Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for year after year! I think it is wonderful to know we still have the freedom to share our bounteous blessings with our loved ones. We still live in a country that sets aside a special day just for giving thanks! Now this is something to be thankful for! We have the brave men and women who have fought so courageously for our feedom to thank for this wonderful right! (So thank you, dear brave souls!) Since the days way back in the 1600s when the pilgrims bravely took the step to leave a country that took away their right to believe as they wanted, we still can believe as a christian to this day! We have so much to be thankful for!



Here are a few things I am thankful for this year:



1. Our freedom to believe.

2. The love of God, family and friends.

3. Food and shelter and clothing.

4. Health and happiness.

5. A loving husband.

6. My precious children.

7. A comfy bed.

8. Babies in heaven.

9. My church family.

10. Fresh air and sunshine.

11. A paycheck!

12. The Old Rugged Cross!

13. My own little piece of earth.

14. The sound of children's laughter.

15. God's precious word.

16. Music.

17. Good books.

18. A dependable car.

19. Safety.

20. Clean water.

21. The freedom to dream.

22. Our daily bread.

23. Grace.



Oh, I know their are so many more things, like getting a front row parking spot at the mall or being thankful that my stocking didn't fall down to my ankle the other week at church. (I had to go into the kitchen at church and look for safety pins. I didn't find any, but I did find some paperclips that worked just fine! Phew!) Now you know that I am not the most 'prepared' person around.

Here are a few ideas for Thanksgiving:

1. You can make a Thankful Tree. Draw a tree onto a large piece of paper and stick it on the fridge and everyone in the family can write something they are thankful for on a separate piece of paper and then stick it on one of the tree branches.

2. Have the kids make up a play for thanksgiving, or recite a poem or sing a song or tell silly jokes and then they can entertain the adults after dinner.


3. Have slips of paper for the guests to write down what they are thankful for and put them all in a bowl. Then everyone can pick out a slip of paper and read it aloud.


4. Print out coloring pages for the kids at http://holidays.kaboose.com/thanksgiving/ and find craft ideas etc.

5. Make a beautiful centerpiece:

This idea is from www.hgtv.com/crafting

Supplies:

footed container

floral foam

floral tape

fresh plums

white mini pumpkins

hydrangea, fresh or dried

grapevine balls

seeded eucalyptus sprays

wooden skewers

hot glue and glue sticks

1. Find a container and put water-saturated floral foam inside making sure to cut the foam 1-2" above the container. (A hollowed out pumpkin is a good container, too.)

2. Crisscross floral tape over the foam and attach to inside of container.

3. Insert skewers into mini pumpkins and plums. You may have to shorten the skewers.

4. Attach grapevine balls to skewers with hot glue and add to arrangement.

5. Fill spaces between plums, pumpkins and grapevine balls with hydrangea. Add branches of seeded eucalyptus for texture.

Now enjoy these last few days before Thanksgiving to soak in all of God's goodness! Find a little quiet time and write out your lists (to do, to buy, to be thankful for!) and find a little bit of fun and laughter in your days! We only have one life to live and I believe that God wants us to really enjoy it! It is not all work, you know! But if it seems like all work and no play, we just have to stop and 'smell the roses', change the routine a little, take a deep breath and say, 'aahh!'

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!