Thankful Thursday | Well, first of all…

This week, I am thankful:

that I finally got to donate blood!!

I barely qualified…like, if my hemoglobin was one-tenth lower, I would have gotten kicked out again. But good enough is good enough, so I got to donate.

Good thing I’ve been taking those iron supplements, or I definitely would not have qualified!

So, now I know what I need to do when another few months go by and I’m eligible again: more iron pills for me.

Mr. FG always qualifies with exactly zero extra effort on his part; one of the perks of being a dude.

that Mr. FG was nearby when I locked myself out of my van

Zoe and I needed to run into CVS for some hair dye, and when I got out of the car, I thought, “I’ll just grab my wallet; I don’t need my whole purse.”

And that was my fatal mistake…part of my routine is to put my keys in my purse, grab the purse, and then lock my van.

I realized my error about two steps away from the van door.

But mercifully, it was a day when Mr. FG was working from home, and he’d run out to do an errand on his lunch break, so he was close by and was able to come to unlock my van for me.

that Mr. FG was able to replace Sonia’s battery

She tried to come home from work the other day, and her car wouldn’t start.

So, I went to pick her up and tried to jump her car, but you need jumper cables with smaller ends to fit into the battery area of a Mini Cooper, so I was unsuccessful.

Mr. FG and I went over there that night and jumped the car with his smaller cables, so we were able to get the car home.

But then the next morning, the battery was so dead, we couldn’t even jump-start it. Time for a new one.

Mr. FG ran out on his lunch break, picked one up, and installed it, and now Sonia is back in business.

The Mini Cooper is 10 years old, and it looks like this battery is possibly the original one. If that’s the case, well, it’s long overdue for replacement!

that I was able to help Zoe get some deals on her shopping

We give her (and Sonia) a clothing budget that they can choose to spend however they wish, mainly to give them practice in managing some spending.

I have observed how this has given them an appreciation for how much things cost, and it definitely makes them more appreciative of my deal-hunting abilities! I had some credits at Sixth Continent*, so I used them to get a discounted gift card for Zoe, plus I helped her get free shipping, and we used TopCashback.

*I am a little annoyed at Sixth Continent because their site was down for a number of days, and also they do not carry Gift of Choice, RewardLink, or Amazon anymore, and those were far and away their best offerings. But at least I was able to redeem some credits for a card that helped Zoe out.

that Zoe has a brace removal date

At the end of December, she should graduate to a nighttime retainer, and she’s going to be so glad about that. I can imagine how good it must feel to have bare teeth again after a year or two of having a metal mouth.

that I can laugh at laughable criticism

There was a Twitter thread yesterday where content creators were sharing some of the not-so-gracious comments they’ve received, and I was reminded of the time that someone told me I was a “self-righteous, condescending *&@#$#”, and followed it up with an, “At least I’m not self-righteous like you” comment.

At the beginning of my time as a blogger, I would probably have been pretty devastated by this, but by the time this popped up on my screen, I’d developed a thicker skin and I just thought it was hilarious.

Like, the utter lack of self-awareness it requires to say, “At least I’m not self-righteous” is really, really funny.

for snuggly kittens

Sometimes the rescue kittens are just crazy balls of energy and they are not at all interested in snuggling. But every now and again you get one that likes to cuddle, and it is just the best.

that my grandma’s mum* survived

*as in, chrysanthemum. Not as in, “my grandma’s mom”.

My aunt drove this mum out last year, all the way from South Dakota, and I am very pleased that I did not kill it.

As I understand it, this is a mum that used to belong to my grandma, the one who said, “Soap is cheap”.

So, it means more to me than a random mum would.

Last year I was too scared to cut it back (would it die??), but I definitely need to trim it back this fall because it got really tall and leggy.

that I feel better today

I was super wiped out yesterday after my blood donation yesterday, but I feel much, much better today.

And even when I felt so tired yesterday, I knew that the people who needed my blood were probably feeling much, much worse than me!  A little tiredness is worth it to help out someone who is suffering.

What are you thankful for today?