25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 24-25

Yes, Thanksgiving was umm... a few days ago. I remember it fondly. There was pie. There were lots of other things too, but there was pie. Did I mention that there was pie? I just stumbled out of my food-and-fun coma and realized that I needed to update you. On the 24th day of Thanksgiving I was thankful for Emergen-C, road-trippin' with Princess Pea Pod and my mother-in-law, and Target. And Build-a-Bear Workshop. And Wal-Mart, where gas was $2.42 in Republic and I filled my tank to the last (oh yes, LAST) drop because when we left home Wednesday morning gas was still $2.79. (And when we got home Thursday night gas was... $2.79. Yep.) But mostly, I was thankful for a road trip with my little principessa and my mother-in-law. It was a good day... between coughing fits.

Thanksgiving day dawned bright and glorious. HAHAHAHAHAHA! Or not! I don't think Thanksgiving day ever actually dawned. It was gray and cold. There was sleet. There was the fact that my dear husband and his dad were driving on that cold, gray, sleet-y day. They arrived safely. And on Thanksgiving I was thankful for time with family. Of course, there wasn't much time with the family because we had to bounce from one to the other, but we got to spend some amount of time with all the parents and siblings in one day. It was awesome. It would have been better if the day had been longer, but I'm glad for what we got.

And I'm throwing in a 26th day of Thanksgiving because my baby brother (who hasn't been a baby in a few years) and his girlfriend went Black Friday shopping with my sweet hubby and me. Then, when everyone else was tucked in their beds and he couldn't wait any longer, he asked her to be his wife. And she said yes! I'm SO thankful she said yes! So congrats to Timifer! (Then I got all choked up because by baby brother and I have always been "Timily." But then, that was mostly when we were in trouble... He's definitely better off as Timifer!)

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 23

Today, as Princess Pea Pod and her friend Bunny Lily run from one end of our house to the other, flinging toys and princess costumes and plastic jewelry, I am very thankful that our little principessa has such great friends. The other night I was tucking her in and she told me that Bunny Lily & Livy-Lou are her "bestest friends forever and ever and ever and ever." That's a pretty big statement for a four year old!

Best friends are good for the soul!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 20-22

I spent this weekend with my in-laws, as is common during deer season. I enjoy spending time with my family, and I usually take the opportunity to "unplug" for a few days. Saturday my mother-in-law, who is also sickly right now, and I took Princess Pea Pod and went Christmas shopping. It was a learning experience! And so for day 20 of thanks-giving, I am thankful for learning experiences. We have learning opportunities all around us, and sometimes we miss the lesson, but on Saturday I learned that I am apparently too old to go power-shopping when I am sick. I used to put healthy people to shame, even when sick, but I suppose I will be staying home from now on.

Sunday we took our sickly selves and a great-grandmother grocery shopping. Not for pleasure, but because we didn't want her to go hungry. I was very thankful for my inhaler, but for day 21 of thanks-giving I am thankful for family time together. What else is there to say about that?

Today I am thankful that my baby brother is coming home this week! We were pretty good to each other as kids, as far as siblings go, but we didn't really appreciate each other until we grew up. Then he got a good job that took him entirely too far away from us. He's hardly a baby anymore, but he'll always be my baby brother. This year he's bringing his girlfriend Miss J, so we're double thankful! Sure, that kind of bundles right up with day 21, but my baby bro is in a league of his own.

Note: Winners of the Shutterfly freebies have been notified! Congrats to tyson2468 and Jen!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 19

I woke up this morning. It was quite a feat! I am, despite an arsenal of medications and habits given by my allergist, still vulnerable to the plethora of allergens so prevalent in the fall in our area. For the record, I live in one of the most beautiful places God created. Also for the record, some of those beautiful creations wreak havoc on my senses. I'm not whining. I promise. (My family isn't whining either, as I have lost my voice and they don't have to listen to me prattle on about the thoughts dancing in my head at any given moment! They won't come out and say this is a great blessing, because they are awesome like that, but I don't blame them.)

So I got up this morning and I didn't have to say a thing to my sweet hubby before he could see that I don't feel well. He sent me off to take a shower, hoping the steam would help ease the pain, and I couldn't have argued with him if I wanted to. As I stood there, waiting for the steam to do its thing, I realized that so many people don't have the luxury of a shower, much less a long, hot one. And then I thought about the families whose homes are cold this morning because they can't afford heat, and the families who didn't have breakfast together this morning because they don't have food to eat. Today I am reminded to be thankful that my family's needs are met. We are blessed beyond measure. Praise God! Amen.

