Grateful for things that make me smile...

Today I'm grateful for things that make me smile. There are a lot of them - but here are a few:

• Paying $2.13 a gallon for gas. It cost me like 40 something to fill up my big car - that's cheaper than I've paid in ages, and less than 1/2 as much as I was paying a few months ago. Feels good. It actually has become a little contest for me - seeing what the cheapest I can find gas for - just SEEING the lower prices brings a smile on my face.


• Magazines in the mail - sometimes these make me crazy - but I got these two yesterday - Signals and Downeast Outfitters - and they both had cute stuff. Loved the cute (and modest!) clothes from Downeast, and Signals has such sweet, thoughtful things - nothing that you'd NEED - but indulgent and thoughtful gifts. I also love that on days when Gabe begs for mail I can generally toss him a catalog - and he's satisfied (doesn't even matter what it's for most of the time!)


• Sales online (or anywhere for that matter). I got a coupon from http://www.gap.com/ and http://www.oldnavy.com/ for this week. Save 30%! If you want the email with the code and stuff email me - it's good the 14th-17th I think and then 5% of your purchase is donated to a non-profit organization of your choice - a great time to get Christmas jammies on sale!


• Preschool crafts - I love to see the things that Gabe brings home from preschool. My favorite so far was a cute spider he made for Halloween, but Tuesday's turkey handprint card was a close second.


• My new RED phone - I LOVE it! (See the post a few down - I got the Sprint Blackberry Curve). Today the internet package we got for the phone was activated and my phone is AWESOME! It has all kinds of capabilities - so now I can even watch TV on my phone. That might be one more reason to lock myself in the bathroom (generally I just do it to get away from the boys for 2 seconds....but now I can catch up on Grey's Anatomy too!)


• One thing that makes me really smile is when people - complete strangers - stop to chat with my little boys at the store and comment on how adoreable they are. Of course I expect loving family members to think that - but it's nice to hear it from strangers.


• Driving around today with my windows down because it was too hot in the car - and right now I even have my house windows open because my house was heating up. I know this weather will be short lived - but I sure love it!


• We've been really working with trying to get Hunter to talk more. (Gabe answers for him all the time - so that's been tough.) So I've been trying to get him to say please and thank you. He signs for please and he's decided that to say thank-you he just needs to smack his lips like he's kissing us. After he does it he looks at me as if to say, "I know I didn't say 'thank-you' - but isn't a kiss from me even better?" - I love it!