Play along with us! Every Thursday we will post something we are thankful for, and I would love it if you did so as well on your blogs. It is medicine for the soul to give thanks and when done regularly contentment comes into reach. And it can be anything, silly, personal, or blog related. Just take a moment to give thanks!

In the spirit of my current obsession with crafting, I have a new item to add to my crave list. I have never owned a full set of cookie cutters and think that this year is the year to make a change. The issue is always, where will we store them? How versatile are they? And are they cost effective and quality?

This is late, but there is a good reason and it is what we are thankful for...we are thankful for fire fighters who respond quickly. For a society that values animals as a part of the family. For neighbors who respond when they think there might be trouble. For helping hands that might not have been heard from for awhile. For faithful friendships that don't look at the clock, their wallet, or the magnitude of the task at hand, but do what needs to be done until the work is finished. For insurance that follows through in a timely and compassionate manner. For tiny miracles that caused pictures to be put in tubs or moved to a separate location mere weeks ago for no good reason at all. For abundant provision and outpouring of love from Him who provides and from those who call themselves His hands and feet. For all of the above and so much more we are incredibly thankful today. Without it this.....


...could have been and could be, so much worse. This is Abbey's parent's home that is no longer habitable. A home that a sweet dog/member of the family, was rescued miraculous from by faithful firefighters. It was the home Abbey grew up in, but thankfully wasn't inhabited at the time of the fire. All are safe, but deeply in need of continuation of that outpouring we mentioned above. We are thankful in advance for all that is to come and know that His provision is so abundant. 

Via

Dear friends, I need your input here. So please, please let me know which way you lean on this topic. I promised hubby that I would listen to the census on this topic, so weigh in!


I am contemplating ordering a set of "Mommy Cards". For those of you who aren't aware of this trend they are basically how corporate women have decided to deal with the "making new friends" conundrum I talked about here. These business cards have your information, your child's name, contact information and then your choice of neighborhood information, places you go to play, or where they go to school and maybe even a picture of you and your child. I have seriously considered getting these from about the 5 month of my pregnancy with Baby R. Of course there was a lot of thoughts about it being overkill on the playground. Lately though I have been writing down my information on many scraps of paper and as such have rethought this possibility. Not to mention Kodak gives you the first 50 for free! This is the one I really love.

Via

So friends, what do you think? Should we get a set? How would you respond if someone pulled these out of their wallet in an interaction? Cool or creepy?

Valentines Day A Few Years Ago

Sonnet 43

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  I love thee to the depth and breadth and height  My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.  I love thee to the level of every day's  Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.  I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.  I love with a passion put to use  In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.  I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath,  Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose,  I shall but love thee better after death. "

In Front of The Window

In the Kitchen Above Our Table

Free Download Via

Lovely Little Details

Tiny Handprints

Overall I was really pleased with the outcome and the husband was surprised. A win! What are you up to this weekend friends? Any special crafts you worked on? Please share!


Cost:
*Book: $3.99        Fabric: $2 (from Halloween)     *Glue: My own stock

This Thursday I am so incredibly thankful for a man who followed me across state lines multiple times, who truly pursued me and my heart with a fervor that is unmatched <sorry ladies!>. A man who has applied himself over and over again, learning new skills and conquering obstacles one by one. Our love has weathered the tests of more moves than years married, jobs lost and gained, dreams fading and changing to be replaced with dazzling glimmers of tomorrows that are greater than our greatest plans. Today our love is stronger than ever before and for that we are thankful. For me, I am thankful for this wonderful man.

Forever I Do, just the same today as so many years ago.

My son has a new-found love of movies and it drives me nuts. Growing up without television was one of the single best decisions my parents made, especially for my personality type. We had a TV, but only had access to movies for special occasions. So there it stood, a big black empty looking box that rarely roared to life, and that is how I liked it, empty looking. Now before I go on some awful rabbit trail about TV and toddlers I will steer myself back on track, transitions. His love of movies has led to a love of the cases and he reads them, rather than  a book. Being that they are (or rather were...) in a drawer that he had access to I decided to strap on my mommy boots and change this dynamic in our home. Given that this was a success (sorry if I spoiled the ending of the story for you) I wanted to share. So often there are many more steps backwards than forwards when dealing with a toddler that I LOVE a successful toddler-parenting story.

Knowing his little heart the way that I do, being sensitive and gradual was going to be the key to success in this transition. So one morning he woke up to "his" movies not being in the drawer. While a bit confused he searched and then moved on to something else. Step two was convincing him that something else being in that drawer was a good thing, and letting him think it was his idea. So the other night he was at the drawer and looking a bit perplexed at the progressing emptiness of it's contents when I suggested he fill it with his books. His SPECIAL books. He got so excited he ran from the room and came back as I hoped, with more books than would fit in that space. I suggested mommy move her movies to make room for his special books and he jumped on that idea. In 5 minutes the problem drawer went from a constant issue to a special "secret" space for his favorite books.

Now his movies are in zippered boxes under the couch, out of sight and hard to pull out and his favorite drawer is filled with mommies favorite-for-him things, beautiful, well-loved books.

This process reminded me of the importance of approaching my toddler as a little person with very real feelings and fears. To deal with him as sensitively as I would a dear friend in a state of her own transition. And to soften my heart to his so that we continue to grow together in communication and respect, rather than apart. To my fellow parents of toddlers I hope you are encouraged.

I was incredibly inspired this weekend. I "made a friend", which feels very elementary to state, but there isn't any other way to put it really, and it makes me chuckle to say it out loud. As we were talking we realized we had both had similar experiences and difficulties in meeting other moms. There is a delicate dance that is performed in mom-to-mom interactions. Often one side is more eager than the other, which can be intimidating. And this led me to think of the last time I had to really work to make friends, the dreaded junior high. 


High school you develop a "thing". You play sports, are in advanced classes, or maybe theater was your thing. Maybe it was a combination. All of these "things" come with a pre-made group that hopefully accept you. College, you have roommates, classmates, forced interactions, etc...But for me junior high time was the last time I really had to sit down and think, "What makes me cool? " 


So here I am again, "making friends" and truly having a blast. This woman asked me if living in the city made this process easier and I had to answer honestly that it wasn't. I have met many enjoyable nannies, but the mom's aren't very friendly. So it makes me wonder, how do you make new mommy friends? What is intimidating about someone like myself approaching you at the park? Share with me! Shed some light on this situation and please pass on your tips~

This Thursday we are so very thankful for the ability to find out the gender of our baby! It boggles our minds to think that not very long ago this wasn't an option. For those that know us patience is a virtue that Abbey struggles to emulate. So the notion of waiting to discover what our little blessing is, well let's just say she is itching to know! Some of our dear friends are throwing us a small affair to announce the big news (sneak peek here) and we will be sure to share the details with you shortly. We can't wait! What are you thankful for today?

Boy or Girl?

I hesitated about sharing these here, but think the accountability will do us good and might put this in a separate tab at the top, crossing them off, or commenting, as we go. My dear friend of almost a decade and half wrote a great piece on the difference between goals and resolutions here and it has stuck with me all month. So here we go, 2011 you are going to be great!