dearly loved

this month's scripture memory from my kids' school is so beautiful

and very meaningful to me right now, especially with the holidays approaching.

 

we all will soon be spending lots of time with family that we love and adore, but

don't necessarily always see eye-to-eye. (like all healthy families, right?)

 

it is amazing how the peace of god can melt away all our anxiety and hurt feelings

toward one another and somehow have a new found appreciation for them at the same time.

of course, this works for anyone and everyone in our lives not just family, but

these are the scriptures i will be feeding my spirit this thanksgiving and christmas.

colossians 3:12-15,17

therefore, as god's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,

humility, gentleness, and patience.

bear with each other and forgive whatever

grievances you have against one another.

forgive as the lord forgave you.

and over all these virtues put on love,

which binds them all together in perfect unity.

let the peace of christ rule in your hearts,

since as members of one body you were called to peace.

and be thankful.

 

and whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the lord jesus,

giving thanks to god the father through him.

i have decided that this will be my last year blogging.

i have enjoyed it for the past 3 years, but i feel the need to move on

and devote my time to other things i feel god has put on my heart.

i will share more about that later one.

until then, i'm practicing putting on love :)

thanksgiving eve bloopers

this morning, i gaze out my kitchen window and begin to soak in the beauty of the day when -

...i happened to notice this!!!

i think our tomato plant exploded in the herb garden!

it looks terrible and my husband keeps trying to reposition it, but it obviously has a mind of it's own. 

he wants to pull it out, but it is covered in tomatoes!!!
(i will be picking them today)

then, i start to make my pie for thanksgiving and i am just loving the morning.

i'm feeling so thankful to have the day off to bake, do laundry, and pack when...

 

my pie nearly falls on the floor as i take it out of the oven to place it on the cooling rack.

my adrenaline kicked in and saved the pie. i was willing to grab the hot glass if need be.

so, my pie is a little funny looking from the trauma, but it is all in one piece!

(i will post this recipe later - it's awesome)

i made the chex mix last night, but didn't buy enough cereal for both batches, so i raided the pantry 

and used up the rest of the kid's cereal to have just enough for the puppy chow. 

they were a little surprised and annoyed with me this morning when they found no more cereal left.

i'm sure they will forgive me in the car while they are eating this deliciousness.

(this was my first time making them both...really yummy. found recipes online)

today was a clear reminder for me to be thankful even in the small things.

i'm thankful for ugly tomato plants that actually produce, 

pies that don't end up on the floor, 

and that golden grahams and crispix taste good with powdered sugar on them!

book of thankfulness

i started this thanksgiving book the first thanksgiving that camille (our first-born) was at home with us.

she just turned 9 so this makes our little family book 9 years old this year.

(i question my color choices back then...oh well :)

 this was cami's first hand print in our book.

this was when cari made her first appearance.

this was the year we lived in colorado and cari had a "mummy hand" after her first visit to the er. 

(good times)

 this was the following year back in texas.

our first trip to the sweet berry farm.

every year we list things we are thankful for throughout the year and 

it is so fun to look back and see all that God has done for us. 

challenges we faced many years ago seem so little, 

but were big to us at the time.

 and this leads me to 2009 - 2011...ooops!

this is a result of life getting busy and me starting to work ;)

i don't want to ever lose my focus and attitude of thankfulness.

we will get caught up because i plan on handing over some of the responsibility 

of decorating these pages to my eager girls.

i look forward to many more pages filled with all that we are thankful for.

thanksgiving count down!!!

well, october came and went!

 

and now we are counting down the days until thanksgiving...my favorite holiday!

 we got this adorable thanksgiving advent calender from pottery barn a few years ago and it has been a wonderful tradition that we look forward to every year!

 

a few years ago, all four of us wrote down several things that we are thankful for on the back of paper "turkey" feathers and we pull one out everyday leading up to thanksgiving and read it together.

