Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- Day 30

I am thankful for so many things this year... most of all God and all the wonderful things He has done for me and allowed me the opportunity to experience.

The picture above is very special to me, just another showing of how much I know God is with me=D The day my Grandma passed away, April 10, 2005, we quickly made the trip from Florida to Ohio to be with our family. Having just lost my Dad four months prior, a 1 1/2 year old Kaylie, and being 3 months pregnant with Makenzie, I was beyond emotional. This picture was taken on our drive up north. Notice the AMAZING images in the clouds... I see Jesus' face (nearly in the center of the picture, with a defined nose and eyebrow bone). If you look extra close, there's another image just to the right of it, smaller and faint, that I believe is my Dad. God was "showing" me his care and concern, with my Dad there at his side, knowing everything would be okay. Some say it's a stretch, but when you have so much emotion and love for God, there's a reason things "show-up" when they do!

We've been through a lot, thanking God along the way. Of course there are times when our devotion to him isn't as strong as it should be, but it's the thought and love that counts. Without Him and those around us to help guide us in the right direction, there is no point to anything. I am so thankful that my husband and I can help each other grow together with God, and to help out children know and understand who God is and why He's so special.

This holiday season is by far the most important, celebrating the birth of Jesus. I pray all the time, especially now, that my children can see the true meaning of this holiday. God is amazing!!!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- Day 29

I'm so thankful for keeping my kids organized and "on the right track"=) I made a trip to the Dollar Tree, stocking up on goodies to FINALLY make our Chore Charts.

I hear a lot of people saying it's not "good" to have too much structure or "chores" for young kids... I am SO NOT in agreement with them!!! Kids thrive on schedules and organization. Even better, when kids enjoy getting involved with the planning, they feel more important and willing to listen.
After day one, here are the "results for the behavior chart... As predicted, a little more attention to actions is in store. It's good for my kids to see that their actions have consequences on paper, because then they can think about things easier in their daily activites. Makenzie says to Kaylie, "Good job Kaylie. I know you can do better tomorrow!"

As for chores, everyone rocked! Dannen even loved picking out his stickers:) Kaylie had her turn and told Makenzie, "Good job Makenzie. Don't forget you have to eat all your dinner to get your sticker!"

Thursday begins our daily Christmas projects, so they can't wait to earn another sticker!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- Day 28

Traditions... what other great way is there to spend time together on special holidays? Today is National French Toast Day! (I'm SUPER big on finding fun "national" days to celebrate... check out American Holidays.) This day is one of my favorites because it reminds me of a good childhood memory... Every Summer, we would visit Ohio family members, staying with my Uncle Willie and his family. One morning, we were asked the all-important question, "Would you like French Toast? Or how about Italian Toast? Or maybe German Toast?" HAHAHA, all of us kids, (me & my sister and cousins Rachel & Bevan), burst out laughing! To this day, every time I have French Toast, I can't help but giggle a bit inside=)

I LOVE making great memories, especially with my family!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 27

Nothing can make a house smell better than a perfect candle...I am thankful for what is now my favorite candle, found at Wal-Mart, Vanilla Cookie. We burn candles ALL the time! (Thankfully, we have instilled the fear of FIRE! with all of our kids from a young age. They know not to even think about touching a candle. Glad our kittens could care less about them, too LOL) Working for Hallmark back in '04-'05 and having a Mom who was a Hallmark employee for years when I was younger meant growing up with loads of candles everywhere. We used to burn the Christmas Cookie candle a lot.
Not that it happens often, but I LOVE a nice quiet bath with candles... no kids needing Mommy, just "ME" time=)

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- Day 26

I am definitely one of those coupon clipping, coupon loading, sale watching, money saving momma's! I'm so thankful when finding a great deal!!! My trip to Walgreens today was both a fail (they were out of the Christmas lights we wanted) and a success... I got some great prices, rebates, and savings today...

