Today, because it’s November. Today, because November is when we really think a lot about gratitude. Today, because thinking about gratitude leads to even more gratitude . . . I’m sharing 3 things I’m grateful for right now. And ,as it turns out, they are all related to my home.

1. New blinds. We got new blinds for the craft room and Dale’s office back in early October. I loved them so much I ordered more for the living room. And then I loved those so much I ordered more for the bedroom and bathroom. I’m still waiting for those last ones to come in but in the meantime I feel truly grateful for how these have made our rooms look more stylish from the inside, more cohesive from the outside, and have really created an updated look all around.
2. Heat. We need a new boiler and I’m sure not grateful for that but I am grateful that we can use our existing one until we get a new one and I’m also grateful that we have the means to pay for a new one. And, aside from the boiler, I’m grateful for our wood stove and the two cords of wood that are sitting in our driveway right now with two more to come. I love burning wood as a source of heat for the ambiance it creates as well as the warmth.
3. Electricity. Last Friday in the early morning we lost our power. It wasn’t out for long, just under 4 hours, but when I got up I couldn’t make coffee. I couldn’t check email or watch the news. I couldn’t turn on the lights or listen to music or ask Alexa for an update on my day. Going without electricity for that short amount of time reminded me how much I take it for granted and how grateful I am for it’s existence.

What are you feeling grateful for this week? I’d love to have you tell me in the comments or write a blog post of your own to share with all of us.

Today, because it’s Thursday. Today, because work is busy (hello, budget season). Today, because it’s Halloween . . . I’ve got three funny cartoons to share.

This one:

For those of us who played Marco Polo in the pool when we were kids.

And this one:

For those of us who think the idea of group therapy is scary.

And this:

Because this is supposed to be a knitting blog. And it’s funny. And it’s happened to all of us at some point.

Happy Halloween, friends! May there be no bats in your belfry, no attention vampires in your group therapy, and may your lace weight stay tangle free forever.

My daughters occasionally suggest that we have Craft Night at Mom’s. We’ve never been super successful at this, we tend to eat too late and drink too much wine and sort of never get to the craft. Tuesday night, though, we were determined to start and finish a project.

And so, I got 3 pumpkins from the craft store and we each decorated one. Not surprisingly, since it’s Thursday and all that, I’ve got 3 photos to show you from our evening.

First, the one that shows our success:

Mine is on the left, Jessica’s is in the middle, and Hannah’s is on the right. We searched for designs that were available in my Cricut software and then I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 to print out the words/designs on vinyl and then we transferred them to the pumpkins. It’s a little bit fussy but it’s not difficult and we were all pretty pleased with the way they came out.

We did this upstairs in my newly refinished Craft Room (I know, I owe you photos) and it was such a great space for this. There was room for all 3 of us plus wine. We left Dale in charge of Jackie downstairs and the little guy wasn’t super pleased to be missing out on all the fun so once the pumpkins were finished we let him come up and see what we had been doing.

I think those pumpkins we made were pretty darn cute but I’ve got to say that Jackie, in his pumpkin pajamas, makes for the cutest pumpkin of all.

And that’s my 3 on Thursday post for this week. Three photos. Three pumpkins. And a whole lot of fun.

If you wrote a post for today please include your link below. Thanks for playing along!

I’ve got 3 random things for you today. I guess you could say they are 3 recommendations, one to watch, one to listen to, and one to read.

1. Dale and I have been watching Band of Brothers on HBO Demand. It’s from way back in 2001 but it escaped us at that time, probably because we were in the throes of kids and full time jobs and more but a friend recommended it recently and I’m glad he did. Well. Glad might not be the right word because it’s actually rather difficult to watch. But it’s also historic and important and a good way to learn more about WWII. It does always lead me back to the question I’ve had my entire life: who decided that the best way to resolve a disagreement would be to see who can kill the most people and make them the winner? Why not brain twisters or mind games instead? Our world would be a very different place if we resolved things that way
2. I recently started listening to the podcast 1619 from the New York Times. It’s part of the 1619 Project, which, in their words aims to reframe the country’s history, understanding 1619 as our true founding, and placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are. It’s excellent. Like Band of Brothers, there are things about it that will break your heart, but it’s so important to understand the history of slavery in our country and to acknowledge how systemic racism actually is in our society. I’ve found it to be wonderful and highly recommend it.
3. Finally, I’m currently reading The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It’s fabulous, with strong characters, a vivid setting, plenty of history, and enough magical realism to make me love it even more than I would if it was strictly grounded in reality.

That’s what I’ve got for you this week. Happy Thursday and don’t forget to share your post today if you wrote one.