Here I am again…yes, it’s been two weeks since I had time to write, but I have a good reason! For a week, we were stuck in a hotel (no internet access, save for our Droids, and I did not have the patience to do a blog post on my phone, Swype or no). Stuck in a hotel because our house had a gas leak that needed to be repaired, then inspected no fewer than 2 times before we were allowed to have gas and therefore heat and hot water. We survived (barely), but are so thankful to be back in our humble abode, that I decided to theme this week’s offering: things I am thankful for!
1 – Our house. Yes, it’s a rental, yes, it’s falling apart in places and needs a major upgrade. But it’s got plenty of space, it’s reasonably priced, in a safe neighborhood convenient to hubby’s work and my activities, and in a place we love to live- and it now has working heat and hot water. Can’t beat that!
2 – Late crawlers. Babies, that is. Several people have expressed surprise that the Bean is not crawling at nearly 9.5 months. To that I say, woohoo! We have not babyproofed a thing in the house and I am enjoying being able to sit her in one spot and there being a 95% chance that she will be in the same position when I return 1 minute later. She is on the way to crawling, though- she does a little butt scooting, and will lean forward into a sort of 3-point stance, which guarantees that when placed on a bed or couch, there is a 100% chance that she will try and take a nose dive onto the floor- made the hotel stay that much more interesting.
3 – Snow! We live in an area that allegedly does not get much snow. Sure. Last winter, we had 2 snowstorms with double-digit accumulations. And right after Christmas last year, we got a good 6 inches. But none since then, until today! I missed the white stuff, and this snow was perfect- a few inches on the ground but hardly any on the road.
4 – Cloth diapers. I switched to cloth about 1.5 months ago and love it. Right now, however, the Bean is in disposables due to a nasty yeast rash and the accompanying creams. Yes, I know I can get liners for the cloth ones. But right around the time of the rash, I realized that I had detergent buildup and had to strip them (in the hotel laundry room, even! Go me!). I have to still treat them for yeast (I am going to try 4-5 drops of tea tree oil in the wash, I hear that works well) and we likely won’t go back to them until the wee yeasties are gone for sure- but having daily diaper blowouts made me realize how much I don’t miss disposables!
5 – A working kitchen. We did have a kitchenette in the hotel, but no oven. I did not realize how much I had come to enjoy cooking and eating in most nights of the week, until we couldn’t. I did the best I could with the kitchenette, but we still ate out a lot. The first thing I made when we got back was Father Leo’s famous fusion fajitas (they beat Bobby Flay on Throwdown!). YUM!
6 -The Sacrament of Reconciliation. Lately, the daily frustrations of being a SAHM with a busy husband and active baby have really been piling up (did I mention the hotel thing? Oh, I did? Okay.). I definitely could have handled it better, and I was relieved to complete a long-overdue confession last weekend. I always leave feeling refreshed, even though I often still feel nervous before I go in- I think that’s a remnant from my conversion, honestly. I was terrified of my first Reconciliation, but have never had a “bad experience”- so little by little, I have become accustomed to it, and even enjoy it (imagine that!).
7 – This one is frivolous, yes- Cable TV. Love, love TV. I have gotten a lot better lately and no longer leave it on all the time just because I have it, but man- I love me some cheesy cable shows. Cake Boss and all the spinoffs, Dog Whisperer, House Hunters, Wild Justice even- that’s my new one- follows game wardens in California, busting poachers and illegal traders and pot growers- very interesting! Anyway, I promised hubby I would give up cable for the sake of our budget when we move this summer. So I am enjoying it while it lasts!
That’s it! Be sure to visit Jen’s original post to read some more great Quick Takes!
