Okay, I'll admit it. I'm weak...

Image courtesy of Ramon Gonzalez, rgbstock.com

at least when it comes to having to know my new baby's gender. ☺

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

You might remember that I had an ultrasound a little over a week ago. My husband and I weren't sure we wanted to know the baby's gender, so we asked the technician to write "boy" or "girl" on a piece of paper and seal that paper in an envelope. We (well, I should say I) didn't intend to open it. We (I) thought it would be nice to be surprised at the birth. Well, guess what? After a lot of pressure (mostly from our other two kids), I opened the envelope.

Do you want to know?

Here's what the paper said:

It's


a



GIRL!

 Yes, we're having our second girl! Our four-year-old daughter is over the moon—and our six-year-old son is okay with it, too. I feel so blessed to be adding to our family. What a wonderful thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving—and every day!

I'm glad I could share this news with friends like you. Wishing you all a wonderful Tuesday. ☺

Remembering gratitude

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." ~Cynthia Ozick, writer

One of my goals this year is to be more grateful, so a few days ago the kids and I started a Gratitude Jar, an idea I first read about on my friend Fran's blog, Broken Cookies Don't Count. All that's needed is a jar—in our case, it's a clear plastic cookie jar with a frog on it—and slips of paper to write on. The idea is that each day family members will write down the things they're thankful for and then place those papers in the jar. Then on New Year's Eve, we'll empty the jar and read about all the good times and blessings we've enjoyed throughout the year.

To me, this jar is the perfect way to practice gratitude—and not just for the kids but for me as well.  Too often, I think, it's the bad or less happy parts of the day that stick in our minds: the fight we had with our spouse, the speeding ticket, the time we tripped and fell in front of a bunch of people we were trying to impress (ask me how I know this!). The memories of the small—and sometimes not so small—good things that happen each day are too often fleeting, at least in my experience. This jar will help us remember those moments.

And it will remind us just how much we've been blessed.

Wishing you all a Happy Monday!

Six-word Saturday

Feeling lucky and blessed beyond measure.

Thanksgiving reminded me of all that I have to be thankful for.
I want to make every day a Thanksgiving celebration!

 

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend!

For the little things...

After everything that's happened in the past month, I've realized once again just how many things I have to be grateful for. There are the big things—my family and friends, my health, this house and the blessing of being able to stay home with my kids—but I'm grateful for the little things as well, like:

Image courtesy of Dave Dyet, rgbstock.com

That stomach-flipping thrill when I open a new document on the computer, the blank screen so full of possibility. Anything can happen.

Stretching in bed as early morning sunlight streams through the window, then getting up to a quiet house and time for reading, writing, sipping coffee in solitude.

Listening to the kids playing library in the living room, checking out books, "reading" them to each other, laughing and enjoying themselves.

Late-night writing sessions in a silent house, words seeming to flow from my fingertips.

So many blessings—and so many things to be thankful for.

What are you thankful for today?

So very rich



Image courtesy of Kevin Tuck, rgbstock.com


Home is a nice place today—and not just because I've been cleaning it in anticipation of visitors later this week.

When I woke up this morning, life seemed bright, brighter than it's seemed in a long time, and when I walked around the house opening doors and windows to let in the early morning breeze, I was reminded of how lucky I am to live here—to have this place to sleep and eat and dream, this safe building in which to raise my kids and watch them grow (too quickly) into adults.

There have been times I've wished for wealth and a mansion, but this morning's blessed peacefulness reminds me yet again that I'm already very rich.