Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Giving thanks to my readers

Well, Thanksgiving is where I traditionally look around me and give thanks for the many things that I have to be thankful for. Of course, there are a lot of things that I can still count my blessings for: my family, a roof over my head, a good job, food to eat, etc.

But the old adage about health - well, that's where things are falling quite short lately and it's hard not to focus on it since the last year has been a complete and utter roller-coaster filled with crisis after crisis punctuated by stem cell transplants and scares that would reduce any mortal to a blubbering lump of flesh.

Maybe I'm being extra cynical because I've been in terrible pain since Sunday since my back decided to go south on me and I'm getting sick of the pain and inability to walk and pretty much do anything.

But, enough complaining. What I do have to be thankful for (besides my children, friends and family) are you dear readers for keeping me entertained and putting up with my constant stream of shenanigans and, sacre blue!, actually participating alongside me in this madness.

So, for Thanksgiving I'm giving away a $75 gift certificate to Amazon that will hopefully help out one lucky reader this holiday season.

This contest ends Sunday, November 30th, at 10:00 p.m. PST. If you would like to enter, add your name to the comments of this post. The drawing may or may not be random, it all depends on how entertaining your comments are!

142 comments:

Lesley said...

I actually have the honor of being the first to comment for once! Yippee!!!

I'm thankful for you this holiday season. You've led me to the Diva, encouraged me to pee on my plants, inspired me to freeze my buns, introduced me to using cloth over toilet paper. The list goes on and on and not only have you shown me this path, but my kids are learning it as well. Our family walks more gently on this planet now and your handiwork is all over it. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

flutter said...

I think one of the important things about Thanksgiving day is that it reminds us of something we should do every day: celebrate the wonderful things we have in our lives.

For me, I'm grateful to be graduating college debt free. I'm thankful for the support my family has already shown for my career of choice, teaching English abroad. I'm thankful to the continuing efforts of modern medicine; without them, would most of us be alive?

I'm glad to have found such a lively and supportive blogging community regarding environmentally conscious living. I'm even more grateful that my RSS reader makes it easy for me to keep track of that community every single day.

But if I have to give thanks for just one thing this year, it's the smell of kitten fur. There is nothing more detoxing than stuffing your nose into a warm cat and breathing in. Unless, you know, it'll kill you.

knutty knitter said...

You say
what I would express
in language I
understand.
I have followed you
without knowing
on my journey
And now I find
your signposts
showing where
I would go
I will run
to catch your footsteps
For I would walk
beside you
not behind.

Vivien Dwyer 1992

Get well soon with lots of good wishes.

viv in nz

Troops 1909 and 5434 said...

I am grateful for the challenges I get from Crunchy Chicken this year.

Ron and Rachel said...

I would LOVE to win this!

kblaidlaw said...

Just found your blog---will spend time later reading all of it! I would love to win this! Thanks.
Kendra

Lisa said...

I am so thankful for the blogosphere and bloggers like you! I have learned so much, met some truly special people I can now call friends and have challenged myself in so many ways.

Thank you for being one of those beacons of sense and wisdom!

knittinandnoodlin said...

Crunchy, thank you for making me think and providing so many interesting resources! I may never pee on my garden, but it's good to know you have inspired lots of people to do so on my behalf.

Hannah said...

Your blog--its combination of humor, openness, and honesty--draws us all in. You have a knack for making me try things I might not have been willing to do before. Thank you for inspiring us at this time when it would be so easy to concentrate solely on your family. Our thoughts are with you.

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving Crunchy! Here's hoping you're feeling much better soon!

I'm thankful that I found my way to your blog..it keeps me going (especially now when I'm freezing my buns off!!!!!).

I'm thankful, that even though I was recently laid off unexpectedly after a 27yr career (need 30yr to retire), that we're able to live on my hubby's income. Our commitment to living simply all these years is making that possible. If the unthinkable should happen (hubby gets laid off also),I'm thankful that there is still enough in my IRA account-to pay off the house-if push comes to shove (yes, we'll have to pay a penalty-but at least we won't lose the roof over our heads).

I'm thankful that our idea of a "big night out" is renting a video from the local video store and watching it while eating the baked beans that I made in the crockpot earlier in the day.

I'm thankful that I have a hubby who willingly wears his knitted hat indoors because I've once again changed the setting on the programmable thermostat.

Thanks for entering me in Amazon gift certificate give away!

Unknown said...

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Anonymous said...

My dear lady you have taken us all on quite a journey. You have made me think about food choices, health, family, money, organics and food miles to mention but a few. Even visiting the ladies and dealing with natural functions are viewed in a new light. You have made me laugh and cry along with you. But you are the only person in blog land who has made me dry retch. To be fair you did warn me. I don't think I have the same sense of humour as you! My horizons have been stretched and strengthened by your words. I thank you.

