Multitude Monday #461-480

I am thankful for:

461. days spent with my family, relaxing and celebrating Christmas
462. a WHITE Christmas here in the South!
463. books, books and more books - the present my children received the most this Christmas
464. patience in dealing with a tough family situation
465. Paula Deen's Foolproof Standing Rib Roast recipe -- I HIGHLY recommend!
466. two long telephone conversations on Christmas day with my sisters
467. a new wallet from my father-in-law -- my favorite gift!

468. my children's contentment with doing Christmas a little different this year
469. spending a WHOLE morning doing nothing but laying on the sofa and being LAZY!
470. a favorite recipe we all love - Strawberry Onion Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
471. a quiet hour last night with my nine year old - letting her teach ME about Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods
472. a quiet movie night with my husband
473. Cuddle Duds! It's been COLD here!
474. Nerf guns - my son is having so much fun.
475. the gift of music
476. a keyboard from Santa -- and HEADPHONES!
477. a new friend
478. hummus
479. the public library - ours is wonderful and has a great interlibrary loan system
480. another week to clean up from Christmas, relax, and get ready for 2011!

This post is also linked to Mommy Mondays -- a new blog hop for me this week. Check it out!

Multitude Monday #441-460

Several things have impacted me over the past couple of weeks - a wonderful sermon at church, quiet devotions with my children in the morning, the many Christmas books we have read, and good talks with friends and family. There is so much to be grateful for in my life. Today, in particular, I was tempted to be dragged down by forces outside of my control, but when I sat down to write about my blessings it all came so easily, and my mood lifted. What a gift it is to blog about gratitude each Monday.

What I am thankful for:

441. the ability to set goals and work little by little to achieve them
442. my husband - who leads me in these goals and inspires me
443. beautiful Christmas music this morning by Andrea Boccelli

444. support from a good friend today
445. a fun morning for my children at Christmas camp
446. our church, Word of God Lutheran
447. a group of five sweet little girls who have been ringing chimes together the past few weeks
448. an uninterrupted hour laying on the couch with my children and finishing a book
449. grandparents

450. the Children's Liturgy at our church -- we have just a handful of children, but so many ways for them to be active participants in the life of the church

451. time this week to have a breakfast with a good friend, and lunch with my husband!
452. Angry Birds (I'm officially addicted!)

453. my daughter's gift of playing the piano - her dad and I are so proud of her
454. health for a college friend... she is a breast cancer SURVIVOR and I am grateful
455. fond Christmas memories (I love the little bare feet in this photo!)

456. an interim pastor at our church
457. our new Godson, Noah, and the miracle of his life now compared to what it could have been like as an orphan in China. God is so very good.
458. Peppermint Bark
459. Fantasy Fudge
460. The Mystery of Christmas

Multitude Monday #421-440

As we go deeper into the season of Advent, there is so much to be grateful for:

421. a very cold wind whipping through the trees outside, while inside I am in bed safe and warm

422. the gift of seeing Christmas so much more deeply this year

423. the sound of excited children singing Christmas songs

424. slipper socks

425. my daughter's recovery from a horrible experience with ant bites

426. a new friend who took care of my daughter when she got all those ant bites!

427. an attic full of Christmas decorations, each one with a special memory attached

428. my two children - they worked so hard on a project together yesterday

429. Christmas lights - some of our neighbors really outdid themselves this year!

430. pre-lit Christmas trees

431. the sale of my parents' home - and their moving into a retirement community that will alleviate a lot of their worries

432. Christmas chimes

433. apple juice and cookies for my son from a friend

434. another chance to promote and receive free tickets to a musical - this time it is Beauty and the Beast!

435. A neighbor who had just enough vanilla extract for me to finish my cookies

436. greedy little fingers cleaning out the cookie bowl :-)

437. Pandora's Classical Christmas station

438. treadmills with televisions

439. Christmas carols played on the piano

440. the new found knowledge of the Jesse Tree -- thank you A Holy Experience!