Thank You, Veterans

Once our son enlisted in the Army and spent a tour overseas in Iraq, we realized the depth of thankfulness and pride we had for our son and his fellow servicemen and women.

Thank you. To each and every branch, to every single troop, to all locations of service, and to every type of work, again, I say, "Thank you!"

Thank you for your selfless service and sacrifice for our country. We appreciate you and what you have done.

Thank you for being willing to leave behind your own family - wives, husbands, parents, children, grandchildren, relatives, friends - and travel to far flung destinations. You missed much. Thank you for being willing to miss the day-to-day life events - for us.

Thank you for staring danger and discomfort straight in the face.

Thank you. From the bottom (and top and middle) of my heart, I say thank you.

And families of servicemen and women. Thank you for your sacrifice. The waiting and the missing is never easy.

For those who did not return the way we prayed, my heart is with you. For those who came home draped with a flag, my heart breaks for you and your family.

Thank you.

May we never forget.

Thankful Thursday Brought to You by the Letter Vv

Today brings thankfulness for things beginning with the letter Vv. I don't think this will be a long list!

~ veterinarians to care for my kitties (and assorted other pets)

~ Valentines Day - it's so nice to know one is loved

~ vegetables. Now I sound like Kevin, the joke being that on his headstone we shall put "I ate my vegetables and took my vitamins." LOL

~ variety, the spice of life

~ vouchers for free stuff

~ views of the beauty found in God's creation

~ Valley (Yakima) and other valleys of safe harbor and lush agriculture

~ value given by God's gift of Jesus

~ Vermont. Have you been? It's beautiful.

~ Versailles. Again, gorgeous and slightly intimidating. Worth a visit though.

~ visitors

~ veterans. Thank you, veterans. Thank you!

~ Victory. In. Jesus.

~ voice with which to speak to my loved ones

~ vision with which to view my loved ones and the wonders of nature



Voila! Very varied list, despite my lack of vision and expectation.

What are you thankful for that begins with Vv?


Thanks for sharing this blog. Have a vabulous, vantastic day!

Thankful Thursday Brought to You By the Letter Jj

Today is Thankful Thursday, brought to you by the letter Jj.

Things beginning with Jj for which I am thankful:

~ Jesus

~ jelly beans

~ jack-o-lanterns

~ Jehovah

~ jasmine

~ jelly

~ jays (birds)

~ jet planes (to take me places)

~ jobs (to earn money for living expenses)

~ joints (NOT that kind; the ones on my body so I can bend and move)

~ journeys = adventures

~ July (summer vacation)

~ junipers

~ John (the book of)

~ johns (as in toilets; I do love indoor plumbing - as opposed to outdoor)

~ joy

~ June, the month of our 30th anniversary

~ jokes

~ jerky, especially pepper and teriyaki


Just joking and jesting, but jiggling jello doesn't jump and makes a jubilant mess on my jeans. (My silly attempt to use lots of Jj words in one sentence.)

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday - Brought to You By the Letter Hh

Brought to you by the letter Hh, Thankful Thursday is once again upon us.

Here are some things beginning with Hh for which I am thankful.

~ heart

~ HUGS

~ hands

~ hips - for holding babies and grands

~ horses

~ hands

~ hawks

~ helpers (like the cat who is practically on my keyboard)

~ Hawaii

~ HAWKS (as in Seahawks)

~ hair (on my head, not on my chin or upper lip)

~ happy faces bathed in contentment

~ harmony

~ Harrison Ford :)

~ health (good, with which I am blessed)

~ Hebrews (the people and the book)

~ heirlooms

~ Hills (my maiden name, so my family)

~ hogs (love my bacon)

~ honey bees and their honey

~ hummingbirds

~ hydrangeas

~ H2O


What are thankful for that begins with Hh?

Happy hunting.

Thankful Thursday - Thankful for Things Beginning with the Letter E

It's Thankful Thursday! Today I am thinking of things that begin with the letter E for which I am thankful. (Let me tell you, E is a challenging letter. Can't wait for X.)

I am thankful for:

~ Elohim

~ eyes - to see the wonder of my children and grands and God's creation

~ elbows - how else to hold up my head if my elbows didn't bend?

