I was recently tagged by  icecastle. I wasn’t sure what I would write about.  In fact, I've had 10 days to think about it. But reading kellieann 's blog this morning somehow gave me some ideas. In fact, I am also thankful for these 7 random things.

By the way, the rules are as follows:

Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.

Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.

Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1.  I’m not much of a random type of person. Maybe that is why I had a difficult time thinking of 7 things for this tag. I am more of a sequential, and for that I am thankful. I’m afraid I would be extremely confused about myself if I were a random. I work better doing things sequentially. Therefore, being sequential is the first random thing about me…with 6 sequential things to follow, as they have happened...

2.  I am thankful for my refrigerator. After all, it stores ice cubes, ice cold soda, and ice water which I desperately crave in our hot Texas summers. I also appreciate it in our hot Texas autumns. I was able to preserve all of our pumpkins and gourds until we were ready to use them. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/414466/

The big pumpkin survived for the end of October pumpkin carving. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/417071/

The gourds and sugar pumpkins survived for our recent Medieval Feast table decorations and pumpkin soup bowls. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/teacupsinthegarden/429732/

3.  I am thankful for the colors of autumn…not that we have much of that type of thing going on outdoors in Texas. Here’s a peak of the extent of our autumn this year. I have cut back most of my flowers for their winter rest. However, due to the warm autumn, many are making a fresh comeback…

Like my blue plumbago…

And my favorite roses…

We are especially thankful for our trees. When we bought this house 7 1/2 years ago, there was nothing in the back yard but dirt. Now we have over 10 trees in our backyard alone. When they were planted, I could easily reach the tops. That is no longer true. For the shade and beauty we are thankful. Also, we were extremely selective in the varieties we planted because of how they show color throughout the year. Sadly, the warm weather has not allowed our trees to peak to their fullest, not that they peak like the northeast.  However, one might be surprised at how much of a peak we can have in Texas. Nevertheless, here is one of the few leaves in our yard we are thankful for…

Because our autumn is not quite so vibrant in our yard as in those further north, we try to make up for it indoors. Now that dh is finally done with the bathroom remodel, I spent 2 days before Thanksgiving dusting and pulling out the autumn décor, to enjoy for the next few days!

The gourds from the feast are piled into the basket centerpiece...

I nearly forgot about these flowers that were stored in the garage...

These are the flowers I bought this year that sat in bags for a few months.  Having no time for a formal arrangement, I quickly stuck them in the basket in the sets they came in the morning I prepared for our Medieval Feast.  I think I like this better than the fancy arrangements I labor with...

Our lonely little ball I thought looked so cool in the store a few years ago...

Our candles...

Finally, our decorative plate I got on sale this year...

4.  We usually go to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving, for which I am thankful. However, we are sad that we miss out on the smells and tastes of the holiday. So this year ds helped me to roast a turkey and make all the fixings the day before Thanksgiving. I was a bit stressed for time since we had a doctor appointment in the afternoon, while the turkey needed to finish roasting. Throughout the day as I’d baste the turkey, ds kept oohing and ahing about the turkey. We had extra stuffing for lunch and he loved it for the first time. When we left the house at 245pm, I turned off the oven, but left the turkey in the oven. The turkey had already been stuffed, the giblet broth had been made, and the cranberry sauce had been prepared. That was about it! How long would we be gone and would we have dinner at a decent hour? Also, how would it taste? We came home over an hour later, the turkey was done, and we got the mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, salad and pie done by 6pm. Everything was delicious! I was thankful for a great meal and for my family’s help in preparations and clean up.

This morning I had help again with breakfast, which I was truly thankful for. However, we had some trouble. Although I followed the pumpkin muffin recipe, when I dumped them out onto the cookie rack, they sort of exploded! These super moist mini muffins needed an extra long time to bake! The hash browns stuck to the frying pan, so of course when I reused the pan to fry the eggs, the eggs stuck too…and dh is picky about the perfect egg. Nothing looked pretty for breakfast…but it was certainly edible…and the family declared everything delicious! I am thankful they appreciate my efforts! =)

5.  We were thankful to be together as a family. DH was not overseas. The bathroom remodel was done and even the leaks have been fixed! We are usually so busy most of the year, holidays are a special time to be together and play games. I used to win all these games. Now I usually lose them…to my 12yods. I am thankful that my son, who was born a preemie and has been eyed closely by health professionals since the end of my first trimester of pregnancy, is smart enough to out think even me! ;)

He won at Rumikub before we left for my parents …

Then this evening we stayed up late after our movie, to play Mexican Train. DS held the lead until the end, when DH finally won!

6. I am thankful for Mexican food! I was very careful about how much I ate for dinner, but by the time we came home, I was hungry. I prepared some chips and peach salsa for my evening snack. If given a choice of where we eat, 9 times out of 10, I will pick a Mexican restaurant. I am thankful to live in a great city with great Mexican food!

7. I am thankful I can cozy up with my family (and kitty) to enjoy some favorite movies together. I am unusual in that I have to schedule these movies according to season. The night before Thanksgiving we always watch a tv movie with Maureen O’Hara called "Cab to Canada" based on a true story. A elderly lady in Los Angelos hires a cab driver to drive her a little further north, then a little further north, until they finally reach Canada. It’s a warm yet funny movie, which ends on Thanksgiving day. On Thanksgiving night we have to watch "Miracle on 34^th Street" because it starts on Thanksgiving Day and shows the old fashioned Macy’s Day parade. We do not enjoy the modern Macy’s Parade. We are not interested in all the talk and Broadway shows. Therefore we don’t even turn on the tv anymore, but start playing games. I think our favorite part in the movie, of course, is the final scene in the courtroom.

If sharing 7 random things about yourself is something you’d be thankful for, then consider yourself tagged! =)