Real Life, Birthdays, "Fails", and more!

There are many phrases that are over used, way to many to go into here.  One heard around our house a lot is, "It is what it is"!  This phrase is usually followed with something like, "so how are we going to deal with the pieces (or mess, or clean up, or move on and learn).  It's our way of say, "it happened, how are you going to handle the next step?"  It just seems to bring the situation down to a level that we can respond calmly and find a good solution.

How does this lead into this post ~ plenty of ideas floating through this noggin of mine.  First and easiest, while make pancakes for breakfast and seasoning my cast iron skillets, I turned on the wrong burner.  The burner that my favorite cook book happened to be slightly resting on.  After a few moments, there was a burning smell.  Found my error, got book off to find only a little scorch mark, and turned that burner off and the correct one on.  It's things like this that I want our boys to understand why it's good to have another around and not to walk away from cooking or lighting fires.  You have help, should something go way wrong.  I look at this as, my favorite cookbook has more character and more proof that it is, by far, one of my favorite go to books.  Pages are wrinkled, splattered on, reinforced, notes made on them, and so on. Love this book because I can make the recipes into more healthy, organic recipes by simple substitutions.  I don't need to buy a special book just for eating healthy.  It's basically healthy and can be stepped up a level easy enough.  So, I am thankful for this well used, messy, burned cookbook.  It will stay on my shelf for a long time.  Sad days will following when it is beyond repair.

A birthday happened earlier this week too.  Another marker that a year has come to an end and a new one starts.  New goals seem present, more so than New Years Eve.  Little things about making our house more of a home, a safe haven, a place folks want to come to.  Goals of better organization and cleaning and using the whole house and property better.  How can we bless others with what we have?  What things can I make, for cheap, to show my personality?

There are fails along the way too.  Ideas that seem like such a good idea at the time, but when reality meets the road, it back fires.  Other ideas, for instance while cooking, it's just not as neat and tidy as those cooking shows that have many things tested out before they actually film.  I'm okay with this, especially when our boys keep coming back to the kitchen asking for more ~ I must have made something right!

And the more, just random pictures that I've seen, that make me happy.  Also pictures of things I'd love to make.

How all this summarizes into a thankful list, just keep on reading a bit longer:

• favorite cookbook showing it's love just a bit more
• lazy birthdays
• simple presents
• candles
• ice cream
• favorite meals
• date with my husband
• revamp of goals
• funny pictures that make me smile
• life is not perfect, but it is full of thanksgiving