Thankful Thursday {Link up #38} ... its a long list this week!

 

By acknowledging spirit with gratitude, you bring it joy & give it more strength do its work.

~Russell Eric Dobda

This week I am Thankful For:

... got to see these 2 girls in their first orchestra performance!  One is playing the violin & the other, the Viola - pronounced VE-ola - not VI-ola... I keep getting corrected on that. thankyouverymuch.  But I love seeing these girls get an appreciation for musical instruments.  So good for the brain!  I was telling them that they are at a great age to start learning it now... think college scholarship :) ... because goodness knows we will only blink & they'll be graduating.  (Don't want to think about it, don't want to think about it, don't want to think about it)

... Loved that the orchestra concert was all related to ROCK!  They played KISS, hence the make up & the shirts... but a lot of Zepplin & Beatles... It was really great & entertaining!  I could get down with this kind of orchestra music.

Now THAT'S a cool orchestra teacher!

... my mom.  I always say there is no one in this world that makes me laugh as hard as my mom.  During the twins concert, it was rock themed, right?... so they had everyone pull out their phones like a concert to light up the room. My mom doesn't have a phone, so she pulls out her flashlight on her key chain.  I was impressed at the ingenuity

... our new Women's Bible Study has increased by one in its first week.  Really - that's a trick statement - but one of our ladies gave birth this week to her daughter.  So now, we have 3 babies that will be joining us - with a bump still growing.  Side note - don't drink the water!!!

... Got to see some faces that I hadn't seen in awhile & enjoy a good walk with them.  We may all be going separate directions from the same church for this season, but its always good to know that sister in Christ are always sisters in Christ

.... love how my last venture to Earth & Fire resulted in a great new Gratitude Jar!  I'm usually a hot mess when it comes to all things artsy & painting, but I'm really happy with how this turned out.  I may just have to 'polka-dot-out' everything I do from now on.

... Pumpkin Chai Teas.  You will see this repeatedly on Thankful Thursday probably until Fall is over.

.... weekend breakfasts with my hubby

... the weather has still just been perfection.  Its usually like a nice day & then we bottom out ... & put that on repeat.  But its been over 2 weeks of nothing but wonderful temps.  It's been so nice, we haven't even had to run our A/C the past 2 weeks.  Maybe I won't be so afraid of my next utility bill.

... I received the most precious handmade card in the mail from an Instagram friend.  She is a "Bible Journaler" & we 'met' looking at the pictures of each other's Bible.  She has sent me in the past little cutsie add ins for my Bible & now, just a random "thinking of you" card.  How THOUGHTFUL!!!.... It's just so touching to me that someone thought about me & followed through with that by letting me know - in such a creative way.  I need to start doing that myself for others because I know how much it reaches my spirit when someone does it for me.

... I have 2 people that have trusted me with their 21 Day Fix journey & made me their Coach through Beachbody. I've loved hearing their stories & how this plan is working for them.  The changes they are already seeing is amazing!  I love being able to help others walk through this new way of looking at eating.

... My new Erin Condren planner cover!!! When I won a free Life Planner, it came not personalized & I was a little bummed. That's the point - right?  But I opened up the package & saw a card for a free personalized cover.  I didn't realize how easy it is to change the covers on this thing & now I see why & how people get ones for each holiday.  I'm in love with my cover.  I put my life verse on it instead of my name & am going to love seeing it in front of my face every day. ... & now I'm totally going to have to keep an eye out for sales for all the other holiday covers.  After all, you can use them over & over again. 

What are you Thankful For this week?

