Category Archives: The Homestead

  • Absolutely, positively, sure about nothing.

    The posts I made Sunday and Monday have been on my heart.

    I hesitate to post about this whole ‘move’ yet again, but it’s what’s on my heart and I have a hard time being all ‘fluff & stuff” when that’s not what’s in my heart at the time. Sure, sometimes I am feeling lighthearted, a lot of the time actually, but not today.

    On the topic of being sure, yes, we are sure, we’re sure that this is the path we’ve chosen, sure this is the path God has called us on. As sure as we’re sure we will be here tomorrow, and the next day, here on this earth, alive and well.

    In life, no one is really sure about anything.

    So in reality, we make our plans.

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    Our plans are to move to a large farm one day, some day… who knows when? These have been our plans for quite some time now, and we wait, living life daily as we go about our business each day.

    And we hope, and we pray, but we still come to the same conclusion at the end of every day…

    We are absolutely, positively, sure about nothing.

    And that’s kind of ok… Most of the time.

    But some times, it does cause weariness. Not knowing, never knowing, being humbled over and over, and knowing ultimately, we could be totally humbled and never move at all.

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    We really do understand that it’s quite obviously a real possibility. I mean really, it’s been five years, off and on.

    But, we live each day in regards to our dreams the same way as we live each day in regards to life.

    With hope that today will be blessed and tomorrow will be even better and that through it all we will continue to learn, to grow, to become better persons. And this, as far as I’m concerned, this is really what life is all about.

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    There are SO many people in history that I could share about who were considered fools for trying whatever it is that they were trying to do. I don’t even need to share examples, because we all know the stories.

    If we DO NOT move, if we DO NOT see our dreams come to fruition, we’ll deal with it.

    What people don’t see, is the process our family has been going through, personally, internally, through this entire walk.

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    It’s been shaping who we are, it’s caused growth in ways no form of education could ever teach us.  It’s created maturity, within ourselves, and within one another. It’s formed strong bonds between my husband and I, between us and our children, and between these five children themselves.

    And this brings me back to that question of, “Are you sure?”

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    Because no, I’m not 100% sure we will ever move, but I AM 100% sure that we ARE on the right course in our lives. This course we are on, to follow our dreams, has been a course of education like none other I’ve ever witnessed. My children are growing in ways I never grew as a child. My husband and I have grown in ways in our marriage that I never even dreamed possible.

    Has it been easy?

    Nope.

    But life isn’t. Life, is NOT easy.

    Life is however, worth it. All of it.

    The good, the bad, and the ugly.

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    As a homeschooling mother, I’ve often, OFTEN, wondered if my children living the life they are living, growing up as they are growing up, would shelter them too much. Who I am today, has been shaped by the difficulties I’ve faced in my life. Those difficulties, even at a young age, helped to shape me into the strong woman I am today. Over the past 20 years of raising these children I’ve often wondered,

    “Will THEY be as strong? Will THEY be able to make it?”

    This path we’ve been on, has proven to me that yes, they are strong. ALL OF THEM.

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    It’s also proven to me how great each one of them is. From the eldest, to the youngest. Not everyone in our lives agrees with our lifestyle (from the start, I don’t mean in regards just to moving), but that’s really not important to me.

    What IS important to me is these children of mine, I see how great they are, how great OTHERS who know them see that they are, and that, for me, is all the proof I need to keep going. EVERY day. To continue along.

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    And for that, I feel blessed. VERY blessed. Even if we never achieve our ultimate dream, we’ve already achieved so much more.

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    If you’re feeling overwhelmed and burdened right now, stop, and think about what’s really important. Not the material things in life, not what ‘society’ deems as important, but what’s TRULY important.

    Concentrate on that, focus your life on THAT, and you’ll be ok. I can’t promise it will be easy, but it WILL be worth it!

  • As I was editing photos…

    As I was editing photos, Shaylah walked past me.

    “Is that the little snake?” she asked.

    To which I replied, “No, it’s a squirrel.”

    Gotta keep these kids educated.

  • Regarding weariness

    When I wrote up my blog post from yesterday, it actually started out a lot longer then it ended.

    I had begun writing it a couple of days earlier when I was just feeling very weary of it all. It’s been a long and tiring process.

