....THE BLESSINGS JUSTKEEP POURING IN!.....DAY 15....

OH. MY. GOSH.....

I'M GOING TO ART N SOUL IN VIRGINIA!

YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!!

I'M GOING TO ART N SOUL IN VIRGINIA!

My husband wins the award for "MOST SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND OF AN ARTIST" hands down! Don't even nominate yours - Frank the Tank has it in the bag! LOL

.....I attended Art n Soul in Portland last month - it was my first art retreat.

I adored it.

I want more of it.

Today I am going to be registering for my classes in Virginia and I am so excited!

I'm excited about this retreat for different reasons than Art n Soul, Portland....

God willing, I will be taking two classes involving soldering, one class involving making jewelry from things in my junk drawer (oh, yeah!!) and a painting class that should help me get down to a child's level when painting - that's exciting!

So, today's blessing???

Hands down, I am blessed with the MOST SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND OF AN ARTIST.

OOPS, YESTERDAY WAS TUESDAYAND I FORGOT!!THAT'S SO LIKE ME! LOLTHE DAYS OF BLESSINGS GO ON!!

Oh, brother! I forgot to blog yesterday's Day of Blessing but remembered to blog today's, yesterday......hahaha!!
So today I'll blog yesterday's blessing and I'll be back on track.
Well, for a day....
Maybe that's what today's blessing should be.............I'M BLESSED WITH WHAT LITTLE MEMORY I HAVE LEFT.

Any of you that are my age, 24 + 30, know what I'm talking about!
A memory is a terrible thing to lose! But, I'm not compaining....it's like I say, it could always be worse!
Think about it for a minute.
If my memory was any better than it is, I would remember the things that pass through my life every day that I just as soon forget I ever saw or heard...

Like the "News at Ten" headliner tonight about the lady that saw Jesus in her pancake.

Or last night at Clay's basketball game when I told a lady how much I enjoyed her daughter, Mrs. S., who is a teacher at our high school.
I had just met Mrs. S.'s father and I ASSUMED that the lady with him was his younger wife and Mrs. S's mom, therefore my heartfelt comment.
Okay, cut to the chase.....
the part where having just a little memory is a blessing.....
Mrs. S's father is 91 (HEY, he was spry!) and the "lady with him" wasn't his wife, it was Mrs. S's SISTER.
YES, sister.
And, YES, that cost me three candy bars from the concession stand.
Not to mention that even when my memory of the most embarrassing moment of my life passes, Mrs. S. is sure to be able to recall it in all it's gory detail.

There are more stories of equal mortification to the teller but thank goodness I can't remember them....."BLESSED ARE THOSE WITH LITTLE MEMORY".....

HARRY & DAVID PEARS - What a BLESSING!! day 13

Fall is my favorite time of year! I love the colors, the change in the weather, the apples, and most of all, ordering Harry & David pears! Oh, my gosh, you have not lived until you've had a Harry & David pear.....heck, any of their fruit! It is amazing and though a wee bit pricey, makes a great "gift to self" (kind of like "note to self" but so much better!) and we give them as Christmas gifts every year to those people that are impossible to shop for.

So, I would have to say that Harry & David blesses me!
I am blessed by Harry & David every fall because I believe in "gift to self"!

Oh, and I guess I should fess up.....the pears in this post, though they are in my kitchen, are not Harry & David pears. They are, however, pears from dear friends that brought them to us from Pennsylvania, and they are delicious.....but they're not Harry & David.
The pears I'll be eating in, oh, about a week, now THOSE will be Harry & David! hahaha

GAS IN THE DENTIST'S CHAIR....A BLESSING???? - Day 12

I went to the dentist's this morning to have my teeth cleaned.
I LOVE going to the dentist's!
I LOOK FORWARD to going to the dentist's!
And all because of one little word.
............."GAS".............
I get gas at the dentist's.
It's really the only public place I welcome getting gas.
It's expected.
The nurses know that when Mrs. Thomason comes for anything from a teeth cleaning to a crown, she's gunna have gas.

And that's my blessing for today.
I am blessed because I get gas at the dentist's office.

Oh, you can get gas at the dentist's office, too.
When you make your appointment, just tell them that you want gas.
And then when you get there, you'll climb into the chair, they'll put the gas mask over your nose, you'll close your eyes, and you'll dream.
And you won't care that you're at the dentist's office.
And you'll look forward to going back the next time.

Trust me.

You won't be sorry and I just might make it onto your Christmas list...

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FIXINTO LAUGH OUT LOUD!

When I was writing my blog post last night (the Gift of Laughter) I kept thinking about the email 'forwards' that I have received over the years.
There's like two catagories....you know what I'm talking about - well, some of you do.

