Thankful Thursday #12

1.  We finished the laundry/pantry room. I didn't take a before picture and perhaps that is just as well as I feel embarrassed when I think of how bad it really was. There was a long counter that was supposed to be for folding clothes which had just ended up being the catchall  for everything in the house that I couldn't find a home for.  The old flooring was scratched and torn and the walls were all marked up.  I didn't even want to go in there and I made very sure the door was closed if there was company in the house. Here it is now with a fresh coat of paint and a nice new floor.  We also took out the lower cabinet and counter which gives us a lot more room and rearranged the large pantry cabinets for more easy access.  Then we purged.  The end result has made me want to do laundry again....well, sort of.

Decided to "store" some of the extra things decoratively leaving more space in the cabinets available for other "stuff".

The Inspector laid the flooring.  Didn't he do a nice job?

There are two tall pantry cupboards and the freezer on the right side.  The door to the left leads outside to the back deck which makes it possible to use this space as a mud room if needed.

 2.   I got a new pair of Sketcher walking shoes.  No big deal to me, but in a world of poverty and war I know that a pair of shoes is something many don't have and I am grateful.

 3.  Watching the football game together with some of our kids.  Even when our team doesn't win, which it didn't this week, just being together is one of the wonderful blessings of family living near by.

4.  The simple comfort of a bowl of homemade beef stew and a slice of bread, nothing fancy, just warm and filling on a cool fall evening.  My husband and son-in-law pretty much ate the pot down to the bottom.  Ok...I helped. 

 5.  Often times I am just grateful for the gift of routine.  There is nothing exciting or dramatic going on in my world right now, just the normal ebb and flow of everyday life.  Last year was a really hard one and it's nice to be blessed with the calmness of  the ordinary.  It's a huge blessing that we don't always appreciate until it's gone.  It has been said that joy is measured in moments.  Take the time this week my friends to savor the moments.

In gratitude to the Lord of Hosts who gives us every good and perfect thing.