No, this isn't my house. It's my dream house, and it's on the market again. It's been for sale a few times since 1990 when I first came to this area of western Pennsylvania. I've always thought this is a beautiful, classic home. It's got four bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths, a sunroom, a three stall garage. . . Did I mention that it's beautiful? It is. Don't You think? Take a look at the listing. Once I did that and saw the interior, I loved it even more.

Yes, it's beautiful. And it's in our kids' school district. It's also WAY more than we could possibly afford. Seeing this house got me to thinking about our current economic situation and what our future holds. I started freaking out for a little while. I mean, we're not doing well on the financial front. However, after some more reflection, I've realized we've really got it pretty darn good. I'm working toward establishing myself as a paid blogger and freelance writer. I have to keep reminding myself it won't happen overnight. I'm really very happy being at home with my family. I need to count my blessings.

I've reflected on our home here at Everyday Baby Steps once before and talked about how I really do love it. It's small. It's a 16 x 80 mobile home with three bedrooms, two baths. It's ours, though, and it's new. We were able to choose our floor plan, the colors, appliances, etc. So let me give you a tour of some of my favorite parts of our little trailer and show you why I love it.

Here's a picture of our home.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is the first room you walk into. We've chosen to use what's traditionally known as the back door for our main entrance. Coming into the kitchen makes sense, especially in the winter and with kids, because we can just kick our shoes off on the linoleum.

I really like the island with the sink in it. There was also supposed to be a dishwasher, but the folks at the mobile home sales forgot to order it. So you see that cute little table with the terra cotta colored tile top? They paid for it in place of the dishwasher. My hubby, Bill, is a very good dish washer, so I guess we did okay. I love how bright our kitchen is. There's a skylight above the sink.

The Living Room

I spend the majority of my time here in the living room. I just rearranged, and I wish I had remembered to take pictures of the before. The new furniture layout makes it roomier and really helped to give me an improved outlook on the place where I spend most of my days.

Check out our tiny TV. Certain members of my family (Okay, it's Bill) think I arranged the living room this way so that we'd have to get a bigger television in order to be able to see it from the couch. That was not my intention, but if it happens to be that we need to do that, I'll make the sacrifice. Remember, folks, I spend all of my time in this room - I'd love to be able to see Baby Einstein and Hannah Montana when I'm watching them!

This is my favorite part of the living room. It's MY chair. It's my favorite color. It's big and comfy. The best part is that I bought it for only $35 dollars at a local bargain basement furniture store. Check out my laptop on the side table next to the chair. Do you think I spend very many hours here?

The Master Bath

I only took one picture in our bathroom because it's really the most important part. The sunken tub is the best! I love to take a nice bubble bath with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, and I always have a good book or magazine to read. I'm a lucky girl!

Our Closet

Okay, so it's not exactly a room. But it is one of the best parts of the house, in my opinion. Technically, it's our closet. However, as you can see, Bill gets the small portion for his clothing, while I get the long part for mine. I have more clothes, so it makes sense. Right?

So there you have it, the tour of my home. I'm actually quite proud of it and very thankful to have such a lovely place to raise my family. A home of my own is what I've always wanted. We're able to make the bills right now, everyone's warm and healthy. That's what matters in life. It truly is.

I enjoyed sharing my home with you. Please consider posting a tour of your home at your own blog and linking it in the comments. I'd love to see where you live and the things that make you happy about it. Thanks for stopping by!

I love The Ellen DeGeneres Show .  As a work-at-home mom, I don't often get to watch a lot of TV, but sometimes Brady and I will just sit and play on the floor, watching Ellen.  Yesterday, during the commercial, I picked up a copy of Prevention to do a bit of research for a health article, and when I opened it, I saw Ellen in an ad for Cover Girl.  While this isn't news (Ellen made the announcement back in September.), seeing the ad really got me to thinking.

Lots of advertisements you see are just lame, especially television ads.  So often I find myself asking my husband, "Who writes this stuff?"  But Cover Girl really got it right.  Ellen is beautiful.  She's funny, talented, intellegent, caring, generous.  Oh yeah, and she's a lesbian.  Of course, we all know that.  But a lesbian as the face of Cover Girl?  Unexpected.  And awesome.  Thank you, Cover Girl, for having the courage to highlight true beauty.I do believe it was a risk on the part of Cover Girl.  Sure, lots of people love Ellen, but I spend a lot of time online interacting with people of all political and moral beliefs.  I've seen just how many are against homosexuality and gay marriage.  Just look at the results of Prop 8.  Again, I applaud Cover Girl for their courageous campaign.

