Day 30 of Giving Thanks

It is the end of the day....day 30 of a month of giving thanks.....

..........we just arrived home a little while ago from our trip out to Plymouth County in MA.

Feasting, family, fun...............

...........................so I am thankful we all got together on my husband's side of the family.........

.......................and we all arrived safely back at home...........

This is the last day of officially giving thanks via the blog.....

but....

I highly recommend you continue in the practice/discipline of thanking God for your blessings, whether big or small................

.........................finding joy in the every day things.......

and finding things to be grateful for even if life tosses you some trials..............

Please check back here tomorrow when I will announce the winner of our GIVING THANKS FOR GOD's  GIFTS.  The person who commented the most in the last 30 days will  be the winner.  If there is a tie, my daughter Claire will put the names in a jar and pull one out.

GOD BLESS!!

Glimpses...............

Our gathering place...............
near Cape Cod, MA

Glimpses into past Thanksgivings makes my heart glad..........

.............bittersweet really is the feeling that comes over me............

....................this special place........with extended family......sometimes with friends........

...............sometimes, in the summer months, just the four of us...........

.............and I realize how time flies........we first gathered here in 2000...........when our now 14 yr old was only 1...........and wow...............

the glimpses backward force me to look forward and into today........

....today where there are 2 more cousins,

 and 2 cousins already out of college and in the working world...........

............and my princess a junior in college and her ballerina sister a freshman in high school..............

..............and many memories in between.......

here are some glimpses of Happy Thanksgivings...................

Drive down the road to the house by the bay...........on this quiet penisula........

The backyard and beach................

Claire playing chess with Daddy while dinner cooks...........

The 3 older girl cousins washing dishes after the feast
Beth, Hanna, and my princess Courtney in 2009

 And with my eyes upturned to the heavens, I say "Thank You, God for my husband, his Pilgrim heritage, his ancestors, his  family who are my family, too and our daughters..............

.............and for the glimpses of what You have created............"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Day 27 of Giving Thanks

Day 27 of giving thanks.....

.............the day before Thanksgiving Day!

Today I am thankful for extended family........I'm thankful that my two daughters have 3 cousins on my side of the family that we get to see fairly often.....mainly in the summer months and at Christmas.....and they all live in NYS, about an hour north of us............

And I'm thankful that they have 5 cousins on my husband's side of the family whom they get to see a couple of times a year, at Thanksgiving and sometimes in the summer months.  One cousin, a senior in college over in Scotland, hasn't been with us for a couple of years now.  She is very busy over there! The oldest cousin, a boy, is now 25 and working near Boston/living on his own.  His sister, who is 3 years older than my oldest, is a Vet student up in Canada working with cows, horses and all kinds of animals.  We won't get to see her tomorrow.  We will get to see the 2 younger brother/sister cousins.....they are 1 and 2 years younger than my youngest.  We all like to walk on the beach together, play board games, watch movies, talk...........

It will be a fun gathering time.........

and so special because these children and young adults are all growing up so fast!!

Thank you God for extended family who are close in distance AND close in spirit.

What are you thankful for today?

Day 26 of Giving Thanks

It is now day 26 of a month of giving thanks.......

.....today I am most thankful for my Bible. I could not live my life without the wisdom, guidance and encouragement..and even admonitions from the words of our God and Savior.

I love turning to Scriptures to get peace, advice, parenting instruction, encouragement and TRUTH!!

So important to me.....

.....one of my fave memories is seeing my dad sit at his desk with his open Bible in the early morning reading the Scriptures and then bowing his head in prayer. ......

.....and now my husband of 23 years is the exact same way.....reading the Word before work.

These men have spurred me on to continue doing the same......

Thank You, God for your Words to us.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 25 of Giving Thanks

Day 25 of Giving Thanks......

 ............and just a few days until the day we set aside to give thanks with family.............

..............for today, I am most thankful for gas heat.............

...........in our area, the cheapest way to heat a home, other than with a woodstove which we don't have, nor do we have room for one, is with gas.

