Being Thankful

It is Thanksgiving week, and most people are turning their thoughts towards things they are thankful for. My question, though, is this: Why is it that we are only focusing on being thankful for one day or one week out of the year? Our pastor has addressed the issue of being thankful in all things (and therefore having the right attitude) over the past two weeks. This is an area that God had been pricking our hearts in to begin with, and, with Pastor's input, the pricks have gotten a little stronger. I find it fascinating that I can pick out ungratefulness or general attitudes of cynicism in others, but so often don't see or hear my own. That is, until my children - you know, the same kind of mini recorders you might have in your own home - open their mouths. How can I expect my kids to have the right attitude when they hear me being ungrateful or cynical? No, things do not always go my way, but what happened to being thankful in all things? Hmm... Ouch.

The Girl has been getting growing pains lately, and while I feel very bad for her - I experienced them myself very often when I was younger - I am also reminded that as adults, we still get them. It is not fun to hear your pastor speak and "hit the nail on the head" two Sundays in a row. I am not overly fond of wanting to squirm in church. It is not overly fun knowing that the pricking I feel in my soul is the work of God, growing me, and requiring more of me. Despite the discomfort, with all of my heart I want to be more and more Christlike every day. So I will take the pricking, and I will surrender to my Lord, and I will grow. Retraining is in order, and I will follow the advice of Paul in Philippians 4:

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Phil 4:4-8, NLT

"Grumble and Complain" are not part of the instructions there. Instead, I think that the above verses are at least part of the picture of the Fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 NLT says,

"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience (NIV reads longsuffering) [I'm not being very patient - or longsuffering - if I can't be thankful], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

This week, as everyone around us is focusing on being thankful, we will begin retraining ourselves in our home. Becoming more thankful and longsuffering in our own lives, and passing it on to our children.

Yes, he is THAT kind of guy....

You know the one.... The guy that:

° loves you unconditionally,
° prays for you,
° provides for you,
° makes you laugh,
° surprises you,
° still gives you butterflies,
° remembers your favorite flower and sends it just so he can say "I love you...."
° you give your whole heart to without a second thought.



The hubby thought today was a perfect day for a surprise... just because. I think he fits the bill of "THAT guy" perfectly.

Thanks, Batman. :) You win the who-loves-who-more debate... For today. :)


1. November 029, 2. November 024, 3. November 013, 4. November 026

Yum!

Let me just say, I LOVE my Kitchen Aide. Really, I do. Ask Batman. Or my mom. Or my sister-in-law. They will all tell you it's true. "Why?" you may ask. Well, faithful readers, thank you for asking. I'll tell you why I love it so much.

You can do ANYTHING with it. Really, you can.

- Fill your house with yummy smells.
- Speaking of smells - get rather yucky, potent smells out of your nose and fill your brain with nice images.
- Use up a rather monstrous zucchini.
- Express your love for your family.
- Prepare for a pretend visit with your brother and bff.
- Use up the pumpkin in the fridge.
- Make the hubby's tummy happy.

Oh, that isn't all! You can also do the normal things you would expect for a Kitchen Aide, like mixing, stirring, kneading, grating and shredding.



Cookbook stands (a gift from another sister-in-law), and a clean kitchen are two other things that I am rather fond of. I do think that the Kitchen Aide love it top of the list, though. Don't you see why I love mine so much? That's what I thought.

Sing it with me....

"We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world!"























Can anyone say "27th World Championship for the Yankees!"??

Happy Fall!!

The kids had TONS of fun at this years Fall Fun Night. Making it just that much more special was the fact that the cousins are home and got to join in the fun. Thanks, Aunt E!!! :)



Clockwise from the top: Monkey played with marshmallow-toothpick sculptures and tried making some of his own; Aunt E and Tonka looking very spiffy; The Boy and his best bud creating hairdos; The Girl and Tonka creating marshmallow-toothpick sculptures; The Boy posing after a "round" of golf; three little buds showing of their face paints; The Girl and Tonka getting ready for a game; The girl getting her second face paint; the kids with Pastor M, all of them thrilled with their faces; a rousing game of hot potato; The Boy having his turn with the face painter; the boys post hair sculpting.

The Boy's First...

Way back in September (I know, terrible updating), The Boy had what he said was "thebestnightof(my)lifeEVER!!!!!!" What did he get to do? He went to his very first rock concert with mommy and Uncle D. And he LOVED IT. That is what he said, anyway. I really couldn't tell how he would feel between the squealing, screaming and jumping all around the house when I told him that I was taking him to see his absolute favorite band LIVE. It is entirely possible that he did not sleep at all the night before.



He loved the music, was awestruck to see (and MEET) Kutless in person (mommy and Uncle D reminded him that they are people too and put their pants on just like we do in the morning), and tuckered himself out with all the jumping, dancing, screaming, singing, and... worshiping! I have to admit, while is was neat to meet them, my favorite part was watching my son get absolutely lost in worship to his heavenly Father. He didn't care who was looking. At that point, he didn't even seem to care that he was fifteen feet away from Kutless themselves. It was him and God. Witnessing that was definitely my highlight. Coming in second, though, was the absolute joy on his face while he got a chance to meet the guys face to face and actually chat with a couple of them for a couple minutes. Daddy's question to The Boy when we got home? "Did you tell them you play the drums, too?" He giggled (yes, boys do giggle) and told daddy that he was so nervous meeting them that he didn't even remember that daddy was teaching him to play.

Music to a SOMETIMES OCD mom's ears

The Girl - "Hey, mommy!"

The Mommy - "What, honey?"

The Girl - "My lego people have a house, and it is VERY organized!"

The Mommy - pats herself on the back for a job well done. Part time OCD clone: check.