Thanksgiving ~ 2012

This year for the month of November, I wanted to do something special.  Something fun.  Something meaningful.  Susannah is 2 1/2 now and comprehending fairly well.  I wanted Thanksgiving to be more than a day with a huge meal at Grandma and Grandpa's.  So I thought about it and thought about it.

I had heard of "thankful trees" before, and as they started being mentioned among my friends, I thought it sounded like the perfect thing for us to do as a family.  Terribly enough, I was not very great at planning ahead, so between the last day of October and the first day of November, I combed Google Images for Thankful Tree ideas, and came up with my own version.

I used 2 pages of brown construction paper and drew out the tree.  I taped it to a nice open spot of wall in our dining room.  Then I had to figure out what to do for leaves!  It ended up at the evenings that we "did" the Thankful Tree, I just cut some out of red, orange and yellow construction paper free-style.

Since this was a special tree, we did it on evenings that we were all home.  When I went to take the tree down yesterday, I realized that we obviously missed some evenings. :)  I saved the leaves and the trunk.  I don't know if we'll re-use the trunk next year or not, but I do want to keep the leaves for memories' sake.

I well remember the first evening that we did the thankful tree:  On my leaf I wrote "Warmth".  You see, this was the first evening that we had a fire in the woodstove.  It was so nice and warm on that cold day!!   In no specific order, here are the other things that we wrote down:

Susannah: "Thankful for Sylvia, Mama & Daddy"
Susannah: "Bearie"
Susannah: "Supper"
Sylvia (with my help ;) ): "Clean Diapers"
Me: "Time together as a family of four."
Susannah: "Riding with Daddy in his truck"
Daniel: "Employment"
Daniel: "Home-cooked meals :) " (with a crayon picture of a plate full of food)
Me: "Music"
Susannah: "Leaves" (this was her very first leaf)
Sylvia (with my help again): "Duck-duck" (her stuffed duck)
Daniel: "My beautiful family" with stick people faces for each of us (his first leaf)
Sylvia: "Blankie" (her first leaf)
Daniel: "Imagination and humor :)"
Daniel: "Gifts to us making a larger living space possible" (again with a line drawing)
Sylvia: "Snuggles with Mama"
Susannah: "Cheerios"
Me: "The hilarious innocence of a 2 1/2 y.o. ... "Daddy's belly goes *squeak-squeak* like Moosey-Moose!"" (quoting Susannah)
Me: "Expository teaching of God's Word in our church."

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For Thanksgiving Day itself, we were at my parents house where most of my immediate family gathered throughout the day.  The girls and I actually drove up Wednesday morning, did some shopping and then went on to my parent's house for the rest of the day and overnight.  I took along ingredients and enjoyed making several pies as part of my contribution to the big meal on Thursday.

Thursday morning Susannah loved helping Namma wash dishes.  She took it quite seriously, and had lots of fun even though we had to change her into a dry shirt by the time the dishes were finished. :)

After a big Thanksgiving Dinner with all the fixings, Sylvia went down for a nap and Susannah and I set off to walk around "Grandpa's farm".  Several weeks prior, Susannah had pointed out some silos as we were driving to town.  I told her that Grandpa (my dad) has silos, and that maybe we could see them the next time we went to Grandpa and Grandma's farm.  After that, she frequently talked about all the things she would see at Grandpa's farm!  Some of the things she wanted to see (pigs, horses, chickens, etc.) Grandpa doesn't have, but I told her that we would look around Grandpa's Farm on Thanksgiving.

The farm holds many, many memories for me and it was sad to see the barn and milking parlor sitting empty after decades of use.  It was bittersweet, for me, but for Susannah it was the most exciting thing ever. :)  She was so excited to see Grandpa's barn and silos, and I was excited to be able to show her first hand these things.   I'm guessing that when we are there for Christmas, she might ask to go see Grandpa's Barn and Silos again.  :)

Monday Morning Musings

Just a few thoughts as I start the day.

I slept so well last night! It was a far cry from a 7 or 8 hour night of sleep, but I took a good nap yesterday afternoon. If I remember correctly, either for supper or when we put Susannah to bed, Daniel prayed that I would sleep well, which is a kind-of random thing for him to pray. I am thankful for a "yes" answer to that prayer!

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats homemade bread. At least when it comes to store-bought bread. This past Thursday I had planned to make bread in the evening. Those plans were pushed to the side - gladly! - as at the very last minute Daniel and I were able to scoot away for an evening date. (It had been October since we'd gone on a date!) Part of the date was going to Kroger :) Since we were out of bread we picked up two loaves of marked-down "bakery bread". They were inexpensive and looked good. Somehow I thought they were whole wheat at least in part, but they were actually white. They serve the purpose of bread, but wow, we both thought the bread tasted like dry cardboard. Last night I had the bread machine mix up a loaf of whole wheat dough which I baked in a regular loaf in the oven. It tastes delicious and the way good bread should taste :)

I am thankful for my husband. For the hard work he did last night helping to re-arrange Susannah's room. We needed to relocate the desk that was in there (putting it out into the addition was the only other option, so it will be covered with plastic as the construction goes on!), and instead of both of us moving it, he muscled it around on his own. Granted, we had taken all of the drawers out, but I'm sure it still wasn't light as a feather - it is solid wood.

