Happy Thoughts

bees in zucchini blossom 7-26-11

1. A tiny break in the weather with the heat index at 88 today instead of the 115 we had last week.
2. Continued rain a few times a week so I haven't had to water the garden.
3. Laughing at little Tiger who had the hiccups, and also at his antics of trying to attack my ponytail.
4. As The Mister was in the shower the other morning, Alex came in and took his spot in our bed while I was still asleep. A while later he was asleep himself and letting out loud giggles during an apparently hilarious dream. An amusing way for me to wake up.
5. Fresh veggies from the garden.
6. Grace, forgiveness, love and laughter with my dearest friend.
7. A very smooth summer so far with the boys. They are happy, and that is most important.
8. Forty five minutes alone this morning with coffee and silence before the 4 boys woke up. So very unual as they are usually up before the sun.
9. Loving the relationship my oldest and I have. Love how he chats if he comes home for lunch. Love the spontaneous and unsolicited thank yous he gives. Love his sense of humor.
10. We've had the most amazing skies lately..huge clouds, beautiful sunsets.

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Happy Thoughts

photo from agencyinspiredpinkslips.com

Adding sugar is up to you!

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Happy thoughts running in my head...

1. I just did a load of laundry. It had 9 socks in it. None of them matched each other! Maybe that's not a happy thought...just humorous. Leave them alone and they will come home, dragging their heels behind them. ha.
2. I heard the first bird singing this week! Hundreds of birds all winter outside my window and they didn't make a sound. I guess they were too cold! But a song sparrow let out a little melody and that means spring is just around the corner!
3. I have daffodil sprouts! Most years, after they bloom, I have to cut them and bring them inside because of freeze warnings. That means winter is still lurking! :)
4. I was thinking today that my family is probably really sick of seeing me in my favorite grey cardigan. I wear it every day. I wear it as part of my outfit, layered over tanks and T's. I wear it over my nightie instead of a robe. I wear it constantly. I wonder if there will be a five man cheer when I pack it away for the season? haha. I'll let you know.
5. I've been working for over a week on a bedroom redo for the triplets. A post is coming Monday for the big reveal!
6. As soon as it's warm enough to go barefoot in the house, my slippers are going in the trash. Yes, they are that bad. ha. Warm bare feet is certainly a happy thought. I've already done my first pedicure in anticipation. lol. Pink polish = spring, right?
7. Harry has mastered (finally!) hooking and zipping his winter coat. Wonderful!

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Happy Thoughts

Some happy thoughts that filled last week...

1. Robins. They're in my yard, eating the crab apples and looking at the snow! ha. Are they lost or are they here to proclaim that spring will be here soon? I was amused at this one in particular who wedged her large body into a tiny sparrow's nest. Kind of reminded me of the ugly step sisters wedging their big toe into Cinderella's glass slipper! lol. Not that robins are ugly, but it was just a funny sight.
2. We had a whole week without snow days or delays.
3. I'm working on a big project for the triplets that involves their bedroom with some fresh ideas and upgrades. More to come later in a "before-and-after" post. I'm excited and they will be thrilled! :)
4. When I picked up the triplets from their special needs class at church Sunday morning, I said "Hi" to a little 13 year old girl with Down's Syndrome. She looked at me and said, "Hello, Gorgeous!" ha ha. Now that made my day! What a sweetheart she is.
5. Cookie and gift basket orders just when I needed a little extra money for something special.
6. I saw the bottom of the hamper twice, if only briefly!
7. The smell of cinnamon-raisin bagels in the toaster.
8. The NASCAR season has begun. :)
9. Temperatures are 50 degrees warmer than just 7 days ago!
10. Friends that text and say "want to have lunch?" :)

In a weird kind of coincidence, last week I had 3 people email me about my "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" posts. Two people said that they loved them and wanted me to post one soon. The third person said they liked these "Happy Thoughts" better because the other kind was "whiny". I didn't actually replace one with the other but had intended on doing each as a running series off and on.

So what do you think? The purpose of the good/bad/ugly is to be transparent about the crazy and even bad things that happen here. Many things have to do with autism and some just have to do with the ups and downs of life in a large family. I certainly don't want to give the impression that everything is always wonderful. I like to share the craziness, see the humor in it, and invite you to laugh with me! Let me know your thoughts! If you think they are whiny and like the 'happy thoughts' better, I want to know! LOL.

And Happy Valentine's Day!

You know I love you all, right? :)

♥

Happy Thoughts

looking back at the happiest parts of my week...