Between coupons and store savings, I saved $25.44, spending only $19.15 (The BEST part was getting the medicine for only $0.99 each, saving $14.50 just on three items)! AND, I get $8 off my next purchase solely because of the savings today=D *My friend Melissa posted her awesome savings trip, also! Score for frugal mommy's*

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 25

Craftiness... such a great thing to be thankful for this year, and every year! I've been blessed with a keen eye for making something ordinary into something pretty cool. With three kids, I love love love showing them things, passing along what I have learned:)
My newest adventure will benefit my son. Dannen is in the process of graduating out of his awesome fire truck toddler bed into his sisters' bunk bed!
(Here he is the first time napping in his fire truck bed when he was only 16 1/2 months old)(Kaylie & Makenzie are going nuts bugging each other and are beginning to need their own "space", so why not pass the bed along to Dannen?) The top is currently off, and though it'll make it's way back on eventually, the ladder will stay hidden until he's a little older... no need for a daredevil little boy learning how to fly off the top bunk! lolI plan on making Dannen his very own blanket out of this material. I went out shopping today (first time EVER venturing out on Black Friday) and found Jo-Ann Fabrics was having a great sale... I got this material on sale... 50% off!!! He LOVES fire trucks:) I can't wait to get crafty and make this material into a comfy blanket for my little guy:)

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 24

~*~Happy Thanksgiving~*~
I'm thankful for many, many things... Today I'm thankful for the wonderful food we had together as a family. My Mom and sister joined the five of us for this special holiday.
With William working his usual Thanksgiving late afternoon/evening, we ate at lunch time, leaving room to make another meal... for our theatre family:) William's staff has been through a lot this past year, so we wanted to share with them, on this Thanksgiving Day, how appreciative we are to them for their hard work and determination, keeping their heads up high and making that building totally rock! It was awesome seeing how excited they we about getting a nice meal while working during a very busy holiday. (We went up to the theatre and watched "Happy Feet 2"... PERFECT movie, showing how teamwork is key!)

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 23

Today I am especially reminded of how thankful I was to have ~time~ with my Dad... 7 years ago today, my Dad, whom was dying from Pancreatic Cancer, received a phone call from his doctor, saying they gave him until January before passing away. GULP.
I remember watching him talk on the phone with such a sad face, knowing it was definitely not something he wanted to have to share with anyone. (We all knew he was dying, but didn't really grasp the fact until hearing "a date".) I laid next to my Dad in his room, ever so gently rubbing his back... he was in so much pain, but the comforting touch helped calm him down. He softly laid there saying how he wished we had more time together, telling me how proud he was of my accomplishments, and my gift of being a Mommy. GULP. I asked him what his thoughts were of how he physically felt, his thoughts about what was to come in his last days, and his thoughts of what Heaven was going to be like.
My Dad was a soft spoken man, keeping to himself a lot. But let me tell you, when he did open up, it meant the world to just listen and appreciate his words of wisdom, laughs, you name it... he was AMAZING!!!
Thanksgiving was the last holiday we spent together as a family. He was extremely frail and his body was shutting down. We all spent the day remembering as much as we could...
The day after, he had an oxygen tank brought in, and the next day was the last day he spoke... his words will ALWAYS be with me... "One more" when my daughter Kaylie asked "Papa" for a kiss. I never heard him speak again...
He passed away very early in the morning just one week after the day he was given the January timeline... one week was no where near what any of us expected...
I am beyond thankful for my Dad and the time we had together...

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 22

I'm soooo thankful for television having an AMAZING "family" series. It's Season 3 already, so it's been around, but let me say how AWESOME this show portrays real life stories and real people! I can relate to just about EVERYONE in this show at one point or another. The characters deal with so many things I've experienced or questioned for years. It's nice to see how other people (Yes, I know it's TV, but like I said, this is THE CLOSEST to reality I've ever seen) handle real life situations. For instance, last week's episode dealt with a character throwing a fit and how to deal with the "testing" of a parent's skills and decisions to teach... hit home with a few things we're dealing with here with growing little girls, "testing" which buttons to push LOLWe DVR this show, William and I watching it together. It's definitely something I wish more people would watch, especially as a couple/parent/grandparent, etc. Our kids have even watched some of the episodes, helping them realize other people deal with the same things we do as a family. I can't wait to continue watching THE BEST show on TV=)

