Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m off to eat a turkey dinner today, so instead of a frugal post, here’s 50 somewhat random things that I’m thankful for(which are, for the most part, in no particular order).

1. The everlasting and undeserved love of God, expressed to me through the death and resurrection of His son.
2. My husband, who makes me feel special and loved.
3. My children, who also make me feel special…not a day goes by without one of them saying, “You’re the best, Mommy!” and “I love you!”.
4. My church, where I am blessed and privileged to serve.
5. My friend Sophia. She cracks me up no end, and she gives me goosebumps when she plays her violin with me.
6. Speaking of music…I love to play music and listen to other people make music.
7. My senses…I’m so thankful for eyes that see, ears that hear, a nose that smells, skin that senses touch, and a tongue that tastes.
8. My camera. I love that thing so much.

9. My piano. It’s not a grand, but it’s pretty much my favorite piano out of all the pianos I’ve ever played(including a lot of grand pianos!).
10. Sovereign Grace Ministries. I really don’t think I could put into words how much they have affected my walk with God. Their music, their blogs, the books…it’s all so, so good.
11. My house. It’s a split-foyer, which is pretty much the only house design that I dislike, but it’s a house, and it’s ours, and I’m thankful for it.
12. Our cars. We have two reliable used cars that are paid for in full(that’s the best kind of car to have!).
13. The internet. What an amazing thing it is! It benefits me in so many ways, and I can’t imagine trying to live without it again.
14. My health. I haven’t been to the doctor for anything except checkups and maternity visits for a good five years or so.
15. Healthy children. The internet has helped me to appreciate this more, because through it, I learn of families with children and babies who are not healthy.
16. My parents, who raised me in a Christian home. To a great degree, I am who I am today because of them.
17. My siblings. I get along well with all of them, and they all add something special to my life.
18. My husband’s job. He worked in a warehouse for many years of our marriage, and he is now working in IT(I’m very proud of him!).
19. Cook’s Illustrated. I have learned so much about cooking from them.

20. Freecycle. This is another thing I can’t imagine living without again. I’ve given so much and received so much, and kept trash out of the landfill at the same time.
21. My neighborhood. I love the wide streets and the gigantic old oak trees.
22. On a related note, I’m thankful that part of my neighborhood is waterfront. I love to go walk down there and see the sunrise over the peaceful river.
23. Good neighbors. All three of our closest neighbors are kind, friendly people.
24. A husband who can fix all of my computer problems.
25. My Vollrath cookie sheet. This thing rocks.
26. Books. It’s wonderful to live in a time where books are so readily available.
27. Glasses/contacts. I seriously can’t see myself in the bathroom mirror without ’em.
28. Zofran. It’s an anti-nausea drug that I was on for months during my pregnancies. If I’d lived long ago, before the days of anti-nausea medication and IVs, I probably would have died from my hyperemesis, like Charlotte Bronte.
29. Fleece. Love it!

30. Credit card rewards. By using my credit cards responsibly, I’ve gotten hundreds and hundreds of dollars of rewards just for buying things I’d buy anyways.
31. ING Direct. I use them for my individual savings accounts(like electric savings). Great rates, and great customer service.
32. Indoor plumbing, especially in the winter.
33. My old, ugly scrapbooking desk. It’s indestructible, and it doesn’t matter if I get it messy.
34. My mini carpet cleaner. It has helped me to be a much more gracious person when my children throw up/spit up/spill stuff/track dirt in. And it was free, from Freecycle!
35. Hand-me-downs. My children wear almost nothing but hand-me-downs(with some clearance items mixed in!), and it saves me so much money.
36. Digital photography. I’m way too frugal to have gotten into photography back when you had to pay for film!
37. Clearance sales.
38. My nieces and nephews, not the least of which is my new niece. 😉

39. Dirt cheap yeast at Costco. I would bake us out of house and home without it!
40. My photo printer. SO much simpler than ordering prints.
41. My new(ish) oven. There was a dreadful oven here when we bought the house, and I’m so happy to have a new one.
42. My camera(did I mentioned that already??).
43. The free Picasa software that Google puts out. I’m a Photoshop idiot, and Picasa lets me do a lot of photo editing very easily.
44. The fact that there are 3 drugstores and 6 grocery stores all within five miles of my house. I live in loss-leader shopping heaven.
45. On the Border, which is a favorite date night place for my husband and me.
46. Half.com. Great place for bargain books and CDs.
47. Spray paint. More on that tomorrow. 😉
48. Along the same lines, black paint. Black paint fixes a multitude of problems.
49. Our down comforter and flannel sheets(which were free!).
50. You, my blog readers! You inspire me and encourage me, and you’ve helped me to finally (nearly) conquer my food-wasting problem.