November Challenge Day 11 - 20

Day 11:  This will sound silly but today I'm happy to have blankets especially the created with love quilts I recently was reunited with that my aunt made for me as a baby.  I had accidentally left the two quilts behind in North Carolina and feared that they were lost forever.  Fortunately, my sister-in-law had packed them up and brought them to PA when they moved into their new home where they were waiting for me when I visited this past September.  I'm thankful for the warmth the quilts provide as the days grow colder and also for the meaning behind them.  Tonight, I went to a surprise baby shower where each person created a quilt square that will be put together in one big quilt to welcome baby Thomas to the world.  What a sentimental gift!!  We also received a couple baby blankets for Charlotte before she was born that we have placed throughout the house.  When I see these blankets made with love, I feel all warm inside as well as outside as they bring heat and warmth.  I'm thankful for those who share their gifts and talents in this way!

Day 12:  My puppies make me smile every day.  Dusty is about to turn 11 next month and it pains me to see his back legs failing him the way they have been lately but he's still the same four month old pup in my mind.  Hershey knows no limits to his boundless energy!  They are always excited to greet us when we come home and lovingly tolerate Charlotte's antics as she is more mobile and loves to throw herself down on them.

Day 13:  After a particularly long day, I could barely stay awake in the chapel during my semi-monthly Adoration hour.  Our little town has three perpetual adoration chapels (that I'm aware of) and it's amazing the number of people who go to holy hour on a regular basis.  These folks challenge me to keep striving to grow in my faith and prayer life and for that I'm grateful.

Day 14: I loooove my Tuesdays and Thursdays away from campus during the school year.  Having this time with the baby is so needed.  I'm so grateful for the kind of job that allows me to make a difference through my job and to be there for my family the way it does.

Isn't my office so cozy?! 

Day 15:  This morning, I participated in an exciting meeting at work.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of something new and big at work and am excited for the future students that this change will affect (both at the higher ed. level and school-aged children)!!

Day 16:  I'm thankful for my hard working and studious husband.  He is working so hard to meet his goal of becoming a high school history teacher and has had his head buried in the books as he writes end of the semester papers and works on projects.  I look forward to his being able to enjoy some down time over Christmas Break!

Day 17:  Tonight, on a whim, a friend and I were able to take in a musical, "Merry Christmas George Bailey!", that was being performed at work.  Through the kindness and generosity of a colleague, my friend and I were able to obtain tickets to the sold-out show at no cost!  This play is a radio play and the coolest thing about the performance is that it will be broadcast on EWTN over the upcoming holiday season!!

Day 18:  Charlotte and I joined a friend at our local junior high school's production of Mulan, Jr. - a musical adaptation of the Disney film.  Charlotte was fascinated by the singing, props, and action on stage for the first 45 minutes of the show.  Sitting in the auditorium brought back the many long hours of play rehearsal as a student.  How lovely it is to have the arts to escape to when a breather from life and crazy schedules is needed!

Day 19:  This afternoon we held this month's Good Godly Grub.  The gathering of women is different each month as is the theme of the food we bring but I'm thankful for the community and relationship building that occurs with these friends.  Even with life being so busy, we take the time to visit with one another during this monthly potluck and share inspirational stories and events.  I'm thankful for the gift of friendship and food through this monthly get together!

Charlotte Annie fell asleep in mid gesture on Ann's lap! 

Nothing like cuddling on a snowy Sunday afternoon with a sweet friend! 

Day 20:  The dogs woke me early this morning.  At first, I was irritable and grouchy that Dusty Shamrock just had to get me up so early but then when I walked out to the living room and got a peek of the beautiful orange sun that was peeking over the horizon, all of the irritability melted away...I was glad that my little pooch had needed to go outside so that I could sit in the silence and brilliance of that rising sun.  What beauty and splendor surrounds us but how often do we miss it by keeping our eyes shut or downward...may we all embrace our surroundings and look up more often as the holiday seasons approaches!

November Challenge - Days 5 - 10

Day 5:  A few minutes before leaving for work, I grew ill and couldn't leave the house for a few hours.  I'm thankful for a supportive secretary at work who took care of loose ends at work on account of my late start that day.  Wonderful coworkers and, better yet, co-friends are blessings!!

Day 6:  I'm thankful for the sunshine that so brilliantly highlights the beautiful fall foliage!

