Attitude of Gratitude

Have you ever began a journey just sure that God had called you to it, only to find yourself in the midst of great tribulation and testing? Did you wonder, "Did I miss something Lord? Why would you lead me this way only to watch me struggle so much within Your plan?"

I read somewhere that after the Pilgrim's landed in their new homeland that they first gave thanks. They recited together the words from Psalm 100:

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. For the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations.

So after persecutions, relocating more than once with their families, and a journey that nearly killed them all - they arrived to a land that was raw and beautiful and filled with challenges. Yet they stopped to praise and thank God for his goodness and His faithfulness. Their attitude was to be grateful no matter what. God had a plan for them that included blessings and trials alike.

Thanksgiving did not start out as a one time feast after the first harvest. It began in the hearts of a group of people who decided ahead of time to be thankful for all things - the journey, the trials, the blessings and the Hand of God leading them.

How many times I have found myself recently focusing on the hard parts of life. May my heart be reminded in this season to decide ahead of time to thank Him for all things. And may I find ways to impress a heart of gratitude on my children.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Welcoming A Sweet Gift

Our new little daughter arrived on October 19, just over two weeks ago. We are all adjusting to having this sweetest gift in our home. Due to my recovery and total sleep deprivation, I have not had much time to blog. I did see this great quote on a friends' blog and I thought I would share it here. I was so encouraged by it. And that is really what I needed today! Thanks Jenny!

"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse into the future of that life as it reaches into eternity; could she look into it's soul to see it's possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for it's destiny,- she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other hands the sacred and holy trust given to her."
- JR Miller

So for now, I am looking at the possibilities and trying to understand my responsibilities to raise this little one the way I am called to do so!

Looking forward,
Stacey

Love This Art Project!

This is a quick link up to a super cute art project!

What do you need?

Markers
Masking tape
Big or small piece of paper
Your child

I just love it when I look at an art project list and I have all the items in my house without having to run out and buy them! And this is really cute!!!
Once again, it is from a Blog I love! Kathy has the best ideas!


Looking Forward,
Stacey

Welcoming Fall

Welcome friends from Emma Calls Me Mama Holdiay Blog Party! I am all about fall right now, so here is my link up to the holiday party! I hope you enjoy it!

Around our house, we don't have falling leaves or cool temperatures to usher in fall. But we do have a few recipes that we pull out in October that let us know that fall has arrived. I thought I would share a couple with you that you might enjoy.



Mike's Favorite Chili

2 lbs of ground beef
1 Onion chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (Pureed in blender)
1 can of Bush's Chili Beans in Mild sauce (Also Pureed in blender - the kids have no idea!)
Chili powder to taste (your desired hotness!)
***2 small cans of tomato sauce (I never put this in, we like our chili really thick)
---1. Brown ground beef & onion, drain
2. Puree in blender diced tomatoes.
3. Puree in blender chili beans
4. Combine meat mixture, 2 purees, and heat through
5. Season with chili powder to your desired taste

***This easy recipe was from a friend of mine who lovingly brought me dinner right after the birth of my first child. I had been trying out chili recipes for my husband and after tasting this one he said, "I think we found it!" I have made it for the past 10 years!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 package of spice cake mix
1 can Libby 100% pumpkin (15 oz)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1/3 cup of water

---1. Blend all ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes
2. Pour batter into greased or paper lined muffin cups (about 24 muffins)
3. Bake at 350 for about 16-21 minutes
4. You can add a vanilla or cream cheese icing if you like.

***I always serve these muffins with the chili as part of the main course. I never add the icing because they are just as good without them. My kids devour them! As a side note, I heard a rumor that there was a shortage of pumpkin this year and that canned pumpkin may be hard to come by.

Looking Forward,
Stacey


P.S. For instructions on how to make these fabulous crafts and others, go to BHG.Com.
You can find these two crafts under Fall Welcome Message and Fall Pumpkin Centerpieces.

DIY Fall Decorations

Look what you can do with a trip to the dollar store, some chalk board paint and using what you already have!

