Today….

Is a not-so-regular Friday sandwiched between two feast days.

Yesterday was a relaxed Thanksgiving with some of my husband’s family.  Our name cards were thoughtfully designed by my niece.  We ate Grandma’s mashed potatoes made with the extra special ingredients of sour cream, cream cheese, and love.  We also had green bean casserole, corn bread stuffing, and pumpkin roll.  We listened to Christmas music while we ate dessert.  I was hungry and it tasted delicious.  (Well, I wasn’t hungry for dessert, but I ate it anyway.)  The company and conversation made for a mellow evening.

Tomorrow we will spend time with my family.  We’ll eat more turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn.  Instead of corn bread stuffing, my mom will make her sausage stuffing, a family tradition.  We’ll have jellied cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and homemade pumpkin pie.  The meal will end with a time of thanks shared around the table.  We’ll fight over who gets to hold the three-month old nephew and probably play a game or two.  A good time spent with very important people in my life – I’m looking forward to it.

On this sandwich Friday, though, other things are on my mind:

– Will my home ever be put back together?  It is turned completely upside down with the remodeling project and I’m not sure how much more I can take.  My husband and brother-in-law made huge progress today laying the hardwood floor.  The living room is almost finished.  To accomplish the job, however, everything in the living room was transferred to the dining room.  It looks worse than moving day in there.

– What a beautiful day it was!  And the only outdoor activities I engaged in were walks from the car to a store and back again.  Shame on me!

– Speaking of shopping, my daughter and I stumbled upon some great deals today even though I really don’t do Black Friday.  I nabbed an artificial tree for the family room at a local garden center for half price.  We also found a comforter set for Lovey’s bedroom makeover for one hundred dollars off retail.  The bonus – she loves it! Oh, how I love a good bargain.

– Speaking of my daughter – she is fifteen.  Fifteen.  Fifteen…..

– I’m sensing a growing anxiety about two major projects required for my current classes.  I’m having trouble focusing on the tasks and finding uninterrupted time to work on them.  It’s beginning to make me nervous.  (At this time, blogging could be construed as procrastination.)

– I have no idea what to make for supper.  The kitchen is a disaster area and not conducive to cooking anything.  My conscience is pressuring me to make something healthful for my family, but all I really want is pizza and a cold, fizzy Coca Cola.

– I just want to play with the kittens and forget about everything else for a while.

– Is it really time to start decorating for Christmas?  With the condition of the house, I almost can’t bear the thought.

– I love Christmas.

– I am thankful.  I’m thankful for a hard-working, determined husband who is almost single-handedly making this renovation happen.  And, although I’m complaining about the state of my dwelling, it will look gorgeous when it is finished.  I’m thankful for a job I love and the financial security to be able to do it.  I’m thankful for my children, who are my greatest sources of pride and pleasure.  I’m thankful for Target (Hubby probably not so much), and for Starbucks hot chocolate, and for the great little black dress I bought on sale at the Banana Republic Outlet.  And, finally, I am thankful for a God whose mercies are new every morning, who delights in giving us second chances, and who offers us salvation no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done before now.  God sees me as I am and loves me anyway.  Now that is something to be thankful for indeed.

As I write this, one of my newly adopted kittens has fallen asleep in my lap.  He is one of two brothers who are already firmly entrenched in the hearts of my family.  His name is Sam.  He is covered in soft, long white fur with some grey splotches tossed in.  His warm little body is nestled in my arm.  This is a small pleasure I’ve been missing for a while and it’s so good to be enjoying it again.

This is where I’m at tonight.  It’s not such a bad place to be.

(The idea for this post came from The Blue Hour and A Sweet Spoonful.  These writers seem to be able to pull off the concept in far fewer words than I can.)