Finally -- Christmas!!

We finally celebrated Christmas with our kids on December 31st. Or as I like to call it: 

Happy New Christmas Merry Year's Eve Day

Creative, huh?

We all invaded Caleb and Amanda's for the day's festivities. I think this puppy was anxious to get the festivities going: 

Did he know that Caleb & Amanda got him a box of treats?

Sorry it's a bit blurry, I think the puppy was too excited to pose.

Maybe he was wanting to play with the wrapping paper:

 We didn't waste a lot of time getting into the gift exchange. I just love giving gifts to my family. I love thinking of what would make them happy and I just love the anticipation of it all.

Amanda fixed us an incredibly delicious meal. The stuffed pork was so very yummy!

My sweet family. (Thanks for the goofy face, Zach.)

This was the first year we got to see the kids' Christmas trees. There were a lot of ornaments I recognized because they had hung on our tree for so many years. There was only one that tugged at my heartstrings. It was given to us for Caleb's very first Christmas. I've always loved this little bear.

I just had to document this nativity scene that Caleb made entirely out of pipe cleaners a couple of years ago. He's so silly. :)

 

Did you notice that quilt Megan was holding a few pictures back? I made her a quilt from a bunch of her old t-shirts. A few years ago I made one for Caleb too. I made sure to get a photo of them with both of their quilts. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. (Now I'm collecting t-shirts for my hubby and me and hope to make a combo one someday.)

After the Christmas celebration, we kicked into New Year's mode. We watched a couple of movies, snacked, played some games and watched Cold Play on TV and watched the ball drop in Time Square. All in all a great Happy New Christmas Merry Year's Eve Day. 

At the end of the night, we were all worn out.

(I'm back-dating my last two posts this year, because I want it all to conclude nicely and come out even. I'm just a little OCD about those kinds of things.)

In Between The Christmases

Oh I am so clever with those blog post titles, aren't I?

I last wrote about our Christmas In Between Our Christmases. Now this one is about the time in-between the Christmases. Get it?

Hubby and I enjoyed our time in Houston very much. A former babysitter of ours lives in the Houston area and gave us a lot of advice on places to eat in the area. She had so many good recommendations and we loved every restaurant we tried.

On Monday (the day after Christmas) we went to a Holocaust Museum in Houston. I had never been to a museum dedicated to that. It was very sobering and very interesting. I will never understand the evil that can permeate the minds of people. I was crying by the end of the museum and had to leave before I finished looking at everything. But I am really glad we went there. An important part of history to remember. 

Outside the museum was a remembrance garden. The museum guide told us that the Jewish people have a tradition of placing a stone in remembrance of something important and invited us to do the same. I was struck by that because of having recently studied in Believing God how the Jewish people did that same thing after they crossed the Jordan River. You can go to Joshua 4:1-8 to read the account.

We then drove to the Gulf of Mexico and spent a few days in Galveston. (Or as the GPS pronounced it, GalVESTon.) We scored a lovely hotel room that over-looked the Gulf and we could see the sunrise. I know what some of you may be thinking, and you’re right. I did not get up early enough to watch the sun rise. One morning Hubby got up early for a long run along the beach and I peeked out the window to see if it was still dark. I saw the sky all bright pink and orange and said, “Oh, that’s pretty” and promptly crawled back into bed, of course. We did watch the sun SET one night and it was pretty:

And I even took a mildly successful self portrait:

We went to a festival of lights one evening. Kind of cheesy, but we had fun any way. 

Another day we enjoyed a walk along the beach. Hubby built a tower of rocks:

 And I terrorized the seagulls in order to get a good photo:

I really, really like hanging out with this guy. I still haven't had enough even after 27 1/2 years.

(I'm back-dating my last two posts this year, because I want it all to conclude nicely and come out even. I'm just a little OCD about those kinds of things.)

The Christmas In Between

I know my last post was a long time ago, but a lull in the blog-world is kind of expected this time of year, right?

