a day late...but thankful none the less!

here is my thankful post from yesterday.

it just so happened that i was too busy enjoying it all to write it:)

this is my new front door decoration.  i made it yesterday.

and i am thankful for it:)

*side note here--my oldest son loves--but loves to decorate seasonally.  he needs to marry a woman with this passion:)  i can only be all martha stewarty up to a point!  (i love mod)

i continue to enjoy and be thankful for our lovely woodstove (and warm little fire) that we got from my husband's grandfather.  i really heart the design!

this is how it actually looks now...my oldest son is thrilled about having the "woodstove" responsibility, and he leaves his gloves, ash scoop etc. scattered:)  so cute to see him learning man things!

i am so thankful for this super cute vintage enamel tea pot to put on top for humidity this winter.  cause of the cool stove design, there is almost no space on top for a traditional boiler/humidifier.  i found this lovely little pot at an antique shop:)

i am thankful for my boys art class!  they go once a week (for a 3 hour class--word!) and they study a different artist each month.  learn the life and history of the artist, all about their technique, style and medium, make an artists journal for each artist, and complete an original piece in that artists style.

last month they studied Monet.  um, did you know his first name was Oscar?  kuddos if you did;)
anyway, here are my boys 'monets':

super lovely pieces of art for my home:)

also divine about art days, is that baby girl and i get 3 solid hours of uninterrupted 'girl time'!
usually this means lunch out together, and she always wants to go shopping:)  such a sweetie!

what this makes me truly thankful for is the way we are made in the image of God.

i believe that we are creative because He is creative.

we make things because He is the ultimate maker.

we love beauty because He loves beauty.

and i love because He first loved me.

ALL things to be thankful for!

day 4 of the choice...

today i am thankful for:

these shoes:

sooo cute!  black velvet wedges, suede tie on top, lovely cut outs on the side, and on a super sale!


2.  my sewing student!  who is a lovely girl:) and comes over Tues. afternoons to do some sewing with me, but today (and hopefully next week) she is prep working my stuff because i am a procrastinator and have a huge show coming up in a few weeks:)

3.  fall lovelies!  and enjoying them outside while my little blessings play.

what are you thankful for?

the choice...giving daily thanks

today i took all 3 of my kiddos to get their flu shots.

oldest was a brave man...

second son was a little nervous and a teeny bit scared...

baby girl was a screamer.

but i like the wise mother i am having learned from previous experiences, brought a new small "prize" for each one.

seriously mommas, it is so worth the $3.00 each!! no traumatic crying and screaming.  they all thanked me profusely for the new little gifts.

everyone was happy...except baby girl said her "thank you mommy" and then went on to say that now all she needed was some french fries and a milk shake!

of course we got them:)

today i am thankful for:

1. flu shots! (keepin' my kids healthy!  seriously, last year little girl got the flu and had a 104 degree temp for over 10 days!! it was miserable for all)

2. lost 2 more lbs. on weight watchers online this week:)  signed up 2 weeks ago, and lost 2 lbs each week!

3. my husband called me just to say hi, ask how my day was going, and tell me he loves me:)  {sigh}


so very much to be thankful for...what will you choose to be thankful for?

thankful for...

today i am thankful for:

1. my baby girl being in my bed last night (bad dream) sweetest cuddles!

2. making it to sunday school, even if i missed the regular service! (because of oversleeping...which happened because of  #1)

3. REAL fall weather!  and watching my children enjoy it together:)

THE CHOICE...an October challenge

i have a lovely friend that i have known for most of my life that has set forth a thoughtful challenge.  she is a dear woman who just lost her husband of 26 years in August.  when she and her 3 children were dealing with his illness, i was constantly keeping my ear to the ground for ways of how to pray.  i knew they didn't need one more person exhausting them with questions...and i was thrilled to find out that she was keeping up a blog.  i would go over and see how they were doing and how i could pray.

