Thanksgiving Part III

My Thanksgiving in pictures:

Mom chose the flowers and Mrs. Hughes

arranged our center piece... Beautiful!

Let the eating begin!!!

Our table was so much fun to set!

Our super cute settings!

Our Thanksgiving Turkey

Me and my wonderful parents!

And this is what too much turkey will

do to you!

Thankfulness Part II

I don't really know where to start... When I think about what I am thankful for so many things come to mind. I guess what I've learned this past year is to be thankful for each day God gives me. To realize that life is an adventure and what would be the fun of it if we knew what came next? I think back to last year at this time...

My dad had just lost his job and was working part time through the holidays for UPS. We didn't know what the future was going to hold for our family. The bills were coming and we were tight financially. But, you know what? God provided. I saw the Lord supply our needs time after time. I remember a week before last Thanksgiving we got a knock on our door and someone from the church dropped by with a "Thanksgiving food basket" for us. My pride told me that we didn't need it, but really we did and the Lord gave us a turkey and alot of other food items. Believe it or not, we still have some food items left from the food baskets we received last holiday season! I saw the Lord provide my dad with a job the same week that his unemployment ran out, I saw God show himself to us one day at a time and for that I am truly grateful.

Last week I was able to be on the other side of that food basket. My friend, Liz and I were able to bring a couple food baskets to some needy families on our bus route. As I stood inside one woman's home and gave her that basket, I couldn't help but remember last year. The woman got choked up and hugged both of us, saying over and over, "God bless you, God bless you!" I couldn't help but feel my eyes water and feel so very blessed to have been a part of an answer to prayer in someone else's life...

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and am looking forward for what the next year holds. Truly the Lord has daily loaded me with benefits!

Thankfulness Part I

Thanksgiving...what a wonderful season! I feel so many times it gets over looked; it seems as if the stores are putting out the Christmas stuff more early every year... Thanksgiving holds so many wonderful family memories for me.

The day starts the same every year... We wake up and go to our Thanksgiving service, which includes singing a thanksgiving hymn or two, listening to Preacher read a Thanksgiving Psalm and then being blessed by a multitude of Thanksgiving testimonies from our church family. Church lets out by ten and then its back to the house where we prepare to gorge ourselves!

Turkey, ham, corn casserole, potatoes, pumpkin pie, relish tray, deviled eggs, rolls, crackers and cheese ball, spinach dip, sugar cookies...and I could keep going and going. The best part about the day and is knowing that you will have left overs to last the entire weekend!

A tradition that my family has held since forever, is that all of us kids make a 'Thankfulness List'. We sit down and think of anything and everything, whether big or small that we are thankful for. It really is amazing how truly blessed we are and it is always fun to hear each other's thankfulness lists. I really am looking forward to having a great day tomorrow; Happy Thanksgiving!

One Special Baby Doll

My family and I were talking and laughing recently about the "growing" baby that my parents bought Lauren one Christmas. Lauren was around 7 years old and she really, really wanted an American Girl doll, after all, Brooke and I had one... Well, there was no way my mom and dad were going to spend $100 on a doll for such a little girl.

So...they hatched a plan. Instead of buying her the much coveted after American Girl doll, they bought (for less than 1/2 the price) a Bitty Baby--

This was not just any Bitty Baby, however, no siree, this was one very "special" baby. I'm not for sure which one of my parents was the Mastermind behind this, I would guess it was my Father. They told my gullible kid sister that if she was good and watched very closely her Bitty Baby would grow. Not, of course, in leaps and bounds, but very slowly and gradually. It would take weeks, months, and perhaps even years, but sooner or later that Bitty Baby would grow into an American Girl doll.

Lauren took their word (poor, believing child...) and watched her baby very closely. She would have doubts at times but we would all reassure her that babies grow slowly. One day Lauren came to me and Brooke and very excitedly said, "She's growing guys! I know she wasn't this tall, and even her hair wasn't this long!"