Last time I wrote about celebrating Christmas with my extended family and the adorable littles that made it all the more fun. I'd love to write about celebrating with our kids, but that won't happen until next weekend sometime. Now that they are married, they have even more family to celebrate with, so this year we wait until New Year's weekend.

So, because we knew we'd be waiting to be with our kids, and my heart aches a bit every year I am not with my babies on Christmas Eve, and because neither of us relishes hanging out in the dull, small town we currently live in, Hubby and I decided to head somewhere for the week to help pass the time. We went round and round as to where exactly we should go. We finally settled on Houston, Texas. Why? Two reasons. It's warmer than Minnesota and it was a direct flight from Kansas City.

In the days leading up to leaving, I grew more and more anxious about the trip. I was quite nervous about flying. Maybe not the flying itself, but more the having to go through security. I have flown a bazillion times, but the flying world has really changed in the last 10 years thanks to those stupid terrorists. I prayed that neither of us or our bags would be searched. And my loving God gifted that to me! Hubby's carry-on almost always gets searched. Not this time! (Our checked luggage wasn't even gone through!) I counted that as a sweet early Christmas gift from God to me.

Hubby was so good to me as we traveled. He spoiled me greatly by dropping me off at the airport terminal and then driving to who-knows-where to park the car and take a bus back to find me. (I don't know why God chose to bless me with such an awesome, loving partner to share life with, but I thank Him often for doing so.)

We arrived in Houston on Christmas Eve Eve. The first thing I wanted to do was find some place to eat and we set out with the GPS app on my phone looking for a Chick-fil-A. (What else?) We followed the directions, only to be on an expressway rather than the frontage road that went by the beloved restaurant. We tried to make our way to it without GPS help, but became discouraged and decided to just head to the hotel and figure out something else. I plugged in the address for the hotel and we turned a corner heading back to the expressway and lo and behold what a glorious sight we beheld! Chick-fil-A! Right in front of us! We enjoyed a very yummy meal complete with a shared Peppermint- Chocolate Chip Shake of blessedness.

Content, we headed to the hotel and a nap.

Supper was at a wonderful Tex-Mex restaurant complete with festive, colorful chips and salsa and a Mariachi Band playing Christmas music.

 

Everything on the menu looked so good. I knew I would love anything I picked, so I practically closed my eyes and pointed...not really, but I LOVED what I ordered and even got enough to have leftovers.

Christmas Eve found us shopping for some jeans for me. Yes, it was a bit nuts of us to find a mall and shop on Christmas Eve, but we did anyway. I managed to only go to one store and find what I wanted. The only sad part was I had to pay tax on them. (Minnesota does not have sales tax on clothing.) I guess it all comes out even seeing as I would have had to pay for gas to drive 50 miles in Minnesota to find a store that I'd want to buy clothes from.

We changed into some nicer clothes and headed to a Christmas Eve service. I knew through reading Living Proof Ministries' blog that Beth Moore's son-in-law has recently started a new church plant in the Houston area. Since we were involved in a church plant for the first 9 years we have lived in Minnesota, we were interested in checking out this one. It did not disappoint. We arrived plenty early and discovered the service was outside (because of no electricity in the facility they use). Now, though it is warmer here in Texas, that night it was only about 42 degrees and raining. The group was under a cover and most had brought lawn chairs. Thankfully, there were a few picnic tables scattered around and we found a seat at one. Before the service we enjoyed a quick chat with the pastor. Super nice guy. The music was great. Familiar carols with wonderful guitar music. The message was reminding us that Christmas wasn't and isn't about us. It's about God sending Jesus to earth.

Here's where my favorite part of the day occurred.... See the woman in the above picture with the blonde hair? (The speaker is right above her.) That is Beth Moore! (She's a Bible study writer and teacher. Google her if you don't know.) I told her son-in-law, the pastor, that I had first heard her speak in 2000 when we lived in Singapore. He asked if I had ever met her and told me to talk to her after the service. So before I thought too much about it (okay, I prayed I wouldn't say anything too stupid or creepy...), I went up to her and wished her a Merry Christmas and told her a bit about who I was and why we were in Texas. She was just the sweetest thing and hugged me and thanked us for worshiping with them. We chatted a bit more and she introduced us to her daughter, Amanda and we had a nice little chat with her. 

