Thanksgiving love.

May favorite holiday ever! I've been busy hardly stopping at all.  While the boys and I still spend time together, it looks a little different then it did before I started working full time.  But Thanksgiving week it just so worked out that I had days off with my family.  Memories were made, joy was had and the gifts continue...

249.  Baking with my boys.  I don't have a growth chart because I've never really wanted one, but I do have memories of small toes sitting on the counter "helping" me bake.  Just days after I came home form the hospital with both boys I had them in the kitchen with me.  And so working together in the kitchen marks there growth for me.

250.  All of us waiting with anticipation for the sample of each and everything that comes out of the oven.

251.  Baking in bulk.  I had enough to send home with everybody who came.  I have enough batter frozen to cover all the goodies I need for Christmas.  I even have enough for those days when we're snowed in and just want to snuggle in front of the fire.

 252.  Speaking of snuggles, While the smell of baking goods waft through the house being able to slow and just be with those I love.

253.  Simple crafts that look forward to Christmas.

254.  Uncle who take turns getting up before everybody else and going to play in the snow with the boys.

255.  Pot pies & stew, meals to share.

Here's what I love:

~ My boy learning to become a man.


~ Spring time lunches.
~ Hidden treasures that only little boys can leave behind, & gifts only Mommas can give to her boys, such as an evening spent in there underwear.


 The dragon lair of stinky clothes.

~ Fires on blustery spring days.
~ Little boy toes.

~ Songs of love to Jesus.
~ My strong man who shares my heart even though we pursue it differently, the perfect team.




~ Seeing faith in a tangible way.
~ Siting alone with a notepad, Bible, crayons, and coffee for hours at a local coffee shop.
~ Seeing deeper still, every bit of life is a miracle, a gift of Grace.

Honest Love.

Ann Voscamp, author of 1,000 gifts, a friend who has never seen me, but walked with me as I began to see grey until is was thick, heavy, blackness.  Always in my ear she would say, "Eucharist, always grace, always thanksgiving, always joy.  Always."  Some how I survived.

Instead of a new year's resolution she picks a word and spends the year making it hers.  Using it to bring life.  When I first learned of this habit I thought what a neat idea, but I'll never follow through, I'm to easily distracted.  Almost 2 months into this year the phrase "Honest Love" will not leave my brain.  I am finding it and the lack of it no matter where I go.  There comes a point where I have to stop and wonder if maybe God is trying to get my attention.  And if he is, well then, I had better listen up.

My heart theme for this year:  Honest Love.

I have no idea where this quest for understanding will take me but I shall pack my Bible, a notebook and my favorite pen.  I'll throw my hiking shoes on, grab my camera and begin the pursuit of Honest Love.

Make me walk in the paths of your commandments, for I delight in it.

~ Psalm 119:35

Catching up on Thanksgiving

Well now, the day before Thanksgiving I realized I had used up all my picture space over on this here blog, and because I did all of my Christmas shopping online this year, my bank account went on alert not allowing anything from the internet to withdraw from it.  It was for my protection and while I am glad to know my money's well protected I have missed recording life here.  Today's about catching up...

The makings of an Apple Cranberry Pie.

I found this recipe on the back of a bag the year Laughter was born.  It has ever since become apart of our holiday celebrations.  In making this I knew Thanksgiving was about to start.  A full week long celebration this year.  Monday massive amounts of cleaning and the first pie was put together not to be backed until the morning of.

S'more Brownies.

Now this one I only because we had just been introduced immediately falling in love.  As we remember all that we've been giving and all that we have to say thank You for I wanted the boys to have food that would bring them great pleasure as well.  As it turned out it brought us adults joy too as the kids didn't touch the pies we had been waiting for...This goody will be back.

Grandpa B came up Wednesday morning to help me with the cooking.  As far as American food and childhood memories go he is the second best cook only beat by his mother.  The smells brought back such good memories.  The tastes explode in your mouth.

Here's a taste explosion for you; Chocolate French Silk Pie made with Belgium chocolate and homemade whipped cream...I won't mention the singed hair or my new understanding that some kitchen aids are more then just space fillers...

It seems that around Christmas time as I'm cooking to prepare for some kind of gathering one of the boys has a hard time sleeping.  On those night instead of being sent back to bed.  They get to come help and even lick the spoon before being sent back to bed.  They love it and so do I.

There were 10 of us this year.  Five kids and five adults. 