    In the comments, someone asked if we’re sure about what we’re doing.
    (I removed the name from the comment, because I REALLY don’t want anyone to feel like I’m picking on  them, because really, I’m not, you’re not the only one who’s asked something like this, or thought it, but I wanted to share my response on the blog rather then the comments because I had posted more about this aspect in the original version, and then had deleted it.)

    The question was asked:

    I’m sorry you’re feeling weary.  Are you sure God’s plan involves a bigger homestead?  We only see the tiniest snapshot on your blog, so please forgive if the direction has been clear.  But often, for me, the weariness hits not when I’m waiting…but rather not listening.

    Often in life, I choose to keep quiet in response to these types of comments. Not because I have nothing to say, but rather, often times I simply do not know how to say it.

    I know my answers, they are written on my heart, always in my mind. I just don’t know how to put them into words that truly convey how I’m feeling. I’m not the most eloquent person with words. I’m also very passionate in what I believe, and sometimes things just don’t come out right.

    I also choose not to get overly ‘religious’ on my blog, or even in my day to day walk and talk with others. My beliefs are strong, but they are personal. When asked to share, I will, but I won’t ‘thunk’ someone on the head with them. I believe how I live my life should speak for me, my words should not be neccessary.

    Often I simply say nothing because I rest in the fact that God knows my heart, and no matter how hard I try to share my heart with others, it’s just not going to come out right, or, they aren’t going to hear it as I intend it to be heard.

    A very good friend blessed me yesterday. She doesn’t even realize what a blessing she was, I really should tell her. She may not even remember saying it, but it blessed my heart immensely.

    During lunch after church we were discussing our situation, and how much our children are growing in the process etc.. At one point she stopped and said something like,
    “and how do you help these children understand the sovereignty of God while you wait and wait?”

    That friend had truly put herself in our shoes, and seen the difficult task of going through all of this while keeping our attitudes right, with FIVE sets of eyes watching our every move, our every action, our every reaction to the situation. While trying hard to keep frustration, anger, and even pity, out of it all and moving forward with our ‘hands to the plow’. We haven’t always succeeded. We’ve been humbled MANY times.

    As for weariness hitting when we’re not listening?

    Sorry, this is one of those times it’s going to be hard for me to say what I’m feeling without it coming off the wrong way, so take it with ‘good’ intention, with grace, not negatively.

    E-V-E-R-Y good thing in my life has caused me to grow weary.

    Remaining married for the past 21 years, has caused me much weariness.

    Raising these five children, has caused me much weariness over the past 20 years.

    Homeschooling these five children, has caused me much weariness over the past 16 years.

    Being successful in my business has definitely caused me much weariness over the last years.

    If weariness were a sign that I am not listening… well, there’s many things I would have given up on in this life by now.

    All of which are the best things in my life.

    I may feel weary, but I will not give up. This is the path we have chosen because we feel it is the path in which we are meant to go.

    Weariness, as far as I’m concerned, is a reason to become even more determined.

    Let us not become weary in doing good,
    for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

    Galations 6:9

  • Sunday, a time to be thankful, even in the midst of feeling weary.

    Sunday’s are my day to reflect on what I am thankful for.

    I am thankful for a lot. God only knows how thankful I am.

    However, this week, I’m also feeling a little tired. Weary.

    This dream we have of moving to a ‘real’ farm, it seems to be taking f–o–r–e–v–e–r.

    Five years is a long time to work towards a goal, with still no end in sight.

    Day after day at times I almost feel like we’re wasting out lives away, forever waiting.

    The children are growing up, our eldest, will be 20 this summer. The twins, our youngest, are already turning 12 at the end of the year.

    We do our best to enjoy all we have here, while we have it. We try to create memories, enjoy the wonderful outdoors, explore the ocean, the mountains, all this Island has to offer. Friends and family who live close by.

    All the things we’ll miss once that dream is realized.

    Yet, while chasing our tails, it’s just getting more and more difficult… more and more tasking. We’re becoming more and more weary.

    But I hate whining. I especially hate it when I whine.

    I have so much to be thankful for. My husband, my children, our health, our animals, even our little homestead. I am so very thankful for it all...yet I can’t help but continue to hope that the dream will still one day come.

    And then I feel like I’m not being very thankful again…

    It’s this cycle of struggling with one’s desire to simply want, with one’s desire to be so incredibly thankful of this wonderful life, that causes the constant battle in which one grows tired.

