Thankful Thursday

Wow. October flew by, didn't it? Feeling extra thankful and happy today (could have something to do with the extra sugar in my house right now, lol?)...so, here are some things I'm thankful for...

1. The inventor of chai. I'm not a pumpkin spice person (and I don't drink coffee), but I love me a good chai in the fall. I usually get my chai made with coconut milk but had one a couple weeks ago made with spiced apple cider...um...yummmmm. :P

2. The weather last Saturday. Noah, Asher and I volunteered with Habitat again last Saturday. We got to help put on a roof...which was something we hadn't done before and was pretty fun. I'm bummed I neglected to take any pictures! The day started out overcast but ended up sunny and gorgeous (highs in the 70s). At the end of the day, we all helped cover materials with tarps to protect things from the snow that came Sunday through Tuesday. 

3. Zenana Outfitters. I looked online but can't find any pictures. :( But, I bought this awesome oversized fuzzy hoodie by Zenana Outfitters recently (found it at a fun shop in Old Town) and it's been perfect for the chilly days this week. It's like wearing a blanket!

4. Reg. You might remember that we named our most recent vehicle Reg. This week...despite the unanticipated expenses and complications of getting him, paying registration and such, getting the brakes replaced and getting the tires replaced...I'm so glad to have him. :) Having a 4WD vehicle with brand new mountain-rated tires is good and gives us peace of mind when Asher's out on the roads. 

5. CEC calling the night before. Even though *we* were fine on the roads this week, we know many others were less confident. So, it was fine with us when the boys' charter school declared a snow day yesterday. Better still, we were thankful that the school decided that the night before and sent out word (via email, text and calls)...so much nicer than waiting and learning of the decision early the morning of the snow day. 

6. Being almost done with our insurance claim from July. So. After July's hail storm and having the insurance adjuster out, we decided to have two sides of the exterior of the house repainted and all of the gutters replaced. It took until recently to get on the schedule (lots of hail storm claims so packed schedules). But, the painting is now done completely and the gutters are 98% done. (They would have finished Monday but it was snowing.) Will get that finished up soon hopefully and get paperwork submitted and be thrilled to be done. Whew!

7. How cooperative Micah is when shopping. The recent snow storm revealed that Micah lacked waterproof shoes/boots, gloves, wool socks and a coat suitable for the weather. Yeah. Boy just keeps growing. ;P Fortunately, of my three boys, Micah's the most cooperative when shopping. (Which also works out well since he's one who truly needs to try certain things on...like shoes.) So, during yesterday's snow day, I took Micah and he tried on at least a dozen pairs of shoes, and we finally found some that worked (and were even on sale!). Yay! We also found socks and gloves, but the boy stubbornly refused my offer of a coat...insisting that his current jacket is warm enough. Boys.

8. The decision not to buy the inflatable Halloween dragon I wanted. Okay, it wasn't really a decision. I couldn't find it in stock anywhere nearby, lol. It was a 9' inflatable Halloween dragon with wings that flapped and it was on clearance. It would have been awesome! But. Our neighbor across the street did this:

So, my lone dragon would have been sad. Guess it's a good thing I couldn't find one, lol.

9. Halloween pictures. I could be sad about the fact that this is the first year I haven't done any costume shopping/making since having kids. Apparently, my boys have all outgrown trick or treating. Sigh. Instead, though, I'll be happy looking at everyone else's Halloween pictures and this collage I made of our costumes over the years...

Yeah, apparently we reused costumes aplenty when the boys were younger, lol. (And, for the record, we did dress Noah up in 2002 in that Winnie the Pooh costume that Asher's wearing in 2003, but I didn't have a digital camera then, lol.)

Okay, better go finish things up before the trick or treaters start. If you're in the area...we're the good house that's giving out full size candy bars...stop by! :)