I consider that whole encounter as such a sweet blessing from God. 

Afterwards, we found an amazing seafood restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner together. 

Yes, I like to take pictures of food. :)

Christmas Day found us just hanging out in the hotel, relaxing, eating our Tex-Mex leftovers and exchanging the few stocking stuffers we brought with us.

Hubby gave me that sweet angel ornament in my stocking. I thought it would make a pretty center piece.

We got calls from both of the kids that day. I totally wasn't expecting that and was so moved that they took time from their "other" family time and called us. Another sweet blessing. It was fun to hear about their celebrations.

That evening we went out to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It was good, but the six movie trailers before the movie started? Yuck. We have no desire to see any of them.  After the movie we almost resigned ourselves to having to be content with the popcorn we consumed during the show as our dinner. But right across the street from the theater was a Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant that was open on Christmas Day! I tell you that was some yummy and greatly appreciated food!

So far this week has been full of sweet blessings.

Zephaniah 3:17 says "...He will take great delight in you...but will rejoice over you with singing.” We have that verse hanging in our bedroom and I have looked at it daily and wondered what that sounded like. How would I know God was singing over me? 

I'm pretty sure I've heard it Christmas Eve and Christmas Day here in Texas. 

Christmas Take One

Last weekend we enjoyed celebrating Christmas with my side of the family. The best part? Seeing my 

little great-nieces. 

Here is Hubby having fun with the littlest one. She's 15 months old and had fun with his cellphone.

 

Then I let her get her hands on my camera. She loved pushing all the buttons. I did have to do a reset on my camera, because I just wasn't sure what she had changed on it. :) 

She even managed to find the shutter button!

Not too bad of a shot for a 15 month old, huh? :)

 

 This sweet little one is my niece's 18 month old. Her blue eyes and dark hair are so cute!

 This is my dad with his namesake. His name is Clair, her name is Clara.

They even look a lot a like. Crazy.

 

 Grandpa was a sucker for letting the littles help him with opening his gifts!

 Christmas is so fun with little ones around.

A Weekend Recap -- on a Thursday

I've been working hard on getting some things done before this coming weekend, so I'm a little slow on the weekend recap here. Let's just go with a list:

**We headed to see the kids last weekend. I know Christmas is just around the corner... but

**Daughter Megan asked Hubby and I to come down and sing in a quartet with her and Zach.

**Megan helped organize a lovely evening of Christmas music at their church.

**The four of us sang It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.

**We were quite awesome. Well, we were okay. We all sang in tune (and that's important). I think it's cool how the four of us fit perfectly in the SATB ranges.

**Megan did a great job with the whole evening. She played the piano before, during a break and at the end. She even accompanied the kids singing a neat version of The 12 Days of Christmas. Here's a quick summary of the lyrics:

On the first (second, etc.) day of Christmas, Jesus gave to me;

Salvation full and free

Everlasting life

Peace in my heart

Love for all men

Joy for my soul

Power from on high

A body glorified

A robe and a crown

Mansions above

Streets of pure gold

A thousand tongues to sing

Eternity to praise

**Throw in a bunch of kids with 12 of them holding signs with each phrase and the instructions to hold them up as the phrase is sung and you get stinking adorable! Megan did an awesome job of improvising on the piano when there was the inevitable goof-ups.

**Hubby's aunt and uncle and cousin came to hear the evening of music.

**They enjoyed the performances and saw a lot of people they know at that church. (They attend a different church, but have lived in that community forever.)

**We went over to Aunt and Uncle's house afterwards and stayed quite late visiting. I should mention that Aunt is 80 and Uncle is 90. They are just adorable and we had a blast with them.

**Sunday morning we worshiped with Caleb and Amanda at their church in downtown Kansas City.

**We so enjoy their church. The preacher always brings whatever he's preaching about back around to the Gospel. Last Sunday was no exception.

