weekending - Christmas weekend and favorite moments

 

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and Christmas day! We did...it was made even more special by what I'm about to share. I said I probably wasn't going to write a blog post for today, but apparently I like to eat my words. Here's why, though—I stayed home all weekend and got so much done that I had the time to write. 

We got a very light dusting of snow Thursday night, which then turned icy when the temps stayed below freezing. It's beautiful! It was the closest to a white Christmas we'll ever get, most likely. Anyway, as you know, I finished all my shopping on Wednesday of last week, I wrapped everything on Thursday, I stuffed the stockings at five thirty on Friday morning, and then...

I was done. This gave me lots of free time, so I made some goodies for the boys to eat, I cleaned a little, I read a book, and I watched movies. Which is why I'm sharing today...I have some favorites from the weekend I wanted to share with you. I'll start with the beautiful and light snow that we got Thursday night. I put them in chronological order, because I am me, and of course I would do that. This is Thursday night, then Friday morning...etc.

Have you ever heard the song Winter Snow by Audrey Assad with Chris Tomlin? It's one of my favorites! I'll share it here in case you want to listen. The snow falling on Thursday night reminded me of this song.

It was so pretty! It was cold and crystal clear on Friday, which is my favorite kind of weather. I love how the white adds a touch of sparkle to everything. Our sons that live with us stayed out with friends all day, so I never saw them. Drew got to leave work early because of the cold and Noah's work never even opened for the same reason. I was so glad to hear this! Todd ended up going into work for the sheriff's department that night, so I made myself a yummy dinner that my friend Debbie at Millie's Cozy Cottage inspired. 

It's not the best picture, but it was delicious. I made a grilled cheese sandwich on our electric griddle using wheat bread with a lower fat butter spread for the outsides, a tiny bit of mayo and Dijon mustard, and provolone and Colby Jack cheese (one slice of each). 

While I ate my dinner of the sandwich, homemade Chex mix and some orange slices, I watched the cutest movie ever! It's one that my friend Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa recommended. 

Have you seen About Fate? It was so good! I watched it on Prime TV. I appreciated Amy recommending it to me. It will definitely be a favorite for years to come! And this sweet picture of Callie is another favorite. 

Have I mentioned lately that Drew is Callie's person? I am always taking pictures like this and sending them to him. When he comes home, she's the first one he goes to and she acts so differently with him. I know she misses him! She still sleeps in Drew's old room that belongs to Noah now. Noah likes our dogs, but not like the rest of us, so he's a little indifferent about Callie sleeping in his room each night. 

Other favorites include the obvious... our candlelight Christmas eve service, Christmas day and being with family. I don't take any of these moments for granted! What was the favorite part of your weekend? I would love to hear your answers! I am always interested in how people spend a holiday and the things they love about the day. 

Here are a few of my favorite moments from Christmas day.

They keep me laughing and alternately shaking my head. It was the BEST day. 

Thanks for reading my blog, friends! I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all! 

Friday Favorites, Merry Christmas 2022 edition!

 

Happy Friday, friends and Merry Christmas Adam! (Adam and Eve...Christmas Adam, Christmas Eve...get it??) 

First up on my favorites list is this image that Jen shared on her blog Wednesday. I was so busy on that day, that I forgot about the date and the fact that it was the winter solstice! 

I love this and wanted to share it here with you as well, because much like her and how winter is one of her favorite seasons, it's also one of my favorites! I would say that I love fall the most, with winter as a close second. My favorite thing about the winter season centers around one word—cozy (or hygge, which is Dutch, as it's called in Dutch). You should go and read Jen's post about this. It was my favorite kind of post! 

I have a whole board on Pinterest called The Cozy Season. You should go check it out! Just click on that title. I love this image below that I found on Pinterest! We all love a bucket list, don't we? 

I read one of the best articles online this week! It's called Tomorrow is Not Promised and it's written by my friend Heather that I mentioned in yesterday's Share 4 Somethings post. Her words are so true—life is short. We need to make that call, and we need to check on our friends. We never know what someone is going through and we all need each other! These kinds of articles are my favorite—the ones that challenge, inspire and make me think.

