Ready or not!

 My family will tell you that I'm pretty steadfast that Thanksgiving must be enjoyed and completed before Christmas enters our home.  No movies.  No decorations. No carols.  Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday, and it deserves its own time.

But this year, I struggled to not dive into Christmas early.  I was ready...ready for hope, joy, laughter, traditions.  Apparently, I'm not the only one. I keep reading posts and hearing others say the same thing.  Even our neighborhood lit up Christmas lights a week early.

So, on Thanksgiving night, I did it!  I took down all of the harvest decor, and pulled out the Christmas boxes.  This isn't earth-shattering to anyone, I know, but it just goes to show (through my type-A personality), that it was time!

Friday morning arrived.  Jamie, Jacob, and Charlie took off for Black Friday fun, Jenna worked at our local thrift store, Helping Hands, while Laura and I decked out our home.  Christmas carols played...what a fun morning!  Later in the day, we decorated our Christmas tree and, as tradition, watched The Polar Express with pizza.  

I love traditions, especially this time of year.  It is so needed this year, and it just feels right.  Christmas...a time of hope, joy, laughter, and traditions.

So many boxes!

Black Friday fun beginning with coffee and donuts from Dunkin' Donuts! Bass Pro Shop and Best Buy, here they come!

Which decoration does not belong (courtesy of Jacob)?

I'm in love with buffalo plaid and red pick-up trucks this year.

Laura's very own Christmas tree, complete with non-breakable ornaments!

My morning coffee/Bible/quiet place.

Laura is the best supervisor ever as we decorate the tree.

Jacob has his own tradition of wearing his Santa hat while we decorate the tree.

My bookends battling for the top place on the tree for their personal ornaments.  The longest arms tend to win.  

Ahhh...the infamous cinnamon/applesauce homemade ornament that, as a young boy, Charlie thought would taste yummy. Sorry, Amarin!

Char recreated the action to send to Amarin.

Love these two!

You guys need any help? Is it devotion time?

Ready for The Polar Express!

Choosing Thankfulness

 How might I even begin listing my thankfuls?  If I've learned nothing else during 2020, I have definitely learned that I have to choose thankfulness.  Reading and rereading my 2020 thankfuls in my prayer journal, I'm reminded how many blessings have come our way this year.  Yes, even this year.  Perhaps it allowed Thanksgiving to take on a deeper meaning, a deeper sense of gratitude for what we have, and what truly matters:  faith, family, friends, health, opportunities.

Home. There's no place I'd rather be this side of heaven.

Jenna, my sous chef. We started preparing food two days prior to Thanksgiving. Homemade cranberries are so easy to make, and fun to hear pop in the pan!

When one needs a little boost...;)

We talked Charlie into helping prepare the dressing before he headed off to school.

Charlie has the best bus driver ever!  What other bus driver do you know who hands out homemade bread to his riders?  (OK...he's our friend and his wife is a wonderful baker.:)

Watching parades on Thanksgiving morning is a tradition.  We flip between New York and Detroit.

Panda and Bamboo were very happy to dine on cooked turkey innards.

While the turkey roasted, Jamie hung Christmas lights.  We're all ready for Christmas joy!

Jacob is a great project manager!

Gus, who rarely gets people food, was in heaven with turkey innards and gravy over his kibble.

This family...I am so blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving, 2020.  May we remember the blessings that happened throughout the course of this past year.  The world sees the negative, but we are choosing to see the light and the joy.

November Picnic

We had been having more than one week of unseasonably warm weather,
so we decided to go on a picnic in the nearby town of Washington. It was a bit windy, but quite warm.

Ha!  Jenna had to send this picture to Uncle Mark, her "trouble-maker" buddy.

Not sure how they knew Abraham Lincoln stood here, but we'll go with it!

Jacob stood in his footsteps...possibly...

Our adventure wouldn't be complete without a stop at the ice cream parlor!

Say What?