let me say...it was overwhelming!  do you want to see the heart of love, sacrifice, beauty, all poured out on a page?  this is it.  her words and heart will take your breath away.  because through all of the traumatic stuff that was/still is happening in her life, her blog is titled Thankful Every Day.  she purposefully looked for something to give thanks to the Lord for. every. day.

about the same time, a dear friend gave me a copy of this book:

which is totally amazing and challenges us to thank God for 1000 things.  for real.  on paper.

could i make a list of 1000 things to be thankful for?

i would say with every fiber of my being that i am thankful to God for everything.

but what kind of changes would happen in your life if you practiced thankfulness out loud, on paper, deliberately?  even when your spouse's body is deteriorating?  when your love is leaving this world?

i read this post that challenged me to do this.

practice thankfulness every day in October.  deliberately.

will you join me?

today i am thankful for my husband!  today is his birthday(30!!) and i could make a looong list of all of the ways he blesses me, but the goal of this thankful every day challenge is to be simple about it.  so there you go!

win my chevron clutch!

hi there!

remember the clutch that has been dominating my time lately?

yep, that's it. the one in like 3 places on my little bloggy blog.

well...go win it here!

in the color of your choice, of course!

do you want to know what I consider the best part of this giveaway?

no one has to friend me, like me, or follow me to win!

i try not to coerce people into being my friends (ha-ha)  just a joke, people, laugh!   actually, i mean it:)


just leave Megan a comment telling her what color you want.  btw, she is a southern doll!  go check her out :)

outgrowing myself

this weekend was wonderful.

one of my big sisters got married.

i have three older sisters, and it was a joy to be together with our families!

my aunt flew cross country from CA to be here and we enjoyed that too.  my mom enjoyed her even more than us girls did though.  there is something very special about sisters.  i am spoiled because all of my sisters live relatively close by and we can get together on a whim.  it was a blessing to see my mother have time with her sister too!

when we get together, our husbands brace themselves...we are loud.  we laugh. we are silly and goofy.  we cry.  we have a myriad of inside jokes that make us spray liquid out of our noses, but no one else "gets".  we drink coffee and go on 'sister walks' around the neighborhood.  we swap kid stories, clothes and shoes, and music and books.  we remember.

perhaps because of this, i am thinking today about how i am not the person i used to be.

i remember times past and experiences shared.  some were good.  many were not.  one thing that i know is that i am exceedingly grateful that those are things past.  you see, even the good experiences are tainted with the memory of the selfish, immature, and outspoken person i used to be.

today i am thankful that God grows us up.  we are not left to figure things out on our own.   he doesn't say "grow up" and leave us to wonder how.  how to shed this skin that i'm in?  he makes all things new.  he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.  he works all things for the good of those who love him.  yes.

i have been through some heartache, pain, and difficulty.  it has shaved the edges off of me.  i have outgrown myself.  i am 'blissfully ignorant' no more.  i know a little about suffering.  some days i feel as though there is a melancholy undertone that has been left behind from the difficulty.  it feels a tad bit pessimistic. i don't like it.  i am ready to outgrow this self, please.

i have woken up to a new day and faced it with a weary heart though i am unbelievably blessed!  it's not that i'm ungrateful for the day and the gifts it brings, but perhaps i am weary of myself.  it's not the housework, the children, the homeschooling, the bills, or the committments, it's the woman.  i have been aching to be different.  not physically.  just inside different.  you can't join a gym for that, you can't pay money for that.  what do you do to get the inside different?

i am ready to turn over a new leaf...
i sooo enjoy fall and the changing of the seasons.  such bliss in the changing temperatures and falling leaves!  there is a crisp newness in the stripping bare.  growing, blooming things are laid low for their own good and gods glory.  they will return in season.  bigger.  stronger.  with breathtaking beauty!  they will outgrow the space they were in this year.  i will have to divide some of them and transplant them.  i am hoping to outgrow myself again, and have beauty enough to be divided and transplanted.

linking up with Kris

a beautiful woman who makes me think!