1st - At this point in my life, I am most thankful for my sweetheart, who loves me unconditionally and I treasure that because I also know that I am a hard person to love. He treats me with utmost tenderness and concern at all times. I love that he is always doing things to make me smile. This wonderful man makes me feel alive and helps me to be a better person, simply by example. He has taught me so very much and I am so very thankful that he came into my life.
2nd - I am thankful for my daughter, Jennifer, who is becoming my best friend again. I love that we are able to spend time together and share in common interests. She is an incredible mother to my grandchildren and daughter to me, always going out of her way to do kind things for all. I have the opportunity to spend some one on one time with her later this month and absolutely cannot wait.
who has also become such a wonderful friend. I love our visits and time together. She is strength to me and helps me to remember that I CAN do things that I want to shy away from. I wish we lived closer to one another so that I could draw on the strength more often. She and her husband achieved their "dream" this past month of owning their own dental practice and I absolutely could not be more proud of them both.
4th - I am thankful for my son, Matthew, who called me last night "just because." He always makes me smile and gives me a fresh outlook on life. I admire his drive and respect him more than almost anyone I know. I haven't had a chance to spend time with him in quite awhile and while that saddens me, it also makes me want to make something happen. (And we really need to have a picture taken together.)
6th - I am thankful for my daughter Cassie. She became a new mommy this year and has blessed me with a 13th grandchild and a sweet little girl to boot. I loved having her in Dallas with us for a couple of years and miss her a great deal but know that they are making their way in the world just like everyone else. Distance is tough for me, but I am learning and growing because of her. 
7th - I am thankful for all of grandchildren and feel that I cannot do individual entries for each one or I will fill up the month and this will not be much of a challenge to me but I am putting some pictures in of moments I wish to remember. I will say that they bring an immense amount of joy to my life and fill me with a desire to remain close to all of them. I think back to my own grandmother and the effect she had on my life and hope to have that same relationship with my own grandchildren. I bask in the joy of having them come and visit and once they are gone, within hours I am again longing for the house to be filled with young voices. They keep me young and for that alone, I am indeed grateful.
The Heidemas:
Bekah:
Jonathan:
Jacob:
Jared:
Josh: (He gets his quilt in a couple of days and will a post a pic of that then)
The Buttars Boys:
The Singers:
(with Heidemas)
Rhiana's girls:
And the newest member: Miss Ophelia
8th - I am thankful to be healthy. Period. For so long, I struggled so very much and although I have some repercussions from all of that, I am grateful to be active and loving life. There are days when I have to remember my age and not try to do what I did 30 years ago, but so far all I have to do is take it a bit slower. I can still accomplish the task. And THAT is indeed something to be grateful for.
9th - I am thankful for the ability to do something I love each and every day of my life. I grew up instilled by my Aunt Annie with a love of sewing and did a great deal of it for myself while a teenager and even more for my children as a young mother on a limited budget. Then it became more expensive to sew clothes than to buy them and it was put aside. Work and raising a family took precedence for many years and now, finally, I am at a stage in life where I have been able to bring it back into my world. While I no longer am sewing clothing, the quilts that I have been working on have warmed my heart to the core. I hope that when I am gone, each member of my family will have a little piece of me to hold on to when it is cold at night.10th - I am thankful for having a grandmother who was around all the time. She taught me so very much and helped to form me into the person I am today. She instilled in me a love of cooking, baking, and canning. I still feel her presence in my life and am amazed at how many times I start a sentence to my husband with, "My grandmother . . . " She and my grandfather made it a point to come and be with us often and they would stay for a week even though they only lived about 45 minutes away. When we moved back to Montana, they bought an RV and would come and stay for months, parking it out front. She was such a huge part of my life --- Thank you Grandma. I know you are still watching over me. I definitely am on the hunt for a picture of her.
11th - I would be remiss today if I did not declare my intense gratitude for those who have served and continue to serve this country in the armed forces. I am thankful for family members who sacrificed and some who continue to each day just so that I can enjoy the freedoms I have. It is hard on them, on their families, and on all who know them when we realize what they put themselves through to do this for us. I want them all to know just how thankful I am and that I will always make a point of thanking someone that I see in uniform. We are indeed lucky to have these volunteers in our lives.
12th - A phone call today brought home a very real fear of mine. My little grandson fell and had a resulting very scary 2-3 hours for himself and his family. Just hearing about it brought a sinking feeling to my own stomach and the thought of losing a family member - well I don't want to think about it. So today, I am feeling thankful for the health and well-being of all of my family. I am indeed fortunate to have this and go about most days without having to worry more than a normal mother/grandmother. Occasionally my son will send me into that state -- well, heck, once a year at least -- and at those times I know how scared my heart can be. I am indeed happy and grateful that Caleb is okay and that I will have many more happy times with him.
13th - It's cold outside and I have to say that I am actually thankful for it. I have been hot for such a long two years that it feels nice to have a bit of a chill. The changing of the seasons is an amazing thing to me and each day I look out into the backyard to see the different colors in the trees and the different birds that have taken up residency. The backyard is alive with squirrels running everywhere trying to get every last pecan on the tree stored and put away for winter. Autumn is a beautiful time and I do enjoy it so very much. I am starting to feel the holiday season and spirit coming upon me and that feels warm inside even if it is chilly outside.14th - Unable to sleep last night, I spent some time working on my blog. After about an hour or so, the internet went down and thus I was forced to return to bed and attempt some sleep. I awoke this morning to discover that it is back on and I realize how thankful I am for it. Although it can certainly be a time suck and I work very hard to not let that happen, I love that we are able to talk with people from virtually (yep, pun) everywhere. What a remarkable thing that really is and I don't think we fully appreciate it. So, today I am making sure that I remember how lucky I am to live in this period of time where all this information and conversation is so readily available.