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 18

Oh, how I am tempted to say that today I am thankful for words out of the mouths of babes. This morning my dear, precious Princess Pea Pod asked if she could button my cardigan and I asked her to button only the top button. She worked on it for about a minute and got the small button through the buttonhole. Then she took a step back, checked me from head to toe, and announced "Mommy! It looks like a tent!"

WHAP!


SMACK!


BANG!

I was knocked flat on my tushie! I look like I'm wearing a tent?!? I look huge? I was just about to shut myself in the bathroom for a good cry when I realized that she wasn't calling me a bloated whale. The upside down V created by buttoning only the top button reminded her of the triangle made by the tent door. I could literally feel the anxiety melt away as I realized that I only look like the door on The Dump. (The Dump is our big ol' tent. Its a whole different story!) And then she gave me a big hug and a kiss and ran off to finish getting ready for school. She has no idea what she did to me this morning. She won't. Because she loves(!) camping and she loves(!) tents, and this morning my sweater reminded her of two things she loves. What a kid!

Today, on day 18 of thanks-giving, I am thankful for Thanksgiving celebrations. In about an hour and a half I will be enjoying the festivities of a preschool Thanksgiving with my Princess Pea Pod and her friends. Preschoolers really know how to celebrate! I'm taking my camera; there will definitely be pics. And, as if once isn't enough, this evening I will celebrate Thanksgiving with my bible study girls. Yay! I may be too miserable to sleep tonight, but I'll sure enjoy getting there! So today, a week before Thanksgiving Day, I encourage you to celebrate something for which you are thankful. And then eat a piece of pie!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 16-17

Yesterday I posted the link to a cute everyday kind of card. And I started to think that my blog looks like a big ol' monument to Shutterfly. I felt kind of weird about it for a few minutes and then thought "But I LOVE Shutterfly!" Maybe I'll settle down a little after Christmas. After Princess Pea Pod has opened the (not one, but TWO) Fairytale Friendship stories I wrote and have ordered in photo books, and after we've read both of the stories a jillion times because she is going to be fascinated by the fairytale stories about herself and her friend Lily. After all the adorable Christmas cards have been sent... maybe then I'll settle down a little. Maybe. And so, for day 16, I am thankful for...

Can you guess?

Is the suspense driving you bonkers?!?

Shutterfly!

(Were you surprised? Really?)

Day 17 takes a more serious tone. This morning we got a call and learned that our very favorite, very best babysitter in the WORLD would not be coming to play with Princess Pea Pod today. They had a death in the family. And so I did what I could do: I baked. I am still baking. I bake when I'm happy, I bake when I'm sad, I bake for a crowd, or I bake pumpkin muffins just for myself. Because we adore K and her family, I'm sharing pumpkin muffins with them. (Yeah, she's THAT special!) I am tempted to say I am thankful for baking, or for pumpkin muffins, or that insane coconut cake that will scream my name till we cut it tomorrow night. More than all those things, I am thankful for K and her family.

We've known them since K and her sister T were little girls. She started babysitting for us about 2 years ago, before she was old enough to watch Princess Pea Pod all by herself. She comes over once a week to give me a 2 hour break when I can work in peace, and she gets experience. She is now able to babysit all by herself. I'm a little teary eyed! I can't believe little K is old enough to babysit all by herself! Now I'm going to dry my eyes and check on my last batch of pumpkin muffins.

Cute Everyday Kind of Card

           

White Border 5x7 folded card

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25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 13-15

I thought I might update my blog while I was away this weekend, but it didn't work out. Next time I'll know better! Saturday was day 13 of thanks-giving and I was thankful for pumpkin muffins. They are warm, sticky, handfuls of pumpkin spice-y goodness. They are exceedingly easy to make, and rumor has it that they are good for you. (I think its because they are so yummy. Anything this yummy has to be good for you!) They are especially good with a cup of coffee.

Pumpkin Muffins
1 can of pumpkin pie filling
1 spice cake mix
Mix together, spoon into greased/lined muffin pan, bake according to the directions on the cake mix. (Usually 350 degrees for 20 minutes.)

How easy is that?!?

Yesterday was day 14 and I was thankful for cooking as a family. It wasn't a big deal, just tacos for lunch (for 11 people,) but it was nice to be one of 3 or 4 women in the kitchen all working together to get it done. There was nothing remarkable about the event, except that feeling that all is right in the world when the women of the family are in the kitchen. Can I get an "Amen"?

Today is day 15 and I am thankful for the precious little lady who entered the world last night. Her name is Eden; her mommy is my cousin. I received a picture of her at 12:30am, after I had gotten to a lovely state of sleep, and when I saw her I didn't at all mind being awakened!

Shutterfly Always Brightens My Spirits!