    Yet I won’t allow myself to mope, to continue to whine. I am far too blessed for that.

    So for another day, another week, another month, God forbid yet another year, I will go forward, forever hoping for the dream to one day become a reality.

    And in the midst of it all, continue to be thankful for every single second of it all.

  • Random

    I can be totally random at times.

    It actually fits quite well with our lifestyle though.

    I shall show you what I mean. A few snippets from last weekend.

    Friday

    While I was here chit chatting with some of you on facebook, and keeping track of the stocking going live, my husband was out escorting a charity bike ride. He works as an RCMP auxiliary (volunteer) and this is one of the types of things he does. He called me at one point to let me know they’d be coming by where our area meets the highway, so if the kids and I wanted to see, they’d be by in about 20 minutes. So we loaded up and headed out.

    Unfortunately, the riders were quite split up at this point because some had broken down before hand, but it was still neat to see.

    Then we came home and Shaylah wanted to show me Shivers, her duck.

    She loves Shivers.

    Friday night while hubby was out escorting yet another ‘parade’, this time of antique cars for a show, I took all five kids to the ‘city’. Alesia was treating the girls and I to Chinese food at the food court (believe it or not, it’s the best around here! Yum!) and then we were picking up her new bike which she’s now been riding to work more often then not (yay, less driving for dh and I!)

    While there, the three girls and I picked out some gifts for Graydon for Father’s Day. Some loose tea from his favorite tea shop, some homemade maple fudge, some with, some without nuts, and a dvd. We figured that would make the perfect day for him. Sweet treats, good drink, and a good movie.

    We’re easy to please around here.

    Saturday

    It was time to figure out a new ‘home’ for our two Khaki ducks. These are the two who Shaylah is hoping to have some ducklings by.

    Shivers & Coco.

    At first we thought all may be ok with leaving all the ducks and chickens together, but then one of the Muscovy ducks began getting nasty with Coco, and seemingly jealous of her eggs! So a new plan needed to take place.

    We decided to clean out one of our rabbit hutches, and turn it into the duck “couple’s retreat”.

    Look at silly Levi. He’s trying to catch, or attack, the water. He does this EVERY TIME someone turns on a hose, or obviously, the pressure washer. Silly dog!

    Teagan and I stood watch.

    We both like to be as helpful as possible.

    Now the cage was all clean, and ready to be moved into the chicken coop. We used the cage to ‘fence in’ one part of the chicken yard, just for the ducks and soon to be ducklings.

    I even put on my pink & yellow polka dotted rubber boots for that occasion! Can you tell we’ve had a lot of rain around here this spring?

    This is how they all greet me when I come bearing kitchen scraps.

    Then I checked on the ‘garden’, my teeny tiny little garden of salad.

    I didn’t snap a photo of the other garden box because all three sunflowers died, they seem to have been attacked by some sort of blight. The tomatoes & pepper plants are fine though, thank goodness! The one good thing, now I can figure out what’s best to replace the sunflowers in that little garden bed. What would go best in my salad that’s small enough to fit in a small raised bed?

    My Calla Lilies are looking pretty as ever.

    Then it was time to get back to work, and back to my sewing studio.

    While working away, Shaylah came to the door to ask if I could come see her latest find.

    A teeny, tiny, baby snake.

    There’s always so much to discover in this life of ours!

    The rest of Saturday was spent pretty much in the studio.

    Working on Dundies for the stocking we had yesterday. Twenty Six pair. The most time consuming part of it all? Ironing. Ironing the bands and body before sewing them all together, then ironing the whole thing after they’re all done.

    Lots of ironing.

    I’m not sure how many people get the privilege in this life to iron underwear. I sure don’t spend my time ironing any other underwear! Heck, I have a hard time pulling out the iron for ANYTHING I wear. lol

    Did you know bamboo velour yoga pants NEVER need ironing? Neither do bamboo jersey shirts.

    Sunday

    We got up early, gave hubby his gifts before church and headed out.

    After church we dropped Alesia off at work, then met up with friends for a small bite to eat. While there, we decided to cook dinner together that evening. So we went home, I did some more work in the Dundies, and then our friends came by at 4:30 and we got cooking!

    What a FANTASTIC way to make dinner! Four adults in one kitchen! I learned so much.

