...my dirt

this thankful is a hard one to write.

but i think i should feel it.

because it is the truth.

 

so i guess i'm just gonna

...fake it 'til i make it...

 

even though i am always honest,

i will never share all the dirt in my life.

 

however, i do think i should be thankful for my dirt.

if i truly believe what i say i believe, i should be thankful for all that dirty dirt.

 

i do know that during the hard times i pray more.

i do know that the difficult things make me lean on Jesus more.

and i do know that digging through all that dirt the way God wants me to, makes me more like him.

 

but, honestly, it is very hard for me to be thankful for that dirt.

in theory i know that i am totally undeserving of anything good.

i am a sinner after all.

but in my humanness i want to think i only deserve the best.

obviously i need to work on being humble.

 

so today i am going to

...fake it 'til i make it...

and i am going to be thankful for all the dirt in my life.


and just because a happy picture is needed-
a place where there is only sand, no dirt:

summer 2011
 

 

...my thanksgiving day

this year I got to spend thanksgiving with my whole family.

 

husband, our boys, parents, sister, nephew,

grandmothers, aunt and friends.

it was good.

 

i didn't take a single picture as usual.

first we eat. no one wants their picture taken while they are eating.

then we clean the kitchen. not really a time to take a picture.

finally we sit down to visit. just doesn't seem like the best time either.

 

thanksgiving evening we went to visit our very most favorite friends.

we ate an unbelievable pumpkin cheese cake and talked and laughed

while our 11 children played.

 

and i didn't bring my camera.

 

even though i will not remember every detail,

i will always remember the happiness i felt.

 

i am thankful for spending thanksgiving with the people i love.

...limits and priorities

 

me and my best buddy are eating chocolate chips while i type this.

because isn't that what you do when you have too much to do???

i need to get off this computer and spend real time with him.

 

today i am thankful for knowing my limits.

and my priorities.

 

and today i don't have the mental energy to type anything meaningful.

this is it.

 

today i am making rolls, cookies and an apple butter pumpkin pie.

yummy fun for me!

my big boys are out of school today.

i really do like it when they are home.
oh, they have requested that i make cinnamon rolls too.
i better get busy!

...creativity

i heard something about God and creativity once.

and since i didn't write it down -

i can't remember it exactly.

it went something like...

God is the author of all creativity.

because you know He did create everything.

 

anyways, it made sense to me.

and somehow from that i figured out that we are all creative.

even me.  it was then that i began to see my creative side.

 

my creativity is a lot like me.

it is neat, orderly and not too messy.

i just finished sewing a little pouch.

i've been wanting to make it for a while.

but, it needed a zipper and i didn't know how to do zippers.

it turned out perfect!

 

 

today i am thankful for my creativity.

...duckin'

husband took the 2 oldest boys duck hunting for the first time.

caden called it duckin'.

they left the house at 2:30 am.
and came back with 3 dead ducks.
the boys said husband can sling his gun off his back ninja style
and blast the ducks before they can even get their guns into position.

exhausted.

they said it was boss!
...that means lots of fun in middle school lingo.
they already have their next 2 hunting trips planned.
 

i am thankful husband is able to take our boys duckin'.

...pearls

i am not into current fashion trends.

i have my own style...

it includes lots of white shirts, linen in the summer, sweaters or fleece in the winter,

scarves year around, minimal jewels, always comfortable and always affordable.

 

i have been wanting some pearls for a while now.

i finally found some that met all my requirements:

so big that they are obviously fake,

a good color - at least to me,

not too long,

and matching earrings.

 

today i wore them for the first time.

 

 

i wore them granny style - the necklace and earrings together.

with a denim jacket - totally not granny style.

 

today i am thankful for my new pearls.