day 40: "i am thankful for......ADMITT AND ACCEPT!"

....i like this.

 "once you've admitted and accepted your shortcomings and flaws, no one can use them against you"

....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 39: "i am thankful for........DIMINISHING PALLETS!"

we cranked out the shingles this weekend....!  yesterday, we were on and off the roof for 11 hours!  yes, ladies and gents...the time on the roof is coming to a close.  and, am i ever ready for it to be.  roofing is definitely one of those jobs i will leave to a pro next time, even if i know how to do it.

here is a pic of the materials we started with:

and what is left as of this morning: (the starter shingles on the right, we are returning!  we are done with them....ordered too many)

not to shabby, huh?!  yes, we started over a month ago...but, keep in mind.  its rains every other day, and we are only 2 people.  so, with those odds...i think we are kicking but!



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 38: "i am thankful for.........QUIET!"

this morning when i went outside....the first thing i noticed?....quiet.  no sounds....  and it stood out.  in my neighborhood, there is usually a plethora of sounds coming from every direction.  here is a list of some of the noises....

1.  dogs barking.... (in EVERY direction)
2.  goat maaaaaing....
3.  horses neighing...
4.  roosters cockadoodledoing....
5.  birds chirping...
6.  chickens clucking...
7.  turkeys (doing what they do...)
8.  geese (sounding like they are dieing sound...)
9.  people target practicing...(ALL the time)
10. crickets chirping...
11. jets engines flying...
12. cars 'booming'
13. go-carts
14. teenagers partying
15. and of course, as of late....roofing hammer!

(and we live in the 'country'!!)

i hear these sounds everyday, all day....some days are louder than others of course.  we make fun of it!  we tell our dog casey, who is the only dog on the street that doesn't bark, "are you going to join in "the neighborhood chorus"?

that is why, this morning, i'm relishing in the quietness...because, actually, as i type...it is over.  my peaceful morning as come to pass.  i hear my husband on the roof tearing off shingles.  God, give me strength to get my aching body up there to help!

enjoy the quiet folks....because it never lasts :)


.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 37: "i am thankful for.......SOCCER!"

the soccer season is coming to a close... i have enjoyed going to all the games and look forward to next fall.  i am very glad sam has decided to become a soccer player.  i used to play, so i know how enjoyable it can be.  here is a picture of me i dragged out of the archives....:)

junior varsity-i was only 16!

i miss soccer...so i'm especially thankful that sam is playing. i get to kick a ball around once and a while again.  i also get to 'coach' him all the tricks i learned while i played.  i hope he sticks with it.  he not only gets in shape, but will make lasting friendships.  he will also learn skills such as leadership, competition, picking each other up, and supporting and helping others, to name a few.  these traits he can carry with him through out his life.
now, here are some of sam!

(far left..run sam run!!)

2012 bethel strikers!

soccer is good for the soul...at least, i think so...:)


....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 36: "i am thankful for......JUST IN TIME!"

registering to vote in the state of ohio has been on my to do list since i moved here last year.  so, last night...after watching the presidential debate (on youtube), i decided to look up when the deadline is to register before the presidential elections on november 6th.  i found out i have until next tues!  so....guess what i am doing today?  i am heading over to my county office building, to hand in my registration form i just filled out online.  whew...i'm so glad i didn't run out of time....ohio is one of those states that can go either way.  i could not live with myself if our current president won the election by 'one' vote...God forbid.



.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 35: "i am thankful for.......GREEN HAIR?!"

last week was 'spirit week' at the boys school.  i just had to post this pic of them after i sprayed their hair last friday morning with their school colors (green and white).  they loved it!!  and, i have to admit...so did i.  i don't get to mess with their hair very often :0)

i dare you to go to work with green and white sprayed hair!!  just do it!!  act like a kid....and you just might feel like one too!  anyways, i'm sure it's written somewhere that it's good for the heart and soul (acting like a kid that is...not spray painting your hair... :) 


......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 34: "i am thankful for......my NY PHOTO BOOK!"

