Man, it has been a while.

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving....one of my most favorite times of year.

I have so much to be thankful for.... don't we all. I think living here in America we tend to think we don't have much, but when you take a real look around we are in the land of plenty. We get so wrapped up in keeping up with the Jones's. We have a mindset that we don't have enough when in truth we have too much. We have so much that our attics and garages can't contain it all and we have to rent storage spaces. We have no clue how much we have.

I look around in the world and I see people dying every day from diseases that are caused by filthy living conditions, no clean water, and a lack of food.. It is insane to think that I flush more water down the toilet in a day than alot of folks have to drink in a week. .... Yet at times I find myself thinking that I don't have enough... imagine that. We are so sheltered to the reality of day to day life for so many.

On the other hand, I think we are seriously deficient in some areas. Look at all that we have been blessed with and how God has provided for us as a nation and yet we turn our backs to Him. We are in love with the gifts and not the giver alot of times. And we are willing to be partakers in the good times, but we aren't willing to suffer... at all. We are a nation that wants what they want right when they want it. We aren't willing to work hard and perservere. We just do whatever gratifies us at the moment.

I think of all the generations in the past that have sacrificed so that we can have the freedom and the lives that we have and instead of appreciating and cherishing it we have destroyed it. But that's a rant for another day... heeheee.

I always find that my grattitude is greater around Thanksgiving. I try to sustain that attitude through out the rest of the year, but it wanes from time to time when.I get caught up in consumerism and myself. But each year I grow in the Lord and each year I know Him better and the more I know Him the more I am thankful for ALL that He has done.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His love and mercy endures forever.

Happy Turkey-day!!!

Well, it is finally here.... Thanksgiving.....I am stuffed to the gills. One dinner down... one to go. I went to Mr.Clean's family dinner today at lunch time. And tonight we go to my family dinner. I will fast for the remainder of the week and exercise diligently to undo the damage I've done today....Nah... I don't have the self discipline for that.

I took two new recipes today. Well, one is a revamped old recipe. The revamped one was potato casserole..it has hashbrown, cheese, sour cream, and cream of mushroom. I decided to add some bacon to it. I love loaded potatoes or cheese fries with bacon. I don't eat them, but maybe once a year if that, but I sure do love 'em. The bacon made it so much better. I might experiment next time with adding a little ranch mix or dressing. I am determined to have a recipe of my own that everyone begs me to bring. (I am the youngest sister in law, so everyone else has there 'thing' that they do best and bring already.)

The other thing that I took was a peppermint patty cake. I don't like peppermint patties, personally, but Mr. Clean does. I just used a really decadent recipe for chocolate cake and then put a mixture of cool whip, chocolate pudding and some peppermint extract between the layers. Then I iced it with chocolate icing with peppermint extract mixed in and then just garnished the outside with chopped up peppermint patties. It was a huge hit. Next time I might use Andes mints instead of the peppermint patties. They were sticky and hard to chop up even when they were cold.

Enough food talk.... In the spirit of Thanksgiving I'm going to do a top ten list.
What I am thankful for.....

1. God and His plan for salvation ( I could go on and on here.) His mercy, kindness... the fact that He created the universe and everything in it an yet He still wants to have a personal relationship with each of us. The fact that He loved us so much even though we are sinful and flawed that He sent His only begotten Son to come to earth and go thru temptations and suffer and ultimately die on a cross for our sins.

2. My wonderful hubby. Each day I love him more and more. He is such a good man and loving husband and terrific father to our boys and great provider.

3. My wild and rambuncious little boys. They are the light of my life. They are so much work, but it is so worth every minute of it and every 'sacrifice' that I've ever made. I can't imagine my life without them. They have been a true blessing from God. He has used them to bring my closer to Him and understand Him more.

4.Our health. My hubby, kids, and I have been blessed with good health. I am so appreciative of the fact that we are all well.

5. My friends and extended family. It is such a blessing to have so many people that care about me and that I care about. I think about how lonely people must be when they have no family.

6. My home. Our home is a really old home and its really small.... but its cozy, warm, and homey. We have a brand new couch that I have been wanting for a few years now. So we have a great new place to pile up with the kids and read.... and in a few weeks watch all of the old Christmas movies on ABC family channel.

7.My mini-van. I am so thankful that we were able to get a van after the birth of #2. It has made my life so much easier. I could nurse and change diapers in the car. Mr. Clean's parents are old and not able to drive themselves. Now that we have the van, we have room for them and us. And that makes it so much easier for them.

8. My church. I am so thankful that we go to a great church and have a great pastor. We have so many friends that have kids the same age as ours that we've met thru church. Our church has given me the oppertunity to teach a women's group and I love every minute of it.

9. Our neighbors. We live in a great neighborhood where everyone looks out for each other. And all of our neighbors are friendly.

10. I am thankful that I was born and raised here in the mountains and that I am still able to live here. These mountains are a comfort to me. When we go on vacation, even though I enjoy it, when we drive up the interstate and the flat lands start to roll and I see those big, beautiful mountains in the distance.... I know everything is okay and that I am home. I have seen lots of beautiful places, but none I would trade for the Appalachian mountains.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. And may God bless you.