Winter Thanks

Thunderstorms -- For nourishing a dry California ground. I really do love me a good rain shower.
Cosmic whatever -- For the good news I received after a bit of a health scare. Maybe sometime soon I'll explain more.
Keurig -- For supplying me with yummy coffee and hot chocolate in the mornings. Really helping me get up and go.
My full bookshelves -- For providing some great reads this month so far...
FB Friends -- For helping me through some difficult times lately. Support, even from those I've never actually met in real life, is amazing!

New Year's Thanks

1. My couch -- For being a fairly comfy place to sleep with the toddler while he's been sick. Not ideal, but much better than the twins' beds...

2. Blogfeed -- For great new podcasts to listen to. In the past week, I've checked out The Simple Show, What Should I Read Next, This Week for Dinner, You Are Not So Smart, and Around the Table.

3. Social Committee -- For stepping up and helping to organize the Winter Social. Sickness and time has worked against me, but I'm much less stressed after our meeting on Tuesday. I think we can actually pull this off on Saturday.

4. Random chocolate bar in fridge -- I was seriously craving some chocolate, but couldn't justify going out to the store (time and money). Thankfully I found a chocolate bar in the fridge. I had bought it before Christmas and completely forgot about it. So yummy!

5. Pinterest -- For some great inspiration for retreat gifts. I found the perfect way to mix my love of crafting and some very personal. Can't share right now, but the gifts are awesome, trust me!

Fall Thanks

1. Pinterest -- For inspiring a new project. Crazy, but I'm excited!

2. Apple cider -- For reminding me of my love of fall.

3. Friends -- For giving support even in the dark hours.

4. Indoor plumbing -- For nice hot showers to help me breathe easier.

5. The builders of our house -- For giving me a completely unnecessary, but well-used crafting area (otherwise known as a butler's pantry).

Five Thanks on Thursday

This past week has been a tough one. Probably makes this the perfect week to engage in some thanks.

Sleep -- For helping me combat this horrendous migraine. I'm going on day 6...
Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Seeds -- For helping me combat this horrendous migraine. (Yes also)
Crafty friend -- For sharing a table with me at our upcoming Holiday Bazaar. I hope we can make some money.
Barnes and Noble -- For carrying some interesting alcohol related magazines to use as research for my new blog.
Fluffy Romances -- For giving me a break from more serious books.

Lots of Thanks

1. My customers -- Both of my businesses (Stampin' Up and Thirty-One) are doing well and it's all because of my amazing customers!

2. Niles Canyon Railway volunteers -- For keeping the railway running to the delight of Arthur and tons of other children. Plus, I had fun riding the rails!

3. The internet -- For always having the exact thing I'm looking for. Just need to use the right search words.

4. My crafty friends -- For providing support and inspiration.

5. Papermate Flair -- For being the perfect journaling pen for me. Yep, some days it's the little things...

Gracias

I haven't done these posts in months... It's been a bit of a rough go for the last few months, but things are looking up. So here's my thank yous for the week:

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin -- Weird to thank a book, but this one has inspired me to make some big changes in day-to-day life. Excited to move forward.

2. Arthur -- For being so adorable and lovable even when he's stressing me out with toddler tantrums.

3. SU's holiday catalog -- For lots of great new crafting inspiration. Ready to dive in.

4. MVPA -- For continuing to support me even from afar. I've had a ton of trouble adjusting to life in East Bay, so it's great to still be able to go down and spend time with them.

5. Sprouts -- For low cost but great produce. Arthur and i are making it our biweekly grocery trip.

Thank You!

My thanks for this week:

1. Arthur: For getting sick, but being such a trooper through everything. As long as I gave him entertainment, he bravely got through it.

2. Amazon: For quick shipping on a new swim suit just in time for the retreat. I may have actually found one that fits, is flattering, and looks cute.

3. Alameda County Library: For making getting a library card quick and painless. We can't wait to check out all the branches.

4. Our vacuum: For cleaning up all the little pieces of crap that Arthur drops. It's an ongoing fight, but mostly we're winning it.

5. All my amazing mom friends: For an amazing retreat weekend. It was so relaxing and fun. I can't wait to do it again, (Maybe in 6 months?)

Thanks from Me to You

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

American Airlines and pilots -- For getting Arthur and I safely to Indiana. Especially the pilots on the Fort Wayne flight for successfully navigating high wind gusts to land.
Family -- For gathering together for the holidays and giving Arthur and I a place to stay for this extended visit.
Online Shopping -- For helping me avoid the crazy that is Black Friday. Already have most of my presents bought.
The weather -- For maintaining a decent temperature to enjoy the downtown lightings on Wednesday.
Ninja Movers -- For successfully getting all our crap (turns out we have a lot of it) to East Bay with nothing lost or broken.

