Signing off with a lot of gratitude... :)

It's that time...

I'm signing off today for the rest of the holiday season so I can try to be in the moment as much as possible.  There are a lot of parties and events to attend.  I want to enjoy every moment with my family.  So, here is the rest of my gratitude list...

17.  This blog post which brought me to tears.

18.  This little boy who received the honorary "Lightning Bug of the Week"...it honestly made him feel so honored and gave him a much needed boost of confidence.

19.  Finally making the time again to make a weekly menu and shop sticking to my list.  It makes my week go sooooo much smoother.

20.  My public library where I find an endless supply of much needed information, including cookbooks!

21.  This little girl (who is not so little!) and her little dancing friends.  There is nothing like a sweet dance recital for little angels.

22.  Tucking everyone into bed at night and seeing the pretty glow of our tree.  It is such a comforting sight.

23.  Talented artists like this one who share their holiday treats:

24.  Great reviews on the new book:  :)

25.  And most importantly, of course, God's grace and my family.

The time to reflect is here, and I am looking forward to slowing down and celebrating the real reason for the season.

I am also most grateful for the friendships I have made through this blog.  Thank you for all of your sweet comments and support.  I look forward to some new and exciting changes on my blog this coming year.

Have a great holiday season Friends, and I'll see you "next year" :)

xoxoxo,

Chrissie

Day 16- Gratitude

I met my friend Cheri about 8 years ago at an art show.  That was back in the days when I made lots and lots and lots of mosaics.  She bought one of them at the festival that day and became one of my most loyal customers, biggest cheerleaders, and also, a dear friend.

Last week, after a particularly difficult day, a box was delivered well after dark.  I was so surprized to see this beautiful wreath, this fresh wreath made from fir, delivered from the mountains of North Carolina.  Guess who sent it to me?  My sweet friend Cheri!

Ava and I decorated it with some cute little ornaments and hung it in the foyer.  Our house new smells like Christmas!

I am grateful for friends like Cheri who do things out of the kindness of their hearts.  She didn't know how much this simple gift would lift my spirits! 
I hope you are all having a sweet week...can you believe that there are only nine more days until Christmas? :)
xo,
Chrissie

Gratitude- Day 14

I am grateful today for my big brother.
Little girls who have awesome big brothers are lucky!  :)

Happy Birthday Big Brother!  :)

Days 10, 11, 12- Gratitude

I'm planning on logging off the computer this weekend, so I wanted to share with you my list of gratitude first. :)

Day 10:  I'm grateful for bloggers who are kind enough to share tutorials.  I found this project here, and it was a perfect project for today.  It didn't take long at all, it was free, and it certainly put some more color in my house.  I just love it.

 Day 11:
I'm grateful for this snack that tricks my sweet tooth...vanilla yogurt, mandarin oranges, and chopped walnuts.  It works!

 Day 12:
After three nights of freezing temperatures, I was shocked and delighted to find that this plant had bloomed overnight and we found three monarch caterpillars.
I think that's pretty amazing.

Have a great weekend friends!
xo,
Chrissie

Day 9- Gratitude

I'm grateful that I got my Christmas cards done today.

Hopefully they'll be in the post office box in the morning.

I'm also grateful for sweet family who mailed this today.  The kids were so excited.  It will be a fun Advent activity.

Can I share with you that my heart has been a little heavy today? 
I think it's a combination of missing those who are celebrating the Christmas season in Heaven, with the earthly worries of day-to-day stuff, that is making me feel a little down.

I'm looking forward to making tomato soup and grilled cheese tonite for dinner, and snuggling with kids and sweet Christmas flick.

I hope you're enjoying this Holiday season :)
xo,
Chrissie

Day 8-Gratitude

I'm grateful for work.

Work being making things for other people.

 I love that people ask me to make things for them.  What a pleasure...

I am grateful that I can stay at home to be here with and for my kids, and still make a little money on the side.
Makes me feel very blessed.

Day 7-Gratitude

I worry a lot about our children's education.  Not just my children, but all children in the USA.

For example, did you know that:

• out of thirty developing countries, the USA ranks 25th in math and 21st in science?
• Approximately 7000 kids in our country drop out every day?
• High school dropouts are 8 times more likely to go to jail?

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer (especially when my intention this month is gratitude), but I had to put a voice to these worries.  I struggle with what to do.  Should I be home-schooling?  How can I advocate for my children in public school?  What can we do to improve our education system?