We have a wonderfully new digital thermostat where we can program in times for heat to come on or go lower by pre-setting the times/temps.

For instance, at 11 pm every night, I have it programmed to go down to 62 degrees as we all have the fleece blankets and heavy cotton quilts on our beds. Our bedrooms are carpeted which helps.

At 5:00 a.m. it is programmed to come on to 68 degrees so that by the time our alarms go off at 5:15 and 5:30, the house is warm............

At 8 a.m. I have it set to do down to 65 since we are all gone all day....and at 2:30 pm it goes back up to 68 so the house is cozy when my teen girl walks in the door from school at 2:45.

Thank you God for heat!!

What are you thankful for today??

REMINDER:  each person commenting on the "Giving Thanks" posts have received a point for each comment.  On Day 30, I will be adding up your points and the reader with the most will be winning a special little gift...perfect for the season.............

HAVE FUN AND GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD!

Day 24 of Giving Thanks

It is Day 24 of Giving Thanks....as I see how pretty the early morning light is on the dusting of snow we received, for the first time this school year, last evening................

and it has  made me pause by my dining room window to watch the birds at the feeder......

..........and watch the grey dawn slowly turning to a soft light with pale blue skies and some white clouds..........

..............and a patch of sun 

making me thankful I can enjoy four seasons, even if the winter season is starting a few weeks early..........

..........thank you God for the changing seasons............

What are you thankful for today??

Day 23 of Giving Thanks

I am so thankful today for many things!!

My heart overflows with gratitude for God's Love, grace and mercy.

And for my Keurig.

Because without it, we wouldn't have any coffee for the next few days.....our coffee carafe broke last night in the dishwasher. We have NO idea how this happened!

So, I went online to the product service page, ordered a new one, and told my husband THANK YOU for getting that Keurig last year......we love our coffee around here and I can't imagine running my Saturday with out it!

Sometimes it's the little things.............

What are you thankful for today??

Day 21 of Giving Thanks

On this 21st day of giving thanks, I am most thankful today for.............

...............the encouragement I receive from the moms in my small group.............

..............and from leaders in my life.............

................and the opportunity to be an encouragement to colleagues, the moms in group, the students I teach, my own children, my husband, my extended family...................

and to anyone who might need a listening ear...............

..................or friends who listen to me!

What are you thankful for today?

Bonus...a commentor from the other day asked what foods I've added to my diet to reduce inflammation. Here is a link for you to go to

Foods That Reduce Inflammation

Written by Brian Krans | Published on July 29, 2010

Day 20 of Giving Thanks

Today, on Day 20, I am thankful for my  neighbor. She is a good friend of mine, a sister in Christ even though we go to different churches, and next door neighbors who share a love of hiking. We both have husbands in the computer software field and we both have 2 daughters. My oldest is in college and her oldest is a senior in high school. My youngest is a freshman in the high school and her youngest is at the junior high. We have fun together. They moved in when my youngest was just under 2 years old and now she is almost 15. We became friends right away because we have teaching in common, although now she is in a different career and I am no longer teaching full time. 

Our families have hiked together, camped together, gone to the beach house together, have had backyard bbqs together, gone to the lakes together and concerts/ musicals together. We even have run back and forth to each other's homes for ingredients at dinner times!! 

M and I have shared spiritual lessons together.....and for about a year, she was in my small group. 

I am thankful for good neighbors who are also good friends!!!!

What are you thankful for today??

Day 19 of Giving Thanks

Day 19 of a month of giving thanks............

.............today I am thankful for a healthy body.

Last year at this time, I was dealing with a bulging disc in my lower back and with it, a horrible case of sciatica. I had never felt such pain. It dragged on for 8 weeks (the sciatica) and the back pain was present for 12 weeks.  I thank the Lord for good quality chiropractic care that incorporated physical therapy, life style changes (adding certain foods to reduce inflammation, working out on a fitness ball, learning core exercises) and now I am having no issues!!

