1. Oatmeal made with milk,
2. finding the yarn I needed at Joann's,
3. good shoes I found at Marshalls
4. Winter weather
5. the success and ease of a procedure Mom had today.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. the soft, barely ticklish kiss of snowflakes on my face while I was pumping gas,
2. $1.77 per gallon,
3. good chili made fast in my own kitchen,
4. Joe's Produce - what a great place to get yummies like apples and grapefruit and pomegranates,
5. and the good price I got on a brand new pair of Reeboks today.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. I finished scrapbooking 2007!
2. I got back to my standard workout today after being sick for over a week,
3. I'm feeling even better than I did yesterday,
4. the neighbors three doors down didn't rev the engine of their loud-ass motorcycle near as long today as they did yesterday,
5. no matter how horrid I am, Daniel still loves me.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Today...I'm thankful for--

1. hot coffee,
2. candles,
3. the color green in all its hopeful shades,
4. cell phone technology,
5. the Internet, because it is so easy and sweet to connect with so many people all around the world.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

The book is called Snippets. Cute title for a book about paper crafting, no?

Click here to for a sneak peek, including an entertaining sample selection and audio presentation from the book.

And click here to pre-order the book.

There’s going to be a big online bash over at the Simple Scrapbooks site Thursday to launch the book, too.

And check out the author’s blog for more information.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Here we go:

1. that my health continues to improve--almost back to normal today,
2. that I got TWO of my class assignment done today, along with an extra page,
3. that we got 2 inches of snow last night,
4. that Mom doesn't need surgery right now,
5. that I got to talk to a great friend on the phone today and wish her Happy Birthday.

Another thing that is really making me happy right now is how much Daniel wants to be near me. That just melts this girl's heart.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. I feel so much better than I did yesterday!
2. it snowed and snowed and snowed this evening, so beautiful!
3. I got a lot accomplished today,
4. my mom called, and I got to talk to her for awhile,
5. Daniel and I made it home safely after our excursion out to eat and to Target.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Not good.

It wasn't that I couldn't find anything to be thankful about yesterday. It was that I didn't have the energy to write about it. Now that I do, I was thankful yesterday that--

1. it rained all day long,
2. as miserable as I was, I got to be inside, out of the cold rainy weather,
3. as miserable as I was, we didn't have to start our trip to Texas this weekend,
4. no tummy ache with this virus,
5. Daniel was so patient and vigilant in taking care of me.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Tonight, I'm thankful for--

1. getting to hang out with my good friend Amy all day,
2. finding the perfect yarn for a gift project I'm going to knit,
3. the talented Sarah who did a fabulous job cutting my hair today--I so love this cut!
4. a fabulous, tasty Thanksgiving dinner two weeks early!
5. the brand new Simple Scrapbooks special issue about making quick and easy photo albums using some creative techniques and scrapping supplies which I got today.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. I finally feel better!
2. the headache that haunted me when I went to bed last night and when I got up this morning is gone,
3. I got so much accomplished today!
4. I got to go out with Daniel tonight and enjoy a very tasty decaf mocha,
5. I made a very healthy, very delicious dinner tonight.

It's amazing what the fading out of a virus can do for a person...

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Oh, well. Here's the five things I was thankful for on the 12th of November:

1. the rain,
2. rest,
3. my mother was in better spirits than the last time I talked to her,
4. the wonderful women at DYL who are so supportive and compassionate even to a complete stranger like me,
5. I got one of the assignments for last week of the class done! Yay!

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

But that's why I started this blog series, to focus on all the things that are good in my life, even on a day like this one.

So here goes.

I'm thankful that--
1. Daniel listens to me and helps me find my way clear to make difficult decisions,
2. I had the time and energy to finish a knitting project today,
3. I have good books to read,
4. I am able to do what I need to do without worrying about taking time off work,
5. and this virus, which could've been so much worse, is on its way out.

May tomorrow be a better day.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

I'm not good at slowing down, taking time out.

The holidays are approaching, and I'm feeling the crunch of getting things done for that. Soon, it will be time to decorate for Yule. Soon, it will be time to shop for gifts. (Really, the time for that has already begun, and I've got ONE gift so far. Just one.) So, bottom line: I'm feeling overwhelmed and pressed for time, and I'm feeling like my throat is being scraped with sandpaper, and I'm feeling my head throb, especially when I get up from my spot on the couch.

And in the midst of all of that...I'm grateful for--

1. this view out the back door this morning,
2. Tylenol,
3. television and remotes,
4. hot tea,
5. a very, very sweet husband who takes really good care of me.

Here's to healthier tomorrows.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

One of the reasons I probably forgot is that I'm coming down with a cold and not feeling up to par. Yeah, that's as good an excuse as any, right?

So without further ado, I was thankful yesterday for--

1. the wide open sweetness of a Sunday with Daniel,
2. 50% off coupon at Michaels
3. getting a good jump start on the laundry,
4. gas prices being a little more manageable,
5. little snowflakes falling from a Wintry sky.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. the arrival of Wintry weather in Michigan,
2. the window seat scrapbook shelf my husband's building for me,
3. CK magazine,
4. great sales at lots of stores today,
5, and a good friend to shop with.

Even more tired tonight, after getting up early to get in line for a special coupon promotion at Archivers. Chilly, chilly, chilly waiting outside. The nice ladies at the store let us in early, long as we promised to line up like good scrapbookers, right in the entry way, and not start shopping in the rest of the store until they were ready.

