Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thankful Thursday Part 2

 You've been warned, I told you I had a lot of Thankful's this week!
I know, I should try to do it more often instead of stocking up, but 
these are actually all from this past week!
Thankful for a wonderful husband and father to our children,
oh, it melts my heart every time I see him with the littles!
And he plays cards every single day with the big kids.
 Thankful we took out our old duplo blocks and he loves them!
Thankful for barefoot almost 2 year olds...
 (you're welcome for the close up)

 Thankful for all the playing these 3 do all day long
 Thankful for pumpkin cheesecake...I make this every year for Thanksgiving
I am not much of a pie person, but this, this is heavenly!
Recipe HERE
(I cannot picture food, it always looks yellow-ish)
 Thankful for forts in the toy room, with the old table...
we put it there til after Christmas...
 Thankful we finally figured out a way to change the living room around to fit our tree
we usually put our tree in the toy room...front window, for all to see,
but we've always wanted in our living room...
so, we came up with this idea, to close off the double doors (to the toy room)
and it's so cozy, we love it!
 Here is where it was, angled and now the tree will go here,
and our old table will go here after Christmas for games and puzzles in the living room!
 Thankful for my little helpers (in zipper jammies)
(I'm getting my Advent stuff ready here)
 Thankful...OH, my gosh, just stay little, OKAY?
 Thankful, I finally bought a plain green advent wreath and got some craft stuff and 
copied the one in the craft store!  
I love it! 
(our old one was a wooden star thingy, but I like the symbolism of the circular wreath,
and the green in it, I also like the colors of Advent, pink and purple)
 Thankful for these chocolate Advent calendars...
we have to tape them up high on the cupboards...
I am asked several times a day by a certain 4 year old if she can have another piece...
 Thankful we are doing our Jesse Tree this year
(see it in full glory HERE)
I have to admit, some days, we skip the Bible reading,
(I know, I"m terrible) like for Noah's Ark, I said, something like,
"You all know the story about Noah, right?"
There's just so much to do...
 Thankful we are doing a new countdown, using my Advent pocket calendar
my mother in law made for us!
 each day is filled with a little something, and I have a corresponding Bible reading
(which we are reading)
All are about Jesus, and it ends with a tiny baby Jesus in the last pocket!
See HERE
 Thankful we are doing our countdown of things to do daily, 
The kids love this, and if I"m doing it, it's easy!
It's just craft paper notecards folded up with numbers on the outside.
You can read what I wrote inside last year HERE
This year I changed a couple things, like, Simeon will be 2--yes 2!!!
this year and he is not having any surgeries (thank God)

(it's not too late--you can do this too!)
 Thankful for what we are NOT doing too...
I know my limits and I just cannot do everything.
I know that seeing what others are doing sometimes makes us WANT TO BE LIKE THEM
but even if we only do the chocolate calendars, or only light the wreath each night
or just do what we have time for,
IT'S OK!!!
I am NOT doing Bartholomew's Passage...although, it's sitting out
making me feel guilty!
 (I have to put that dang book away!)
 I am NOT doing the traveling wise men...I have been seeing it all around blog world
I love the idea, and I would love to do it,
I just don't think it would work, at least not every day.
I have little ones that love to play with these kind of figures...
There's still time, I can add it I suppose.

Thankful there's still time.
Advent is not just a day
or a week.
It is 4 weeks!
And if I don't get to the things I want to, who cares?

 Thankful I made it home last Wednesday
 (before Thanksgiving with a van full of groceries and kids)
My van was acting up all the way home
and it died in the driveway!!  
Thankful for Angels that drove us home, I have no doubt, it was Angels that helped us!
It ended up being the transmission!!!
Oh, my gosh, what next?

