The Night Before, The Day Of and the Morning After

I love Thanksgiving!! It is by far the best holiday in every way!

1. no costly presents
2. no stress due to the hectic schedule of shopping
3. the food :)
4. the company
5. the praise

I was very excited to hear about the return of "praise and pie night" this year! It has always been a tradition at our church to praise God for all the blessings of the past year...testimonies of God's grace and strength through financial, health and spiritual hard times. God always seems to be faithful and comes out the Hero every time. In the years of my childhood, we not only had praise but following the praise we had pie!! Due to the growth of our church we weren't able to accommodate the pie eating part, but thanks to our new activity center, we are back to the wonderful activity of hunting for the most delicious pie and then devouring it. I love pie.

Thanksgiving Day was splendid! My Mom never lets us down in the food department. The table is always decorated so nicely and the food satisfies every tasty need...it also represents every color so even your plate isn't bland. Thanks, Mom!

Instead of falling asleep on the couch right after, we all worked off the calories with 6 vigorous hours of Rock Band...that's right, SIX HOURS!!

Now to the day after..."Black Friday"...

Black friday brings out the crazy in many people. First off, waking up at 3:30 in order to arrive at Kohl's for the opening sale at 4AM is...well...crazy! And yes, I was one of them...I was so disoriented I unfortunately was not able to concentrate enough on any deals or even my Christmas shopping list...my mission was unsuccessful. Many woman were coming in with elbows flying...they might as well put bricks in their pocketbooks. We went to Walmart right after and there were some good deals, but I don't really think black friday is worth the loss of sleep unless you have children since that is where most of the deals are. We stood in line for two hours! I opened a pack of Dr. Scholl's and wore them while I was in the line. When I got to the cashier, she agreed that was smart thinking.

I would rather buy full price.

So, I'm thankful for my family...every single person in our family could be a character in our very own sitcom! Love them. I'm so thankful for my husband! Many couple don't make it through the emotional strain that we have gone through the last year and I feel incredibly blessed that he still stands beside me. I'm thankful that God gave me the most wonderful opportunity to be a mother to the most amazing miracle. I've learned more about God from Zachary than probably anyone else I've ever met. I'm thankful that God always provides...even when the economy is unstable, His promises are sure.

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Love This...

I can't help but think of Aaron and Zachary when I hear this song...

Tear Jerker

I forget where I got this from, but I love it! Grab some tissue...

For our little man, Zachary Kyle...

Precious, tiny, little one
You'll always be to me
So perfect, pure and innocent-
Part of Heaven's family

We dreamed of you and your life
And all that it would be
We waited and longed for you to come
And join our family

We never had the chance to play,
to laugh, to rock, to wiggle
We long to hold you, touch you now
And listen to you giggle

I'll always be your Mother,
He'll always be your Dad
You will always be our child,
The child that we had

But now you're gone...but yet you're here
We sense you everywhere
You are our sorrow and our joy
There's love in every tear

Just know our love goes deep and strong
We'll forget you NEVER-
The child we had but never had,
And yet will have Forever!

A Quote for You

So...here's a quote for your reading pleasure...The guy who said it was a Catholic priest...I'm not Catholic (duh) but I do find this quote encouraging...here it is...

"Do not look forward to the changes and the chances of this life in fear;
rather look to them with full hope
that, as they arise, God, whose you are
will deliver you out of them.
He has kept you hitherto,-
do you but hold fast to His dear hand,
and He will lead you safely through all things;
and, when you cannot stand,
He will bear you in His arms...
The same everlasting Father who cares for you today,
will take care of you to-morrow, and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering,
or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace then,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."
Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Commitment

I have recently decided to make a commitment to the organization of my home. Since we've moved here two and half years ago, our house has always been undergoing renovations. The state our home is in right now is unsightly...I hardly ever let anyone in it...unfortunately, I can't blame the "unsightliness" of it on the renovations...Yes, we have a completely hideous kitchen with pink...let me say that again...PINK cabinets and PINK countertop...we also have some nasty stick on tile for our floor...We got spontaneous one day and ripped down most of our wood work down off the frames of the doors...never to be replaced. The beginning of this year, we become compulsively eager to start a new project (like there weren't already that needed finishing) and we knocked down a wall! That room is still a complete disaster! So, now that you get the picture...let me get back to what I was saying...unfortunately, I can't blame the "unsightliness" of it on the renovations...I must blame it on myself!! I have not kept the house organized because I felt a little hopeless...like there was no purpose for trying. There is absolutely no reason that clothes can't make it to the closet and that things don't have a place to go...everything should have a home. When I still lived at home (mom and dad's), I was a neat freak...well, everyone once in a while my room would get a little crazy, but I always made sure to clean it and then I was a nazi about it. What happened to that person? It's not like a loosened up! It has secretly been bothering me since we've moved here...stressing me out! So, I spent a good portion of my night cleaning out my closet...and even though my back is sore...I'm really happy I invested this time...It makes me feel better about my house...and myself.

...Plus, I found a TON of clothes I totally forgot about!!!

What big projects have you been putting off?

One of Those Days

I'm just having one of those days...you know the kind, I'm sure...

The kind when you wonder why the Dunkin' Donuts lady never gets your order right even though you order the same thing every day...

The kind when the phone doesn't stop ringing...

...the work never stops piling...

...no time for lunch til 3pm...

The kind when you wonder whether you are the only person in the universe who knows how to change a roll of toilet paper...

Thank goodness for my good hair day otherwise today would have been a total loss.

How is your day going?