P.S. Thanks...

With the Thanksgiving holiday on my heels, I woke up this morning thinking about all of the Thanksgivings in my life. The ones I remember the most clearly were at my Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt's house. My grandpa Leavitt pulled out all of the stops. There were mountains of mashed potatoes, plenty of olives for little kids to stick on their fingers, long tables crowded in their living room adorned with tall glasses and fabric napkins elegantly folded, and of course the star of the show was the turkey. It was a work of art, perfectly cooked and stuffed with celery and olive stuffing, and on the breast, was an intricate pattern of bay leaves and who knows what else carefully placed under the skin. I haven't seen a turkey to equal it since, especially since I can't remember the last time I was able to spend Thanksgiving at my Grandma Leavitt's house, and my grandpa passed away more than twelve years ago. But I think that Thanksgiving will forever remind me of him. Sometimes I feel cheated. I feel cheated whenever I step onto my grandma's walk and notice that there aren't any over-fertilized hollyhocks the size of my head anymore, when I realize that my kids won't ever see that clever twinkle that he sometimes got, and you knew that something exciting and fun was going to happen, and that they won't be able to have Thanksgivings like I had as a little kid. I know if he were here he'd tell me to knock it off, and be thankful for the people who I'll see around the table this holiday. And he's absolutely right. There's a lot to be thankful for, even with this economy.
I recently started carrying around a little pocket book that listed everything I could think of that I was thankful for, and so, here are a few things from it:
My thankful list:

~phone calls & text messages
~second chances
~spontaneity
~little hands to hold
~sunrises
~the ability to heal
~the ability to change
~Ben, Jerry, and their marvelous ice cream
~husbands
~mothers and fathers
~sisters and brothers
~grandparents
~family in all forms
~laugh lines
~winks
~friends
~people who read this blog
~warm conversations
~education
~anthems
~Don's mischievous smile
~giggles
~long conversations
~holidays
~cameras
~letters
~delete buttons
~forgiveness
~hope
~winter nights
~earplugs
~tickle tortures
~answered prayers
~hot chocolate
~ultrasounds
~hearing my baby's heartbeat for the first time
~the look on Don's face when I told him he was going to be a dad
~Ashley calling me a mean name when I told her she was going to be an aunt because she didn't believe me (apparently I've used that one too many times...)
~graduation being only three weeks away
~dinosaur pajamas
~Dorito eating-sisters
~memories
~morning sickness
~chocolate
~things that don't make me gag (tying my shoes makes me gag now...)
~seasons
~the fact that someone who is infinitely smarter and wiser than me is running the universe
~the chance to be a mother

"Out of All the Charlie Browns in the world, You're the Charlie Browniest"

This is for all of you Charlie Brown fans out there. This has got to be one of my favorite all time movies. My little nephew Jaden reminds me of Linus. He always carries a blanket around and sucks his thumb. This only makes bless Charles Schultz's name even more. He was genius I tell you, shear genius. And I have a mad crush on Snoopie.
The reason I have this on my blog is because I'm winterizing it. I should probably be winterizing my car first, but this is more fun. And although I'm usually strongly opposed to even listening to Christmas music before December (because when I was in high school due to choir and dance I'd have to start listening before Halloween), this year I'm pretty excited for Christmas. In fact, contrary to my beliefs I found myself listening to carols on Halloween. It's so hypocritical, I'm so embarrassed. I blame that dang Martha Stewart. I was in the grocery store the other day at the check out stand when I spotted a cover of her magazine with little felted stuffed animals and snowflakes and birds. I bought it. And I've been excited ever since, with literal visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. %#@* Martha.
And so, to assuage my hunger for all things Christmas, I've come up with this lovely play list. and at the top is Good 'ol Charlie Brown's Christmas music. Yes, Charlie, Christmas time is here, at least for me.