**Zach fixed supper for all of us Saturday night. He fixed us Thai food. It was so incredibly good. That guy is a great cook.

**Hubby and I ate at a Chick-fil-A our way home. You are lucky if you have one near you.

**If you do have a Chick-fil-A near you run there and get yourself a Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shake.

**It was amazing. Seriously.

**This coming weekend we are celebrating Christmas with my side of the family

I Can't Be Trusted

The toaster oven and I are not friends. Lately it seems as though whenever I put something involving a piece of bread in the toaster oven I burn it. Last week I prepped some pretty awesome looking garlic bread, complete with butter I made flavored with Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, popped it in the toaster oven, turned on the broil, then next thing I knew it was burnt. Sigh...

Today I was heating up a left-over pasta dish for lunch and thought I would make some toast to go with it. I ended up burning THREE pieces of bread. Evidently toast is a very difficult food to make. .

I guess I just cannot be trusted with a complicated kitchen appliance like a Toaster Oven.

This whole disorder may or may not have something in common with the fact that I almost always burned one side of the kids' grilled cheese sandwiches when they were growing up

A Snowy Hodgepodge Kind of a Day

Joining up with Joyce today for the Wednesday HodgePodge.

1.Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy?

No, we are not hosting any house guests this month. Does that make me happy? No. Crazy? Not really. The kids are spending Christmas with their in-laws this year. It is what it is. Besides, we still get to celebrate Christmas with the kids -- just doing it a week later. That's a good thing.
Do you do anything special for your guests to make them feel at home? 
We try to make sure the guest rooms are comfy in all ways and that the bathrooms have the essentials available. Joyce wrote about leaving a little gift for her guests. Sweet idea. I need to remember that. I heard at my friend's funeral last month that she would always leave her parents' favorite candy on their pillows whenever they visited. They did the same for her in return. I like that tradition.
How long should a house guest stay? My dad says that fish and relatives stink after three days. Silly Dad. I think a house guest should stay as long as they need to. Who am I to limit my hospitality?
The Bible even has some things to say about hospitality:

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week (December 5) back in 1905 ...what's your all time favorite Disney movie?

I have several Disney movies that I really liked and can watch over and over:

We recently saw The Muppets. It was such a good movie. I have always loved the Muppets.

Up is such a sweet movie. Our son and his wife saw it shortly before they were married and it has become one of their favorite movies.
I really enjoyed National Treasure. I love a good mystery and I appreciate a movie that can have a good story without a lot of extra yucky stuff.

Then jumping back several years... Cool Runnings. Such a great stand-up-and-cheer movie and funny movie.

And jump back even more years... I thought The Love Bug was so magical when I was a kid. Cars do tend to have their own personality, don't they?

3. What was the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?
Birkenstock clogs. Oooo just thinking about that situation makes my blood boil. First of all, the sales lady was less than helpful and didn't even know where to look on the Birk's I was wearing to find the correct size. Anyway... long story short, I bought some clogs and when I got them home and wore them around the house, I realized they were too big. Did I mention that I live about 150 miles from the store? Ugh. The next time we were back in the Big Cities, I took the clogs back to get a refund, but evidently they have a 30 day return policy and I was there 2 or 3 days after the 30 days had expired and they refused to refund me anything!!! Grrr... now I'm stuck with not-very-cheap Birkenstock clogs (Style: Boston, size 38, regular width). Anyone out there want them for pretty cheap? :) (Okay, Judy, take a deep breath.)

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online? 

Shopping for the kids? This year, relatively small because of our shopping marathon last weekend. For my own shopping for my hubby? Probably closer to 80%. That's because I can't find what I want here and it's easier for me to do online shopping that it is for hubby, since I can intercept the package before Hubby can see it. :)

5. Amaryllis-snowdrop-poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?
I think the Amaryllis is very pretty, but I'm a sucker for fresh flowers and love them all.