Another advertising campaign of merit is that of Dove, showing real women's bodies and encouraging us to be proud of our beauty, no matter what our size.  Check out Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty.  Dove says they, "want to free ourselves and the next generation from beauty stereotypes.", and they're doing this through the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

Dove's goal is to reach 5 million girls by 2010 through educational programs.  Thus far, they've reached 2 million.  Visit the site to learn more.  There's a section just for girls, and there's even a way for us moms to get involved.  Become a mom mentor.  Dove's set up guides to download and activities to share with the girls in your life; you can also visit discussion boards.  You can even host a Dove Real Beauty Workshop.  Register and you'll receive a free copy of the facilitator's training guide and other materials so that you can conduct workshops in your area.  Sign up - I did!

I'm so proud of these campaigns.  Cover Girl and Dove got it right, and that means a lot in light of recent advertising debacles aimed at women, in particular, moms.

Kim, one of my scrapbooking buddies, recently sent me a forward that totally summed up the concept of gratitude and thankfulness for me.  I always try to look at life from a perspective of all that I have, rather than what I'm currently lacking, but we all know it can be hard.  I'd like to share this poem with you.  I hope it is as meaningful to you as it was to me!

I Am Thankful:

For the wife who says it's hotdogs tonight, because she is home with me and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes, because it means she is home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay, because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters tha need fixing, because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government, because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means I am capable of walking, and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill, because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours, because it means I am alive.

And, finally, for too much e-mail, because it means I have friends who are thinking of me!

If you enjoyed the perspective this poem gives, please pass it on!  I am grateful for the abundance I have in my life, particularly for the opportunities I have recently been granted.

Yesterday afternoon, I looked out my front door and saw a package.  I didn't order anything and thought it must have been something from my mom.  Then I saw that it was from Amazon.  That didn't seem like my mom's style.  She usually sends things for the kids and uses about a roll of packaging tape to secure the box.  She also includes bright, pretty stickers or labels.  It's pretty hard to miss a package from my mom!

So I brought the box inside, wondering what it could be.  When I opened the top and looked inside, I saw the first book, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life by Julia Cameron, and I knew who it was from.  Last week, I talked on the phone to my blogger friend, Angela from Unexpected Art.  She talked to me about her blogging experience for my Friday Feature Profile series, and we also got to talking about off-topic things like books.  Angela highly recommended Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, for unleashing your creativity.

Sure enough, The Artist's Way was also in the box, along with The Artist's Way Workbook, the companion journal to the book.  I nearly cried.  This wonderful woman, whom I never even met face to face, knew that these books would be meaningful to me and that I'm not currently in a financial position to buy them for myself.  So she sent them to me with this note, "Just a little something to get you inspired."

This act of friendship of kindness is more than "just a little something", and I will use the books to move my writing and my personal growth in the right direction.  Thank you, Angela, for your kindness and for your inspiration!  For your friendship, I am thankful.

My friend, Angela, from Unexpected Art is amazing.  She started a Positive Living network, and I just admire her for it.  Her tagline is "Working to be positive in an increasingly negative world."  It really is work to maintain positivity, but it's work well spent, in my opinion.

I recently joined her group and jumped on the bandwagon of her 30 Day Challenge. For the challenge, you name something you're grateful for, each day increasing the number by one.  Today is day 10, so here's my list of the 10 things I'm grateful for:

1. My bubble bath this morning!
2. Brady sleeping very well last night.
3. Kids getting themselves ready for school this morning w/o much nagging.
4. My blog.
5. Twitter.
6. Connecting with really neat people.
7. Sunny day, nice temps.
8. All the love in my life.
9. The chance to try new things.
10. That I can still fit into SOME of my clothes 6 months after having baby!

Thanks, Angela, for helping to keep me positive and reminding me to be grateful.  You're a great pal!

If ths sounds like a group you'd like to be a part of, please go on over to Angela's positive living network and tell her Mary sent you!

I am so thankful for all of the mom bloggers who responded to my request to hear your stories. Sharing personal details with others is not always an easy thing, but I think we can all relate to how the sharing of information through blogging enriches lives. I guess that's why so many of you expressed interest in telling your blogging tales. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generous responses!

I'm a very disorganized person, as I may have mentioned a time or two. . . hundred! So I'll be starting a chart or spreadsheet today to put all of the interested moms in one place. Then I'll begin contacting you to set up interviews! I'm so excited. If you're interested in participating in my Feature Profile Friday series where mom bloggers share how blogging has impacted their lives, just click on the "E-Mail Me" icon at the top of my sidebar. I'll continue interviewing as long as folks are willing to share!

