I'm thankful for so many blessings that we receive throughout the year. Our family is healthy, happy and with very few worries. We have so much goodness in our lives, enough to share, to give thanks for every single day of the year. Thanksgiving is a special time of year for us. It's a day when we stop and really reflect on how much we have to be thankful for, but it's also a day to remember how far we've come. For us, it has very little to do with Native Americans and Pilgrims coming together and more to do with the continuance of the Native culture. It's a reminder to us that despite oppression and countless cultural injustices done to the Native people of our land, their culture has survived. The culture of my children will carry on and for that we are eternally thankful. Without the persistence of generations of Native elders who were determined to pass on the traditions and culture of their people, my children would know nothing of their Native ways.

TDH and W did a beautiful presentation for around 150 students at her school yesterday. They broke the typical assembly mold by asking all the students to sit in a circle, enabling every child in the room to feel connected to what they were talking about. TDH explained that like a circle that is unending, so is our ability to learn. Their hope was that the students would come away with a greater understanding of Native ways, which would mean a greater respect. I'm sure not every child understood what he talked about, but if even one child grasped it and remembers it later in life, it's a success.

I could see the pride on W's face as she sang songs while her daddy drummed... songs she has sung every night and every morning since she was about 2 years old. She is proud of who she is... and she should be. If we succeed in nothing else as parents, I will be happy to know we've succeeded in giving her and her sister tradition, culture and a way of life to be proud of.

I hope each and every one of you has a plentiful feast with all your favorite foods. I hope you're surrounded by people you love and share lots of laughs. I hope the day ends all too quickly for you and when you lay your head on your pillow before passing out from too much good food that you reflect on all the beauty in your life. I am thankful for each and every one of you that stops here to read my humble blog. You've all shared in some truly amazing times in my life and I hope you all know how important you are to me.


Thanksgiving Graphics

Because I've been coveting a Lisa Leonard necklace for awhile now, I have to give myself an extra chance at winning one over at Simple Mom. So, head on over to Simple Mom to enter for a chance to win one yourself!

Maybe you're like me and are married to an extremely busy man. A man full of good intentions, but just never manages to get those "honey-do's" done. Or, maybe you're a single lady. Or, better yet, maybe you're a lady who just knows how to take care of business when duty calls. While I do find that men are handy to have around on cold winter nights, when the lid on a jar is too tight or when there's dog poop needing to be picked up outside, I like the feeling I get when I take care of a job that is typically filed under "men's work". You know, things like replacing the inner workings of a toilet, unclogging a drain, fixing a garbage disposal and, most recently, re-caulking the bathtub.

Now, I neglected to capture what my tub looked like before the re-caulking, A) because I couldn't bring myself to photograph such indecency and B) because I forgot. Consider yourself spared. What I will tell you is it wasn't pretty. I gagged, I cursed myself for letting it get so disgusting, and, I cursed my husband. Don't let this happen to you! Make an early morning date with yourself at your local do-it-yourself home and hardware store and pick up the following supplies to re-caulk your bathtub yourself:

Mildew/Mold Resistant Kitchen & Bath Caulk - the mildew/mold resistant stuff is a must!
A caulking gun
Painter's tape


Goof Off or some other Caulk remover - The Goof off worked great and is cheaper than the more official "Caulk Remover".
Sharp objects - I used a box cutter, a narrow flathead screwdriver and a small chisel (is that what that orange thing is called?)
Rubber gloves
Bleach - EW... I know, but you want to make sure no mildew or mold will be growing under your pretty new caulking.

Now, the next tools are essential. DO NOT skimp when it comes to these:

Starbucks coffee (or tea) of your choice - make it your all-time favorite. You deserve it! You are RE-CAULKING YOUR BATHTUB, GIRLFRIEND!
A really delicious and sinful pastry from Starbucks. I chose a Pumpkin Scone.

Step One:
If you are not single, make sure your significant other is OUT of the house and won't be returning for at least two hours. If they are home while you are Taking Care of Business, there is no doubt in my mind that they will A) point and direct from where ever they are, B) tell you you're doing it wrong, C) try to take over, or D) annoy you by doing nothing.

Step Two:
* Pull your hair back. Unless, of course, you're one of those lucky women who can wear their hair short.
* Remove all of your shampoo, loofahs, body wash, razors, skin buffers, etc. from the walls and sides of your tub.
* Take a bite of your pastry and a sip of your coffee/tea and survey the situation, making mental notes on the really troublesome areas.

Step Three:
Put on your gloves, remove your shoes and get in the tub. (I laid an old towel down in the tub so I could kneel without killing my knees.) Wipe any grime or general icky-ness away from the old caulk.


Step Four:
With your box cutter, run the edge along the top seam of the caulking all the way around the tub. Repeat for the bottom seam. This just allows the Caulk Remover to get in there and get 'er done. Squeeze the caulk remover over all the caulk around the tub. Let it sit for a few minutes while you enjoy some more of your pastry and beverage.