#HashtagConfessions.... purses, shaving & apparently NOT Phillip Phillips

.... I am literally sad over the end of summer mainly because I can't find any good berries anywhere now.  I have gotten so used to strawberries & blueberries on yogurt or on wheat waffles... & now?  I'm missing them. If you do find them, they only cost a ridiculous amount of money for a tiny carton.  #iamcheap #i'llendupbuyingthem #goodbyeberries

... I tried frozen berries thawed out.  Oh mercy... totally not the same.  Watch, during winter when the taste of fresh berries is long past out of my memory, I'll think frozen berries are the best things ever.  #Chipoffthefrost  #betterthennothing

... I ordered a purse off of Zulily.  Let me stress to you how I am about purses.  Basically a weirdo.  I always say that I have to have a purse "speak to me"... I gotta FEEL the purse. I gotta know its going to work for me.  So tell me why I bought one just by looks from Zulily last week?  I have no idea.  But it was regular $189.00 for $38.99... The exact same one was for sale on Ebay for $99.99 - so I thought I'd try it.  If I don't like it, I can always put it on Ebay - right?  #fingerscrossed  #PurseNerd #hopeIlikeit

... My purse I am carrying now?  I got it at the beginning of summer - only had it for about 4 months & the lining has totally ripped out of it.  Pulled from the side & it has shreds of material now.  So frustrating because I keep getting my wallet snagged in the threads & I keep dropping things behind the lining.  This wasn't a cheap purse either... remember, it has to speak to me. Ask my husband - nothing cheap speaks to me.  I'll never buy this brand of purse again, that's for sure.  #YouSpokeWrongPurse  #GoingInTheGarbage

... Please tell me a lot of you are joking when you talk about not shaving during winter. I can't NOT shave my legs during winter. I mean, its habit.  I have a routine in the shower & the change of seasons doesn't effect that.  If for some reason I wash my body before I put conditioner in my hair, I'm all messed up, so forgot taking a whole thing completely out of a shower routine. I basically wear running shorts all year round anyways so the world should thank me that I continue shaving.  #HateStubble  #SlickSkinYearRound 

NOOOO.... just NOOOO!!!!!

... I didn't watch the Emmy's.  More importantly, I didn't even care.  It gets tiring of watching really really rich people celebrate & honor each other for having what seems the easiest job that pays more money that could basically save small countries.  #maybeIamjealous #bittermuch #givemeanactingjob  #oratleastthesalary  #oratleastthewardrobe

... I wish I liked to travel.  I see all the pictures & hear of adventures of people that travel & love seeing it all - but that's about as close as I get to most places.  I see some people flying at least once a month to places. I am the person who has anxiety attacks about even THINKING of leaving my house for a night. I'm just not comfortable leaving my dogs behind.  & now, we have a dog that hates to leave the house.  Plus, I just can't ever justify the money spent on trips.  I think of all the other things I can do with that money on the house or on purchases that I want.  I know some people say the experience is priceless & worth everything.  To me - I just see the cost of a new Nikon.  #homewardbound #spoileddogs #vacationorcamera #photographerproblems

... I can't hear the One Republic song I lived & not cry.  Like EVERY STINKING TIME.  It doesn't help that this song came out around the time when my brother in law passed away.   #cuethetissues  #wantplayedatmyfuneral 



... Until I just looked up the video for above, I thought this song was sung by Phillip Phillips.  #Iamapparently100yrsold  #IamNotCool

Have you ever bought a purse off Zulily or online?

 

Does that song choke you up?

 

Confess something to me today...



Click to join in with others fessin' up!

Behind the Pic

 

I am so excited that my blog buddy Elle has started a new link up called

"Behind the Pic"...

The point being?  ... there is always a story behind a picture.  Which I think is so much fun & fantastic since I'm a fan of photos.  Hello Miss Photographer!

So I'm going to look over a few of my pictures & I'll tell you what is really happening in that picture.  The low down.  The deep & dark stuff.  The behind the scenes look.

But anyways, I think this is going to be a great link up... so let's jump right in..

__________________

 

What you see ... is a precious maternity picture

What you don't know about this picture.... we are waiting for Chasity to run about 1.5 miles up hill to get this momma a bottle of water because she got so lightheaded & faint that she had to sit down on this dock & just stay there for a minute.  She stood up to try taking a few more pictures & I had her just lean on her husband. I didn't want her tumbling into that water.  Hubby would never let it happen anyways.  She felt so bad here... but still managed to look so beautiful.

_________________

 

 

What you see ....  A cute little girl listening to her little brother

What you don't know about this picture .... I told her that fairies lived in the forest & if you were really quiet, you could hear them.  She thought she heard a fairy at this point - not her brother - & when I laughed, she told me to SSSHHHH!!!! ... you don't mess around with fairies.

