thankfulness...

Another year, another holiday.

But not just another day.

Today, I am doing my darnedest to hold on to the lovely, true, and good - to actively thank for those things.

For family, for kids, for house, for clothes, for a luxury business, for a brain, for writing, for coffee, for good days and bad, for marriage, for food, for wine, for sleep, for movement, for health, for cars, for fuzzy slippers, for freedom, for phones, for texting, for memories, for photos, for presents, for baby hugs and kisses, for video games, for people to game with, for pillow forts, for cuddle time, for beauty, for...everything.

Because really, nothing I have is mine.  If we are really honest, don't we all know that?  Someone else worked to give us life in the beginning.  Others worked to give us education.  It is all gift - great and gracious.

And so today, thanks to the Father of lights, the Giver of all gifts.

via Loopzart

an early thankfulness post

As my readers will have noticed this year, life has been...crazy, chaotic, congested, colorful (I admit it, I got stuck in alliteration there).  But some of the things that have happened recently have made me realize a few things.  Or rather, one big thing.

I am immensely blessed.

Regardless of what has happened in my life this year, I look at my situation and I can do nothing but praise a very gracious God for all His many blessings.  I have a healthy family, roof over my head, and a new baby on the way.  Oh and by the way, we are expecting #2 kiddo summer of 2013.  =)

Hito figured out how straws work and now wants to drink anything that has one - including dad's milk tea.  =)

How ungrateful am I that these thoughts only come to mind during holiday season?  And these are blessings that I have always had!

So I am going to leave these lyrics here as a little reminder for us to think of these things all year long!

If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep
Counting your blessings.

"Count Your Blessings" by Irving Berlin

Have a beautiful and thankful day!

Thanksgiving Day Recap!

After a rather busy day, I am now sitting at home again, quietly reading news from the day (and reading everyone's beautiful Thanksgiving day blogposts!), catching up on Facebooking friends around the country, and enjoying a once-in-a-blue-moon quiet evening at home with the hubby.  It is lovely!

I had a very blessed Thanksgiving "day" because I feel like I had was able to celebrate for two days!  One of my college roommates (whom you have seen before because she has modeled my jewelry before: like this item!) was in town to see family for the weekend and I was able to steal her away from her family for one night!  It was an occasion to celebrate and talk and eat.  We ate a lot.  =)  Whenever she comes in town, we have begun a tradition of going to one of our favorite restaurants and I had an amazing drink - a chocolate wine.  "Chocolate Amore" is its name and I had to take some pictures of it:

Words cannot even describe quite how good it was.  It is a rich red wine with strong cherry tones and an amazingly smooth dark chocolate finish.  If you are a chocolate lover, you have to try finding this wine!  (I did find a list of online stores you can order it from here.)  

And then, for Thanksgiving day, I talked to my family in Hawaii on the phone and spent the afternoon/evening in a combination of eating, recovering from eating, and enjoying general family time.    Now that I'm awake on Black Friday, I have to get myself in gear and do some shopping!  I was really hoping to finish my family Christmas shopping today so you may very well be seeing many more posts from me this weekend completing my Operation Family Chrismas Shopping saga!!!

Have fun out there (or at home - however you do your shopping) and check out some of these blogs for great helps for online deals this weekend!

muchloveilly

wild and precious