~ elephants

~ eagles

~ egrets

~ electricity

~ ears - all the better to hear you with, my dear

~ email (not spam)

~ eggs - to eat

~ eggs - new life

~ errors - to learn from (such as, don't end with a preposition or don't microwave eggs or don't say unkind things about someone else - they will find out and their feelings will be hurt)

~ excitement

~ existence - here on planet Earth, and later in Heaven

~ England (I do love to visit)

~ éclair!

~ equines


Did I miss anything extra engaging?

Angie Quantrell strives to be thankful and give thanks in all things. She also enjoys (another e word!) playing with letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and entire stories. As a person oriented to print, this is exactly true.

Thankful Thursday - Thanks for Things Beginning with the Letter C

It's Thankful Thursday! Today, I am thankful that I remembered!

Things for which I am thankful that start with the letter C:

~ Christ

~ Creation

~ cream (frozen with chocolate on top)

~ cheese

~ chocolate (this may appear more than once)

~ cabbage, cauliflower, corn, carrots

~ cooking (I adore cooking meals for captive crowds)

~ creating (creating is curiously captivating)

~ cornflower blue

~ cats (though I would give you the one that just brought delivered a headless rat - into the bedroom)

~ climbing roses

~ crocheting warm cozies

~ cradles with babies

~ cuddling

~ cabins

~ contacts (I can see ever so much better with contacts than glasses, unless I am writing or reading)

~ camping

~ cameras

~ Christmas

~ computers

~ crayons (oh, yeah)

~ cantaloupe

~ Cape Cod

~ coffee (whew, almost forgot it!)

~ caramel

~ C.S. Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia

~ children (especially grand-children)

~ cars (so much easier to get around)

~ chorizo (Mmm!)

~ church

~ Cross (as in THE Cross)

~ chrysalids (butterflies be coming soon)


Certainly not a comprehensive compendium of C-related things, but allow me to complete this post with a few more cognitive contemplations: camels, complex carbohydrates, caresses, concerts, and compliments.

How creative can you be in sharing items for which you are thankful that begin with C? Comment below.

Thanks!

Angie Quantrell loves to play with words and was accused of luring fellow classmates to her groups with her love of quickly solving confusing puzzles. Mostly, her husband is the one who complains about competing with her enjoyment of consonants and vowels. Cela vie!

Thankful Thursday - Thankful for Things that Begin with B

Wow. Last Thursday for me was Thoughtless Thursday! I totally forgot to be thankful until Friday. Hello, wake up brain!

So, back to the regularly scheduled Thankful Thursday. Onward and upward!

Today, I am going to list things beginning with the letter B for which I am thankful.

~ Bible (best book)

~ babies (can't wait to meet new Baby Gage in June)

~ brothers

~ boys

~ bananas

~ bread

~ bikes (bicycles and motorcycles)

~ broccoli

~ books (I can't believe it took me this long into the list to think of books!)

~ best friends

~ Border collies (though I am not smart enough to have one, I mean I don't have enough time for both of us to be trained)

~ believers

~ beaches

~ balconies

~ brownies

~ basking

~ bacon (anything with bacon!)

~ barns, barns, barns

~ birds

~ bras (gotta hold up the girls)

~ bees

~ birthdays

~ buds (the plant kind, you know, the ones that mean spring is coming and the garden is growing)

~ blankies

~ buddies


What about you? What are you thankful for that begins with B?

A fun game involving balancing pirate penguins on a boat


Angie Quantrell strives to live a thankful life. She forgets sometimes, but that is only because her burners are full. Give thanks with a grateful heart.

A Month of Thanks - November 30 - You, My Readers

Take a peek in the mirror. I am thankful for you!

Today, November 30, I am thankful for you, the readers of this blog.

Thank you for taking time to read what I write about the happenings in my life. I love sharing pictures and tales with you, frustrations, challenges, successes, and much more. You are the inspiration for my muse.

Some things I love to share with you ~

loves
funny stories
differences of opinion with my man
the kitties
the grands
the children
the parental units
books
recipes
hobbies
travel adventures
friends
thanks
problems
joys
'issues'
my faith

Thank you. You make it all worthwhile.

P.S. If you enjoyed my Month of Thanks, with a few extras thrown in, sign up to receive future blog posts in your email inbox. Thank you!