My Front Porch
I have had the chair for years. It sat at the kitchen table when I lived at 29 Lincoln Avenue. My mom also has one on her front porch. So this chair always makes me feel like I am home. I decided this summer to paint it black and and remove the shredded weaved seat. I am thinking about making a new seat for it , but for now I have a board resting on the frame and a fall mum gracing it. I love it!

The simple black stool, I found on Craig's List. It was brown with red and blue beads glued to the side when I purchased it. I spray painted it black and now it is the perfect perch form my Monogram Pumpkin. I saw this on another blog and had to give it a try. I really wish I could remember the name so I could give due credit of my inspiration. I made my own stencil and used a black Sharpie pen to color in the "T". It took me about 5 minutes to do this!


Library Table
This new chalkboard started out as a picture frame. I painted the frame black, flipped over the back insert and coated it 3 times with chalk board paint. The pumpkins and leaves came from The Dollar Store. It was simple and inexpensive.




Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. I think this will be the extent of my fall decor this year. We have only one week before our new little girl arrives!

Project 10

Welcome friends from A Soft Place To Land! I'm not sure if this is a true DIY project. I did it myself (with the help of about 29 friends) and it is a project that required a trip to Michaels...so I think it qualifies! I just had to share it with as many people as I could! I hope it truly inspires you!

Last week my oldest daughter turned 10 years old. I believe that this is a critical year for her. In the next couple of years she will experience great physical and emotional changes and my hope is that during this time I can lavish on her the love and affirmation she will need as she crosses over into the teen years.

A couple of years ago while at a conference I heard speaker Julie Hiramine of Generations of Virtue speak about raising girls. She mentioned something she did for her daughter called, The First 30 Days of 10. For her 10th birthday, Julie asked 30 of her own friends to write letters of encouragement or short Bible studies for her daughter. I loved the idea and knew that I wanted to do something similar as well.

I called my version Project 10 and had 29 of the most amazing ladies write some of the sweetest notes to my daughter that I have ever read. I added a letter myself for a total number of 30.

I really wanted the presentation to be special. So when I found these adorable boxes at Michaels and was I was thrilled! Here is what she found as she unwrapped each one:

Box #1 - 10 Reece Cups (her favorite candy)
Box #2 - 10 hair accessories
Box #3 - 1 picture from each of her 9 previous birthdays and her actual Birth Day - September 30, 1999.
Box #4 - 30 letters all wrapped up in pretty pink tulle

She loved it! But the best part came just before she went to bed. She said with tears in her eyes, "Mommy, I love my letters. I never knew I was so special." Words are powerful things aren't they? My prayer for her is that she will store up all these things and treasure them in her heart for many years to come.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Fall Inspiration

Happy October 1st!
Fall is in the air!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes...
Falling Leaves....
Cozy Sweaters....

Well at least in some part of the country! We had a blast of fall weather in the Southeast and it felt great. It must have dipped down into the 80's yesterday! So nice for this very pregnant girl. Plus, it was my oldest daughter's 10th birthday and we had a great time on a little boat ride viewing the gorgeous sunset. A perfect day!

I love to drive down to Polk County this time of year and visit The Barn. It is a great antique and seasonal store that is also a nice place to grab lunch with the girls. It is only open from October - May. The first weekend in October brings out huge crowds. I just love it. This year though, I am not feeling up to the excursion so I found some great fall inspirations on some of my favorite blogs! I think you will enjoy them to and they are just a click away.



Kim at Twice Remembered posted this yummy fall potpourri recipe that you can actually eat!

Sarah Mae at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee has some really cute fall clothing from Down East Basics up for grabs! These look really fun and are very affordable!

And over at Art Project for Kids you can do this beautiful fall inspired water color for a lazy afternoon project. Thanks Kathy!


I hope you have a fabulous fall day!

Looking Forward,
Stacey


P.S. I am also linking up with Southern Hospitality's "It's Fall, Y'all!"