Thankful Thursday...

Today, Iris at Grace Alone is writing about why she is thankful for her five senses. It is a lovely post. Be sure to visit and read it.

In counting my blessings this week, I am thankful for:

• The privilege to serve our community and children via our preschool/Kinder/Pre-K program at church
• My house (I am praying very hard on this one...we LOVE our house, location, neighbors, proximity to great schools...however, we are a growing family plus I work from home and do find we are in need of more space. We currently live in a beautiful home. It keeps us sheltered. It offers separate rooms for my children. It has a sepaate office, dining, and play room. It sounds silly and petty to want more. I find that we have enough rooms but need a little extra space in each room for storage and such, especially with the kids getting bigger and my business [prayerfully] expanding.) So, I am thankful for the home I have. It is our family's haven in a busy world. However, I am praying on what decision we need to make for the future.
• My business. I am able to work out of my house running my own small business. It keeps me available to my children and husband and allows me to feel at peace with my domesticity working together with my professional life. I am in prayer over this as well right now as I am considering expanding in some different directions and hope and pray that the path laid before me will be positive for me and my family.
• As always, what I am most thankful for is my God who knows my heart, my husband who cherishes me, and my children who inspire me to be the best mother/teacher/role model I can be.

"Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting."~ Author Unknown ~

Show and Tell Friday...

Kelli over at 'There is No Place Like Home' hosts a show and tell each Friday. Today is my first participation.

My show and tell is pictures of the initial 'R' that I have around our home. 'R' begins our family last name. I am proud of my family and what we stand for so I enjoy finding items to decorate our nest with our last name initial.

"Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable." ~W.H. Auden

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers

I am quite fond of these little teacups and the linen napkins. I am not sure if you can see, but the napkin that is in the teacup has a little red embroidered ladybug on it! If you had not guessed from my blog, I just adore ladybugs! I found the teacup and the linen napkins at Anthropologie and fell in love with them!

I hope you enjoyed sharing my treasured letter! Go visit Kelli for more Friday Show and Tell!

Thankful Thursday...

Here is another moment to reflect on my many thanks...

Yesterday a cool front made its way across Texas and it brought welcomed Fall weather - blustery wind, grey skies, and a bit of rain. But before all that, I took a walk with my toddler son, as he rode around on his little scooter. The sky was the bluest blue as we walked, before the weather changed. We were delighting in pointing out all the pumpkins and festive fall decor adorning all the homes in our neighborhood. We live in a very family-oriented neighborhood (one of the things I am thankful for) and it is so calming to share the same values and ideals with our neighbors and friends that surround us. During the walk I was just overcome with what the Lord has placed before us - the beauty in nature, even little things if we just take the time to breathe and see. Breathe and see, sometimes that is the best answer. Don't fret and panic, breathe and see...

Me and the little guy came home and prepared for the cooler weather and made ready for our afternoon snack we would share with my daughter after we picked her up from school...homemade hot cocoa in special festive cups, the children helping me sprinkle pretzels after I dipped them in chocolate bark, and the fellowship of being together in the kitchen, our hands making our snack and enjoying conversation and the company of each other. Breathe and see... To breathe-in is also called inspiration....hmm...think about that one: If we take time to really breathe we can also experience inspiration in the other sense of the word too, to be inspired and to really see...Breathe in and let the wonder of the Lord inspire you.

Here are the pictures of my thankful afternoon spent with my children...



"Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."
-Psalm 30:10-12

For more Thankful Thursday posts, go visit Iris at Grace Alone.

With Love, To My Daughter...

A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer. ~Author Unknown

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown

I started a new project. I am still making the Granny Squares for my family room afghan but since I am confident in my ability now, I have started on an afghan for my daughter! Her room is pink and green (a garden theme) and she has a Victorian crazy quilt from PBK on it with daisy's, pink and green gingham, etc., etc.

I found a great pattern for Daisy Granny Squares and started on those! I have only completed six and need about 56 for the throw I want to make her, but I completed those in a couple of days, so I figure if I work a little each day I can have it finished for a Christmas gift! I am still deciding on whether to use all Daisy Squares or mix it up with a few plain pink, green, or white squares, or maybe some classic Granny squares in pink and green, or any combination of pink, green, and white.

I am saying a prayer with each square I make and envisioning my sweet princess snuggled up with this blanket and it keeping her warm, covering her in her mother's prayers. It is such soft yarn that I just know it will be something so nice to snuggle under.

You can find the pattern on Mary Ellen's site. There are lots of cute 'Granny Alongs' out there on blogs and some great pictures on Flickr.

Quilt Giveaway!

If you haven't yet, go visit this talented girlie at Pigtails and Snails. She is giving away a beautiful quilt. Her blog has some great pics and information on quilting and her the life and times of a mommy in the midst of it all!

Thankful Thursday

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."~ Melody Beattie ~

This week I am thankful for:

• My husband and children that make my house a home.
• A day spent in the company of my aunt and lunch with my sister and nephew.
• Being humbled in a moment of 'green eyed-ness' and remembering this quote: "Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances..."
• Neighbors that truly do care.
• A soft, warm bed to fall into at the end of the day.
• A mom that gives up her Saturday afternoon to play with my toddler so my husband and I can spend the time with my daughter for a special outing just about her.
• Soft new yarn found in the perfect colors for a new project.
• The cool front that has arrived and brought with it some rain and fall weather!
• My little boy's healing knee.
• The upcoming holidays and family and friends that I look forward to sharing them with.
• The weekend in sight and plans to spend it with family.

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high:To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning,and thy faithfulness every night"— Psalms 92.1-2

To read more Thankful posts, visit Iris at Grace Alone.

My Newest Obsession...

Where have I been you might ask? There are many answers to that question, but the one that is most fun is that I taught myself to crochet! I am working on granny squares to piece together into my first afghan. I also took a knitting class that was most helpful in my knitting that I started...LAST Autumn! But for now, the grannies are my obsession. I am going to use the ones I am currently working on for an afghan for my family room and it is good practice so as soon as I finish this I have great plans for this snowflake afghan with a red background instead of blue. I want to make an afghan for my daughter sort of like this one, and then an afghan for my son sort of like this one!

Oh and THEN, I found these cute patterns: 'Santa's Cookies and Milk' and this Nativity are high on my list that I hope to complete before Christmas. I also adore these: Pumpkin Pie, a cute reindeer, oh, and this little mouse to go with one of my daughter's favorite books....you can see how my OCD is taking over with the potential for cuteness that I might create.

Here are the Granny Squares in progress and then the 12 I have completed as of today:

I'll update my progress but for now, back to my Grannies!