So now on to gratitude for the day...
I am grateful that I got a chance to volunteer in my son's classroom today...that we got to play with paint and glitter...that everyone was praised for their unique gingerbread men (or women).  It always amazes me how different the art turns out, even when they are given the same exact materials and the same exact instructions :)  So cool!

I am also super grateful for the teachers that my children have...they are all wonderful and work so hard...they should be praised every day...

And even though I worry about our schools, and I worry about how well our children are being educated, I am grateful that they have public schools, that they are safe and warm, that they all have the supplies they need, and that we as parents have the freedom to choose where and how our children will be educated.

Day 6-Gratitude

I'm grateful that somewhere along the way I've learned to make do and mend.

I made this Family Rules a couple of years ago.  I know I posted it sometime back , but can't find the link.

Anyway, I was moving a doll house last week and it got knocked down. 

The glass shattered everywhere! 

The frame was toast.

I was sad.  :(

Yesterday I remembered that I had saved another frame about the same size and it was waiting for me in the garage.  The matte is actually too big, and there is no glass, but I really like to have this hanging for the kids to see on a daily basis.  So I made do.

Here is a picture of the back.  Pretty bad, huh?  Oh, well.  It works for now.

One day when I have some extra money I'll have it reframed in the right size and add glass. 
But for now, Make Do and Mend.

Happy Monday! 

I'm linking up to Life Made Lovely Monday :)

xo,

Chrissie

Day5- Gratitude

Today I am grateful for brown paper, coloring supplies, a How-To Draw Christmas book borrowed from the library, and some beautiful Christmas music.

A very peaceful morning...:)

Day 4-Gratitude

Day 3- Gratitude

Almost two years ago my husband and I were introduced to Dave Ramsey.  Today, as we are facing a car repair costing a little over $2000, I am super grateful that we have been following the program.

Here is a great article on Christmas debt.

We have made a lot of sacrifices over the last two years.  We started out with $30,000 in debt.  We are now down to $8000.  (Not including our mortgage.)  Two years ago we didn't have any savings.  Now we are working on 9 months worth of savings.  Today's car bill will set us back, but at least we didn't have to put it on a credit card!  Praise God!

I know a lot of you have lost your jobs.  I know a lot of people have a lot more debt, either out of necessity or by making poor financial decisions.  Financial security has been important to me.  Please don't think I'm bragging about this...I still struggle with it all the time.  I still have all the "I wants"...I want a bigger house, new jeans, expensive fabrics, etc...I try to keep the bigger picture in mind:  what if my husband lost his job?  We have college expenses and a retirement to save for.  Thankfully we don't have to worry about putting food on the table, but I know that day could come and I hope to be prepared for it.

If you are struggling, please know that I am praying for you:)  I know the economy sucks right now.  In our case, following the Dave Ramsey plan has given me some peace of mind.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  I am hoping for some time to craft and quilt and work on some homemade Christmas presents.  It is actually cold here in Florida and it's starting to feel like Christmas :)

xo,

Chrissie

Day 2-Gratitude

I am grateful for our collection of Christmas books.

 We've been collecting them for almost ten years!  Starting on December 1st, we read one every night.

Yesterday I looked and looked, until I finally remembered that I boxed them up last year so that they wouldn't get lost among the other children's books. 

 Here our some of our favorites.  We always start with this one:

 This one has a great story.

 Classic.  We always make hot chocolate when we read this one...and sometimes follow up with the movie.

 I remember this one from when I was a child.  The illustrations make me feel warm and fuzzy.

 My kids love all of the Stinky face books.

I am also grateful for the kids who weren't in the mood to celebrate Advent last night.  Yes, the ones who talked and laughed the whole time I was reading.  The ones who ended up fighting right in the middle of the story.  Our story time ended up in tears.

I am grateful that we can try again tonite :)

Do you have any favorite Christmas books?

Day 1-Gratitude

I am going to try something this month.

This month that leads up to the birth of our Saviour.

I want to blog 25 Days of Gratitude.

Things that I am simply so blessed to have.

The first one is these two.

These two make me happy.

I miss my Dad a lot during the holidays.

Watching these two makes me remember the good times I had with my Dad.

Father-daughter relationships are precious.

They love each other a lot :)

There is nothing sweeter than seeing a little girl with her Daddy.