Works for Me Wednesday...Toys Worth Buying

The theme this week over at Rocks In My Dryer for "Works For Me Wednesday" is Toys Worth Buying. There are lots of great ideas for the upcoming holidays and you can be assured they are mom and kid tested!

My addition to the theme is what to buy your child for his or her toys on the go. For any mom that has a little boy, surely you have 1 or 25 little toy cars lying around the playroom, stairs, dining room, well, any and every room of the house! My little guy loves playing with his cars and he always wants to take them with us when we run errands to play with in the car or just to have sitting beside him.

I found that a soft-sided lunch box works very well to put a few toy cars in and is completely child-friendly for my 2 1/2 year old! He will gather a few of his cars, zip them up in the little lunch box, and off we go.

The great thing is you can find themed lunchboxes at most any retail store. We picked one out that is perfect for carrying around the little guy's toy cars. You can find them in girl themes too and they would be perfect for carrying around little dolls or such. We even throw in a few books for those really long errands!

I think any kiddo would be completely happy with a favorite character themed carrying case for their toys on the go! What a great (and inexpensive) thing to buy for your child or as a gift!

Can You Hear the Rustling of Falling Leaves...

"How silently they tumble down

And come to rest upon the ground

To lay a carpet, rich and rare,

Beneath the trees without a care,

Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.
At other times, they wildly fly

Until they nearly reach the sky.

Twisting, turning through the air

Till all the trees stand stark and bare.

Exhausted, drop to earth below

To wait, like children, for the snow."

- Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November."

- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

"When the trees their summer splendor

Change to raiment red and gold,

When the summer moon turns mellow,

And the nights are getting cold;

When the squirrels hide their acorns,

And the woodchucks disappear;

Then we know that it is autumn,

Loveliest season of the year."

- Carol L. Riser, Autumn

"November's sky is chill and drear, November's leaf is red and sear."- Sir Walter Scott

"The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry's cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I'll put a trinket on."

- Emily Dickinson

"How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child's personality. A child is resentful, negative—or thankful.Thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people."- Sir John Templeton

Light your favorite Fall candle, fix yourself some hot spiced tea, and go visit the Just A Girl blog for some great ideas and links on sharing gratitude with your children this month! Kelli at There is No Place Like Home also has great ideas for counting our blessings with your children.

I plan on making the Gratitude Leaf Garland and daily my children will help me write on a leaf something we are thankful for leading up to Thanksgiving, then I plan on reading these before our big meal!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY ...Monday, November 3, 2008...

Outside My Window...Sounds of the evening...the sun has set

I am thinking...It has been a good Monday, a good start to the week. The Halloween decorations are down and put away and I am looking forward to a month of Thanks

I am thankful for... A soft bed awaiting me, a full belly, the laughter and chatter of my family at days' end

From the kitchen... Nachos with ground turkey taco meat, fat-free re-fried beans, 2% cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, fat-free sour cream, and fresh tomato salsa

I am wearing... Denim capris, amethyst 3/4 length sleeved shirt, bare feet, glasses

I am creating... Crochet daisy squares to put together an afghan for my sweet daughter

I am reading... Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

I am hoping... For peace of mind for my husband and me as we make a decision regarding our families future and home

I am hearing... my husband playing with the children in the family room. He is so kind and gentle a daddy showing great patience with some tired kiddos

Around the house... I will clean bathrooms this week and further ready our flower beds for the chill of autumn

One of my favorite things... the smell of the smoke wisps in the air on chilly autumn evenings as families gather 'round the fireplace, whether indoors or out

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Keep up with the election...we voted early last week, shop for some slacks or skirt for myself and daughter as we are having family portraits taken next week and those two items are all I have left to find, work and further market my business, make some decisions regarding the home...

Here is picture thought I am sharing...(Both my men 'Trick-or-Treating' on Halloween Evening)

Visit Peggy at The Simple Woman Blog for more great Daybook entries...

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.