Thankful it is covered by our warranty!!
(it's still in the shop though...I'm going a little crazy stuck at home)

Thankful
Tow truck in our driveway=very happy almost 2 year old!
 Thankful our washer broke down
OK, not really, because we are broke now, we paid like 500 bucks 
last month to fix the dang thing and now it started leaking every day 
and was too much to fix, so we bought a new one
(1000 bucks!)
(we are broke)
Thankful the new one has a 10 year warranty

 Our snow blower also is broke down
so
the kids and I will shovel this afternoon, in the below zero wind chill weather
(Don't let that sun fool you--baby it's cold outside!)
Gosh, I hate winter...there.  I said it. 
BUT even though, we've had a few bad things happen,
there are still blessings.
Too many to count!
 Like babies who insist on eating themselves...
 Blessings of rosy cheeked little girls!
 Blessings of barefoot, red headed, smiling, little boys in overalls!
 (You're welcome!)
(can you tell I love toesies?)
(only on littles)
(and especially his little webbed ones)
 Blessings of symmetry lessons and big kids who join in on the fun...
 Blessings of a counter full of kid paintings...
and curly haired 4 year olds...
And piles of laundry to fold...it's calling my name
(this is like 4 loads!--does anyone else do this, lay them flat, 
so there's no wrinkles and fold them when you get a chance?)

I'm going to leave you with 2 funny videos of Simeon
blowing with his tongue...it's a big deal, because, he's never been able to do it!
The way his mouth is, it's been a hard thing, so his baby bubbles are late
and we are EXCITED!!

We start speech therapy in January, I'm excited he can do this, 
Oh, he's going to do soooo good!!!

Happy Thursday everyone!!  
Be Thankful, even when life is hard,
there's always something to be thankful for!

P.S.
Don't forget tomorrow is the feast of St Nicholas!
Go to Catholic Cuisine for a ton of ideas,
like mine HERE
Don't forget to set out your shoes!

13 comments:

  1. You're right, so much to be thankful for. I love these posts. I personally let clothes sit- in basket or dryer (not preferred, but if I laid them flat, I might as well fold them!).

    I'm sorry so many things are breaking down. The convenience of modern technology, right?

    I love all the kids pics and your home is so bright! Don't you just love the moment when a room is rearranged and picked up and CLEAN?

    And what great Advent traditions. Your kids will have wonderful memories. It is best to do only what we're able and not compare. I feel this year a lot of "look what we do" in the blog world. Maybe it's just me.... Anyway, if you like the idea of the traveling kings, simplify it. Our kings start out December 26th and merely travel, no goofy stuff, which honestly, kind of feels off to me. I simply move them from one end of the house to the other and the kids like to see how close they are because they know when they are near the nativity, Epiphany is a day or two away - and that means cake!

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    1. I wanted to a blessed Advent to you too! I dislike commenting on my phone but my computer is packed up and we just only had internet hookup last night.

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    2. NO way, actually folding them takes longer, really, it does...I save a bunch up and then go and fold for an hour...kind of relaxing..."I'm folding clothes, no one bother me" hahah!

      (It's my therapy)

      Oh, I am thinking what next? What will break next? My husband was pretty down, we never can seem to get ahead...we are so very thankful that the van was covered by warranty...paycheck to paycheck is the way we live...because of things like this, when we try to save, something breaks down...and when we get a bonus, like the positive mistake at work, we spend on things we need, like a table and chairs!

      Oh, and yes, you noticed that it was clean after we rearranged, I knew to take a picture right away!! :)

      Oh, gosh, I hope no one feels the "Look what we do" here....I try to share to give ideas, because if I'm doing it, it is EASY, I promise.

      I like your idea of the kings moving from Christmas to Epiphany...Great idea to keep things going, it always seems Christmas comes and then, after all that Advent daily stuff, there's kind of a lull..does that make sense?

      God bless you, you have a blessed Advent too, love you Nicole!

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    3. I finally answered you on my last post too...

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  2. OH man..so THANKFUL your van was under warranty. That would have been the worst. We just spent 1400. dollars on the car. Praying our old Suburban hangs in there. I HATE spending money on that kind of stuff. Would love to use it for a vacation. We also save and save and then something happens. But I guess that is what it is for. I have been doing really good keeping in my budget for the kids. Hard sometimes.