Marimoy said...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all feel better soon! No blubbering lump of flesh today! Enjoy that heritage turkey or else... or else... whatever!

Farmer's Daughter said...

I was thinking I'd like to enter, but the truth is that it should go to somebody who's more in need than I am.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

MamaWestWind said...

So thankful for your blog! You've inspired me.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

B

Unknown said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Crunchy! You and your family are in my prayers. Here's hoping that next year will prove better for you and yours.

Hang in there - your blog gives many people real alternatives for this crazy world!

Anonymous said...

I'm so thankful for people who are willing to blog and share a bit of themselves with us! Thank you! I stay home with my 2 girls and it's so nice to hear from other moms about how to live while making a lesser negative impact on the earth. My dad says we should all go live like the Amish. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Megan said...

I've been reading this for a while, and I'm awfully thankful that you're out there.
Tonight (I'm in the UK, so I'm celebrating T-day on Saturday) I'll be having the first Women's Environmental Network meeting, and I hope to encourage some people to try out some challenges--I figure our monthly meetings can have a confessional section, and we can start changing things!

Thank you so much for all of this! I'm also thankful that I have a sister (in MA) and a husband who are willing to try out lots of these things and encourage each other.

I'd ask to be part of the giveaway, but then I'd have to buy something--I'm trying to limit that at the moment!

TDP said...

I'm thankful for my recent change in jobs. These past two months in my new job have made such a difference in my outlook.

I'm thankful for the life and health challenges, for they have made me more mindful of how I spend my days.

I'm thankful for finding this new thing (to me) called blogs and blogging. There's such a big world out there with wonderful people trying to do what they can to make the world a better place.

I'm thankful for a new day where I again have a chance to choose differently than the day before.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Oh, yeah. Add me to the drawing. I could use the money to buy canning pots!

Peak Oil Hausfrau said...

Thanks for educating and inspiring me! Who else could inspire a legion of people to pee on their garden?

Jen (emsun.org) said...

I have nothing entertaining to say. My kids and I are sick and we can't afford to go to the doctor, I just found out that my mentor and second-favorite drill sergeant died in Iraq, and I'm under a strict deadline for school that's kicking my butt.

*rains on your parade*

BUT! I'm thankful for my husband, my children, my mother-in-law, my house, my garden, and my life in general. I'm so glad I'm me.

Live/Love/Life said...

I am Thankful for my family and friends. <3

erinz said...

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have learned a lot by reading your blog.
Thanks so much!

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful for my job in a mixed-blessing way. As a law enforcement officer, I see the bad and ugly. I see people maliciously and selfishly hurt each other. While it is painful to see, I am thankful I see the happy endings to those horrible pockets of humanity, and it makes me more grateful for what I have and don't have. I'm thankful that I have parents and a fiance who love me and do not hurt me. They are loved and appreciated all the more because this job makes me aware of the vast differences in humanity.

Surly said...

I am thankful for so many things this year. If I happen to win this, I will not spend it on myself or my family, rather I will use it to purchase books for donation to those who cannot afford them or do not have access to books.

GEM said...

Yest, there are many reasons to be thankful, I find, and not just on Thanksgiving. Tomorrow, Black Friday, a group of us are getting together to gift each other with treasures from our homes which need to make the ownership circuit. I plan to give samples of home-made laundry soap, along with recipes, books I have loved, scarves for furoshiki and many hugs.
I read your blog daily and learn so much to help me on my little journey to be modest of means. Thank you! GEM

katecontinued said...

Pain sucks all the good bits out of things. (((crunchy chicken)))

I am a better person because you are so damn creative in asking the candid questions and pushing the boundaries.

Keri said...

I'm thankful for my family and friends but most of all, for the successful home waterbirth I had exactly one month ago. =)

mudnessa said...

Thanks for all you give us Crunchy, and I don't mean the giveaways, but I would love to get this one :P

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your back feels better soon. Will you have the time to go to PT? We're still doing fondue and sangria tp celebrate tday but I'm justifying it as we will burn, many, many calories just cleaning up the kitchen first. Take care, much love to the fam.

equa yona(Big Bear) said...

Crunchy,
That is the coolest bikini clad chick I've ever seen! You are a hell of a person and must have a corner on the energy and stability department. I have been struggling with my emotional state the last few months since moving and starting work with Native American adolescents. It has been a comfort to visit you and see what your perspective is for the day. I don't know how you do all you do and I am really sorry to hear about your back. I wish you and your beatiful family love and hope.
By the way, if I should win the drawing, I will buy books suitable for our girls by Native American authors to place3 in our home library.
Thanks for everything you are.

equa yona(Big Bear) said...

I forgot to mention, not MY home library. We are houseparents for 9 teenage girls at a boarding school. It is a great place, not like the old boarding schools at all. The kids actually study their language and culture here.

Kate said...

