I have a LOT to be thankful for!
Because I will more than likely be late to my own funeral, I don’t find it unusual to post my “Things I am Thankful For” blog the day after the actual holiday. So I’ve combined the above topic with some of my regular musings/observations.
My absence is excused, however, because after doing all the meal prep on one foot, then the post turkey coma, I was happy to just prop the foot and kick back on the couch with yarn and a hook, and catch up on all the DVR’d shows I hadn’t watched over the past week. Okay, and my brain was so full of thoughts and ideas that I probably would have just rambled on, and generally, that makes for a boring read. (Not that this will be any more exciting, ha ha!)
In spite of the most recent streak of less than good luck (the changes at the day job excepted), I have found all kinds of silver linings in the dark cloud that seems to have been following us around this past month or so.
First and foremost, I am thankful for The Hubs. That man has the patience of Job, I swear. The ankle has been broken two weeks, and for the most part, I’ve been confined to the couch because crutches are just a pain. That I am naturally clumsy doesn’t help, either. This man has made sure that my cup has stayed full of the beverage of choice. He’s done all the cooking, cleaning, and additionally waited on me hand and *ahem* foot. Additionally, he reassured me that I would not break my neck or anything else getting into the bathtub, so when I was brave enough, I let him help me in and out, and have done so several times without incident. I had totally missed my baths up to that point.
Secondly (and this runs a very close second), I am so grateful to have angels hanging around. These are angels that come to me in the form of friends. My friends have a knack of knowing what to say when I need to hear it. I’ve gone to work and found a fresh glass of ice water waiting for me at my desk, as well as coffee fixed the way that I like. I have been gifted out of the blue with things that there have been a need for. I’ve gotten texts and email messages from people that just want to make sure I’m doing alright. And I am. Doing alright, that is. 🙂
I’m also thankful for my ability to find the positive in the most frustrating of situations. Broken ankle? The bad side: well, it’s a broken ankle; ’nuff said. The good side? I have had time to catch up on my blogging, get out of much of the housework, etc., etc. Budget a little tight (okay, a LOT tight)? The bad side: No steaks for dinner, zero entertainment budget, and holiday shopping budget is very small. The good side? I’ve gotten crafty. Handmade/homemade is fun. I’ve learned how to make wine, sugar scrubs, body butters, bath salts, and canned goods.
I’m thankful that I don’t do Black Friday. I blogged about my feelings on this, the biggest retail day of the year, shortly after I started my blog. Which was…ZOMG! Over three years ago!
So, additionally, I am thankful to still be blogging three years later. (This is the first blog I’ve not completely neglected.) My inaugural post was on November 17, 2011. Happy belated blogiversary to moi! 😉
I’m thankful that I stocked up on yarn a few years back when I had a laundry list of projects to do that I never got around to. When you have nothing but time, a good crochet project will absolutely help with that.
The latest addiction…
With so much time on my hands, I have really turned into a Pinterest addict. I mean, I used it occasionally in the past to pin things like landscaping ideas and whatnot, but now?
I have the app on both my tablet and my phone, and have found more cool stuff through this site.
Last summer I experimented with homemade sugar scrubs, and found all the recipes on Pinterest. I also found many of my canning and dinner recipes there, too. You can find just about anything you need with a simple search.
I just knocked out an infinity scarf from a pattern I modified that I found last weekend, and am about to do another one, because I am gifting the first one to a friend of mine at work who admired it. I told her I would absolutely make her one, but darned if I didn’t have another skein of the black and gold yarn, and I’m not in a position to be cruising the craft stores for another skein, nor can I go to the attic to check the rest of my stash, and The Hubs has already bent over backwards to make life easier. Plus, there is no guarantee that there is a second skein, although I find it odd that I would have only purchased one skein. That said? I’m starting another one with variegated yarn for myself today. 🙂
Yesterday I finished a baby afghan. I found the pattern on Pinterest. I had to do a little modification, because I don’t know what flavor baby my step-daughter is having (yes, that is something else I am thankful for…I’m going to be a step-grandma!), but I am so excited to have had all that baby yarn from when I was making chemo caps a few years back.
So, while I was initially mortified at the fact that I would be benched for six or so weeks, right over the holiday season, I have kind of started to enjoy myself. There really are up-sides to everything.
The pain meds, which I am still finding myself needing from time to time, do nothing for my appetite, and since I’m not lifting or working out, I don’t feel the need to eat all the time. I’ve lost a pound, which I’m ok with. Who loses weight over the holidays, right? Win!
I also have a valid excuse not to put the Christmas tree up this year. I will do some light decorating, but I don’t HAVE to put the big tree up. All the kids have grown up and it seems to be an awful lot of work on crutches to put it up and then take it down. So….Win! I’m no Grinch or Scrooge, but I have to admit I am feeling some relief at not feeling like I MUST put up a big tree. I have a pre-lit table top tree if I really feel like I have to have a tree (and that is a possibility).
It’s also the start of Trans Siberian Orchestra season at my house, which I look forward to every year. The following is one of my favorites:
What are you thankful for this year? Do you have big holiday plans? And for you crafty souls out there, what kinds of gifts are you making this year?
Until next time…
Random Musings From a Type-A Workaholic 
I am thankful for friends, family and some other random things, like sugar treats. I have been happy this year was mainly a healthy one, I know this is not true of many, including yourself. I hope that next year will bring everyone I know much better health and happiness, too. I think gratitude for your hubby is always important, as well as family… Well, Julie, I am glad to have you around still pushing like on my posts, dear! Hope you have a marvelous Merry Christmas and the best in the New Year, too! (No black Fridays for me, anymore, either!)
Girrrrrl! I read you often, believe it or not. Mostly I read the blogs I follow at work during short bursts of down time, which leaves me little time to comment, but I am around. 😉
Ah, but those crutches would so have come in handy during Black Friday shopping (“Outa my way, you old hag!”). Not much fun on snow and ice, though (if you have any).
Funny you would mention TSO – I just started playing The Christmas Attic on my drives to and from work. TSO is pretty much the only Christmas music I enjoy.
Same here…The other, more traditional carols kind of make me sad, so I tend to avoid them, although I have some favorites. And you couldn’t pay me enough to hit retail today. I tend to avoid the mall and everything but the grocery stores till after the holidays, LOL…I can’t handle crowds. And rude people make me crazy…
Hope your Thanksgiving was terrific! ❤
I did venture out today, but just to get a haircut, nowhere near the Mall. I did drive past the department store two blocks from my house, but one look at their parking lot, and I just kept on going. I don’t need any discounts that badly!
I understand that completely! 🙂