Thanksday #47

I don't ever want to be accused of being stuck in a rut. So often out of sheer determination, I'll branch out to try something new.

But you know what? That ol' rut sometimes gets a bad rap.

At home I'm a Coffee Mate Sugar-Free Vanilla coffee creamer girl. For years and years, this is all I've use. (Not regular Vanilla, and not Fat-Free, mind you. Sugar-Free only.) (It tastes better.) (I can't explain that.) Once in a great while, I'll feel adventurous and pick up something new to experiment with. And then I end up hating it.

And have wasted a good $3.98 (everything costs more up here).

So this morning, as I eagerly prepared my Christmas Blend Espresso Roast (thanks, Dad!), I was so eternally happy to be in my Sugar-Free Vanilla Creamer rut.

I've got quite a few other ruts I could share…but I'm saving a "Confessions" post for another time.

(Aren't you thrilled.)

My thankfuls for this week:

1. Palmetto Cheese*. It's truly "The Pimento Cheese With Soul." And I, for one, can testify that I've let out an "Ow! I feel good!" a few times after eating this. There is the regular and the jalapeño…both are equally delicious. I personally recommend eating it with Ritz crackers, but whatever floats your boat. Just get some! (One piece of advice, however…don't read the nutritional content label. Just eat it.)

* Editor's note: I almost passed it up because of the Comic Sans font on the label, but once I got past that I hardly even notice anymore. (And by 'hardly' I mean I want to redesign that thing every time I open the fridge.)

2. Elf on the Shelf. We've been playing a bit of Dawgopoly in our house this week, and our silly little elf decided to get in on the action. He even participated in an auction with himself, which tickled Jaana to no end. He's been the source of many a laugh this past week.

3. The Internet. I never cease to be amazed at the power of the internet. Just this week, a friend and I were discussing the theme song to Laverne & Shirley, and we were confused about the words in the very beginning of the song. I pulled up the lyrics in about 5.4 seconds and we were able to move on. As my friend so eloquently put it, "We're able to cover so much more ground on our phone calls because of the internet." It's so true. Because a solid 10 more minutes could have been wasted trying to figure that out if we didn't have the Google. Instead, we were able to delve into much more important topics like the origination of the term "up in arms" and me trying to explain what's in my mind's eye when I hear it. 

4. The New & Improved* Good Housekeeping Logo. Seriously. I'm aware of how completely random this is. But I see this logo a ton, and I really love how they've updated it. The simplicity, the new clean fonts…it actually makes me want to buy products that carry this logo on them. (And yes, I also totally judge books by their cover.) See for yourself -- doesn't the new one make you take a visual breath of fresh air? Ahhhhh. Less is more.

* A bonus random thought, free of charge - the phrase "new and improved" is an oxymoron and doesn't make sense. It can't be improved if it's NEW. I was being ironical in my heading.

5. A Free Weekend in Which to be Sick. So the weekend before last was a crazy weekend full of family in town, Jaana's Narnia production and Paxton's birthday. But this past weekend was the only totally empty weekend on the calendar, and I was really looking forward to some quality family time and the freedom to be all "devil may care" with our schedule.

Well.

I woke up Friday morning feeling a little off. And as the day progressed and we Christmas-shopped, I felt worse. I ended up in bed before 9 that night, and spent all day Saturday laying down. That night I was in bed before 9 yet again (thus further putting myself in the "MeMaw" category) and I woke up Sunday feeling about 50% better. I'm still not back to normal, but when will I ever be normal?

All this to say…this was the perfect weekend to be sick. Sandwiched between Paxton's birthday and Christmas, it was truly the best time for me to be down and out, if I had to be down and out.

6. The Book of Luke. Yes, I'm talking about the Bible. In my quiet time this week, I was so happy to discover that in the first few chapters, at least half of the sentences start with "And." (At least in my ESV Bible they do, I haven't compared other translations.) 

And I start sentences with "and" all the time. 

And I sometimes wonder if people think it's improper. 

And then I think if it's good enough for the telling of the arrival of our Lord and Savior from heaven to earth, it should be good enough for me. 

And good enough the handful of you who read this.

So there.

7. Being Ahead of the Curve (for once). This is the first Christmas in years in which I have not had to absolutely s-c-r-a-m-b-l-e to get things ready for Christmas. My gifts arrived to the West Coast last week and are ready to be opened. Christmas cards were also sent out last week (we ordered half of what we used to, so if you didn't get one I'm sorry!). Got Greg's last gift today. All Jaana's gifts are wrapped (minus Santa's gifts, natch) and so are Greg's. All I have left to do, honestly, is wrap Paxton's presents and then buy groceries for Christmas dinner. FOR REAL! It's a Christmas miracle. I wonder if this accomplished feeling is how Ma Ingles felt after plopping the orange in the girls' knit stockings after they went to bed on Christmas Eve? I'm sure it is. 

8. My Bible Bookmarks. Jaana made these for me a few years ago, and I've kept them in my Bible as bookmarks ever since. Every time I open to them, I think of my sweet girl. And I smile big.

9. A Musical Genius. I'm just going to say it - Paxton is well on his way to being the next Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman or Christy Nockels. (Okay, maybe not Christy so much.) He is in love with music, and knows all my choir music as well as I do. Note for note, even. (Sadly, he's best at alto since that's all I listen to.) His only problem right now is tempo, but at two years old it's hard to sing as fast as your uber-pitchy Mama. He's very adamant about listening to particular songs in the car, and will belt it out with you when you're learning. 

He's the mountainy version of Harry Connick, Jr., really. 

But cuter.

10. Quiet Time. I've had the pleasure of awaking early quite a few mornings this week to enjoy my Christmas Blend and creamer, and Bible reading. It's been a wonderful time for me…and sadly, too long since I've been really consistent with it. Jaana woke up early one morning, and the two of us read Luke 2, and had some great laughter and conversation about what it must have been like to be Mary in each situation. She particularly loved how everyone said, "Behold!" all the time, and has incorporated it into her daily repertoire. I'm trying to make any Bible stories we talk about really relatable and fun…I don't ever want her to think reading the Bible is boring and a chore.

Your turn! Let me know what you're thankful for this week and share the love. Leave a comment below or link up with Candra. It'll be the best rut you'll ever be in.