over river and through the woods

I so very heart Thanksgiving! The turkey, the yummy dressing, and the chocolate pecan tart.

What is better than that?? Family is. We are going to Vinton, La. to Kevin's grandmother's home. That is one fabulous woman. She is the cutest typical cajun mother/grandmother who loves God, her family, and to cook for them. Unfortunately, her cooking days have passed because of macular degeneration. She cannot see well enough to cook. I love that we now get to feed her. That, to me, is one of the truest forms of love. To make something with your hands, full of love, and give to another.

My month of gratitude has come very close to the end. Daily recognizing your blessings can change your life. Thanks for sharing this month with me.

today i am grateful for:

**cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce

**long visits with MawMaw Vincent

**movies with friends

**8 day stretch with my guy at home

**Christmas shopping

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

a month of gratitude

Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.

-Joseph B. Wirthlin

....thank you marta for reminding me.....

10 right now

**satsumas

**hot cocoa

**Thanksgiving Break

**The Secret Garden

**movies with my bookish peeps

**Christmas shopping

**quiet chats with the one i adore

**pics of Christmas past

**Harry Connick Jr ....Silver Bells

**growing to grandma's house for Thanksgiving!

what are yours?

aunt stephanie

tonight the gratitude is beyond words. my sweet brother and his wife are expecting their first baby! it seems like yesterday i was 5 years old anxiously awaiting his arrival. the time would not move fast enough. this little red haired kind child finally came in march. a little boy who loved his mother and never met a stranger. who grew into a giant on the football field and a selfless disciple of Christ.now i wait for his own child. a child that will no doubt have a mischievous grin and fun loving heart. a child that will be taught by his/her father to always choose the right and to love the aggies. what a fabulous father you will make nicholas. i love you!

i am also grateful for

::the memory of finding out the week before thanksgiving that i was expecting my jordan

::a day of christmas scouting with kevin....always making me laugh

::my valient jordan

::my funloving cameron

::my sweet sawyer

::a week with no early morning seminary!

a month of gratitude

Today my cup runneth over with thanksgiving

::my favorite little pilgrim who stayed on stage at his kindergarten Thanksgiving program to sing songs with his class with a few tears in his eyes because he was trying to be a big boy

::a fair haired student who works terribly hard on his studies

:: a husband that takes care of me & loves going Christmas shopping on black Friday!!

::a brother that has inherited our father's teaching skills. he is a fantastic Sunday School teacher even if Sis. King says he is going to hell for not having regular FHE!

::a father that instilled in us a love of history and scripture & set the high standard of teaching Sunday School.....people in our ward still tell me that he was the best teacher they ever had.

::a dark haired child that ALWAYS has a mischievous grin and something funny to say

:: my book club girls!

::my sweet neighbors Miss Lou & Jerr who love my children as if they are their own grandchildren

What is better than your big brother getting a package in the mail from your grandfather? One of the hats being too small for him. Even better than that....you are now the proud owner of a cool vintage hat just like the ones your hero wears!

i am here & still grateful

sorry for the absence. i needed to be quiet for a while. it seems life has been pulling me in every direction but still. so i had to put a few things on pause.

i heard a quote from Winston Churchill yesterday that spoke of looking back to be able to see the future. so true! learning from our past mistakes is key to a successful future. more than that i feel that i learned an abundance from my ancestors and their friends. mother recalled a story from her past every day of her life. thankfully, she shared them with me. to this day, i hang my laundry on the line just as she said her mother insisted hers was to be hung. i see her in my mind's eye each and every time. thanks mom.

this summer, we were blessed to have kevin's grandmother stay with us and his mother. i learned so much from the sweet cajun lady. she shared with me her cooking and home keeping secrets and told me of her childhood and early marriage. i will never forget this summer with her.

so today i am grateful for:

::the summer of lula mae vincent and the wonderful talks we had.

::the love my parents instilled in me of the past.

::the chance we get everyday to learn from what we did wrong, repent, and be forgiven.

::the power of communication in marriage. where would we be if we couldn't tackle a problem, talk it out, and move on happily??

::new days....new beginnings

a month of gratitude

Work....hard work. It gives you a satisfaction like no other. All of sudden you have purpose, a sense of worth and accomplishment. This work comes in many forms and places. The compensation takes varied forms...cold hard cash, self satisfaction, kisses. We want them all, don't we? Personally, i like the kisses!

Today I am grateful for:

::my new job bursting with opportunities. it has reminded me of my intellectual worth...a wonderful gift

::the keeping of my home and the satisfaction is gives me. another vessel to show my family just how important they are to me

::the miracle of birth...the reward of my 3 boys is immeasurable

::my marriage....a joyful and exciting job. what is better compensation than forever with my sweet Kevin?

::parenthood...the ultimate job with the greatest co worker. i cannot imagine anything more rewarding than watching and helping my boys grow into young men

a month of gratitude

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

::steak dinner with my family and the conversations that accompany it

::using my mother's baking tools and the memories of her in the kitchen

::this blog and the daily dose of inspiration it is to me...thanks erin

::laura eldredge and the love and support she offers. it is amazing to have your own personal cheerleader...someone who believes in you...thanks laura

::autumn i love love love autumn

::school projects that gift me personal time with my guys

a month of gratitude

chaos. who would be thankful for a life of chaos? that would be me! i am thinking that life would a sad existence without the excitement and constant state of movement around here. so, tonight's gratitude post is all chaos all the time......