Thank You Thank You Thank You

1. Peet's Coffee -- For fueling my coffee addiction and giving me a place to escape and blog for a bit.

2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin -- For getting my reading mojo back. I was in a reading slump, but I'm excited for my next book and to finish the year off right.

3. Sleep training -- For getting Arthur back to some sort of sleeping schedule after a bit of a hiccup.

4. Kaiser Permanente -- For keeping all my medical records and automatically assigning me my old doctors. It made changing insurance (again!) just a little less crazy. We switched on Friday and had Arthur's 12 month appointment on Monday. Easy peasy!

5. My fellow members of the MVPA Social Committee -- For helping to throw an awesome fall social/Halloween costume party for the littles. Despite having a weather hiccup and a few mishaps here and there, I think we pulled off a great event.

Thanks of the Week

1. All my mommy friends -- I've been feeling lost in the shuffle and a bit frustrated lately. Hanging out with some awesome ladies and their babies has helped get me back on track.

2. Starbucks -- For the pumpkin spice lattes making me feel like it's fall even though it's over 90 degrees here lately.

3. South Bay Feminist Book Club -- For providing an arena for me to express my thoughts on feminism. This past month's discussion on transgender exclusion was very thought-provoking. Thoroughly enjoyed the articles and the discussion. I can't for next months reading of The Handmaid's Tale and watching of Half the Sky.

4. City of Sunnyvale -- For still having the water on at their splash pads. I know we are in a serious drought, but when it's 90+ degrees in October, having a bit of water time is great for the littles.

5. The Milk Pail -- For selling some amazing bake-at-home croissants. I am so addicted!

Thanks For All the Fish

1. Great Clips -- For not screwing up my haircut for once. I actually really like my short flippy do.

2. J -- For making me feel like I'm not the only one in the world that has certain thoughts. Yep, we are in sync when it comes to the multitude of stupidity in the world.

3. Keurig -- For making it easy for me to make a cup of coffee with a baby hanging on one leg and blurry eyed.

4. California -- For the beautiful weather... can't get enough.

5. Bay Area citizens and government -- For providing some awesome parks for the little one and I to enjoy with our friends.

Thank You on Thursday

The things I am thankful for this week:

Chai tea -- Lately I've been switching my coffee for chai tea.
Park playdates -- I love that the weather is perfect almost year round. That means that we can have tons of park playdates with other baby friends.
My neighborhood -- I love that we can walk to Target, grocery, bank, library, restaurants, and good coffee!
Crafting friends -- For lifting my spirits when I get frustrated.
My bed -- My big fluffy yet firm bed. The small amount of hours that I get to spend in it are glorious.

Thanks for All the Fish

The things I am thankful for this week:

Our complex pool -- For providing a great distraction for the twins when Arthur needs some house time.
Sunnyvale Library -- For providing free reading material for the twins' fickle reading habits.
Fellow SU Demos -- For providing me an avenue of creativity.
Internet -- For providing a new spark in blogging motivation.
eBay -- For providing a huge treasure trove of baby boy clothes at a ridiculously low price. We are now set until probably next spring.

Thank You Thank You Thank You

The things I am thankful for this week:

Safe arrival of the twins -- After a nearly 6 hour delay, they finally arrived happy and hungry.
Quiet early mornings -- Arthur is a 6am riser and we usually get to spend at least 30 minutes in the quiet. He takes a bottle and cuddles a bit before going off to play. I love those few minutes.
Books -- I've gotten my reading mojo back and have been enjoying some great books lately. I just made my summer TBR list and can't wait to dive in.
Target -- For last minute must have purchases like pacifiers.

Thanks Abound

Another round of thank yous for another round of time…

Return of cooler temps -- We reached over 90 last week and it was not much fun. I'm glad we're back to our usual nice temps. We spend enough time outside that I love good temperatures.
New mom friends -- Arthur and I know have a weekly social schedule. We are loving making new mom and baby friends. As an added bonus, I'm not bored with constantly talking to a 7 month old.
Coffee -- The only thing keeping me awake, coherent, and somewhat happy every morning at 6am. My boss is a taskmaster.
Evernote -- For helping me stay on top of both my blogs. This has been a lifesaver for organization.
Stampin' Up -- I joined as a demonstrator last month and it's opened up so many possibilities. I can't wait to see what's next.

Thanks Abound

Another round of thank yous...

My fellow social committee members -- For putting on an amazing Easter social on Sunday! I think everyone who came was pleasantly surprised about the amount of activities and goodies the babies got. I'm actually looking forward to helping plan our summer social.
Michael's -- Yes the craft store. For opening up their classrooms for free usage by the community. The mom's group was wanting to have a craft night, but no one has an apartment large enough to accommodate. Then I got an email from Michael's announcing the change. Perfect timing! Now I just need to call them and get some available times.
Sunny days -- I love the warm sunny weather we've been having. It's been perfect for playdates in the park and long walks.
Amazon -- For fulfilling all my baby proofing and pool accessory needs.
Stampin' Up -- For partnering with Becky Higgins to create a new Project Life line. I can't wait to be able to order from the new products. In fact, I just joined as a SU demonstrator to take advantage of the new awesomeness.