15th - I am thankful for an education in which I learned so many things that I would use later in life. Although at the time I thought for sure it was nuts. My most hated class of all was geometry and now I find myself using it ALL the time in the process of putting my quilts together. The math required in determining the size of pieces to cut and the amount of yardage required keeps my brain zooming along as well. Although at times it makes my head hurt (as in today when trying to figure out the sashing on a quilt of my own design) the skills do come back and I am so glad that I have them and can do it with a piece of paper and a pen. Additionally, all those typing classes back in high school have certainly made things such as this blog a snap to work on. 16th - I am thankful for friends with similar interests - whether they be near or far away. It's nice to belong to a group that understands when a simple thing is driving me nuts and can give advice or calming words. I love that I can help them as well now and then. I am also thankful for friends with different interests for I learn and grow just by being around them. Additionally, old friends are the best. It is so much fun to me to find out what has been going on in their lives and to share the changes in mine. I do miss many people in Montana and being able to check in now and then makes me feel as though I am still there sometimes.
17th - Sunshine!!! Oh, yes. I am so grateful for this. I realized years ago that this is a necessary ingredient to me. It changes my outlook on EVERYTHING. After so many years of living in the Flathead Valley and missing the sunshine in the winter, I began to see the difference when I moved to Billings and had sunshine in my life again. Am I about to break into song here? Anyway -- The past week here in Dallas has been overcast and my mood has kind of matched it. Today, the sun is shining and I feel like I am as well. 18th - I will eternally be thankful for hot showers. Everyone in my family knows how much I love these and for me it just makes the whole world right again. We purchased a new hot water heater recently and the almost endless supply of steaming water is indeed something to be thankful for. Oh, for the simple pleasures in life.
19th - After working ALL day to prepare for a quilting retreat, I have to say with absolute firmness -- I am thankful for a clean house. It looks amazing and makes me wonder why I let it get so cluttered. In all fairness, my mother-in-law was visiting tonight as well so perhaps I had just a bit more incentive. Nevertheless -- it feels sooooo good.
20th - Being thankful for a car to drive and the chance to see some more of Texas while doing so. I took a wrong turn and wound up on an entirely new road but was able to enjoy and experience the fun of it. It turns out I saved tremendous time in my journey, thus making me doubly grateful.21st - I am so grateful for some confidence in my life. To try something new that has a bit of fear behind it is a shaky experience, but to overcome it and even do well is amazing. Today I tackled something that I was told couldn't be done. I did it and feel oh so happy with myself just for having the nerve to try.
22nd - I am thankful for this time in my life. To no longer be angry all the time and to have the ability to just sit back and enjoy being around others. The mood swings are gone and I know that I am not the only thankful person in my house regarding this. My poor husband certainly had his share of "wild woman" to deal with. To now simply enjoy each day and the people that are around me is the absolute best.
23rd - I am home from a magnificent retreat and feeling oh so thankful for opportunities like this in my life. I think that as a woman, I need time with other women to enrich and enhance my life. Their friendship, help, creativity, and guidance is always appreciated and definitely something to be grateful for.
24th - Sleep. I am thankful for a good night's sleep. I slept a total of 12 1/2 hours while at retreat this past weekend and last night I slept 11. Almost as much as the previous three nights combined. I still feel tired and may even take a nap today. Cuddling up in my warm bed with not a sound around -- pure heaven and something I think we take for granted.
25th - Isn't the changing of the season wonderful? As I sit here and look at the sun weaving it's way through the golden,orange, and red leaves on the trees in my yard I am thankful for the free eye candy we are given all the time. It brings joy to my soul and wonder to my mind. Truth be told though, I think autumn is my favorite season of all and today I am thoroughly enjoying it's beauty. I know I have used this one before but I truly love this time of year and I guess that makes me doubly thankful.26th - Today I am most grateful for a clean studio. I know that sounds like nothing, but I worked so hard in there yesterday and today I went in and it just felt so good. I know where everything is and it is all in it's place. Woohoo. I also made a larger mini-studio in the office and it is perfect now as well. I am one happy quilter today. Seriously. Looking at the world through organized eyes and being content.
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27th - Today is Thanksgiving and the last day of this entry. I looked back and realized how very much I have to be thankful for and need to keep these things in my mind at all times so that I can keep perspective. My list began with family and there it will end as well. I used to tell my children that as they grew up I would never ask them to leave their little ones on Christmas or Easter but would they please spend Thanksgiving with me. When that didn't happen, it was hard to accept but I realized that I have many wonderful opportunities with them and their children throughout the year that what difference did one day a year make? None. Life is good. I have a houseful containing 4 generations today and could not be a more content person. We all have so much to learn from each other and so much love to give one another. In the end -- do we really need anything else other than food and water? I don't think so. Be kind to one another. LOVE one another. Keep the perspective at all times and truly be thankful for what you do have instead of grousing over what you don't. My love to all and especially to the man who saved me -- my Mister.
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