...TTP-329 days to go...

Happy New Year's Eve, y'all!

(at some point I'll get round to posting my resolutions)

Crazy but true...we found Build-a-Bear clothing and accessories at the thrift store last night.  Mister Man was over the moon!  And Henry is pleased as punch to have new duds to put in his armoire!  P.s.-have you seen some of the crazy prices people want to charge on eBay for used B-a-B clothing?!?

Ok, time for a thank you.  To you.  For not caring that I have had to post date all these entries.  What with the holidays in full swing here, I've been taking just enough time to write out my TTP each day...but not enough time to actually sit-edit-post.  So thanks for sticking with me anyhow!

I'm thankful that I learned a lot this year...which I plan to turn around and use to make this next year even better!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Jaime!  Thanks for sharing your note of thanks...to the Starbucks guy who always knows your order and starts preparing it before you get to the register!

Anonymous says he/she is thankful for the mild weather this winter has brought.

(Your definitely not in my part of the country, anon!)

Ms. S. shared a note of thank-you to her little brother.  All that sibling rivalry really paid off...it made her ready for every challege.

(Awww...what a sweet take on what I'm sure wasn't fun while it lasted!)

Anonymous wants to thank all the people in the medical field.  "You are all angels."

(So true!  We are blessed by those who choose this path, and all the help they provide.)

Meg T.  wishes she could thank her grampa.  He passed away two years ago, and she "thinks of him and all he did to help her grow into who she is now every day when she waters his plants."

...TTP-330 days to go...

Whew!  This holiday season is full of ups and downs and I'm in the tired down mode today! 

How's you celebrating going?  Still going strong?  Ours is! :)

One perk of being a single mom is that I get all the moments.  Sure, that means I get the bad ones with the good ones, but let me tell you...those good ones are so totally worth any bad ones you can throw at me.  And I'm learning to appreciate even the bad ones. 

I love it when the mailman has a package to deliver...it means he drives up to deliver all the mail, sparing me an extra walk down the steep (currently slick with snow) driveway.  Thanks mailman!

Thankfully, even when I get little to no sleep, I am still perfectly capable of functioning. Ok, maybe not perfectly...yes, those pancakes were totally burned...but close enough...cereal will do in a pinch! :)

...TTP-331 days to go...

As part of our gift to Mister Man's grandparents we purchased tickets to go see 'The Magic Flute' at the Metropolitan Opera House...and today was the day!  I'll have to post more about it at some point in the future, but for now...it was beyond amazing.  A truly magical first opera experience for my little man!

I sat back in my seat at one point and just watched as Mister Man existed in this musical, magical space.  He sat all the way forward, hands gripping the railing, eyes pressed into binoculars...watching and listening as the splendor unfolded.  And I was so thankful to have that moment...of watching and being and teaching...

I'm oh so thankful to Grandad for being a subway rockstar.  That man can get you anywhere!

One thing today taught me to appreciate about myself?  That I can play the peacemaker role. 

...TTP-332 days to go...

Oh me, oh my, it's a wide white world.  We're smack dab in the middle of the Blizzard of 2010 here, and enjoying ourselves immensely.  Maple Snow 'ice cream'...yeah, we've got that.  Snowman...but of course.  Snowball fights...a dozen down.

There was this utterly delightful moment when we first came in out of the snow, all huffing and puffing, red noses and frozen fingers...where we both just collapsed on the floor trying to get our snow gear off.  And the giggles set in.  Thank goodness for giggles!

I'll tell you what...I'm thankful for whoever had the presence of mind to stock up on rock salt in advance of the storm.   We've so many steps here to finagle (Mister Man has a thing...a not so good thing...with steps) that the ice makes so much more treacherous.

I'm thankful for my fast metabolism.  I swear, it keeps me ten degrees warmer than everyone else when I am outside!

...TTP-333 days to go...

