Fancy Duds, Summer Grub & Puppy Dogs

This week is just flying by!  As you can imagine, with our daughter's wedding only a little over a month away I am busy, busy, busy!  I wouldn't miss linking up with Rebecca Jo @ Knit By God's Hand for Thankful Thursday, though.

This week I am thankful....

* that I finally found a mother-of-the-bride dress online that I don't hate...and just might actually like.  Anyway, I've clicked the submit order button and sent my payment so the dress should arrive within a week.  What do you think?  It's navy blue even though it kind of looks black in the picture.

* for wonderfully cool nights (I've had to throw a blanket on the bed!) and perfect summer days with lots of sunshine, just right temperatures, and low humidity!

* for garden inspired summer meals.  Tonight's is stuffed peppers made in the slow cooker and fresh corn on the cob with vanilla ice cream topped with raspberries and blackberries for dessert.

* for the young man who chose to be a living liver donor and that the 27-year-old son of friends of ours was chosen to be the recipient.  He is currently still in surgery, but the news coming out from time to time has been good.  So many have been praying for this for so long.  He was born without ducts in his liver. Doctors created some and have done surgery several times over the years to keep his liver working.  Still there have been many, many times of sickness and fear.  Doctors predicted he would need a transplant before he was in his teens. He didn't have a good prognosis for living to adulthood.  He was put on the transplant (from someone who has died) about 6 years ago, but has never been sick enough to move above the halfway mark on the list.  Today's donor is a hero in my book.

* for health and happiness in my family.  We are blessed.

* for the boxes full of memories my mom dumped on me as she cleaned out her attic in search of the cake knife and server from our wedding to give our daughter to use at her wedding.  

Thanks to coming from a family of savers (as in my grandmother, my mom, and my aunts NEVER throw anything away), I now have 15 newspapers featuring my wedding write up, 100 embossed pink dinner napkins, 100 embossed gray cocktail napkins, at least 50 pink matchbooks embossed with our names and wedding date, a stack of wedding programs, all of the RSVPs, all the cards from my graduation, leftover graduation announcements, and all the cards I received for my 18th birthday.

* for good friends with lots of talent and a willingness to help us make wedding bouquets and decorations for the wedding.  Tomorrow we are getting together and going at them assembly line style!

* that the dogs (even the nervous, high-strung poodle) are very gentle and very patient with our baby boy and he adores them...getting more excited about seeing them than anything.

* and as always, I am thankful for each of you!