31. belly laughs, because I go to get my toddler out of bed from her nap and she is naked! I, not knowing if she slept at all, decide to just laugh. "You giggle, mama? Why you giggle Mama?"
32. free suppers...no cooking, no cost
33. freedom to vote
34. FF
35. Loretta at FF
36. Romans 5.1 Therefore since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
37. Not being able to memorize Romans 5.1 because it starts out the same as Hebrews 12.1 Therefore since we have been surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. And let us take hold of the...
38. FCA camp where I learned the Hebrews verse while running!
39. Enlightenment through the movie: The Story of Stuff
40. Anna (my friend, not myself) who is so encouraging and helpful and caring and generous and...
41. My Mama #2, a great Mama, Nana, Daughter, Sister, Wife, Friend...
42. My Mama #1, inspirational, encouraging, loving, wonderful, sweet...
43. holding my daddy's hand...still... :)
44. memories: my dad holding my hand when I was a little girl and his pinky tickling the inside part of my wrist...still makes me smile.

22. naptime
23. Kevin (he was very disappointed at not making the top 10...I guess I was just thinking of not obvious gratitude bits)
24. Kevin washing dishes so I could pay the bills.
25. talking with friends on the phone
26. a current crocheting project to do in between the "Mama, what's this?"s
27. help with folding laundry, even if it is only laying flat the cloth baby wipes
28. deep breaths!
29. dual naptime
30. daily hot beverage = hot chocolate or soup or both

13. spills in the refrigerator to prompt a quick cleaning of the veggie drawer.
14. hands free snack time..."Mama, may I feed her one please?"
15. an avid reader
16. new storm doors

17. giggles
18. non-picky eaters
19. new babies that make mine look so BIG!
20. Goals...in particular, the paying off the student loan goal
21. random raises to make that possible

1000 Thanks

1. The sound of the girls waking up from naps...talking to each other.
2. anticipation of a new project
3. supper starting in the crock-pot...after waiting 2 weeks to make this recipe
4. sunshine
5. fall colors
6. family get-togethers
7. reasons to stay in (drippy noses)
8. friends to see
9. toys everywhere! :)
10. book-loving little girls
11. "Mama, may I sit in your 'wap'?"
12. "Our Lord, how 'ajestic is your name in all the earth. Psalm 8:1 again."

Trim Time

Talking to my mom today, I was reminded that I needed to get my hair trim. Kj, also, has waited a long time since the last trim. Maybe last summer?? I don't know how important it is for toddlers to have frequent trims but...

Well, the girls woke up from naps cheerful and content. So, we attempted it. I set Baby L. in her toy stander and set up the trimming station in her view. Remembering how my sister used to braid my hair ("Look at the plate." "Look at the doorknob." etc.) I had Kj turn her head, at least momentarily, in the right direction.



Some things I learned:

1. Cheerful and content girls are good, but...
2. Another set of adult hands work best for keeping a little head steady.
3. Don't start cutting off as much as you want gone. Start with half of that.
4. Bobs are cute, but not the trim I wanted.
5. I should have just worked on a small sewing project.
6. Mistakes don't always turn out horribly!! Thank goodness!




Next stop...Kevin's trim time!! Tonight??

Poetry

My little Kj added her bit to a nursery rhyme today.

Little jumping Joan
When no one is with me
I'm all alone.
Sitting on a stone.

So, I'm not sure I should give her credit for this, but all her books stop at the first period. So, if you have heard the last line before, please do let me know. Otherwise, be amazed with me! :)

Shoving

I did a little shoving yesterday. I shoved a little sewing into my day. Not really sure the girls were thrilled with this, but they both got a hat out of the deal--sort of. My friend, Janae, gave me the idea and a link to show my how to do it. Here's how. I made them out of a women's somewhat stretchy fashion t-shirt (as opposed to athletic or every-day) and it didn't really work to well. The result were 2 hats that probably both fit Kj. Baby L looks cute in her's but it is a bit large and floppy. Oh, well, better luck next time.

The piles of non-sewing room stuff in my sewing room has gotten out of hand again. I need to reclaim. Now that Baby L can sit up, maybe I could shove a little more of my craftiness in to the day. Tomorrow Little Miss Z (2.5yrs) is coming over in the afternoon for a bit. Maybe she will help me with some cooking. It will be the my girls' naptime, so we'll see.

Any suggestions on getting Baby L to take longer naps? Her naps are 30 mins to 1 hr. Not nearly enough time!! Only once in a very long while will she take a really lengthy nap--once there was a 3 hour one...