We're still celebrating...are you? 
Yes, you can stretch it out for the full 12 days like us! :)

It's been snowing like mad here, and in between bouts of shoveling I've been sipping on cocoa with Mister Man.  Thankfully, it looks like it might actually slow down!  I may not enjoy shoveling (who does?!?) but I definitely get that it's just a necessary inconvenience on the way to enjoy the great frosty white world. 

Thanks plow-guy...were it not for you I'd have hours and hours of shoveling yet to do...and shoveling on a gravel driveway is so not something I want to be doing!

Keeping with the theme...I'm thankful that I am in fact strong and capable and energetic.  Blizzard of snow to shovel?  No problem!  And you know what...all this shoveling and heavy labour means the relaxation later on will be all the sweeter.  Marathon of Berenstain Bears books...I'm on my way!

...TTP-334 days to go...

Hi there!  Hope your holiday was wonderful.  We're making it last here as long as possible...literally dragging it out the full 12 days until the 6th of January!

I'm ever so thankful for the Christmas school break and respite from the stress that school causes both for Mister Man and myself.  I love that he's home for the week and that we have all sorts of wonderful, simple plans to enjoy!

My thanks of the day goes out to a dear friend with whom I enjoyed an hour's long chat this morning.  Oh how I miss you, especially at this time of year...and I'm so glad you called!

Let's face it...I should just be thankful that I'm uber-organized and clean-conscious.  If it means less clean-up later on, then yeah, let's be thankful I clean up as I go!  Mister Man might not like the break between gifts in which I clean up all the wrapping and ribbons, etc...but I insist.  And afterwards it's so much easier to just sit down and enjoy all the gifties! 

...TTP-335 days to go...

Merry Christmas!

It's time to be thankful (as it ought to be each and every day) for the message of love and hope this holiday speaks to.  For unto as a Saviour is born!

Thanks upon thanks upon thanks to those family and friends who sent Mister Man holiday greetings and gifts. We love each and every one of you, and you truly helped make his Christmas magical!

You know what?  I'm thankful that I can do the whole up and at'em thing even at 4am on Christmas morning.  Yup, 4am.  You read that right.  Mister Man likes to get an early start apparently! :)

...TTP-336 days to go...

Merry Christmas Eve readers!
My favorite part of the entire Christmas holiday celebration is tonight, as that's when we've always done the bigger part of our celebrating.  We save the gifts from far and away for Christmas Morning, but family time is Christmas Eve...replete with traditions steeped in germanic tradition. So I wish you tonight a joyous season's worth of greetings and a truly happy holiday!

I'm thankful every day for my lucky break in getting to be Mami to my own Mister Man.  And the holidays just strengthen that.  It's  a wonderful time to relish in our little family's traditions and celebrate with each other.

Thanks to all those who sent out holiday cards to us this year.  I was a big slacker and didn't send a one!  Instead I saved my "stamp money" and shipped off little packages to some well deserving gals I know.   So I'm especially grateful to those who did send out cards and I'll get ya'all next year! 

It's definitely a night to be thankful for all that I have and am.  And as we get ready to kick off our celebrations here, I'm so thankful for my having created traditions for our little family that bring us a sense of comfort and joy. 

...TTP-337 days to go...

It's here...it's here...the most wonderful time of the year!

And I, for one, am enjoying the perks of being a momma this holiday season...namely, delighting in the beautiful handmade craft gifts Mister Man made for me (just me!) at school and proudly attending the school sing-a-long and concert.  My boy was chosen to hold the Happy New Year balloon up on the stage during the balloon-pop-countdown....his was the one that didn't get popped!  He was chosen by his classmates...and I am so proud of him. (Popping balloons...totally not something I would expect my autistic son to be down with.  Huge crowd staring at him...ditto.  Cacophony of noise...thr-itto?!?)  His paraprofessional aide went up with him and helped cover his ears and block his view...so awesome!  And he did it!!!  I am so thankful for this amazing child and all the ways he astounds me!