I really don't know how long this lasted, I believe it was well over a year and maybe even two...my sweet sister kept on believing. Finally, one Christmas, my sister was amazed to unwrap her very own American Girl doll.

Besides being able to grow, this baby also went from brown eyes to blue, and from brown hair to blonde! I love you my sweet gullible sister!

These are a few of my favorite things!

What I love about November:

1. Crisp autumn mornings
2. Sipping hot cocoa in the evenings
3. Planning the dinner menu for Thanksgiving
4. Hearing all the testimonies at our Thanksgiving service
5. Christmas shopping
6. Listening to Christmas music on the radio
7. Making sugar cookies
8. Practicing for the Christmas concert
9. Pulling out the turtlenecks and boots
10. Scarves and mittens
11. The Christmas lights at Macy's
12. Fall mums
13. Being more aware to everything I have to be thankful for
14. Beef Stew
15. Driving to work as the sun is rising
16. Having more time with my family during the holidays
17. Autumn wreaths
18. Practicing the Christmas program with the kids at work
19. College basketball
20. Bare trees against the sunset sky

A day with my mom...

Today I had a wonderful time with an amazing lady...my mom! We had been looking forward with much anticipation for this day and it finally came. It was everything we had hoped for and even more! We took the day off of work and drove an hour away to South Haven, Michigan, a quaint little town located right on the lake. It was an absolute perfect day!

We walked the pier, shopped the downtown, and drove along the lakeshore. We got several great deals, but my favorite was from the first store we entered. Mom and I picked out our favorite bead and we had it made into a pendant for a necklace.

Here is a picture of our souvenirs to remember our great day spent together!

Mom's & Mine

Let's Find Out About Pilgrims!

Today during my Preschool Group (Social Studies/Science) I was able to teach the 4 year olds about the Pilgrims. I must say that this was my favorite lesson that I've done by far... The kids listened so intently and I was able to talk to each group for a good 10 minutes (which is quite a lot for their age!). I started off by asking them a few questions...

What holiday is coming up next...it comes between Halloween and Christmas?

Various answers included-Valentines, my birthday, and Father's day...

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?

Not one single child out of approximately 30, knew the answer to this one. I hope that it is just because they are too young to remember last year's.

I told the children all about the Pilgrims who left their homes because the King did not give them religious freedom. How they could not pray or worship to the true God the way they saw fit. I told the kids that they had to "run away" by getting on a ship (lesson on the Mayflower voyage to follow Thursday), and come all the way across the ocean to America.

When I told my kiddies that when the Pilgrims landed there were no houses, or grocery stores, or Walmarts, they looked at me wide-eyed and full of curiosity. It was totally amazing, the way they seemed to be so captivated by this story. I had no pictures and so I continued just to talk my way through the Thanksgiving story. Never, ever, ever have I had their attention so well. Unless you work with young children will you understand the wonder of this. I am usually lucky if I have about half the kids attention, but today, I think I got through to all of them.

When the kids left my group, they seemed a little more solemn, more serous, and hopefully more thankful. I taught them that Thanksgiving is a fun time to gather with friends and family to eat good food, but more importantly it is a time for us to remember the Pilgrims, why they came here, and all the hardships they endured just so they could worship God.

If someone would have told me five years ago that someday I would be teaching 3-4 year olds Social Studies and Science, I would have laughed. Afterall, I didn't like young children and I especially hated Science! Now today, when I completed my lesson, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, for yes, I do love my job and today it was more than ever...

Randomness

So this blog post is just pure randomness... Today was a beautiful day with temperatures in the high 60s. It was one of those days where I just felt so thankful to be alive and to share a part in God's wonderful creation. I started off the day as I always do-with a large cup of java and then I went to my dad's nursing home ministry where I played the piano for Lauren and some of her friends. From there I went with Liz to visit the bus kids in Portage. We had good visits and promises for Sunday School attendance tomorrow...

