So this is the time of year when we’re all supposed to remember the things we’re thankful for, right? Okay, good deal. I can get on board with that.
Top Ten Thanksgiving KThxBi
10. No Swine Flu (As of this writing, I am still gloriously Swine Flu-free. (Knock on wood.) Let’s keep it that way, shall we? 
)
9. Healthy Bodies All Around (I am, of course, very thankful for my continued good health…& I’m talking all-around, general good health, not the the testing negative for pork germs kind. I’ve got no aches or pains, no cuts or bruises, no tumors or growths or symptoms of any kind, & all appendages & internal organs are right where they ought to be. I am also extremely grateful that all of my family & kiddos are currently quite happy & healthy. I’m hoping to keep that the status quo for a nice, long while, too.)
8. Fangs for the Memories (I’m grateful that I am very nearly finished with my first vampire novel. It’s been a lot of work, with more than a few potholes along the way. But I’m closing in on The End, & am actually quite happy with how the stories turned out. I’m also hoping the revision & polishing process won’t take too long so I can turn this book in before my actual deadline. That would be soooo awesome! 
)
7. Black Dagger Brotherhood (Have I mentioned recently how much I am loving this series? Or how happy I am to have started reading them just when I needed that little extra oomph to get me going with my own vampire bad boys? Okay, so my heroes aren’t nearly as bad as Ward’s immortal warriors are, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t put me majorly in the mood for a bloody good time. 
Also deserving a nod of thanks: MaryJanice Davidson’s “Betsy, Queen of the Vampires” books.)
6. Solitary Confinement (As much as I love my electronic links to the outside world, I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving & the days surrounding it when there will be no phone calls & very little e-mail. Oh, sure, I’ll probably still get on line here or there to Tweet or whatnot, but for the most part, I am really looking forward to hunkering down with nothing but my AlphaSmart, some TV specials, & a nice, tasty turkey leg.)
5. Elf! (I love Christmas movies, I love Will Farrell, & I positively adore Elf. So how ecstatic am I that this fabulous movie is going to be on not once, not twice, but three times over Thanksgiving?!? I’ve already set my DVR to record it one of those times & have marked my TV guide with big red arrows to watch the other two. (Okay, to watch all three, then save the taped version for later. It’s my holiday, I can do whatever I want!
) Oh, & also—The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I’m not entirely sure this will be on over Thanksgiving, but it has been on once or twice already & I recorded it to enjoy while nibbling the other turkey leg. *g*)
4. Work (I know these are scary times for a lot of people, which is why I’m even more grateful for all the projects I’ve currently got on my plate. Three different contracts with three different publishers. Are they keeping me busy? Sure. But better too many books to write than not enough, & I’m certainly enjoying them!)
3. Richard & Rose & John & Charles (As always, I am supercalifragilisticexpialidocious grateful for my wonderful agent & wonderful editors. They look out for me, they encourage me, they let me go hog wild—but not in the swine flu way!—& then pull me back just as much as needed to make my stories the very best they can be. Thank you so much, each & every one of you! 
)
2. The Dungeon (No Thanksgiving thankfulness list would be complete without mentioning how grateful I am for this place, & for all of you. I admit, there are days when I draw a complete blank as to what I should post, but when my brain doesn’t go all slow-moving zombie 
on me, absolutely adore coming up with naughty, wicked, uber-fun stuff to share with you guys. And getting the chance to chat with you about it…& everything else under the sun…is simply the icing on the cake. So THANK YOU, my Darlings! 
)
1. Thanksgiving Dinner! (I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to a nice, big, delicious meal with all the bells & whistles. I spend so much of my time grazing, pecking around at whatever is quick & easy & handy because I’m either on deadline or too lazy to fix a nice meal—or both!—that this is going to be a true blessing. And for once in my life, I’m actually looking forward to all the leftovers! 
)
So that’s my Top Ten Thanksgiving list…what’s on yours?
The pies oh and did I mention the pies. I didn’t know you picked back up the Brother’s books again. What brother are you reading?