Great day. Really enjoyed myself.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Five things for which I'm thankful today:

1. my good friend Amy who made time in her busy schedule and drove all the way from Brighton to spend time with me.
2. oatmeal and Pike Place coffee at Starbucks this morning.
3. Archivers!
4. dinner with Daniel and a quiet, restful evening at home.
5. movies to watch and popcorn to munch.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

1. time to work on paper crafting projects,
2. creativity,
3. pajamas,
4. coffee,
5. and good neighbors.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

You can also read some of the ignorant comments posted to her triumphant blog entry, if you're so inclined. I read most of them because the blog post was edited to announce the comment section was closed, and I was curious about what people said to make Ali close the comments.

Most of the comments were supportive, but there were several that mentioned the issue of the unborn. Who will stand for them, several women wanted to know, and some accused anyone who supported Obama, because he allegedly supports abortion, of being sick.

In capital letters, people, as in "SICK, SICK, SICK."

What popped into my mind as I read this accusation was a question: how many BORN children--you know, children who have grown into adults--have been killed in Iraq in the last, oh, 24 hours by Republican George W. Bush, his evil sidekick, and this illegal war? How many have been killed in 24 days? 24 months? I don't know the statistics, but I do know that these women are so outraged at Barack Obama standing for a woman's right to choose whether or not to terminate her pregnancy, yet where's the outrage for the thousands of living, breathing men and women--once unborn--that the current Republican administration has sent for slaughter in these unnecessary wars in the Middle East?

Let's not kill unborn babies, but sending thousands to die in an unending illegal war, that's something they can get behind, whole-heartedly. John McCain, the alternative to Barack Obama, said something about continuing the American involvement in Iraq for 100 years. How many lives will be lost during that amount of time?

I don't talk much about my political opinions. I keep them to myself, for the most part, except when I'm talking with my husband or a handful of other people who I know will respect my informed opinions as I respect theirs. I think political discussion is good, but I think that most people are too identified with their political choices, and as arrogant as it might sound, I think most people aren't near as informed as we should be--myself included--about what's really going on in our political culture. We listen to what we're told, and we draw possibly reasonable, but mistaken conclusions, given the information we have, which is rarely, if ever the whole picture.

Abortion is a complicated issue that has captivated public discourse and perpetuated divisions in the American society as far back as I can remember. During the 1980's, when I was a conservative Christian, raised by devout Christian parents, I towed the line and adamantly opposed abortion, except in circumstances in which the mother's life was in danger, or if a woman was raped, particularly by a family member. Many years later, now that I am not influenced by the rhetoric of the religion of my upbringing, now that I think for myself, my opinion on abortion is different.

Abortion is not the problem. Unwanted pregnancy is the problem; abortion is just one controversial solution. I feel strongly that other solutions are preferable. Birth control, for example. We have the technology, more than any other previous civilization, to prevent unwanted pregnancies. We have a plethora of choices at our disposal, from condoms to a variety of oral contraceptives to surgical alterations. And if a woman really doesn't want to have a baby, she does have the option of abstinence from sexual contact that could result in pregnancy.

That is as much her choice as abortion.

People argue that early pregnancies are simply a small group of cells that can't really be labeled "life" yet, and others argue that life begins at the point of conception. The argument goes back and forth, back and forth, and there doesn't seem to be any way to get the two opposing sides to work together for a real solution. One side is right, the other side is wrong, and while they continue waging sometimes violent cultural warfare, unwanted pregnancies, and the resulting abortions, continue.

I admit, I see a pregnancy, at any stage, as potential human life, and I don't like the idea of taking that life lightly. At the same time, if I were raped, and a pregnancy resulted, I would not hesitate to abort that potential life. I would be emotionally unable to carry the product of a rape. While I do not support using abortion as birth control--I once heard about a woman who aborted four consecutive pregnancies--I definitely see it as an option in certain circumstances, and I do not support making the option illegal.

Instead, I'd like to see this American society take responsibility for our choices, women and men alike. I think women need to understand that every time we have sex, every single time, protected or not, there is the potential for pregnancy. When we choose to have sex, we choose the possibility of pregnancy. While there is only one absolute way to prevent pregnancy, the possibility is certainly and dramatically reduced through proper use of birth control.

Fighting over whether or not to terminate a pregnancy and at what stage seems irrelevant to me when the obvious answer is to keep from getting pregnant in the first place. I don't understand why it is such a difficult thing when a thin layer of latex or a simple dose of hormones in a daily pill makes the question of whether to abort or when largely moot.

I'd be interested to know just how many abortions are performed on teenage girls who turn up pregnant. So many people want to advocate for the right to life, but not many seem too keen on preventing pregnancies in the first place, especially in teenaged girls. When a woman's body is able to sustain pregnancy, at whatever age that happens, she should have the option of preventing that pregnancy. Denying teenaged girls readily accessible birth control options increases the likelihood of abortion.

Let me say that again: young women who do not have birth control options readily available to them are more likely to have an unwanted pregnancy, which increases the likelihood of an abortion. I'd rather have oral contraceptives handed out at school to whoever requested them than hear of another teenaged couple who disposed of an unwanted newborn in a trash dumpster.

Unfortunately, some of the same folks who stand so strongly against abortion do so because of their religious affiliations, and those are the same folks who oppose birth control because they believe it interferes with god's will. I don't believe in god, but using the vernacular of the faithful, god isn't the one who absorbs the consequences of unwanted pregnancy. Humans do, and not just the humans who make the choice to risk pregnancy in the first place.

We can't really have it both ways. If people want to stand for the unborn, if they want to oppose abortion so strongly that they are willing to attack a decent woman for her political choices on her own blog, then they need to decide which is worse: preventing pregnancy or terminating pregnancy.

Arguing over the specifics of abortion wastes our time and energies. We need to accept that it is a debate that probably won't be won and seek a deeper solution to the actual problem. We need to approach the issue with intellect, respect, and reason, not jab with ignorant pablum at people who are doing their own personal best to make the world a better place.

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers

Copyright 2008 Melissa LaFavers