 

once pulled, the feathers then go on tom the turkey!

he is not the prettiest turkey in the world, but my girls love him dearly :)

 it is fun to rediscover each year what we all wrote.

this was one of our latest feathers. 

my husband wrote this one referring to our cat.

 here he is laying in our new window seat.

family traditions are very special to us!

these guys are what i feel so grateful for everyday!

 

do you have any fun thanksgiving traditions leading up to the big day?

thankful thursdays

i'm thankful for...

helpful hands.

when my children were younger, they wanted to help mommy all the time.

so i gave them their first official chore...folding washcloths.

that meant, we always had crazy stacks of washcloths on our shelves, and i had to learn to deal with it.

they got to help and contribute and i had to encourage and praise...and leave the messy washcloths alone.

fast forward a couple of years later, they still fold the washcloths, but they are now able to do so much more.

this summer we discovered that my oldest (8) can vacuum! it was a total rite of passage because that was my chore growing up, and i was seeing my daughter follow in my footsteps. 

i was proud, excited, and a little revealed that i was about to get some real help around the house.

i called my mom as cami was vacuuming and held the phone up for her to hear..."this sound is cami vacuuming the house for the first time...woo hooo!" (i'm serious...I really did that!)

they even like cleaning the baseboards for a little cash! i give them huggies wipes (the best) and a small bucket to put their trash in and they finish in warp speed, crawling into small places, and reaching spots i could never get to. they strategically split up to cover the most area all while giggling and bragging at how well they are doing. they then literally thank me for their opportunity...brilliant, i know!

so, today is our normal "cleaning day" at the house. i was sweeping and mopping, cami was vacuuming, and cari was dusting and cleaning the mirrors. i turned the tv on for awhile as they folded their laundry and put it up. with all the help, i was able to clean our fridge out...just in time for the new school year approaching.

i have had to learn early on to let the little hands help and not worry if it is not done perfectly or maybe the way i would do it. I had to learn to praise them for their eagerness and willingness to help and not rob them of the opportunity to contribute and be apart.

the day is coming when those little hands have practiced enough times to get it right and you will appreciate it even more :)

i am so thankful for those (little) helpful hands!

thankful thursdays

i am thankful for...

sugar wafers!

i love them because they are cheap...

i love them because they are delicious...

i love them because they remind me of my childhood, particularly in sunday school with punch...

i love them because you get three classic flavors and they are pretty and dainty...

i love sugar wafers!

thankful thursdays

i am thankful for...

my porch!

you might hear me say it a lot...but my favorite spot at our house is our front porch.

i love reading magazines and books on my porch swing...

i love visiting with my husband late at night in our rocking chairs...

i love looking at the little plants that is live in sentimental pots that were given to me from people i love...

i love how my tall bushes (that i transplanted the first year & managed to keep alive) create the feeling of a privacy wall...

i love watching my kids use the rock border as a balance beam and the sidewalk as a race track...

i love having a flag blowing out front representing the great country we live in...

i love sitting out there and having complete silence to relax and listen to God speak to my heart...

we have had breakfast out there, we have spent lazy days of reading out there, and we have even turned it into a hang-out place for us during July 4th which was the perfect spot to watch the city fireworks sparkle...

i am so thankful for my porch!

thankful thursdays

i'm thankful for...

the beach!

my favorite foods to eat at there are stuff like...mangos, cherries, nectarines, summer sausage, cheese, crackers, sugar wafers, chocolate covered almonds, and yogurt covered pretzels with plenty of water!
(okay, i like to eat these things anywhere, anytime, all the time :)

i see the need to rent the $30-a-day chairs and umbrella because who wants to lug that around when you have a full ice chest (see above).

while sitting in the shade i have to read magazines and a new book.

a video camera and digital camera are a must!

along with tons of sunscreen, sand toys, boat, towels, extra towels, towel clips, wipes, and did i mention food!

every year we HAVE to visit a beach and we always take a little home with us :)

 i'm so thankful for the beach!!!