First off: Elf. How many times have I seen that movie…this week? Today even? Maybe three…My sons favorite movie all year round! And actually, I like it and I think I lol EVERY time I watch it. How can you not??
‘Must be a South Pole elf…’
and of course…
“Your not Santa. You smell like beef and cheese.”
Now my list:
10. No swine flue here either!! The pregnant woman with the asthmatic child rejoices…
9. Having some assurance that I’m out of slush…for good. Or for until I royally screw it up.
8. My new Kitchen floor. What? I like it.
7. That I’m finally having a girl. This house was waaaaay too testosterony.
6. My family in general. My kids, my hubby, my parents, my brother…when he and his gf aren’t bickering and driving me crazy…
5. Good books. Reading is about the best thing for a stay at home mommy. Reading books with adult content so you don’t forget you’re a woman? Heck yeah.
4. My house. Which is NOT owned by a bank. Yeeha! (my car and my soul are, but hey…
3. Epidurals.
2. My children. They are the absolute bright spots in my life and I love them more than anything.
1. My husband. Without him, his support, how hard he works, I don’t think I’d have any of the above things. Except lack of swine flu. He’s the reason I write romance.
10. That it is now much closer to February than it was 4 months ago. (I’m hurting for some good reads–fortunately there are a few coming out in January and Feb)
9. We survived the B’girls first gym meet (still with a cracked heel), made a state meet qualifying score and it was her highest all-around score ever.
8. That B’girl broke her toe (on the other foot than the cracked heel foot) AFTER the meet and should be healed before the next one in 3 weeks. (I know weird Thankful item, but hey)
7. My husband has a great job that allows me to be home (okay–not work–I have 3 active kids, I’m never home). I do work a part time job, but—see below.
6. A fun fabulous part time place I go and get paid for it. I teach little kids gymnastics and I have 6 great classes with the cutest, funest, most wonderful kids, who I can also thankfully give back to their parents after 50 minutes.
5. My oldest, so far, is driving solo without any problems and should get full use of a car this weekend, making life a little bit easier for me. Well except for the worrying that he’s okay while out driving.
4. That my middle son, despite the fact that we have developed “teen attitude” is still a loving little man. He’s my miracle child. And even though we had a rough first 2 years of his life, he’s doing great.
3. B’girl loves school and has lots of friends both there and at gymnastics. I’ve got my fingers and toes and everything else crossed that this continues.
2. No swine/piggy stuff here. All kids have been vaccinated at school with no problems (well other than the heel and the toe, we have no virus problems).
1. I don’t have to cook on Thursday!!!!! Going to my in-laws for lunch and then to Steak n Shake for dinner. Hubs doesn’t know the second part yet, but they are open and that’s what I want for dinner.
Happy Turkey Day to all and to all good bargains on Black Friday. (I will be sleeping in)
(In no particular order…
10. That I’m at 26,178 on my ITryWriMo progress. Woo hoo!
9. For Heidi and how fabulous she is.
8. For coming through this year healthy and with only one scar.
7. For a quiet Thanksgiving with only the DH, lots of food, and some great DVDs.
6. That I’m getting some really cool responses to my queries.
5. For my kick-ass boots and their upcoming trip to Nashville in July.
4. For everybody here at the dungeon!!!
3. For a wonderfully supportive DH who thinks my book is so fabulous it he would self-publish it in a heartbeat if I asked him to.
2. For my wonderful writing friends.
1. It’s a beautiful day, I’m writing, and 2010 is looking to be a fan-freaking-tastic year. What’s not to be thankful for?
Jen~ Oh, yes, pies. You can consider that lumped right in with Thanksgiving dinner, cuz it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving w/o the pies!
And once I got past my superstitious fear of the C-word, I dove back into the BDB as quickly as I could. Just finished Rhage’s story (loved it!) & am now on Zsadist’s (loving it!). Another reason I’m so happy to have discovered them is that I adore paranormal, but there’s SO MUCH out there that I’d really sort of avoided reading any of it; too much to choose from, some of it not done very well, & I think I was just a bit overwhelmed. But the Brothers knocked the lid right off that & I’m fully enamored of all things paranormal once again.
