Vacation & SMV #23

I've had much to tell you since we've been home from our travels. But I had to conquer Mt. Laundry, restock food supplies, cyber shop on Monday (I missed black Friday, much to my chagrin) and re-enter reality. It's been rough.

Our vacation last week was great. We went to visit Steve's sister and family in Charleston, South Carolina. The weather was warm, there were still leaves on the trees and we got to see the Atlantic Ocean. Here's a brief recap:

We took a tour boat to Caper's Island where we walked on Boneyard Beach. All the dead trees on the beach looked like huge dinosaur bones, thus the name. There were lots of shells, which the kids loved. We were allowed to bring a couple home.

We saw 5 dolphins on our way to Caper's Island. So beautiful!

We toured a plantation. This is the Avenue of Oaks at Boone Hall Plantation. Mr. Boone planted live oaks along 3/4 mile of his driveway. It is stunning!

This is sunset on the beach on Thanksgiving day. We were at Isle of Palms, just 10 minutes from my in-laws home. It was a gorgeous day.

We visited the aquarium in Charleston. Here's a sea turtle. We also saw an albino alligator, sharks, pelicans, starfish, jelly fish and so many amazing creatures.

Here are my three favorite people at Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston. We had such a great week together.

It is good to be home again. Although the temperatures are about 45 degrees colder here. In fact, today is a snow day from school! Only about the third one in my kid's school life! Here's what we woke up to this morning:

That building in the background is my son's elementary school. It started snowing yesterday afternoon and it's still coming down. Big, beautiful flakes. I'd say we've got about 8 inches in our backyard. It drifted a lot last evening and night, so it's a little hard to tell exactly how much is there. The kids are planning fort building, snowman making and possibly sledding. I love free days like this. I think I'll make some Christmas cookies and finish decorating the house for the holiday.

I've been playing Christmas music this week. The one CD I keep playing over and over is Chris Tomlin's Glory in the Highest. This is a must-buy if you don't have it. One of my favorites is "My soul magnifies the Lord", though it's hard to pick favorites on this CD. This song inspired my memory verse from Luke 2:46-47&49:

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is his name."

Indeed, He has done great things for me. And for you.

Thank you for stopping by today. I so appreciate your support!

Attitude of Gratitude Day 20

Today I am thankful for vacations and airplanes to take us on vacation. We will be gone several days and I may or may not post on here while we are away. My heart is full of thanksgiving at this season.

I pray your holiday is full of joy and peace. May your hearts be full and content. Remember to thank the Giver of all good things.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 19

TGIF!

I am thankful that I am staying home to watch the BSU Bronco football game. It is cold, wet and there's a chance of snow. Our season seats are in the nose-bleed section and I can't even tell you how it feels when the wind starts blowing up in the stratosphere. But by staying home, we are missing out on the game day spirit. Steve is at the game, though. The bank he works for is sponsoring the tailgating party today. I'm sad to miss that part. But it's nice to be warm & dry.

Attitude of Gratitude Days 17 & 18

I forgot to post yesterday. I composed it in my head. Just didn't get translated to the keyboard. My brain is tired, that's my excuse.

Yesterday I was so thankful for my bible teachers. The way they explain the scriptures is amazing. I love to learn the original language, how the two testaments correspond to each other and how it relates to my life today. A good teacher is a gift.

Today I am thankful that the weekend is very very near. We are going away for the holiday next week and I can't wait. We all need a break from our routines. We all need to sleep, relax and spend time together. But until then, we are running around like crazy animals trying to get everything done. You know how it is before a trip.

One week from today is Thanksgiving! So looking forward to turkey and all the fixin's. Have a great day!

Attitude of Gratitude Day 16

Today I am thankful for the Christian radio station here in the valley. I've been listening since I moved here years ago and they have come a long way since then. It used to be college kids, I think, as DJ's. But the music has always been encouraging, worshipful & full of praise. I'm so glad my kids prefer it, too. In fact, they've received "Adventures in Odyssey" CD's as gifts because we first heard it on the radio. I appreciate that it's family friendly.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 15 & Scripture Memory Verse

Happy Monday morning! The verse I picked for today continues with my theme of thanksgiving. It's from Psalm 136, verse 1:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

I really want to meditate on how He is good and how his love endures.

Today I am thankful for the sunrise. The colors this morning were beautiful, pinks, corals, oranges, yellows against the blue of the sky. Fantastic!

I am also thankful for my husband. He has been working so very hard this month. Going in early, staying late, working weekends. He is amazing in so many ways. I'm glad he gets a vacation soon.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate it. Have a really great day!

Attitude of Gratitude Day 13

Today I was thankful to stay home and work. I made 7 quarts of tomato sauce from my garden tomatoes, I made pumpkin bread, did some laundry, worked in the flower beds and even caught a short nap. I am thankful to have preserved fruits and vegies in my pantry and freezer. So yummy.

I am really thankful tomorrow is a day of rest.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 12

Friends, I can't make this stuff up.

We had Chinese food for supper tonight. This was my fortune:

Attitude of Gratitude Day 11

Thank you, veterans, for your service and sacrifice. I pray for peace and protection so that all our service men and women can come home safely. Thank you for what you've done for the rest of us.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 10

We are one third of the way through the month. Oh my goodness.

I am thankful for my electricity, especially my washing machine, dryer and (gas) fireplace. I push a button and *presto* water, heat, flame! Sweet. These make my life so much easier & more comfortable. I'm just so glad I don't have to cut, haul and stack firewood for our very survival. I used to dream of being a pioneer woman but now, no way. Thank you, Lord, for modern conveniences. Amen.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 9

If you are stopping by for the first time today, welcome. I'm doing a 30 day project called Attitude of Gratitude. I'm encouraging thankfulness for the whole month instead of just one day. You can tell me what you're grateful for by leaving a comment, emailing me or you can cultivate this attitude in your homes. Talk about what you're thankful for around the dinner table, write in a journal every day, etc. I am posting what I am thankful for here on the blog and we share around the table each evening. I've been blessed this last week and I pray you have too.

