30 Days of Thanks- Day 28: Snowman Mugs

 

 "A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!" ~Author Unknown

Hello again my friends! Well, the month of November is almost over and that means I'm almost to the end of my 30 Days of Thanks. Taking the time to post things I am thankful for this whole month has really helped remind me of how many things I have to be truly thankful for. There are lots of crazy, stressful, difficult things going on in my life, but there are also many blessings in my life that I am thankful for.

On Day 28 of my 30 Days of Thanks I am thankful for all the snowman mugs I have accumulated over the years. Some of those mugs have been given to me as gifts, and some are ones I saw in the store and thought were really cute, so I bought it. I am a big lover of all things snowman. Most of these mugs are put away in a cupboard in my laundry room until the Christmas season rolls around again. However, we do have a few we keep in the kitchen cupboard to use on a regular basis. Who says snowman stuff can only be put out at Christmas time? Not me.

I also have a few wine glasses that would never get used if I only used them to drink wine out of because I don't drink wine, or any sort of alcohol. (It messes my stomach up so it's a no-no for me.) I decided the other morning, when I was getting a glass out of the cupboard for some orange juice, that I was going to use one of those wine glasses for my juice instead of just letting them sit there, not being used. It was so fun using that wine glass. I felt all fancy using it. I will be using them a lot more often than I have in the past.

What's the purpose of saving those "special" things only for certain times? Why do we do that? Why do we keep special things up until certain occasions to pull them out and use them? Why not enjoy them now? Use the good china for supper tonight. Drink out of those special glasses just for the heck of it. Wear that beautiful dress you've been saving for a special occasion. Don't wait till tomorrow, or for a certain occasion, to enjoy the special things you have.

Just as we wait to use those special dishes and glasses until a special occasion comes along, we sometimes think if only "this" would happen then I would be truly happy. Why wait for certain things to happen before deciding to be truly happy and start living your life to the fullest? Why not make the most of the life we have now? Time passes way too quickly and once it's gone, well, we can't get it back. Live your life to the fullest instead of just getting through the day thinking that one day things will be exactly the way you want and then you will start enjoying it. We aren't promised tomorrow. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. Today is all we have.

Until next time my friends, be blessed! Take those special dishes out and use them for supper tonight!

"It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis." ~Margaret Bonnano

"We are always getting ready to live but never living."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Why be saddled with this thing called life expectancy? Of what relevance to an individual is such a statistic? Am I to concern myself with an allotment of days I never had and was never promised? Must I check off each day of my life as if I am subtracting from this imaginary hoard? No, on the contrary, I will add each day of my life to my treasure of days lived. And with each day, my treasure will grow, not diminish." ~Robert Brault

30 Days of Thanks- Day 27: Decorating the Tree

  "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."  ~Calvin Coolidge

Hello again my bloggy friends! I have fallen behind, again, on my posts. Please pray for me. I need it in this area. Consistency has always been a big problem for me. I am consistent in some areas, but in others, well, I stink.

For Day 27 of my 30 Days of Thanks, I am thankful for the time spent with my daughters decorating our Christmas tree each year. We have been doing that together since they were very little. It's a tradition that has been passed on from when I was a child and used to do the same thing with my mom.

I remember how me, my mom, and sometimes my little brother, would go to a local Christmas Tree Farm called O'neal's every year to pick out our tree. He had the best trees there. After we walked around looking for just the perfect one for us, we would get Mr. O'neal to cut it down and load it in the trunk. We would take our perfect little tree home and get it all set up in the stand, and then came the best part, decorating it. We would turn on the Christmas music, which always consisted of my mom's Christmas records. You don't hear that word much anymore; records. I can still hear those same songs today and all those wonderful memories come flooding back.

Here are some of the songs we used to listen to while decorating the tree: Elvis Presley- Blue Christmas, Here Comes Santa Clause, I'll Be Home For Christmas....Andy Williams- White Christmas, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....and of course it wouldn't be complete without Burl Ives singing, Holly Jolly Christmas. Those songs are classics, but they never get old to me. It's funny, but my girls love some of those same Christmas songs that I used to love listening to at this time of the year.