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 21

THE Olive Garden... my all time favorite restaurant! I am so thankful for the chances, though they come seldom, to visit The Olive Garden. Since I could remember, we would visit as a family and make great memories. My Dad LOVED the music:)
No matter the specials, I ALWAYS get the unlimited Soup, Salad & Breadsticks. The Pasta e Fagioli is the yummiest soup:) And who can forget the MINT CANDIES?!?!? It's a battle to see who grabs them first in our family:)One of the reasons I love going there, besides the food, is that I know each of our three kids eat well and are full when we leave. Both girls opt for the Mini Shell Pasta with the Alfredo Sauce on the side (hint: we use those as dipping sauce for our breadsticks... saves almost $3 instead of ordering a dish of sauce!) and Dannen usually eats a bowl of the Chicken Gnocchi Soup:) And breadsticks... LOTS & LOTS of breadsticks!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 20

Ohhhh man, or should I say Werewolf and Vampire!? I am thankful to be a part of the "Twilight Era". I've NEVER been into reading, but let's just say with the help of a great friend and her books "Hush Money" & "Hereos 'Til Crufew", I finally cracked open my Twilight series and never looked back.The books were very easy to read, smoothly written and easily enjoyable. With 754 pages in the last book, I thought it would take forever. BUT, with so much detail and the "unknown" of not "seeing" it in the theatre yet, I could not put it down. William and our kids kept laughing at me, asking when I'd be done LOL I cried at the end, okay I'll be honest, I cried ALL THROUGHOUT the books, knowing it was over... The good thing about having the books just out of reach and eventually the movies, I can "relive" them any time I want:)
My sister-in-law got me hooked on the first movie just two months prior to the third coming out in theatres. Why had I not jumped on the band wagon sooner???? LOVED IT!
My favorite might have to be "New Moon" merely for the fact of the relationship between "Bella" and "Jacob"... pure and what could be so simple and honest:)
I was super excited to watch a marathon of Twilight movies the evening "Eclipse" came out, on my birthday! Let's just say the ~~mountain scene~~ was a HUGE favorite!!!"Breaking Dawn: Part 1" was beyond good... honestly, the emotions were just fascinating! I was thankful to have my mom, sister, and three good friends together to enjoy the movie:)Now we wait... one full year until the final movie comes to theatres... OMG long wait! After having read the books, I already know what's going to happen, but the idea of seeing everything play out on screen is truly worth waiting for.
I love love love having read the four books. They are full of so much detail that makes watching the movies much more emotional. Sure you can watch the movies alone and be amazed, but there's nothing like reading the books!!!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 19

I'm very thankful for Dannen's Parent's Day Out Preschool. Our church has a program where children through age 4 attend in a safe, loving school environment. He initially went every Monday from 9am-2pm, but has recently changed to Fridays for the same time frame. Dannen LOVES going to school!
His very first project is still on our fridge:)Besides his awesome Robot Cinch Sac backpack from Thirty-One, he won't go out the door without his Lunch-On-The-Go Thermal bag with his name:)Can you tell how proud he is?His school recently celebrated Thanksgiving with a special performance by the 4 year olds. Dannen was super good, sitting and watching. He's so tall that he looked like he should have been on stage as well lol
The banquet table was LOADED with food everyone brought to share. Dannen liked being able to pick his own food.Dannen is definitely a Daddy's boy! He was giving me his serious face, but every time I put the camera down, he was laughing up a storm:)It's great that he has so much fun and learns a lot at this age. Kaylie never went to a school until she was 4 (VPK) and Makenzie 4 1/2 (preschool). I'm thankful selling Thirty-One brings in extra $ cover his tuition! We're excited for the Christmas parade for our town... he gets to be on the float for Parents Day Out!!!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 18

