Auld Lang Syne of 2010

Happy New Year's Eve!  I hope everyone is bidding farewell to 2010 and ringing in the new year with lots of safe and fancy fun!!!  (I am cozied up in my pj's ready to watch the ball drop in a few hours.  That might seem boring to most, but it is PERFECT this year for Matt & me!)

And as we snuggle up by the Christmas tree to watch the ball fall and bid 2010 adieu, I can't say goodbye to this year without THANKING GOD for all the SIMPLY AMAZING blessings He has given to us this past year... 

Love, joy, family & friends...including the blessed addition of sweet J!

Protection, provision, forgiveness & freedom in Christ.

The list is amazing, simply amazing.  I was so overwhelmingly blessed these past 365 days.  Thank You, Lord Jesus!!!

"Give thanks to the God of gods.  His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:  His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of heaven.  His love endures forever."

--Psalm 136:2-3,26

"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

--Romans 7:25

And as we enter a new year, may 2011 be the year we bring more glory and praise to His amazing name than ever before!  May the Lord bless us all in the New Year!!!

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make His face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn His face toward you

and give you peace."

--Numbers 6:24-26

P.S.  While doing a spell check on "bid adieu" (not "ado"), I learned that the origin of "adieu" is literally "to God" as in "I bid you to God".  So...as we bid 2010 "adieu", may we literally and in our hearts give every moment as a prayer unto Him!!!  :0) 

Merry Day-After Day-After Christmas!

Ho ho ho, everybody!  Hope you are all having a wonderfully blessed week of Christmas!  Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!!!  :0)

Me & my awesome gift giving hubby.  I must have been VERY good this year!  :0)

O Come Let Us Adore Him

Christ the Lord!

Merry Christmas!!!

Joy to the world and a blessed Merry Christmas everyone!!!  Baby Jesus is born!  Glory to the newborn King!!!  :0)

"And there were in the same country shepherds
abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:
and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel
a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men."

--Luke 2:1-14

Joy to the world

the Lord is come

Let Earth receive her King!

Gloria, In Excelsius Deo

Glory to God in the Highest

Breath of heaven,

Hold me together,

Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.

Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.

Breath of heaven.


The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light


God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan's pow'r
When we were gone astray;
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.


 
Just before I go to sleep
I hear a church bell ring
Merry Christmas, ev'ryone
Is the song it sings

 
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconcile.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
'Christ is born in Bethlehem'
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.

Hail, the heaven-born Prince of peace!
Hail the Son of righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King.


   
O Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.


 
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
...Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born
O night divine, O night divine,
O night divine!

...He knows our need; to our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
...Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
 
 
Oh little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by
Yet in the dark streets shineth, the everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.


Oh holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us, our lord Emmanuel.
 
 
And all the world rejoiced because the King was born at last
A savior had been promised now it had come to pass
And the joyful news that He was born spread quickly far and wide
Once upon a Christmas was the birth of Jesus Christ


   
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
...Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!


   
And they sang, glory to God in the highest
Dawning that first Christmas morn
Peace on earth and tidings of great joy
For unto you this night a child is born.



Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth


These are some of my favorite Christmas songs that bring a tear to my eye and joy to my heart.  Hallelujah, Praise the newborn King!  To close, here are some "little children" from many years ago.  May this Christmas and always we, like children, hasten to the manger to see God's gift for us... His Son.  He is our Redeemer, our Savior, our Lord & King.  He is our joy, our delight, our Emmanuel..."God with us".  Thank You, Father, for...

Jesus, the greatest gift of all!!!

O come, little children, O come one and all,
To Bethlehem haste, to the manger so small,
God's Son for a gift has been sent you this night
To be your redeemer, your joy and delight.

Christmas 1985

Merry Christmas everyone!

Glory to God in the highest!!!

Jesus is the greatest gift of all!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  As we celebrate this Christmas Eve, the world is so full of anticipation...for Santa to come...for parties tomorrow...for hugs from family...for yummy cornbread dressing and pies...etc, etc, etc. 

But most importantly, we wait with joyful anticipation to celebrate the coming of our Lord…first in the manger in Bethlehem...and also to come in His triumphant Second Coming.  His Second Coming is as certain as His first and is stated many times in the Bible, including by Jesus Himself...

