Thanksgiving Pizza

This is our first and hopefully our last Thanksgiving with no family. Many nice friends have given us invites to their Thanksgiving feasts. I prefer to wallow in my self pity at home, thanks. For some reason, crashing someone else's family festivities, eating with mostly strangers, seems worse than being home and pretending it is not Thanksgiving at all.

So, we are home. There is a take and bake pizza in the fridge ready to go. The kids are outside playing in the warm Arizona sun. It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving at all. I just wish the announcers for the Football game would stop bringing up food and family.

That said, I do feel the need to write my thankful list, though there is no ceramic turkey to put it in.

I am thankful for caffeinated beverages and Sonic coupons to buy them with. Thanks Brisday, the drive-thu girl, for giving me stacks of coupons every day!

I am thankful for Craigslist and Freecycle, because I have developed my husband's family's love of scrounging for free stuff, in hopes I can turn it into something amazing. Best finds this year: 60" rear projection TV, bags and bags of knit fabric, a kiddie pool, and a coffee table.

I am thankful for PBS kids. I love that it can keep my kids occupied for a good share of the morning while I put the house back together from the previous day. And it is educational, so I feel less guilty about letting them watch it for hours.

I am thankful for the his and hers corners in our house. One for Drama Queen and one for Monkey Boy.

I am thankful for cereal, PB and J, Mac 'n Cheese, and hotdogs. Without them my children would probably starve.

I am thankful for our home.

I am thankful for unexpected blessings popping into our lives when we need them most. A check in the mail, bags of boy clothes from a friend, a scholarship for Kate's preschool.

Thankful for my parents for all their help, flour, corn and potatoes from home. My mom for talking to me everyday and being my friend.

Thankful for my hubby's parents too. They have helped us tons over years. Just finished off the last of the frozen meals his mom put together for us when the baby came and still have a pantry full of good food. Amazingly helpful as I have adjusted to life with 3.

I am thankful for perfect, wee toes, fingers, ears and big, happy, toothless grins.

I love unexpected bear hugs and slobbery kisses from a sometimes tender and sweet Monkey Boy.

I am grateful for Drama Queen's unique perspective and wisdom.

I am really, really, really thankful for my kind and patient husband, because we all know I am sometimes not that kind and definitly not that patient. He does his best to make me happy, and mostly I am.

I am grateful for my Heavenly Father and his tender mercies. For his guidance in my life and the comfort it gives me to know everything will be all right in the end; I just need to hang on.