6. What is one thing on your personal Christmas wish list? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this answer an actual item. 
Well, I don't think I can write exactly what it is I'd like for Christmas. There is this thing called protocol, people, and this is the World Wide Web. Let's just say I'd like a change of scenery and leave it at that. 

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?
Cold.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
It's been a month since my childhood friend died. I still miss her. Very much. 

Observations of a Power Shopper

This weekend, Hubby and I headed to the Big Cities and spent the whole weekend shopping. Although it feels good to have it all done (well, I have a few more things on my list to get), it seems a little strange to get it all knocked off at once. In the past we have relied on the internet or several shopping trips to tackle that shopping list. (This small town does not have the kinds of stores we like to buy things at. The lack of selection here just annoys me.)

We took off Friday night, had supper at our second favorite barbecue place along the way, and headed on up to the Big Cities. We made a few stops as we got into town and scored some great gift purchases.

Saturday morning, Hubby let me sleep in (smart man), and did shopping for ME! (smart man again!)
We spent the rest of Saturday tackling the malls. Since I am a blogger, I have several observations I'd like to share. You're welcome.

:: First of all, I find it fascinating that it is necessary to have Mall Cops. Sad that people can't behave while shopping. But then not everyone shops when they are at a mall. At the MOA there are a lot of people just hanging out and mulling around. Thus the Mall Cops.

:: Speaking of the MOA, why is it that the only two stores we wanted to go to were at the opposite ends? Sigh.

:: A helpful tip -- stopping right at the top or bottom of the escalator is not an place ideal to try to figure out where to go next. People tend to pile up behind you. And get cranky.

:: We experienced the opposites in salespeople. One lady helped me find just exactly what I was looking for. Perfect. Another guy was just a smidge too cheerful and chummy. But he did give me credit on a punch card for some shoes I told him he sold me last summer in addition to some shoes I bought yesterday. (Who said all Christmas shopping excursions had to be just for other people?? Grin.)

:: When I am in the restroom, whether it at home or in public, I consider it a "no talk zone". Whatever someone needs to say to me can wait until I'm done, thank-you-very-much. I was in a public bathroom last night and two girls came in, went into stalls on either side of me and had a conversation with each other. Awkward.

:: I think this is the first year that Hubby and I did all the shopping together and I decided that it is a really good idea to continue this holiday tradition in the future. Not only is he fun to be with and carries the packages and drops me off at the door and picks me up at the door, his list making talent and talent of plotting out the best strategy is priceless. He even keeps track of the money spent, which is probably a better method than my philosophy of stopping only when it feels like I bought enough. (yikes)

:: Hubby likes to stop for fuel. For us. Not the Car. We had a great bagel break. Yum.
 
:: Shopping with Hubby means getting hugs and kisses while we fight through the crowds. What a wonderful bonus!

:: We actually had a cashier wish us a Merry Christmas!

We ended our weekend with a long lunch with some very dear friends. I hate that we live so far apart, but I am very thankful to have friends that you can share anything (and I mean anything) with. We try to see them as often as we can. I hope we helped refresh them a bit today as they have had a stretching couple of weeks with some pretty tough things happen in their families. I've been thinking about what I can do for them to encourage them. I may need to make a trip to buy them a card. And then a phone call later in the week. Any other ideas?

Tomorrow is Monday and Hubby has to go to work. Sad.

I guess I'll start my week off with laundry. Yippee.

And I should see about getting those beds made that are still unmade after the kids' visits Thanksgiving weekend. (That darn maid has been slacking off on her job again. Must have been shopping with the handyman.)

But I do have the gift wrapping party tomorrow night with Hubby to look forward to! WooHoo!

Day 30 of Thankfulness

I am thankful for...
...these thirty days to focus on what I am thankful for

But most importantly...
...The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. (John 1:14&16)

I would be nothing without Jesus Christ.

Day 29 of Thankfulness

I was looking through my pictures a bit ago and came across a picture of these two lovelies. They are Hubby's cousins. I just love them. They are the sweetest people I know and I have the best time when I am with them (which is not often enough).