“For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven,

with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel

and with the trumpet call of God, and…[we]

will be caught up together with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER.”

--1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

"When everything is ready, I WILL COME AND GET YOU,

so that you will always be with me where I am."

--Jesus in John 4:3-4

Jesus states in Revelation 3:11, 22:12, and 22:20 the exact same phrase...

“I AM COMING SOON”

Jesus is coming.  He has promised and He is ALWAYS true to His Word.

It makes me think of the Island of Misfit Toys in Rudolph (which I watched yesterday!).  Some days I feel like a brand-new, sparkly and lovable toy, but that’s rare.  Many days start out like that but have little bumps here and little tweaks there, and before I know it, I’m dragging home feeling like a “Charlie in the Box” or a caboose with square wheels.  But the really cool thing is that just as Santa came to take all those toys, quirks and all, to their home, Jesus is coming someday to take us, quirks and all, to our Heavenly Home.  We even get to ride through the air. (See Thessalonians above)  :0) 

And here's the immeasurably amazing part of it all.  Whereas I LOVE the big red guy and have always been one of his BIGGEST fans, I found an article last year that pointed out that even though he is super jolly and giving and wonderful, Santa can’t even BEGIN to compare to how wonderful JESUS is!!! Read below…

It seems odd that Santa, a legalistic, works-oriented, earn-your-keep type of guy, is able to steal the spotlight from a Savior who offers full and free forgiveness to all sinners, not just the boys and girls.  “Our children are really trying to be good,” says Hoh. “And if they feel they are failing, they either become guilt-ridden or they act up even more.”...Remember the true meaning of Christmas:  “For God so loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  The core of the Christmas message is that you received what you could never earn and what you did not deserve. “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift” (Ephesians 2:8). It is the best gift of Christmas.

Written by Rebecca Powell
This article provided courtesy of ParentLife.
http://www.lifeway.com/article/?id=164392

I love, love, love this message. Santa is cheerful and jolly and has a generous spirit…but only in a "what you deserve" type of way. PRAISE BE TO GOD that this is NOT how HE works!!!

We sin. He forgives.

We worry. He comforts.

We fail. He gives us strength.

We cry. He gives us comfort.

We turn away. He calls us back.

We “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Yet He “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus…as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood” (Romans 3:23-24).

Jesus' sacrifice…we did not earn.  God’s salvation…we did not deserve.

We are all sinners.  We have good hearts…but also sinful hearts.  Even the best of us…“ALL have sinned”(Romans 3:23)…are sinners. That is why God’s gift is SO AMAZING!!!

Santa asks, “What do you WANT for Christmas?”

GOD gives us what we NEED for life.

Santa asks, “How you been a good boy or girl this year?”

GOD simply asks, “Do you BELIEVE in ME?”

“Whoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish

but have eternal life.”

--John 3:16

“The GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE”

--Romans 6:23

Come Lord Jesus!

Christ In You

Ho ho ho everybody!  It's the countdown to Christmas day...and one week from today, it will be Christmas Eve!  Yay!!!

O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

With this excitement in my heart, I want to share some simply AMAZING words I read the other day in a devotional email from the inspiring Max Lucado.  They so greatly touched my heart.  I hope they touch yours as well.  :0)  He wrote...


           
Do any of these words describe you? Hurried. Scattered. Stuffed. Forgetful. Busy. Packing. Behind. Broke. If they do, you aren't alone. Christmas is our annual reminder of why Santa takes the sleigh rather than the interstate and how the mall got its name.

For some, however, this time of year brings more than hassle...for some it brings heartache. Many use words like these to capture their Christmas feelings: alone, discouraged, depressed, angry, hurt. For some, the sight of happy children is a reminder of a vacant crib. The busy social schedule of some only highlights the empty calendar of others. Images of families together reinforces the pain of families apart.

This season can be challenging. If you're looking forward to December 26th more than December 25th, then I've got a story for you to consider. I'd like you to consider God’s invitation to one of the key characters of Christmas: Mary.

 

“Do not be afraid,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God.

And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name Him Jesus.” …

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

and for that reason the holy child shall be called

the Son of God.”

--Luke 1:30, 31, 34, 35

Mary could have spun and run, but she didn’t. Here is what she did. Perhaps with a prayer, no doubt with a gulp, she replied, "Behold the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

And so it was.