Love everybody’s lists!!! Thanks for participating.
Maisey~ Aw, a little girl—how sweet. A new little Darling-in-Training for us to warp.
I could watch Elf all year long, too. Luv, luv, luv it!
Laura~ Feb. will be here before we know it, believe me! (Altho I’m starting to get kinda excited myself.
)
Pam~ Whoo-hoo! Updated your progress meter, but now I have major guilt that I’m the one lagging behind.
Maybe I can make up for it over the holiday.
Yeah, it will be my goal to keep her sweet and pure for as long as I was.
Another thing to be thankful for: there was no naked/half naked man in The Dungeon today. Don’t get wrong, the men, especially waterboy, were wonderful. But my husband felt like I owed him, for the first pic, a watered down woman in a bikini with a fantastic body, and, for pic number two, a woman with huge jugs. So, you know, in the interest of equality I found myself google image searching ‘big boobs’.
SO thankful for all the wonderful, fantabulous writing friends in the Blogosphere who’ve been kind, supportive and so delightfully funny through all of 2009… Happy Thanksgiving to Mistress Heidi (and Heidi herself!) and to everyone in the Dungeon. Hope your feasts are delicious this week!
(I’ve been waiting and waiting to get to use this emoticon–woot!)
Okay, Maisey, I’m going to do something for you (or rather, your hubby) that I would normally avoid at all costs. But if he’s *that* desperate, we’ve gotta give him something to be thankful for on Thursday. Try these:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/big%20boobs/wonder_lick/Motivational%20posters/wonder_lick_BoobsMP.jpg?o=15
http://media.photobucket.com/image/big%20boobs/ChopsRock/Animated%20GIFs/Soft_jiggling_boobs.gif?o=14
http://media.photobucket.com/image/woman%20shower/KristijanJevic/Monica_Belucci_01.jpg?o=59
http://media.photobucket.com/image/woman%20shower/ShOrTy_RuIz/hot-girls-kissing-in-shower.jpg?o=80
These are the best I can do w/o wandering into areas I really don’t want to go.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Marilyn! You are so right about the good friends (writers & not) who keep us plugging away & out of trouble all year long.
Happy Almost Turkey day Everyone!
my Thankful list:
*As everyone else…no piggyflu!! hoping we dodged that bullet.It seems to be moving out of this area..so fingers crossed!!
*My Mom and sister..even though they both make my eyes cross and steam to come out of my ears.
*my home that is warm and dry(although it could be a little more organized..Im glad its not a box!)
*My place here in the Dungeon…there really is no better place to be a Darling!!
*My friends here in the Dungeon. You all here are truly Wonderful!!
*Heidi..without her, we would have no dungeon..or great books to read in FEB!!
* my job…jobs are scarce! and im glad i can go to work and laugh with/at my co workers..
*My kids…girly who is soo smrt (yes i know i didnt put the A in there) that she made high honor roll(all A’s) even in her honors math and english classes..and Jr. who is surviving in his freshman year of college.
*My husband who is still hanging around after 21 years of marriage….today its good…tomorrow…who knows! LOL
* and last but not least…NATHAN FILLION!!!
Wow…judging by the titles on those links I’m going to wait to show them to the hubby until after the little boys aren’t hanging around…
But aren’t I a nice wife? Cuz I will show him. It only seems fair, because sexy saturday man getting sprayed by the water made my jaw drop and it seems he should have some equal opportunity lusting.
He’s always so good to me and tells me he thinks I’m beautiful, even though I look like a whale at the moment, so it seems like I really owe him some sexy pics!
Things I am grateful for…
my health [yay no piggy here!]
my friends and family
having a job in this economy
the fact that Christmas is coming
my cats
the holiday feasting begins
Nathan Fillion
LOL!! Just showed the hubby the pics. He appreciated Monica Belucci and the shower girls elicited a pretty hilarious response. Scared him a little, I think.