::morning rush when older brothers help younger brother get out the door

::after school when everyone comes home at a different time. that insures undivided focus on conversations and snacks

::homework central when i need to check in with everyone and learn a little myself

::daily chores where i get the opportunity to shape my boys into young men that have the skills to be self sufficient and responsible

::saturdays when we attempt to get prepared for sunday. there is nothing better than all 5 of us working together on a common goal. at the end of the day there is a feeling of accomplishment and hey we are a team....its a beautiful thing!

::sunday morning when the saturday preparations have payed off and we can reverently go to church and the day to just be together.

::all the times shuttling from boy scouts, fall festivals, play practices, cross country practices, grocery shopping, library trips, visits to grand parents, and life that happens in between......i am indeed grateful for it all.

comfort

sitting still listening to the hum of the dryer, i realize that it is comforting to me. as is a pantry full of food and a crock pot cooking away. i am comforted by taking care of the ones i love. one more beautiful attribute that my dear mother passed along to me. there was a never ending stream of cakes and soups being prepared by her sweet, arthritic hands and passed along to friends and family. she celebrated your birthday, Christmas, and the birth of your child. she grieved with you when you lost someone dear to you and nursed you when you were ill....as only she could....by cooking with love. for me, it was a cut up by hand and fried chicken with a myriad of vegetables for comfort food

or a "Donna Reed" chocolate cake to celebrate.

how i miss those days.

well, its my turn to carry on the tradition.

so, here is to comforting one another. how do you comfort another?

a month of gratitude

today was the best day! i spent the morning all alone, shopping for groceries and some goodies in the kitchen store. what could be better?? i came home just in time to make over to my friend's home to work on his Julia Child birthday dinner party. we are cooking everything from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. wow is it labor intensive! oh Julia, why so many steps? you think chocolate mousse is easy as pudding, wrong! just the egg yolks alone have 4 different steps. i had the best time but may i say wow again.

i am indeed grateful for

::Chris & Laura Eldredge and their love and support

::Julia Child and the time & dedication she gave to give us the most essential of all french cooking books

::my dear husband Kevin

::chocolate and cashews!

::a mother in law that is fun and dependable...the best example of a strong, hard working woman i can think of

::this quiet evening perfect for thinking of times gone by and looking to the future...dreaming of what is yet to come

a month of gratitude

**my new job

**coming to smiling faces and cuddles

**the beautiful weather we have been having

**the yummy hot fudge malt and advice that my friend gave me this afternoon

**the text from my sweet brenda.....put a smile on my face!

a month of gratitude

its the simple things in life that make me happy. as the years pass, i realize what gives me true joy. while trying to make my Christmas wish list, i could not think of one "big" thing. i am grateful for being in that place.

**a sweet husband who cooked a lovely dinner tonight

**listening to Jack Johnson while i perused Baking with Julia

**jordan's infectious smile

**texts from a friend who makes me laugh my sides hurt

**a tender hug from a little guy who loves his mom

**watching cameron run

a month of gratitude

**dinner with some fab girls tonight

**my new work venture

**the way Sawyer sounds EVERY word out

**my grandmother's wedding ring

**knowing and embracing compassion....the greatest blessing

**baking for my family

Kindergarten Fall Fest

Thursday was the kindergarten fall fest. I spent all of Wednesday baking, making icing,making lollipops,and baking even more. We needed to bring dozens and dozens of cookies to decorated by the FBC Academy kids and things for trunk or treat & the cake walk at church. I thought I would never finish...but you know I am in heaven in the kitchen so it was fun! Of course it was worth the effort. Sawyer had a great time decorating cookies, taking photos, candy corn tossing, shooting hoops, and

face painting.

We even had an appearance by

Joe Dirt.

What a dad to make us laugh with a mullet....super mullet wig on! Who then went straight to the dentist for a root canal.

a month of gratitude

Webster's defines thankful as:

thank·ful

Pronunciation: \ˈthaŋk-fəl\

Function: adjective

Date: before 12th century

1 : conscious of benefit received
2 : expressive of thanks
3 : well pleased : glad

— thank·ful·ness noun

**The Apostle Paul implores us "in everything give thanks: this is the will of God"

**And our sweet prophet, Thomas S. Monson, reminds us that 'There is a simplicity—even a sincerity—when “thank you” is spoken'.

I have been pondering why the world seems so harsh, so ugly. Why is a smile or a thank you is rare? ?There was a time when manners and being happy was the status quo. A time when men held doors for ladies, a judgement was kept to yourself, or a smile was on your face. What happened to us? Are we too stressed, too self absorbed? My feeling is we are forgot to be thankful. I am guilty of it. We live in a time of more....we need more money, more things, more accolades. What we really need is to be comfortable in our own skin and thankful for what we are and have. I intend to do just that. For the next month, my gratitude will be posted here. Join me in the comments section if you like. Lets see what kind of change we can make.

i am grateful for:

**a week with my fun loving husband at home.

**dinner at my bud Laura's house last night. the food was delicious, especially because she included cameron in the preparation.

**brenda's lesson in relief society...the spirit of kindness was strong. sitting next to a new, fab friend was the icing on the cake.

**laughing with sawyer

**watching the care jordan takes with his family, making sure to help out when he sees an opportunity....from trick or treating with sawyer with a smile on his face to preparing for the next day.

**fresh eggs from my girls for breakfast

**a good book

what are you thankful for today??