And so Christ was born.

And so we have to wonder. What was that like? To have God within you. To have the Maker of the Universe reside inside you. To sense his moving, nudging and elbowing and think, “Divinity is stirring within me!” What was it like?

The answer is closer than you might imagine.

God gives you the same offer He gave Mary: the supernatural deposit of His son in your life. Scripture declares: Jesus lives in His children.

“Christ in you the hope of glory.”

--Colossians 1:27

“Those who obey His commands live in Him and He in them.”

1 John 3:24

Take note of the precious preposition “in.” Christ isn’t just near you or for you or with you; he longs to be in you. God offers you the same Christmas gift he gave Mary-- the indwelling Christ. Christ grew in her until he came out. Christ will grow in you until the same occurs. Christ will come out in your speech, in your actions, in your decisions. Every place you live will be a Bethlehem and everyday you live will be a Christmas. You, like Mary, will deliver Christ into the world. 

A fetus in Mary, a force in you. He will do what you cannot do. Wasn’t this the promise of Jesus?

The same hand that pushed the rock from the tomb can shove away your discouragement. The same power that stirred the still heart of Christ, can stir your flagging faith. The same strength that put Satan on his heels can, and will, defeat Satan in your life. The same power which brought Christ into Mary’s world, will bring Christ into your world.

Christ in you.  Christ in me.  Christ is ALL of us.  All we have to do is BELIEVE.  All we have to do is open up our hearts and let HIM in.  :0)

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

...into the manger,

...into our world,

...into our hearts,

forever.

"Marry" Christmas

When I posted yesterday morning about how super-duper my hubster is, I hadn't realized yet that yesterday was the anniversary of our engagement day!  Yay!!!  :0)

Nine years ago yesterday evening, my sweet Matthew asked me to be his wife.  There amongst the sparkle of Christmas lights he put a sparkle of a ring on my finger and a sparkle of forever love in my heart.  <3

"That is why a man leaves his father and mother

and is united to his wife,

and they become one flesh."

--Genesis 2:24

"At the beginning of creation

God 'made them male and female.’

‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother

and be united to his wife,

and the two will become one flesh.’

So they are no longer two, but one flesh."

--Mark 10:6-8

I pray that Matthew & I will grow stronger in love and stronger in faith each and every day together, that we will live to see our children's children's children, that we help others in Jesus' name with the immeasurable blessings we have been given, and that we will give Him glory always and in all ways.  In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

No One Can Ruin Christmas

If I haven't mentioned it enough...

my hubby is amazing. 

And super-duper amazing, wrapped in twinkle lights, with a big bow at Christmastime. 

While I have been a little snotty and a lot exhausted these past few days, he has been such a HUGE help to me and our Christmas to do list. 

Like amazing. 

Right in the midst of it all, when all I want to do when I get home is curl up in my pajamas by our Christmas tree and lay, there he is, being such a HUGE help. 

Putting the star on our nostalgia / retro tree.

Buying Christmas presents online.

I was beginning to fear that I was ruining Christmas a bit for him...by him doing so much of it.  Ruining Christmas.  Well, maybe not ruining it, but at least making it a little more stressful / more busy / more task-focused for him.  Then today, I found these words on Nancy's blog (I found her through (in)courage...which, if I haven't said it enough, I LOVE!)...

"No one can ruin Christmas. I sent Christmas because you are all ruined."

No one can ruin Christmas, because Christmas is about so much more than the to do list or wrapping presents or running errands or anything like that.  Christmas is Jesus...sent by our Heavenly Father to save us...to save a world ruined by and lost in sin. 

I am still tired and snotty, and I am still a sinner, but I am saved. 

All because of Christmas. 

THAT is the greatest gift of all.

Red & Rowdy!

No, I'm not talking about some crazy holiday shopping sale or even Rudolph playing a rousing reindeer game; I'm talking about Rockets basketball! 

Our sweet friends took us to a Rockets basketball game Saturday night.  It was so much fun!!!  Matt & I LOVE Rockets basketball, so it was a THRILL for us to get to go!  Thanks K&L!  Y'all are so great!!!

Sweet K&L

The boys

The girls



Me & Matt
I'm in my Shane Battier Rockets jersey.  Go Rockets!!!  :0)



Yao Ming was still hurt, but he was there cheering his team on!



