December 5

I am so thankful for family get-togethers.  Tomorrow is my step dad's birthday.  You might have heard me talk about him a time or two.  The kids refer to him as Big Daddy, and we're helping him celebrate his sixty-first birthday tomorrow.  :)

I love family functions.  I'm so thankful that Todd and I didn't move away sixteen years ago.  We were supposed to have moved to Huntsville, Alabama after we got married, but we ended up staying here.  I don't love Memphis, but I do love my little slice of Heaven that I call The Ville.  Along with living in The Ville, I love that all our family (well, most of them) are nearby. 

I love every part of celebrating birthdays.  I love making people feel special, ya know?  The price of food keeps me from entertaining as much as I'd like to, but we do manage to do this for special occasions every once in a blue moon.  The boys and I are excited about tomorrow.  Our menu consists of (crockpot) chicken marsala, buttery angel hair pasta, salad with homemade dressing and rolls.  For dessert?  Red velvet cake balls.  I can't wait! 

We had fun preparing for his big event today.  The boys helped me do a lot of the prep work, and the cake balls are ready to be dipped in the candy coating. 

Love to all!

Wednesday Words

I thought I'd do a little rendition of another random post.  Here goes:

Have you seen all the Jared's (jewelers) commercials?  They drive me bonkers.  I'm so glad I'm not a high-maintenance wife.  Ask Todd, he'll agree.  Well, I think he will.

I painted my nails last night, with a merry and bright Christmas color.  It's OPI, and it's called Dear Santa.  :)  It's red and has glittery sparkles.  So fun!

Todd had jury duty this week, but as of yesterday he is finished!  I'm so glad for him...I know it's our responsibility and all, but what a pain to have to drive downtown each day.  I thought it was pretty cool of him yesterday, he ended up giving blood.  On Tuesday's, they have LifeBlood come down to the courthouse so people can give while they're there.  Pretty cool, huh?

Ralphie the elf is running out of creative ideas.  I'm kind of over him, if you want to know the truth.  The more I think about it, the worse I feel about yet another lie to have to tell my kids.  I know.  I'm weird.

If there were a repeat button I used on a cd of mine, it would be Break Your Heart (originally sung by Demi Lovatto, but on the Glee soundtrack it's sung by Lea Michelle and Dean Guyer) from the Glee soundtrack of  season four.  It's amazing.  The harmonies are so good!

I'm dragging this morning.  The sun is not out and I'm not motivated.

I've been drinking a cup of coffee each night after dinner.  Does this mean I'm getting old?

My birthday is next week.  I think I'm reaching a new age bracket.  Thirty-six.

I need to get off here so I can go get motivated!  I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.  Love to all!

December 4

I know it seems trivial, but really, it's not.  Not in my eyes, anyway.  I'm very thankful for our garage.  It's a small thing to be thankful for, but really, it's not.  Some people don't have garages.  Some people have garages, but have too much junk in theirs to be able to use theirs. 

It's a very rainy day here in The Ville. 

Of course, this is the day I picked to do errands after school work.  I had to make a trip to Costco, and a stop at Pet Smart.  Someone has a birthday coming this week, and I needed food to cook for his dinner Thursday night.  The someone is Big Daddy.  ;) 

Then I had to go to Pet Smart to buy some more pets to feed the pet.  Did you get that?  Buddy the lizard gecko eats crickets, and he was fresh out. 

I needed to go to the library, but after being soaked through my clothes, we decided to head home instead.  When I pulled into the garage, I immediately thanked God for our home with its nice two-car garage (more like one-sided garage and one-sided storage of kid's junk).  The minute I pulled in and the noise inside the car quieted, Jonah whispered, "Phew.  I'm glad we're home."

My thoughts exactly, little guy.  My thoughts exactly. 

Love to all. 

Tuesdays Unwrapped

I'm linking up with author Emily Freeman over at chatting at the sky for a new (to me) idea for this ol' blog.  Click on the title of her blog and it'll take you straight to the place she writes. 

Tuesdays Unwrapped is about celebrating the lovely, the messy and the unexpected.  It's about forgetting about the condition of your immediate surroundings (dirty windows, a messy house) and finding God's goodness in the everyday life around you. 

I had an unwrappable (yes, I made up that word) moment this morning during my quiet time.  I was looking through my Bible and lovingly running my fingers over the pages of Isaiah.  Something in chapter 45 caught my eye.  I stopped and read it:

v.6...so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.  I am the LORD and there is no other.

My quiet time place to sit is at my kitchen table.  It always has been, because I like to write and take notes.  Sometimes in the morning hours, the sun shines so brightly over where I sit that I have to close the blinds.  Today was not one of those days.  It's really overcast here this morning. 

But as I read these beautiful words, all of a sudden the sun peeked out from behind its hiding place. 

As I read a little further down, the sun started shining so brightly that I could hardly see.  The table and the pages of my beloved Bible were so awash in sunlight that I was temporarily unable to see anything else.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and reveled in the feel of the sunlight warming my face. 

As I enjoyed the few moments that this happened, I am reminded of the fact that God has swept away our offenses like a cloud (Isaiah 44:22), much like He swept away the morning clouds so I could see His brilliance. 

Because every time I see the sun, I am reminded that He is the light of the world (John 8:12). 

All around me, my kitchen is messy, I'm not dressed yet, these windows you see are cloudy with who knows what, and I need to start our school day. 

But still I sit.  Just a little longer, soaking up the goodness of my Savior. 

And thanking God that He chooses little moments like these to reveal Himself to me. 

I encourage you to sit and soak up some of Him today, in the midst of the crazy all around you.  Don't get so caught up in decorating and buying for Christmas that you forget why you're celebrating.  I'm talking to me, too. 

Love to all.  (Go check out Emily's blog!) 