My husband always says my tree looks the same every year. Well, that could be because I put the same ornaments on it every year. Most of the ornaments we have hold sentimental value for me. Some are ones the girls made when they were little, some were given to me as gifts by people I love, some I made, and some are the girls favorites that have to be on the tree each year.

I cherish these times with my girls because I don't know how much longer I will have them here with me at home. Brittany is twenty and Taylor is seventeen. I get choked up and teary-eyed just thinking about the day when they leave home to start their own family. What in the world will I do then? You should probably start praying for me now because I really don't know how I am going to deal with the empty-nest thing when it happens.

What are some Christmas traditions you have for your family? Do you have special events and things you do each year? Cherish those special times with your loved ones my friends. Hold them close to your heart and take every opportunity to tell them you love them. Okay, I really need to get on with the next post since I'm sitting here crying like a baby now.

Until next time my friends, be blessed!

"Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas." ~Dale Evans 

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." ~ Norman Vincent Peale 

30 Days of Thanks- Day 26: Beauty for Brokenness

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." ~Psalm 147:3

Welcome back friends! Today is Day 26 of my 30 Days of Thanks. Today I am thankful for the beauty that God brings from the brokenness of our lives.

It's comforting to know that even through the painful, heartbreaking situations we experience in our lives, that God can still bring beauty out of it.

Have you ever thought.....there is no way anything good can come from this situation. I have thought that a time or two myself. Okay, maybe more than a time or two. I have thought there is no way anything beautiful can come from some of the ugly, painful situations I have walked through. I was thinking there was just too much heartache and pain to get past. I thought there are just too many broken pieces to ever think it will be whole again.

When we are in the midst of a dark storm, it's hard to see the light of day. We tend to focus on the pain and the discomfort we feel right now because, well, it hurts and we don't like hurting. It can feel overwhelming and hopeless. Many times we can't see beyond the hurt. It feels like we're in this desert place and will never get out. As long as we have God walking with us through those hard things, through the desert, we can trust that He will bring us out and even bring beauty from it.

There have been many situations throughout my life where God has redeemed what was lost. He has brought something beautiful out of what was at first broken and painful. God is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Have you ever been brokenhearted or crushed in spirit? I'm guessing you are shaking your head and saying a hearty "Yes!" I don't think there are too many people who have not experienced heartache and brokenness in this life. It's pretty much a sure thing that at some time or another, we all will experience.

Brokenness isn't always a bad thing. It may feel awful and the pain may be deep, but from that brokenness can spring forth something more beautiful than anything we could have imagined. God uses our brokenness to draw us closer to Him. It empties us of ourselves as we cry out to Him.

God has promised to heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds. He knows every tear we've cried. He knows every hurt we've felt. He knows every part of our broken heart.

He has not forgotten you dear one. He knows the depth of your hurt. Be encouraged in knowing that He can, and will, use your brokenness to make something beautiful. He will give you beauty for ashes. He is well able to take care of all that concerns you. He wants to draw you into His embrace. He wants to love and comfort you as only He can do.

Here is a link from Sheri Rose Shepherd with His Princess Love Letter about Beautifully Broken. I hope it ministers to your heart.
http://hisprincess.com/2012/11/beautifully-broken/

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.” ~Vange Havner

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."~Psalm 34:18

“True brokenness is a lifestyle – a moment-by-moment lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and life – not as everyone else thinks it is but as He knows it to be.” ~Nancy Leigh DeMoss

 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." ~ Psalm 51:17

30 Days of Thanks- Day 25: Bible Study Group

Hello again my friends! It's Day 25 of my 30 Days of Thanks.

