Anticipation

Thankful thought of the day - Today I am thankful for anticipation.

 

I love having something to look forward to; the excitement of things to come. This time of year is always full of anticipation. If you know anything about me, you know I love to shop and I love a bargain. Today starts my anticipated countdown to Black Friday. The countdown is just mere days. It no longer measured in months or weeks, but just SIX days.

As with anything I do, I approach it with planning and preparation. Really, let's be honest here. For me, the process of planning for Black Friday is a major production. I have been visiting http://www.bfads.net/ for weeks, updating my "wish" list so I can have an idea where to shop and what to shop for.

I'll get up early Thursday morning to get my paper. It will be full of ads of all the wonderful sales going on. I'll sort the paper, pull out all the ads and place them in two stacks. One stack will be the stores I frequent and one will be the stores I don't normally go to, but I look at their ads anyway.

My husband loves to cook and Thanksgiving dinner is his BIG day of the year. So I will have made my cakes and cookies the day before and I'll stay out of his kitchen on Thursday. While he cooks, I'll do any last minute housekeeping that needs done before the kids arrive. Then I will settle down with the ads and meticulously go through each one to find that perfect gift at that perfect price. I'll start a list of "ideas" that I might want to look for.

When the family comes over later that day, we'll have a wonderful dinner and then relax together as we go through the papers yet again. The kids & grandchildren will give me ideas of things that would please them and I add those to my idea list.

When they journey back home, I shower and get my jammies on. Then I settle down on the couch with a glass of milk, some chocolate oatmeal cookies, my sale papers, and, of course, my list book. While hubby relaxes with his favorite shows, I look at the idea list and compare prices for the different stores. I decide what items I just "have" to have for gifts.

Then I make my master shopping list per store and plan my day for Black Friday. I'll take the sales papers with me that I need in case I have to check back on anything. I'll change purses to one that can go across my body, making it easier to shop and being able to keep my purse safe. I'll get the papers and lists organized, finalized and placed in a tote to carry in the car. I'll lay out the clothes and shoes I want to wear. Finally about midnight, I'll head off to bed. I'll toss and turn most of the night, looking forward to my alarm going off at 4 AM. Within minutes after it rings, I'll be dressed and ready, heading out the door munching on peanut butter and toast and carrying a cold Pepsi.

For those of you who have never done Black Friday, it is something to experience. You hear horror stories, but they are not as common as you would think. I've never witness any violence. I see mostly people asking "Do you see a Sponge Bob in size 4?" "Can you hand me one, I'm too short." Most people waiting in line are cordial and friendly. It's a very relaxing atmosphere believe it or not. Everybody socializes. Being in a tourist area, the thing I hear most is "Where are you from?". It never ceases to amaze me the distance people have traveled to spend the holidays in our little town. When the frenzy of getting what you want is over and you are waiting in a long line to check out, it is human nature for most people to strike up a conversation. One of the things that I enjoy most about those conversations is realizing how many times the subject turns to God and the amazing things He does. It seems like He always places me in line right beside someone who is talking about church and the reason for the season.

Overall, the experience is something I look forward to every year. It's something I'll continue to do as long as I can. I love the thrill. I love the pace. I love the anticipation.

And the winner is....

I received numerous entries and I thank each and every one of my readers who entered. Most entered through email. I encourage each of you who entered to also sign up to become a follower.

Many blogs use something called a random generator, but I must have a simple mind because I did it the old fashioned way. I wrote each entry down on a sticky note and folded them up. Then I shook them up in a basket and we drew the winner out. And the winner is......

Amy from Parkersburg

Congratulations Amy. I'll email you regarding shipping information. Thanks again to everyone who entered!

Words

Thankful thought of the day - Today I am thankful for words.

Words are a big part of our lives. They can calm, they can encourage and they can heal. They can hurt, they can harm and they can destroy. Choose your words carefully. Be kind, be polite, be courteous.

Words are also becoming a very popular decoration around the home. There are plaques and figurines that incorporated words. There are phrases that can be hung on walls or sat on shelves. You can purchase block letters or flat cut outs in wood to decorate yourself. You can make your own words or simply use one letter as a decoration. This is going to be one of my new decor items for the holidays. I scoured the internet and found some that I love that will provide me with ideas to decorate. I see a trip to Hobby Lobby and A.C. Moore in my future!!

Happy birthday

Thankful thought of the day - Today I'm thankful for my daughter-in-law. Happy birthday, Jamie.

In 1998, my son said "I do" and made us the proud in-laws of one of the most special women I know. She has been such a blessing to the family over the years. She has a quiet strength that is always there when you need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to vent to. She & Chris have blessed us with three beautiful grandchildren. She is a wonderful wife, mother and friend. And one of her most important traits is that she is able to put up with me. She always makes me feel like a special grandmother and never makes me feel like the dreaded "mother-in-law". Yet, she feels secure enough in our love for her to cut up with us and tolerate our warped sense of humor. She lets me "borrow" my grandchildren whenever I want.

Jamie, today we celebrate not only your birthday but the fact that our family has been honored to have you in it. Have a very Happy Birthday!

Chris and Jamie Boyle

Christian Garret (11)

Alexis Caroline (6)

Colby James (7 weeks tomorrow)

Vacation time

The things a mother does. They are holding baby animals. I think they are either kangaroos or wallabies.

Mother & Daughter

A family portrait - can't wait to get one this year with the newest addition - Colby James

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMIE

Joy

Thankful thought of the day - Today I am thankful for Joy

There was a song we used to sing in VBS when I was a little girl. It went:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart.

How many times do we let life get in the way and steal our joy? We should always be filled with joy no matter what we are going through. We have so many things in our life that bring us joy and we shouldn't ever let anything take our joy away. What are some of the things that bring me joy?