    The husband is a chef, and between the two of them they taught us how to make their fried, then oven roasted, chicken.

    I showed them how we put breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter on top of our homemade mac & cheese.


    *(this is what my husband does when I snap photos. Isn’t it AWFUL? He sticks his tongue out! I told him he’s darn lucky I snapped two photos, and the second one did NOT have his tongue in it! Ah… what photographers have to put up with (and wives too…)

    And we all had lots of fun and decided next time they’ll teach us how to make DUMPLINGS!

    After we all had dinner together, we headed outside for a marshmallow roast around the firepit.

    It had been a good day.

    Did you know, real men enjoy holding Chihuahuas.

    And that was our totally random, yet totally typical, weekend.

  • Sunday, a day to reflect, be thankful, Father’s Day edition.

    Since it is Father’s Day today, my post is very very late. It’s almost midnight! I forced myself to stay away from as much ‘business’ as possible today.

    Staying away from sewing couldn’t happen, I did have to get in a few hours of dundies ironing…

    But as far as computer stuffs, it was time to remove myself for a day and concentrate on family, and family only, for a change. I’ve been working too much.

    As a work at home mother running a business, it can’t be business ALL.THE.TIME.

    Unfortunately, I don’t often take my own advice, and if I keep that up, it’s going to lead to burn out. Our family can’t afford for me to burn out, and I love my work too much to allow that to happen.

    So this morning, we got up a little earlier then usual to have a few extra minutes before church to give my husband his Father’s Day gifts. It was a nice change on a Sunday morning, to sit around the table together and enjoy one another’s company.

    With the eldest turning 20 this summer, we know family time isn’t always going to be as easy to come by.

    Then we headed off to church, and later in the day after a few hours of sewing, some good family friends came over. So we could make dinner together.

    It was spontaneous, and it ended up being a lot of fun. Neither of us had real plans, our friends had their grandson with them, so we said,  “Why not make, and eat dinner together?”

    Today, I learned how to make REAL fried chicken.

    Yum.

    We showed them how we make our homemade mac and cheese with melted butter, breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top.

    Yum.

    It was us four adults, cooking, in my small kitchen, while the children all played tag for hours right outside the window.

    Afterwards, we had marshmallow roast in the bon fire pit and they played more tag.

    It’s been a good day.

    Today, I’m thankful for my husband.

    Not because he’s a “perfect” father, there is no such thing. Because he is a REAL father who knows he’s NOT perfect, but continually, DAILY, strives towards being as perfect a father as he can be! If the goal is ever to be obtainable by anyone, it will be by my husband.

    When he’s wrong, he admits it to his children, when he’s sorry, he tells his children he is sorry and then proceeds to tell them what he did wrong so they know he really is sorry.

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    He does the same with me, with our marriage. Again, striving to be the best husband he can be, humbly. That’s what gets me most really, the humbleness. I have pride issues, but not him. He humbly admits his faults, quicker then I ever do.

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    He’s always there for his children whenever they need him. Loving, guiding, training, supporting, working along side them, teaching, even driving them to work in the mornings at 6:45am for early shifts, and picking them up at 9pm for later shifts.

    Whenever, where ever, if he’s needed by one of them, he’s there.

    So this Sunday, this day to reflect and be thankful, I’m thankful for my husband and the terrific father he is to our five children.

    Happy Father’s Day Graydon, today, and every day!

  • Canada Post Strike- turning lemons into lemonade

    Let’s face it, not many people like to wait. I know that, and I can totally empathize with our customers who will now have to wait on purchases being shipped until this strike is over.

    This Canada Post strike situation has caused some to ponder whether or not purchasing from our shop is a good idea right now.

    I’m here to take those lemons, that sour taste, and turn it into lemonade for you. A lemonade so tasty, that you just can’t resist shopping with us anyways! A lemonade so tasty that you’ll be EXCITED to wait out the strike along with us!

    Because let’s face it. Canada Post may be on strike, but our homestead bills are not. This isn’t a ‘sob’ story, it’s our family’s reality.

    This business IS our bread and butter.

    My husband hasn’t had a whole lot of work since coming home from the oil fields at the end of March, so he’s been helping me out, helping out the Emporium. And this is it. This is how we pay our bills, feed our children, and the countless animals here on our homestead. Just because Canada Post has stopped working, doesn’t mean they’ve all stopped eating!

