Dandelions and Daydreams

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Psalm 31:19

Today is Thanksgiving, and I am overwhelmingly thankful. God has been faithful this year. He has brought me into a clearer understanding of Him. He has led me through some dark days. He has enabled me to follow my dreams.

There are a million things I am thankful for on the surface level. When I stop and think, I am thankful for many of those same things on a deep, soul bearing level. God’s abundant blessings are overwhelming.

The deepest things that I am thankful for, are beyond description. The thankfulness is just something I feel. Word’s don’t do justice.

I am thankful for…

1. God–His love, His blessings, His forgiveness, His grace, His mercy…
2. Brenton–I have the most wonderful husband in the world.
3. Being self-employed–This past year has been an adventure in working for myself. I am starting to see some real progress, and I am thrilled. This has been an adventure in pursuing my dreams and embracing who God has made me to be
4. Writing–I have always been a writer at heart. I am actually writing now.
5. Family–I am who I am because of my family. When I got married, I added a whole new family. The best thing about family is that they love me, warts and all.
6. Nature and the great outdoors–I am an introvert. I love being around people, but when I need to recharge, I have to get away and be by myself. I love the fresh air and rustling leaves. Nothing is quite as enchanting as a walk through the woods in the rain.
7. God’s timing–He is never late, and He is never early. His timing is incredible. He works everything out just so, and we have no idea that He already has it planned.
8. Health–Being healthy means I can keep on doing all the things I love. I never take for granted being able to walk to the store from the last parking space in the parking lot.
9. books and literacy–Knowing how to read opens new worlds to me. My imagination soars, and my dreams take shape.
10. Love–True sacrificial love the kind that makes you grow. The kind that makes you cry. The kind that makes you fly.
11. Sunshine–It’s a rare treat right now, but so vital to my health and mental well being.
12. Day dreams
13. Hope

7. biscuit pizza
I get canned biscuits and flatten them out. Then I top with tomato sauce (I get the small can that is pre-flavored with garlic and herbs), pepperoni or hamburger, and mozzarella cheese. Cook according to biscuit package directions.

8. spicy hot ham sandwiches another family recipe that is ohsogood.

9. Hebrew National kosher hot dogs. If I’m going to cook out, I still want good food. These are the best. Two summers at camp cured me of eating cheap hot dogs.

10. McDonald’s Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuits. I don’t really like anything else at McD’s, but I could eat a bacon egg and cheese biscuit 3 times a week.

11. Steel cut oatmeal. This is my usual breakfast. The flavor is nutty and has a lot better texture than quick cooking oats. I can actually eat breakfast and not need to eat again until lunch time. That’s a major accomplishment for me. I usually mix with brown sugar or raisins.

12. eggs, sunny side up. But it has to be served with toast. My Grandma always made these when we visited her in Nebraska.

13. I always feel like the last one should be grander than the rest, but I usually run out of things by now. This time I saved the best for last…dark chocolate…cadberry, dove, Hershey’s, any kind as long as it’s dark.

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1. God. This one should be self-explanatory. He created me, so I wouldn’t be here without him.
2. Brenton. I love my husband so much.
3. Sunshine. If I spend too much time inside, I start to get depressed. I need my sunshine.
4. Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Tea, elevenses, brunch etc. I have hyperinsulinemia/hypoglycemia. I get to eat about every two hours. Unfortunately it can’t always be chocolate.
5. Candles. I have always been fascinated by fire. I like it when my house smells good. Right now it smells like garlic–from lunch, not from candles. I have been known to buy a lemon scented candle so the house *smells* clean.
6. Tea. I drink tea every day. It’s healthy and a good alternative to water when I want some flavor. My latest kick has been spearmint.
7. HUGS. Lots and lots of hugs and then a few more on top of that.
8. Prayer. Couldn’t we all use a little more prayer?
9. Oatmeal. Going along with #4, I eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning. I don’t just eat oatmeal though, I have steel cut oats. They have lots of fiber and last a long time without me having a blood sugar crash. When mixed with butter and raisins…mmmm….
10. E-mail. Well, I can go a few days without e-mail or the internet, but with my friends and family spread so far out, I find that the best way to keep in touch is electronically.
11. Books. I am always a little sad to read the statistics on the number of people who read regularly. I always have my limit of books checked out from the library, and I even read most of them. I find reading to be a great way to slow down in the evening before bed–I try to avoid fiction books right before bed because I tend to stay up all night to finish the book.
12. Purpose. This is one of those big words in the English language, but I need a purpose for each day. To be happy, I have to live my life on purpose. Otherwise I just flounder.
13. Flowers. When I am rich, I will have fresh flowers (cut from my own garden or greenhouse) every day. For now, I walk over and pick the daisies out of the empty lots next door.

1. Celebrate Brenton’s birthday. He’ll be a quarter of a century old. We’ll go to Panhandler Pies because they offer a totally free meal to the birthday boy. That’s any entree, along with a drink, and the dessert pie of your choice. YUM! I recommend the Beefeater sandwich.
2. Hike to the Ross Creek Cedars. I’ve never been there. We thought about going last month, but the hike would have been about 6 miles in and 6 miles back. That seemed like a bit much for one day although I’m sure the ancient cedars would have been beautiful in the snow.
3. Host a cookout at our house. We recently built a fire ring and got some furniture for our back yard. I am eager to host a wiener roast and invite some company over. This is tentatively scheduled for May 8, which might end up being when we celebrate Brenton’s Birthday
4. Plant my garden. Living in North Idaho, gardening season doesn’t begin until May and June. I was ready in February, but I guess that’s the Southerner in me. I’ve got a nice assortment of lettuce, spinach, beans, carrots, potatoes (because you have to grow potatoes in Idaho), and corn. I also found some 10 cent flower seed packets at walmart and stocked up on daisies, zinnias, snapdragons (I love snapdragons), sunflowers, morning glories, and some wildflower mixes.
5. Continue on my running program. We started the Cool Running Couch-to-5K beginners running program. Last night we finished up week 1. This is a great program for true beginners. It is pretty easy to get started. If you want to start running, check out the Couch-to-5K podcasts from Robert Ullrey. I have dreamed about being able to run and run and run without getting tired. If all goes well, I should be half way through the C25K program by the end of May.
6. Set up and design my website. I’ve talked about it long enough. I am going to get a website set up with the hopes of being an Internet entrepreneur.
7. Up my blog posting frequency to twice daily without sacrificing the quality of the content. Subscribe to my RSS feed. To keep up with my posts
8. Read and write book reviews. I’ve been practicing my writing skills. I want to get better. Your input is greatly appreciated on this blog. I have lots of books that I want to read. Now I am going to take the time to write book reviews too.
9. Get better and writing. I have a list of books to read, and I have classes to attend. I am passionate about this. And I also know that doing to learning is not substitute for doing the work.
10. Good a gourmet meal…at least one. I deserve it.
11. Drink more water. Like most Americans, I am chronically dehydrated. I am aiming for about three nalgene bottles per day. I need more water as the weather gets hotter.
12. Pay extra on our car loan. We are hoping to have it paid off by September. Since we are following the dave ramseyFinancial Peace University plan, we will never go into debt again.
13. Enjoy spring. We all need a walk every day.