I am extremely thankful for my health and the health of my family.  Our biggest health issues include allergies, headaches, and sore muscles.  I have a friend, however, who has suffered from various debilitating ailments for a good part of her life.  Her most recent episode has caused me to thank my lucky stars for my family's good fortune.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a nerve disorder that causes tremendous, shocking facial pain.  This pain is often centered around the eyes, lips, nose, or ears.  It is known as "the most excruciatingly painful human condition in the world" and is sometimes referred to as "the suicide disease" due to the horrendous nature of the pain it inflicts.  My poor friend, in addition to suffering chronic migraines, has been repeatedly affected by Trigeminal Neuralgia.  She went through an operation a couple years ago to treat the disorder, but recently suffered from more attacks.  She underwent another extensive surgery, involving drilling a two-inch hole in her skull, that seems to have corrected the problem. 

Thankfully, she has a wonderfully supportive family who has helped her during her month-long recovery from the operation.  She was able to stay with her sister so that she could rest, and her in-laws were kind enough to care for her 18-month old daughter during her absence.  My friend is now at home and on track to being back to full-capacity.  I am in awe of her strength and tenacity in dealing with such an incredible health challenge!

Today I am thankful for my father-in-law, Lew.  He's taking us all to dinner this afternoon at Ponderosa.  The kids love it.  And he loves it, too.  Lew will turn 93 next month, and he lost his second wife just a couple years ago.  I know get oftens gets lonely.

So he takes his "kids", the youngest of whom is my 54-year old husband, to breakfast every Tuesday morning.  Anyone who can come shows up to spend time together and have a meal.  It's great fun.  And he usually invites someone to go to dinner with him a few times a week.  Tonight's our turn.  Lew always pays.

I love spending time with Lew.  The smile on his face when he watches the kids just melts your heart.  He's just fascinated with his newest grandson; he thinks Brady is a very advanced baby.  "Look at him smiling.  He's really paying attention good.  He can sure hold that head up, can't he?"  I guess it's been a while since Lew's been around babies.  But he's a proud grandpa.

And he's a generous and giving soul.  If it weren't for Lew, we wouldn't have our home.  He gave us the down payment.  I remember the first time he came over.  There were tears in his eyes as I gave him the tour.  I think he was happy for his son.

So today, and every day, I am thankful for my wonderful father-in-law.  I'm looking forward to seeing him today and to hearing one of wonderful stories.  He's got a lot of them, you know.  I hope I live to be 93.

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This Thankful Thursday is dedicated to my home.  I must confess I wasn't feeling thankful this morning while reading the blog of a woman who lives in a beautiful, luxurious lakefront house.  Her pictures were enviable.  I live in a three-bedroom mobile home, and currently there isn't even enough room for a crib.  I've realized how ridiculous I was being and decided to change my thinking.

You see, I have always, ALWAYS, wanted to own a home.  The idea of home for me is stability. It's comfort, a safe haven.  I have that.  It's small, but it's new, and it's mine.  My husband always says, "It's not where you live; it's who lives there."  He's so right.                                                                                                                          

My family lives here.  The ones I love.  This is where I make meals for my loved ones, kiss them goodnight, and where we make our memories.  I love my home.  It's my retreat, my sanctuary.  Even though it's small, even though the land it sits on is not my own.  It's where I'm meant to be right now, and I truly don't think I'd trade it for a fabulous lakefront house.  Not now, anyway.  If that's meant to be in my future, I'll take it.  But right now I'm content.

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Today's Thankful Thursday is an easy one.  I am incredibly thankful for the box of baby stuff that arrived last week.  This is the third box we've received - from someone we've never even met!  Pam is my brother-in-law's neice who lives in Florida.  Her son is a couple months older than mine, and she sends us the clothes her little boy has outgrown. 

This is the most amazing thing considering our economic situation right now.  The first package arrived on the day I was heading out to look for good deals on pajamas.  We didn't have much money, but I knew the baby would at least need some pj's; that afternoon a large box full of newborn onesies, pj's, and outfits arrived.  I nearly cried.  The next box came again in a timely manner, just as Brady was outgrowing the first clothes.

Now Pam has gone above and beyond.  The largest box showed up with not only clothing but toys!  Nice, big ones.  There were a couple play gyms, a Bumbo to help him learn to sit, and fall clothes.  Check out Brady in the Bumbo and playing on his activity gym.

Thank you, Pam, for your wonderful generosity.  You have no idea what it means to me and my family! 

If you would like to share your Thankful Thursday post, just click the Mister Linky icon or just leave a comment sharing what you're thankful for!