Along the line of articles, one of my favorite things from this week has been reading old blog posts from my early days of blogging. Here is one that I loved and had forgotten about, called The Character of my Kids. It's funny how some things never change about your kids, but I'll say this—Graham's leadership skills and "legalistic" personality have turned him into such a smart and kind young man. It's funny that I wrote about him that he was 12 at that time and going on 22, because now he is 23! And Drew, Jonah and Noah have remained almost the exact same as they were when I first wrote that blog post. 

- an old favorite picture of them taken during Christmas break -

I've been doing lots of reminiscing this week because I've been trying to find my earliest blog post in 2007. I have not been successful, but I've remembered some wonderful times with the boys. I say that, but I also want to tell you that they are my favorite ages right now. They're such nice guys, they make us laugh, they're kind, they're very helpful (all of them ALWAYS stop to help people they see stranded on the side of a road), they're loving, thoughtful and they're so much fun to be with. The Lord has given us the ability to love any age they're at and that has continued on through the years. 

Mom and me on Wednesday

Moving back to present day, Wednesday was my favorite day of the week! Mom and I had decided that this would be our annual day of last minute Christmas shopping and a yummy lunch that has nothing to do with Christmas food. So, I met her at the nail salon that morning at 9:30 and off we went! Don't her nails look beautiful? I have always loved peoples' hands, especially those of my husband, mom and dad. Mom's hands are so pretty to me and more familiar to me than my own. I took that picture to send to my sister Debi, who was the inspiration behind this nail idea.

I am smiling as I write this and look at this picture above not because it's my favorite, but because the 70's called and want their favorite outfit back. I won't say that I would never wear something that bright, but I'd definitely never wear something that bright on both the top and the bottom. The shirt is kind of cute, in my opinion, and would look good with jeans. The material was so soft and you know how I love a billowy shirt.

Our Christmas lights date night with the dogs was definitely my favorite night this week! This night was also a favorite for our dogs Crash and Chip.

Out of all the lights that we saw that were beautiful, our own flagpole Christmas tree is my favorite. We were driving down the street that runs perpendicular to ours and when I looked down our road, our beautiful tree stands tall and proud above lots of our neighbors' homes. 

I have some favorite outfits from this week!

It's been colder this week, so I've been wearing all my favorite cozy things. On the days that I worked, I came home and changed into my favorite black lounge pants from J Jill (They're flowy!) and my beloved Hallmark Christmas movie sweatshirt. It's my warmest and coziest shirt that I have and wear for lounging around the house. I've also dressed in layers, which is a favorite, like with the outfit I had on Sunday at church, and I've been wearing my favorite red sweater and this new magenta colored Nike sweatshirt I treated myself to with some birthday money. It's so cozy! I am also still loving my new and favorite purse that you see in the picture of me at church.

One last favorite that I don't have a picture of is that I bought a coat yesterday! It's one that I found at Walmart—it's a black puffy coat that is warm but also thin, and it's mid-thigh length. I can't wait to wear it this week! The temps dropped here yesterday and today our high is 15 degrees! Where my sisters live near Denver, their actual temperature dropped below zero. I can't even imagine! Cold weather at Christmas is my favorite! It makes it feel festive to me...I'll never forget last year when our Christmas day was hot. 

I'm not a hundred percent sure that I'm going to write a post for Monday, but regardless, the next time I write to you will be after Christmas! So, my friends, I hope that you and your families have a wonderfully beautiful, happy and Merry Christmas. I pray the day is everything that you hoped and need it to be! May the Lord Himself bless you, keep you close, be gracious to you, bring you peace and make His face shine upon you. 

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Even if I skip a post for Monday, I will be back Tuesday through Friday, so come check out some of the fun posts I have planned for next week! In case you missed out any of blog posts from this week, I'll list them below.

Monday was a weekend recap and the Hello Monday link-up.

Tuesday I shared a couple of my favorite Christmas songs with videos and the story of how my blog and blog title came to be.

Wednesday was a post that I titled Merry Everything- fun things and Christmas memories. and Wednesday's bonus post was the December edition of Share 4 Somethings, in which I shared some exciting news about continuing on with one of my favorite link parties. You should go check that post out and make plans to join in with us beginning on Saturday, January 28th, 2023! 

