20 Days till Christmas

Where has the time gone?

I  can't believe it is already December 5th.

With all the hustle and bustle time has slipped away from me.  I have some pictures to share from our annual Thanksgiving trip, and I will as soon as I set down and put them on the computer.

I read this today.  

What a great story of God's grace, and promises is we would just trust him with everything.

Thanksgiving

No, not the holiday.

More the state of mind, being Thankful.

This morning I was reading my devotional and it was telling the story of how the serpent tempted Eve by giving her a sense of counterfeit joy.  

As I was reading I thought of all the times Satan plants negative thoughts in my head and how easy it is to be deceived into thinking he's right.

Counterfeit joy has nothing on real joy, it seems good for a minute but then it usually hurts someone else.  I have fallen for his lies more times than I care to admit, and the good feeling doesn't last like real joy.

But he can really make it look good.

It can be especially easy when life gets hectic and things seem to be falling apart, God wants more than that for us, he wants us to have a peace and joy that passes all understanding.

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.

Philippians 4:6-7

I was watching an interview with Ann Voskamp the other day and she was talking about Joy and being Thankful.  Having a heart of gratitude. If we can see all that God has given us and be thankful for what we have, we can have amazing joy.

So that's gonna be my new thing.  

I am going to intentionally be thankful.

And with Thanksgiving will come joy!

Top Ten

With Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, I thought I would put together my own list of the Top ten things I am Thankful for.


For the record, most of them aren't things at all.


10.  I am thankful for my family, as dysfunctional as we may be sometimes, I am so, so thankful!


9.  My church family.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, from the oldest to the youngest, has        touched me in some way.


8.  My health, and more importantly my family's health.  (We aren't perfect, but we manage.)


7.  I am so thankful that my mom is at home, last year was horrible for us while she was sick, but this year has been much better.


6.  I am thankful that I have learned to say No when I need to and yes when I want to.


5.  I am thankful that I have learned what is really important.  And still learning more everyday.


4.  I am thankful for my friends.  I know that if I needed them I could count on them.


3.  My job, and my coworkers.  I am so fortunate to work with good people and for that I am truly grateful.


2.  Hope.  With life throwing us curve balls, I am so, so, so thankful for hope.


1.  Jesus!


Believe it or not I could probably think of ten more things, but I thought I better limit myself.  I hope that your Thanksgiving is Wonderful and full of family, food, and fellowship.

Thoughts on Thankfulness

This weekend we ended the summer with one last hoorah at the river.


We were very fortunate in the fact that while we had tree's down, no major structural damage, and we didn't have any water damage.  


We saw so much water damage.  Sooo much, people had to replace duct work, flooring, and much of their furniture.  All of which was sitting in the streets.  


We didn't get power until Sunday night, but again we were fortunate.


I am thankful.


Thankful, for generators, so that we were able to clean up in some minimal comfort.


Unfortunately, there are counties down east that don't have a lot of income, and therefore, they will need a lot of help getting things back to the way they were.  While we were outside the Red Cross van came by offering us food and drinks.  While we didn't need any, I know there are people in our area that do.


There is a man who comes by our house and always asks for our cans.  (He collects them for money.)  While he was there he was telling us about the damage to his house from the hurricane. 


He asked my husband if we knew the neighbor across the street.  He said "Yes, I know Luke."


He said "He must be rich, he lets me go through his trash."


When he came in and told us that, I almost cried.  


We are blessed.  


So, he got our cans and anything else we could find around the house.  

This was a community playground with a bathhouse.


All that's left is a pile of rubble where the bathhouse was and the basketball goal.   The bird house actually made it too.

There were lots of picnic tables for enjoying the view, but they were washed away.


But we did manage to find time to have some fun.

The water was amazing on Sunday, AMAZING!!!!


So we took the boat to Oriental, and did a little fishing.

We weren't the only ones who decided to go fishing.


But I bet they weren't trying to get one of these.

Look at that!!!


It's a drum, and they put up quite a fight getting them in.  They were kind of pretty too.  They make a drum noise when you take them out of the water.


Don't worry, it was a catch and release.  We were fishing for a citation size drum, and we got it!!!!

Well, I didn't really care about the fishing part, I just like being on the boat and enjoying the views.


It was a good way to end the summer.


Thankful for everything!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Earlier this week my friend directed me here, to read a post about Thanksgiving. What a great post, and an even better challenge.

So while I am trying, diligently, not to sweat the small stuff and to focus on the Good stuff, here are a few things I am truly Thankful for.

I am so Thankful for my family, while we definitely aren't the Walton's, we do love one another.

I am thankful that my mom still gets us together weekly for supper with my siblings. It is a tradition I hope never ends.

I am thankful for my job, and my wonderful co-workers. Even though I sometimes complain, not much really, I am blessed with my job situation.

I am thankful for my church family. Whenever I need something, anything, I know I can't count on them. Along with them, comes my friends. I have great friends that I know if I needed something they would not hesitate to help.

I am thankful that I live close to my family. My mom and I live on the same dirt road, and my brothers aren't far away. My husbands family is also close by. Double blessing!

My kids are healthy, and pretty good kids. My husband is a good guy (most of the time), and I am lucky to have him. (And he I).

I am certainly thankful for God's amazing grace that saves us all!!

What are you thankful for?

Holiday Traditions

After a Thankful, HUGE, Thanksgiving at our house, we will be heading off to the Beautiful mountains of NC to get our Christmas Tree.

For about the past 5 years, we have been going to the mountains and getting our Christmas tree.

It started by accident, we just happened to be at a friends house in the mountains and it was right before Thanksgiving, and we couldn't help but see all the Christmas tree lots with so many BEAUTIFUL trees. What was amazing to us, was the trees were so much cheaper there than they were if we would have bought them at home. And so the tradition began.

This weekend will mark our 6th annual Christmas tree trip. We have been staying for the last few years here, because they offer a "Christmas tree package", and we have loved it. The people here are so nice, and the beds are soooo comfy!! They have those down comforters, oooohhh, I just love them.

When we first went, my brother and his family would go with us, it was so much fun, we would find different places to stay and ride around until we found the perfect tree. If the weather is good we like to go hiking. One of the best times we had was when we went and stayed in an old cabin with no TV and the kids actually had to have CONVERSATIONS with us. A whole new concept for teenagers. That was a lot of fun, that place was right on the river so that was nice. And of course we have been when it rained, but we still had a good time. The last few years it has just been my family going and our kids don't think we're that much fun. Imagine that.

This year one of my Beach Girls and her family is going and I can't wait. We are going to have a ball. I just hope the husbands can handle it. I am going to take lots of pictures so you can enjoy the experience right along with me. My oldest is 17 and he thinks he is graduating out of this kind of thing. I hope he never stops wanting to go, but he is growing up and I suppose we should want them to be independent. Shouldn't we?

So, what are your traditions?

In Honor of Our Veterans

Because of their sacrifice, we are free. Free to choose our own religion, free to protect ourselves. Free to travel anywhere in this US we want.

Thank you to all the service men and women who have served, or are serving, a huge, heartfelt Thank You!!!!