Thankful Thursdays Part 2

Africa Trip 2007

If you missed Part 1 of Thankful Thursdays you can check it out here. On to Chapter 2...this chapter was about the relationship between true joy and gratitude. The two are inseparable. You can not live a full life of joy without gratitude. "The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live..." (page 33) Jesus knows more than anyone about pain and suffering. He had to anticipate it, then go through it for us who don't deserve it and with less than 12 hours to go before his crucifixion he chose to give thanks. This blows my mind, but it also makes so much sense. Why waste all our worries and become bitter about something when God always sees the bigger picture and has our best interest in mind? Shouldn't we thank Him in advance for what he is going turn our suffering into? We need to be thankful for the good along with the bad.

"Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to his grace." (page 39) I have to be honest...I had to re-read this chapter a few times to let the power of it sink in. I started thinking about the concept of being thankful in ALL circumstances as it tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and you guys this is a hard, hard concept! I can think of so many circumstances where people might wonder where God was or why God didn't stop something from happening, but giving thanks in everything prepares the way that God might show us His fullest salvation in Christ. "These things prepare the way for God to show us his fullest salvation from bitter, angry, resentful lives and from all sin that estranges us from Him." God loves each one of his children so much and we have to trust His plan for us!

When I think about the times in my life that have been the toughest I can look back on most of them and say I'm thankful that I went through them because I learned something or I grew closer to God because of it. When I graduated and couldn't find a teaching job to save my life I grew closer to God than I ever had. I spent hours in the hammock in my parent's backyard pleading with God and asking Him what He had planned for me. Months went by and instead of a job I got the opportunity to go to Africa on a mission trip with Drew. If I had gotten a job when I thought I needed one, I never would have been able to take 2 weeks off to go on a trip like that! And now I have a job that I love and I wouldn't trade that year without one for anything! Speaking of joy...if the picture below isn't true joy I don't know what is. And that head in the bottom right corner...that's mine. One of my favorite memories of Africa was an African dance party where this woman chose me to be her dancing partner! These people had almost nothing and they taught me more about being thankful than anyone.

So if you skimmed down here's what I wrote above in a nutshell: Joy and gratitude are strongly tied together, you can't live a full life without being thankful in all circumstances! Don't forget to check out these wonderful gals thoughts on chapter 2 as well!

Emily from Meme & He
Tara from A Brew of Blessings
Katie from Hope Engaged
Kristen from Love, Done Simply

A few things I'm loving today...

I'm linking up with Jamie and Michelle to share a few things I'm loving today.

I'm loving all the amazing people I've met through blogging including my sweet friend Tara. Today is her birthday so hop on over to her blog and say Happy Birthday!!

I'm loving that my husband is home safe and sound from his camping adventures. There was an earthquake this weekend in Kentucky and my husband felt it! Crazy! He's even cute after not showering for three days.

I'm loving that my friend Betsy came in town to keep me company while Drew was out playing Bear Grylls. We had a relaxing weekend filled with girly movies, shopping and baking.

I'm loving that the holiday craft shows are in full swing!

I'm loving that we are hosting our first family Thanksgiving this weekend at our house. I'm a planner at heart so I've been busy making lists and buying crafty supplies to make it special.

I'm loving Pioneer Woman's Rigatoni and Meatballs from her new cookbook. YUM!

And now that cold weather has taken over Ohio...I'm loving these pins.

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

What are you loving today?

If you need a good laugh...

Just read this:

                                                                                    Source: cheezburger.com via Allison on Pinterest

I honestly can't re-read this (even if it is for the 20th time) and not bust out laughing. Speaking of catnip...you want to hear about the first time we gave our cats catnip? It's a pretty awesome story.

The night we adopted Sawyer and Bear we brought them home and thinking we were being smart pet parents we rubbed cat nip on the things that we wanted them to know were theirs...their bed, their scratching post, etc. Fast forward to midnight and as my husband and I were lying in bed we heard our new kitties running around like they were high on life. Me being the sensitive person I am decide they probably feel out of sorts in their new home (which is not a tiny cage) so I tell my husband I'm going to go out and sleep on the couch in the off chance that one of them wants to cuddle with me. I stumble out of bed in the pitch black and feel my way out to the family room. I grab a blanket and then feel out the edge of the couch. I plop down...and sit in something squishy. Well my friends it was cat poop and that cat poop was now all over my sweatpants. So much for trying to help a cat out...
But I will say since then our cats have not once pooped outside the litter box or had catnip. Just say no to catnip!

At least they are cute right? I forgave them quickly and just blamed the catnip.

Show and Tell Monday

1. Tell us what you like to do when it's cold outside.
When it's cold outside I love starting a fire in our fire place, sipping on something hot and playing a game of Boccer ball with my husband in our basement. If you haven't heard of Boccer ball, look it up. It is amazing! I also love to bake while jamming to Christmas music. And if we are feeling adventurous my husband and I might hit up the sledding hills or go tubing at Perfect North with friends.

