Thanksgiving

My catagory of thanks:

FAMILY: #1 - My husband. The man who stood by through all the problems I never would have had if I hadn't married him.

#2 - My children. Who had the audacity to grow up and leave me wondering what it is I'm supposed to do now.

#3 - My parents. For mellowing into people who truly appreciate who their daughters have become.

#4 - My sisters. Who have put up with having a spoiled rotten little sister for 46 years.

#5 - My pets. They know what I am really like, and they still want to sit on my lap.

HOME: #1 - My new dishwasher. I'm really shallow about this. I don't have a clothes dryer. I can live without that. But the dishwasher...wow...

#2 - My fireplace. NOTHING says 'home' to me more than my fireplace. Even though I've never had another home that had one.

#3 - My cheap old thrift store furniture. Whoever said it takes a lot of money to turn a house into a home hasn't spent a weekend shopping with my husband, who can find treasure anywhere (even in me).

#4 - Two bathrooms. 'nough said.

#5 - Porches. Front and back. Front with a swing and a bunch of odd wicker. Back with four shelves of window filled with cobalt blue glass. Lovely.

THINGS: #1 - Books. Hundreds and hundreds of books to read, to shelf, to hold up lamps. Can't have too many books.

#2 - Art supplies. Rubberstamps, ink pads, scissors, cutters, punches, markers, paints, brushes, paper...paper...and more paper. To create and experiment. To float away on an idea. To puzzle over. To dream...

#3 - Notebooks and journals and pencils and pens. Thoughts and doodles, side by side. What could be more inspiring?

#4 - Old Scrabble games. To play with. To glue letters onto things. To pile up in massive amounts for a rainy day. To possess.

#5 - Antiques. To ponder over. To display. To dust, and dust, and dust.

AND ALSO: #1 - My grand dogs. They stink, they run away, they come back. They love unconditionally.

#2 - My laptop. I like it. I own it. And I don't own much.

#3 - My two year old friend who reminds me that I should jump up and down when my husband comes home while yelling 'your friend!, your friend!, your friend is here!'

#4 - Food. Yum.

# 5 - Humor. Without it, I would have drifted far far away...