Today I am thankful for the ladies in the Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study Group that I'm a part of. We are just beginning a new book study today for a book called Greater by Steven Furtick. This is the fourth book study I've been involved in with this group.  It means so much to have the support of this group of ladies. Just having a safe place to open up, without fear of judgement or condemnation, is so comforting.

These ladies are real, they are honest, they are full of compassion and so encouraging and supportive, and they pray for one another. I have never met any of them in person, but I feel like I have known them for years. Maybe one day I will actually be able to meet some of them.

I believe God brought this group of ladies together for a purpose. He has already used this group of ladies to help me grow in my walk with Him. I am looking forward to whatever He has planned for all of us in our brand new study.

If you've never been involved with an online Bible Study Group, I would encourage you to give it a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.  It's not too late to join us in our new study. If you're interested, here's the link to get you signed up. http://melissataylor.org/  The sign up info is on the right hand side of the page. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of help to you.

Until next time my friend, be blessed!


"Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors: our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be." ~Elizabeth Fishel

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself." ~Jim Morrison 

"The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity." ~ Ulysses S. Grant

30 Days of Thanks- Day 24: My Hubby's Stew

 “I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.” ~Elbert Hubbard quotes

Hello again my bloggy friends! Well today I will finally be caught up on my posts. It's about time! Things have been very busy around here and I've had little time to get my blogging done. I remember now why I stopped doing daily blogs. Too much to do!

Okay, so here I am at Day 24 of my 30 Days of Thanks, and today I am thankful for my hubby's Brunswick stew. It's a great day here in Virgina for a hot, steaming bowl of stew. I don't want to brag, but my husband makes the best stew I've ever eaten. Just so you don't think I'm being biased, I'm not the only one who raves about his stew. He has made quite a few stews for church fundraisers, and everyone always comments on how good it is. He makes at least one stew for our family each year when the weather turns colder. He just made one yesterday, so we have about twenty quarts in the freezer now to hold us over through the winter. There have even been people who claimed that they didn't like Brunswick stew, who have changed their minds after trying my hubby's stew.

This blog isn't solely about Brunswick stew, although I am very thankful that my hubby is so good at it and I get to reap the benefits of his skills. It's more about how nice it is when people compliment and encourage you for something you do well. When others notice the hard work you've done and they take the time to tell you, it really makes you feel good. It's such a common thing anymore to see people beat each other down and always find something to complain about instead of building each other up and encouraging each other. Many times we get so caught up in how we feel and what we want, that we forget how other people feel and what they may be going through themselves.

After being taken for granted and belittled for so long, it can really beat a person down to the point where they don't even want to bother doing anything for anyone anymore. Don't we all want to know we are appreciated and the things we do make a difference to someone? What if we all took the time each day to find something to thank someone for? What if we told someone how much we appreciate all they do? What if we started telling them what a great job they do at something that maybe we take for granted?


Until next time my friends, be blessed!

"Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it. " ~Ralph Marston

"There are realities we all share, regardless of our nationality, language, or individual tastes. As we need food, so do we need emotional nourishment: love, kindness, appreciation, and support from others." ~ J. Donald Walters 

30 Days of Thanks- Day 23: Chocolate

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." 

~Bruce Lee

Welcome back my friends! I hope your Thanksgiving was blessed. Okay, you knew I was going to have to use one of these 30 Days of Thanks to be thankful for chocolate, right? I absolutely love the taste of chocolate! Unfortunately, I can't eat it as much, or as often, as I would like, but I do have a little now and again. The caffeine in chocolate causes me to feel bad, so I try not to indulge in it very often.

I found a recipe online at www.food.com for chocolate chess pie that is beyond yummy. I will include a link to the recipe at the end of my post. You really should give it a try. I haven't had the best results when I've tried making chocolate chess pie before, but this time, it was a winner. The chocolate fudge pie from Ukrop's Bakery is probably my favorite chocolate pie, but the pie I made comes in a close second.

How about you? What is your favorite chocolate dessert or treat? Please feel free to share some of your recipes with me. I am thinking about doing a Christmas recipe blog for December. I am always looking for new recipes to try.

