There comes a point when I’m putting the kids to bed, where I cannot stand being in my day clothes for one. more. second. And the kids are dilly-dallying, and saying nonsensical things and taking forever to pick stuffed animals to sleep with. And I’m dying. My rings feel too tight. My earrings are swinging back and forth in an irritating fashion. My neck is hot and my hair needs to be in a ponytail immediately. My jeans have got to be replaced with yoga pants before I rip them into pieces with my bare hands. And sometimes…once or twice…irregularly, really…I find myself rushing the kids along so I can change. my. clothes.

“Why don’t you just change before you put the kids to bed?” you ask. Because that’s. too. easy.

In other news, I seem to be into the ending sentences like. this. today.

Consider. yourself. warned.

Thankfuls this week:

1. Greg’s 80s Dance Moves. Greg will randomly break into a very specific set of dance moves, one of which is a variation of the robot that he stole from me. And while I accuse him of stealing my moves, I still fall into a fit of laughter. Because his robot is so incredibly non-robotic.

2. Rainy Days and Saturdays Always Get Me (the Opposite) of Down. Because being in your PJ’s until after 1 pm and having a nap on the couch is the perfect way to spend a rainy Saturday.

3. Tom-Toms. I have no idea what this is. But it’s Paxton’s new favorite word and he uses it as a substitute for almost everything. For example:

Prayer time: “Dear Jesus, thank you for the tom-toms…”

Dinner time: “Paxton, what do you want to eat?” “I want…chicken…and tom-toms!”

TV time: “Paxton, what show do you want to watch?” “Mickey Mouse tom-toms!”

It’s completely nonsensical and actually cracks me up. But it just has to mean something. Do y’all remember our “Bobadoo” mystery that turned out to be Bob the Builder? I’m going to crack this code if it kills me. (And no, it’s not the shoes.) (He’s not that hip.) (But Jaana is.)

And evidently today is brought to you by the word “nonsensical.”

4. Living Here. I have these moments of pure joy about living here. The other day I was driving and it was sunny and breezy…and I saw open fields just full of buttercups. There were gentle rolling, green hills with budding flowers and cows grazing. And I was just so happy to live in such a beautiful place. Yes, I don’t shop much anymore. Yes, gas costs a lot. And yes, I need a spreadsheet to figure out what restaurant is open on any given day of the week. But it’s a unique opportunity to live where it’s just so peaceful and gorgeous and slow-paced and low-stress. And I wouldn’t trade it for a restaurant open past 6 on a Tuesday in winter.

5. Full Gas Tank. I just love that feeling of having the car freshly filled up with gas and just ran through the car wash. Makes me want to hit the open road and drive to California. Which then makes me think of songs like, “Goin’ back to Cali (back to Cali, back to Cali). Goin’ back to Cali…I don’t think so.” And, “It never rains in Southern California (they tell me).” And that makes me drive with a happy little smile on. my. face.

6. Cheat Day. This will probably take up a permanent spot on my Thanksdays for awhile. This week’s fare: fried green beans with wasabi-ranch; fried green tomato sandwich with fries; vanilla buttermilk pie; donuts; steak and cheese taquitos; ice cream; Cheeze-Its. I wonder if I should I start taking digestive enzymes?

7. Our New Dog Walker. The dog is driving me insane in the membrane, people. I’m thisclose to I don’t know what…but when I think of it, I’ll let you know. Luckily, Luke + My Dad = TLF and PePaw has officially taken over the walking duties while he’s visiting. Which is a nice break. Except that Luke has figured out all he has to do is stand at the door and PePaw will take him out every. single. time. Even if it’s just been 15 minutes since the last trip. So I’ll have a lot of re-training to do when he’s not up here. Which is what I have to do with the kids anyway.

8. Dinner To Go. Y’all. I’m SO TIRED of cooking. And I don’t do it well anyway. Since there’s no delivery options up here, and eating out often is too costly, I have cooked more in these past 2.5 years than in my whole life. I recently remembered a local grocery has a dinner-to-go option that is a full meal (with side dishes!) for pretty inexpensive…you just call ahead to order, pick it up, and it’s the closest thing to delivery you can get. I’ve used it a few times the past couple of weeks. Because come Thursday, I just can’t conceive of having to hit the store and dream up even one. more. meal. God bless the Mountain Fresh.

9. Grace. I’ve needed a lot of grace extended to me lately, and I’m so incredibly grateful to the Almighty and the people who have given it to me. I’ve been a little snippy at times and short-tempered…and haven’t let my words (verbal or written) be seasoned with love and grace. And I hate when I do that. Fortunately, the Lord has sent gentle conviction to me about it immediately and I’ve been able to ask forgiveness quickly. One of these days I’ll never make mistakes and finally walk in perfection. In. heaven.

10. Praise Reports. You know what, there have been a lot of praise reports that I’ve heard about lately, and that in and of itself deserves a praise. God has provided a lot for many of the people I love; and while a lot of those praises still have circumstances that need His touch…we can’t let those outshine the blessings. So thank you, Lord, for what you’ve provided, healed and forgiven in the lives of those I love. Help all of us to continue to recognize your provision in our lives, even if it doesn’t look like what we expected it to look like. And help us to remember to always. give. thanks.

Your turn! Let me know what you’re thankful for this week and share the love. Leave a comment below or link up with Candra. It’ll feel better than yoga pants and a ponytail, and will make. your. day.