Day 18 - Gratitude

Hi! I got my Lent calendar figured out and am switching to a forward countdown instead of backwards...just to make everything clear as mud! Today is the 18th day of Lent, the 46 days before Easter, less the Sundays making it a total of 40 days...the Sundays don't disappear though so don't worry about buying new calendars. If we all want to understand how the church keeps track of all this I suppose we can use google as well as the next guy.

So. Gratitude. Today. Ah, today there was much to be thankful for!

1. The shots that kept me from feeling (mostly) my dentist drill out the huge cavity that formed under an old filling...and the fun it was to try and drink from a straw afterward.

2. Two sit downs with dear friends...Maria for lunch and Kathy & Amy for book discussion, PLUS running into Tisha at Target and seeing Joy & Marcola when dropping off/picking up kids. Friends are such a delight in my life!

3. I found the portrait gift certificate!!! Two days before it expires and already had an appointment set up for the very last day. (It was in a usually untouched school folder of our resident ferret (aka Kai). Why in the world he would take it...oh, it just dawned on me that he probably thought it was "money" as it was all official looking and printed on photo paper. I haven't picked up that folder for maybe 3-4 months...totally a praise to Jesus for $50 back in our pockets.) I guess we'll always have a visual reminder of Kai's black eye and Zane's scratch on his nose!

4. I'm grateful that the credit card company noticed our info had been stolen before they charged us for the $2000 cash withdrawal (how do you do THAT online?), $563 from Avon, $800 at WalMart and some Converse tennies (among other things). And you better watch out if you are a Wally World shopper wearing lots of glitter make up & new Converse hi-tops...I'm looking for you!--Well, or would be if I set foot in the place...I try to steer clear of that giant box most days.

5. More confirmation about my tentative decision for next year's school curriculum. I think we're going to try out Adventures in My Father's World for a core study of American history coupled with Bible, science and all the rest while sticking to our Charlotte Mason roots!