My husbands smile and the way his eyes light up when I walk in the room.

The laughter of my grandchildren.

Listening to my grandchildren having conversations among themselves.

Talking with my children.

Holidays.

Saturday morning calls with Mom to catch up on our week.

Visiting with my family.

Having out of town guests.

Singing in the choir.

Working in Children's Church

Sermons.

Baking.

Shopping.

Sunday drives on beautiful spring days.

Setting in the sun at the beach.

Reading.

Bubble baths.

Pizza with a side order of M & M's.

A Milky Way

A tall glass of Pepsi loaded with ice.

A really good hot dog.

Planting flowers and watching them grow.

The smell of jasmine and gardenia.

Sunrises and sunsets.

My life.

Thankful thought of the day - Today I'm thankful for traditions.

In my house, we have many family traditions for the holidays. Certain decor that each family has used over the years; certain foods that are a "must" for snacking.

I am so thankful for traditions. For it is traditions that bond families together and make the holiday so special. Here are just a few of the traditions we have had over the years.

My Mamaw Eden, my mom and myself always put out our poinsettias as the first decoration of the Christmas season. When I first got married and Mamaw was still alive, there was always a race to see who got theirs out first. We never put them out until we were ready to decorate completely and we never put them out until after Thanksgiving. I never won. Mom or Mamaw always beat me to it. Over the years, we have used the fake plastic ones from the 5 & 10 stores. We graduated to silk ones where those became the rave. We even put out real ones on occasion. But to us, Christmas was not here until the poinsettias were in the living room.

I haven't done one of these in years, but I'm going to try to get one made this year. We would get together and Dad would drill our holes and we would decorate our yule logs. We would put felt on the bottom to protect the furniture. We each decorated ours to our own taste, using greenery, ribbons and various Christmas floral picks.

This is one of my traditions. Somewhere in my house, I have to have pine cones. It's not Christmas without some decoration using pine cones. I like to use real ones. Sometimes I paint the tips with glue and dip them in glitter. Sometimes I spray paint them and sometimes I just leave them plain. I usually place them in some type of dish or bowl. Sometime I weave ribbon through the bowl and sometimes I place pine boughs in with them. But either way, I have to do pine cones at Christmas. I'm in search of some this year. We do not have pine trees so I have to call on friends and family to see if I can get some.

It's just not Christmas without my tree being a mish-mash of memories. The first ornaments that go on our tree are the old glass ornaments that belonged to hubby's Granny Keefer. When she passed away, his grandfather gave them to us and they have decorated our tree ever since. They have their own special box and are each wrapped in soft cotton to prevent breakage. They are placed on with great care and high enough that the grandbabies can't reach.

Papaw is a train buff. He has always been fascinated with them and has passed his infatuation down to the grandchildren. They all love trains and love when he lets them hold some of his old trains. About 8 years ago, we purchased this Hallmark snow globe. You wind it up to play a Christmas Song and the trains moves around the track. The grandkids are spell bound. It's one of those special moments when he holds the globe and winds it for the first time each Christmas. They all gather around him and stand in awe as the train moves around. 

I don't have this style anymore, but growing up, we used to always decorate our windows with these electric candles. Some years the bulbs were green, sometimes red, and sometimes blue. Over the years, I changed to those you just twist on that are battery powered. But I still love the tradition of a candle in the window.

Another family tradition is a Christmas tablecloth. I scour the stores every year looking for the perfect one to fit the mood of my decorations that year. Some years, I'm in to the Santa theme and go with a red style tablecloth. Some years I use all my snowmen stuff and go back to a blue with snowflakes tablecloth. Whatever the mood, me and Mom always have a Christmas tablecloth for the holidays.

Some of my favorite family traditions are the sweets. We have a wonderful recipe for peanut butter balls passed down from Mamaw Eden. Mamaw and Mom would make them every year and they always gave us a tin with some in it. Now that Mamaw's gone, we don't get them as much. One year I decided to make them myself. Oh my gosh! Nobody ever told me how long it took or how MANY it makes. 

Mom has the great recipe for chocolate candy. I call it candy not fudge, because it sets up hard and doesn't have to be refrigerated. One of  my greatest achievements was when I actually made it and it turned out right. It is one of those "beat it until it almost sets up". I always got too impatient and ended up with a chocolaty syrupy sugary concoction that was not edible. But I learned to be patient and now I can make it just fine. This is my all time favorite candy.

That's just some of my favorite family traditions. I'm sure your family has some of its own. To my blogging friends, I would love to see what some of your traditions are. I think it is nice to learn the different things that bring a smile to our faces.

Good Morning Monday

Thankful thought of the day - I actually have two thankful thoughts for today. I did not post one yesterday since I did my memorial to Marshall. So I'll post both today. Yesterday, I was thankful for Sundays; thankful that God provided us with a day to rest and relax and that He even instructed us to do that. Today, I am thankful for peace.

As many of you know, my favorite bible verse is Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know that I am God....

When I saw this quote above, it just strengthened my belief in the importance of this verse. He is our calm in the midst of a storm. He whispers sweet peace to my soul. When things go wrong around us and we feel those little "panic attacks" rising within, if we will just let Him take control, things will be much more peaceful.

There are times in my life where I start getting rattled and let the little things build up to the point where I just feel frazzled. It's at those times, when I take a deep breath, close my eyes, look toward the Father and gently whisper "Help." It is at those times, in the midst of the storms when I most feel His hand guiding me and His arms protecting me as He guides me to shore. He doesn't always make the storms disappear, but He always allows me to find peace in them until things look up. The McKamey's sing a song that says it all......Sometimes He calms the storms and sometimes He calms me.

May you all have a peaceful Monday.