Last night we embarked upon our pretty much annual last-minute holiday shopping extravaganza with one of my besties 'B'.  It's become a tradition for us that we hit up the stores together in one final power sweep...we'll power nosh some yummy dinner, then off we go.  She usually picks out some new jammies for him, we get all the last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers we previously forgot, and then she helps Mister Man pick out a prezzy for his Mami.  I love that my son knows to expect this little tradition.  I'm so thankful 'B', that you are part of our family.  We love you!  And I'm so thankful that you...Just...Get...It!

I'm thankful for whatever it is about me that has helped create some of the long-term, long-lasting, life-bettering friendships that I enjoy.  I don't know what it is...but good gosh, thank goodness for it! :)

...TTP-338 days to go...

A rare mid-morning post from me today, as the boy's being home from school with a low-grade temperature means I'm checking back in at the homefront more often today.  It's a shame that he's home today, as he's surely missing some holiday festivities and craft wrap-ups.  But I must say, I do cherish these times when he is quiet and cuddly and huggable.  Just a little tiny bit sick, yes, but mostly in need of Mami's full devotion.

After last year's neverending school debacle regarding his IEP, I was so impressed and touched today when Mister Man's teacher called to check in and pass on a message that all his classmates miss him and hope he gets better.  Wow!  Thank you for taking the time to do that.  It makes me feel better about sending him off each morning!

I'm so thankful that I'm able to accommodate schedule changes in my daily workday.  Being basically self-employed allows me to be my own boss and negotiate schedules and availability pretty easily, which, with the ongoing school issues, is a necessity. 

...TTP-339 days to go...

Hi there readers! I keep having to check back to make sure I'm typing the right number in the title.  From 365 down to 339 already...wow!

Tonight Mister Man and I enjoyed a good, old-fashioned 'Ohio' night...in the sense that the whole evening was so similiar to the way we lived when we were in Ohio.  We met up with an old girlfriend of mine from my high school days and headed out to a casual dinner.  After which, we attended the choral concert at my old high school.  Such fun!  I'm so glad I've been able to take Mister Man to this 3 years in a row now.  It's a particularly fun event for me because music used to be my everything and four years spent singing in these same choirs shaped so much of who I was and am.  I love that the alumni still join in on 'O Holy Night' and that the community is welcome to join in for the 'Hallelujah Chorus'.  It's a good reminder of good times for me.  And it's a joy to be able to pass on that tradition to my son.

Definitely my thanks of the day goes to 'C' with whom we shared our yummy meal and choral evening.  Both Mister Man and I had a blast in your company.  It was sooooo nice to chill with someone who just gets it!  Mister Man thinks you are fun and funny...and I...well I know you are! :)  How else to explain the abominable snowman gear?!?

I'm tired but happy...stressed but calm...I'm a walking contradiction, and I'm thankful that I am.  It's more about my ability to switch modes easily...I'm learning to respect the fact that I know how to move on from one thing to another without getting mired down.  It took me a while to learn how to do this, but it does come in handy.  You want to be able to enjoy every day, no matter what muck and mire may be going on.

...TTP-340 days to go...

Boy oh boy, it's been a busy few days.  This final cram to get everything done before the holiday is killer, but I know it's all worth it. One thing that takes a chunk of time (at least for me) is wrapping gifts.  I try to make them unique and decorative, and group them in themes.  So I really have to settle in for an hour or so every time I get wrapping.  Thankfully, I can do that at night when the boy is in bed.  A hot cup of tea, a gingerbread cookie and ribbon...paper...bow...tape...oh my!

Thanks to my friends who are helping me help someone else.  I continue to be overwhelmed by your amazing generosity! 

I'm thankful that my creative streak gets to run wild when it comes to holidays and decorating.  People seem to appreciate personal touches, and that puts me in my element.

p.s...I am sooooo tired.  Sorry if this post seemed lacking. :*(

...TTP-341 days to go...

What a wonderful weekend it's been!  Yesterday's adventure in the city was followed up today by a holiday visit and sushi!  Perfection!  My dear friends were up for the weekend from VA and we were able to sneak in a late lunch, gift exchange and gabfest before they headed home.  I'm so lucky (as is Mister Man) in my tried-and-true friendships and those especially that have been since my toddler-hood.  Every moment of reminder for those friends is a moment to be thankful for.