Day 7:  Today was hard as all the 7ths of the month are anymore.  I'm so thankful for our baby girl and love marking her growth on the monthiversary of her birthday but find that in the late night hours of the 7th, I get a burst of energy and my mind is in overdrive.  In the first several months after Charlotte was born, each Monday night I would be sucked into the memory of how the Monday Charlotte was born ended.  As the 7pm hour approached, I would recall the exam that was so physically painful that then led to the exploratory surgery that would change everything and crush a million hopes and dreams I had for our future family at 10pm.  This day marked 20 months since Charlotte's birthday.  I tried to focus on all the good and Charlotte's growth and milestone moments but as the darkness fell, so did my joy.  Feelings of despair and melancholy began to creep into my mind as I went into overdrive with grading and schoolwork.  At one point during the late night hours, I had a thought....in a way I was working so hard, burning the candle at both ends, as if I was trying to avoid the feelings of when I was forced to lie still waiting for the anesthesia to take me away and forget what was about to happen as the start of the hysterectomy surgery began.  I don't intentionally plan on it but it seems on the 7th of each month, I'm busier than ever getting things done and checking off my to-do lists, keep too busy to stop...keep moving so the memories can't catch up...but they're always there and most likely always will be.  I'm grateful for Charlotte Annie today in spite of the polar opposite feelings to the joy I feel when I think of her that also accompany those thoughts.  She's the good that comes with the bad and I'm so glad it isn't all just bad but that we have her in addition to all the pain that I wish I could work/pray/deny/forget away at times.

Day 8:  I'm appreciative of heat.  The days are getting colder and it's feeling a lot like winter with these frosty mornings we're experiencing.  I need to dig out our gloves, hats, and scarves this weekend but as I feel the warm air blowing out of the vents in our cozy little home, I'm thankful for warmth.

Day 9:  My new nephew, Daniel Mark, was born tonight!  I'm thankful my sister-in-law and nephew are healthy!  I can't wait to cuddle and love on that precious baby boy!

Day 10:  Today I'm thankful for our helpers!  From the middle of the day through bedtime, Charlotte was in terrific hands thanks to Students Serving Moms!  She had an early start to the day by going to her last Montessori Baby Class with Adam.  Then she came home and was able to play from 11:30 - 2:30pm with our first helper of the day, Caitlin.  Caitlin is from York and her mother works where I used to work!!  Fridays are my early days which allow me to finish by 2:15pm.  I was able to bring home Gianna and one of her friends who wanted to see what Students Serving Moms was all about which allowed me to get a head start on my to-do list for the weekend.  While the two girls kept Charlotte occupied the next three hours, I was able to pick up three weeks' worth of poop in the yard (as flurries fell...today was the first day I saw snow!), take out the trash and recyclables, unload and refill the dishwasher, sweep and mop the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom, dust the furniture, have the laundry folded and sorted, and vacuum!  Adam and I were even able to walk to the local pizzeria and pick up dinner while Gianna and Catherine played with Charlotte in the downstairs living room.  After dinner, it was time to take the girls back to campus and pick up Rachel, a helper who had requested to work with another family while she waits for her assigned family to need her services!  Thanks to Rachel's availability, Adam and I were able to steal away and go to a church downtown for a Latin mass.  That makes two Fridays in a row of having a mini date night with my hubby!  We came home to a coffee table covered with sorted clothes that Charlotte had outgrown ready for me to pack them up by size thanks to Rachel's help!  Yes, I'm so very thankful for the helpers who give of their time and energy to help us tired mamas and kiddos who love playing with new friends!

November Challenge Days 1 - 4

A few years ago I completed the November Challenge of listing something I was grateful for each day.  I did this a couple years in a row and really appreciated the way it forced me to slow down and count my blessings rather than focus on what I was lacking.  I think we can all, at times, use this as a reminder to be more positive so here comes the 2017 edition!

Day 1:  My parents had come for a visit over the last few days and departed during Trick or Treating last night.  Today I'm thankful for them!  Even though Mom felt like she hadn't been able to help out as much due to a sore arm, they both are such a help just by being there.  Case in point, I had to step out on Halloween Day to go to a meeting at school that afternoon but I was able to do so since they were able to stay home with Charlotte and the three month old baby girl I watch sometimes.  I wish that we didn't have to live so far from either of our families but it makes the visits and time we do have together all the more special!

Day 2:  Since I'm fighting a nagging cough and wheezing I've had since mid-October, on this day I'm thankful for my inhaler and medicine.  Here's to hoping that I'm back to my non-coughing self sooner than later!

Day 3: This is going to sound silly but I'm thankful for new directions.  Today was an extremely busy day, as most of the last two weeks have been, since we're in the throes of advising season at work.  Every minute of each day has been jam packed with advising sessions, meetings, and teaching.  I think that is why I didn't realize the date until pretty late last night.  On this day a decade ago my heart was crushed into a million pieces when a boyfriend I thought I was going to marry broke up with me.  For a couple years, each time November 3rd rolled around, I would feel sad and mourn over what could have been but today, I wrote the date so many times on paperwork and in my students' files without so much as batting an eye since I had completely forgotten the significance that this date used to hold for me.  Life and God have taken me in a completely different and new direction and for that I'm so thankful!

Day 4:  Adam and I went on a date last night!  A friend from church graciously watched Charlotte for a few hours as he and I snuck out to the local Catholic High School where three Christian artists were performing a concert.  I had not heard of any of the three performers but walked away from the event with a new song from each of them.  This morning I'm thankful for praise and worship music that helps me to pray through it all especially when the words won't come...I can still praise God through the lyrics of those who are able to pen such beautiful prayers through their music.  Here are some of my favorite stories and songs from last night:

If I had to pick one from last night, this one would be it.  Enjoy!!