Thankful Thursday Thirteen

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Life is not perfect; it never will be.  But I'm happy, and I realize that I have so much for which to be grateful.

1.  I'm thankful to live in the United States.
2.  I'm thankful for entertainment:  Movies, theater, music, television.
3.  I'm thankful my mother is still alive to celebrate thanksgiving with me.  She has been through two successful cancer surgeries, a knee replacement, a nasty broken wrist, and a hard fall on the concrete that damaged her teeth and mouth.  All this within the last five years.  Thank you, God, for giving me such a strong woman with a fighting spirit.
4.  I am thankful for the youth leaders in my church who guide my children when I am not there to do so myself.
5.  I'm thankful for the memories I have of my dad.  I miss him so much.
6.  I'm thankful for a husband who is good to me in all ways.
7.  I'm thankful for my children.  They are turning out to be such awesome young adults!
8.  I'm thankful for the Internet.  Yes, it sucks my time like crazy, but that is my choice, so...
9.  I am thankful I can CHOOSE (lots of things, how to spend my time, what career I want, where to live, and so on.)
10. I'm thankful for friends who enjoy spending time together, socializing, having fun.
11. I am thankful for pets.  All my fur-baby has to do is purr, and my spirits are instantly lifted.
12. I'm thankful I have a good job, a car, and a home.
13.  Most of all, I am thankful that God loves me.  I'm grateful to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  That is the biggest blessing of all.

Wishing you a warm, safe, happy Thanksgiving!

Visit Thursday 13 here and Thankful Thursday at Undeserving Grace Here.

Aloha Friday

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday, sponsored by An Island Life. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend.
Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link here.

I was summoned to jury duty on Monday for an aggravated robbery case.  I wanted to get selected, simply to avoid a crazy week at work, but I wasn't chosen.  I've served on one jury before, a civil case.

My question is... Have you ever served on a jury?  If so, what kind of case was it?

Autumn Swap

Oh, boy, did I receive some awesome Autumn goodness from Jolene at With a Little Help from my Friends. Before I even go on, let me just say, if you've never checked out her blog, please do yourself a favor and click over there!   I was happy she was my partner.  We have so much in common.  I hope we can meet in real life one day!

First, my goodies were wrapped in bright yellow paper with autumn leaf stickers and two huge autumn leaves.  I hated to tear the paper, but it had to be done.

 A package of scrapbook paper in fall colors!  I can definitely use this!
A sweet & spicy jar candle.  Mmmmm!
A Candle holder and shade in the perfect style!  So cute!
An autumn throw blanket.  So soft and pretty!
A scarecrow welcome sign.  This is hanging by my front door now.
A rattan decorated pumpkin.  How darling!
Bulletin Border.  She knows I'm a teacher.
Fall stickers, 2 packs.  She knows I love to scrapbook.
A magnetic notepad.  She must also know I make lists.
A beautiful homemade card. (Puts mine to shame!)
And best of all, a jar of homemade apple butter.  That made my day!

Wow!  That's all I can say!  Jolene, thank you so much for everything.  I love it all!  Mamarazzi, thanks for hosting such an awesome swap!

Here is her post about the package I sent.  I hope she liked it!  I'm going over to read her post now.

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My Happy List

Link up with Mamarazzi to share what's making you happy right now!

My daughter, a sophomore in high school, made the Varsity Winter Guard team!  She worked so hard, and I am so proud of her!  Winter Guard is a performance that combines dance, flags, rifles, and sabres set to music in a choreographed routine.  I'm just so happy for her!

My son and I attended a rabbit clinic last week and learned a lot about raising show rabbits.  I'm happy that he is involved in this activity!  We are getting five rabbits in less than a month, and he will have six weeks to get his rabbits ready for show.  Best of all, he is learning responsibility, discipline, and the importance of hard work and dedication.

I am absolutely ecstatic that I finally caught up with my email.  I have been behind in reading messages for weeks now.  What a burden lifted!

And you know what really makes me happy?  Clean sheets!  There isn't much better than climbing into a bed with freshly laundered sheets, especially if they have been spritzed with some lavendar pillow mist. Heaven!

What are you happy about today?

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Jury Duty

How do you feel when you see that jury summons in your mailbox?  Most people grumble, and in a way, I do, too, but I'm serving jury duty today, Monday, and I'm actually glad to be going.  I haven't been chosen in a long time.  I have sat on panels, but I was always far enough back not to get selected.  The one trial I served on was rather boring, but I still got about a week off work.  It was a trial in federal court because it involved the international television rights to soccer broadcasts.  There were companies from the US, Mexico, and Brazil involved, and MILLIONS of dollars at stake.  But it was terribly boring!

I got called for jury duty a couple of years ago, and I was so glad not to be chosen.  Why?  It was a gang related murder trial.  The defendent was a 15 year old female.  It involved one of the more violent gangs.  And one time I sat on a panel of a custoday case.  The child in question was severely disabled but technically an adult, and neither parent wanted custody.  It was so sad, so not getting selected for that was a blessing.

My husband served on a medical-related trial for about three weeks last year.  He said it was pretty interesting.  I won't mind if I get selected today, as long as it's not too boring.  I would welcome a week off work right now with Thanksgiving coming up.  (crazy kids!)  When was the last time you were summoned?  Have you ever served on a trial?

My Happy List

Join Mamarazzi to talk about all the things that are making you happy right now.

My children's high school band (on which my daughter is a member of the color guard) placed 7th overall (out of 32 bands from Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia) in the southwest region at a competition in Atlanta last weekend.  Yippeeeee!

I'm also happy that my husband brought me flowers tonight - pretty, white lillies.  I love them!
I am extremely happy there are only 8 more school days until we are out for a week at Thanksgiving.  And one of those days, I get to go to jury duty instead of teaching.  Woo hooo!