___________________

What you see ... a prayer between a bride & groom

What you don't know about this picture... the pastor did premarital counseling with this couple & his one requirement was that the groom pray over his new bride after they exchanged wedding rings.  The pastor said it was the time to take to let his wife know how important she was & to cover her with prayer.... HOW PRECIOUS IS THAT?  But it was the one moment of the day the groom was so nervous about.   He didn't even want a mic on him because he didn't even care if anyone heard him except his wife.  You could hear him though from the pastor's mic & the groom slayed it! He said he was going to make it funny & light hearted... he didn't. It was precious & dear &full of sweetness for his bride.  You can see the happiness in her face as she's listening to him.

_______________________

 What you see.... a family portrait that has everyone clothing coordinated

What you don't know about this picture .... see the lady in the blue & white striped shirt?  That is the momma of the beautiful lady sitting next to her - & the grandmother, great grandmother & great great grandmother of the rest of the gang.  They told each other to wear a white shirt & blue jeans - simple enough... except they forget to tell Mammaw... & everyone was holding their breath when she showed up.  Wondering if she was going to come in some sort of Hawaiian tropical print.  But lo & behold - she had on blue & white... it may have been in reverse of everyone else - but I think with her Matriarch status, it totally works!

__________________

What you see ... is one happy little bumble bee baby

What you don't know about this picture .... this little girl was NOT about having her picture taken about 15 minutes before. She was just furious at the world.  Didn't want to be held, didn't want to be touched, was just wondering around the yard aimlessly.  They took her inside to put this outfit on & gave her a drink of water.... that baby drank an entire water bottle.  Poor thing was so thirty.  You forget that kids can get dehydrated too.  After she guzzled water, she was all smiles & happy go lucky girl again.

Note to self - always have water near on photo session!  That applies to the first picture & pregnant mommas too

Cant wait to check out everyone else's pictures... I am  a picture nerd... never tire of looking at pictures & especially hearing the stories about pictures!  Thanks Elle for such a fun linkup!

The weekend that I thoroughly enjoyed Fall weather....

Monday, you slay me...

It comes back so soon... & weekends go by too fast... it's all sorts of wrong.

But I really made the best of this weekend.  Between the weather being perfect & all the things I did, I'll mark this one down as a favorite.

Saturday, it was one of those perfect mornings again under a pile of blankets while sleeping with the windows open.  What wasn't so perfect - but still was in its own way - was Harvey Dent.  We're starting to believe he thinks our queen size bed is really just an oversized dog bed & he's allowing US to sleep in HIS bed.  He had me on the edge of the bed the whole night, even laying his head on my pillow & giving me a look like, "Please don't hog the pillow up lady"... but he doesn't mind when you wrap your arms around him & hug him, so in a cold room, he's a perfect way to keep warm... & give you the sense of adventure that you're going to fall off the bed at any moment.

But I got up & got ready because this Saturday, we kicked off our new Women's Bible study!!!!

I cant even begin to tell you how excited I am about this!  I have been wanting to be a part of a women's group, digging deeper into God's word & with each other, but just haven't had the opportunity - so when I asked a friend if she wanted to do Seamless with me, she said yes & then we just found God leading us to more people & we now have a cute little group of 5.  3 new mommas & 2 grandmas :) 

One of the new momma's is literally getting ready to hold her baby girl in her arms in the next few days & she said she wasn't sure she could join because she didn't know what it would look like with a new baby... I told her that between me & Sha, we have grandma arms - we will pass these babies around & love every minute of it.  I love that these 3 young mommas can share with each other all the info they are learning as they step into these new roles in their lives.

I just love these ladies so many ways.  They all bring such insight & wisdom in their own way to this group... I can't wait to see what God teaches us.

I headed home & the weather was so nice.  Sprinkly & misty but no hard rains & the temps were fantastic...  Ricky was cleaning up his garage & I thought I should start cleaning the house... but then came to my senses.

Instead, I laced up my running shoes & got in another 5k... my 4th 5k in a week.  I'm feeling like I'm getting back on track!

I got home & thought, "NOW I'll clean up the house"....