Thursday was the usual Thankful Thursday post, where several of us share all that we are thankful for that week. 

Thanks for reading my blog, friends. I appreciate all of you so much! Your encouragement and love mean a lot to me and I am so glad we've all found each others' blogs and that we're friends. Much love to you and Merry Christmas! 🎄

Share 4 Somethings (December 2022)

 

Happy day to you, friends! I don't know which day I'll post this, but regardless of the day, it's a bonus post. Tis the season for them, apparently! I'm linking up with Heather one last time for her Share 4 Somethings link party. I have LOVED being a part of these over the last couple of years and was saddened to hear that she wasn't going to continue on with them in 2023. Many bloggers I know and love also enjoy this link party, so I had a thought...since I took over Anne's monthly Currently posts and had such a great response, I decided to offer the same thing to Heather. (About all those links...I just want you to know that I was not the creator of those link parties. They were and I want to make sure they get the credit for such creative ideas!) Like Anne, Heather took me up on the offer, and I am excited to start! Below is all the information you need to know to schedule your posts for this beginning in January. I hope you join us in the fun! 

I will host this party on the LAST SATURDAY of every month, beginning with Saturday, January 28th, 2023. Each and every month, the topics will remain the same. We will talk about the THINGS we are loving, reading, learning and eating. If you joined in with Heather for these parties, you'll notice she used the past tense of her choice words each year. I decided to make my version the present tense of the words I chose, because that's how I see things like that I'm loving—as a current and ongoing thing. I hope you'll make plans to join us! I am excited to read about recipes that you'll share in the months to come...I am always in need of some dinner inspiration, my friends, particularly if it's something both healthy and delicious. 

And with that last, I'll segue into the rest of this fun post. I already told you what I loved this month in the top paragraph, so I'll continue on with something I gleaned this month. I gleaned that I thrive under pressure sometimes. Notice I said sometimes, not all the times. I'll give you an example. The last two weeks have been insanely busy. I've had so much going on that I have barely had time to stop and savor the moments and catch my breath. I say that but I am not complaining about it, I promise. I love this time of year and all that it brings! I've had my Christmas worship night and the rehearsals leading up to it, I've had work three days a week, I've had get-togethers with friends who wanted to meet up, I went out of town for one full day (eleven hours and one full tank of gas), I have had to finish shopping, and then I've had all the normal things the rest of you also have—shopping, cooking, meal planning, wrapping, Christmas gift shopping, cleaning the house, etc. Throw in my birthday and being sick last week for good measure and you get the gist of what I'm saying. 

Because of all that, I've been SUPER organized about all the things I need to remember and I've been getting things done. I've never felt so productive in all of my life. So, I gleaned that when it counts, I thrive under pressure. As a side note that I talked about in yesterday's post, and because I didn't have enough going on, I started a huge writing project Tuesday afternoon. This isn't the writing project that I'm committed to with my writing team friends from church...(the four of us write Bible studies together, for anyone who didn't know)...this is something new and exciting that the Lord gave to me as an idea during my quiet time on Tuesday morning. I was praying and catching up with my Bible reading, and He put this thought in my heart. I don't want to share too much in case I don't follow through with it, but it involves me and writing a book. (Don't be surprised, I've actually written several but never had them published.) I was greatly inspired and had to start writing before I forgot about all the ideas I had. The only other person I've shared this with besides you is my oldest son Graham. I'm excited at what could be to come in 2023! 

(Pictured above are my beautiful writing friends. Left to right is Barbee, myself, Amy and Lynn.)

Something I braved in December were the Christmas crowds. I have to daily remind myself to be patient, kind, loving and all the other things God's word says in Galatians 5:22-23. I'll share that passage below:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Something I achieved this month are all the things I have already listed above! It's been a great month and while I have loved almost every minute, I will be glad when the hustle and bustle is over and done with. Maybe that's the reason January always feels slow. Maybe it's because we needed that after a full and merry month. 

Talk about weary. I also always look forward to the week between Christmas and the new year.

