THANKS-LIVING

I am truly, truly blessed.  And, I realize that.  Not only today, Thanksgiving, but everyday.  I try to live with an "attitude of gratitude."  I know all I have comes from God.  Though, in honesty, it took me a while to realize that...

Anyway, to those whom I am grateful for, know that I love you.  My family, friends, and friends of friends:  You have made my life richer, gorgeous, blessed.  Thank you.  

For the material things I possess, I thank God.  For health, wisdom, peace, I thank God.  For eternal life, that only He can provide, I thank God.   For you, my friends, I thank God.

Not only today, but everyday.

That's THANKS-LIVING.

May your day be filled with love and blessings...

Santa Frenzy

Okay, so as we approach Christmas, my kids are beginning to point out things that they'd like Santa to bring.  Pointing out things in the stores, from their friends' houses, in catalogs, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum.

Buddy:  "Momma, I'd like Santa to bring this garbage truck."

GHM(Greyhaired Momma):  "I see, Buddy.  You already have two garbage trucks."

Buddy:  "Yes, Momma.  But I don't have THIS garbage truck."

GHM:  "Buddy, Christmas is not about receiving presents.  It is about celebrating the birth of Jesus.  We need to be grateful for the things we already have and to remember that the best gift we could ever receive is Jesus as our Savior."

At which point, the kid's eyes glaze over and he slowly wanders away, thumbing through the toy magazine...

Great.  That worked.  Not...

With Thanksgiving still a week away, I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the "Santa Frenzy" going on at our house.  With over four weeks left until Christmas, I'm afraid we're in for a lot of, "Momma, I'd like Santa to bring me this.  And this.  And this."  It doesn't help that EVERY catalog in the WORLD has been delivered to our house in the last two weeks.   The fact that we've NEVER ordered from any of these catalogs is, apparently, irrelevant. 

When we had our first child, CraftyGirl, we talked about whether or not we would even "do Santa."  Did we really want to, in essence, lie to her only to have her crushed when she realized that there really isn't a jolly ol' fellow with a belly like a bowl full of jelly who resides at the North Pole?  No, we didn't want to lie.  But we did want to see the wonder in her little eyes.  We both have fond memories of Christmas mornings past and the goodies Santa brought us.   Honestly, after 6 years and now, with two kiddos to enjoy the wonder, it has been a lot of fun.

Until now.

Now I find myself more concerned with my kiddos' understanding the reason for the season.  I want them to grow to be selfless, giving people.  I want them to realize that it's not all about them.  I want them to realize that there are many, many others in the world who are not as fortunate as we are.  That we are blessed beyond measure.  That Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus.  And, without the great love God showed by sending us His Son, none of us would have a Savior.

But, maybe they do realize that.  Maybe their lives are so filled with Jesus and His great love that to them Christmas isn't a season, but a way of life.  Celebrating, praising, and worshipping God is an everyday thing.  God is real, and He is with us always. 

Maybe that is the reason they get so hyped up about Santa.  He DOES only come once a year.  He is mysterious, sneaky, and downright cute.

So, if my kids are worked up about Santa because he only comes once a year, yet understand that while we celebrate Jesus' birth on Christmas, He is always here, and is with us all year long, then I think we've done our job.  If they understand that Christmas is a way of LIFE and not just a season, then I think a little delivery by Santa just might be okay.  

Bring on the lists, reindeer, candy canes, and red suit...

We're in Funky Country

Check out my new plaque! Beautiful, isn't it? It's all hand painted. And, the picture doesn't do it justice. It is GORGEOUS.

I'd say I won it, but actually, I was BLESSED with it.

I check the blog and Etsy site of Renee's FUNKY Country, and found Renee doing a give away. I posted a comment on her site in order to enter. 

Or, so I thought.

Imagine my thrill, when I checked her blog a few days later to read, "Annie, you're the winner!" Yippee, me! (Insert mental image of a Greyhaired Momma jump, a rebel yell, and some very immature dance moves here.) Yippee! Me!!

I promptly emailed Renee with the requests for my plaque: family name, and the scripture verse I so love: Joshua 24:15: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Before hearing back from Renee, I went back to Renee's blog. (Of course I wasn't there to see my name in print again or anything like that. NOPE! Not me!!) While at the blog, I see Renee has posted, "Whoops!! We have two Annies! So, there are two winners."

Hmmm... I read on... Back to the original post about the give away. "Post a comment on my FACEBOOK page to be entered."

OY! I didn't post on Renee's FB page, I posted on her blog. OOPS! I'm sure I've never misread anything in my life. Nope! Not me!

I emailed Renee and told her of my error. I told her I realized that I wasn't THE Annie who won, but another woman with a MOST WONDERFUL name must have been the winner! I thanked Renee and told her I would enter next time.

Her response?

"Annie, I prayed about it. Today, TWO Annies will be blessed!"

I was humbled and VERY thrilled!

Renee -- thank you, thank you, thank you! The plaque is absolutely gorgeous. And, it represents God's blessing in my life. You, a sister in Christ, yet a stranger, decided to bless me, and what a blessing it is.

As I see it, it's now my turn to pay it forward and bless someone else. I look forward to the opportunity!

Growing

C has had an interest in photography for a while. When I say "an interest," that usually means she just wants to borrow my camera and snap about a billion photos.

Of stuff that the average adult would think of as a strange.

However, I won't hamper her creative outlet. After all, I know nothing about artsy photos (though I'd love to learn!) Maybe my girl will teach me a thing or two.

So, without further ado...

THINGS A SIX YEAR OLD FINDS PHOTO-WORTHY (the captions are hers):

Uhhh..

Somewhere I dropped the proverbial ball. Still not sure where it is, as it seems my house is always a mess, I mean, our house is well lived and loved in! However, I have been gently reminded by a well placed "hint, hint" that I forgot to post any Halloween pictures of the kiddos.

I went to look at my blog and photo card and realized that I'd not only forgotten what few Halloween photos I had, but that it was the middle of November and I still had other photos from October to post. SIGH!

So, without repeating photos I've already posted, here's what the rest of our October looked like. And, I guess I'd better start snapping for November!