Until next time my friends, be blessed!

http://www.food.com/recipe/chocolate-chess-pie-22421


"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." ~Charles M. Schulz

"After about 20 years of marriage, I'm finally starting to scratch the surface of what women want. And I think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." ~ Mel Gibson

30 Days of Thanks- Day 22: Thanksgiving Day

 "Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to God in honor and praise for His goodness."  ~Robert Casper Lintner

Happy Thanksgiving to you, my friends! I hope your day has been a very blessed one surrounded by loved ones from near and far.

Today is Day 22 of my 30 Days of Thanks, and today I am thankful for Thanksgiving. I am feeling completely worn out and my body is hurting because a lot of time and effort went into preparing the house and the meal for Thanksgiving supper, but it was worth it to be able to have those memories of precious time spent with loved ones.

I am so thankful that my daughters helped me get things ready today. I don't know how I would have done everything if they hadn't helped out so much. Thank you girls! I love you!!!

What about you? How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was relaxing and enjoyable. I am off to go soak in a hot bath before heading off to bed. Sleep well my friends! Until next time, be blessed!

"Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse." ~Henry Van Dyke

"Pride slays thanksgiving, but an humble mind is the soil out of which thanks naturally grow. A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves." ~Henry Ward Beecher
 

30 Days of Thanks- Day 21: Grateful Attitudes

"The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Hello there my bloggy friends! It's Thanksgiving Eve, as my younger daughter, Taylor, calls it. I hope your day has been a good one and that tomorrow will be a very blessed time for you and your family.

On Day 21 of my 30 Days of Thanks, I am thankful for grateful attitudes. It does my heart good when I see people who are truly thankful for what they have and for what they've been given. It seems more common than not that grateful attitudes are in short supply these days.

Have you ever done something for someone, I mean really gone out of your way to help someone, and they didn't even act like they were thankful at all? Or maybe as long as you were doing what they wanted they acted like they were grateful, but as soon as something didn't go their way they changed their attitude?  How did that make you feel? I can tell you how I felt when that happened to me.....angry, upset, sad, discouraged. It also made me feel like I didn't want to do anything else for that person again because of how they acted.

I've come to realize that when I do something for someone, whether they say thank you or not, God sees what I am doing and the sacrifice I am making. He is the One who will bless me in return, even when others don't act like they are grateful. He knows the attitude of my heart and He will make things right. He will cause all things to work together for my good.

If you are doing something for someone, out of the goodness of your heart, then you can trust that He will return blessings to you.
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I would like to take a moment to say, "Thank you" to all of you, my bloggy friends, for being so faithful in keeping up with my blog. It means so much to me to know that you take time out of your busy day to read my posts. I have thought about giving up on the blogging thing quite a few times since I started, but your encouraging comments have helped keep me going. Thank you again!

Until next time my friends, be blessed and keep an attitude of gratitude!
 
"Gratitude is the fairest blossom that springs from the soul." ~Henry Ward Beecher

 "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~William Arthur Ward

"Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us." ~Lauryn Hill

30 Days of Thanks- Day 20: A New Day

"Every day is a fresh beginning. Every morn is the world made new." ~Sarah Chauncey Woolsey

Good Wednesday to you my friends! I hope your week is going good. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Do you have family coming in, or are you going to be traveling to a relatives house? We are doing both. Thankfully, we won't be traveling far at all since my in-laws house is right across the field from our house. We will be going there for lunch, and later me and my daughters will be cooking for supper since my mom and my brother usually come to our house for Thanksgiving. I still have lots of things that need to be done. Busy, busy, busy! 

It's Day 20 of my 30 Days of Thanks, and today I am thankful for the gift of a new day. As I was watching the sun come up over the trees in our backyard this morning, I was thinking what a wonderful gift we get from God in each new day that dawns. This day has never been here before, nor will it ever be here again. What are we going to do with this day? Are we going to see it as a gift or are we going to see it as just another day to try to make it through?

