Thankful Thursday?

The email daily devotions I receive have been sending a Thankful Thursday devotion during the month of November.  That made me think, "Why just have Thankful Thursday in November?" Then there are those Facebook posts "Day 22: I'm thankful for..."  Why just have month of being thankful?  Why aren't we thankful for what we have all year long, for our whole whole lives? Being thankful should be a lifestyle.  It should be engrained in how we live, how we raise our children.  We start comparing to others, become unsatisfied with our lives, basically we let the selfishness creep in. I know I do anyway, maybe you are better than me.

Being thankful should be a lifestyle.

We made Thankfulness Journals in my mom to mom bible study group recently. Instead of our normal study, we had craft time.  The journals were a type of Thanksgiving craft activity.  I just thought, "What a great idea." The mom who lead us said she started it when she was in a funk one day. You know, the day nothing goes right and you are just not happy. She suggests sitting as a family and write what each person is thankful for.  Some from her journal were "My belly button" "I got to eat candy today" Simple things maybe, but there is always something we can be thankful each day. 

Here are a few things I'm thankful for:

• God-my Father, Jesus my Savior & the Holy Spirit: who looks after me, gives me strength, and guides me...no matter what life brings, I am always thankful for my God 
• My loving husband
• My sweet, beautiful daughter
• Our lovely home
• Charley, the crazy little dog in my life
• My loving & supportive parents
• Siblings who are also friends
• The wonderful family I married into - I have some great in-laws
• Friends who encourage me and help me through all situations in my life
• My mommy friends - some days they are the only ones who truly understand me
• My small group where bible study & fellowship = great memories
• Finding a mom's bible study that is so supportive
• My husband's job which allows me to stay home with my girl
• The location of our house - being able to walk to the park & being in a safe neighborhood
• Generous friends who pass on clothes and toys for my girl
• My flower garden which makes me so happy all spring & summer

So many more things I could write (or go into specifics on some points), but I think you get the idea.  Let's be more thankful every day, for each day truly is a gift.

Beads on a String

Here is a fun activity that I thought Katie would be too young for. My thoughts were, "She's even 2 yet. She won't be able to string beads." Well, I was wrong.

One day she saw the fun bucket in her closet, so I got it down and showed her theses beads (from friends at chruch-THANK YOU). She had fun playing with the on her fingers and I thought why not give her some string. I found ribbon and twine around the house, then showed her how to string the beads. Next thing I know she can do it! Now, believe me, she is not GREAT at it yet. She does enjoy trying and I even get to help sometimes.

***Safety note: do not leave your child alone with string.  Katie likes to think its a necklace...wrapping it around her neck. I have to constantly remind her the proper way to play with the beads and string. 

Fall Family Fun (mini-vacation)

Just what the doctor ordered.  A mini family vacation. Enjoying the fall foliage and time together.

Our mini-family vacation was BEAUTIFUL.  I love the mountain scenes.  It was kinda hard to believe that we were just a few hours from home.  I loved it so much.  It was great to do our own thing and just enjoy being together as a family.  My husband works hard to provide for his family.  He sometimes works nights or weekends.  Since we had a busy time (work, family visits) at the beginning of the fall season, this was a wonderful retreat for our family.  Special thanks to my mom & dad for sharing their time share with us, so we could enjoy our little get-away.

 

Someone loved the train ride though the country side.  Katie kept saying "beep beep" when the steam whistle would blow.

Golf course with a view!

 

This is the train station with mountains in the background.  Beautiful!

Driving along the Kangamangus Highway.

Loon Mountain 

Fall in New England.  This photo just says it all.

Halloween Festivities

I was never really into Halloween. I don't mind giving out candy to those kids who took time to dress up (some just came out in sweats this year, come on guys, get creative!).  I haven't been really excited about dressing up and going to a party or anything.  Ok, when I was a kid I liked it and in college it was fun, but for the last 10 years or so, I haven't been all that into it.

Now that I'm a mom, I'm into Halloween. I love getting her dressed up and showing her off. I even had a Halloween party for Katie and her friends.

One of the best memories from Halloween this year was Katie handing out candy.   She got so excited when kids knocked on the door.  Katie would want to hand out the candy with mom or dad, then say, "More people, more people comin!" Just so excited to hand out more candy to the kids.

Here are pictures from the party, Trunk or Treat (two different ones) and the actual day of Halloween (yes, we dressed Charley up too).