Let's look at some scripture about our minds and hearts, shall we? Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Prov. 4:23 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Phil. 4:8 ...consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, Heb. 10:24 What do these verses have in common? First, they are all imperative statements, meaning, they are commanding us to do something: watch, think, consider. Second, they tell us to focus on that which breathes life and goodness. Third, NONE of them emphasize a focus on the negativity of this world. These verses speak volumes about what our world needs right now; as Christians, we are commanded to speak truth and hope. I'm not talking about a "Pollyanna" outlook as if the world has no trouble; God knows it does! But here's what I mean. I have friends battling disease. Am I going to be a blessing to them if I bring up their disease every single time I speak with them? I have friends struggling with their marriage and/or kids. Am I going to be an encouragement to them if I constantly bring it up EVERY TIME we see each other? NO! There's more to them than their struggles, and there's more to this world than its problems. I am not minimizing those who have suffered this year. We've prayed and tried to help where we could. That said... I'm so sick and tired of being reminded about the hardships of 2020. I'm fatigued by the rhetoric which includes masks, social distancing, viruses, shut-downs, etc. STOP already! We all get it. It's not going away, so can we stop the redundant rhetoric and focus our hearts and minds on the good God has for us? The enemy wants us focused on the negative; stop appeasing him! I'm trying to remember the last time I had a conversation that did not involve any of the above mentioned words. How about you? I'm going to make a diligent effort to keep my heart and mind in a positive state. Join me!

Found it!

I don't know where I lost it, but I found it. I found my peace today. Over the past few weeks, I've been telling Jamie that I can't quite breathe; I felt like I was on a hamster wheel, and I couldn't get off. Maybe, we thought, we needed to tone down our family's activities; maybe we're spreading ourselves too thin. Maybe. Add in the crazy restrictions brought upon because of a stupid virus, an extremely hostile election season, "leaders" trying to regulate holidays, and our own adoption plans up in the air...it's no wonder I can't breathe. And I know I'm not the only one feeling this; conversations lately confirm that this envelopes just about everyone I talk to. So, as I was driving around town today, I started praying out loud. I'm sure the cars beside me thought I'd either lost it or perhaps singing along to the radio. Whatever. I prayed that God would just take away the deceit, the fear, the hatred, the illnesses; I prayed that He would put leaders in place that love Him first, because then I know they would love others, too. OK, God. Just fix it all. And...go! Crickets. Well, no surprise that God did not work as I requested, nor did He work at my timed requests. I'm not in charge. But... God did remind me that my biggest testimonies have not come during the fun, easy, rolling-right-along times in my life. No. My biggest testimonies have come through my struggles, my hurts, and my darkest times. Instantly, right then, I could breathe again. God didn't take away the tough stuff going on, but He did remind me of who He is. He is my peace in the storm. He is my rock. He is my fortress. NOTHING and NO ONE can take that away. I'm actually wondering what He might be preparing, and how He might allow me to participate. I think I could get a little bit excited about that. Why? Because He has done that in my life before, and He will do it again if I'm willing. Evil loses because God has already won, and no election can change that, either.

October Celebrations!

 October always brings a host of celebrations.  Oct. 2 is Pink Grandma's birthday, and then October 28, 29, and 30 hold birthdays of cousins Brandi and Kevin, and then Charlie's.  Oct. 31 is Charlie's Gotcha Day, and what we like to call "Light the Night."  This year, Pink Grandma and Papa visited on Charlie's birthday weekend, so they got to participate in all the fun, too!  Tanner's Orchard was on our to-do list, as was dinner at one of Grandma's favorite restaurants, Biaggis.  There, we celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary!

A happy birthday cake from Handy Randy, his bus driver, and Mrs. Denise!

He's 15!!

                                                            

A card from Uncle Mark

Pink Grandma's turn to open birthday gifts!

Laura loves her food!

2020...the crazy COVID year.  Should we have eaten the cake after he blew on it?

Tanners Orchard is always fun!

Papa and his sense of humor!

These sheep were so cute!

"I hope this doesn't shift into gear while I'm on it!"

Jacob helped bring in leaves for the candy dive.

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

Filling the leaf pile with almost 2,000 pieces of candy for our 5th annual candy dive!

We had the biggest turn-out ever!  The weather was just perfect!

Countdown...10...9...8...

Jenna went trick-or-treating with Hannah Whitehurst.

Always excited to count and organize her candy!

These four are growing up...but still love to have fun! 
We had a Trump 2020 supporter, a princess,
a 50's girl, and a cowboy!

 Guess who's starting driver's ed today?  He is so excited to drive!  Jamie took him driving out on the county roads yesterday.