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Thanksgiving

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Joyful surprise: My sister Maria and her kids are visiting!

My sister Maria, her son Nicholas, her daughter Katie & her son Brandon

My sister Maria, her son Nicholas, her daughter Katie & her son Brandon

I am SOOO excited because my only, younger sister Maria and her three children, Nicholas, Brandon, and Katie, are visiting me and our family this Thanksgiving!  In fact, she’s on her way RIGHT NOW, just an hour away! She’s never driven this far so intercessors and I have been praying for her whole trip!

I haven’t seen them for years, as she lives in south Georgia and I live in the mid-west in the Kansas City, Missouri area. The trip takes about 16 hours driving time, so she broke it up by driving 8 hours yesterday and the remaining 8 hours today. I’m sure she is absolutely EXHAUSTED–especially with three kids!

They’ll be staying a week and eating the Thanksgiving meal with us at our daughter Heather’s house. One thing that bothers me so much is that because we live so far apart, I’ve missed my nephews’ and my niece’s childhoods and they haven’t been able to play with our kids growing up.

When I was a child, my siblings and I played all the time with our first cousins and I wish this had been part of our kids’ lives. But I’m thrilled to see them and so happy they’ll be spending the holiday with Ray and me, our children, and grandchildren.

Ray will make his special, sweet holiday ham that our kids and our grandkids always request and love, and we’ll have the usual Thanksgiving fare: turkey, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, apple and pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce. The biggest blessing of all is being with all our children and grandchildren, and now my sister and her kids. I’m so thankful to God for family and the many, daily blessings He bestows on us.

appetizer plates

appetizer plates

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Leave your comments below. 

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Organizing, cider doughnuts, and Pumpkin Pie candles for fall

autumn leaves quote

The last couple of days, I’ve been doing chores, cleaning out my closet, and taking clothes to GoodWill. Fall and spring are a great time of year to clean, organize, and declutter. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Here’s a few tips to organize and declutter:

  • Haven’t worn that piece of clothing in the back of your closet in 6 months to a year? Sell it, give it away to GoodWill (if it’s still in decent shape), or if it has holes, rips, is badly faded, etc., then throw it out. Some consignment shops will take gently used clothing, that you can sell to make a little money. It’s taking up space, which you can use for good, new things to come into your life!
  • Are you a book-aholic like me, and have stacks of books? Go through your personal library and choose some books that you’re already read (or haven’t), that you can part with to bless someone else. Some book stores even pay you a few dollars or cents for your books, so you can make a few bucks–or buy more books!
  • Is your Tupperware cabinet overflowing with extra lids and plastic bowls? Organize this space. Put all the same size bowls and containers together. Do the same for the lids. Or close the containers with the lids and neatly stack them on top of each other. Throw out or give away that extra lid! Like the one sock that has lost its mate, it will do you no good.
  • Tackle your junk drawer. Most families have one in the kitchen, bathroom, office, or somewhere, that is a place where everyone tosses random things in a messy pile: screwdriver, hammer, nails, picture hooks, scissors, cords, etc. Recently I went through ours and organized it, getting rid of anything we didn’t need. You’ll feel so much better–until it piles up again!
  • Look through your supply of sheets, pillow cases, and blankets before winter. If they are ripped and torn, get rid of them and buy new ones. Make sure your electric blanket isn’t real old and in good shape to prevent a fire hazard. Now is a good time to buy fresh, new pillows because of dust mites. You can find cute, colorful, soft pillows for your couches or loveseats at Walmart, Kohl’s, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Walmart has pretty, soft blankets to curl up in and read a good book this cold winter. 
  • Go through every room, closet, and drawer in your house. Look at with a sharp eye. Are there piles of papers? Drawers stuffed with junk you don’t need or use? Cobwebs and dust? Things are in disarray and needing organized? I highly recommend Jennifer Ford Berry’s cute, orange book, Organize Now!, for a complete guide on getting your home and life organized. Get it all done before the holidays hit, so you can just relax and have fun with your family and friends, not worried about your house looks. 

It’s also fun to buy inexpensive fall decorations, like this set of two appetizer plates inscribed with “Thankful/Grateful” and the ceramic orange pumpkin that I found at Target.

appetizer plates

appetizer plates

A fun, annual event that our family does in the fall is visit the Louisburg, MO cider mill, where we buy hot apple cider and eat delicious cider doughnuts. 

fresh apple cider

fresh apple cider

cider doughnuts

cider doughnuts

In autumn, we can enjoy deliciously-scented candles, too, like Pumpkin or Apple Pie or Cinnamon. Light your favorite one at meal time, or take a hot bath soak with lavender, with the lights dim and soft, instrumental music playing to de-stress after a long, hectic day.

Pumpkin scented candles - Pinterest

Pumpkin scented candles
Pinterest

And of course fall is time for Thanksgiving, when we celebrate God’s goodness with family and friends over a feast. My personal faves are the turkey, dressing with gravy, and pumpkin pie! (My mouth is now watering at the thought of the pie!)

http://www.promopro.com/shopping-tips/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Five-Best-Thanksgiving-Apps-for-Your-Perfect-Holiday-Meal.jpg

Thanksgiving meal

What are some of your favorite things about this season? Leave your comments below.

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Happy Fall

Target

Target

 

Heather's office fall decoration

Heather’s office fall decoration

Our daughter Heather loves to shop at Target and recently she bought some fall decorations for her office at work. The above pic is just one of them. Below is another cute one she picked out that says, “Happy Fall.” I love her name on the sign behind it!

office decoration

office decoration

Below is another deco of cute fall leaves. Almost makes me want to work at her place!

Cute fall leaves decos

Heather’s cute fall leaves decos

Fall is one of my fave times of year. Pumpkin spice lattes and everything nice:

  • Tall, genuine leather boots
  • Deliciously scented candles
  • S’mores over a bonfire
  • The leaves changing beautiful colors &  the crunch they make
  • Pretty scarves and stylish fall fashions
  • Soft, warm blankets to cuddle under with a good book
  • Bulky sweaters with big buttons, pockets, and a hood
  • Thanksgiving food with favorite family recipes
  • Cute fall decorations for home and work
  • Fall blog posts

One of the things I love about Target is their dollar bins. Recently I was shopping there, and found this Gratitude Tree below there.

I posted a pic of it on Facebook, and Heather bought it for me. I think it’s a great visual reminder to count your blessings daily and to cultivate a grateful heart. 

Gratitude tree

Gratitude tree

 

tree

tree

 

tree leaves

tree leaves

Target also had these little appetizer plates with the inscription, “Thankful & grateful.” I also loved the ceramic orange pumpkin as a table decoration. Do you ever feel like you could buy everything in the store at Target because it’s just the cutest thing ever, even though you don’t even need it? Yeah, me too!

appetizer plates

appetizer plates

They also had these chic fall wallets. LOVE the teal and purple!

fall wallets

fall wallets

Although I have friends who are chompin’ at the bit to put on their fall boots, sweaters, scarves, and other accessories, I feel an urge this year to put on the brakes. Our kids and grandkids are growing up way too fast, and I want to savor each moment, enjoying the season I’m in now.

Our kids and grandkids

Our kids and grandkids

Recently I found a cute little purse calendar and on one of the pages is the inscription, “Your days are as fun as you make them.” AMEN! 

flower calendar

flower calendar

 

calendar-fun

calendar-fun

What is your favorite thing about fall? Leave your comments below.

“It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”–Daniel 2:21

autumn leaves quote