Today I am so thankful for my friend, D. I went out on a hunt for a rocking chair the other day, as III has been sick and miserable and I thought it might be nice to be able to rock him while he screams. There’s really no money in our budget for a rocking chair, but I’ve been meaning to get one for so long that I thought it might be worth the investment. Of course, I would love one of those nice, padded glider chairs that are always pictured in the perfectly designed nurseries. So I set out seeing if I could find one.

I figured I could splurge and spend $100—after all, this is an investment in my sanity, right? Well, obviously, I have never been rocking chair shopping. I first stopped at a consignment shop (to satisfy the guilt I would feel if I didn’t try to be thrifty), where I found an old wooden rocker for $38. It creaked, and felt like it might have been falling apart, but I figured it could be my last resort, and I moved on to the furniture store across the street.

They had 3 gliders, and the cheapest one was over $300 (and they were all ugly!). I was quite surprised and disappointed. I mean, 300 bucks for a recliner I could see, but one lousy glider? We bought our sofa-bed and a matching chair for $500; surely there are cheaper gliders. So I moved on to the other furniture store in town. They at least had a larger selection, but I was once again shocked by the prices. The cheapest was a $250 wooden rocking chair—no frills. They were still all ugly anyway, so I wasn’t terribly disappointed, except that I really wanted a rocking chair to help me get through the evening.

I had already been on Wal-Mart’s website, and had originally thought $260 was outrageous, but I guess it really is a low price. Still not enough to tempt me, though. I took a shot at the Pamida across the street, and was actually pleasantly surprised by a decent glider and ottoman combo for only $120. It wasn’t the perfection I had envisioned, but it was comfy and not hideous. It was still more than I wanted to pay, though, so I decided to also check out the thrift shop.

Usually their furniture warehouse is locked, so I waited to get the attention of the woman working, but she just continued to make small talk with another customer. After about 10 minutes she lets me know it’s already open, so I head out to the other building, where I find an old glider rocker for only $20. It’s not lovely, and the seat had been repaired with simple plywood, but I figured it was worth 20 bucks. By the time I get their system figured out and return with the ticket off of it, I discover they only accept cash or checks. I, of course, have neither.

So I head home, dejected, and trying to decide what to do. In the course of my weighing of options I get a call from my friend, who I briefly lament my story to. Her quick response is, “Well, do you just want to borrow my extra one? I’m not using it.” Oh, well, yeah. That works. So that’s my story. It is not the perfect glider, but it is small enough to fit well in my living room, and I didn’t have to take any  money out of our budget, making it the perfect solution. I can also give it back when I’m done.

And now instead of only walking around with III as he is crabby, I have a nice rocking chair that calms him down most of the time. I am very thankful. (This is also the same friend who gave me a bunch of frozen roast and ground beef from a freshly slaughtered cow; I am very grateful for her, indeed.)

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I just love clementines. I love oranges too, but clementines take the cake for being so cute! In a comparison with oranges, they win for cleanliness, ease, and lovability. Peeling an orange takes forever, and I inevitably wind up squirting myself in the eye with juice, and by the time I’ve prepared the orange for consumption, I’m already covered in it, and will smell like an orange for the next 24 hours. Clementines are so quick to peel, and I don’t need to stab it with a knife or anything to get through the skin. A finger is just fine. Sometimes I can peel almost the whole thing at once, and it is rare that I get an eyeful of clementine juice. I’m not so fed up with getting to the fruit that I barely want to eat it; it’s a quick process with instant gratification. Clean and easy. And because they’re so sweet and cute, I can convince Emma to eat one every day. It’s small enough to be just enough for her to not get bored with it, and we even practice counting with the segments.

Today I am so very thankful for clementines—a wonderfully easy, sweet, and healthy snack for the whole family!

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I am so thankful for good neighbors. In the past, we’ve had good landlords, but we haven’t had the greatest of neighbors (I was always so angry with our neighbor in York who would use his truck as his stereo system—their driveway was right outside our bedroom windows). I feel like we truly are getting to be suburban (don’t know for sure if that’s a good thing); we live on a little cul-de-sac and we’re all getting to know one another.

There is only one other family near us, though, and I’m grateful they’re the type of people who introduce themselves. I’m more of a smile and wave kind of person, and I’m terrible at the getting-to-know-you small talk. But our neighbors are excellent at it. They have 2 little girls and a little boy, and one of the girls is Emma’s age (they’re the ones that got us into Joy School). I love that Emma can just walk across the street to go play. There are no long drives for pick-up and drop-off, I can leave III sleeping in his room while I watch her cross the street, and it can end at a moment’s notice. If Emma forgets something at home, she can just run back and get it. It’s amazing.

I also like that there is someone to talk to, or help out. I haven’t needed to yet, but I’m sure if I was lacking a cup of flour, I could cross the street and get one. When they were having trouble removing their license plates, Lloyd grabbed his tools and walked over to help. When she made cookies one day, they brought us over a plate. And carpooling to school is a major plus.

I could think of many other little examples, but it would all end the same way: with my gratitude.

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I know it’s not for everyone. But for me it’s everything. It is the most wonderful edible creation. I would take it over ice cream. I would take it over pizza. I would eat it on plane. I would eat it in the rain. You get the picture. I am slightly obsessed with marzipan.

Well, today I am overjoyed and enormously grateful to my friend Melanie for sending me wonderful, sweet marzipan from her recent trip to Germany (that’s where you find the best stuff). And today I also made the connection between marzipan and the recent macarons—of course I would like the French macarons, as they are made with almonds, the same basic ingredient found in the deliciously delectable marzipan.

I believe my love affair with almonds began when I was a child playing pretend in my little kitchen. My mom would give me all of her old, empty spice containers, and among those was a little bottle that had contained almond extract. Oh my, did that little bottle smell good! Even years later I could open the lid and that pungent, sweet aroma would still remain. I would sniff it as if to get high. And now I’m an almond addict.

So, thank you, Melanie for contributing to my addiction. This is a wonderful day. Now I’m going to go down some yummy little marzipan potatoes (and I’m also thinking that trying to make my own marzipan would be a good solution for what to do with that leftover almond flour/meal that I have!). Oh, and since it’s made with almonds, it’s a health food, too, right??

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