Thankful Things

Life has been stressful around here with all our construction.  We still don't have flooring in our home.  About March 1 we had an incident where the water line that goes to the ice-maker broke and the house flooded.  Since then we've been working to get the flooring in 3/4 of our home replaced.  We also got all new bottom cabinets in our kitchen.
This has been an all-consuming project.  I don't know about Adam, but I imagined that since we had contractors doing the work, that there wouldn't be much work for us to do.  I was wrong.  We pack up everything in one room and move it to the next.  Then we do it again.  We've packed up the kitchen and I cooked meals from food found in boxes.  Fortunately I have cabinets now, but Adam has had to take off the doors so we could paint them.  Selecting the paint on the cabinets led to an understanding that we also needed to paint the kitchen walls.  We are currently stuck in a labyrinth of home improvement.  I am hopeful we will see the light at the end of the tunnel by July, but am not sure there is ever an end because once you fix one thing then you realize another needs improvement.
I haven't been able to write much because every second of my time has been spent working...working for my job and working on the house.  Adam and I both have been consumed with this.  Luckily the kids are resilient and patient with us when we can't play with them because we have to work on the house.

To refocus, here is a list of a few blessings I'm thankful for today:

1.  The flooring is already paid for and sits in boxes in our living room.  Eventually we will be able to walk barefoot around the house again.
2.  Our kids washed both cars on Saturday, without any prompting, and for a mere $5 per kid.  That's $2.50 for a hand wash; a great bargain as well as great fun for two kids with swimsuits and a hose.
3.  I've been able to clean out and organize the kitchen and hope to do the rest of the house.
4.  I'm learning my work limits and that I really do need downtime.  Working from the moment my feet hit the ground to the moment my head hits the pillow is no fun and causes me to be a little bit emotional and overwhelmed.
5.  All the seeds that the kids and I planted in January have sprouted and are growing beautifully in pots or my tiny garden.
6.  Hugs.
7.  Our wonderful neighbors have been a great help to us by offering advice, lending a hand, and helping watch the house when I have to pick the kids up from school.
8.  This is Paul's last week of preschool, so next week we'll be able to help get this show on the road.  That will also free us both up to spend some quality time together before Claire gets out of school.
9.  A stop at Half Price Books on Sunday ended with a large stack of new books to read, motivation for me to take time to read them and not just work all the time.
10.  Our friend Rev. Nancy is retiring this week and we are so happy for her and grateful for the blessing she's been to our whole family.