Also not entertaining -- but I just lost my job suddenly and have a big cloud of worry hanging over my holiday season. However, I am so grateful for the life I have, my family, friends and all the people I know -- and don't know -- who bring me joy through their kindness, funny jokes (long string of spit -- eeeewwwwww!!!) and other musings. Thanks for all you do, Crunchy!

Spot-On said...

I'm thankful for a lot these year. Like you health issues have affected our family and left me emotionally drained. But I am thankful for family & friends, thankful that my DH has a job, thankful that I found blogs of like minded people just trying to make a difference.
happy thanksgiving Crunchy!

scifichick said...

I don't think I'll be winning the certificate based on all the entertaining comments before me, but I just wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving! It has been wonderful discovering your blog and the sence of community that goes with it. There were many changes that I introduced into my life based on your blog and what you do. Your courage in the face of difficult health situation in your family is anything but awe-inspiring. All the best to you and your family!

Chile said...

Crunchy, I am shocked - SHOCKED! - at how you've let yourself go. Your most recent photo shows you now as wide as you are tall, and I know you've bragged about your height. And you are obviously wasting resources on tanning sprays or booths because there is no way in hell that you could brown up like that in rainy Seattle.

Please consider taking a moment for yourself in all this madness and pull it together. Quit stuffing yourself!

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful for my wonderful family and for finding your blog. I look forward to reading it everyday. You make me laugh (love todays pic, by the way) and with your last joke made me gag and have made me brave enough to start my own blog. You have made me want to be more conscious of the world we live in, even though we are struggling. DH got laid off in Jan. and went back to school since he could not find work and my hours have been cut. We still have 5 kids at home (6 total, and a grandbaby)and are using some of your great ideas to try to stretch our measly budget. Here's wishing you lots of love and hapiness this holiday season.

Alison Kerr said...

Darn, you're looking for humor! Well that puts me last in line :-( I've been there and done that with the back thing. All I can say is that sometimes it hurt so much I had to laugh hysterically and cry at the same time. Is there anything funnier than trying to get upstairs when you can't unbend, or getting to the bathroom in the middle of the night to pee when you've no clue how to get up from your knees once you reach the pot. Has anyone invented a pee device that allows your pee to go uphill yet? If so, I think you and I better have one handy.

There is hope though my friend, I've been through the back thing and out the other side. I tried the chiropractor. One made me so bad I couldn't walk. Another made me better but it only lasted until I drove home - I could barely get out the car at the other end. I felt and looked like I was at least 120 years old. I even took my kids for a quick bite to eat and had someone offer to carry the tray for me as they watched me suffer bent over. Again, I just had to laugh because it hurt so much it was hysterical.

Thanks for your blog. If the best reader was to win that Amazon certificate, it would be me. I didn't mind the back problem that much because one holiday season I got to spend most of the holidays in bed warm, cozy and reading!

Oh well, who needs an Amazon.com certificate when I have your blog to read :-)

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Nancy said...

I oould say a whole lotta things and perhaps win your heart...but alas, I will simply state.

"I WANNA WIN!"

k?

(I'll be back though...terrific blog)

Nancy

Yael said...

I hope this will cheer you up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

and this is sure to put at least a little bit of a smile on your face:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy1uWAm4SnI

Happy Thanksgiving Crunchy!!

Anonymous said...

The biggest change within me is my mental strength. I spent years that I hardly remember due to being bipolar and just when I was finally stable my mom and mil got cancer and both died six months after the dx and both died within a month of each other. I have continued to remain stable and strong. I was able to fight for pain management for my moms, I was able to care for them, sit in hospitals all night. I was able to clean the wounds, give an iv, and kiss then after they had died. I miss them both terribly but now we know I am strong enough to start our own family, please keep us in your thoughts on Dec 6 which is the date for our homestudy. I had a hysterectomy a year ago and after years of infertility we are now going to adopt.

Theresa said...

Don't enter me in the draw please Crunchy, I've won enough cool stuff from you already over the past two years. But I do want to extend my thanks to you, for putting yourself out there, talking about topics we all need to confront and discuss, and doing it with vitality and courage even while dealing with tough times yourself. Many blessings to you and your family, and may good health return to your husband soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

awwwwwww man your back went out? I am sooo sorry.

I want to thank YOU for exampling some pretty darn amazing courage and stick to it ness. You inspire me.

I keep you and your family in my sending white light list...

Humble wife said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Jennifer

Frisky said...

i'm only temporarily employed in a toy store, and my husband is a musician, so i'll throw my hat in. luckilly, christmas is a lucrative time for drummers, so we'll probably come out ok after the check from the gay men's chorus comes through.

thanks for keeping up with the blog, crunchy.

Alison Kerr said...

