Giving Thanks

Not that long ago, I read a column in the paper on counting your blessings. The columnist wrote that she had a bit of trouble getting the list started but it wasn't too hard to find 100 things to be thankful for. I took that as a challenge and decided to see how hard it was for myself. Being that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it seemed like the time to write my own list of 100 things to be thankful for.

1. Faith
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Good Food
5. My health
6. A working vehicle with heat
7. My 'auto-start' button for the van (aka my husband)
8. A baby that has slept 9+ hours a night since he was 3 months
9. The ability to lift 40+lb calf milk buckets with minimal huffing and puffing
10. Finding out even unexpectedly sad times can lead to good things
11. A roof over my head
12. A woodstove that keeps me cozy warm all winter
13. Fleece blankets
14. And a comfy recliner
15. with a cup of homemade hot cocoa to sip
16. while reading a good book on a cold snowy winter day
17. Knowing that despite the miles in between, family is only a phone call away
18. A mother's hug
19. My 'auto-fire starter' (aka my husband)
20. Learning that I can smile through my tears and mean it
21. "This too shall pass." is really true
22. Improving my aim when using hammer and nails (banging a thumb will do that...)
23. My house addition-to-be
24. Healthy, happy cows
25. A successful harvest season
26. Farm equipment that doesn't break down (very often)
27. My prolific vegetable garden
28. Dropping pounds
29. And being able to keep them off!
30. Trying on a pair of pants only to find out they are too big
31. Garage sales
32. Fuzzy slippers
33. My minivan
34. A chest freezer full to the brim
35. Being able to find homes for all of my dog's puppies
36. That feeling you get after you finish cleaning the house top to bottom
37. "I love you."
38. "Will You Marry Me?"
39. "I Do."
40. "It's a Boy!"
41. "Mama"
42. The smell after a spring rain (as long as the guys haven't been spreading fertilizer in the fields behind the house)
43. Waking up and realizing it's my Sunday off
44. Afternoon naps
45. My college degree
46. Going on vacation
47. And coming back home
48. Pasty, coleslaw, and chocolate milk
49. Ooey, Gooey, Chewy Brownies
50. Being done with chores for the day
51. A clean kitchen
52. My clotheslines
53. Wild roses
54. Homemade bread warm from the oven
55. Daisies
56. My dog Mindy (who keeps the rabbits out of my garden but lets the neighbor dog visit)
57. Homemade applesauce
58. All my prior jobs-I might not have liked them all, but I learned something from each one
59. My automatic dishwasher (aka Me but someday it'll be a machine...)
60. My 6-qt crockpot
61. Cloth diapers
62. A filled woodbox
63. Plenty of kindling
64. Bonfires, good company, and toasted marshmallows
65. Growing up within 10 miles of Lake Superior
66. Snow Days (even though I don't get them anymore...)
67. Snowmen
68. April Showers when they bring May Flowers
69. My comfy jeans
70. Hoodie sweatshirts
71. Flip-flops
72. Flannel Sheets
73. Wool socks
74. Catching snowflakes on your tongue
75. Going swimming on a hot summer day
76. Not having to worry about what I'm going to be when I grow up
77. Knowing that even the best laid plans can go awry but still turn out somehow
78. Buttercups
79. Snowshoeing
80. Being able to finish my Pilates workout without having to stop halfway through to catch my breath
81. Running Water
82. Indoor Plumbing
83. Having a hubby who is willing to crawl under the house in sub-zero weather to unthaw a frozen water or sewer line
84. Raw milk cheese
85. Reminiscing about the younger years with family and friends
86. Cinnamon rolls
87. Newborn calves
88. Weaning calves
89. Walking on a crisp autumn afternoon
90. Cross country skiing on a moon-lit evening
91. Springtime
92. Squeaky Cheese
93. Funny pictures of everyone but me
94. My son's smiles and goofy grins
95. All the little things my hubby does to show he cares
96. Having all of this kidney stone business over with
97. Apple pie
98. Making Christmas cookies with my nieces and nephews
99. Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream
100. A good game of Scrabble or Rook

Now that it's written, I can see that the writer was right. It can be hard to get started but once you do, it's easy to find things to add. I could easily add to this list but I'll stick to 100 for now. How about you?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend!

I never want to do THAT again...

DRINK YOUR WATER!

It's become my motto of late. And I can't tell people to do it enough. Why, do you ask? What is the purpose of my proclaiming that you need to drink more water?

Simple.

It's the number one, quick and easy, painless, and cheap way to help prevent kidney stones.

After being in the ER twice with severe back pain, I have been diagnosed as having a VERY large kidney stone in my right kidney. I was in agony, L tried to get me there ASAP while still obeying speed limits, and we discovered that V has this uncanny ability to wake from a sound sleep as soon as we enter the ER doors. (I got pain meds that made me loopy, L got no sleep, and V got to watch all kinds of new people and new things. At least someone got some enjoyment out of those nights...) It's not an experience I want to repeat. Trust me on this. I would rather go through childbirth again (and I did it without pain meds) than go through kidney stone pain a third time. Not to mention this last week of being half asleep and sick due to the medications necessary to manage my pain. It's only been the last two days that have been relatively pain-free.

Now, I have to go to a hospital two hours south of my hometown in order to have it removed. In order to do this, I had to find a babysitter for V, and L and I both have to take more time away from farming duties to make the trip.

I had very little risk for developing a kidney stone, but I did. It could be one of any number of things (though the chiropractor thinks it is most likely a pH imbalance that he recently discovered), but drinking more water certainly wouldn't have hurt me. So, I am going to go all Mother Hen on you people out there reading my blog and remind you once again to DRINK YOUR WATER!!!