    I need to take a picture of my calendars also!! I love that idea putting them on cupboards.

    So thankful for you that you have wonderful cute sweet kiddos and the best husband evah. You are blessed...COLD...and ...FREEZING...but blessed.

    love and hugs to you!

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    Replies
    1. We also had to buy snow tires this year, as last year, we were almost killed every time we left the house, not to mention that we could hardly get up our driveway, with our old tires....everything costs so much...there's always something.

      Tom was planning on saving for a vacation...oh, well...God wants us here I guess.

      Stay warm friend!!

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  3. Jamie Jo - one year we had the transmission break on the van costing over $2,000 and 2 weeks later the septic pump went out costing almost $2,000. We thought how awful it was for those 2 things to happen so close when low and behold our well pump went out, I just cried and cried. The well pump was around $1,000 and we were already broke. It was a hard time, very hard and we couldn't catch a break but eventually the clouds parted and the sun shined and things stayed fixed for a good long while. I pray for that time to come for you guys!
    Simeon's blowing bubbles is adorable!
    When I saw the wisemen posts, I was all ' YES, we are SOOO doing that" but nope, not once have we managed to make that happen. I love our Advent as it is now and have decided to give myself permission to keep it simple and not fret over no traveling wise men.
    We have always had them travel from Christmas to Epiphany to baby Jesus but it is our only 'leading up to' Epiphany activity so maybe that is how it should remain for our family.
    I truly love these thankful posts!

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    1. Man oh, man!! You get it! I think it was my husband that cried though, I didn't have time and I was busy telling him, that everything would be OK, and that God would provide.

      We just this past week, made our last payment for our basement repair. Our basement flooded last spring for the 3rd time...so we did a basement tile system drain system, guaranteed for 30 years...it cost $5000!!!! I guess, it is a blessing that this new stuff happened the week we finished the last big thing...God always provides!

      I really like that idea of the wise men traveling between Christmas and Epiphany, since we kind of do nothing and we feel the lack after doing so much for Advent...I agree, sometimes, we just need to be OK with what we already do. The most important thing is that the kids remember the WHY. Why we do these things.

      Thank you 9Peas!

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  4. I always love your posts, you and your family are so inspiring to me! All the love and affection that you share is beautiful!

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  5. And this is why I love you, my sweet friend...
    Letting me know that it is alright If I don't do everything I intend to. Or everything I plan on. Or everything I see others are doing. Thanks for reaffirming that it is alright to do what your heart and home can and that there is always another Advent when circumstances are different to try something new.
    Whew! That was a long one!
    On a lighter note...I see a candle burning on your stove...cozy! : )
    I see cutie pies in warm fuzzy jammies...cozier! : )
    I see a warm and loving home with happy kids and two awesome parents!
    Night friend...I'm off to remake beds.
    I washed everyone's sheets today. Seemed like a good idea when I took them off...now...not so much. : )

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    1. Gosh, I hope my blog doesn't do that to people...we do what is easy...but it's busy and really, nothing is easy with 6 kids. (haha)

      Oh, I feel the same way about sheets...I make them right before bed, in a mad rush to get them done...we need extra sheets don't we? That way we could just put the new ones on while the others were washing...done right away in the morning. Hmmmm.....

      Sheets are expensive though...I think it's time for flannels though, it's below zero. My hot blooded husband won't be ready for that!

      Good night friend! (I love fresh made beds though, you will be warm and cozy!)

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  6. Thanks for all your Thankful posts! I'm pretty much right where you are at now...7 kids your kids' ages roughly, living in cold, snowy MN homeschooling. And happy to be Catholic! It's sometimes hard to remember to take time to be thankful, in spite of all the gifts and blessings I've been given, and your posts remind me and make me smile. You go, sister! We are doing the Wise Men Adventures from Christmas to Advent as well, as that's all I can handle! ;) God bless you!

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