I have already posted about how much I love Shutterfly. But I've focused on their photo cards in the past and would be remiss if I didn't tell you how awesome their photo books are. I have friends who are scrapbooking queens, and I admire their work. But I've always been more of a photo album kind of girl. Having said that, sometimes you need more than a photo album for a certain event. For example, our family has created photo books for two fun family vacations. These were opportunities to highlight the best photos and really emphasize the story of our travels. (Trust me, traveling with all 10 of us leaves plenty of opportunity for stories!) My favorite, though, is one that I made for our daughter for Christmas last year. It was a much nicer version of one that I had created with a few photos from her birth, some contact paper, and a cheap board book when she was an infant. I titled it "My Family Loves Me" and included pictures of our family members and some of her first friends. She treasures it, and I really enjoyed putting it together especially for her.

So I was thrilled when House Party and Shutterfly selected me as a hostess for their national Shutterfly Making Spirits Brighter house party! What better way to share Shutterfly with my friends?!? They sent a fabulous party pack, including some super cute Shutterfly totes, festive balloons, coupons for freebies (I love freebies!) and several other items to set me up for success. All I had to do was bake tons of muffins and set out lots of fun, warm, cozy drinks for all the friends I had invited.

Now, I thought I had chosen the perfect date for my party. I went with opening day of rifle season, so that my dear hubby wouldn't have to figure out an escape route. He would be in the deer woods with his dad, leaving his mom and me "deer widows" to party and photo book all day! Oops! I didn't consider that my friends' husbands (and, who am I kidding, several of my friends) would also be in the deer woods that day. (And that is the story of how I came to vow to never again schedule anything but the annual "deer widow" shopping trip on opening day of rifle season.) Having said that, I am blessed with super supportive family members who showed up and had lots of fun talking about photos, photo cards, photo books... and photos.

So I have a little "Merry Christmas" for you! For my dear readers, I have two separate freebies, offered to you! One is for a free 8x8 20 page hard cover photo book. The second is for 10 5x7 folded greeting or flat stationery holiday cards. Simply post here what your favorite Christmas tradition is, and I will select two winners. Only one entry, and you have until 11:59pm Friday to post. You'll LOVE Shutterfly's photo books and cards! (A side note: Our Shutterfly Christmas cards have arrived and I'm MISERABLY waiting until time to mail them!!!)

Post away, my freebie-loving, picture-snapping, mom-a-razzi friends! GO!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12

Day 12 of thanks-giving finds me thankful for coffee. And for my husband, who made a pot at 4 o'clock this afternoon because I am very zombie-like today. I'm also thankful for caramel apple and peppermint mocha coffee creamers. (I was very thankful for sweet buttercream coffee creamer until the local grocery stores stopped carrying it.) Mmmm... I'm going to need another cup of creamer, um, I mean coffee!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 11

We have now crossed into day 11, and today I am thankful for sleep. I would be much more thankful if I was actually sleeping, or if I thought I might get to before the sun rises. On the bright side, I have an abundance of time for updating my blog!

Seriously, though, I had planned to address that for which I am most thankful on day 25. Then I realized that I will be somewhere between a carb coma and... well, a carb coma... on Thanksgiving Day. Therefore I decided to address the topic now. I am absolutely, positively, and posi-lutely most thankful for my Savior. I am, in spite of every human effort, a filthy sinner. I do not deserve anything better than eternity in Hell. But Jesus Christ gave his life to save my soul. Wow! Wow. Wow! What else can I say?

Do you know Him? I guarantee that His love never fails!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 9 & 10

Day 9 of thanks-giving was yesterday. As I was standing at the sink, washing dishes by hand because our new dishwasher has been recalled for starting fires and the repairman won't be here until tomorrow, I realized that I was thankful for washing dishes by hand. I'm not going to lie, our attitudes haven't been the greatest when it comes to doing dishes by hand. We are spoiled. I am fully aware of this. But for about a month now we've been doing this chore, and most of that time it has been a family event. I insist on washing, since I have pretty pink gloves to keep my hands from chapping. Then Hot Daddy and Princess Pea Pod rinse, dry and put them away. This is a time in our lives when we still spend the majority of our time together, but I know that it won't be long before various responsibilities and activities fill our evenings. Then I will long for the evenings spent washing dishes together.

Today is day 10 and I am thankful for our excellent new library. Today I will be enjoying the children's section with a cup of coffee, a fantastic friend, and four kids. Yes, a cup of coffee... in the children's library... no joke! I suppose I am still in the dark ages (with which I had never seen a problem) when food and drink were absolutely unacceptable within the walls of the library and the only sounds allowed were the zhoop-zhoop from sliding a book off the shelf and the quiet click-flip of turning pages. As a child I adored the library. As as adult I adore the library. Then our small-ish town got a new library, with exciting features like a fireplace, and a coffee shop, and a stunning mosaic by two of my favorite people. Yeah, a fireplace and a coffee shop! The coffee shop will put an approved lid on your cup so that you can sit by the fire and read, or so that you can sit with your friend in the gazebo in the children's library, sipping coffee and watching your kids explore. Sure, I'd like to be going all by myself and sipping my coffee while I read by the fire, but M & I both have little readers. And I have a coffee pot and a fireplace at home. So today, for about an hour, my little reader and her friends can enjoy their new literary world and M & I will sip our coffee and enjoy their excitement.