I know I already left a comment; I'd love to edit it, but since that is not possible here is my second comment. Since cooking the Thanksgiving dinner, I have entered into the spirit of Thanksgiving. I really have everything I need and more. I don't need the chance to shop for free at Amazon.com when so many go wanting. If I win I pledge to use the gift certificate to buy books, and maybe PJ's, to give to homeless children. I gifted books from my business to the holiday closet at a women's shelter last year. This year I have not been organized and I've not been collecting for this cause. I would still love to be able to give and the gift certificate would be great for that.

I am very blessed in my life and I am thankful for that.

Greenpa said...

Plain white undies?? I just don't believe it. :-)

Hang in there, Frisqué Chiquita. Hope the back gets better. For me the most aggravating days are those when your bod is ALMOST working; you're way behind with everything, you can get up and about for a little bit- but not really. And you have to go back to bed. Hate it. My hint; keep a few bullets handy- to bite.

Anonymous said...

I think I forgot to say Happy Thanksgiving. That's the whole point, right? Take care and I have some canning jars calling your name.

Allie said...

Things I'm grateful for:

- Food, and lots of it (including baklava on the dessert list!)
- Still having a home after the storm
- A boyfriend who puts up with me and all my nonsense
- Doctors who actually help
- The fact that I'm actually getting an A in all my classes, even though I only deserve an A in two of the 5
- More food. Always, always, more food
- A cat who doesn't pee on my bed

Best wishes to you and yours on the holiday!

Rhonda Jean said...

I'm sorry to hear you have back pain. I've just come through two months of knee pain and I know how it saps your strength. Take care.

Crunchy Domestic Goddess said...

I'm so sorry about your back. I hope you find yourself feeling much better soon. Do you see a chiropractor?

I'm thankful for my husband who puts up w/ all of my crap and for my kids who, even though they give me gray hairs, put smiles on my face daily. :)

Happy Thanksgiving.

Toronto Girl said...

I've had the hiccups for the last five hours. Maybe winning this would shock me out of hiccuping.

Beaweezil said...

Wow, you are throwing out the red carpet my dear. Thanks for the fun and challenging read over the last year.

B

MKD said...

Crunchy I'm always glad to read your blog and see what crazy things you are planning on doing now.
Although I'm not peeing on my garden anytime soon (the dogs try to that enough for everyone) I'm happy to keep reading your ideas and challanges.
Keep 'em coming!!

Niffer said...

I'm thankful for you too, Crunchy! I love that you let us peak into your life, the good times and the bad. I have not only learned a ton from you, but your posts usually prompt me to do more research. So thanks! Oh and $75 for Amazon would be great too!

Humble wife said...

I have been thinking of this contest all day~even though I left a comment wishing you Happy Thanksgiving, I thought I would perhaps give me a bit of a chance on the gift certificate.

As I have commented before, I am most certainly not your typical reader for sure.

I am extremely conservative. I am on the path of simplicity NOT for the reasons you share, but because of a catastrophic car accident altered our budget...and I had to learn how to make from scratch, grow veggies, raise animals and on and on. Sometimes I cringe at the political leanings I read here...but I CONFESS~ you have me hooked by your compassion-your genuineness and belief in your convictions. For that I am extremely grateful- as I love to reflect on differing opinions as to either strengthen mine or maybe even changes my thinking!

So if I am selected as the winner- you can select simple home books etc...for me to reference-then yep you guessed it for me to pass on. I do read daily and am quite sincere in my thanks.

Praying for you and your family, as I understand all to well what it is like to deal daily with medical issues, disabilities and the emotional toll it can take.
Jennifer

Composed said...

I hope things look up for you in the coming months. I read your posts looking for info on your husband. Don't be afraid to fill us in on how he's doing once in awhile.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

Hi Crunchy, thank you for putting yourself out here on the net for us. You've inspired me to do many of my more crazy experiments. For instance, thanks to you I am soon going to sink a big chest freezer into a hole in my garden - as a root cellar, you know. The neighbors must be thinking, but if they say anything I'll send them to your blog.
Sorry to be talking of digging so much. Get well soon, and happy Thanksgiving!
Katrien

Robj98168 said...

I have the honor of bring the 59th person to comment! Laugihing with you is easy Crunch. More important-You make me laugh at myself!And more important thanks for helping show a kinder way to live! we (I) have had a good time all year long peeing on plants,freezinf in the winter, sweating in the summer,Buying nothing and living like a pioneer. Hope your back gets better soon!

just ducky said...

My word verification for this comment is "shamer". Are you guilt-tripping me, Crunch?

I so want to be witty and inspiring and make it a slam dunk winner...or I could tell you my wretched hard luck story or I could hardcore flatter you and tell you that you've inspired me on to become an eco-warrior...that would for sure guarantee me a win--right?...or maybe not.

Let's leave it with this...I'm sorry your back is whack. If I were in the same geographical region as you, I honestly would bring you chicken noodle soup and offer to play with your kids for awhile so you could rest. However, I'm a few thousand miles away...wishing you and yours health and continued happiness. And I have every intention of coming back to your blog regardless of my "winning/non-winning" status.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gretchen said...

