Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for such a wonderful year. I have much to be thankful for as 2010 comes to a close.
I have a healthy family, we really did not have any major illnesses for this year. That is wonderful since it has not always been the case. I have once again made it through another year with no bipolar or seizure medicines. 
Kids have done wonderful in school. Paul still has a job. I have started to sub as the year comes to a close.
I sold 30 items just on ETSY alone this year, some small some not so small. That is not counting all the local sales, the gifts given and donations made to the school during the carnival time this past May.
Yeah for couponing and stockpiling- it has really helped us a great deal.  Yeah to family time, I am so thankful for time spent with the kids and my husband. We even managed a couple of dates, one where I got to spend the entire day in Galveston with him alone without any kids. That was AMAZING! Now if we can get a night away that would be wonderful.
I am thankful that my house is coming along- thankful for the additional Ac unit we were able to get, thankful for the heater we just picked up. Thankful for all the cheap fabric I was able to buy to do some crafty things for the kids and the house.
We have had some losses this year, we lost a dog- that was heart breaking- as someone hit him and the kids found him while I was not home, nor was Paul. Trying to get home to them was very difficult and seemed to have taken forever. Then of course loosing my mom this summer. That was rough, but I am thankful that she knew Christ as her personal savior and that she is celebrating her eternal life with my 3 grandfathers, mother in law and my son. I am also thankful that she is not sick anymore. I am thankful to her for all the time we had together this past year, for her believe in me and my business, for her faith that I would be a good mother and that I had such a wonderful example of what a Christian should be.
As this new year approaches I have several goals for our family.
1.  A constant menu every week- I want to try really hard to include more veggies, its just so hard to get them on sale or with coupons so it really adds to my already very limited grocery bill.
2. Exercise- my husband and I really want to walk- I need to do some step aerobics or something like that.
3. Keeping a better planner- I have a binder I am starting- it will contain recipes for the month, my weekly menu, my cleaning schedule, my coupons, bills and reciepts. My husband and I were brainstorming the idea of filing this binder each year. I think its a great idea to better track what we are REALLY doing/spending.
4. Do some give aways on my blog. I need to reach out to my fellow blogger and see what she uses to pick the winner. In January my goal is to giveaway a towel and potholder set.
5. FAMILY TIME. It is very important to me. I want a game night and a movie night each week. This will take more planning and a creative menu. My back up plan is to rotate them and have each twice a month.
6. Date Night- we used to do this more. Tonight we are ending the New Year with one, My husband rented a movie and we plan to have our date night as the boys are entertained. Hopefully we can get some out- maybe go fishing, go for a long walk something fun.
7. A clean and orderly house- I plan to set up a calendar of the month and choose one month for each room, where I can pick more than one room. Some might take two months- like the kitchen. I want to do repairs and fix some things- I know we need some ceiling fans and simple stuff. Even coats of paint. I also want to go through all my old fabric and make a donation of everything I do not plan to use in the next year.
So that is my basic starting plan. It seems pretty easy and we will see how much really comes to be.
I am praying for a very prosperous New 2011. I am praying that the Lord will continue to grow my business. That he will continue to use my Blog as inspiration to others, that he would bring offers my way like one that was just presented to review an item or do giveaways. I really want to be more of an instrument to Him. I am thankful that I have worked through my grief over my mom in a timely matter and I am truly ready for this next chapter. May he continue to give us health and a roof over our head and may he overflow our cups as we continue to follow him.
May the Lord bless you and your family in 2011.