Thankful Thursday

Haven't seen one of these in a while, huh?

1. Modern conveniences. I'm really thankful that I can put dirty clothes in my washer, move the clean wet clothes to a dryer, and then just have to fold them and put them away. And I love that I can put my dishes in a dishwasher, push a button and go do something fun while the machine does the work. I sometimes wonder how people ever had time to have ANY fun before these things were around.

2. Hot water in my house. Okay, so maybe this is sort of like #1, but indoor plumbing isn't as modern a convenience as the dishwasher (I don't think). While I was on my mission, I saw a lot of women and children carrying 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from far away. They had to carefully conserve it to bathe, cook, wash dishes, etc. And it wasn't hot. So every once in a while when I turn on my hot water to rinse my hands off, or fill a pan with water, or wash Lauren's face, I just feel a little bit of gratitude for being able to do that without worrying about it.

3. Good-natured kids. Seriously. My kids have their moments, but overall, they are pretty darn well behaved.

4. Some extra hours at work, and opportunities to make some extra money on the side. Yeah, have to support my recent Pampered Chef addiction somehow.

5. The chance to try new things. In the past couple of weeks I've tried sushi, zumba, jicama, and yoga. Some experiences were better than others.

6. Jeff. I'm pretty lucky to have a husband who is so supportive of me. He encourages me to develop my talents. He tells me I'm beautiful. He lights up when he sees me, and I love it.