Happy Meal Happiness

“I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, "I'd like some fries." The girl at the counter said, "Would you like some fries with that?"” -- Jay Leno

Because of my ever-evolving quest for portion (and self!) control, I LOVE McDonald's happy meals. A little taste of this and a little taste of that without blowing the food budget is always a good thing.

When we went to McDonald's on Saturday night after church, I realized that the happy meals just got a little bit happier...



Happy meals are apparently back to their "original" packaging (although they now open differently -- I had a slight moment of panic as I reached for the side tabs that weren't there!)! Hello, nostalgia!

Sometimes it takes so little to make me happy. :-)

Thankful

I know it’s a little bit late, but I hope you had a pleasant 4th of July. Ours was nice and low key – we hung out with friends, saw some fireworks, and ate a few hot dogs. You really can’t ask for much more than that.



Over the past week, the holiday has also seemed to be a time to reflect on the joys and opportunities that we have. While the 4th of July isn’t quite the same as...well, Thanksgiving, I still think it’s a good time to think about and be thankful for the things that we do have, especially the freedoms that we are provided.

That theme was continued in our small group this week. We have just started a summer study on the book of Philippians, and our group discussion focused on the joy that Paul exuded despite his situation (i.e., being imprisoned). While we just spent an entire day celebrating freedom, Paul’s example reminds us that freedom is not a precursor to joy, contentment, and thankfulness.

11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:11-12

We came away from small group with a challenge to focus on what we are thankful for and to not take the small things for granted. Someone even suggested that we come up with something to be thankful for according to each letter of the alphabet. Below is my list. Some of the things may be silly, but I’ve tried to think about the things that I am truly thankful for.

What are you thankful for this week?

A = AP Stylebook (quick reference for editors...it’s a good thing!), Air conditioning
B = Bible (having God’s Word easily accessible), Books
C = Coupons (ways to save money)
D = Dave
E = E-mail (to stay in touch), Experiences to grow from/through (even the tough ones!)
F = Family, Friends, Freedom
G = God
H = Health, Hope (church)
I = Ice cream
J = Job, Jazzercise
K = Kleenex
L = Laughter, Love, Library (see B...free books are even better!)
M = Modern conveniences
N = Nieces and nephews
O = Open minds and hearts
P = Peanut butter
Q = the ‘Quay (I know, I’m reaching...but Q is hard!), Quiet spirit, Questions
R = Radio (in general, but especially the encouragement from Christian radio)
S = Salvation, Sadie
T = Truth, Teachers
U = Unconditional love
V = Vacations (a nice break from the daily grind...a time to relax and restore)
W = Weight Watchers (a method for getting healthier)
X = X chromosomes (they help make me who I am – did you know that the “X” section of the dictionary is less than one page long?!?)
Y = You!, Yucca (but only if it’s fried...that stuff is tasty!)
Z = Zinc oxide (you know, the stuff in sunscreen...I hate putting it on, but I’m extremely thankful that it keeps me from getting burned!)

Decor on a Dime

Over the past month or so, we've been making a few changes to the house. Nothing drastic, but a few things here and there. (I blame it on the repeated episodes of "House Hunters" -- what else are you going to watch during summer reruns?)

First we reorganized the furniture in the living room. When we lived in the apartment, Dave rearranged the living room furniture every other month. I'm surprised that it took him so long to do it at the house! I don't have a good picture of the new configuration, but I did manage to capture Sadie's new favorite spot.


Next, Dave surprised me with a new comforter when I went away to visit a friend one weekend. We had looked at the comforter in the store and decided that we liked it -- it was so nice to come home to a "new" room. (Dave even hung matching curtains!) Our old bedspread had a lot of neutral colors, but the new one really seems to make the room "pop."


Finally, Dave picked out a new shower curtain to complete the transformation of our "master suite." He picked it out himself, and I think he did a great job!