I thought today was Saturday. And kept thinking I had to get the kids to bed earlier since there’s church tomorrow. But then before bedtime, I actually remembered today was just Thursday…but decided they needed an early night anyway. (Hey, it’s been a busy summer.)

This whole holiday-in-the-middle-of-the-week thing has me totally off my game. The upside is that tomorrow’s only Friday! Yahoo!

My thankfuls this week:

1. Driving away from triple digit temperatures in The Big City. And returning to the mountains where it was a much cooler. And then walking into my house, forgetting that the AC was off, but it still being a cool 73-degrees inside. Thank you and amen.

2. Puddle Jumper Vest. Paxton’s life vest is awesome. And he feels like he’s big time in it, since he can swim and float and play and splash like a big kid.

3. She Speaks. I’m participating in this conference in just two weeks. (Oh my word, it’s in just two weeks!!!) I’ve connected with a group of women attending through Facebook, and so far I’m blown away. These women are the most encouraging, uplifting and joyful group I’ve seen in ages. And I don’t personally know a soul that will be attending (as far as I know), so this Facebook friendliness has been great. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone in person in just two weeks. (Oh my word, it’s in just two weeks!!!) (I’m freaking out, just a bit.)

4. Pretending. Paxton is all about pretending now, thanks to his big sis. He’ll whimper and whine and say he’s a puppy. He’ll roar and stomp and say he’s a monster or dinosaur. He’ll tell us what to be and what to say and how to act if we’re playing with him. So now we have to kids telling us what to do. Which is awesome.

5. Lake Festivities. We joined up with friends on Fourth of July Eve for cooking out, fun and fireworks on the lake. It was a gorgeous night and so much fun. Jaana and a friend swam in the lake, and her friend kept jumping in screaming, “This is so wicked!!” Jaana loved it too, but was a bit more reserved. (Which is shocking, I know.)

6. Fourth of July. I pray y’all had a wonderful and blessed Independence Day with your friends and family. Thank you to all who help serve and protect that we might have the liberties we’re blessed with. And God, please continue to shed Your grace on us.

We celebrated the day with good friends and a dirty Elmo, where we ate the best ribs and chicken I’ve laid my lips on. And there was tubing. Greg and Jaana had a ball going down the river; I stayed behind with Paxton since he’s a wee bit too little to really enjoy sitting still on my lap in a big inner tube as I’m trying to navigate rocks and not to fall in.

7. 10 am. And the first face I see being my clock’s as it proudly boasted this time when I woke up today.

8. Screened-In Porches. A few weeks ago, Greg stained the wood floor on our screened-in porch. Then this week, we finally got real furniture (e.g., not camping chairs), and can finally enjoy spending time out there now.

9. Lay’s Classic BLT Chips. Yes, you read that correctly. BLT flavored chips. I could elaborate, but I think this speaks for itself.

10. Early Wake-Ups. I’ve had quite a few mornings in the past week where I woke up around 5 am and just couldn’t go back to sleep. So I stayed up and worked on my book stuff. (This explains number 7. I’m really not that lazy.) Although I would have rather slept until at least 6:30, it was nice to be so productive in absolute silence while my family slept. (Really, it’s amazing what a woman can get done with two uninterrupted hours and a cup of Sampson-strong coffee that basically equals six espresso shots.)

Your turn! Let me know what you’re thankful for this week and share the love. Leave a comment by clicking the bubble at the top of the post. It’ll bring more joy than realizing you just gained two extra days in your weekend. Fo’ rizzle.