Friday night grateful moment

After 24 hours of no internet, there is one thing that tops my list above all others:

* I am so grateful for my internet. It's mine. All mine. I will share with the rest of you, but really, it's mine. That lightning strike yesterday up at Pike's Peak (or so the provider said...) put me out of sorts, but definitely helped with getting more housework done today! No getting pulled into facebook or checking on my fave blogs. Nope, just me and my 409 bottle, running around making things clean.

* Grateful for Seth's help in housecleaning. I love his cheerful little chatter while we clean... until of course he disappears for a bit into his room to read! He's best in spurts of energy, but always helps make our time in the dustbin go by faster.

* Grateful for a day off of school (and work) so that we could hang out. We cleaned, made pizza lunch for the husband, did some errands, hauled the recycling and bought some fun toys (bribing helps get cleaning done as well!). Seth had a leftover gift certificate at a local toy store, so we found some fun tidbits including one of those gyro-fly wheels (I had one as a kid, how retro of him!), and then wandered down to another book and game store for a grayscale rubik's cube... because it's not hard enough to solve the regular-colored one?

But the most fun, toy-wise, of the day, was mastering the magnetic levitron globe that arrived this week from Grandma and Grandpa. IT worked fine, but WE had some challenges from the user end... but it's up, it works and we all love it. And we'll never move it now.

"Someone" messing with the globe. If it falls, he's on the hook to put it back!

* Grateful for sunshine. What a week... the ups and downs and all arounds of the weather culminated in a day of sunshine, and probably a high in the mid-30s. But it was sunny! Last night there was a freak wind/rain/hail/snow storm that swirled around for an hour or two and left our landscape rather bleak and entirely too wintery.

* Grateful for the safe arrival home of a dear friend who has been taking care of her ill mother for many many weeks this winter... across the country and away from her man and boy. I'm very glad for her that she's home for a minute or two to relax and recover before she goes back on Best Daughter in the World duty. And looking forward to our pedicures next week!

* Grateful for the farmer who went on gopher-killing duty last week to help keep the mounds and destruction away from our yard. I am so tired of seeing the dogs dig where they THINK a gopher will be... can't wait until it's less of a mudpile and can get out and fix those holes!

* Grateful for Cyrus O'Leary's lemon meringue pies. I can make pies, sure. But when Cyrus is willing to do it for me? Not this Friday. And not many Fridays. The lemon meringue pie is one of this family's favorites, and so I often (less lately, we ARE trying toward healthfulness) veer toward the pie case at the grocery. Sometimes the lemon meringue can be hard to come by... must be popular. I had every intention of going homemade this weekend, just for kicks, but somehow twisted my back this morning, so reverted to the bought-it technique this afternoon. Very grateful for Cyrus and his knack with the pie.

* Grateful for family. For the warmth and affection that surrounds me. Thanks, guys.