Thanks on Thursday

Another round of thank yous for another round of time…

Good friends -- I've made some good friends here in California. It's nice to be able to get together for activities or even just to chat.
Good books -- After a fairly mediocre start to the reading year, I am back on track with some good books. They left me relax and dream of other worlds. They are my great escape.
Sleep -- The boy is finally giving me some consistent sleep. I am so so grateful...
Baby laughter -- It never fails to make me feel better. Love that little boy!
Good weather -- The great weather has encouraged me to get out and get moving. I would never exercise this much outside when I lived in Indiana.

Thank Yous

Another round of thank yous for another round of time...

My new mom's group -- I found a group that I really click with. And I've found some great new friends. I hope we can create some long-lasting friendships.
My daily planner from Thyme is Honey -- I have finally found something that keeps my day organized and I can keep up with it. So easy!
Arthur -- Being his mom is such a joy. Most days he's easy. I am grateful for a relatively easy child.
Our Keurig -- Best Christmas present ever. I am grateful for my morning tea or coffee. Getting up at 6am daily is tough for a non-morning person like me.
The rain -- We desperately need rain here in California. It won't be enough to end the drought, but every little bit does help. Plus, I love falling asleep to the sound of rain.

Thanks for the New Year

I haven't done one of these post since a little after Arthur was born... Time to get back into the habit.

1. Indiana family and new family -- For a great Christmas break even with the snow and canceled flights It was nice to see everyone and have everyone meet Arthur. We had tons of fun.

2. A friend's successful surgery -- A friend who had surgery right as I left for Indiana is on the mend. So thankful for her good recovery.

3. California weather -- As nice as it was to see family for Christmas, I did not miss the extreme cold temperatures. I even caught a horrendous cold while there. Thankful to be back to the lovely warm weather and sunshine. I've been wearing sandals nonstop since getting back.

4. Monday mom's group meeting -- Every Monday we meet to walk at Shoreline, grab lunch, and generally catch up. I probably wouldn't be walking this much (2-3 miles each time) if not for the chance to hang out with some pretty cool moms.

5. My own bed -- The bed in my mom's guest room is just so uncomfortable compared to my own. As soon as I got back, I started sleeping better again.

Thanksgiving Thanks

I used to do a Thankful post on almost every Thursday. Somehow I've gotten completely off track with those. This thankful list is to make up for all the Thursdays I've missed lately. I'm thankful for...

My beautiful new baby boy Arthur -- He is such a joy. Even at only 1 1/2 months, he has such personality. Can't wait to see what he does next.
All the nurses and doctors at Kaiser Santa Clara -- Even with some complications during surgery, Arthur and I had a great birth and recovery experience. I was especially grateful for the skin-to-skin time immediately after he came out. I didn't get that with the twins so this was extra special.
J -- For being there for me throughout and helping around the house, especially right afterward.
Nick and Alex -- For being awesome sons. And for their excitement at officially meeting their baby brother at Christmas. I can't wait to spend time with all three of my boys.
Caffeine -- A new parent's best friend. I cut back to almost nothing during pregnancy, which makes a small reintroduction that much sweeter. I don't consume much, but it's nice to have a strong cup of coffee in the morning to get my day going.
Friends and family -- For all the congratulations, best wishes, and gifts. While we have kept mostly to our little family of three, it's nice to know that others are thinking about us.
Christmas -- For the time to spend with friends and family. I'm looking forward to visiting with everyone, and showing off Arthur of course. And I get to meet two babies born this past year. And I get to spend two whole weeks with the twins. And I get to have awesome home cooked meals (thanks mom!). And hopefully we get a white Christmas (I miss those living in California). And I get to go eat at all the restaurants and shop at all the stores that I don't have in California.
The good weather -- For allowing Arthur and I to get out of the house even if it's just a quick walk to the coffee shop. If we still lived in Indiana, it would be difficult to make myself get out and about in super cold temperatures. Here I can still wear sandals if I want and Arthur only needs a light blanket to be snug.
Books -- For keeping me awake and entertained during those middle of the night feedings that seem to drag on and on.
Candy Crush on the iPad -- See #9
Fellow parents on my Hellobee board -- We are all supporting each other through the struggle of the fourth trimester. They validate my feelings, fears, and joys and I hope I do the same for them. Wish I could meet all those ladies and the babies in person... especially my baby birth day twin whose experience so closely mirrors my own.