A somewhat obscure thank-you of the day is going out to the person who was brave enough to express her sorrows and pains and needs.  Because she had the courage to do so, I have the ability to help her.  And I'm so thankful for that opportunity.  Others have helped us in the past with gifts of love, and I'm consider myself lucky when I'm able to pay it forward.

And readers, it is this helping others that I am thankful for.  I'm happy that my son will learn from my example that we are to comfort and help others. 

...TTP-342 days to go...

Happy Holidays Readers!

Why the bold greeting you ask?  Because Mister Man and I got our 'Christmas' on in NY today!  We traveled by car, ferry and bus to Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular.  We checked out the tree and the angels, the ice-skaters, the windows...and the Anthropologie! (gasp)  Just the most amazing day...and so long in coming!  So thankful for the whole experience!

New Yorkers rock!  Thanks to each and every one who helped us get where we were going today.  And to the ones with whom I had spur of the moment lovely conversations.  And last but not least, to those dancing phenoms...The Rockettes!!!

I'm so thankful that I learned something new about myself today.  All these years I've considered myself so focused and unyielding and stubborn and difficult, and today I learned that really...I'm quite easygoing.  I have the crazy bus routes, ferry schedule and one ornery man to thank for that revelation!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anonymous sends out THANKS to her neighborhood for helping her family this year.

(Awesome-I love it when people pay it forward)

John shared a thank-you for the teachers at the school his two special needs kids attend.

(I'm so glad you and your children are being helped)

Anonymous want to say thanks to Mimi and Dad  for always having her back.

...TTP-343 days to go...

The countdown is well under way here, as the gaping doors on the many advent calendars in our home will prove.  Wishlists swirl about...imagined future play by Mister Man, and budget-killing purchases by me.  Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday craze I'm so thankful for the time I spend reading Christmas cards this year...particularly since this year I didn't send a single one, choosing instead to ship out small packages to some of my usual mail recipients.  I love mail any day of the year, but there's just something warm and inviting about Christmas cards.

Thank you school-nurse, for calling today even though we both knew it wasn't necessary.  I feel reassurred by your call in knowing that we both have Mister Man's best interest at heart, and that he feels safe with you.

It's evenings like this, when the cold wind is howling at the door and Mister Man's abed and there's nothing that needs to be done that I'm incredibly thankful  that God made me capable of entertaing myself.  Whether it's reading or writing or crafting, I'm able to fill my time and feel content...without the need for someone else to make me happy.

...TTP-344 days to go...

It used to be, not so very long ago, that night-time was my time.  After the drudgery of work, the chores at home and the needs of my son...finally the house would be silent and dark and I could relax.  In Ohio that usually meant I'd curl up on the sofa and read by candlelight.  These days it seems I never relax.  Every moment is spent multitasking.  Even when I'm sitting down to watch something, my hands are busy with crochet work or my mind is working on the next project.  So those few moments in between are what I'm now becoming thankful for.  Those moments when one thing is finished and another hasn't quite started.  Silence and stillness, if only for a moment.

Thanks next-door neighbor, for rescuing my newspaper from a hit-and-run this afternoon!

Thank goodness for my long hair.  It keeps me warm in the winter! :)

...TTP-345 days to go...

The lights are turned way down low...let it snow!  I'm typing this by the light of the Christmas tree...and the computer screen. ;)  This evening there was tea and cookies...and Christmas movies on the tv.  And one little boy curled up in my lap who needed lots of hugs. Thank goodness for 7 year olds who still need hugs!

I feel thoroughly anti-social today...having spent the majority of my day all with only  myself and loads of cleaning products for company.   So I have to send a thank-you shout out to whoever invented the iPod.  Thanks to you I at least had good tunes to clean by! :)

I swear this gets harder every single day!  Trying to come up with something about myself that I'm thankful for is so not in my comfort-zone of things I do well.  But cooking is.  So I'm thankful that the powers that be made sure to add the chef program to my hard-drive! 