But the sun came out.  It was like God was telling me, "That house can wait"... OK God - I'll listen to you :)

I ended up grabbing my Kindle & going out on the back porch & just enjoying reading & the fresh air.

... or at least I TRIED to read...

I had someone vying for attention.

But soon enough, Ricky finished cleaning up the garage & came & relaxed a little bit & Harvey moved on from me to his daddy. Harvey Dent is totally a daddy's boy.

It was such a nice cool day, we decided that instead of going out to dinner, I would make some chili... only thing was, it wasn't the best.  #DinnerFail

Ricky ended up finding a can of chili in the cabinet & mixing the 2 together & deemed it edible.  Oh well, you can't win them all. 

I ended my night watching The Man in the Iron Mask... I am always a sucker for anything 3 Musketeers for some reason.  I guess that "all for one & one for all" thing just gives me warm & happy feelings.

Sunday had me sleeping in like a snug bug in a rug... I didn't want to get up at all... I was that comfortable... but had a busy day ahead.

Ricky & I were heading up to our friend's for home church & has become our tradition to have our breakfast at Panera... they're going to start knowing our names pretty soon.

& then we ran over to Target to get some stuff for Smores... it was nice being at Target early before the crowds started coming in.  Even nicer that this Target had a Starbucks.  That's a way to kick off our Sunday.

We had the best time at church this Sunday.

We started off by playing a game... & we have some competitive people in the house.  That makes it fun because while everyone wants to win, everyone can loose gracefully too.

Here's a little taste of our worship... & look at Miss Emerson ... she just loves that she can run & dance at her own leisure.  She brings so many smiles to everyone.



Just a quick little snippet...

Emerson had her own little church happening when she got to watch Veggie Tales in her own little recliner... complete with food on her lap & a drink under her arm.  That's the life right there...

Our sweet friend Vicki was craving a cook out so that's exactly what we did.  I even had a veggie hot dog thanks for Chasity & it was just a perfect day to sit outside & laugh together... & I got a new 'best friend' in the youngest granddaughter.  Me & her were buddies on the play set in the back yard.  Throw around a child enough times & they'll become your best friend.  The cutest thing she kept saying to me, "You love me a lot, don't you?"... I do.

Ricky & I had to cut out before the smores because I had a photo session with some church friends.  This young man serves in the youth ministry as well & his wife is just everything beautiful & adorable.  They are also pregnant & expecting another son.  I'm telling you - all these baby bumps in my camera lately is setting a record!

Looks like I need to dust the back of my camera

As I was finishing up, I saw on a Facebook page I follow with some church ladies that like to walk together, they were going to meet up for a late night walk... who was in?

It wasn't like I had a lot going on during the day ... cough... cough... but I did think this was a good way to calm down the day, getting in some exercise, seeing some familiar faces & just enjoying the beauty of Fall nights.

I'm so glad I went... it was the perfect ending to the weekend.

Isn't this the perfect place for a evening walk?

I got home a little after 9pm... just in time to wrap up the weekend...

Whew ... crammed in a lot... rested a bit... enjoyed life a lot!

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Friday Favorites

 Favorite Recipe



It's Chili season & I am always on the hunt for a good vegetarian recipe.
So I'm trying this one immediately - it sounds delish & SIMPLE!

LINK RIGHT HERE  

Favorite Halloween Craft



I love easy crafts. I could do this one.
& who doesn't love Googly Eyes?!?!?


Favorite Decorating



I love the designs of Washi tape & use it in my journal Bible
But I love when people REALLY know how to use it
This has page has some really cool ideas on it
LINK RIGHT HERE


Favorite Words




Favorite Beauty & the Beast



I need to see if this is an old mug or a new mug that's out now
... either way, I love it!


 Favorite Workout Reminder


 

Favorite Funnies













... the only way I know how to fix a computer





... when I try to fix a problem at work before the boss catches it



 

 ... when I admit that I don't like Thanksgiving & not too much of a fan of Christmas




... when all the managers come up from all our area branches for a meeting





... my role in life
 



My 4:00 dance move!!!

 

 

 

Happy Friday Y'all!!!!