuff.
17. It overflowed while I was eating breakfast - a huge blessing, because there was still a lot of water.
18. I was able to call Dad and figure out the problem. It isn't fixed because I didn't want to go to the hardware store, but it will be cheap to do so.
19. We have health insurance to help cover the cost of everything. Not everyone gets such good benefits.
I have been beating myself up about the insurance a bit. We went down to the cheapest plan because we thought our expenses would be less than 6 grand, but we were dead wrong on that. Oops. My mistake cost us a few thousand extra which will completely eat up our tax return. Next year, we will move up one plan, because it's the cheapest for expenses up to 25 grand. We have never exceeded that before. Knock on wood.
I wish I could always plan better, but that isn't the case. I have to remind myself that Joseph Smith's family was never rich, not because of negligence, but because of pure bad luck. We are really not so bad off. It will always take lots of effort and sacrifice to stay home instead of supplementing our income, but I'm happy to do it. Now, if no more appliances would break, I'd be really glad!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Grateful
Another tough week has gone by, but I'm glad for it all the same. Yesterday's trip to the E.R. with James was a little traumatizing. I tend to assume the worst right off, but given 24 hours, I get over that initial trauma and come to terms with what's happened.
6. I'm grateful for modern medicine. Without it, my husband would have died shortly after his birth. This week, he was able to receive medicine to control the pain for a huge kidney stone, which will get taken care of (blasted apart) in the next few days. It will require a trip to Salt Lake.
7. I'm thankful for music. Tender mercies of the Lord led me to D.I. this week, where I was able to purchase a piano in decent condition for 75 bucks. Music uplifts me and fills my heart with joy when I need it most. That piano came just in time for me to fill my house with Christmas music. (It's not so much that I like to start this early, but I really need the practice!)
8. I'm glad for my wonderful friends and neighbors. When I took James to the E.R., the lady next door was able to come over and take care of my kids for me at a moment's notice. This is not the first time I've received acts of kindness from my neighbors. Another neighbor loaned his truck so we could get the piano home and was able to call a few more guys to help unload it.
9. I'm so glad for the world of books. I have loved to read ever since I was able to. Recently, I have felt that I've needed the boost from getting lost in the world of books, so I have been reading a lot instead of working on any specific project. The books I've been reading are historical fiction Christian romances, which aren't necessarily deep reading, but they remind me how important my job as homemaker is.
10. I'm so glad I get to be a homemaker. It's my dream job. I learn from it every day and get to stretch myself (and my patience) in taking care of my home. It's worth every sacrifice.
11. I'm amazed at how wonderful the Internet is. I can't imagine life without it.
12. I'm grateful for modern communication as well. I get to see my family face to face once a week. My children know their grandparents even though they rarely see them in person. What a blessing!
6. I'm grateful for modern medicine. Without it, my husband would have died shortly after his birth. This week, he was able to receive medicine to control the pain for a huge kidney stone, which will get taken care of (blasted apart) in the next few days. It will require a trip to Salt Lake.
7. I'm thankful for music. Tender mercies of the Lord led me to D.I. this week, where I was able to purchase a piano in decent condition for 75 bucks. Music uplifts me and fills my heart with joy when I need it most. That piano came just in time for me to fill my house with Christmas music. (It's not so much that I like to start this early, but I really need the practice!)
8. I'm glad for my wonderful friends and neighbors. When I took James to the E.R., the lady next door was able to come over and take care of my kids for me at a moment's notice. This is not the first time I've received acts of kindness from my neighbors. Another neighbor loaned his truck so we could get the piano home and was able to call a few more guys to help unload it.
9. I'm so glad for the world of books. I have loved to read ever since I was able to. Recently, I have felt that I've needed the boost from getting lost in the world of books, so I have been reading a lot instead of working on any specific project. The books I've been reading are historical fiction Christian romances, which aren't necessarily deep reading, but they remind me how important my job as homemaker is.
10. I'm so glad I get to be a homemaker. It's my dream job. I learn from it every day and get to stretch myself (and my patience) in taking care of my home. It's worth every sacrifice.
11. I'm amazed at how wonderful the Internet is. I can't imagine life without it.
12. I'm grateful for modern communication as well. I get to see my family face to face once a week. My children know their grandparents even though they rarely see them in person. What a blessing!
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Happiness
The week overall was a little tough for me. I suspect the weather was partly to blame, because it was windy, cloudy, and overall gloomy for several days in a row. Today, I woke up to s dusting of snow. I usually dread the first snow because it feels symbolically like the end of life for me. Today it made me happy.
There are many things to be grateful for even if I have to be cooped up inside. I'm not one for doing much outside when it's cold. Instead of using Facebook, I think I'll record my thanks here so I can find it in the years to come. So #'s 1-5...
1. I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It blesses my life every day and brings me great happiness.
2. For my husband. He puts up with a lot from this time of year but he's always there for me.
3. My kids. They are a joy to me when they're not an annoyance. ;)
4. Home-cooked meals. I love being able to cook for my family every day. It's so much fun to eat together each night too and enjoy delicious food.
5. Modern conveniences. We had no power for 6 hours yesterday. What a huge blessing it is to have it, along with internet, heat, and running water. I take these things for granted every day.
More next week!
There are many things to be grateful for even if I have to be cooped up inside. I'm not one for doing much outside when it's cold. Instead of using Facebook, I think I'll record my thanks here so I can find it in the years to come. So #'s 1-5...
1. I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It blesses my life every day and brings me great happiness.
2. For my husband. He puts up with a lot from this time of year but he's always there for me.
3. My kids. They are a joy to me when they're not an annoyance. ;)
4. Home-cooked meals. I love being able to cook for my family every day. It's so much fun to eat together each night too and enjoy delicious food.
5. Modern conveniences. We had no power for 6 hours yesterday. What a huge blessing it is to have it, along with internet, heat, and running water. I take these things for granted every day.
More next week!
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