I also was able to take my car for her first oil change! I have been watching my mileage just waiting and it finally was time for a tuneup... I got a great deal and the mechanic did a quick run through of my whole car and said she was in perfect condition! I don't know why but I was super excited driving my car home and setting the oil change setting back to 100%. I guess it could be compared to bringing in your newborn baby for their first check up and finding out they were in great health and no problems...(I know a bit of a stretch!)

While waiting for my car I was able to find a couple of great deals in my absolute favorite town, Valpo! I picked up a Christmas present for one of my friends...I saw it and loved it, and am so excited to give it to her for Christmas! I also picked up these adorable post-it sticky notes. I have this somewhat weird fascination with sticky notes...I can never have enough. Some girls like their shoes, others their purses, me? Just give some cool paper clips and sticky notes and I'm in pure bliss! Got to admit they are pretty cute-nice and big too!

I also was requested by my family to make a dish that I had made for them a couple of months ago. (see picture below) It looks really quite unappetizing, but it is divine!

Fettuccine with Vegetables and Prosciutto

8 oz. of fettuccine

1 lb. fresh asparagus, bias sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 T. cooking oil

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

3 oz. prosciutto (cooked ham found in the deli), cut into thin strips (1/2 cup)

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*This I add: 1 jar of Alfredo sauce

1. Cook fettuccine. Drain, and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cook and stir asparagus in hot oil for 4 minutes until tender. Add tomatoes and ham, cook until heated through (about 2 minutes) *(Mix Alfredo in and stir until heated through). Add this mixture to fettuccine; stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesans and season to taste with black pepper and salt.

My perfectly random day ended with a cup of my dad's yummy french roast coffee and phone calls from both Miss Jancy and Miss Hughes! What a life!

Halloween Party

Both Thursday and Friday we had Halloween Parties at work for the kids. It was the first one I had been at since last year I was in classes while the party was going on. I learned a couple things and hope to remember them for next year:

1. When dressing like a pirate you must learn some techniques on tying a doo-rag. It's harder

than it looks.

2. The eye patch will not last but an hour, it cuts the circulation off of one's head. (At least on

large adult heads such as mine...)

3. Children will be in party mode all day, do not think for one moment that you can have an a.m.party only.

4. All those cupcakes, cookies, and candy does not aid in getting children to sleep during nap time.

5. It is not enjoyable to pull all those costumes up and down each time the child has to use the

bathroom.

6. Children do not understand why you won't let them change from clothes to costume several times throughout the day.

7. "I'm wearing a costume, why do I need underwear on too?"

8. "What happens if I pull your eyepatch and let go real fast?"

My contribution to the Halloween party were these 4 boxes which contained miscellaneous objects that the kids could feel by sticking their hand through a small hole in each box. It was hilarious to see their faces when I would tell them what it supposedly was. I had monster fingers (carrots), monster guts (jello with fruit chunks), witch's hair (green yarn), vampire teeth (tines of fork), dead skin (cut up baggies with oil), monster brains (mushy cold oatmeal), and worms (cold spaghetti noodles with oil).

Waiting

"God's timing is always perfect..." This is something that my mom has told me countless number of times over the last few years. It is a lesson that I still am learning...patience and waiting on God.

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,

and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

I know that I have written on this subject before, but it is one that I constantly am reminding myself of...Wait on the Lord, don't try to take things in my own hands. God knows what is best for my life, His timing is always perfect...

Just today in my devotions I read this poem and once again it served as a reminder to me to wait on the Lord, trust in him, and let him have his way-

An hour of waiting!

Yet there seems such need

To reach that spot sublime!

I long to reach them-but I long far more

To trust HIS time!

"Sit still, my daughter"--

Yet the heathen die,

They perish while I stay!

I long to reach them-but I long far more

To trust HIS way!

'Tis good to get,

'Tis good indeed to give!

Yet is it better still--

O'er breadth, thro' length, down length, up height.

To trust HIS will!