My favorite player, Shane Battier.
He is my favorite because he is always hard-working, always hustling,
such a self-less player who always puts his teammates first.  What a great attitude!
To me, that makes him an MVP star of the team!!!

Shane shooting free-throws.  He had a GREAT game!  And the Rockets won...yay!!!

After the game, we got hot chocolates and drove around to look at Christmas lights together.  Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse, open sleigh no-horse, 4-door SUV...hey!  :0)

Family, Friends, & Festive Fa La La Fun!

Fa la la everyone!  Hope you are all having a GREAT December and CHRISTMASTIME so far!  I love it, I love it, I love it!

We have had such a blessed and wonderfully fun December so far!  Last Saturday (hence why I have not been on the blog...we were preparing and then recovering...sorry!) Matt & I had a Christmas party with some of our nearest and dearest family, friends, and co-workers.  It was such fun and such a blessing to have them all together to eat, drink, be merry...and sing!  My hubby and our sweet friends set up a karaoke machine we had borrowed for the party, and everyone sang Christmas songs.  Fa la la fun!!!  It was a blast!  :0) 

"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

--Ephesians 5:19b-20

Sadly, I did not get a lot of pictures from the weekend...I was so busy I forgot, and now I am bummed.  :0(  But between the few I took and the few my sweet sisters snapped, here are some to share!


First, we were SO BLESSED that my family could come up...to help and to stay for the party.  Yay!  It was the first time Baby Girl had been to my house.  Aunt Jilly & Uncle Matt LOVED having her!  Here's my family taking a quick pizza break.

Then back to work.  They were AMAZING!  Thank you, thank you!!!



Me, Baby Girl, and her daddy dressed for the party.  I know Aunt Jilly is TOTALLY biased, but isn't she just breathtaking!!!  Aunt Jilly loves you!!!  :0)

Uncle Matt, Baby Girl, and her daddy at the party.  So handsome, pretty, handsome...and Christmas-y too!  :0)

Mom with K & B...and Minnie too!  (Doesn't it look like she's peaking around to be in the picture?  So funny!  Hee hee!)

K singing.  He's a REALLY good singer!  Fa la la, K!!!

Mom & her favorite Baby Girl at the party.  This was outfit #2...her white top and red with snowflakes pants.  Her sweet momma changed her throughout the night to make her more comfy, but we joked that she needed to make wardrobe changes throughout the evening like Cher.  :0)  Also, don't you LOVE her hand gesture.  I told her momma she's holding out her hand like the Southern belle that she is!  :0)  She was the BELLE of our ball!!!  Love you, J!

Matt & I LOVE Christmastime, and it was such a BLESSING to get to share our love with our family and friends! 

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly...

through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,

singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

--Colossians 3:16-17

As so many SHINED at karaoke (seriously, some people were REALLY good!)...

and as the lights SHINED on our Christmas trees...

O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

Come and SHINE Your light of love into our world and into our hearts!

Jesus, hope of the world.

Jesus, light in our darkness.

Here we await You, O Master Divine.

Here we receive You in bread and in wine.

Jesus, hope of the world.

Happy December!

Happy December everyone! 

Hope you like the new Christmas-y look of the blog.  :0) 

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!! 

May we shine His light and His love throughout this joyous time of year and always.

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 30

As we wrap up these 30 Days of Thanks, I am overwhelmed by the blessings in my life. I am so blessed, and it is ALL from my Father God.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above”

--James 1:17

But of all the blessings I have mentioned (and the many, many, many infinite more I have not!), still the greatest blessing of all is…

God our Father and His Son,
our Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ

...and His powerful, life-saving, life-giving, forgiving, redeeming, grace-pouring, presence-sharing, protecting, inspiring, amazing, never-ending, eternal, immeasurable, everlasting love.

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,

‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love’ ”

--Jeremiah 31:3

I am His and He is mine…

and I am SO THANKFUL!!!

“We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty,

the One who is and who was,

because You have taken Your great power

and have begun to reign.”

--Revelation 11:17

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 29

I thank God for...love.

By spouses...

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving Tuesday 2010

By parents...

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

By grandparents...

Thanksgiving 2010



Thanksgiving 2010

By friends...