There are the forwards that are SUPPOSED to be funny that are simply, well, dim.
That's certainly no reflection on the sender....and it's okay because you come to recognize the sender's name, you see the word "forward" and you simply delete and go on your way.

Ahhhhhh, but then there's the forwards that are SUPPOSED to be funny THAT ARE FUNNY!.....You see the sender's name, you see the word "forward", and you know you are fixin to laugh out loud!!! WOOHOO!!

I have a folder for "forwards" I want to keep. The ones that make me laugh out loud, blow diet Coke out of my nose, snort, put my head between my knees so I won't faint from not being able to breathe - it's for the ones that I KNOW I will never tire of - the one's that I will want to pass down to my children's children.

This is one of those 'keepers'. It may very well be my all time favorite.
Watch it, make a 'keepers' folder for it and then forward it....you'll be on your way to getting that reputation we all covet....the sender of fowards that ARE funny!

It's called Mother's Day.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER! DAY 11...

Laughter!!!

Oh, how I adore laughing! How I live for that next moment in my life where I can't breathe because I'm laughing so hard!! Those moments where I have tears running down my cheeks. Those times where I am so tickled that I am *almost* embarrassed!

I was born to laugh. I was born to find the "funny" where there is no funny. I was born to find humor in the oddest of places, in the most wrong of places....it's who I am.

My mother thinks my sense of humor is, at times, anything but humorous. On more than one occasion she has said that "people don't always think you're funny....they can't tell when you're teasing".....

Oh, and she's been right more than one time, I'm sure of it! But, you know what? As hard as I might try, as good as I might try to be, I can't help myself! This is who I am - excitable, easily entertained, spirited, "one who teases".....it's all me and for most of my life I have tried to NOT be all of those things....until about five years ago.....

It was then that God told me, showed me actually, that it's okay to be me and that I don't need to "settle down"; I don't need to "calm down"....I just need to be me!

Oh, it was so freeing! I am now free to find the humor where no one else does, tease with a heart, be easily entertained and not be ashamed of being too loud, of laughing too much, of snorting, of getting excited about life and of laughing so hard that my diet Coke streams out of my nose! WOO HOO!!

To me, it all ties in together....the easily excitable, one who teases, has a loud laugh, laughs too much (is there really such a thing???), is always looking for the next "i can't breathe" moment......it all equals ME.

THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER.......that is my blessing for today.

This flea market tent was set up at Round Top, Texas '06, and was *shocking* my favorite one!

MY BEDROOM...MY SANCTUARY...MY 10TH DAY OF BLESSINGS...

The bunny sitting on my bed is Marilyn. I've had her for several years and have loved her for many.....she's named after my Aunt Marilyn, a collector of bunnies, who died of ovarian cancer about 6 years ago. When I originally bought her, I did so just because I thought she was beautiful!
It wasn't until my Aunt Marilyn died that she was named.
It wasn't until she died that I started loving her and she became a part of my sanctuary.

Today I am thankful for my sanctuary - my bedroom.
There are some days that I walk down the long hallway to the master bedroom that I will start to grin on the inside, or I will hear, "thankyouthankyouthankyou" in my heart as I get closer, or I will think to myself, "Oh, goody, goody, goody, I'm going to shut the door, put on some p.j.'s, ew, ew, ew, get my Somerset Studio, my glass of ice water, see what I've Tivo'd....ahhhhhhhhh."
And, admittedly, there are some times that the hall seems really long...
In a house full of boys *we have three*, my bedroom is the one place I know I can be alone. The one place I know that I won't be disturbed. The one place where I can let my hair down (I know some of you are giggling), be alone if I choose to be, visit with Frank the Tank *DH*, pet my dog, put my feet up, read a magazine, catch up on blogs, watch something "educational" on T.V. (uh, hello, I'm learning how to operate on Grey's Anatomy), have a Pity Party.........
Our bed is a huge California king size that is set high off of the floor (even my feet hang when sitting on the edge!). I picked out the fabrics, had the bedding made to resemble vintage homestead and did the rest of the room around the look of the bed - I knew from the start of the project that I wanted my bedroom to feel like a sanctuary when I walked in - a place where I would instinctively sigh...................
I keep my lotions, my cell, and books of all kinds on my nightstand. Everything from inspirational to suspense - I usually have about four books going at one time for those nights where sleep eludes me.
At the foot of the bed is a sitting area with an armoire where we keep our T.V. and I keep the most current issues of Somerset Studio, Cloth, Paper and Scissors, books & zines of favorite artists...ahhhhh!
I hope you've enjoyed the tour of my sanctuary, my cocoon - a place that blesses me every single day.

on DAY 9 of "30 DAYS OF BLESSINGS" let's BLESS A SOLDIER!