             Click here to view this photo book larger

i spent 6 hours last night arranging a 96 page photo book of pictures taken of our home renovations in new york.  i have been wanting to do this for several years, since we finished that house...but, have not found the time or the money to do it.  shutterfly gave me the motivation to finally get it done by offering 50% off their 12x12 hard cover photo books!  yeah!  it is on order and will be shipped within days.  i have wanted to show my grandparents our renovations, but always found it bothersome to bring my laptop when i visit them.  now, it will be easy....all the pics will be in one book!  i will create another book of our ohio house, when it is done.   hope you enjoy looking.


....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 33: "i am thankful for......TARPS!"

we have started tearing off/shingling our house roof now.... we ripped off one side, and part of the other.  we have shingled almost up to the ridge on the back side of the house.  we are taking a break due to the rain... so, yes, needless to say, i am very thankful for our tarps covering the exposed part of our house roof so we do not have to sleep in wet beds! 

back side of house

front side of house

my husband says to be thankful for the rain....so i can take a break from roofing.  well, i don't want to take a break.  i want it DONE!  but, with all this rain....i can't!  i'm very frustrated at this point.  it is one of the most unforgiving jobs....physically...for me.  i need to have it done already.  my body can't take any more 'dragging it on' due to rain....  so, please my friends....pray for sun!  thank you...


.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 32: "i am thankful for........a WORKING LAWNMOWER!"

i like to mow.  i really like to mow....it is the ONE chore that i like to do.  but, for over a month, our lawnmower was inoperable.  first it would start, but the blades would not run...then, it just stopped starting.  we would charge the battery at night...then it would start, no blade...  ok.  new battery.  still, would not start the blades.  then, it just stopped starting...even with a new battery and charged over night.  ok.  what can we do?!  the lawn is getting above my ankles!  (and i am one to keep my lawn short...getting a little embarrassing...)

now, we have an alternator on order.....new battery did not cut it.

1 1/2 weeks later, the alternator shows up.  hubby installs....yeah!  i get to mow!!   but......only about 5 blades of grass, before the darn blades disengage.  UGH!

think....think....think..............

good thing my hubby is a smart man....and extremely mechanical.

new clutch on order......

one week later.....clutch installed.

please...please....please......the grass is knee deep!

and the verdict is.....?????????

i got to take a break for a few hours from the roof this weekend....to mow our whole yard!!!!!  THANK YOU GOD!  my grass is short once again.....it's the little things like being able to mow my grass that gives me happiness....:)


.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 31: "i am thankful for.....5 MINUTES!"

....because that is all i have today to blog :)  roofing BITES!  time for a shower....and a movie with my husband.  hope you all had an awesome weekend.  ciao


.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 30: "i am thankful for......LAYS!"

....potato chips! i could eat the whole bag in one sitting.  doesn't matter what kind, but i do like the 'classic' lays chips the best.

i use to sneak a few from my mom's stash when i was in high school.  she loved them too.  guess i got her love of potato chips (and.... her love of m&m's).   thanks mom... :0)  just what i needed!  (if only i could eat junk and not gain weight like she could....)

have a safe and happy saturday my friends...! 


......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 29: "i am thankful for.......FLANNEL SHEETS!"

 ....i have found the 6-oz supima flannel sheets from lands end to be the best!

i have my sister to thank for introducing me to these awesome sheets.  i am a very cold blooded person (thyroid problem) so i need warm sheets and bedding.  my husband doesn't appreciate them...(he's always warm), but he knows i need them, so he puts up with me :)  they are very, very soft, warm, and fit over sized mattresses.  they wash well, and never pill.  one of the reasons i look forward to the temps dropping....i get to use my flannel sheets!

lands end has some very good sales (get on the e-mail list-they have 30% off right now!)...you won't regret buying these sheets if you are a cold natured person like me!

.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 28: "i am thankful for......BUBBLE BATHS!"

.....the hot, steamy, long kinda bubble baths...after a excruciating long day on a roof.

my deep soaking tub...that i LOVE so much :)

we are finished (well, except for ridge cap) with the garage roof.  thank you GOD.  we will spend all day today starting to rip off a section of the house roof.   i will then, again, be thankful for my, end of the long grueling day of roofing, hot bubble bath.  i told my husband yesterday that this the LAST roof i am doing....he wasn't so sure...well, ladies and gents...I AM!

garage roof is done!!

have a great day friends!! (and please pray the rain will go away....i am so sick of it!)



