Sunday, March 19, 2017

Thankful Sunday--March 19, 2017

I live a good life and have so much to be thankful for. There are the big things like family, health, friends, security, etc. And there's the little things like the cold juice I just had from the fridge. Sometimes I forget to notice the little things and take them for granted. So here are five little things I'm thankful for. And because this is the way my mind works, there is going to be a theme--fabric.

1. A Throw--I bought a lot of things to stage the house we just sold. Some of them are finding a place in our new home and some of them are not. However, there is one thing that is used every day here. A soft, fuzzy throw. I originally bought it to bring a soft texture to a wooden chair. Now it is something everyone loves to wrap themselves in, including the cats. For this very soft, warm throw, I am thankful.

2. Sheets--I seem to always be on the conquest to find comfortable sheets. We have an older mattress and many sheets have pockets that are too deep to fit well. Combine that with a certain texture that I prefer and it's hard to find what I like. (I have been compared to the princess in the tale of The Princess and the Pea). However, a couple of weeks ago, Miss Landers gave me some sheets that no longer worked for her because the pockets weren't deep enough. And voila! They are just right for me. :) They fit well and are the soft cotton I like. For these "new"comfortable sheets I am thankful.

3. A Tote Bag--When Ward's grandmother moved to a nursing home, his father cleaned out her house and gave some of her things to the family. Although I am very much part of the family, I stepped back and waited for Ward and his siblings to get what they wanted. One of the things left was a canvas tote bag his grandmother had picked up when she visited South Africa. It had bright red and black guinea hens on it and I thought it was fun. However, I didn't use if for several years because I didn't want to get it dirty. Then one day, I told myself that that was silly, and I've used it every day since then. I use it to carry things back and forth to work and any other time when I have several things to to take with me. It's just the right size and always brings a nice compliment. For this useful and cheerful tote bag, I am thankful.

4. Sweat Pants--A few years ago, my mother had several trips to the emergency room with various crises all in the space of just one year. These events required a quick jump in the car and a drive 3 1/2 hours to be with her. To say the least, they were very stressful times. During one of these visits, I hadn't packed enough clothes, so I went to the store to get a few things to tide me over until I got home. One of the them was a comfortable, go-with-anything pair of sweat pants.  They were just what I needed then and just what I want now. Even though they came from a stressful time, for these practical and comfortable sweat pants, I am thankful.

5. Absorbent Dishtowel--One time when I was in my mother's attic trying to sort and clean out things (literally, a never-ending job), I found a new dish towel. It was in a box of things that came from my aunt's house after she passed away. I think it was a second because it was a bit misshapen and had several pulled threads, but I needed some dish towels at that point and I took it home. It worked great. It is now the most absorbent dish towel I have. So for this handy dish towel that I think of as a gift from my aunt, I am thankful.


There you have it. A few things that I took for granted that I am really blessed to have. Now you try it. Pick a category and look around for five things you are thankful for.


17 comments:

  1. Love the tote bag! So fun!

    This is a great challenge. I'll skip the "theme" and just name some thankfulness items! Let's see ... 1) I also am thankful for throws, as I pretty much live under them in the winter. My kids have throws of their own which are also well-loved. 2) My corn bag--a (handmade) gift for Christmas--pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes and you have a moist hot pack--love it! 3) crocuses blooming in my back yard in the gray days of late winter 4) free concerts--our family attended a free Irish music concert this past Thursday--my mom went, too--so much fun and they played my dad's favorite (Black Velvet Band) which brought back fun memories 5) sunshine! We tend to have a lot of overcast days during this time of the year so sunshine is a mood-brightener.

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    1. I also love my corn bags. I made several of different shapes and sizes a few years ago. I also made several as gifts with removable covers. I read about a hospital that used corn bags instead of heating pads and followed their lead. Of the different grains tried out, corn worked the best for them. My sister wondered about mice getting into them, but we've never had that problem.

      Give me my fuzzy throw, a corn bag, and a cat and I'm one happy person.

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    2. And a Downton Abbey DVD and knitting or a good book ... oh, and a cup of tea ...

