Turn that frown upside down!!!

So as I watch the wind blowing in another cold and miserable snow storm I keep thinking that I just want to go back to bed!!! So I thought I should try to turn the frown upside down and think some more positive thoughts. I suddenly realized that I am so lucky. Why do I think I deserve to be negative. There is so much in life to be grateful for. So I thought I would share some things that I am grateful for with you. And remember, this is just the short list. I don't have time to put everything I'm thinking down so here I go...

1-- MIKE: he means the world to me... He is an amazing father and husband and is sacrificing his time with us to support us and keep a roof over our heads and food on our table... for him I am so grateful and I LOVE HIM!!!

2--BRADEY: he is my rock to lean on when Mike is gone. He helps me with all of the outside chores and helps me take care of things. He's "the man of the house" when his dad is gone and he takes the job seriously. Besides that he absolutely loves my parents and loves to take care of them. He has been such an amazing help to my mom through her trials and I am so proud of him for that!!

3--MAKENZIE: she is so dang funny! Her hilarious laugh is entirely contagious. When we need something to keep us on our toes, here comes our sweet little Makenzie. She is extremely helpful with all of my household duties. She has been so good to help with laundry, and of course the puppy... Makenzie is amazing with animals. She has that little heart string between her and animals. Kind of like me. She is amazingly smart and I love her!

4--MY MOM: her life... without her I would be truly lost! My mom has taught me so much through her battle with cancer. She is SOOOO strong and she has taught me that you always need to look at your life as a cup half-full, not half-empty. Even at her worst moments, she is ALWAYS positive. What an amazing woman!! And I am so grateful that she is my mom!!! I love her!!

5--MY DAD: an extremely strong and loving person. My Dad and I have always been close, but through mom's battle, we've been closer than ever before. I love my Dad. He is Sooooo good to my mom. He has always been an extremely great example to everyone around him. He is Bradey's main man and I love the relationship that they have always had. I love him!!

6--MY DOGS, PHOEBE, DAISEE, & PEPPER: they always keep me hopping... Phoebe is so caring and always knows when I need someone to just shut up and listen to me vent. She will sit on my lap and let me cry. Daisee is my gomer. Oh how I love her too. She totally cracks me up. When I need some company or someone to take a nap with, she simply appears and knows just what I need. She wraps her little arms around my neck and just snuggles right up to me. And Pepper... oh what a fun little challenge. She keeps me running, hopping, jumping, and mopping the floor since she loves to step in the water dish then run through the house. I love my dogs!!!

7--MY FRIENDS: I love them all!!! Especially with Mike gone, I find myself getting lonely and needing adult conversation. Babysitting all day doesn't exactly help that. So to my friends I am so grateful for letting me just talk. Thanks to all of you that know exactly who you are.

8--MY TREADMILL: when I need to vent, it listens :-) It keeps me running.. Pardon the pun. Ha Ha. It makes me feel good and proud of myself for getting off the couch to watch the Food Network...

9--THE FOOD NETWORK: for those of you who know me entirely well, know that I LOVE to cook. I have taken on the challenge of cake decorating lately because it just looks so dang fun. Well it is. I can use all those creative juices in my brain and let them flow like crazy! I love to try new things and just throw things together instead of using recipes all the time. It makes life so much more interesting... Well, I pretty well record most of the programs on the Food Network and then watch them at night when Mike is gone. It gives me something to do when I can't sleep.

10--MY LIFE: I am so grateful to be where I am in my life. I love my husband, my kids, my job (if that's what we call it), my family, my friends, and everything else about my life...