I never want to take my health for granted.

Thanking Him for giving me good health and a stronger back and the wisdom to know what I can and cannot do regarding lifting things, certain movements, etc.

What are you thankful for  today??

Day 18 of Giving Thanks

Day 18....and a Monday.......

..............today I am thankful for my job.  I get to work with Special Needs students....1st graders.....and not have all the paperwork, meetings, court dates, home visits from when I was a full time Special Education Teacher in a PreK.

Although I am "just" a teacher assistant.....at least I get to keep my foot in the door of Special Education and help my daughter from taking out a bank loan for college.  Yes I miss being the head of the classroom....yes, I miss staying home part time.......yes, I miss that leisurely pace of being a stay at home mommy.............but......in this season of needing to work full time, I can honestly say I like my job..............

GOD IS GOOD!

Day 17 of Giving Thanks

Today, on this 17th day of November............

................with the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching.........

............I am thankful for the TRUTH in God's Word.

I can't imagine living my life without turning to the Scriptures for my guidance, for comfort, for encouragement, for wisdom in marriage, parenting, relationships, LIFE..........

.............for learning about Jesus and that His mercies are new every morning........

................for learning that God SINGS OVER US!! (see Zephaniah 3:17).

.................for TRUTH!

God's Word is the Truth that the world needs to learn..............Let's spread His Word!!

What are you thankful for today??

photo courtesy of "words to live by" 

Day 16 of Giving Thanks

Day 16 of giving thanks finds me thankful for my new vacuum cleaner.

It sounds weird but I am SO thankful for the new Shark Ultralight Rocket.

It only weighs 8 lbs.........and is one I can carry to each level of the house with out hurting my lower back.

It came with the regular, powerful suction brush for deep cleaning carpets and there's a setting for bare floors.

It also has all the attachments for various kinds of dusting.  It also came with a car kit to reach those tiny crevices in a car. I'll wait til Spring to use that!

Thanking God for being able to use my new vacuum today and tidy up my house....on ALL levels.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 14 of Giving Thanks

Day 14.......

I am thankful today for my house.

We decided to build in the same suburb we were renting an apartment in when we were newlyweds.

We had our oldest daughter 3 years after our wedding, and moved into our brand new side hall colonial in the summer of 1994 when she was just one year. My maternity leave was up, so I was teaching summer school, a class of 10 special needs prekindergartners and then worked full time for another year after that.

At the time we built the house, we decided to fund it based on just Dave's income as I was starting to think I might want to be a stay at home mommy for a few years.  So after teaching full time after 9 years (one of which was my internship for my masters degree), I stayed home for 5 years!  I loved making the house a home......

...............and 19 years later we are still here!

I'm thankful we have been able to pay the mortgage and do some upgrades, slowly, over the years.  

I never want to take my house for granted!!

What are you thankful for today??

Day 13 of Giving Thanks

It's the 13th of November and another day to find something to be thankful for.....

..........and I know mine!

It is this:

photo courtesy of diyhealth

a steaming mug of coffee first thing in the a.m..................

..............always so grateful for that first cup..................

.......................and the 2nd................

.....................and the travel mug to the school.....................

........................................and that late afternoon cup...............

........................or early evening one while the teen is dancing in ballet..............

Coffee...............thank God for it!!

Day 12 of Giving Thanks

Day 12 of giving thanks.............

Today I am thankful for music.

I love many different genres....but my absolute fave is classical, particularly Beethoven followed by baroque (Handel).  I love the old classic hymns and some of the modern hymns.  I love music by SuperChick, 10th Avenue North, The Newsboys, Audio Adreneline......and many more contemp Christian artists.  I like folksy types like Carly Simon, Audrey Assad, and James Taylor.  I love the sound of Mandisa and Manhattan Steamroller. I really like the voice of Plumb (whose real name is Tiffany Arbuckle Lee)....I love power walking to the New York Players (a local band) and Lincoln Brewster.  Leeland holds a special place in my heart.  I also enjoy Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West and Chris Tomlin.