I am very thankful for the job my husband has, as the General Manager of Pigeon Forge's "The Forge Cinemas" movie theatre. The WHOLE reason we were lucky and blessed to move out of Florida to Tennessee is because of his hard work and determination, showing he was more than ready to run the show at a brand new theatre. Seriously, we prayed HARD to find a way to move, and when this opportunity came about, it wasn't a hard decision to say "yes":)
The first day we moved here, our goal was to check out the new place... The smiles William had from ear to ear were awesome! Seeing the construction still going on, helping make choices... amazing!
Our children were beyond excited to visit Daddy as much as possible. We picked him up one evening, and they got to run around, enjoying the brand new facility before they opened.
Opening night was AMAZING! There were SO many people there to celebrate with VIP night!
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was something I'll never forget... the idea that my husband was going to run such a HUGE entertainment spot was so overwhelming, in a good way:)Our first family photo in Tennessee... what better day?!?With so much responsibility comes a very demanding schedule. We were very happy to celebrate William's birthday together, even if it was while he worked LOLI took this just days before Halloween... I love how beautiful the surroundings are and how much this place means to our family.With all jobs, there comes stress, and let me tell you, stress was an UNDERSTATEMENT at times for William... Thankfully, his work ethics and determination to keep his building running effectively and growing overcame what was the HARDEST times in his career. I'm so very proud of him for standing his ground and knowing God had his back:)
I never would have thought we'd live in Tennessee... This move and career for William is definitely one of the BEST things to happen to our family! He's a strong man who has done wonders with his career and providing for our family, and NO ONE can EVER take that from him... takes a real man to take that leap of faith sometimes to do what's necessary to keep his family strong, as one... Can't wait to see what our future holds!!! :)

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 17

I love being a part of a great community. We're thankful for such nice neighbors, office staff, and surroundings to make living here in Tennessee PERFECT!
This is a picture of our pool... I have YET to actually go swimming in it, though William and our kids got a chance to swim a few times. It's pretty awesome being able to sit and relax, watching the water with mountains in the background:)This is a picture of the area we live in. We live at the far end of the building shown. Hardly any traffic, just those that live in the same building, make for a safe play area for our kids.
This was when we were blessed with gorgeous snow... Our entrance is just off the main road running through Seymour, connecting Knoxville and Sevierville (Pigeon Forge area).
We got to celebrate Thanksgiving with our community tonight. The office staff offered a GREAT dinner, with all the fixin's! It was nice to sit with neighbors, relaxing with old and new friends, watching our kids enjoy dinner and playing with their friends. I honestly could not be more thankful for such a beautiful place to live!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 16

I'm thankful for such great handy-helpers in the kitchen! All three kids LOVE to help cook/bake:) It's awesome being able to share special time with them while teaching about different things... fractions, measurement, reading a recipe, etc. Sometimes, it's a battle to see who helps each night, so planning is very important!

This is a photo of Kaylie helping make oatmeal cookies, shortly after we moved here last year. I have the most teaching experiences with Kaylie... sometimes she helps remind me!Makenzie is probably my MOST hands on kiddo... I swear she's going to be a chef some day... VERY good at what she makes:)
This is the most recent picture I have of me and Dannen cooking together. Surprisingly, he lasts a good amount of time before getting bored. He LOVED helping spread our cheese mixture for Lasagna Rolls!Our Lasagna Rolls- YUM!I love being able to spend time with my children in the kitchen. I believe cooking/baking together is one of the most memorable times you can share with you child!

Thirty Days of Giving Thanks- DAY 15

I'm thankful for a great program offered to the local residents of our county... The Dolly Parton Imagination Library. With Dollywood only 40 minutes away, we get to enjoy some of the benefits of living near such an influential community. Dolly Parton created a program where children up to age 5 can receive a FREE book each month! No strings attached... promoting reading at an early age:)
Dannen's first book took a few month's to arrive, but once it did, he was SO excited to have his very own book! Inside the cover was a pretty special message...This month, he received "llama llama red pajama". We read it 5 times in a row after getting it from our mail box!
Can't wait to see what books arrive in the future! Getting kids to read early is so very important. I'm thankful to be in an area that promotes such a big milestone in children's lives:)