Hi Crunchy.
I hope I win. I promise, I'll use it to buy some environmental books. It would be the first time I've ever made such a purchase. But, even if I don't win, there's always the library!

Sue said...

Hi Crunchy -

Oooh, I hope I win. Currently, we're visiting my in-laws in Ontario, which means no Thanksgiving for me, since they already had it. Unfortunately, I forgot to check if my husband's greencard was in his passport before we left (I'm the one that packed them) and we didn't find out until the Canadian border guard told us (we were already out of the US, so it was pointless to turn around and get it. So, when we go to head home, he may not be able to cross the border, which will mean that I'll have to drive all the way home and get it, and then drive back. (9ish hours total. could be worse - like there could be some explicit statement or something about carrying it on you at all times or incurring a penalty. ahem)

An Amazon gift card would be a good way of saying "Sorry I fucked up your immigration status, honey."

Or it could help me buy him a better Christmas gift - we have a strict $200 limit for ALL gifts, for 55 people (including shipping). Clearly, we're going handmade, but it still doesn't leave much for each other.

Anonymous said...

hi Crunchy, yes, please enter me in the drawing.
My back went out this Spring when we were moving. Awful, my sympathies are with you. Someone referred me to a chiropractor. It was the first time I ever tried one. It took a while but it got better every day. Even better, no return of the problem.
Happy post-Thanksgiving.

Judy T said...

OOSH. Hope the back gets better soon. Been there, done that. I also hope that you weren't "on the table" (or under it) for Thanksgiving.
I'd love to win. My hubby just learned that he's been 'restructured' out of his job at the end of the year but Santa has promised me a pressure canner for the holidays, I believe from Amazon.
Feel better and keep up the good work.

Anna Banana said...

Hope you had a great turkey day. Best to you and your family on Buy Nothing day.

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hit and miss thankfulness here, too. Only 4 out of 5 of our family recuperated from the stomach bug in time to enjoy the meal :(

Hope you fully recover from your back troubles soon.

Katie said...

Happy Thanksgiving Crunchy! You're doing such a good job taking care of all of us making sure we freeze our buns off and all that you're forgetting to take care of yourself! Better watch out or you'll end up on the naughty list this Christmas for self neglect.

Have you tried a little gentle yoga to help alleviate some of your back pain?

Unknown said...

I'm greatful for your blog..
and I'm greatful for...er frogs.
I'm thankful for good food
and greatful for my rad dude...
I love my little daughter,
and im sure as hell not a potter
I'm thankful that you're green,
because it inspires me to be keen :)

So I obviously don't excel in the rhyming department.
But I love your blog.
I find it to be incredibly inspiring, and motivating.
Here's to hoping ;P
have a great thanksgiving weekend

Charlene.S

Anonymous said...

I too am thankful for my blogging companions - living life one day at a time! Aside from being thankful for the usual - friends, family, health - I am also thankful for our outside wood furnace (new for this year) knowing that the heat can be on 68 instead of 62 and it will not break my wallet. I am happy to be alive!

Unknown said...

err i meant grateful.
I obviously haven't had my coffee yet today.
haha.

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful to have found your blog and others that inspire, entertain, educate and challenge me along this life journey.

Of course I'm grateful for my family, friends, house and job as well. While our budget is extremely tight and we're looking for additional work, I'm still thankful for what we do have. Winning this would really go a long way to helping us get gifts for the kids for Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I'm grateful for that smokin' hot turkey on your blog (talk about global warming, rawr!), but I have to say my Thankgiving centipede has it beat.

Hope you and your family had a good one!

Anonymous said...

I am thankful for your blog because it lets me know that I'm not alone out here trying to make lifestyle changes that others think are crazy. Keep up the posting as you feel better! :)
-Melanie

Anonymous said...

I think Abbie said it best.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christy said...

I'm sorry you are in pain! Back pain is the worst. And I know it has been a tough year for you, I'm glad you were able to focus on what you are thankful for.

Chili said...

I've only been with you a month or two, but the inspiration is a lifetime's worth. I found the Eat Local Challenge, Depletion and Abundance, Greenpa, In Defense of Food, Freeze Yer Buns and a plethora of other like-minded folks and their blogs that are leading me down the greener path of life. Our electric bills are dropping, I stopped buying things, and I now appreciate all the local food suppliers around me more than I ever did. Living in the country and growing my organic garden has new meaning. Thanks aren't enough.

Michelle said...

It's been a hell of a year for us too, with back injuries and being out of work and mold taking over the apartment, but uh, yeah, no stem cell transplants. I'm sending positive energy your way for a year's worth of health to be thankful for next year.

Harper said...

I'm sorry to hear about your back. Everything is harder when you can't easily move.

Michelle said...

