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...