I think it's a record. $38.50 in coupon savings off a $206.00 grocery bill. I hadn't been to the market in about a month - I was scrounging the freezer pretty successfully.

Speaking of sucess, I was reading over old blogs. You know, things really have improved for me a lot since I lost my job-in-a-box. Life is never going to be perfect, I'm always gonna have bad days, but I bet I could think of A Hundred and a half things to be thankful for....

One Hundered and 1/2 Blessings

1. My relationship with the Lord
2. The Hub
3. My family
4. My friends
5. My clients. I have clients. I started out with no clients and now I have some. That means that AATH, on some level, IS working
6. My dog, Winston, aka "The Goober" aka, "Quiz Nose"
7. Snails! There's been a snail baby boom in the fish tank & they go a long way toward keeping the fish tank clean
8. The CMPG: involvment with that organization has boosted my creativity and self confidence enormously
9. My Avon customers
10. My good neighbors - and the fact that I have no bad neighbors!
11. Improved mobility. When I first started writing this incarnation of SomeWingedCreature, I was still partially reliant on my cane. It's easy for me to forget that as I bop around cleaning and carting groceries
12. Improved sleep. Heck, I get 6 hours sometimes these days!
13. Flannel. I really think this is one of mankinds best inventions. It's so comforting. When it's really cold you can wear a flannel nightgown to bed on your flannel sheets and velcro yourself to your bed!
14. For that matter, this house is blessing, with it's cozy, blasting oil furnace
15. Ebay - it's gonna make my Christmas budget and keep me out of the malls this year!!
16. Sears. No one else would extend credit for materials to The Hub. Guess what? They've probably got a loyal customer for life in him
17. Freedom of speech / press to express my opinion that "W" is for "Weenie"
18. My car, which runs well, in spite of all I put it through
19. Chapstick. What did pioneer women do for chapped lips?
20. The little bell that goes "ding ding ding" to remind me before I run out of gas
21. The patience of the staff at Bank of America as I try to keep afloat. ( okay, so, tell me again how soon this $ is available)
22. My $99 steamer. It was a great investment & allows me to give superior quality work quickly.
23. The "late grey" gene
24. Tea. It gets me through the day.
25. My little digital camera which has brought me so much joy
26. Poetry. It gets me through my life
27. The fact that our trash cans have wheels on the bottom...and they never have rolled out into Main St...yet
28. I did get another hearing granted for my speeding ticket!
29. Advair. It's good stuff for asthma
30. My epi-pen. Helps me not be so phobic of bees
31. Chocolate. Food of the gods!
32. E-mail, keeps me in touch with friends far away
33. Snail mail. Interesting things keep showing up.
34. The "I cook you do dishes" rule at our house
35. The Hub can do laundry without turning everything pink. And he does
36. Coupons. Entertaining and cost effective
37. The little knob that allows you take your hand off when pumping gas. They don't have those in MA.
38. It's warmer in MD!
39. Being close to my family
40. This year, no one will tell us what days we can or cannot take off for the holidays
41. Fluffy socks
42. Check account balance on-line
43. Kettle popcorn. Man that stuff is good
44. So many books! So little time!
45. Flexable schedule
46. Some aspects of current work I can do in robe and slippers - and do!
47. Hardwood floors in my house - big help to allergies
48. Goodwill, Salvation Army & Thrift shops
49. The Hub's good doctors - each time he's been sick
50. The library. They rent DVD's now!
51. The coffee shop down the street. You can feel like you really went somewhere for $3.50
52. Music on the stereo
53. NPR on the car radio
54. The car has room for Mr. C.B.'s walker and oxygen
55. Every now and then you get a REALLY good parking space
56. There's a sushi restaurant in the County now, and it's good
57. There are other pacifists. it's not just me.
58. Maryland Crab Soup
59. Thanksgiving is coming. It's my favorite secular holiday.
60. I won the "compromise" about lace curtains
61. Scented candles
62. The Hub doesn't care that I can't rollerblade, play tennis, or sail
63. Being married in general. The singles scene looks kinda scary.
64. Having a washer & dryer & not having to go to the launderama
65. A good sense of direction. "Oh, I know where we are! I've been lost here before"
66. Don't have to get on the beltway every day
67. Strong nails. Don't have to do anything to 'em. They just grow
68. Christmas bizzares are coming
69. Also, related church dinners. Blessed food!
70. Don't ever have to see The Sarge, The Newfie Lover, or Music Man ever again
71. Rebates!
72. We hardly got any trick or treaters, so plenty of left over candy
73. Sold a picture at the gallery. But better yet people LOOKED at them
74. People read this blog. Really. It's not just you
75. Theme Thursday - gives me a "hobby" each week
76. Winston is still a very playful dog. Lots of mastiffs are "old" at 3
77. Cat returned to good health
78. Got to go to the beach this year, thanks to my extended family
79. Hair is now long enough to put up
80. Allergies going away - contact lenses no longer stuck to eyeballs every morning
81. The Hub does not spend more time on his hair than me, but he still HAS hair
82. The jeep is still running
83. Sofa is comfortable to sleep on
84. only one bathroom in this house to clean
85. The Hub is almost used to me by now.
86. Also, he fixed the drain in the bathtub!
87. Almost never have to wear pantyhose anymore
88. Freezer downstairs that came with house. Very handy
89. All the stuff I'm NOT afraid of: Mice, snakes, spiders, going someplace I've never been, etc.
90. I still have all my teeth...
91. and my sense of humor
92. Don't have to wear an underwire bra
93. Headphones. Not for me. For The Hub when he's listening to "Linkin Park" or whatever the heck it is. He calls it "Angry White Man Music" There's one song that goes "She f****** HATES me!" I'm like, "wow, romance lives!" Jeepers!
94. Finances are Looking UP!
95. Trash pickup free in town we live in
96. Hub knows what to do if weird lights come on in car
97. Many of my friends understand what I'm talking about - sometimes.
98. For a dog, Winston's breath isn't all that bad.
99. Also, I have never lost him. How could you lose a mastiff?!
100. Not going to my high school reunion. Nothing to prove any more
and 1/2 ....well, Vio-Kitty. I'd say I'm half thankful for her!

Keep smiling!