Well, Crunchy - first off, huge sympathy for your back! I threw mine out once flying inverted for too long (seriously) and the doc prescribed Valium, which made me SO depressed... so I lay in pain and depressed. Not great. I hope your back starts behaving responsibly again soon.

Now - for giving thanks? I thank God daily for His love for me, and us all - and especially for the blessing of my four children. I'm thankful also for my Mom, who is so supportive of me as I go back to grad school as a single mother with my four children so young (ages 10 to 5). I'm thankful for my health, and my children's and Mom's health. I'm thankful for my home, and my programmable thermostats (even though they never go above 62), my dogs, whose loyalty and protectiveness reassure me at night. I'm thankful for my garden, and my meat rabbits, and my peach tree which provided 2 1/2 peaches in this its second season. I'm thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in this country. I'm thankful for the 15 years I spent in uniform myself (active duty and reserves) and for my (metaphorical) brothers and sisters who still serve.

I'm also thankful for folks like you, and Sharon, and all the other bloggers and authors who aren't shy to take on difficult ideas and pitch them to the rest of us. Because of you, I bought a local turkey this year. It was spendy, but TASTY! and green to boot. I already had my heat set to challenge level lows, but I'm reassured that others are doing so too and I'm not crazy (just impecunious).

So - Happy Thanksgiving, Crunchy. May you feel better soon.

And yes, I could make excellent use of the Amazon card. Textbooks aren't cheap, and though I can get some from the libraries, that can be a bit of a hassle, renewing them all semester.

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful for looking forward to the plans we made and kept for our Thanksgiving celebration this year.

I'm thankful for the mock horror my husband presents when I tell him, "There's a new challenge on Crunchy Chicken's blog. . ." Thanks for the ever-inspiring and thought-provoking posts.

Feel better, soon!

Anonymous said...

Awesome bikini turkey your head on top photo shop extravaganza! Made me laugh!

Anna said...

Unfortunately, I'm not that entertaining on the computer, but in real life I can juggle flaming balls with my butt cheeks. It's great; you should see it. And I sure could use that gift card; I'm really interested in natural burn remedies.

Katie @ makingthishome.com said...

Well shoot. Creativity isn't my thing. What can I say - that's why I turn to you and your brilliance, Crunchy.
So despite my creative chance at winning, what the heck. I'm entering because there are a few people in my home who deserve some green green books.
Katie

Eileen said...

I would love it if you would add my name into your Amazon drawing.

I love your blog, read it several times a week. You have given me some great ideas and ways to be more "green" that are easy with big returns for me and the environment.

keep up the great work you are doing for the world. hope your back gets better,( yoga has always helped my back). Bless you and your family
happy Thanksgiving

Unknown said...

I think that we need to continually focus on our gratitude because it's so easy to become cynical and demoralized with life. Thankfully we have each other.

Blessings.

Anonymous said...

So here I am, trying to figure out a clever and witty comment to catch your attention...but truth be told, I am not clever nor witty! In terms of what I'm thankful for; I'm thankful that I'm ABLE to be thankful!

Amy said...

I would love to enter.

What am I thankful for? The incredible family and friends who surround me. We are gluten, dairy, and soy free due to my son's and my food sensitivities. NEVER do they complain. Instead, they go out of their way to make sure we are safe and well fed, and complement me up and down about the wonderful food I prepare when I host things. (Well, except that one pumpkin pie, but even my Mom wouldn't eat that one.)

Hey, none of us are perfect. We have the same messy complex relationships everyone does. But when it really counts, for what we really need, they come through. We are truly blessed.

-A

Anonymous said...

Desperate SAHM that I am would love, love, love to have $75 to call my own....could *I* actually something mommy might need or want?
Jo

Mama Kautz said...

I am thankful for finding out that you are a fellow blogger.....I wonder if you still love Don Johnson :)
~from your long lost highschool friend

ChicChick said...

Oooooh, I was so excited to see the info about the giveaway . . . but then to see that you might be looking for an amusing entry--oh dear. I'm afraid after three Thanksgiving meals in two days my brain is not working other than to give occasional grunts and groans and think, "Yes, I'm eating for two, but one of us is only 1.3 lbs!"

Thanks for all of the great posts you write throughout the year. I don't agree with EVERYTHING you say, but I do with most of it. And I appreciate your candid humor. Hope the year ahead is even better than the year past.

Anonymous said...

I'm too tired from cooking Thanksgiving, then eating Thanksgiving, then cleaning Thanksgiving to be entertaining, I'm afraid. I would love the gift card, though!

Anonymous said...

I am thankful for my husband. He's making me hot cocoa right now (it is overcast w/ sleet so no sun to warm up the house).

Anonymous said...

Going through the same thing with my husband's health, etc...

He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma on Halloween - Stage 3B...
A good day is a day we're not in the hospital...

But us strong girls will prevail....

Love your blog!
Gina

Kimberly said...

I am sorry you are in pain.