December 3

Today has been a whirlwind!  I'm feeling like we're behind in homeschooling, so we're kickin' it up a notch.  We have lots of quizzes and tests this week to help us forge ahead.  It's funny how this homeschool thing works.  We do work everyday, but some things I feel like we're flying in, and others I feel like we're dragging.  Why is that? 

I don't know.  I wish you knew so you could tell me.  I'm trying not to be freaked out about it.  The good thing is that we're not really on a time schedule.  Well, we kind of are, but it's not the end of the world if we're still doing work over the summer.  Or until they're in seventh grade.  Whatever, right?

I'm kidding...we're not that far behind.  I have to remember that we got a later start, so it might take us a little longer to finish the fourth grade. 

Anyway, with this crazy day being just that~crazy~I didn't get in my grocery store trip early enough to have a better dinner.  So the kids' choice for tonight was hot dogs and homemade macaroni and cheese.  I know it's not the healthiest, but we don't eat it that often, and they chose it.  And speaking of dinner and this crazy day, today, being the third of December, I am thankful for helping hands!  Graham went to the store with me and stood in line at the deli counter (which took twenty-five minutes) while I finished up my list.  He is a HUGE help at the store.  I often send him in along to buy a few things.  He knows Kroger like the back of his hand. 

And while he did that, these guys helped me do this:

They cut up the cheese for the macaroni while I stirred the roux on the stove. 

They're a huge help to me, and I often think of the phrase, "Many hands make light the work." 

They really do. 

Here's a pic that I snapped on our way out the door to get Graham and Drew from the middle school:

They had finished their school work and went upstairs to work on a trap for Crash.  I guess they were tired of chasing him down, so this is what they came up with.  Pretty clever, huh?

Happy Monday, friends.  Love to all. 

December 1 & 2

Yesterday was a great day around here.  Our outside of the house now matches the inside of our house~it's all Christmas-y!  That would not have happened without my hubby.  I know I've already expressed my thankfulness for him, but I should really do that each and every day.  He is a really nice guy.  Have I ever mentioned that?  He's always quick to reach out and help others.  I've lost count over the years, on how many times he's bought a homeless person lunch, or pulled over to change a tire in the rain, or to help his parents pull their Christmas decorations out of their attic. 

He's always thinking of others, and always puts them ahead of himself.  I had this thought of being extra thankful for him yesterday, as he finished our outside decorations, and right up to the start of the SEC Bowl game!  What a guy.   

Speaking of decorations, we got new lights this year!  We did away with the white LED lights and went to colored LED blanket lights for our bushes.  :)  And of course we can't forget about our Christmas Beary. 

Today, on this first day of Advent, I am thankful for our church.  I think I mentioned this before as well, but today was a really great day at church.  I love our pastor, affectionately known as Brother Chuck to all of us attenders and our kids.  I love that he is on our level, and that our kids have seen him be all crazy acting at kids camp over the summer.  I love that he invests himself into their lives the way he does, and that he knows all of our names.  He's just a great guy, and his wife is pretty amazing, too.  She's even crazier than he is, and that says a lot!  ;)

I might have more to share about this on a later date, but for now I'll be done.  I would like to encourage you to find a church to attend if you don't regularly attend.  It makes such a huge difference in the way our week goes.  I love getting started on a really strong note, and for us, church does that.  It's great fellowship, music and preaching.  It's such a blessing to us and I want that for everyone I know and love!  Just try it...you might be surprised.

Love to all! 

day 30/Christmas parade combo

I know that yesterday was the last day of November, but I am going to keep on going with my thankful posts.  I think it's good to try and find the good in things, and this being thankful thing I've had going on this blog is helping me find God's goodness all around me.  (Not that I didn't see it before, I'm just more purposeful in expressing my gratitude to God.)

So, on the last day of November, the thirtieth, I am thankful for our town, affectionately known as The Ville.  Did you know that I grew up in this town?  And though it's not a "small town" anymore, it still has that feel.  There's not a day that goes by when I go out that I don't see someone I know.  I love all the little things they do for us residents, too.  You saw the pictures from this week of what I'm talking about.  The town square tree lighting, the Christmas parade and this and next weekend there is Christmas on the Square, complete with horse-drawn carriage rides. 

See what I mean?  I seriously love this town. 

It costs more to live in this part of Memphis, but to us, it's well worth it.  And not even because of the schools anymore, but just because of the small town feeling. 

In the theme of day 30, I thought I would share some pictures from last night's Christmas parade.  It was so much fun, though not nearly cold enough for my taste!  We went with friends and had taco soup for dinner before the festivities began.  We ended up having lots more people with us than we thought we would, but it was fun.  More truly is merrier.  :)

I'm bummed that I didn't get a picture of all four of my kids together.  I didn't even get one of Drew and his friend Nate.  They were down quite a ways from where I was sitting, so maybe that's why. 

Fun times with friends!  There were a ton of kids around us.  Jonah and Noah were glad to see some friends from their previous elementary school.  It was like a little reunion for all of them...the funny thing about that is that the friends are as excited to see Jonah and Noah as Jonah and Noah are to see them!  So sweet.  

 I really liked this float.  I wish I could tell you what it was from, but my memory fails me. 

Santa always comes last.  His float is different every year, but this year's ride might be my favorite.  I love the old truck with all the lights. 

It was a great night.  After the parade ended, our friends came back home with us and we played cards until eleven.  We're so fortunate to have such sweet friends.  We love spending time with them on Friday nights, and I'm so glad that our kids get along so good. 

I hope you enjoy your weekend!  As I type this, I'm watching the SEC Championship game at a deafening volume.  My husband likes to coach from the couch, too.  We are leaving him at home, though.  When a big game is on, he is not suitable for company.  ;)  Roll Tide Roll!

Love to all.