I am Grateful for my family.

My mom, my dad, my sisters, my brother.

They are some of the most amazing people I know.  They are my best friends.

I have been through my toughest times with them by my side and I have supported them through their hard times.

I love being close to them.  We have so much fun together and we always have!  I miss them, but knowing that they are part of me and that they are thinking of me fills me with so much gratitude and love that I have a hard time finding words to express myself.

It is my prayer that my own family will share the same kind of closeness and love and joy that I grew up with.

I am Grateful for L

She is one of the sweetest, friendliest, and most affectionate people I have ever known.  Her kisses are quick and plentiful along with her hugs.  

She is also fiery with a quick temper that sometimes baffles me.

She is learning to talk and in the morning will stand in her crib saying, "Mommy!" over and over and over...and over.

She adores O and follows her around all day long.  

She loves her Daddy so, so much; he can make her laugh like no other.  

She is kooky and sweet, fiery but gentle.  

I am grateful for L.

I'm alive!

Hello!
I am over at Tales of a Trophy Wife today!  Come on over and say hi!
I'll be back here later today to catch up on my gratitude.  =)

3 for Thursday!!!

Whoa!  I almost didn't make it!  Let's go!

Three things that is stole borrowed from my kids' Halloween stash.
1.  All the Baby Ruth mini bars.
2.  A caramel apple.
3.  Smarties.

Three things I buy that have to be name brand.
1.  Dawn dish soap.  Nothing works better.
2.  Chewy Chips Ahoy.
3.  Edy's Rocky Road ice cream.  It is the only one left with real marshmallows.

Three things I spend more than 15 minutes doing every day.
1.  Pinterest.
2.  Sleep during Sesame Street (late nights, early mornings = Mommy has earned a daily nap.)
3.  Try so hard to keep up with bloggy friends and e-mails. 

Three things that put me in a fantastic mood.
1.  Belting out a good song.
2.  Talking on the phone with my mom or sisters.
3.  A good hug and/or kiss from the Mister.
Three things I do that a grown woman has no right to be doing anymore.
1.  Use any excuse I can to put glitter on my face.
2.  Watch only the Disney channel.  (Ok, I branch out sometimes, but rarely.  The TV is only on when the kids are awake.)
3.  Freak out (just a little) when I go to the basement at night to change the laundry.

Three pictures:
I just recently uploaded a bunch of photos from my iPod.  These are all from my trip home this summer.

Me and one of my sweet nieces.

Maybe I should have listed this under one of the things a grown woman has no right doing.

This is one of about 5 pictures of me and my sister, Erin.

Ok, perhaps I'm brown-nosing name-dropping a little here, but...

I got to visit with Evelyn when we went home.  This is in my mom's backyard and that boy that L is lovingly gazing at is Evelyn's son, Dee.  I thought she should see that.  =)

There!  Now, to join in the fun, head over to Evelyn's blog, Hanging By a Silver Lining!

I am Grateful for O

She is my firstborn.

She is beautiful in body and spirit.  

I don't believe I have ever known such a sweet and tender person.  She is friendly.  She is loving.  Every person she sees, especially other little girls, are automatically, without hesitation, considered friends.

She is like me:  Emotional, meticulous, a rule-follower, organized, a planner.  

She is not like me:  Her hair is blonde!

I love her so.  I love talking with here and hearing the thoughts running through her busy mind.  I love that several times a day she will call out to me, "Mommy!  I love you!"

I am so blessed.

I Am Grateful, Day 2

I am grateful for my husband.

Isn't he handsome?

He is a full-time (I'm talking over 20 credits for the last 4 semesters) P.A. student.  He works very, very hard on very little sleep and even makes sure I am taken care of (getting out of the house on occasion, eating enough chocolate, reading good books) before he thinks of himself.  He is adored by his daughters and loves to take them on picnic dates to the park or give them horseback rides around the house.  

He is a good hugger.  He is a good listener.  He loves to cuddle.  He thinks I am the best cook in the entire world.  He even likes the food I burn!  He is an amazing husband.  There are not enough words in the world to describe how much I love him and how grateful I am that he made me his wife.  

I Am Grateful

Welcome to November!

I absolutely love this time of year.  Today is the day that I feel the holiday season officially begins.  Halloween is just like a little teaser.

I have always felt that Thanksgiving and Christmas go together.  Each is a way to celebrate the many things I have to be grateful for and to serve and love and be happy.

I had a great day planned today to kick things off.  Unfortunately, I have instead been in bed for most of the day with a rather nasty little flu.  Dang it.

That's ok, though.  I'll get through it and still enjoy my holidays.

Now, I have a lot planned over the next couple of months: lots of gifts to make, treats to bake, decorations to create.  It's all going to be great fun!  I will share with you what I can, but some of my recipients read this blog faithfully.  Sorry, Family; I won't be posting pictures of your gifts here.  I'll post those in January.

For this month, I would like to take a little step back from some crafting.  I want to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday to give some thanks and to share with you a few of the many things I am thankful for.

I'll probably still post a few crafts here and there, though.  I can't really resist, you know.


So, to start things off, I need to express gratitude for something I should have mentioned ages ago.

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon.  I don't talk about it very much and I am sorry for that.  I hold my feelings about the church very sacred and I hesitate to talk too much about it on this blog and I will probably continue to do so.  I don't want to seem pushy (if you have questions, though, please feel free to ask me)  But, it should be obvious to all who know me, that my church and my beliefs are very important to me.  I am who I am because of the Church and I am very, very, very happy because of the Gospel.

Recently, I got to go on a trip to the LDS Temple in Washington D.C.  I was so excited to go.  I have never been to Washington D.C. and I haven't been able to go to the temple in about 2 years.  So, everything about this trip was good for me.

The temple was so beautiful.

And, just so you wouldn't think I just posted a picture of a picture, here is a picture of me making a weird face (not on purpose, but the only picture I took) in front of it. 

But still, standing in front of it, I felt as if I had walked into a painting.  A very peaceful and welcoming painting. 

I went with the women in my branch and had a great time!  It is always fun to spend time with friends.

There was a lot of good food, good conversation, a few laughs, and even a little bit of this: 

Oh!  And, we went to Golden Corral for lunch.  Did you know they have a chocolate fountain there?

Oh, yeah.

Today, I am grateful for my membership in the Church, for the peace and joy it brings into my life, for the friendships I have made, and for the person I am because of it.