That is so hard.

I am glad to see that you are choosing, in the pain, to focus on your blessings. That's great.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Jennifer said...

Me? Me? Me? Pick me? I'm not entertaining at ALL... but I would be OH so thankful.

Melodie Ramos said...

Thanks for the chance at $75!
:)

Michelle said...

I am more frugal than green at the moment, but the scales are tipping. That being said, $75 at Amazon would get me that great Green Beauty Guide you just posted about, plus some Christmas presents for others!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your present ideas and other inspirational comments. . .

Anonymous said...

I am thankful for my good health and the health of my husband and children. My husband's job that allows me to stay home with the kids and provides us with health insurance. Also a roof over our heads and food to eat. So thankful for my faith which has gotten me through some crumby times... most recently our house being burglarized and a few weeks later getting in a car accident which totaled the car. No one was hurt and people are more important than things.

Also so thankful for your blog which amuses me and gives me the push to go even greener than I already am. I'm loving it! Good thing this lap top gives off so much heat b/c I'm freezing my buns off here (while using the Diva to boot)!

Not a very entertaining post...but I'm hoping you'll go with the random selection ;) I too am just too wiped from all of the t-day cleaning, cooking & eating (and repeating the cycle)to come up with anything particularly clever.

Feel better soon Crunchy. I'm always sending thoughts and prayers your way for Mr. Crunch too.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for all the information on your website, and the inspiration you give to us, your readers. And of course, thank you for the rockin' giveaways. You are awesome, Crunchy!

Happy Tofurkey Day!

Yancy

Anonymous said...

I am thankful for kids who are compassionate. We went to a museum dedicated to tolerance and to the Holocaust victims, and the mature and gentle things my kids are saying are amazing. I am blessed.
Melissa

Angel said...

I'm thankful for my friends and family, of course. They're wonderful and truly my reasons for living. And yes, I'm thankful we're all healthy. But that's so boring and expected...

Hmmm, I'm also thankful for my 15 year old cat that keeps my feet warm at night, my maternity T-shirts that sorta hide this leftover baby belly, finding really cool vintage linens at thrift shops and (suck up but true) your blog.

Thanks for the opportunity to win such a great giveaway.

Midge said...

I think I originally got to your blog via the Goods4Girls website, and stayed because I like it!

I have lots of stuff that I'm thankful for, but I'd like to be thankful for a paying job sometime soon. In the meantime, a giftcard wouldn't hurt :)

CatMominPhilly said...

Dude.....I am thankful for the book "offbeat bride" by Ariel Stallings, because I am planning my wedding in April as a feminist and a *gasp* catholic and an eco-friendly chic. So, I am thankful their are off-beat brides to read about.

Also, I am THANKFUL for the privilege to buy high-quality, non-hormone laced food....even though this shouldn't be a privilege, I work in neighborhoods where families use food-stamps that just don't buy better food. A SIN, I tell you.

I mean...my cats eat better food than many people have access to....

Oh yea, and I'm thankful for my cats...

***lizzie*****

Roxi Phillips said...

Maybe, just maybe we as a society are beginning to become more aware of our footprints on this planet... for this and so much more, I am thankful this season.

Anonymous said...

OK- then I'll enter too if I don't have to "compete"-not being the competitive type I sort of shy away from that sort of thing. Lord knows I spend enough on Amazon as it is, feeding my music habit- but I mostly can come up with used CD's and such so I don't feel guilty at all about it.
Hope your Thanksgiving went well and the beastie tasted swell.... :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the "challenges." I've participated in a couple of them and done something(s) that I wouldn't have otherwise.

Lee in KY

Alyclepal said...

I'd like to sign up:>. Found a great thing to do with leftover turkey and stuffing---make Curry! I used the basic tomato base over on www.Hookedonheat.com then added turkey and potatoes and corriander then poured over the stuffing---sounds odd but was really great. This week my dh is willing to try textured veggie protein, hurray!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Crunchy, for all you do. I found your blog thrrough info on G4G at Lunapads and have enjoyed it ever since. I look forward to whatever more tasty tidbits you have in store. Cheers!

Robin said...

Like many others here, I'm thankful for finding the blogging community, and this blog in particular, which let me know I'm not the only ecofreak in town, and pushed me to always do more. This year I have become more comfortable with my own beliefs and ethics and voice; and become more involved in my community- and I like myself better for it.

kate said...

I enjoy your blog, Crunchy, especially how varied it can be.

Just adding my name to the contest even though I never win anything.

Kate in NY

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful for my family.

Anonymous said...

Please enter me in the drawing - thanks :) Kaye C - Alabama

lazy susie said...

Random comment from a new reader who needs to get off her duff and make some vegetable broth.

:o) said...

Yay, for having an equal chance!!!

Anonymous said...