...what's a holiday or two...

Playing catch with Mister Man beats out playing catch up with this blog any day of the week!  Which could explain why I put it off more often than not.

Ok, so sure, Christmas is in a mere 10 days.  And yeah, Thanksgiving's been over and done with for a few weeks.  But hey, that hardly means the window has closed on posting Halloween pictures, right?!? Anything that makes it in before the cut-off of New Year's is a-ok in my book...errr...blog....

By now it's no secret what our costumes were.  I had such fun putting them together!



A nod to both sides of our heritage.





Even Henry got in on the costume action!





Woah, that's a whole lot of glimmer.  Love these 'backseat' pics!




The perfect Halloween sunset...a giant glowing pumpkin sun!




Minus the costume but with a face full of Halloween makeup!  Mister Man took this picture!



I absolutely adore Halloween.  Blame it on my theatrical background, or my artsy side...I look forward to it every year.  The crafting, the costumes, the candy!!!   And so does Mister Man. 

We're Halloween-ers, as he told his friend. 

...TTP-346 days to go...

Brrrrr! Today was beyond cold outside.  My hands went completely numb in the few minutes I waited at the bottom of the driveway for Mister Man's bus to arrive this afternoon.  I really do have to start dressing more appropriately for the weather...hat, scarf, gloves, etc...  Just throwing on a coat on my way out the door is not cutting it.  Thank goodness I put the water on to boil before I walked out...it was perfect for a cuppa tea when we made it back in.  I introduced Mister Man to the wonders of fruit-flavored tea in the early fall and he just can't get enough!

It's ok to thank the mailman, right?  After all, he's the one who delivered my package from Sephora this evening.  And considering the happy dance I did while opening said package...a thank you  is due.

Speaking of Sephora and all good things makeup-y, I'm gonna go ahead and throw out a slightly egotistical thanks to my pretty-darn-good skin.  I'm definitely lucky in that I can get away with not wearing makeup...though I love to play with it anyway.  Whether it's my skin tone or complexion that lets me get away with it, I'm not sure.  But yeah, I'm thankful. 

...A year in days: First Grade...

Oh me oh my, it's been forever and a day since I shared a slideshow with you! 

My evenings have been so full of to-do lists and the like that I just haven't had the spare time to sit down and batch edit all the hundreds of pictures I take weekly.  Seriously, I have 'to be edited' album files lingering on my desktop that date back to the middle of '09...it's as though they are just sitting there collecting dust.  I keep remembering that commerical where the people in the pictures air their grievances at still being stuck on the cameras photo disk.  I imagine little mini Mister-Men yelling in tiny, tinny little voices "Hey Mami, get me outta here!"

Well, at least I can check this off my to-do list for the moment.

(At least until next week when I'll no doubt be way behind once again in downloading, editing, uploading and posting once again!!!)

It's amazing to me to be able to sit down and flip through this slideshow and even last year's and really note the growing up that has occurred.  

...TTP-347 days to go...

This whole 'on the mend' timeline seems to be taking its own sweet time in coming to the desired conclusion, which means I'm out of sorts and stuck in a fog.  Lack of proper nutrition must have finally begun to affect my mind, as I'm discovering all sorts of things I've suddenly become forgetful about.  This whole disjointed way of going about my days for the past week or so has be oh so thankful once it's finally time to call it quits and say goodnight.  That moment right before I drift off when nothing matters enough to stay awake mulling over...that's the one I'm waiting for.

One of Mister Man's O.T.'s at school gets the big thank you today for sending home not one, but two new therapy devices for him to use at home and on the go!  I'm so grateful, and so is my wallet! :)

I guess it's ok to say thanks for this stubborn nature of mine, right?  I'm glad I have it more often than not...and that it helps me stand up for my son and his needs.

...TTP-348 days to go...