I am thankful for...
...in-law relatives who have never treated me like an in-law

Day 28 of Thankfulness

I am thankful for...
...lots of food in the fridge to create new dishes with
...the turkey ala king I made for supper tonight
...it was yummy over the left-over mashed potatoes
...my washer and dryer that have been going all day long
...the fact that my hubby did all the dishes last weekend when the kids were here) I don't think I've thanked him enough)
...Internet shopping

Day 27 of Thankfulness

I am thankful for...
...a husband that doesn't mind vacuuming the whole house for me twice in one week

Day 26 of Thankfulness

Another day to be thankful. What a blessing that is!

Megan and Zach took off this morning so they could spend the day in the town we used to live in. Megan wanted to visit some of her high school friends. We missed them today and missed their dog trotting around the house eating the ice cubes that fell on the floor and trying to get someone to play with him.

After lunch today we headed to Okoboji, Iowa with Caleb and Amanda. We wandered around an antique mall for a while (Caleb found a very awesome old camera), and we found the movie theater and saw The Muppets. That is one fantastic movie! Lots of laughs at the movies and lots of chuckles at all the little kids in the theater. At one scene, when the screen was dark and Kermit the Frog lit a candle, a little girl behind us exclaimed loudly, "Oh no! What he doing?" We all laughed.

I am thankful for...
...such a lovely weekend with family
...antique stores and all the cool stuff to look at
...funny movies
...Hubby so kindly cleaning up the kitchen after every meal

Day 25 of Thankfulness

We had another good day with the family all hanging out together. Zach worked on their car and fixed the problem with the hole in the tail pipe (or something like that...it's not noisy like it was before and I'm thinking that's a good thing). Megan studied for some tests she has coming up. (I think tests right after a break should be outlawed...)

After lunch we hit the Black Friday sales. Nope, we're not the early-in-the-morning-when-there-really-isn't-any-oxygen type of shoppers. And remember we live in a very small town, so the places to shop are very limited. Emphasis on very. And limited. I think we were out for all of an hour and a half and that included a bit of driving around to see some highlights.

We did score a 3-pack of Muppet movies! We watched one tonight. I don't think the Muppets ever get old, do you? I look forward to seeing the newest one soon.

I have a couple of really short videos I want to include here. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the music going on around here the last couple of days.

The first video is of Hubby and Caleb jamming:

This one is just a bit of Megan practicing for a Christmas program at their church:

 Notice the dog keeping her company!

 I am thankful for...
...listening to music played by our kids in the house
...the very nice weather we've had the last couple of days (since it's supposed to snow tomorrow)(yuck)
...Charley hanging out around our house. I've had fun sneaking him treats.

Day 24 of Thankfulness

I have just a few minutes to get today's post in. We had such a good Thanksgiving Day. The best part was having everyone here. We started off with a nice, lazy morning with a Cinnamon Struesel Bundt Cake for breakfast. Yummy!

The day consisted of playing with Charley.... (Caleb with Charley in the backyard.)

 

(And yes, it was nice enough out to not have to wear a jacket, believe it or not!)

We also were treated to some piano playing:

(Someone sure likes being in on the action...)

The Big Feast was in the middle of the afternoon. It was a success. I ordered a fresh turkey from the grocery store and was pleased that I didn't have to worry about defrosting it and fighting around it for days in the refrigerator. No photos of The Big Feast. Once I got through the last minute prep frenzy and plopped down at the table, I had no thoughts of my camera.

After The Big Feast everyone pitched in and helped clean up.

I just sat at the island and directed traffic. :)  And took pictures. :)  (Notice that dog is quite interested in the turkey that Zach is carving.)

The rest of the afternoon consisted of the traditional Lounging Around And Feeling Stuffed non-activity. Oh, and there was some Wii playing and book reading.

We enjoyed our pie while watching the season's premiere viewing of Elf. Love, love that movie! (Buddy the Elf, What's your favorite color?)