It's nice to read so many thankful comments. I'm thankful for much more than I could ever post on this blog - but a related blessing: I'm thankful for the lessons I've learned about contributing my hard earned dollars to our economy. This year, from my 22nd to my 23rd birthday, I have promised myself to practice the art of being happy with what I have. I will not make unnecessary purchases, will buy used first, organic/sustainable second.

This even falls into my and my fiance's wedding plans, which is proving to provide one of the most creative and exciting weddings I've ever heard of.

I would love to be entered into this drawing, but with the condition that if I do win, my purchases will be made through independent seller's accounts for used products that I a) need, b) can donate, c) can gift to someone who needs.

Off to gnosh on some taters.

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful that people seem to be more aware of environmental issues....and are doing something about them.

Shannon said...

I have been getting so much inspiration from your blog. We just moved into our own house and have a new baby, so I figured this is the best time to make the green changes I've been wanting to do and have it stick with my husband because that's just how things are working in the new place.
Thank you for all the great green ideas and things to think about.

cindy24 said...

Would love to enter.
Thanks for the great blog. I am cooking my pumpkins based on your blog last year.

Anonymous said...

I love Thanksgiving because the focus is on acknowledging our many blessings. I love gathering the family together and sharing the food that we have all had a hand in preparing. Too bad the day after is such an orgy of consumer consumption - the total antithesis of what we were just celebrating.

Beautiful Each Day said...

Amazon = books!

Crossing my fingers...

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your back! I have a sensitive back myself that has left me flat on it for days on end in the past. The only thing that works for me is regular yoga and a mix of essential oils that go on every night:

peppermint, clove, cinnamon, bay, camphor, black pepper, eucalyptus and a nice base oil

Now I stay pretty functional, for which I am extremely thankful.

Unknown said...

I am thankful to you and this blog community for the inspiration, information and encouragement.

Be Blessed - Colleen

hoorayparade said...

yay for not competing!
enter my name please!

Krista said...

I am thankful that we were transferred to Mississippi and I have been able to not have to turn my heat on yet! I am also thankful that today is my anniversary. :o) I am also thankful that I don't have to be clever to have a chance to win, because I clearly am not clever!

emerzim said...

I am thankful for the usual things like friends and family. But this year I am also thankful for my husband's new job that has made him so much happier. I am also thankful for the blessings in my life that have allowed me to grow as a person and become so much happier with myself than I was a year ago. This includes my blogging friends so I am grateful for people like you, Crunchy. Thanks.

kimberly said...

hey crunchy, thanks for the offer. i'd like to be put in the draw please :)
cheers

Lydia K. said...

Hi Crunchy, I just started reading your blog recently, after discovering Sharon's blog a few months ago. I would love the gift card, if I am lucky enough to win it. Thanks for keeping this blog, I am enjoying it.

Lydia

Unknown said...

I just started reading recently, and I'm enjoying your blog. When I was a kid we got a book called "Here's Egg on Your Face." It was about making your own lotions, etc, like this one. A few years ago I looked for it again and couldn't find it. This sounds like a fun book.

dawn said...

This has been a hard week with the loss of my brother-in-law, but it makes me even more aware of what I have to be thankful for- my family and friends, having a house over my head and a new job that I like. Everyone should be so lucky.

Melissa Anderson said...

This gift card would really help us out this year!
Melissa

katherine said...

I'd love to win this. Thanks!

Health has been a question on our list of what to be thankful for this year as well so I'm thankful that our hope is in Someone eternal rather than the results of a medical test.

J said...

I can't remember exactly how I found your blog but I was so excited that you did family cloth that I had to subscribe! You haven't let me down, and I love all the challenges. I love taking part in them. Thank you for being an inspiration to so many!

Tanya said...

I don't have anything witty to say honestly, but I will comment I enjoy reading your blog. :)

Tanya

Monice said...

I am thankful for the thoughtfulness of people like you and Beth at Fake Plastic Fish. The two of you give me hope and inspire me.

Lisa said...

I am thankful for my turkey. And of course the oodles of family that ate it with me.

I am also thankful that I am becoming more educated through people like you.

Farmgirl Cyn said...

Oops! Commented on your last post, not this one! Count me in, tho...even tho I am comin' in at the last possible second!
Cindy

Anonymous said...

I was trying to compose a limerick, but I'll just enter my name :)

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful we made it down from the mountains in the midst of blowing snow and icy roads. I'm thankful we got a foot of fresh powder and were able to cross-country ski and sled plus bring my nephews a truckful of snow.

diana

Oh yeah, I'm thankful I don't have a body like a chicken or turkey!

cheflovesbeer said...

Amazon, they sell beer right? count me in!

Alexandra said...

I am thankful for hope, growth, and possibility.

Thank you for your blog and your generosity; both are inspiring.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Sylvia said...

Well, this diva-cup using, tofurkey eating mama is thankful for your feisty blog and the new things I've learned.. Go Crunchy!