I Am So Thankful

Unfortunately, for many people, today is the only day they will stop and reflect upon all the blessings in their lives. Many people believe that all the pleasures they enjoy are given to them by pure luck, but this is not so. Every single thing we have is a gift from God. It's so easy to get wrapped up in this busy world of ours and forget it, but we shouldn't.

Jesus loves each and every one of us so much that he still would have died even if there were only one of us to die for. Think about this today as you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family. Here are some things I am thankful for. Does this cover everything? No way, but it is a start...

* My salvation- I don't deserve it, but I'm so grateful I have it
* My wonderful husband and sweet little boy- they both have my heart
* A Mama and Daddy who brought me up in church and love me no matter what
* My in-laws who love me just as much as my parents do
* My family- every last one of them, even if some of them are a little quirky
* My church family
* My students
* My coworkers
* My friends near and far
* My home
* The food on my table and clothes on my back
* Those who serve our country in the military- they sacrifice so much
* Our leaders- we need to pray for them regularly
* Our Nation- God can still turn this place around

Christmas Gifts

I've never been a Black Friday or last minute Christmas shopper. The traffic and crowds drive me nuts, and I'd rather spend a few extra dollars in the long run rather than put up with either of these things. Instead, I prefer to begin buying things in September or so. This helps my wallet, too, because the spending is spread over several months rather than a couple of days. So for me, it's win-win!

This is the second year in a row that I have been completely finished with my shopping before Thanksgiving. This time I even have everything wrapped, too. Now I can just sit back and really enjoy this wonderful holiday season with my family. I love it!

A Monday Off Work

Most of my Mondays are not like today. I usually go full-force in the classroom on Mondays introducing new concepts for the week and teaching my little heart out to 23 little blessings, but today was one of those wonderful Mondays that I had the opportunity to go out into the world and do other things. So, what did I do?

First of all, I slept until 7:30 a.m. I know that's not late for a lot people, but it is for me. Then I took a nice leisurely shower since I had no definite schedule to follow. Then I spent some time with my sweet little boy, laughing and playing.

For a big part of the day, Chandler stayed with his Nana while I finished up my Christmas shopping and ran a few other errands, including putting up the Christmas tree in my classroom and buying a few groceries. I even had time to clean out the toy boxes at our house in preparation for the upcoming holidays.

Although I am very thankful for my job because I know it's where God wants me to be right now, I am also thankful for the days off. It makes me a better mother, wife, and teacher, and if you don't believe me, ask my husband!

Thankful Thursday

1) Today's Thanksgiving Lunch: No, I didn't eat the turkey because it's just not my thing (I actually covered it with my napkin so I didn't have to look at it, and if you know me, you completely understand), but I did enjoy everything else. I'm weird, I know, but I love some good dressing, and I can't wait for more in a couple of weeks. I think it's smart that the school served this meal today instead of right before the break.

2) Christmas Shopping: I'm about half-way finished with this task, and I am so pleased. I'll be even happier when it's all done. My goal is to be finished before Thanksgiving like last year. It's so much less of a hassle to get it done early, and then I can enjoy the holidays more.

3) Tomorrow is Friday: I know that Friday is often on my "Thankful Thursday" list, but seriously, it so often deserves this spot. After working all day for five days in a row and coming home to cook, clean, and play, my body is tired and ready for the weekend!

Finding Joy

So many times I get discouraged about the things going on around me, and I forget how blessed I truly am. However, when I stop and take a few moments to soak up all the wonderful things, I can't help but be joyful. God has given me so many wonderful things,and here are a few of them I have noted today...

* A sleepy, laughing boy who adores me beyond measure
* A husband who washed all of last night's dinner dishes and put them away
* A student who drew me a picture "just because"

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday, I am thankful for...

1) Help Cleaning the House-
Even this little guy helped out. If only his love of dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming would continue in the years to come, I would be one happy Mama, but I know his fascination with these things will surely be short-lived. I'll just enjoy it for now though because it's so darn cute!

2) Toys-
Chandler is not even two years old, and he has more toys than he knows what to do with. Over Thanksgiving break, one of my goals is to sort through all of them. Hopefully at least a few of them can be donated so some other lucky little boy or girl can have some toys, too.

3) FRIDAY-
I am so ready for it! Just the simple fact that I can wear jeans tomorrow to work puts a smile on my face.