And of course, Annie Herring and the 2nd Chapter of Acts even though they are no longer performing.

I love listening to big band music once in awhile as well as jazz and the rock/pop from the 1970s/1980s.  Brings back many good memories.

I love love love listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra when they are in town in the summer....and of course I love going to an occasional Albany Symphony Orchestra concert....although it's been a couple of years since we have done that.

I love listening to piano music and even though I was a piano major and rarely play the way I did in college, I do like playing it from time to time when I have free moments.

I love listening to my children sing and play the violin. I love listening to our award-winning S----High School Orchestra.

I love our worship team at Grace Fellowship!

Music....thank the Lord for it!!  It's the universal language.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 11 of Giving Thanks

Here it is....Day 11.....Veteran's Day.....

so....I am very thankful today for all the men and women who have served our great country in one of our military branches.

My dad, father-in-law, and sister Hope's husband, have served in the Army.

My husband's brother served in the Coast Guard and his son, our nephew, serves in the National Guard and has served 2 times in Afghanistan.

I'm sure there are other men I know who have been, or are, veterans but those are the ones we are closest to.

Do you know a veteran??

Thank God for them...for their loyal service.

 

What are you thankful for today??

Day 10 of Giving Thanks

Day 10!

I am thankful today for...............

.....................technology!

Yes.....technology is a wonderful thing when you have a child in college, about 4 hours away.

Our oldest can keep in touch with us by emails, texting, cell phone calls which are free as we have some kind of  in the nation plan if calling another cell phone, and by skype. It is always so good to hear from her, even though most of her news I have to learn from her Facebook page! 

There's nothing like keeping in touch with an oldest daughter.........thanks to technology!

What are you thankful for today??

Day 9 of Giving Thanks

It's November 9th and time to give thanks for something...........

..............yesterday, for Day 8, I participated in the Friday Fave Five hosted by this blogger, whom I call friend, even though we have never met.  We have exchanged free giveaways in the mail, and have emailed each other and have been faithful followers of each other's blogs for quite some time. She is a book lover like me and also does book reviews like I do!  I feel like I know her....yet we have never met.  

So...today's thankful post is about friendships.

I am so thankful for the friends God has put into my life. Some I rarely get to see due to distance/geographical location. Some, sisters in Christ, I have never met (bloggers).  Some I see every single day. Some I work with or do ministry with and some are people I hike with, do life with, get coffee with, cry, laugh, moan and groan with....pray with. Those women are my closest friends and a couple of them are in my small group that I get to lead.

Friendships......thanking God for them!!

 l-r: Dave and Hope/Bob and Carla/my hubby Dave
Small group friends and husbands!
July 2013

What are you thankful for today??

Day 6 of Giving Thanks

 

Today I am thankful for.............

.............my dad!

  

Dad is a godly man, a Believer.  He was always a hard worker at a blue-collar job during my growing up years.  He was an excellent provider and although at times we didn't have much money for "extras" we always had clothes, food, shelter and we even had a camp in the Adirondacks (a rustic one with no plumbing!) where we enjoyed our summers.  I loved that camp but Dad sold it when I was 15 to my cousin and her husband.  How I miss those days and have such wonderful memories of Daddy and me sitting by the campfire. I know I get my love for outdoor fires from him!

One clear, precious memory I have of my father is when he would sit at his desk across from my bedroom and read his Bible every morning and bow his head in prayer. He would do this before leaving for work. He worked 7 a.m.-3 pm. So he was up early.

I am determined to follow in his footsteps with the daily Bible reading.

He is a precious person and I am so thankful my girls have this godly grandfather in their lives. He always asks about what they are involved in when we chat on the phone and he always asks how my husband is doing.  Dave and I are thrilled that his physical health is good at age 81 and that he can continue to live in his house in central NY.

It is a huge blessing to have a godly father....one who is an earthly example of our Heavenly Father.......

What are you thankful for today??