This morning I took a prenatal vitamin for the first time in a very long time. I took them before I became pregnant and for a little while after, but once I realized they were the cause of my ever-lasting "morning sickness" I stopped taking them. Since then I have occasionally taken a vitamin of some sort (usually a packet of Emergen-C). This morning I was thinking that as there are only roughly 4 weeks left in the pregnancy, and that soon my body will be providing nourishment in a whole different way for our little baby, I figured I should start taking some vitamins again.

I am planning on a very productive day. One of my goals for January and before the baby comes is to clean the floor/bottom shelf of the pantry. Thinking about it last night, I realize there is a lot of stuff there that we are not using that can be store much more efficiently else-where. I am thinking I may just begin tackling that project this morning once I publish this post :) If I think energetic and positive thoughts for the day, I'll be energetic and it will be a good day, right??

I am so grateful to the Lord and praise Him for His provision and care for us. For the big things, like Daniel's job. For the little things, like the two potted flowers a lady gave to Daniel to give to me, because she was going away for a while and they require regular watering. They are a beautiful ray of yellow on my kitchen windowsill and I love watching their sunshiny buds grow and open into beautiful flowers.

Giving Thanks

But my God shall supply all your needs
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

While I think that we should always be thankful, during November it is easier to remember since this is the month we celebrate thankfulness with Thanksgiving Day. One of my goals for this month is to write down every day some things I am thankful for. I hope to post those here weekly through the month.

November 1
~This morning when I got Susannah up, I especially noticed how she smells, like a sweet little baby. It's just the way she smells, but I was soaking it up today, sniffing her often and tucking her baby scent away in my memory. I am thankful for the opportunity and blessing it is to be her mama!
~I am also thankful that Susannah is affectionate. She wasn't a cuddly baby, but now she freely gives "squeezes" and sometimes will actually cuddle. One way she shows affection is to rub you, generally on the back or arm. Today we were working in the kitchen quite a bit, and she was on the stool watching me work. Many times through the day she would look at me with her beautiful brown eyes, seriously jabber something in her all-vowel jabber, and then smiling, rest her head on my arm and give my back a little rub. I like to think she was telling me "I love you, Mama!"

November 2
~I am thankful for the beautiful weather we've been having most days, and the gorgeous colors God is splashing our world with through the leaves changing from greens to yellows and golds and oranges and reds.
~Another reason I'm thankful for this beautiful weather is that it is a wonderful time to go outside most days after lunch and walk around with Susannah. We meander in a large circle, going from the house to the mailbox, then to the garden, usually the hammock to swing for a few minutes, down to the shed to "drive" the lawn mower, and then back up to the house. It is fun to see things through my daughter's eyes.

November 3
~Today I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who cares about "the least of these" and allowed me to feel Baby Gus wiggling a LOT today. He (or she) had been moving around quite a bit the previous week, and then for a couple days I was barely feeling any movement. I was starting to get worried that maybe something wasn't right, and went to sleep last night praying that God would let me feel my baby moving. This morning I still hadn't felt anything and put in a call to my Dr's office. While waiting for them to call me back, I ate breakfast and drank some orange juice (which is normal). While I was finishing my orange juice, Baby Gus just started wiggling and wiggling. What an answer to prayer! (And he has been moving quite regularly since then :) )
~Back to the doctor, though, I am also very thankful for my OB who talked to me personally on the phone this morning. I'm thankful for her knowledge and confidence, her "bedside manners" and the way she treats me as a real person she cares about, and not "just another patient." (And her suggestion, which was reassuring and I had wondered about, was that most likely the baby had shifted into a position where I just couldn't feel the movements as well.)

November 4
~Today I am thankful for the promise in Exodus 20:6. I have probably read or heard it before, but never like I have seen it this past week. Usually you hear Exodus 20:5 quoted and it can be very oppressing if you don't know verse 6 that follows!
~I am thankful for godly women in my life who I can look up to and learn from.
~I am also thankful for the Bible Study group I am with this fall - an amazing study alongside amazing women.

November 5
~I am thankful for my husband who is the very best husband to me and who is a wonderful daddy to our Susannah. I love watching him play with her and love on her.
~I am thankful that mouths heal quickly! Poor Susannah bit the side of her tongue quite badly this evening.
~I am thankful for an abundant harvest of bell peppers this year. This afternoon I picked the very last ones (the leaves on the plants froze with the first frost a couple nights ago) and got a grocery bag full! It was a pleasant surprise :)
~I am thankful for fresh-from-the-oven, hot, buttered bagels :)