    Sooo… that means it’s time to make some lemonade, rather then sit and worry.

    I really don’t like to worry, I like to get busy. I try to teach my kids the same.

    Worry doesn’t help anything, but getting busy does.

    So that’s just what we’ve been doing, we’ve been getting busy! We’ve got plans. BIG plans! Plans I think you’ll be so excited about, that you’ll be HAPPY that there’s a strike going on right now! You’ll be feeling so very THANKFUL for this darn strike!

    How’s that for being positive? Are you excited yet?!

    So what’s these big plans?

    First off, we have a HUGE stocking planned for tomorrow. It’s BIG!

    ONE HUNDRED & SIX pads instock! That’s a lot of pads!

    All of them dyed, most of them in different colors from one another. There is LOTS to choose from and almost EVERY size & style we offer!

    To top it all off, we have MANY beautiful pampering items this week!
    Including a new product, FULL size Bath Mitts!

    But that’s not all.

    I’m creating a special coupon code, a code that will last the entire strike.

    You probably already know that we give all our loyal customers 10% OFF EVERY order, using the coupon code “special”.

    Well… because of your patience, and because of that wonderful loyalty we appreciate SO much, we’re going to give you FIFTEEN percent off, yes, 15% off! EVERY ORDER during the strike, starting tomorrow at 2pm est, 11am pst, just in time for our stocking!

    Just use the coupon code: STRIKE

    Just like that!

    But….

    That’s not all!

    I’m also going to be hosting a very special drawing for a very special ‘secret’ I’ve been planning behind the scenes.

    It’s a CLUB! Who doesn’t love a club?!

    It’s a Monthly H.E.R. Pad Club!

    For the duration of the strike, every single order that uses the coupon code STRIKE upon checkout will be entered into a FREE drawing for a totally FREE THREE MONTH subscription to the Monthly H.E.R. Pad Club!

    We’ll even pay the shipping!

    What’s the H.E.R. Pad Club?

    It’s a top secret club in which subscribers receive one new pad every month, a surprise in the mail. A surprise to make your monthly that much more enjoyable!

    The subscriptions have not even been offered up for sale yet! The winner of this prize will be our VERY FIRST H.E.R. Pad Club member!

    As an added bonus, I’m also going to converse with the very first member, the winner of this awesome give away, to find out what THEIR favorite pads and dye colors are and I will take this information into consideration while creating our first three  H.E.R. Pad Club surprise pads!

    These lemons just keep getting better don’t they? Can you just taste how sweet they are? I think I’ve loaded enough sugar on top to take away any sort of sour you may have been tasting before!

    Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, we’re having a SECOND stocking within the next week, a DUNDIES stocking! 

    So many of you have been asking for “MORE DUNDIES!”, and the poor things keep being set aside over and over while I’ve been busy making pads. So… I’ve been setting aside a bit of extra time to work on Dundies and soon, hopefully by Monday evening, we’ll be having a special Dundies and Pampering Items stocking.

    Stay tuned for more information on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/HomesteadEmporium

    So how about it? Are you excited?! How are those lemons tasting now?

  • I love color

    I love color.

    Whenever someone asks what my favorite color is, I’m at a loss.

    I truly don’t know what to pick! ONE color?  Impossible!

    I love the color of the sunsets from my balcony when it’s blazing orange and gold.

    I love the color of the sky and ocean when both are so blue you can barely see where one ends and the other begins.

    I love the color of the grass, and the trees, when they are thick with green all around our yard!

    I love the color of flowers…

    SO many flowers…

    TOO many to choose from!

    I can not even choose one favorite flower, let alone a favorite color!

    I just love ALL color. Mix up those colors, and I love them even more.

    When I first began using dyed fabrics for our products, I only used fabrics that others had dyed. Those who were much more experienced at dyeing then I was. It gave me the options of lots of color, without having to do the dyeing myself. I didn’t know a whole lot about dyeing at all and wasn’t even going to try to pretend I did!

    However, that became very costly. On top of the high cost of fabrics like bamboo velour, I was now paying more then two- four times the fabric cost, for the cost of having it dyed.

    It really cut into the profit margins! I just couldn’t do it any longer. Plus, I was just DYING to learn how to properly DYE on my own.

