eat! craft! live!

30 days of thanks: day 12

What am I thankful for today?

A mobile device with a wifi connection so I can post from bed! After a long, lovely day, it's what I needed. Yay for technology! I love living in the future.

Now where's my flying car?!?

:: photo friday :: 30 days of thanks, day 11

What am I thankful for today?

New family!

(And old family too - but it's not every day you get to meet family you never knew existed until recently.)

30 days of thanks: day 10

What am I thankful for today?

Bartering!

As someone with a limited amount of money, I really appreciate being able to trade goods and services with others. I attend a local permaculture swap on occasion, when I have canned goods to offer. At the last one, we came home with goat milk, chevre, a knitted washcloth for E, salsa, blueberry jam and roasted tomatoes!

The reason I'm thankful for it today is that I'm watching a friend's toddler once a week while she goes to a prenatal water aerobics class. (It's the same one I went to when I was pregnant and oh, how I wish I was pregnant again, just so I could go relax in that wonderful warm water...) So in exchange for keeping track of another little one, I'll be getting...something...in return. Maybe eggs? Maybe meat? Whatever it is, it'll be worth it.

30 days of thanks: day 9

What am I thankful for today?

Our local farmers market!

I love shopping local in all areas of my life, not just food, and I do so whenever I'm able. But I especially love buying my food directly from the farmers. I was thinking today as I drove back home from downtown how spoiled I've gotten being able to get fresh food from local farmers markets twice a week. Twice! I could even get it more frequently if I decided to just pop over to the next town or two. (But twice a week is perfect for me - each trip (and each dozen eggs) gets us through about 3-4 days, so.)

The market I went to today, right in the heart of downtown, across from the library, is so perfect. I love people-watching there, especially right around lunchtime. (Though I never go to the market that late anymore - gotta get my local eggs and they'll all be gone if I dawdle!) And I'm sad that soon, very soon, this Wednesday morning market will cease for the winter. It was such a beautiful, sunny, warm-for-November day that it didn't seem possible winter is just around the corner!

Plus, where will I get my mid-week eggs?

30 days of thanks: day 8

What am I thankful for today?

My job! Despite the fact that I only work half time, I have an awesome job. It's something I love doing, it's something I trained for, it's something I feel like can make a difference in the world. (Usually.)

This post is extra short because a certain toddler in our house was up for many hours last night, crying, "Hurts! Hurts!" and wailing. We think it was teething...and hope tonight will be better!

30 days of thanks: day 7

What am I thankful for today?

Birth Roots!

I'm just getting home after a long day of working, playing, cooking and attending my Mothering Daughters class but I had to stop in to tell you all about this wonderful organization. I've probably mentioned them before...it's the reason I stayed sane during E's early months.

I've met so many awesome mamas through this group, people I consider good friends and I hope to keep in touch with for years to come! Our infants have drooled together, our babies have played together and now our toddlers are running around together.

So my heartfelt thanks goes out to Birth Roots, just for existing, and for welcoming me and my little one into the fold along with so many others.

30 days of thanks: day 6

What am I thankful for today?

Certainly not the time change... All you people who love the extra hour of sleep clearly don't have small children at home.

Anyway!

I am thankful for my awesome vacuum cleaner today! For the first time in a...while...we hauled E's car seat out of the car and I vacuumed every nook and cranny meticulously with our super fantastic vacuum cleaner. Oh, modern conveniences... I have never historically had much use for the "crevice tool" attachment to the vacuum but OH MY GOODNESS. Today it was my new best friend.

For those of you who don't have small children, the car seat, no matter how tidy the child, seems to become a receptacle for all things crumby and crumbly. We are a relatively clean family, generally speaking, but E didn't seem to get that notice.

For the longest time (and still now, to a certain degree) E didn't like riding in the car unless she had a snack. And by "didn't like" I mean "screamed bloody murder." So for months and months now we have had a box of Baby Mum Mums in the front seat, ready to be pitched back at moment's notice to a grabby toddler. They're really remarkably un-crumbly, for a cracker, but still.

Bits of mum mum, shards of cracker, small toys, shredded paper, minute smears of applesauce, the teensiest remains of that time she got car sick... UGH. But with the help of my new best friend, the crevice tool, and a few sprays of my homemade all-purpose cleaner, it's good as new!

Plus, it entertained her all evening after dinner - she didn't know what to make of having the car seat in the dining room!

30 days of thanks: day 5

What am I thankful for today?

Today's thankfulness is taking me a little while to come up with. It wasn't a stellar day - unexpected car tire repair...too many hours away from E and M...frustrating back pain...miscellaneous minor irritations...

So what am I thankful for?

I'd have to say that today I'm thankful for my credit card. That sounds ridiculous I know. Especially if you've read this post. But in all honesty, today I really needed it. That tire just wouldn't have repaired itself. And those groceries weren't just going to come home with me out of their own free will. Most people's hard-money times come at the end of the month. Ours, due to various factors, comes at the beginning. We'll be fine, we always are, but it'll be tough going for another week or so.

I realize that doesn't sounds very thankful at all...I'll try to do better. That is the point, after all!

:: photo friday :: 30 days of thanks, day 4

What am I thankful for today?

Baby giggles! Bonus points for babies in PJs...

30 days of thanks: day 3

What am I thankful for today?

My workplace. (And free food. I couldn't let the food thing slip by me...)

I have a wonderfully flexible and understanding workplace. We had our annual benefit fair today and I went prepared with some quesitons for HR. I found out something today that didn't fit with my plans for the future, but simultaneously found out that the university itself it more generous than I knew. Yes, I realize I'm being vague...

It's also a very pretty place to work. The school grounds are old - I recently cataloged a book published in the mid 1800s and it contained a thoroughly recognizable map of the grounds. The buildings are mostly old, the campus backs up to one of the largest cemeteries around and the trees stretch their aged limbs over us.

Oh, and I also got free ice cream... (See? Food!)