THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving, to me, means giving thanks to our Heavenly Father for all His many blessings. It's one of the few holidays that isn't commercialized to death. It just comes natural to thank Him. He gives to us, we say 'thanks'. No one is trying to browbeat us to buy-buy-buy! It only requires the simplicity of a bowed head or knee to say "Thank you, Jesus". There's no fakeness or going into debt or stress here - just family and friends gathering together to eat and say our blessings. It's opening up our hearts to God and to one another. It's realizing that we are blessed regardless of our circumstances. It's admitting there is a God and He's kept us going all this time. It's knowing we need Him desperately in our lives and seeing how large a part He is willing to play if we'll just let Him.

Whether we are praying aloud or just whispering a prayer in our hearts , it's just knowing that He has waited patiently for years to get to know us, and all the while He was still blessing us.

In everything give thanks, for God is good

I'm a believer in holding true to tradition. Despite all the hard work, cleaning, cooking and tiredness. I still love it when the family gathers in our home for Thanksgiving dinner. We have a lot of memories to pull from and we all like to sit around the living room, after the meal, and recall them. We laugh a lot down our memory lane! As is typical in most families, the men gather round the tv while the women are in the kitchen. The kids are in and out and all over the house while someone is trying to steal a piece of turkey as they pass through the kitchen!

Our menu doesn't very much from year to year. We all have our favorites and we pretty much stick to that same menu: turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, broccoli-rice casserole, pumpkin pie, chocolate sheet cake, and plenty of other dishes thrown in. What matters most is celebrating our abundance with the people we love. There's nothing like a holiday meal to bring the family together and believe me, our dinner is worthy of the season!

We don't serve alcohol in our home. It just doesn't seem right to be praising and thanking Jesus for all our blessings with alcohol on our breaths. Never seems to bother anyone!

Jesus is the reason for the season!

I don't think anyone ever leaves our home hungry or not thanking the Lord for all our blessings, which are many. Our stomachs may be full but so are our hearts - full of love for one another and for God, from whom all our blessings flow.

Decorating McKayla's room

Chandy from Home Depot

Most of you know that we are great-grandparents who are raising our little great-granddaughter, McKayla. We have had her with us since she was born. If anyone had ever told me I'd be raising a toddler in my 60's I'd have laughed but it's wonderful! Keeps us young and we love her so very much. I highly recommend it!

The wooden letters above are all painted a different color, just to keep it interesting and to break away from everything in there being the same colors!
I put them up with those 3M strips.


When McKayla turned 26 months, I had hernia surgery and couldn't lift her, so we thought it was a good time to put her in a toddler bed. She loved it from the very first night!

Found this material at Hobby Lobby and made her pillows for her rocker.

Making those little fabric roses was easier than I thought!

I decorated the inside of her chest. Wanted to add a lamp but since she rearranges it daily, I thought that might not be a good idea right now.

Caught a view of her in the mirror of her dresser.

Found this little sign "Heaven's Gift" at Dollar Tree and hung it on the outside of her door.

My husband painted her room in a brown, pink and white. It reminds me of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. I wanted something very different so I had him paint a very wide stripe of pink all the way around the room. Very soothing. I ordered her bedding from E-Bay. The colors are just right for her room. Even came with a dust ruffle and top sheet! Her little toddler bed was ordered online from Walmart. It needed assembly but was easy! Just the right size for her. I worried at first about her falling out but the guard rails keep her in it. We did have to put up a gate at her door at night though to keep her from wandering all over the house!

Her paper doll clothes line. These little clothes are so cute! They have buttons, bows, pearls and ribbon on them. The metal "M" came from Hobby Lobby.

Top of her chest. I decorated her pink teddy bear with a tiara and tutu.

Made her flowers from a Martha Stewart kit. They will soon be moved to another corner.

Her little dresser and stool. I plan to put the tv chords behind the posts. We had to hang her tv on the wall because she was getting up in the middle of the night and turning it on!

Her room is actually not finished yet. I still have to make some drapes for her windows and put more things on her wall. I like it though and wanted to share it with Kelly's Korner for the "Show us your life - Kids Rooms and Nurseries".

Fall Decorating

Every year when Fall rolls around, I get excited about decorating my house! My husband probably doesn't see the value in all this - but he knows I love to do it for my family. I feel like I'm blessing my family when I make it all pretty for them. I love the colors of fall and the scents and of course, the food and the weather. I guess it's my favorite season. Just wish it hung around a little longer.

The wreath above hangs on my fireplace screen. The picture really doesn't do it justice because the colors are so vivid and the ribbon bow is so beautiful in variegated shades of fall colors. I have had this many years and tweak it a little more every year.

My wall looks a little bare here. Its really tall and wide. I have other pics that show close-ups.

Our fall mantle with our little garlands of leaves, acorns and pheasant feathers. I doubled this and now it looks so much better. Found this one at Big Lots.

Since I took this pic, I changed this arrangement a bit. One of my Southern Living candlesticks has green wrapped around it instead of the orange and there are some other things on the table. I learned a long time ago from a decorating pro that you can layer things on your tables. Here, I have a tray, some dishes and then some candlesticks and then, still, some beads on the candles. I thought it looked pretty.

Made this arrangement from one I saw years ago in Southern Accents.

I love this lamp! It is my favorite. The pear candlesticks are really porcelain painted to look like brass.

My little crow that I picked up in Fredericksburg, Texas. He is tying his shoes with his beak!

These feather balls are really Christmas ornaments but I took the hangers off them and put them in this bowl.

All dressed up for fall

Showing the bottom of the bakers rack

This basket hangs on the inside of my front door with the vinyl letters below it that say, "God bless our home".

My scarecrow usually sits on the outside patio but it was raining so I brought him inside for awhile.

My table arrangement tonight. I change it quite often, centerpiece and all.

This is the centerpiece I am using now. I love this little garland with the rusty stars on it. I put some acorns and pumpkins and bows around on it and decorated the candles. I'll probably keep on fiddling with it till I like it.

I bought these Spode plates from T.J. Maxx a long time ago (They are a reproduction) and bring them out every fall. Today they hold my glass pumpkins from Dollar Tree

One of my other arrangements I came up with.

I keep all my fruits and veggies in baskets from Dollar Tree. I love this idea because it keeps them in site so I will use them! Also looks really pretty.

Candy Corn in a Southern Living vase.

My chicken came from San Antonio market. I put some pipberries around her to look like a nest.

Just a stack of dishes with my dishcloth napkins.

My granddaughter got into the act by decorating this little pumpkin.

Towels in my bathroom. I thought by using several different colors it wouldn't be the same old cookie cutter look.

Inside the tub I hung these washcloths and put these candles. Shower curtain came from Walmart, part of the Better Homes and Gardens collection.

Monogram pic from Kirklands. I put the monogram in it.

Bought this silver tray from Goodwill for $1. and decorated it with candles and beads.

I hope you like my fall decorating. I had a lot of fun doing it and hope to keep adding to my collection.