What's something you loved, gleaned, braved or achieved this month that you're proud of? I'd love to hear from you! Thank for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

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Share Four Somethings is a monthly link-up that Heather started back in 2018. The concept was to share the same four topics every month as a way to look back and recap your month. While some topics have changed over the years, some have remained. (We're looking at you, Something Loved!) We have enjoyed this monthly reflection as well as getting to know the others who have joined on this adventure.

The link-up opens on the last Saturday of every month and will stay open for three weeks. The topics for 2022 were Something Loved, Something Gleaned, Something Braved (and NEW option Something Saved), and Something Achieved. In 2023, we will share the THINGS we are loving, reading, learning and eating. I hope you will join us each month! Just write your post, maybe add a picture or a few and then link back here to me at Overflowing with Thankfulness. I can't wait to read all that you have to say in the coming year. Thanks in advance for joining in with us! 

Merry Everything- fun things and Christmas memories

 

Happy Wednesday, my friends! This picture below cracks me up, because of Drew laying in the grass with a sassy look on his face. This was what my life was like raising these sons of ours—there was never a dull moment! As you can probably tell, Drew was (IS) feisty. Tis the season for all things Christmas, so here's a little bit more. Happy day and merry everything!  

I have something fun planned today! Here's a hint.

It involves my pretty mom. ❤

My mom and I always go shopping in the few days before Christmas. We usually go to finish up all of our shopping together, then we eat something the exact opposite of Christmas. Today we'll be eating hot soup and sandwiches from Newks, but in years past we've eaten Mexican and sushi. 

I also love doing this with my mom-in-love, Phyllis. She and I had to cancel our date last week because I was sick, but I plan on having a day of shopping with her in January. We love to end our day with Chick Fil A peppermint milkshakes. Come to think of it...Mom and I may get one today as well. 

Something funny that happened a few years ago that I always think fondly of at Christmas is the year our German Shepard Callie ate my stepmom's Christmas gift. We used to buy her good smelling soap, and we discovered that Callie loves peppermint. She literally tried to eat the peppermint scented soap! Another year she ate all the heads off of my nativity people. Except for Baby Jesus. She left Him alone.🤣 

I laugh about it now,  because it's a great memory, but I was extremely aggravated at the time. Other than these quirks, Callie has been the best dog of all. She's never had even one accident in our houses.

Our candlelight services for Christmas eve at church are among my favorite services of the year. Especially now that Drew isn't living at home anymore, we're rarely all at church together. I'm looking forward to that afternoon when we'll all get to be there together. I get to help lead worship in that service, so I'm excited about that too. 

These were the days! We would pile the dogs and our boys plus some extras (always Alex and Drew's old friend girl, Emma) into our big old Suburban and we would go look at Christmas lights as a family. We did this LONG BEFORE it was ever a thing to do that was cool, and we loved every second. We could only last as long as the boys weren't fighting. Inevitably they would start up and we'd call it a night. 🤣

We've gone from that to this. (Please excuse the pajamas and no makeup.)

We decided to take the dogs to look at Christmas lights last night! Have you seen that video circulating on social media reminding you to do that? I've been seeing it, which is what gave me this idea. Crash has been loving this activity for many years. You see him in the first picture and he's the blur in the one from last night. Both he and Chip loved it! We took Graham's dog Oakley, but she wasn't a fan. And Callie also hates to ride...so the next time (Saturday night) we'll just take Crash and Chip.

I mean, how precious is he???

His big eyes crack me up.

We plan on going again...maybe even a couple more times! I also have something fun up my sleeve for Thursday night for Todd and me, but I'll wait to tell you in case the impending snow messes up my idea. 

I went ahead and ordered my groceries to pick up tomorrow so that I won't have to do that again until after Christmas. I told my friend today that my mind is running in a million different directions, including being consumed today after work with a big writing project I just started. The timing seems weird, but I was inspired, so I had to run with the flow of creativity. What are you up to this week? I mean, I know Christmas is coming quickly, but do you have any fun plans? I'd love to hear about them! I haven't ever looked forward to this week as much as I am right now. I have slow days planned on Thursday and Friday, but the other days are going to be fun!

Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 🎄