Step Five:
This is the most daunting and annoying task of the entire job - removing the old Caulk. It's daunting and annoying, but also somewhat gratifying in the same way that popping bubble wrap and peeling glue off your hands is. I did it by starting in the spots that were the weakest. The caulking was giving away for whatever reason and it wasn't adhered to the tile or tub as well. I used my box cutter to cut a piece away and then I got my screwdriver in there and pried it out enough to grab it. Once I could get a grip on it, I pulled it out. It comes out in chunks, but once you have a large chunk missing, you can get in there with your chisel and work the rest out. Don't give up! You will feel better about it when all that old yucky caulk is out.


Step Six:
Fill a bucket with water and put a capful of bleach in. Using an old toothbrush, scrub the space between the tub and the tile or wall with the bleach mixture. This will ensure that no mildew or mold grows under your caulking. That would just be nasty. Allow it to dry for at least an hour.



Step Seven:
Make sure the lip of the tub and the wall are dry and place painter's tape about 1/4 inch above and below the space that you'll be filling with caulk. (I wish they had purple or pink painter's tape... *sigh*)



Step Eight:
Once you've allowed the bleach to dry, fill the tub. This is the part that TDH really laughed about, but hey... it makes sense. When you fill the tub, it's weighed down, allowing for the maximum amount of space to be filled with caulk in between the tub and the wall/tile.


Step Nine:
Loading the caulking gun. I'll be honest, I had to watch an online tutorial on how to use a caulking gun. Here it is:


Step Ten:
Pull up your pant legs and get into the nice warm water. This would be a great opportunity to add some bath salts and soak your feet. Remember, you deserve it! As the video above shows, hold your caulking gun at an angle and pull it away from the caulk as you squeeze the trigger. Try to keep it as even as possible. This was hard for me because I had a difficult time squeezing the trigger hard enough to get any caulk to come out. Once you get down one whole side, stop, wet your finger and run it along the caulking to smooth it out. Wipe your finger off on a paper towel to clean it off. Repeat for the other two sides. (sorry I didn't get a picture of this process. It's a bit difficult to take a picture while caulking.)

Step Eleven:
Once all the caulk has been applied and smoothed, double check for any missed spots and fill them in as needed. When all the spots are filled in, peel the tape off (you wouldn't want the caulk to dry on the painter's tape, adhering it to the wall and tub for good).

Stand back, finish your tasty beverage and admire your fine work. If you complete this task, I hope you'll take pictures to share with me!


p.s. The caulk needs to dry for at least 24 hours before anyone takes a bath or shower, which is why I chose to do it in the morning so it would be dried and ready for our showers the next day. Also, leave the water in the tub the entire time it's drying.

There is one thing that sustains all forms of life on our planet: Water. Beautiful, clear, fresh water. It's a necessity for all of us, but not all of us on this planet have access to fresh, clean water. In fact, billions of people are without. Millions of babies get sick and die from unclean water every year. If I can help keep another baby from dying because of something that I take for granted, I will. Therefore, when I sat down to figure out which charitable organizations would be receiving a donation this holiday season, Charity Water came out on top. Just $10 can give one person clean water for TEN YEARS!



Consider giving the gift of water this holiday season (or anytime in the near future for any reason). You could give in honor of someone on your gift-giving list. It's the perfect solution for those people you want to get something for but have no clue what. Problem solved!

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch on Sunday. It was a beautiful day for it and the kids had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures!





Hope your week is going well and continues to.

I have started formulating my plans for holiday gift-giving. I've created a rough gift-giving list and have started thinking of things I'd like to either make or buy for those people. Since I've been on the hunt for cool ideas, I thought I'd share my finds with you. You may all end up receiving one of these very gifts from me, but you don't know which one so the surprise is not ruined.

New to my gift-giving list are W's teachers. Mind you, I did put something small together for her preschool teachers last year and the year before, but she wasn't with them 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. I'm feeling the need to up the ante for her teachers this year. I figure I'll do something really special for her main teacher and do smaller gifts for her "camp class" teachers (music, PE, computers). Here is a list I found for Teacher Appreciation gifts on Skip To My Lou's Blog. They're all so clever and so easy to do. I especially liked this one. I would put some homemade goodies inside.

These two lists at Sew, Mama, Sew have become my go-to lists for handmade gifts. It is full of so many ideas, I'm sure you'll find something to make for someone on your list. I am especially loving these felt ornaments.

Of course I have a bunch of kids to make gifts for and I have tons of ideas spinning around in my head. I have a mixture of boys and girls at varying ages, so it's tough. In years past I did assembly line style gifts, but these kids are getting older and the ideas for them are getting more difficult. I'm thinking about dolls... and monsters... rocket ships... doll houses... barrettes... I could go on and on. If I'm not careful, I will waste so much time trying to decide what I want to make everyone that I won't make anything at all (as in years past).