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  2. LOVED this. Looking for the small things we are thankful for is very comforting. :)

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    1. It certainly can distract me from my complaining, negative thoughts.

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  3. This is fabulous and makes me think of the small things I have that I love.
    1. Insulated hot/cold bag that was given to TheHub as a promotion for a business. It is perfect for transporting cold foods back and forth between the lake and house without needing ice.
    2. lip balm
    3. olive wood salad hands given to me as a gift 10 years ago. I use them nearly every single day
    4. reading glasses (Dollar tree) help more than I would like to admit
    5.Dollar Tree plastic dust pan. I have a shaggy dog and have to sweep all the time

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    1. I like reading others' lists because it makes me think of other things to be thankful for. Lip balm is a good one for me, also. It's the only thing that keeps the split lips at bay this time of year.

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  4. I love the bag and the story about you not using it so it wouldn't get dirty reminds me of Erma Brombeck's line in her "If I had to live my life over" column, to wit: "I would have burnt the pink candle that was sculptured like a rose before it melted while being stored." When I first read this, I had flower-shaped soaps in my bathroom that I had ever used because they were so pretty, but I set about using the soaps right away after reading it!

    I don't know if I can theme my items but tonight I'm grateful for:
    1) People who share their experiences and / or expertise online for free.
    2) The fact that my husband loves mowing the lawn because I really don't!
    3) Duct tape. Best thing ever!
    4) Silicone spatulas. They're handy and save me money by reducing food waste because I can get every last glob of food from jars and containers!
    5) Those little eraser caps that you fit at the end of pencils. Many years ago I received a huge box of them for free and we're still using them all the time. A pencil without an eraser is just not as useful!

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    1. And let's all be thankful for Erma Bombeck and her humor. She was one great and talented woman that brought endless hours of pleasure to many.

      And there's nothing better than a fresh eraser on a pencil that gives a clean erasure. Definitely one of those small things I forget about sometimes that I am thankful for.

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  5. I love this post, and I loved reading everyone's lists. Hmmmm... let's see if I can come up with 5 things. I'm sure on a different day the list would be different, but here's today's list.

    1) My Bike. 45 miles today... it was WONDERFUL!
    2) Zinc Oxide Sunscreen - the new kind that becomes "invisible" (or mostly invisible) after you put it on. Total game changer for a red head like me.
    3) Hot baths. Nothing better than a good soak!
    4) Open windows. It's finally warm enough to sleep with the windows open, and it's amazing. I sleep so much better with the fresh air.
    5) Jicama - my new favorite food. How can something that good actually be good for you!

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    1. One from redhead to another, I'm gonna have to look into disappearing zinc oxide sunscreen. I didn't know about it. To add to my list, I am also thankful for blog friends and all that I learn from them.

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  6. What a cool tote design!

    5 things I'm grateful for...
    1) My fun and fascinating Medical Terminology class-especially the wonderful instructor
    2) My funny and ever-surprising hubby
    3) Historical romance novels
    4) Incredibly goofy Baby Bananaface (he was licking my face last night and just loving it!)
    5) Finches

    :o)

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    1. Finches are the most common visitors to our feeder and I am thankful to see them flitting around every day.

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  7. What a lovely post! My theme is water.
    - Safe, clean water to drink
    - Indoor plumbing/hot and cold water on tap!
    - Rain after the drought
    - Water for the garden
    - A cup of tea

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    1. Clean, plentiful water is something most of take for granted. And we don't miss it until it's gone. In my last house, I was on well water and didn't have water any time the electricity went off because the well pump wouldn't work. While it was easy to have bottled water stored to drink, what we really missed was being able to flush the toilet. For clean, plentiful water I am also thankful.

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  8. I too love throws. I keep them all over the house and guests feel welcome to wrap themselves up in one when coming in from the cold. The kids make tents with them and the dogs will curl up on them.

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    1. It seems universal that people are thankful for throws. I've always liked them, but this latest one is the softest one I've ever had. As well as, it is over-sized meaning my toes are never sticking out when my shoulders are covered.

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What do you think?