After about a week and a half of a sort of self-imposed lockdown around here due to illness, we finally got out and about today for some fun...in the form of a massive Gingerbread House display at the Arboretum.  If you cancel out the overwhelming crowd, noise and general chaos...then it was a blast.  There were some displays that were amazing (and some that fell flat...or crumbled).  We intended to come home and use all that inspiration to set to work on our gingerbread house.  Instead though, we opted for comfort food, hanging ornaments and Christmas movies.  And that's just fine by me.  Thankfully, Mister Man is more than happy to put off the domestic decorating until tomorrow.

Without a doubt we have to say Thank You to the Arboretum for hosting this fun and festive event. 

You know what readers?  I'm thankful that I can bake.  Cause homeade gingerbread beats out store-bought every time.  And if you can't eat the house you are decorating, you can at the very least dig into a plateful of piping-hot homeade gingerbread with one hand while your sticky fingers apply candy elements with the other!

Here's the one I bought this year.  I found it at Five Below for, you guessed it, $5! :)

Last year we tried out this (or at least one very similiar) at Mister Man's request.  It was kind of pain to keep properly assembled, and the enclosed frosting was a big fail.  I ended up having to whip up a batch of homeade icing-glue.  In the end we displayed it on the table for a few days and then tossed it in the trash, not even bothering to nibble off the candies.

...TTP-349 days to go...

I'm still not at 100%...this bug I've been sick with is really stretching it, lasting more than a week and a half.  But thankfully, I'm fairly certain it's on its way out.  I'm finally feeling a bit more energetic, and the headache is diminished.  Woo-hoo!

Thank you to the sales clerk at Five-Below who totally allowed me to open up several Gingerbread House Kits to find on that wasn't broken!

I know Mister Man is thankful (and so am I) that even when I'm under the weather I can usually still get done everything that needs to get done.   Mind you, it usually also means I take a bit longer to recover since I'm not doing the 'resting' thing...but I'm proud to say that all the bases are covered.

...TTP-350 days to go...

It's holiday cheer central here in our little corner as I've been digging out our Christmas boxes and unearthing Mister Man's treasured ornaments.  He's happily munching on gingerbread cookies and digging his way through a basket of Christmas books while I type.  I'm so thankful that we have the whole weekend ahead of us to enjoy and savor.  It promises to be full of ornament hanging, present wrapping and carol singing.  Bliss!

Many years overdue indeed, today I'm sending out thanks to the non-English speaking man in the shop tent at the German festival in Ohio who, the year that I bore Mister Man, gifted me a sweet little camel figurine for our nativity as thanks for helping him make the sale to some non-German speakers.  To this day, it's Mister Man's favorite piece in our set and is so well-loved. 

Thank goodness I used my free time today between work and Mister Man's school to set out some of our Christmas decor.  The look on his face when we got into the house was marvelous.  I'm convinced he's part elfkin! :)

...TTP-351 days to go...

Good evening readers!  I hope wherever you are reading from, you are cozy and warm.  After the numbing cold today all I want to do is curl up with a blanket and a good book!  One moment I'm incredibly thankful for today is all the moments prior to the car trouble that came in the evening.  And even with that, I'm thankful it only occurred once we were safely close to home.  One of my big fears is traffic accidents, and car trouble always makes me nervous.

Today's thank you goes out to a complete stranger in Target who chimed in when the salesperson got a bit snippy.  It was so nice to have someone else there to put her in her place.

A lot of the time I have a pretty negative, distorted image of my physical self...but just this evening, and only for a few moments, I was really thankful that I'm tall and slim...as I found quite the bargain lurking at the thrift store.  A perfect fit! :)

*************************************************************

Anonymous shares: "I'm so thankful for my kids' health.  And for my husband who makes every day an adventure for the four of us."

Karina shares: "I just want to say thank you to each and every person in my office.  I love my new job and wish I could tell them all that they make my day."

****************************************************************
  Isn't it a pleasant change to focus on those things we are thankful for, instead of getting mired down in the negatives?  Thanks for joining in!

...TTP-352 days to go...

