30 Days of Thankful

It's the month of giving thanks, so once again I will be posting daily thankful posts for every day of November. My apologies that I didn't get started yesterday, so I will double up today.

Day 1  I don't know what it is about this particular fall, but for some reason, I have been drinking in Michigan's autumnal beauty way more than I ever remember from years past. The leaves are so vibrant...or they were before most of the trees in my neighborhood were stripped bare from the crazy gusting winds from earlier this week. My kids are probably starting to think mama's a little loco for all the times I have pointed out beautiful scenery in the past month, or even stopped the car for all of us to admire some particularly gorgeous fall flowers or trees. This October was a fun one for my family, and maybe that helped me appreciate my surroundings a little more. Now October is behind us, but I am thankful for the good times and beauty it brought with it this year.

We had to stop and snap a few photos by this tree near school.

This might be the same tree, different day. Or a different tree on the same block.

Day 2  Mattie and I have started a new tradition of hanging out at the library on Tuesday afternoons after preschool.  I love the library and I am relishing our ongoing date. We have lunch at the attached cafe, where the older gentlemen who work and hang out there make a big fuss over Mattie and spoil her with cookies and compliments. This week the high winds prevented the credit card machine from working, and since I had no cash, the proprietor simply asked me to come back in the next day or two to settle up my bill. Maybe that happens all the time in Small Town, USA, but it never happens in the suburbs of Detroit. And yes, I've already been back to pay!

After lunch, Mattie and I wander around the children's section, looking at books. She usually picks a few for me to read to her, and sometimes she plays with the puppets or we do a couple games on the computer. Then Ms. H comes in to set up for story time, and the kids all line up and file into the separate room. I use this time to gather a fresh batch of books to check out for Lucy and Mattie, until Ms. H calls in the parents for craft time. By the time we get home, we barely have enough time for a quick snack before picking the big kids up from school. I never get much done around the house on Tuesdays, but it has quickly become my most looked forward-to day of the school week. I am thankful for one-on-one time with Mattie and for public libraries.

A one-woman puppet show at the library

Grilled cheese sandwich at our favorite Tuesday afternoon restaurant

Reading at the library

I love Thanksgiving thankful posts, because it is a daily reminder of how blessed I am. A couple years ago, I made the conscious decision to live a life of gratitude. It's not always easy, but it has changed my way of thinking of looking at everything.

Feel free to play along in the comments section, on the MichiGal Facebook page, or on your blog (leave me the link!).