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 7 & 8

Yesterday was loads of fun... well, if you weed out the not-so-fun part that involved car trouble. (Which is redeemed by the good part where my super handy, absolutely awesome hubby fixed the car. Because he's super handy and absolutely awesome!) For day 7 of giving thanks, I am thankful for family Christmas ornaments. It seems kind of silly to be thankful for a little token that hangs on our tree by a piece of ribbon, but as we put up our Christmas tree yesterday (yep, we're early... we love the whole Thanksgiving-Christmas season!) I got to explain every little token's story. The "Our First Christmas" ornament from the year "Hot Daddy" and I were married, the bunny in a baby bootie from the Christmas before Princess Pea Pod was born, and then kitten in a stroller from her first Christmas... and all the ornaments for all the years in between. It took hours to put up the tree. Much of that time included little tidbits about the peace dove ornament, or the Merry Christmas scroll ornament given to me by a good friend when we were in junior high, or the handmade baked dough ornaments that each have a family member's name on them. And most of that time also included our little principessa dancing around the tree to the Christmas music on tv. 

For day 8, I am thankful for a camera that fits in my purse. That might seem silly until you think about the fact that, if I didn't have a camera small enough to drop down in my purse I wouldn't have gotten THIS pic.

I have known these awesome people all.my.life. No joke. They are friends of my parents. Their son is a friend of my brother. Their daughter is a friend of mine. Our family went to church with their family when we were kids (ok, it all started when he and my dad were kids.) We played at their house, they played at our house... they were always there. Then we moved. Then they moved. And we've only seen each other a handful of times since then. If I hadn't had my camera in my purse when we saw them at the mall in Branson last weekend, I wouldn't have this picture. And I'm thankful for this picture to remind me of the treasure of that kind of friendship.

I'm also thankful that I could grab the camera and snap this shot.

What a family!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 6

I'm being proactive and posting early for tomorrow. Why? Because for tomorrow, day 6, I am thankful for FAMILY FUN DAY! Details are still to be determined, but Family Fun Day is on the schedule. Woo-hoo!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 4 & 5

Yesterday, day 4, was a whirlwind of activity and provided great inspiration for today's post. Day 4: I am thankful for flexibility. Yesterday I was able to take the morning off work and go on Princess Pea Pod's first school field trip. Which reminds me... I am also thankful for hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and allergy meds!

Today, day 5, I am thankful for fellowship. Fresh from a night at bible study with my girls, I am reminded that time in God's word with my girlfriends is a different kind of fulfillment from time alone in His word. This bunch is sharp, fun, and Spirit-filled! Yeah, I'm thankful for them too!

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3

Today I am thankful for friends. If I started naming them, I would inevitably leave someone out. They might forgive me, but I'd forever regret such a grievous mistake. So you know who you are, and I am thankful for you!

On another note, I am also thankful for the code I just received for 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly! I posted about Shutterfly's excellent selection of holiday card designs the other day, and although it was a difficult decision, I am chosen the perfect card for our family. It is called Blessed Elegance. Check it out. And just wait till I post our Christmas card to you... I love it! I'm sure you'll be hearing more about Shutterfly in the weeks to come. Because they are awesome. The End.

25 Days of Thanksgiving: Days 1 & 2

I really like the idea of a thankfulness countdown to Thanksgiving day. It conjures thoughts of our family's traditional advent calendar, and heightens the enjoyment of the holiday season. So last night, as I tucked our precious Princess Pea Pod into bed (which was a chore, since she was still pinging off the walls in reaction to a dose of Sudafed PE that I had given per dosing instructions 6 hours earlier) I asked her to name something for which she is thankful. Her response: "This baby right here that you gave me the other day that you gave me for Christmas when I was a baby." I'll take that - but I'm not going to lie and say I didn't deflate just a little. I smiled, I hugged her, and I said "I am thankful for you." To which she responded, "OH! Well I am thankful for you and Daddy!" Maybe she gets it, maybe she doesn't quite yet... 23 more nights of tucking her in before Thanksgiving day.
For the record, on the 2nd day of Thanksgiving I am thankful for my geek. Hot Daddy. The love of my life, the father of our precious principessa. I sure am blessed!