Matt's Birthday Party 2010

By sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins.  By God.

For all the love in my life, I am so very, very grateful.

“Give THANKS to the God of gods. His LOVE endures forever.

Give THANKS to the Lord of lords: His LOVE endures forever.

Give THANKS to the God of heaven. His LOVE endures forever.”

--Psalm 136:2-3, 26

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 28

I thank God for…songs of inspiration, worship, & praise.

So often, my heart is so touched by a song.  They bring tears to my eyes, inspiration to my soul, and turn-it-up-and-sing-it-loudly to my lips.  :0)  They change all the time (depending on what's going on in my life) but right now, some of my favorite songs are...

(click the song title to link to a video & hear the song!)


“Feels like Redemption”
By Michael English


“By Your Side”
By Tenth Avenue North


“Ocean Floor”
By Audio Adrenaline


“Your Hands”
By J.J. Heller


“In Christ Alone”
By Travis Cottrell


“How He Loves”
By David Crowder Band

“Let us come before Him with THANKSgiving

and extol Him with music and song.”

--Psalm 95:2

”I will give THANKS to the LORD because of His righteousness;

I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.”

--Psalm 7:17

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,

always giving THANKS to God the Father for everything,

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

--Ephesians 5:19-20

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 27

I thank God for…the calm of the country.

Breathtaking sunrises,
The coo of a dove,
A rumble of a tractor
Driven by one you love

A moo from the pasture
Smell of fresh grass or dirt
Wind whipping through the clothesline
Whirling Dad’s work jeans and shirt

The amazement of watching
God’s creatures so sweet
The cows as they munch
The birds as they tweet

Even on the busiest day
there’s calm and thankful elation
perhaps because you’re surrounded
more by God’s and less man’s creation.

No sirens or honking or crowding.
No sidewalk or traffic or stoplight.
No neighbors you don’t know around you.
No street lamps to hide the stars at night.

Just me and my dear loved ones,
Living and loving and laughing too
surrounded by God’s field of earth,
under endless sky of heavenly blue.

“Give THANKS to the LORD, for He is good;

His love endures forever.”

--1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 118:29, 136:1

(Look how many times this is said in the Bible!!!)

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 26

I thank God for…laughter.

“There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

…a time to LAUGH”

--Ecclesiastes 3:1,4

At my funny hubby.

At my hilarious sisters & Mom.

At precious Baby Girl.

At my hilarious brother-in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins & friends.

At funny movies and tv shows.

At silly willy Jilly me. (My hubby says all the time that he thinks it’s so hilarious how I crack MYSELF up all the time! That’s me!)

Laughter turns that frown...    :0(

upside down...     :0)

…and really does brighten your whole day.

“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with LAUGHTER,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

‘The LORD has done great things for them.’

The LORD has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.”

--Psalm 126:1-3

“All the angels were standing around the throne

and around the elders and the four living creatures.

They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and THANKS and honor

and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’ “

--Revelation 7:11-12

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 25

I am thankful for…Thanksgiving Day with family!

Today is such an amazing day when our nation stops to gather together with loved ones and offer thanks.  God, You are so good to us.  Everything we have, do, are or hope to have, do or become are Yours and gifts from You.  On this day of giving thanks, I give overwhelming thanks to You…for You and Your amazing love and grace...for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, redemption of our lives, and gift of eternal life with You in Heaven...for my wonderful and loving family and friends...for all the incredible blessings You have given me...for everything.

I am so blessed. 

Thank You, Father, today and always.

My aunt, sisters & mom the last Thanksgiving we were all home...Thanksgiving 2008.
Sidenote:  Note the two HUGE containers of Crisco in the cabinet to the right.
Yah...Southern Thanksgivings are yummy delicious like that.  :0)

Yummy food, big hugs
Funny stories, lots of love
Football fanatics, Macy’s parade
Tradition in everything done or made

Ping-pong tournaments
Prayers from the soul
Grannie’s famous dressing
and poppie seed roll

“Now thank we all our God”
every voice does sing
as on this special day together
pies and thankfulness we bring

"Give THANKS in ALL circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

--1 Thessalonians 5:18

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 24

I thank God for…baking & goodie making!