1. Hoar Frost..because it's one of those beautiful wonders of winter.
2. Well-behaved boys... even with the crazy routines of snow days, school delays...even with mom gone all day to an auction on one snow day. Thankfully brother Taylor was nice enough to watch his brothers all day that day.
3. Really thankful that we didn't loose power during the ice storm like many around us. That would have made a snow day unbearable in this house with three autistic boys asking 8 million times to 'fix' the broken DVD player, TV, CD player, computer, lights, etc. Not to mention fixing meals...cold green beans? Oh dear no! ha ha.
4. Wonderful smells from the kitchen like pear preserves, blackberry crumble and garlicky chicken soup.
5. I never tire of overhearing Taylor and his friend Daniel in the living room talking and laughing. Maybe it's because with three nonverbal kids, I don't hear any sibling conversations. I'm sure that room will be full of college kids for the Super Bowl. Fun!
6. While mentally distracted putting the groceries away, I put a bag of slaw mix in the dish towel drawer. LOL! The happy part is that I caught it before it stayed there too long.
7. I cried with a dear friend ...touching tears and tears of laughter all in one day. I just love special connections like that.
8. You know those Clorox 30 day bleaching toilet tablets? Yes, they make me happy. lol.
9. Eating pink M&M's. I know the color has nothing to do with the taste, but they made me smile anyway! :)

Happy Thoughts

Things that made me smile this week....

1. chocolate cookies with coffee
2. girl-talk over vanilla lattes
3. heated seats in the Jeep
4. cherry flavored lip gloss
5. Taylor singing in the shower
6. realizing that this is the first winter in ages we haven't had mice in the house
7. white cupboards, white snow and sunshine makes me tempted to wear my sunglasses in the kitchen
8. sleeping through the night without coughing...finally!
9. the feel of freshly laundered sheets after a hot shower and a long day
10. looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday!

Happy Thoughts

from my week...

1. Evidence on the snowy back porch that little friends had come to visit.
2. Gorgeous snow falling! Taking time to sit with a cup of tea and enjoy the show. It's the sparkly kind that looks like glitter in the sun. Nice!
3. Spencer laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face! It was quite contagious, let me tell you! I found myself giggling too, and I didn't even know what was so funny!
4. Watching Mr. Bird give Mrs. Bird (my parakeets) some TLC. He sings a sweet little song to her and scratches her head with his beak. Awwww! I think he's in love. :)
5. Thinking that triplet boys look adorable in matching plaid flannel pajamas no matter how old they are!
6. Excited to work my first auction of the year on Saturday! I'll be sure to take my camera just in case something blog-worthy happens! ha. Single digits, though! Brrrr!
7. Loving the serendipity of leaving a comment on a friend's blog while their comment pops up on my blog at the exact same time. That happened three times this week!

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Happy Thoughts

Thankful for the little things that filled my week....

1. getting on an antibiotic after being sick all week.
2. hours of beautiful snowflakes floating to the ground
3. a couple of IM chats that made me laugh, roll my eyes, reconsider my opinion, reflect deep in thought and smile until my cheeks hurt.
4. that cherry-almond scent of Jergens lotion
5. a cheery new plant that jumped in my grocery cart and said, "Take me home!"
6. a new laptop purchased with my own money
7. enjoying the Christmas tree another week instead of worrying that it didn't get it put away before I got sick
8. pretty pasta in freshly washed canisters

"I'm thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose!"

Woody Allen

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Happy Half Full Friday!

Thinking on the positives instead of the negatives of the week...here is a list of some of the little things that made me happy~

1. I got a new computer mouse! Wireless. My old one was quite worn out and had taken on a mind of it's own! Now that I have a new one, I realize just how bad the old one was! ha.
2. Except for a tornado warning and storm on Tuesday, we have had exceptional fall weather. And early morning drive to an auction on Wednesday with blue skies, fall colors, and sunshine streaming through low lying fog was just breathtaking! I love that combination of crisp air and warm sun! Just wonderful!
3. Happy to have 265 cut out leaf cookies in the freezer for a wedding order! Whew!
4. Happy to have a couple of days at home with nothing on the calendar here at the end of the week. I laugh as I know I would make such a good hermit. I'm happy to be home, puttering around in my little nest. Ahhh.
5. Happy for friends..real friends! I'll take quality over quantity any day.
6. Happy that Taylor is healing well after having his wisdom teeth out last week. Quite an ordeal with some complications. And would you believe a bill of over a thousand dollars? Would be happier with dental insurance, let me tell you! LOL! He gets his stitches out today.
7. Happy to have successfully trimmed Nugget's nails. We had never attempted this before and they were SO long that I could tell it was becoming painful. And YOU would have felt quite happy if you could have seen the ordeal The Mister and I went through to man-handle a wiggly rabbit who did NOT want to cooperate! I'm sure if we had it recorded, we could have made it on America's Funniest Home Videos. :)
8. Happy that Alex had an exceptional week at school. So exceptional that his teacher called to share the good news! He's focused, taking initiative, and doing his work correctly...even some things that he has never done before! Yes!