I am thankful for...
...spending time last weekend and earlier this week preparing some of the dishes ahead of time so I didn't have tons and tons to do today
...having all the kids here
...Hubby being so willing to pitch in and be in charge of clean-up

...that everyone wants leftovers for breakfast (pie, rolls, sweet potato casserole, turkey)

Day 23 of Thankfulness

I am thankful for......

....and the rest of the family is on their way!!!!!

Day 22 of Thankfulness

I have one thing left on my To Do List for today (aside from the load of towels in the washing machine). That last thing I need to do is to write my Blog Post of Thankfulness for today.

At the risk of sounding predictable, I am thankful for the Pilgrims that came to this continent in 1620. Specifically, I am thankful for William Bradford. He was the second governor of the Plymouth colonies. Why does he interest me? Because of the fact that he is Hubby's nine times great grandfather! How cool is that?

(Click here or here to read a bit about William Bradford.)

I admire that Mr. Bradford and the Pilgrims wanted to make the trip across the ocean in order to be able to worship God freely. I have been to where the Pilgrims sailed from in the Netherlands and where they landed at Cape Cod. Both times I remember thanking God for the obedience of William Bradford and the others.

I am thankful for...
...William Bradford sailing to the Colony of Virginia
...because of that, I have my husband
...how mind boggling that is

Day 21 of Thankfulness

Today the piano tuner came. Have you ever sat around listening to a piano tuner? I'll give you a few seconds of what it sounds like:

 

Imagine that all over the key board for more than an hour.  Sigh. But at least the piano is in tune now!

(I was trying to be sneaky and just had my camera sitting on the kitchen island, but I think he saw my camera. Dern.)

I am thankful for...

...people with the skills to tune pianos. It's a mystery to me.

...a beautiful sounding piano

Day 20 of Thankfulness

My day is fast winding down and I have a set bedtime tonight, so I need to get today's post written.

Today I am thankful for my hubby. He is my voice of reason. He knows just when I am about to fall off the ledge of sanity and talks me back to real life. Because of my brush with the edge tonight, I have been given a bedtime of 9:30 and I am oh so very thankful! I love that husband of mine.

But as much as I am thankful for Hubby, I am endlessly thankful for Jesus Christ. He is my Redeemer.

As I was washing dishes tonight I was singing Keith Green's song (written by his wife Melody) There is a Redeemer in my head. Hubby was starting to play the piano. He played one song, turned the page and started playing There is a Redeemer! How awesomely cool is that?! 

I, of course, stopped washing the dishes and went to the piano to sing along.

I am thankful for...

...my hubby

...Jesus my Redeemer

...that Redeemer means: to buy or pay off

...that Jesus paid for all my sins with His life

...that Jesus is alive!

...that this list could go on and on and on and on and on...

Day 19 of Thankfulness

All of our kids are coming here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We are both very excited to have them here!

Today was the day of making massive lists in preparation for the fun, long weekend. Hubby has been a great help, because he always is. :)

I broke out my wonderful stand mixer that usually sits so quietly and lonely in the corner of the counter-top...

and used it to mix up a double batch of Butterhorn Rolls. (I truly believe there would be a mutiny if I neglected to make these for any holiday gathering.)(Right, kids?)

I am thankful for...
...my husband's helping hand
...and his love of making lists that sometimes rubs off on me
...my pretty red stand mixer
...my grandma's Butterhorn Roll recipe

Day 18 of Thankfulness

The sunset was absolutely gorgeous today. What fun God must have painting a new one every night!

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

I am thankful for...
...being able to see sunsets every single night from the from porch of our house
...never having my fill of seeing sunsets
...that the sunsets are so different each and every night

Day 17 of Thankfulness

I saw this sight the other day as I was driving back home from running errands. This lake is near our house.

That's a lot of geese! Notice how they are all facing the same direction? They did that as I walked closer to them and several started squawking at me. I guess they thought I was a danger to them... ha. I wouldn't want to get any closer, have you seen what they leave behind? Ew.