This afternoon was the I.E.P. meeting at Mister Man's school, and as the end of the meeting coincided with the end of the school day, he and I walked home from school together.  Idyllic, no?  No!  We walked, indeed, but idyllic was blown away by the freezing temps, gusty winds and downright scary traffic on the sidewalk-less road.  Keeping us safe and warm was indeed the priority, so by the time we got back home my anxiety had peaked.  But then finally we made it home, dropped coats and bags by the door, stood in front of the heater defrosting, and had a good jolly laugh over our exertions.  And that, readers, is what I'm thankful for today.

My thanks of the day goes out to the school for hiring a new guidance counselor.  Because frankly, the one they had last year sucked.  So kudos on the new hire! 

I'm thankful that I'm adaptable.  And warm.  I'm definitely thankful that right now I'm warm and snug and wearing cozy pajamas! :)

P.s.-maybe we should invest in a few pairs of these for future chilly walks?  Mister Man and I used to, when we lived in Ohio, take a walk every day no matter the weather.  Somehow, I don't remember it ever being that cold, not even in the dead of winter.  

...TTP-353 days to go...

So you know that feeling when you've been sick for what seems like forever...your head won't cease pounding, every muscle and joint aches and you're to nauseous to even contemplate eating...and then you step into a hot shower at the end of that incredibly long and difficult day and after the initial shock everything just loosens?  Yup, that's what I'm thankful for today.

Can I thank Mister Man for being sick enough to stay home from school and therefore keep his equally sick and miserable Mami company all day?  Yeah, I totally can.

Thank goodness I'm not sick with anything serious, at least as far as I can tell.

...TTP-354 days to go...

I'm thankful that despite the fact that I just destroyed dinner, both Mister Man and I will still be eating it!  Chicken pot pie meet chicken bowl stew!

Thanks to the gal who wrongly recieved my packaged delivery from UPS today and rightly called to arrange for me to pick it up!

I'm thankful that at the end of this day I will eventually be able to fall asleep and start tomorrow fresh!

...yeah, it's been that kind of day...



...TTP-355 days to go...

Brrrr...do you feel that chill wherever you are reading from?  I can't seem to get it out of my bones tonight.  It seems like every time I stepped outside today the wind ripped right through me. And since today was errand day, I did a lot of the stepping outside.  Thankfully, Mister Man and I are now in for the night and there's lactose-free cocoa warming on the stove and stollen in the oven.  Ah, bliss!

One of our errands today was so cute and shareworthy.  Mister Man's beloved Joe Rowdy
(also known as the Build-a-Bear Brown Sugar Pup pictured here)















had suffered a grievous injury and ripped his back wide open.  Needless to say, surgery was called for.  So this afternoon after we prepped the pup at home and assured him that it would be painless, we brought Joe Rowdy, along with always steadfast and loyal Henry to hold his hand, to the Build-A-Bear hospital where he was scheduled for out-patient back surgery!  Mister Man reports that  Joe Rowdy was a marvelous patient and is recuperating well.  His new elf duds might have something to do with that! :)  So once again we have the marvelous sales associate/surgeon to give thanks to!  Mister Man loves her for taking such good care of his fur-buds, and I adore her for always remembering who we are and that Mister Man is on the spectrum!

I'm utterly exhausted this evening.  It's been a busy day of running here, there and everywhere.  But thanks to my love of lists and uber-planning skills, we got done every single thing I wanted to this weekend! Yay!  Come 11pm, I'll be adding some Baileys to my cocoa as a reward! :)

...TTP-356 days to go...

Oooh look at that...down from 365 to 356...a little number switcharoo!

Good morning readers!  Mister Man let me sleep in  a bit this morning!  He snuck out and busied himself with some quiet lego building while I promptly turned over and fell right back asleep!  Waking up at 8:30 instead of 5:30?  Sheer unadulterated bliss!  So thankfully yawn-free this morning!

Now I realize it's not a single person I'm thanking here, but hey, it's ok to make the rules up as I go, right?  Mister Man does that all the time! :)  I'm just going all out here and saying thanks to the Lego people...as in the people who make them, not the little yellow fellas!

Thank you Lego peeps for all the awesome sets you create that keep my son happily occupied and focused!  Oh, and p.s.-I like playing with them also!