 2. Tell us some of your favorite "winter" recipes.
Don't be shocked when I tell you this buuuuttt....my favorite winter recipe is from Pioneer Woman. Are you surprised? I love Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf and let me just give a little disclaimer here: Before I made her meatloaf I despised meatloaf. The only reason I gave hers a try is because my husband wanted Meatloaf as his birthday dinner so I couldn't refuse. Let me just say I love this meatloaf! The fact that it is wrapped in bacon might help. Click here for the recipe. 

Here are two other quick and easy holiday dinners I posted about last year.



 

3. Show a picture of something that makes you think of the cold.

4. Tell us /show us some of your favorite accessories/outfits for the winter
 I love any big, cozy sweater I can get my hands on. If I feel like I'm wrapped up in a blanket then I'm happy. And so I don't look like a giant tent, a skinny belt is also essential. I'm also "warming" up to leggings. For my feet, I can't go without my cozy slippers for inside and my tall boots for outside.

5. Tell us if you had the option of snow or no snow, what would you pick?
 If it's going to be cold out, and I don't have to drive in it I say it might as well snow! But I'm not quite ready for that yet!

High Five for Friday!!!

Yay it'sssssss FRIDAY! I'm being adventurous and trying a new link up today. Linking up with Lauren for High Five Friday!

1. Since I had a few in-service days this week and didn't have to spend my evenings grading and lesson planning I actually had some time to craft. So I made a portable Ironing table for my craft room and I'm in love!
2. I made one of my favorite Real Simple recipes: Slow-Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie!
3. I had a Starbucks/IKEA date with my husband and we finally found the lighting we've been looking for for our living room! IKEA never lets us down.
4. I got a lesson in applying make up from my friend Bekah. I honestly know nothing about applying make up or at least I didn't until my lesson!
5. I got some time to cuddle with my sweet kitty.

Have a wonderful Friday and a fantastic weekend friends. High five for Friday!

Thankful Thursdays Part 1

                                     Source: wherebeautyrescues.tumblr.com via Allison on Pinterest

Today's a day I have been looking forward to for a while now...the start of Thankful Thursdays! I'm reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts along with some other truly amazing girls. So here are my thoughts on the first chapter, which had a focus on the affects of our Ingratitude.



This time of year the focus is on being thankful for what we have. When Thanksgiving rolls around it is pretty easy to find something to be thankful for, but do we do this in our everyday lives all year long? Sadly, I know most of us don't (including me). For some reason it is soooooo much easier to complain, question and look at what we don't have. Something God has really laid on my heart these last few weeks is how much our ingratitude causes a big separation between us and him. He wants more than anything to be close to us and when he doesn't give us exactly what we think we need we push him away. In Ann's book she talks about the lie that Satan speaks to us that God is holding out on us when we don't get everything we think we should have. He has been telling us since the Garden of Eden that "God isn't good...that God withholds good from His children...that he doesn't genuinely, fully, love us." (page 14) Knowing that people actually feel this way breaks my heart. We all face trials that cause us to question everything, but the one thing I have always known to be true is that God is in control and I am so grateful for that.

1 Corinthians 2:7 says "His secret purpose from the very beginning is to bring us to our full glory." Whatever God allows to happen is for his glory and to draw us closer to him. "There's a reason I am not writing the story and God is. He knows how it all works out, where it all leads, what it all means." (page 21) There are so many situations that happen in this world that I don't understand, but the thing is I don't have to. When bad things happen Ann encourages her readers to think about them as "holes"to see God through. You can choose to let a bad situation paralyze you or you can use the situation to grow closer to God. To me the choice is easy...let go of what you are holding on to and give it to God. He is good, his promises are true and he wants to help us rise to our full glory!

And that's just chapter 1...I'm so looking forward to the rest of my journey through this book and if you want to read along I highly recommend this book!

Don't forget to check out these wonderful gals thoughts on chapter 1 as well!

Emily from Meme & He
Tara from A Brew of Blessings
Katie from Hope Engaged
Kristen from Love, Done Simply

TV Tray turned Ironing table

Since I started crafting in my new craft room I've been a little spoiled because all my tools are at my fingertips. The only time I need to leave (beside to eat and go to the bathroom) is to iron out some of my burlap in the back bedroom. My husband has been sweet to let me leave traces of burlap on the ironing board, which then leave traces of burlap on his dress shirts, but I felt bad so I started looking for other ironing table options, preferably one that could be closer to my sewing table. I turned to Pinterest (where else?) and found just what I was looking for...

A TV Tray turned ironing table. It was affordable and it can be set up and taken down with ease.

What you need:
*TV Tray (I got mine at Walmart for $8.00)
*Insul bright (JoAnn's fabric $3.00 for half yard)
*Fabric (Half yard $3.00)
*Staple Gun

First cut your fabric and Insul bright down to line up with the top of your tv tray. I put down 3 layers of the Insul bright then added the fabric to the top.

It's easiest to turn your tv table upside down to staple it into place so flip over the table and staple away or have your husband staple away while you take pictures.

Then flip your table over and try it out! Mine has already been put to work and I love it! Thanks Pinterest for the fabulous idea. Original tutorial found here.

Linking up with Katie and Steph today!