As we prepare for tomorrow’s day of everything delicious and delightful, I am SO EXCITED to get a chance to tie on my apron and get in the kitchen!

Now to be honest, I am NOT a good cook.  To be completely honest, my poor hubby & I eat some type of sandwich / salad / soup / breakfast variation almost every night of the work week for dinner.  We say it’s because we are too hungry by the time we finally get home to wait to make dinner, or that we eat simple things to make it easier to stick with our healthy eating diets, but a huge factor is also that I am just NOT a good cook.  :0(   (I do take direction well, though, so I hope to set tables, stir pots, fill glasses with ice, etc on tomorrow’s happy day!)

But what I lack in the real-food-making department, I’d like to think I make up for in the goodie-making and baking division!  I LOVE baking…from cookies and brownies to homemade pear tarts and cinnamon rolls. 

And my all-time favorite thing to bake is…

Pie.

Last Saturday, my sweet Grannie called and asked me to bring a pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving Day at her house.  I was RIDICULOUSLY honored and giddy.  (To fill you in, for Grannie & my great aunt to pass along the pie-making responsibility on a major holiday is ji-nor-mous!!!)  Therefore, for Thanksgiving Day, I will be making and baking (in my Grannie famous pie pan...I'm picking it up today) THE pumpkin pie.  And when I’m in there, with flour in my hair and mixing bowls and measuring spoons everywhere…and when the whole house gets that pumpkin-y, cinnamon-y, dough-y smell…and when I pull that warm pie with golden brown crust out of the oven…I will be so ridiculously grateful.  :0)

“Is not the cup of THANKSgiving for which we give THANKS

a participation in the blood of Christ?

And is not the bread that we break

a participation in the body of Christ?”

--1 Corinthians 10:16

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 23

I thank God for…my extended family.

I have posted about my sweet hubby, amazingly loving parents, wonderful sisters, precious niece, awesome brother-in-laws, kind grandparents, giving in-laws, and fantastic friends, but I realized amongst the blessing of big family gatherings coming this week (yay!) that I hadn’t posted about how thankful I am for my wonderful EXTENDED family!  I am SO BLESSED to have the sweetest, funniest, most kind and giving and supportive and loving aunts and uncles and cousins in the whole world.  I am THRILLED to see them this Thanksgiving week, and SO THANKFUL for them!

“We always THANKS God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

when we pray for you”

--Colossians 1:3

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 22

I thank God for…watching movies with my hubby.

It is one of my favorite things…to cuddle up on the couch, in our recliners, or in bed together and watch a movie.  Matt loves action and sci fi, I love romantic comedies and classics, and together we LOVE watching funny movies.  Just last week we watched “Toy Story 3” together.  I know it’s a children’s movie, but it is also so sweet and SO HILARIOUS!  We LOVED it!

And loved being together. :0)

That's us playing with his Halloween costume Star Wars light saber. 
See...we really ARE big movie fans!
And yay...that's me with a butter knife.  I'm scary like that.  :0)

“I always THANK my God for you
because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.”

--1 Corinthians 1:4

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 21

I thank God for…Matt’s Mom & Dad.

For being so welcoming and wonderful and sweet and supportive and kind and loving to me.

For raising such an amazing son.

For teaching him to love and be so lovable.

For helping him to become the man I am so madly in love with today.

I am so thankful.  :0)

“You will be enriched in every way so that
you can be generous on every occasion,

and through us your generosity will result
in THANKSgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying
the needs of the Lord’s people

but is also overflowing in many expressions of THANKS to God.”

--2 Corinthians 9:11-12

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith

in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

I have not stopped giving THANKS for you,

remembering you in my prayers.”

--Ephesians 1:15-16

30 Days of Thanks -- Day 20

I thank God for...evening walks with my hubby.

Surrounded by nature and the birds and bunnies. 
Covered in the colors of the sunset aglow. 
Sometimes with hearts racing we walk rather briskly. 
Sometimes we meander, kick rocks, and walk slow.

Sometimes we talk about our day, our future,
A funny story we heard or a plan we will make.
Sometimes we walk quietly, no words spoken but listening
To our thoughts, the birds, and each step we take.

With God's glory all around me
And the man who has my heart
On most any given day
This is my favorite part.  :0)

“I will give You THANKS, for You answered me;
You have become my salvation.”