I am so excited about today's "blessing" post that I am staying up late to make sure I get it posted today, the day it's due! (I was sorely tempted to post it early tomorrow morning instead of tonight! LOL)

But it's too important to put off and I'm too excited to tell you about what blesses me today!!

Last Sunday I was told about a soldier, a Marine, overseas, that is not receiving anything from home. No letters, no care packages, no attention, no show of love or support.

I know that there must be many soldiers that don't receive support from home but this particular soldier is someone whom's name God has given me. And since I know his name, I'm going to adopt him! My husband and I are taking him under our wing and that's what blesses me today!!

It blesses me that God has put this Marine in my path

to pray for specifically, to write to, send packages to, to bake for (guess I'll have to get some guidelines for that, huh. Can anyone out there help me with that??)

And here's where it gets even better!!!.....

Do you want to help me? Do you have a Sunday School class, club, group of friends, family, YOU....that would like to help bless this Marine AND HIS COMPANY??? Think of what we could do if we all joined together and reached out to this one Marine and the men and women he serves with?? OMG, SUCH BLESSINGS!!

If you're interested in being a part of this blessing, email me at thomranch@hctc.net and I'll hook you up with his address and any information I get on how to best bless him.

Any way that you want to help would be fabulous!

You can help me with care packages, write letters, join the prayer list, do your own thing from your own corner of the world..........oh, heck, email me and we'll talk about it!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO!!! God strikes again! More blessings!!

BUTTONS & BOWSCHURCH CHRISTMAS BAZAAR '07and a surprise guest....

This weekend is my church's annual Buttons and Bows Christmas Bazaar. It was started oh, I think about six years ago; maybe five. Anyway, it's two days only and in those two days, get this, our lady's church bazaar NETS $20,000.00. Can you believe that?

Well, it doesn't just happen......the ladies of the church work from the week after one bazaar until the next one to get everything done to have such success.
And what do they do with the money they raise??
They give it to the church.......the last four or five years it's all gone into the building fund for the new church we built 1 1/2 years ago.

These are amazing women who are dedicated to the furtherance of God's kingdom by doing what they can do, whether it's sew, glue, cut, sell, set up, tear down, bake, sort....there's a job for any and everyone who wants to serve in this way.

And let me tell you something....I'm sure they would all agree that THEY are the ones blessed through this ministry!

I did my part this year by shopping.....it's one of my gifts and I try to be obedient!

Look at this rag purse I bought - it screamed my name and was only $18.00.
I know, EIGHTEEN DOLLARS! What a steal!
Old quilts, handmade teddy bears, jams, jellies, pickles...............
A beautiful harvest box!
A handmade quilted turkey atop a beautiful pumpkin box.

And now for your reading enjoyment.......

Let me introduce you to my special guest.....now I'm not dissing this wonderful older woman below, in fact, what I really wanted to do instead of sneaking a picture of her to show you was to wrestle her to the ground and claim those dangling earbobs from her ears as my own!

Now, I used a zoom to capture her earbobs but am really afraid she might have caught on to the fact that I was taking her picture and not a picture of the only display near her - the Belly Button Fuzz Buster pipecleaners (don't ask). I just acted non-chalant, adjusted the "press" card on my hat and acted like those BBFB's were worthy of front page coverage.

But I had to take her picture! She sparkled from her hair (I swear, I think she has her hair dresser put glitter in her do!), to her specs, to her earrings. And I'm sure that under that scowl is a GREAT BIG sparkle!!! I think she's precious!

DAY 8 of the "THIRTY DAYS OF BLESSINGS"

I have spent all day thinking about what I would write about today.
Actually, I haven't just been thinking about what I would write about, I've actually wrestled with it.
I refuse to say that I'm "having a bad day". My belief is, "you name it, you claim it", and it just sticks in my craw to name a bad day.....
however, I'm not so naive as to not be able to recognize a day that's not one of my better!
...and today was one of those; in the line of many, actually.
However, it is not my nature to complain.
I hate to hear people complain because every time I do I am always reminded that "it could always be worse".
None of us has anything to complain about because, I promise, there is someone out there that has it much worse than you or I do *and they're probably within a few feet of you at any moment...*.

So, okay, here's today's blessing:
I am blessed with the knowledge in my head and in my heart that I.....AM.....BLESSED.
I have nothing to complain about..........ever........WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I may have had two Pity Parties (RULE: they may not last longer than 20 minutes) today, but after 20 minutes I pulled myself out of them and started focusing on my blessings.

It works.
And, thank God it does.