A Month of Thanks - November 26 - Traditions

I love traditions. So much in fact, that I have to remind myself that it is okay to branch out and try something new or go a different direction. We have (aghast) even considered traveling over certain holidays. That would mean we would be out of town and not participating in our traditional this and that. Oh my, we are getting bold. And sometimes we start new traditions. Like our annual (unless, like last year, Arctic temperatures, necessarily change plans) Christmas tree hunting trip to the mountains.

Maybe a part of my love of traditions is that it connects us to the past and the future. In the old days, we always decorated the Christmas tree after Thanksgiving dinner. We watched a Christmas movie the same evening. The dad and the kids put up the tree and lights. The mom and the kids added ornaments and made it pretty. We each had our part to play.

Thanksgiving dinner has traditionally been at my house. For years. This year we are going to my sister's home. The stress is off of me and onto her. It will be lovely. But I do bemoan the fact of no leftovers in our fridge. How do people survive without Thanksgiving leftovers?

We have the usual - turkey (prepared a variety of ways), relish trays, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn, green beans (this year I am making green bean casserole), pumpkin pie and a few other desserts. Oh, and olives. Black olives. Cans of black olives. In memory of the little boy who could consume an entire can by himself. That boy is now grown and still loves olives.

Thanksgiving is a holiday where we overeat the traditional menu items. But within the menu items, flexibility is allowed in preparation style and recipe. But we always get together. Family members that are around are invited and expected. It's just what we do. And we love it.

Today, November 25, I am thankful for traditions.

For traditions make our family remember times together over the years. And traditions lead us forward to embrace times together in the future.

Until the next time.

Traditions keep us going.

A Month of Thanks - November 25 - Trees

Baby trees for the front yard

Today, November 25, I am thankful for trees.

Not just any tree. ALL trees. I love their beauty, shade, function, colors, and fragrance. Well, maybe not the fragrance of the ginko tree and its' fruit. Ewww. But on the whole, mmmmm. How refreshing it is to smell and wander beneath trees. Did you know, there is a study that tells how healthy it is to smell pine trees? Really.

Gotta love those trees.

French trees

Trees from friends

Free trees won in a raffle

fake trees
live trees
pine trees
river trees
park trees
tree pictures
tree art
tree paintings

Trees.

A Month of Thanks - November 24 - Health

Generally speaking, I have been blessed with good health.

Sure, there are a few age related issues cropping up. Family heredity influences the way test results are treated. The occasional cold or flu hits my household just as it does the homes of millions of other families. I hurt myself, bruise my knee, smack my head, and close my fingers in things.

But really, the most severe issues I face are dry skin, hot flashes, and sinus headaches. For the most part.

Today, November 24, I am thankful for my health. I am also thankful for the health of my family.

Millions of people worldwide do not have the access to healthcare that I have or even sanitation, clean drinking water, and good-for-you foods.

I am blessed.

May I be a blessing to others with the gifts I have been given.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
~ 2 Corinthians 9:15

A Month of Thanks - November 23 - Giving Hearts

Our little church group, Amplify, will meet today to assemble five Thanksgiving baskets. Five families will receive the baskets, filled with ingredients gathered and given by generous hearts. Though we are small, our people are big where it counts - in their hearts.

Today, November 23, I am thankful for people with giving hearts.

After all, didn't Jesus instruct us to give? The Bible is filled with stories, parables, and examples that encourage us to give outside our means (yet inside of God's riches). And I'm sure you've heard the saying You can't out give God.

So blessings upon blessings to those who have a generous heart and a giving spirit.

May rain showers of love and friendship rain pour down on you.

A Month of Thanks - November 22 - Strong Men Who Kill the Rat - Eeeek!

Monet, in her post-rat glory

Do you know, that if you schedule a post, without writing the post, it will still post anyway? Nice, huh?

Today, November 22, I am thankful for strong men who kill the rat. Literally. Kill the Rat.

At my house, we are coming to expect some sort of exciting (and embarrassing) revelation from our kitties during a big event.

Said event happened last night. We had family over for my birthday dinner. Nothing fancy, but a house full of kids and grandkids, two kitties, and a rat.