So, how about you? Why don't you join in over at Eye Girl's blog? Tell us some happy things about your week...it's good for you to see the glass as half full! :) Click HERE!

Half Full Friday #4

I'm participating in Half Full Friday again this week! Bloggers join here to list out things that made them happy this week. We're trying to put smiles on our faces and take an optimistic attitude! It's very contagious! Try it by clicking HERE!

What made me happy this week~

1. Monday, my triplets turned 17 years old. It has not been easy raising them, as they are non-verbal and autistic. And quite frankly some milestone birthdays are actually sad! I've mourned some instead of celebrating...ages 10, 13 and 16 especially. But this year was happy! We thoroughly enjoyed them and celebrated in a non-traditional but oh SO them kind of way. Smiles all around and I found myself truly soaking up their sweetness and felt very thankful for them. :)
2. Really happy that the living room is freshly painted and updated. The fresh new look inspires me to take a good hard look at some other tired rooms in the house!
3. Enjoyed a day trip to visit my sis an hour away. We had a nice lunch and blabbed non-stop for 9 hours! :)
4. Happy for gorgeous fall weather...dark blue brilliant skies, puffy white clouds and beautiful colored leaves.
5. Happy I got half of my wedding cookie order in the freezer!
6. Happy for all of my blog friends and the sweet, encouraging comments to me on our boys' birthday and also on my Sunday Roast. You guys are THE best. :)

Half Full Fridays #3

Looking back on this week, there were several things that made me happy~~

1. Deciding to paint the living room. It needs it after probably 12 years. I'm sure you can imagine how many little boy fingers have touched the walls during that time! A drastically new paint color has been chosen and I'll go pick up buckets of primer and paint tomorrow. This time next week it will look fabulous and THAT makes me happy!
2. A nice, busy week with money-makers as I had 4 gift baskets plus a day at the auctions yesterday. Just in time for paint buying, right?
3. I have a dear girl friend that I rarely get to spend time with since she started working full time. That, and 7 kids between us and the daily routines prevent us from doing much more than saying "Hi". We met this week for coffee and had a great time. We've decided to try to do it weekly. How fun!
4. The Mister and I met a work colleague and his wife for dinner last night. I had only met them once before. Very nice couple...nice restaurant...nice conversation. Nice! :)
5. Home all day today with nothing on the calendar for the first time all week. Aaaah. Happy weekend, my friends!

If you want to join in or see what other people are happy about today, visit Eye Girl by clicking HERE. I had a few hurtful and upsetting things happen this week, but making an effort to write down the happy parts puts it back in balance. You should try it! :)

Half Full Friday #2

Well, it's the end of the week! Time to record some optimism and list out

some things that made me happy this week. Why don't you join in?

What are some things that made you happy or how did you turn

a sour situation around and make lemonade?

This week I'm happy because....

1. I had a nice birthday! I did get that wish for a new camera! As soon as I figure out how to use it, I'll share some pictures!
2. Harry got a 100% on his math worksheet. He's also doing vocal warm ups with the rest of the high school choir. I'm sure it's a site to behold...and hear! LOL!
3. One of my girlfriends surprise me at my front door with a Panera muffin and some coffee. Awww...how sweet was that?!
4. Although this has been a crazy, busy week, everything seems to have gone quite smoothly.
5. All the beds have fresh sheets on them today.
6. Alex gave me a kiss without me asking for it. (this one may be my favorite!)

If you want to join in officially, go to Life As Eye See It and sign up on Mr. Linky beginning Friday morning!

Half Full Friday #1

I recently found a new weekly series that is just SO me! Kind of like riding the waves or making lemonade from lemons...and you know how important I think that attitude is! A lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude. By participating, you are choosing to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. You are choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of the negatives. So the challenge is to keep a list of things that brought you a smile during the week. On Fridays, post the list and link up to Eye Girl at Life As Eye See It and join in the happiness. :) Here's what I'm happy for this week:

1. I'm happy it didn't rain on me when I went to the grocery! (it ALWAYS does that!)
2. I'm happy my dearest friend called to chat this week. (it had been WAY too long!)
3. I'm happy to see the first of the fall colors in the trees. (my favorite season!)
4. I'm happy that although all the boys have had colds this week, nobody had to miss school.
5. I'm happy to see the bottom of the laundry hamper!
6. I'm happy I have a self cleaning oven! LOL!