Thankful

Our pastor reminded us Sunday that we, as Christians, are commanded to be thankful. We acknowledge that all that we have comes from God's hand, and we are to consciously be mindful of all that we have because of Him. I've been thinking on all of my blessings, and here is my list:

• My family - Jay, Reed and Miles. Especially this time of year when we don't necessarily see a whole lot of Daddy, because he's at church working extra long hours on the pageant. I am thankful that God has given me those 3 precious guys to spend my life with. I'm also thankful for my extended family; my parents, my sister and her family, my in-laws... we are blessed to have each other and to love spending time together.
• Homeschooling - although I am the first to admit that it is a JOB, I acknowledge also what a tremendous blessing it is to be able to homeschool my boys. I'm thankful also for a church filled with homeschool families, and for the freedom to teach them at home because we feel that God has called us to do so.
• My church - spend one hour there and you will know why I am thankful for it. Not just the new building, although it has certainly been a huge blessing to us this year. I'm thankful for the people who make up our church; for our Pastor and our staff. For godly teachers and volunteers. For the unity we have. It is a blessing. I'm also thankful for the Christmas pageant, and what a tremendous ministry it is. I'm thankful to be a part of it, regardless of how it interrupts our lives! It is worth the effort we put into it, a million times over.
• My jewelry business - God has blessed my business this year, and especially this fall. I enjoy so much the opportunity to meet these ladies and give them a fun night out. I have met some really neat ladies and have seen my business grow. I'm thankful that Premier is run by two godly people, Andy and Joan Horner. I'm thankful that I'm a part of a company that gives money to support missions. I get to have fun, get paid, and share Jesus' love with people around the world... what a job!
• Blogging - I am thankful for the many people who I "know" now because of reading their blogs. So many of them inspire me to be a better wife, mom, and follower of Jesus. If you haven't already, you need to head over to these blogs and check them out: BigMama, BooMama, Stephanie (and her sweet sister, Courtney... get updated on Stephanie's story here), Angie, Amanda, etc., etc., etc. These are just a few to get you addicted!

There are so many other things to list... the obvious - good health, our home, our country (which is a blessing, no matter who lives in the White House). And of course, there are the everyday things that just make life a little better... Diet Coke, dark chocolate, Christmas lights, sleeping children, good friends, Mexican food, laughing until you cry, the DVR (best invention in a long time!), gas prices that have fallen so low that I can fill up my car for under $30 - woo hoo!... you get the idea. Look around you and realize all the good things that God has given you. And don't forget to thank Him.

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving. Let us sing Him psalms of praise." Psalm 95:2

Pumpkin Dip

If you know me, you know that especially this time of year I love all things pumpkin. I got this recipe from my sweet friend Corliss, way back when I was a newlywed, and when we would sit at work and talk recipes. Corliss had been married almost 20 years when I met her, so she had lots of experience in the kitchen cooking for her hubby. I love, love, love Corliss and her friendship, and I love everytime I'm looking through my recipes and find some with her handwriting. This recipe reminds me of her.

This pumpkin dip is a great thing to make and have in the kitchen to snack on while everyone's preparing the big Thanksgiving day meal. Or, a great thing to bring to a get-together this time of year. Hope you try it... let me know if you do so I can pass on the rave reviews to Corliss!

Pumpkin Dip

1 small can packed pumpkin
1 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened
1/2 - 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar (Corliss's recipes aren't always exact!)
Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
Gingersnaps for dipping

Mix together the cream cheese and sugar, add pumpkin and spices to taste. Serve with gingersnaps cookies.

There you have it... simple but yummy! If you'd like to see more holiday recipes, click here!

Will you be my partner?

Can you help me? I need an accountability partner, and I'm thinking the more, the better! I am going to start walking again. I AM going to start walking again. I am going to start WALKING again. (I just needed to convince myself) I used to get up before anyone else was awake, grab the MP3 player and take a nice, long walk with Rick and Bubba. When I did, my whole day seemed to go better. I had more energy, I got more accomplished, I felt better, we started school on time and got finished earlier... good stuff all around. I haven't walked regularly in a few months, and it's catching up with me. I couldn't resist the weather outside today, so I went for a walk just a while ago and noticed that I was getting short of breath about halfway through! It's ridiculous that I'm so out of shape, and I intend to do something about it!

So here is where you come in. If you are reading this, please leave me a comment and let me know. If you aren't sure how, you can do so anonymously (without all of the google/blogger sign in stuff) and sign your name at the end of your comment. If I know someone... anyone... has read this, I feel like I will stick to it better, so please help me out!

Thanks!