I took my test for English as a Second Language certification today.  I'm happy it's over!

Why are you happy today?

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Autumn Swap

I am so excited to participate in Mamarazzi's latest swap - All things Autumn!  I love fall - the sounds, the smells, the colors. And I can't wait to make some new friends!  This is going to be a great swap!

Puppies vs. Babies

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puppies vs. Babies for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I got an email from a friend a few days ago that said it would rev up my "awww-meter."  It's one I'd received before, of course, with adorable photos of puppies - puppies sleeping, puppies playing, even a puppy in a hot dog bun!  I never get tired of those emails because puppies are just so darn cute!
Isn't our Rocky sweet?

Then again, I love photos of babies, too.  I can't get enough of my stepson's boys!
Precious, right?

Which do you prefer?  A sweet, cuddly baby that giggles, smiles, and coos (a sound you definitely want to record because it's the sweetest sound ever), or a curious, playful puppy that gives you  wet doggy kisses and loves you unconditionally?
The debate is on at the Puppies vs. Babies online contest


You've really got to check out these adorable, squeezable, loveable photos and videos!  Get your vote in now, before it's too late!  You get to help select the winner of $5.000.00.  So, don't just sit there.  Get over to Puppies vs. Babies and vote now!  Finalist photos are up, and the contest will end on November 23rd.
Let me know your opinion in the comments.  Which are cuter?  Puppies or Babies?

Konsyl Review and Giveaway

Fiber.  It's not the most pleasant topic in the world, but it's one that is often necessary, particularly for women.
We all have suffered from diarrhea or constipation at one time or another.  Doctors usually recommend a psyllium fiber supplement.  Konsyl Original is the #1 doctor-recommended brand of fiber supplement.  Fiber can also help lower cholesterol, my main goal.  Fiber can help maintain or lower cholesterol thereby reducing your risk of heart disease.  Fiber actually has numerous health benefits.  So while Mary Poppins might have suggested a spoonful of sugar, I'm suggesting a spoonful of psyllium fiber.

Konsyl comes in a variety of supplement types from powders to capsules.  They also make gluten free and sugar free supplements.  I tried the Konsyl Orange Sugar Free.  It provides 6 grams of psyllium fiber per teaspoon does, which is more than other brands.  It's a smooth, easy to mix powder, and the orange flavor makes it easier for me to drink.  I also tried the Konsyl capsules, which are the easiest way to add fiber to your diet.  The capsules are both sugar free and gluten free.

If you can benefit from adding some fiber to your diet, this is the giveaway for you.  One winner will be able to select one Konsyl product to try.  All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.  If you choose a powder product, you will also receive a shaker cup.  If you would like a second entry, tweet this giveaway and leave a second comment with your tweet link.  It's that simple!

Giveaway is open until 10:00 PM CST on November 11. (US and Canadian residents, please) Winner will be notified immediately and will be required to respond within 24 hours.

This post was written on behalf of Family Review Network and Konsyl who provided the product for review and giveaway.  All opinions are 100% mine.

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Aloha Friday

I'm linking up at Island Life for Aloha Friday.  In Hawaii, Friday is a day to take it easy, so I have a simple question for you.

• Do you prefer chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry milkshakes?

Can't wait to find out!  And why don't you come over to Island Life and link up?  It's fun!

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Friday Confessional

Time to link up with Mamarazzi and let it all out... confess!  It feels good.

I confess...

I have stayed up far too late twice in the last four days, tonight being one of them.  I have no idea how I'm going to function on 5 hours' sleep!  Guess I'll find out!  And when things are finished for the evening, I can't just go to bed.  I have to wind down, which usually means playing a Facebook game, writing a blog post, or both!

I confess...

When we were gone to Atlanta, I missed my cat!  She's laying on me right now.  It's such a stress-reliever to pet a soft kitty.

I confess...

I am getting annoyed with a few teachers at school.  Some are acting in very unprofessional manners while they are out in the hall during class change.  One incident yesterday should have been down-right embarrassing for them!  Glad I wasn't involved.  And these are women who have been teaching a while and should know better.

I'm also perturbed by a couple of our younger teachers who have opinions about everything and feel the need to share those opinions regardless of whether they may offend someone.  A few days ago, one of them added, "no offense" after a comment about pregnant women.  I'm not pregnant, but I once was, and I told her I found her remark offensive.  I just couldn't hold it in any more.  She seemed to take it in unabashed stride, though.

And I confess...

I am taking my ESL certification test next Tuedsay, and I don't feel prepared.  I've studied some, but not enough.  I guess I will have to hit the books this weekend!  (If I pass, it will be my fourth certification.)

What are you confessing today?

My Happy List

I have so much to be happy about and so much to be thankful for right now.  We just returned from a 4-day driving trip to Atlanta, Georgia to watch my kids' high school band and color guard compete with 32 other bands.  My daughter is part of the color guard (the girls who twirl the flags, spin rifles, and dance with other props as part of the half time show with the marching band). 

First, the four buses carrying the band and color guard made it there and back safely.  So did my husband, my son, and I in our car.  It was a 13 hour trip up and 13 hours home, and we all still love each other!

Second, not only did the team make finals, they won 7th overall!  They put on a great show!  I'm so thankful I was there to see my beautiful daughter perform in the Georgia Dome!

What else makes me happy?

The World of Coca-Cola.

The Hard Rock Cafe.

The two men in my life.

And reading.  I  read John Grisham's new novel, The Litigators, on our trip.

I've had an amazingly happy time the past few days.  I hope you have, too!  Link up with Mamarazzi and tell us all about it!

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