THE MANY BLESSINGS OF NOVEMBER CONTINUE....

from left to right: my brother, RUSS, sister JOAN, MOM, ME, sister JEAN, AND baby brother, RANDY.
WHAT A BLESSING MY MOM, BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE TO ME! ....Not to mention how blessed I am with my sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins! Ours is a big, close family and when I come across people who are not blessed to have a large, tight-knit family, I am made even more aware of how blessed I am to be so close to mine.

Oh, but it hasn't always been that way...
My brothers AND MY sisters have been known to tell the most awful lies about how bossy I was as the oldest child. They have spread vicious rumors about how I would "claw" them with my fingernails, how I would *tattle* and boss them around, how I would tell my youngest brother that he was adopted until I made him cry.
Oh, come on!!!
Why, anyone that knows me, knows that it would be impossible for me to be anything but nice.
.....Everyone knows that my favorite saying is, "because nice matters".
Well, where do you think that came from???
Do you think I just pulled it out of the air???
NO.
It came, I feel certain, from my deep abiding love for all mankind, especially those less fortunate than me - those dipsticks I was forced to babysit....my psycho siblings.

In fact, just the fact that I would consider my siblings a blessing is a miracle in itself....
because I REMEMBER.....
...coming home late at night (during college break) and having to walk alone through our long kitchen in the pitch black because I couldn't get the light switch to work because one of the brats had balanced the switch at the other end of the kitchen so that the switch at my end wouldn't turn on the lights.
And even though I knew, I KNEW, those r*t*rds were all waiting to jump out and scare me, I would still be so scared that I would scream bloody murder when I heard the first "boo".
It's no wonder I have high blood pressure today.
Brats.
Oh, and I remember when we lived in Leawood, Kansas, and I was like in the 4th grade and we had this huge patio on the back of the house with probably 100 flood lights. Those spiteful little snakes would wait 'til dark and would lock me out of the house, turn on all 500 of the flood lights so that every JUNE BUG IN KANSAS could find me and ATTACK ME.
ATTACK ME AND PROBABLY SUCK BLOOD RIGHT OUT OF ME.

Well, that's what I remember.....I'm only touching on a couple of the highlights, but I think you get the picture. I know that from reading this post you can fully appreciate why we are so close today and why I love them so dearly.

Oh, and where was my MOTHER when all of this was going on???....I'll save "Mom as a Blessing" for another post.

NOVEMBER 6TH IS ONE OF MYMOST BLESSED DAYS!!

This is day 6 of the "Month of Blessings" and it must be dedicated to our eldest child, Craig, because it is his birthday!
Above is my favorite picture......Blake and Craig at Christmas time in the guest house at the ranch....proof positive that Craig adored his younger brother....(and that Blake was worthy of that love! Look at those faces!!)

Craig at the ranch this summer (above) and playing rugby for Angelo State University (below).

So...

Craig Merrit Thomason is our oldest child. He was born on November 6th, 22 years ago...

"Happy birthday, my sweet, sweet boy. "

Are you rolling your eyes, Craig, because I referred to you as my "sweet BOY"??
Well, don't.
It's not necessary.
Let me explain why....

You are my first born.
And when you were born you were my sweet, sweet boy.

Then you began to grow up....
You started Kindergarden and you were my sweet, sweet boy.

Then you played YMCA basketball, Little League baseball, and you were your daddy's helper.
You were also my sweet, sweet boy.

When you were in 5th grade I remember being so proud of you because you stood still and tall for something YOU thought was right, something that you liked, no matter that everyone, including your friends, thought your hair parted down the middle looked goofy.
Oh, don't get me wrong, it did look goofy.
But you didn't care what anyone thought............you liked it and you stood firm.
And you were my sweet, sweet boy.

In junior high and high school you suffered through all of the things kids suffer through................
your parents at times were insufferable in your eyes, I'm sure.
There were some rough times, but you know what?
You were ALWAYS my sweet, sweet boy.


College was hard on me.
Letting you go and acting like it wasn't that big of a deal.................
but I think you knew how hard it was on me and that's why you remained
my sweet, sweet boy.

And now you're 22 years old.
An adult.
Oh, please, let me say, "young adult"!
And you are involved in a relationship, a sport, an education, a healthy way of living that I am so proud of - you are turning into the young adult that I have dreamed of and that God knew you would turn into...
and you're my sweet, sweet boy.

So, do you understand now that you will ALWAYS be my sweet, sweet boy???

I absolutely adore you, Craig.
I cherish our relationship - the ups and downs because they have only made our bond stronger in the long run and in the scheme of things, they haven't even been that big of a deal - I cherish our hugs, our time together, dinner with all of us at the dinner table laughing so hard that we can't swallow, watching you and your brothers become best friends, I so enjoy watching you and your daddy spend quality time together....

You are my life.
You are my sweet, sweet boy,

and I love you more,

mom