31 Days of Thankfulness: October 1st-5th 2015

I have thought about this 31 days series for a quite a few months.  There are many things that I could write about, but none of them really sparked an interest in me, if you know what I mean.  I have been trying very hard this year to have a grateful heart, and be thankful for all of the things I have in my life.  Maybe it was because I turned 30 last month, and I felt so upset about it.  Not upset about getting older, that has never bothered me, but because there were so many things I wanted to accomplish by that time, and I haven't even made a dent in the list.  So in an effort to make thankfulness a priority, I thought I would write about the things in my life that I am thankful for, for 31 days.  I read somewhere that it takes 30 days to form a habit, so by listing something that I am thankful for everyday for 31 days, it should foster the quality of thankfulness in me.  Joe, Howard, and I have been away for the past few days, so I am just getting around to posting this now, but for the rest of the month, I will be posting daily.  So, without further ado, items 1 through 5...

1. I am so thankful for my loving, and caring husband.  He makes me laugh when I need it, and is always takes such good care of me.  Although we bicker sometimes, and have plenty of things we disagree on, I would not want to go through life with anyone else by my side.  He completes me, so to speak.  Even though the puppy dog love phase ended ages ago, I am still madly in love with him. 
2. I am also very thankful for our son, Howard.  He is everything that I waited so long for.  Joe and I were married for 7 years before he was born.  There were two things that I have always wanted for myself, to be a wife, and a mother, and now I am both.  Being a mother is just as trying as being a wife, both require a LOT of work if you want to be successful at either.  But he is just like his father in that I cannot be mad at him for long.  He does something he's not suppose to, I correct him, and then not 2 minutes later he's doing something else that brings a smile to my face.  He fills my life with so much joy.
3. I am thankful for our home.  Although it is not the house that I envisioned we would have by now, it is still our home.  It keeps us safe, dry, watm, and cool.  We lease our apartment, so we can't do anything to the horrid red goose 1980s wall paper in the kitchen, but I have found ways to decorate and make it feel welcoming and cozy.  I have some painting and decluttering projets planned for this winter, but after 8 years of living here, I am finally starting to be content with our little 'homestead.'
4. I am thankful for full pantries and freezers.  There have been times in our marriage when the cupboards would give mother hubbard a run for her money, and other times when they are packed to the gills.  Right now, we are experiencing the latter.  I'm fairly profience in couponing, we finally got an ALDI nearby, and I'm still learning how to cook for three, hence the surplus.  However, I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Winter is fastly approaching, my bones can feel it, and I love having the ability to say, "it's too cold to go shopping, I'll just have Joe grab some milk and bread on his way home."
5. I am thankful for extended families.  Our family is always there when we need them.  Our family has spoiled us to the max with clothing and toys for Howard, free babysitting, books, things for resale, meals after Howard was born, and so many other things I can't think of right now.  We are so blessed to have them in our lives.  I also get the benefit of having a grandfather, which I never had before I was married, and I still have a mom even though mine died a few years ago.  It's not exactly the same obviously, but I still have someone I can ask mom questions to, and talk to about things that only mothers understand.

 Come back tomorrow to read about what else I'm thankful for.  What about you, what are you feeling thankful for today?