Give Thanks With A Grateful Heart

This week, we had hot, humid, windy days (80+ degrees, which is high for early April, low for June, but since it's April, then high) and then freeze warnings, icy cold rain, and even some snow. Wheee, doggies!  Makes me miss living in Ventura, where the weather was so predictable: pleasant, pleasant, rain, mudslides, pleasant, June gloom, warm, warm, warm, Santa Ana winds and wildfires, pleasant, pleasant. 

The silver lining to this cold, wet weather is that the grass is greening and the leaves are popping and the flowers are blooming, and in a month, we're going to be hot and sweaty.

Now on to the thankfuls:

1. We took advantage of one of the hot, sunny days to try a project at preschool that my assistant teacher Melissa found on Pinterest. The kids traced the shadows of zoo animals onto paper for "Z" week. The wind was a problem, as it kept blowing the giraffes over, but all in all, it was a success, especially for the first time we tried it. Here they are, hard at work:

2. A week or so ago, my kids got to use their watercolors to paint these spring flowers. They LOVE to watercolor, and they turned out so well that I hung them out in the hallway:
:

When I arrived at school Monday morning, I found this note taped to my door from a member of the congregation of the church where our preschool is located:

I'm touched that someone cared enough to post us a note, and I'm leaving it up there FOREVER, or until we take the pictures down!

3. Look at this sammich. Don't you wish you could take a big ol' bite of it right now? Melissa and I went out to lunch this week. We don't get a chance to do that very often, as we both have busy lives once we leave preschool for the day, but when we do, we do it right!

This is the Your Mom sammich from Tropicana,
if you ever find yourself in Joplin. And if
you do, call me and I'll join you here.

4. Homemade pizza.

5. Homemade banana bundt cake.

6. Leftover pizza and bundt cake for breakfast.

(Guess what I made this week....)

7. Umm, I'm thankful he kept his tail dry?

Nora is inside the shower as the water
runs and warms up enough for me to get
in, which is our every day routine.
Lewis has decided to join her but can't
get all the way in, because Nora isn't
budging, knowing the sweet spot to
play with the water yet not get soaked.

8.THIS GUY! This is my children's favorite teacher of all time. He came down with flu-like symptoms and was taking medication, then began having difficulty breathing and was taken to the ER and on to the ICU. He was diagnosed with severe fungal double pneumonia. Long story short, after 27 days in the hospital, nearly all of them in the ICU, he posted a message on Facebook! He's still got a long recovery ahead of him, but GLORY HALLELUJAH, my heart has been bursting with happiness to hear from him! You won't find a student, past or present (along with parents and co-workers), who does not love, respect and admire this man. Extra thanks to his wife for keeping everyone updated with his condition, and continued prayers for Chris, along with his wife and daughter. 

4 years ago, when I helped Chris
move his stuff into the new high school
that was built after the tornado
blew away the original one.

9. The last one counted for two, at least.

10. In spite of the freeze warning, it really is spring!

Give thanks with a grateful heart!