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.”