    All that color! All the ENDLESS possibilities!!!

    I just couldn’t help myself any longer, ordered some professional grade dyes, and started having some fun!

    Now, I can’t believe I ever paid someone else to do what has now become one of my favorite parts about the business!

    At first, I just tipped my toes into the whole dyeing experience…

    Trying out one color at a time. That didn’t last long though. Hee hee.

    Soon I was experimenting with LOTS of color. Watching in amazement at how they all came together.

    Watching how they mixed and mingled.

    I developed some favorite color combinations.


    *a small pillow I made, for me! Sometimes it’s good to pamper oneself too!

    At first, I never wrote ANYTHING down, no recipes.

    I wanted to just play, and have fun, and not be too serious about it all.

    And it was fun, and I did play. I played A LOT!

    And I learned a LOT!

    I learned what I liked, and, what I didn’t like so much.

    My ‘stash’ of dye colors began to grow… and grow…

    My stash of fabric colors grew …

    and grew…

    and continues to grow!

    I’ve begun experimenting with other fabrics, like our dundies fabrics!

    And finally, I’ve even began writing things down.

    Once I got to a place where I realized that sure, it was a lot of fun to just play, but it wasn’t so much fun when I played and found something I really LOVED only to loose it, because I just couldn’t remember for the life of me what colors I had put into that particular concoction!

    At times it almost made me want to cry!

    *mystic gem colorway, the colorway that changed it all for me. The very first colorway I ever wrote down because I couldn’t bare to ever forget how it had been created.

    And now, I realize I can write it all down, and still have LOTS of fun with it! I can write it all down, and mix it up just a tiny bit, to get TWO colorways I love from just a little bit of change.

    Yet some times, I do find myself going back to having some fun and throwing a bunch of colors into the mix to see what turns up!

    Dyeing for the business, has become great fun!

  • Dream home.

    I shared a link on facebook the other day and said, “if I had a million dollars…”

    Hopefully the owners of this home don’t mind me sharing their photo and link, hopefully they will consider it extra advertising. I just had to share!

    http://www.landsalelistings.com/canada/saskatchewan/spacious-victorian-country-dream-house/images/

    This is a gorgeous home, on a beautiful piece of property! TOTALLY my dream home. It’s almost like someone crawled inside my brain, and turned my dreams into a reality.

    Well, a reality if our farm/dream home budget were not 1/4 of the price of that home. Hee hee!

    Ah… sometimes, just sometimes, I do dream of what it would be like if only I were rich.

    I’m sure everyone does.

    Yet, I know in reality I truly AM rich!

    We have a sponsor child and when I compare my children’s life with her life, I know that I am only being totally selfish to think I could need, or even desire, a place like the link above.

    MY home, the home/homestead we have right now, would seem like an absolute dream home for our sponsor child.

    HouseFront2

    At the same time, I do enjoy the search for our ‘realistic’ dream home/farm/large homestead. I know there’s nothing wrong with our desire for a larger farm, a larger homestead. We are willing to work hard towards that goal, make the sacrifices necessary to get there, and be realistic all the while. It just makes the end result all that much more worth while.

    But I won’t allow myself to feel self pity when coming across the big beautiful homes like I linked above. On our budget, I know our dream home won’t be like that one, but I know it will be great just the same, and I can not WAIT to meet “it”!

    So tell me, “if you had a million dollars” what would YOUR dream home be?

    Feel free to share a link and we can all dream together! Or join us on facebook where we’ve been discussing our dream homes. http://www.facebook.com/HomesteadEmporium/posts/205815842795293

  • Sunday , a day to reflect, be thankful, and ponder the blessings of the week.

    This week, I’ve been pondering something I’m very thankful for.

    You, our customers!

    As I was putting together this collage for our About Homestead Emporium page, I reflected on how blessed we are to have such great customers.

    I’ve spoken with so many of you about so much more then just the business, more then the pads, about more then our other products.

    I speak to so many of you quite regularly, whether it be via email, facebook, or even twitter. We have great discussions, we have some fun, and we all get to know one another better.

    Homestead Emporium customers are like a very large extended family.

    And today, for THAT, I am thankful! VERY thankful indeed!

    *Sunday -What are YOU thankful for today?
    If you’d like to play alone, post seven things on  your blog then share your link here so we can come visit you. Or, simply share here in our comments!