....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 27: "i am thankful for.....REST!"

we have several exterior projects going on around here before the snow flies.... 

LIST:

• rebuild shed
• paint brick house
• tear down chimney (CHECK)
• fix HUGE hole in house from tearing out fireplace (CHECK)
• hang new siding/fascia on house
• roof-house and garage
• rent excavator-tear down old barn(burn/bury it!), relocate some evergreen trees from back property to front  yard, tear out stone/concrete front porch, dig out run-off ditch, and (anything else we can think of while we have heavy machinery at our disposal)
• fix area above garage doors/replace garage doors 

i am either on the roof or a ladder these days. my body is aching from top to bottom!  i'm getting way too old for this stuff... so, yesterday, i took advantage of the rain and my husband being at work, to just lay around.  i watched several chick flick movies on netflix, took a long hot bath and took a nap!  my mother-in-law is always telling me to rest...so, that is exactly what i did yesterday.   i LOVE days like these... i NEED days like these...to recoop my old aching body...

for today....is a roof day.  (hubby is home, off to shingle we go!...UGH)


...so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 26: "i am thankful for......"I HOPE....!"

i really liked this article posted by kara baskin on boston.com.  thought i would share an excerpt with you...it's good stuff (whether you are a mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa (you get the point).  gotta do the work....then all you can do is 'hope'.


a mom's wishlist......

I hope I raise a child who says “thank you” to the bus driver when he gets off the bus, “please” to the waiter taking his order at the restaurant, and holds the elevator doors when someone’s rushing to get in.

I hope I raise a child who loses graciously and wins without bragging. I hope he learns that disappointments are fleeting and so are triumphs, and if he comes home at night to people who love him, neither one matter. Nobody is keeping score, except sometimes on Facebook.

I hope I raise a child who is kind to old people.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that life is unfair: Some people are born rich or gorgeous. Some people really are handed things that they don’t deserve. Some people luck into jobs or wealth that they don’t earn. Tough.

I hope I raise a child who gets what he wants just often enough to keep him optimistic but not enough to make him spoiled.

I hope I raise a child who knows that he’s loved and special but that he’s not the center of the universe and never, ever will be.

I hope I raise a child who will stick up for a kid who’s being bullied on the playground. I also hope I raise a child who, if he’s the one being bullied, fights back. Hard. Oh, and if he’s the bully? I hope he realizes that his mother, who once wore brown plastic glasses and read the phonebook on the school bus, will cause him more pain than a bully ever could.

I hope I raise a child who relishes life’s tiny pleasures—whether it’s a piece of music, or the color of a gorgeous flower, or Chinese takeout on a rainy Sunday night.

I hope I rais

I hopee a child who is open-minded and curious about the world without being reckless.

I hope I raise a child who doesn’t need to affirm his self-worth through bigotry, snobbery, materialism, or violence.
 I raise a child who likes to read.
I hope I raise a child who is courageous when sick and grateful when healthy.

I hope I raise a child who begins and ends all relationships straightforwardly and honorably.

I hope I raise a child who can spot superficiality and artifice from a mile away and spends his time with people and things that feel authentic to him.

I hope I raise a child who makes quality friends and keeps them.

I hope I raise a child who realizes that his parents are flawed but loves them anyway.
And I hope that if my child turns out to be a colossal screw-up, I take it in stride. I hope I remember that he’s his own person, and there’s only so much I can do. He is not an appendage to be dangled from my breasts on the cover of a magazine, his success is not my ego’s accessory, and I am not Super Mom.

I hope for all of these things, but I know this: None of these wishes has a thing to do with how I feed him or sleep-train him or god-knows-what-else him. Which is how I know that these fabricated “wars” are phony every step of the way. I do not need the expensive stroller. I do not need to go into mourning if my "sleep-training method" is actually a "prayer ritual" that involves tiptoeing around the house in the dark. This is not a test. It’s a game called Extreme Parenting, and you can’t lose if you don’t play. And, really, why would you play? You have children to raise.


.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!