Yes. A. Rat.

Not only a rat (first kill, or try to kill). But a live rat. Squeaking. Fighting. Trying to escape the ferocious teeth and jaw of Monet, the great leaf hunter.

For you see, before this event, Monet has only been interested in bringing us leaves. Nice, quiet, peaceful, beautiful leaves. The other sister was the live catch and bring in kitty. Worms, but still. They were alive and squiggling.

The scene was set. We were starting to dish up the meal. All of us hovering in the kitchen table vicinity. And suddenly, in comes Monet, her mouth full with a giant rat. At least it was pretty giant for her.

We screamed and all headed for the couch. Standing and perching on it. Except Donavyn. He just toddled around, playing at Nana's. (I did go get him.) This scene strongly resembled the squirrel scene from Christmas Vacation. You know the one I am talking about. It involved a hammer and a pillowcase and plenty of terror.

The strong men rescued us. Kevin and Taylor. Equipped with NOTHING, they trapped the rat, much to Monet's discontent, in the middle of the guest room bedding.

Awesome, right? Shudder.

Finally, with abundant angst and a lidded cottage cheese container (the rat was still very much alive, terrified, bleeding, and trying to escape cat and kin), our strong men captured and disposed of said rat.

Whew.

I am thankful that I did not have to be the responsible one and take on the rat. I hate killing anything. But I don't want a rat running around my home either.

Now. If you are considering visiting us, you may have just changed your mind.

Never fear. The rat is gone. The bedding has been sanitized. The kitties are being monitored. And the house gutting down the street is almost complete. We hope. That is our suspected source of the first rat we have seen in this house.

So come on over! For surely, if we plan an event, the kitties will supply the excitement and entertainment.

And we have more cottage cheese containers.

Sorry. No rat picture. I was too busy standing on the couch.

A Month of Thanks - November 21 - Friends Who Share Leftovers

Look at me. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and I am already talking about leftovers!

Today, November 21, I am thankful for friends. Specifically, for friends that share their leftovers.

Dinner last night was Angie's spicy chili. A new addition to that chili was a package of sauteed chanterelle mushrooms and garlic in butter, which I had prepared last month and stuck in the freezer. Those chanterelles arrived on our dinner table compliments of my friend and her husband. He is such a great and diligent 'shroom hound that she brought (to our girls get-together) a large bag full of extra chanterelles.

Yay for us! Even after splitting it several ways and eating some of the pretty beauties while we were at our weekend away, there was plenty of fungi to go around.

I think perhaps the sharing of leftovers is a special gift. Really. Any kind of leftovers.

Just think. You are home, staring into the empty fridge, wondering what in the world will end up on the dinner table. And then you spot those leftovers from Auntie So and So or Suzy Next Door Neighbor.

Tah-dah. Those leftovers just saved your life. This is especially true if you have starving teenagers.

Or, perhaps, you don't have time to put together a lunch. You can grab that container and head to work, reassured that you will not starve. And you will enjoy a lovely meal.

You may even be securing the sanity of your friend. You know, the one who shared the leftovers. I know by the third day, I am ready and willing to give my leftovers away. To anyone. We are tired of eating that chili, spaghetti, soup, etc. etc.

Nothing goes to waste in this home. No, sir.

Be thankful. Share some leftovers.

A Month of Thanks - November 20 - 52 Years

Oh, yes, Happy Birthday to me!

It's not that I am bragging about me and begging for special day wishes. Though I do appreciate each and every kind word. Really, I do.

I am bragging about God and all of the blessings He has given to me over 52 years of life. It's really Happy Birthday to God, the provider of years and the One in charge of the calendar and timeline.

Today, November 20, I am thankful for 52 years of life.

At almost midnight, 52 years ago, my mommy gave birth to her first little baby girl. Since then, she has loved and cared for me. Include my daddy. He didn't give birth to me, for which I am sure he is eternally grateful, but he has always loved and cared and provided for me. My parents have given me the best that they possibly could.

Back to how MANY years of life I have been given. Many, many years.

But am I in control of how many years of life I have? No. Do I choose the blessings I receive, the parents I have, the family I love, the body I try to care for? No.

I am but a recipient for those things. He is the Great Provider. This time of the year is when we think and remember best to give thanks. And thanks is due.