Just like this day is a new beginning, sometimes we also need a fresh start, a new beginning. There have been many times over the last few years now where I knew I had to let some old things pass away. I had to release my hold on some things that were hindering my walk with the Lord. I had to release the grip I had on people and things so I could grab hold of the new things God wanted to do in my life. Holding onto those things and those people were only weighing me down because that season was over and it was time to let go. Even though I didn't want to let go, I knew God had told me time and time again that He was doing a new thing and to let old things pass away.

It isn't easy to start something new. It can be scary to let go when we really want to hold on. I've learned that just because something feels comfortable or familiar doesn't mean it's good for us. There are times when God will call us to lay something down because He wants to do something new in us and through us. He has something better for us.

What is God asking you to lay down and let go of? Is it something that has become like an anchor around your neck? Perhaps He is leading you into a new season. New seasons can be scary, but they can also be exciting. I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Just like this new day. Do you see it as a gift or a burden? Sometimes just changing our perspective can change everything.

Until next time my friends, be blessed and enjoy this wonderful, new day! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow with your loved ones!

"All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions." ~Leonardo da Vinci

"Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over." ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." ~Isaiah 43:19 (NLV)

30 Days of Thanks- Day 19: Memories

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart." ~Helen Keller

Welcome back friends! It's Day 19 of my 30 Days of Thanks. Today I am thankful for memories. At this time of the year, when much of our family will get together to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am reminded of the loved ones who are no longer with us. My grandfather and my nanny were such a big part of our family and they are greatly missed. I think of them quite often and look forward to the day when I will see them again in Heaven. In the meantime, I have my precious memories to carry me through.

I grew up being around my grandparents on an almost daily basis. My grandfather was one of the kindest men I knew. He didn't have much, as far as money goes, but he would have given you the last dollar he had if you needed it. He suffered terribly with emphysema when he got older because of many years of smoking. He also ended up having Alzheimer's a few years before he passed away. That disease changed who he was. I try not to linger on those painful memories, but to focus on all the good ones I have of him. He was the first father figure I had in my life. If you'll remember from a previous post, I said that my mom got pregnant with me out of wed-lock. She was living at home up until she married my step-father when I was two years old. My grandfather was the only positive male figure I had in my life when I was little. It's been twenty years since he passed away, but sometimes it feels like just yesterday.

My nanny was such a spunky, little lady in those early years of my childhood. I loved that she wasn't afraid to tell you what she thought, and if you didn't like it, well, that was your problem. She was a short woman, but she wasn't afraid of anyone. I remember many times how she would stand up to my step-father when he was on one of his abusive, alcoholic episodes and my mom would take me and my brother and we would go to my nanny's house for safety. My step-father would come over there and stand outside crying and begging my mom to come back home. I can't tell you how many times he promised that he would never do it again if she would just come back home. Needless to say, he never kept his promises.

My nanny was a stickler for manners too. I grew up being taught, and expected, to use my manners. If I happened to answer her with just a yes, she would say, "Excuse me, what was that?" I sit here and smile as I remember how she would say that. It wasn't in an ugly, demanding way, but in a very firm, loving way. I would immediately say, "Yes ma'am." Unfortunately, Alzheimer's also stole her away from us in her later years. That disease left her being just a shell of the woman I remember her to be. I know one day, when I see her again, she will be that sweet, spunky lady I remember so fondly.

The years may come and go, and many of our loved ones may no longer be here with us, but they are still very deeply missed and forever in our hearts. If you know of someone who has recently lost a loved one, please pray for them, or send them a note to let them know you are thinking of them at this time of year.

Until next time my friends, be richly blessed by making wonderful memories with the ones you love.

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity" ~ Unknown

"There is a sacredness in tears.  They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.  They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues.  They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and of unspeakable love." ~Washington Irving

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure."  ~Author Unknown