I'm definitely thankful for the extra rest I got this morning and the fact that when I am well-rested I can build Legos with Mister Man for over an hour without getting bored or frustrated!  

As you can probably guess, Legos make  up a large part of Mister Man's Christmas wish list this year (topped only by Transformers).  I usually buy them at the actual brick&mortar Lego store since they have a rewards program..but I've bought a few used sets from Amazon with great success...fully intact, good conditions, awesome prices!  Worth looking into if you have a L.L.L (little lego lover) in your life! :)

...TTP-357days to go...

On Fridays after school, I take Mister Man to work with me.  He has his little job, which earns him an extra $1 in addition to his usual allowance system*.   The past few weeks I've tried to come up with a few extra 'jobs' for him to do, so he can earn extra spending money in time for Christmas shopping.  I'm so thankful that he is set on earning that money himself instead of just having me fork over the cash when he buys presents for others.  Definitely enjoying the proud Mami moments!  Though next year, I'll have to make a note to start a bit sooner.

Our daily trip down to the mailbox each afternoon held a surprise this week...a letter for Mister Man from my dear friend B.  Earlier this year I reached out to everyone and anyone because, as Mister Man was learning how to read and write, he expressed great interest in getting and sending mail.  Having expressed this desire to no avail to his extended family,  I finally took my request to my friends instead.  It's so uplifting to share that he now has several pen pals of his own age, and a few of my friends also have answered the call.   Thanks B, for making one young man 'thrilled to the gills' and one Mami so blessed in your friendship!

Thankfully I am a night owl!  Otherwise this post would not be going out! :)

*At some point I'll need to resume my regular postings and then this will have a link to a post about the system we created.

...TTP-358 days to go...

Yesterday's crazy wind and rain storm finally gave way to clear skies and brisk temps today...not that I would know from personal experience as I've spent the majority of the day both dragging around with me to work and back and staying indoors with a sick-day Mister Man. Poor fella! That being said, I'm most thankful that his fever broke in the early afternoon and at last report, the rumbly in his tumbly has abated. Bring on the ginger-ale and saltines!

I'm truly blessed to have a close network of amazing friends who are truly like family to me. And when one of those calls periodically throughout the day for updates on the sick little boy wrapped up in blankets on my sofa, then you know she's earned herself a major thank you from his Mami!

Thankfully, I'm pretty darn awesome in a pinch, if I do say so myself. I'm all good with any number of physical ailments and illnesses...vomiting doesn't phase me, and I can totally handle blood. So yeah, I'm thankful that I'm not squeamish, cause being a squeamish Mami would probably not work so well!

And yeah, we've read and re-read and re-re-read this today. We're huge Berenstain Bears fans! (In fact, I use them as one of Mister Man's therapy tools! Feel free to ask how!)

...TTP-359 days to go...

Today when my son came home from school, instead of rushing to get to his legos or hustling to turn on the tv (despite our tv rules) or even snuggling up with Henry and the boys, he came and curled up on the sofa next to me and asked me to read to him. That moment, readers...that's the moment I'm most thankful for today.

I kind of adore the employees of Build-a-Bear. Everytime we go in they are so upbeat, smiley and engaging...it's infectious. And (I swear we don't actually go there all the time) one of them knows and remembers us, and more importantly, remembers Henry! So Thank-You for being just plain awesome everytime we see you. And for helping Mister Man pick out some Christmas presents for his beloved racoon. We spent such a fun half-hour going over the options with you!

You know what readers? I'm thankful that I'm a good brain-stormer! Initial ideas and plans seldom pan out the way we wanted them to, but I am pretty good at coming up with a whole list of alternatives on the fly. And that's worth being thankful for. Particularly when you're talking about a sweet 7 year old boy and his holiday list of presents he wants to give and people he wants to gift...and the inability to find some of his ideas in stores anywhere!

Speaking of Build-a-Bear, Henry and gifts...looky looky! That racoon totally needs some formal-wear for the holidays, right? :)