I am thankful for what the Lord has given to and done for me in these 52 years of life.

A Month of Thanks - November 19 - Mission Friends (aka Preschoolers)

The well-loved (talking) piano

Today, November 19, I am thankful for Mission Friends (also known as preschoolers).

I can't help it. They are so cute, inquisitive, hysterically funny, naughty, inventive, playful . . .

Take my Khloe, for instance. Yesterday we were rearranging the living room to make room for the Christmas tree. She wanted to move the kid piano over to the fireplace. This is the piano that has been loved and ecstatically used by generations of my family.

I told her it would be better to leave it where it was (in my mind, the play section of the living room). She disagreed.

(Insert squeaky piano voice) "No, I want to move over there," said Khloe, speaking for the piano.

Khloe is three. I busted up laughing. She felt quite pleased with herself.

Khloe is not the only preschooler that draws and keeps my attention. They all do. I can't help it. I love preschoolers. They bring out the best and the worst in adults, depending on what type of day they are having. They remind us of the innocence and child-like faith of being young. They love with abandon and absolutely mimic those around them (a lesson and a warning for us, right?). Energy and fun rule their days.

I am thankful for Mission Friends, preschoolers that exhibit all of the above, and want to learn about people from other cultures and parts of the world. And Mission Friends love those people. And the workers that go all over the world to love. Mission Friends exhibit that love as they learn and experience. They pray. They share. They give.j

What is not to love and be thankful for when I consider these little children?

Mission Friends Leader Mag

A Month of Thanks - November 18 - Blankies!

It has been very cold lately. Said the woman who still has somewhat regular hot flashes, experiencing both icy fingers and sweaty neck and face at the same time.

That being said, let's have a great big cheer for warm, cozy blankies! (That would be blankets for you grown-ups.)

There is nothing like a snuggly, comfy, favorite blanket to toss over your shoulders and across your lap as you thaw out after a cold day. We keep our home cool during the day, even cooler at night. Poor Kevin is literally a human popsicle by the time he goes to bed. Where he has five blankets on his side. Maybe I better make him a pair of fleece jammies with the feet in them. Or maybe no feet and he can use them as long underwear.

Whatever he wears, if you see him with cute fleece sticking out from under his shirt or pants legs, just pretend not to notice. I'm trying to keep him warm.

Today, November 17, I am thankful for warm, cozy blankets that take the chill out of winter weather.

A Month of Thanks - November 17 - Music

I absolutely adore music. A musician I am not. But these ears tune in and join any music that is playing on the airwaves. My soul communicates with and through music. I often find what I want to express in the notes and words of a song.

Instrumental and choral music both attract me. But my all-time favorite is Christmas music. Confession time: I have already started listening to it! I usually try to wait until Thanksgiving, but not this year. My excuse is that Thanksgiving is late. That cuts into my Christmas-music-listening time. And I already have my first Christmas card on display. Which the kitties have christened along the top edge with their sharp teeth.

Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la.

Today, November 17, I am thankful for music.

A Month of Thanks - November 16 - Chocolate!

How could I go an entire month without being thankful for this delectable treat! Chocolate is, of course, a vegetable, (it comes from a bean), adds a teensy bit of caffeine to my diet, and in the darker, less sweet versions, is considered healthy and full of anti-oxidants.

Chocolate is currently being touted as a part of a healthy diet! Now we are talking.

Just remember to get the darker chocolates, made with at least 60% cacao (dark chocolate) for the maximum health benefits. Mmmm.

Today, November 16, I am thankful for chocolate.

Now who can disagree with that?

A Month of Thanks - November 15 - Travel

A lovely old church-turned-reception hall in Snohomish, WA

Another type of adventure that I love is travel. Mention almost any kind of travel, and I will pack my bags and start searching online for things to do when we get there. Wherever there is.

Today, November 15, I am thankful for travel.

The Lord has blessed Kevin and I with many opportunities to travel. I love exploring new locations, watching people, shopping, eating new things, and taking photos of our travels. All the better to share with you, my dear.

By plane, by boat, by bike, by car, by bus, by trains - just give me a destination. Packing right now...I will be there shortly.

Looking out the window of the old church