Today when I drove by this same lake, there was a bunch of geese on the beach with their heads tucked under a wing and standing on one leg. How is that comfortable? I tried to take a picture, but managed to wake them all up and they started walking into the lake.

I am thankful for...
...creatures in God's creation that make me laugh

Day 16 of Thankfulness

With the death of my long-time friend, Pam, I've been thinking about this whole death and grieving thing. I really don't understand it. At all.

I remembered something I had read in a book a few weeks ago. The book is called Surprised by Worship written by Travis Cottrell. (Travis is the Worship leader for Beth Moore's Living Proof Live conferences. When I have gone to one of those conferences I can never decide which is better -- the teaching or the music.)

Anyway...

I read this book a few weeks ago and really enjoyed what Travis had to say about worship. It is so much more than what happens on a Sunday morning at church. Rather than try to summarize the book (go buy it and read it... you'll be glad you did!), I'll just tell you what stuck out to me in this time of grieving for my friend.

Quoting from the book:

"For those of us who have accepted God's gift of life through His Son Jesus, even grief in its rawest and most palpable state cannot help but be laced with hope. This doesn't mean that death no longer hurts. It hurts terribly. Sometimes the pain of our loss seems so devastating that we wonder if we'll ever recover. But our hope is in El Olam -- the Everlasting God. Our God who saved us, frees us, and holds us is eternal. And because He shares eternity with us, we don't weep as those who are without hope. We worship the One who has firmly "set eternity in our hearts." (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Take that in. His Word tells us we are made for eternity. This is why death is so repulsive to us. We hate it; we resist it; it tears us apart. Why? Because we were not made for death. It insidiously invades our existence, but it is not the final event."

I think Travis hit the nail on the head, so to speak.

C.S. Lewis said in his book Mere Christianity, "if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world"

***Just wanted to write these thoughts down and share them with my blog readers.***

I am thankful for...
...the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ
...the hope of eternity
...this blog so I have a place to write out my thoughts

Day 15 of Thankfulness

I've been in a nostalgic mode lately. That logically leads me to old photo albums. Oh the memories...

...sweet: when I see pictures of my babies
...funny when I come across pictures from college days.

For example:

I don't even know where to start with this one. Sooo many oddities... from my roommate's glasses to those jeans, in those cowboy boots. Oh my.... But what fun memories!

Then there's this group shot.

 

These are a bunch of the people I hung out with in college. (I'm the oh-so-stylish one in the middle with the amazing purple shirt.) We were all involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. I spent hours and hours talking to and learning from those two girls in the picture.  I am still in touch with them today. As a matter of fact, the girl on the front left is married to the guy on the front right. The girl second from the left (you may recognize her from the first picture) is married to the guy in the green shirt to the left of me. And yes, I am married to the guy to the right of me. :)

If I remember right, this was taken at a square dance we all went to with another group from a campus church. I went just because I was hoping to be able to dance with that cutie in the white pants. (I kinda had a crush on him.)

I am thankful for...
...friends from college days
...that I am still friends with those people
...memories
...scanners

Day 14 of Thankfulness

As I mentioned yesterday, we were lucky to spend some time with our kids in October. We rented a cabin in Southern Missouri.

Just a few pictures to remember it by:

Our finished painted pumpkins all lined up.

Zach and Megan went fishing and caught these pretty rainbow trout. Zach thought he could gross me out with them. But I just took pictures and walked away. I'm so tough. ha.

 

We ate lunch at a nice restaurant in a near-by college. College of the Ozarks. Neat place.

We all had this Blackberry/Blueberry Cobbler for dessert. We all had blue teeth for several hours after. Seriously. It was quite funny looking.

 Miniature golfing with the family was a lot of fun. Pretty sure I wasn't the winner. :)

We did a little shopping at a restaurant supply store and may have had a bit too much fun there.

 

 

Beautiful scenery.

Caleb and Amanda flew down this zip-line....crazy people....they are the two on the right.

I am thankful for...
...a wonderful vacation with the kids
...a time to make memories together