Today I am thankful for the sunshine, toffee mocha lattes and a quiet afternoon. Not too deep or spiritual. I'm just appreciating the little things.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 8

Today I'm thankful for things that at first glance appear to be opposites. I'm thankful for weekends to relax, watch football, & be with family. I'm also thankful for Monday mornings when we go back to our respective places (work, school). I'm thankful for the end of daylight savings so we get an extra hour of sleep one night a year and an extra hour of daylight in the morning for a few weeks. But I'll be thankful come spring when we turn the clocks ahead again. I'm thankful for the rain yesterday but I'm loving the sunshine this morning. I guess you could say I wouldn't be as appreciative of any of these opposites without the other. Does that even make sense to you? I hope so. Anyways, have a good Monday!

Attitude of Gratitude Day 7

I am thankful for my church today. My pastors seek hard after God and his truth daily. They are messengers of His word. They challenge me, encourage me, teach me, and continually point me to our Savior. I am so grateful they are obedient vessels of the Spirit. And I am grateful they are real with us, we know they are humans also in need of a Savior.

I want to encourage you to express your appreciation for your church leaders this week. Let them know what they mean to you. I once heard someone ask, "have you ever heard of an over-encouraged pastor?" No, often we hear of burn-out, discouragement, etc. Be that voice of gratitude to a leader in your church.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 6

My heart is full of thanksgiving today. I said it yesterday, but I am so thankful for my parents and my family. We're having a really good time together and I feel I am soaking it in. I'll try to remember to post pictures later.




I'm so glad God made so many colors. All the trees could've been the same, all the landscape one color. We wouldn't have known different if that's the way it always was. But He chose to give us these vibrant colors! Awesome. Each season has it's own colors and this fall in Idaho has been beautiful.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 5

We've been waiting for this day all week! My parents are coming to town for a long weekend and I am so glad. I'm thankful for my dad and my mom, for the way they raised us, for the foundation they built for our family. I'm so very thankful that my family of origin all get along and like to be together. We are not perfect, by any means. But we've all been saved by the grace of our Lord and we all love Him. I do not take that for granted. That is a GIFT.

Anyways, we've got fun things planned: shopping, football, baking cookies w/Grandma, along with other activities. It's going to go too fast, but we're going to enjoy it while we can.

Have a great Friday!

Attitude of Gratitude Day 4

I am so thankful for our family dinner hour. Now that sports have subsided for us, we are back to a more regular schedule regarding supper. We literally spend an hour at the table, sharing our days with each other, what we're thankful for that day and there has been much laughter. It is my favorite part of the day. My prayer is that my children remember these times as happy memories, too, when they are gone from our house. They are a treasure to this mother.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 3

I'm thankful that I got to vote yesterday. I'm not the most educated voter and I probably don't take it as seriously as I should. But I'm glad to know my voice is heard. I'm also equally as thankful that the political phone calls and commercials will end now. They were mighty intense and quite frequent in the last two weeks.

I'm thankful that I have the freedom to go to Bible study today at my church. I don't have to be afraid that I'll be arrested for studying the Bible. Many people don't have that freedom. Many people love the Lord as the only member of their family. My whole family loves the Lord and I have a strong Christian heritage and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Attitude of Gratitude Day 2

Today I am grateful for my friends: Tiffany, Lorain, Christina, Dawne & my sister, Monica. Together we celebrate birthdays & blessings, study God's word, encourage each other as moms & wives & women. My life is so rich because of you. I love you.

Scripture Memory Verse #21 & a 30 day project

Ah, sweet November. How glad I am that you are here. The scary decorations come down and the harvest/thanksgiving ones go up - that is if you can find that one shelf in the store that's not red and green yet.

I heard on the radio recently a woman commenting on marriage. She said if your mate is 80% what you hoped for/dreamed of/are happy with, why are you focusing on the 20% that isn't? Wow. Kinda hit me between the eyeballs. I can get so focused on the negative I lose perspective on how great my marriage, let alone my life, really is. I don't think I am alone. That's where my 30 day project comes in. For the month of November, I am going to try to post something everyday that I am thankful for. I first heard of this idea here. Thanksgiving can be a way of life, not just one day we celebrate each year. I want to adopt an attitude of gratitude and I'm challenging you to join me. What do you say? I'd love it if you'd leave me a comment and if you haven't figured out how to do that, email me and I'll try to help you. You could also start a journal of gratitude, or a thanksgiving tree that you add leaves of thanksgiving to, or share around the dinner table every night, or maybe you have another idea. I'd love to hear it.

In light of that, here's my verse from Psalm 118:28 NIV: You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. The bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above. Let's give Him the thanks he is due. Amen? Amen.

Here's what I'm thankful for today. Two things, actually. First, I was barely in my car this weekend. After two months of driving hither and yon with my kids, this is huge in my book. And when I was in the car, I was not driving. I was a passenger. It was sweet. I did go places, but half of them I walked to.

Second, I got to take my son trick-or-treating last night. It was fun to walk with him and his best friend (who were both clone troopers and looked like twins and were both very annoyed with anyone who called them a storm trooper). I confess I was mad at my hubby because he didn't want to take our boy out, but in the end, I was blessed because I did. I am thankful for any time my son wants to spend with me and when we can really communicate, it's a win-win.

So, my friends, will you join me this month in an attitude of gratitude? Thanks so much for stopping by. You are so appreciated.