I was excited to be sharing our gift house with others. I was excited to be sharing a dream we've had as well; to host friends at our house.

Big brother came all the way from Boston to be with us.

It was a good day.

Our tree of thanks.

I fully believe that in all of life even the darkest moments lovers of Jesus have reason to say thank You.  After all the darkest moment is the moment after death when one realizes they will forever be separated from the Creator, therefore in all else there is a reason for thanks.  Since I am convicted in such ways.  I want to teach my boys that saying thank You can be a life style.  A life style that I don't simply talk about but one that I live.  Since this month naturally calls for reflecting on all that we've been given and precedes the celebration of Jesus birth this is the time I really emphasize this practice of giving thanks.  So this year we headed out into the woods and found a tree to hold each Thank you between now and Christmas.

Man of the woods was our main photographer for this adventure.

Mom you just gotta save this one!

My favorite!



Laughter took a few also.  Pretty good picture I must say. My second favorite.

He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.

~ Psalm 50:23

Pushed back to Grace.

I am a most forgetful human being.  I forget so quickly that all is a gift. 
Life is a gift. 
Breath is a gift. 
Pain is a gift.
My never leaving dark illness that is for now laying asleep tucked in tightly, a gift. 
All is a gift. 

Last night I had was given the gift of sitting in the front row watching my favorite musician give a concert.  As I sat watching his fingers knowingly run across the keyboard I was reminded again of Grace and how quickly I forget.  All I could do was say Thank you to my Maker for so many gifts.  I realized even in my darkest times thank you had been on my mind, but somehow in the busyness of life I have forgotten all that He has done for me. 

I wonder why it is that I need pain to push me back to Grace, to open my eyes to each gift, to move my lips to say these two life changing words; Thank You.

May I always be learning Grace.  May I always be practicing "Thank You".

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

~ Hebrews 2:9

The list

An article I wrote for CBC.

The List

My friend!  Hello again.  How long has it been since we last walked together?  Sit, and have some tea with me on this cold day.  We’ll only have a few minutes together before my littles will come looking for me, I’m sure.

I don’t know about you, but when summer fades and fall shows its royal colors I feel as though the speed of life goes from a strolling pace to the flying speed of NASCars.  Not to mention the Maine weather of blizzards in October followed by the tease of an almost summer day.  Sometimes it just wears me out.

You know what I’ve started doing?  I’ve started keeping a list.  Not a “To Do” list, or a “Grocery” list, but a “Thank You, God” list.  Let me tell you about it.  I have a notebook dedicated to this list.  As I see the little things, the daily things, I write them down.  I started doing this so that I could see the small simple gifts that God gives me each day.  It helps me to slow and see the now; to see the Creator’s hand at work in this simple life of mine.  Sometimes I get wordy and sometimes I don’t.  Let me give you a few examples:

~ Laid back Saturdays.

~Little boys wanting to craft with me.

~A brunch of sorts; full of tea, egg salad, nuts, granola, sticky boy fingers, super fast race cars, and much chatter.

~Story time.

~Three year old wanting to pull up his pants like a grown up, “all by my own." 

Not only does this list encourage me to slow down and praise my Maker for all that He does, but it also records memories of the daily gifts so I won’t forget Him.

Do you remember the last time we met I talked of Deuteronomy 6:4-9?  It says, “Hear, O Israel!  The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your might.  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  I had summed these verses up with these two words:  Be intentional. 

I’m learning. On some days it seems like I’m learning slowly, but I am learning to be intentional as I raise my boys.  If I were to continue on in that chapter Moses also says, Remember.  Remember that you were slaves.  Remember our God showed us great signs and wonders.  Remember He has freed you.

Just recently I found a way to take what the Lord is teaching me through my list and teach it to the boys.  In fact, they too are making a list.  Theirs looks much different than mine.  Just take a look… 

Yep, it’s in the form of a paper tree that hangs in our kitchen.  We have a bowl full of paper maple leaves always out on the table.  Anytime they find something they want to thank the LORD for they “draw” a picture and I write out the praise for them, then we hang the “thank you leaf” on the tree.  Here’s how each of their lists sound:

~Silas is thankful for:  His harmonica, green blanket, Makenna, Daddy, and scissors

~Isaac is thankful for:  Baby doll, baby’s bottle, crayons, Momma, and that his toes were painted in Sunday school

Well, friend, I think I hear the bathroom water running and at the same time both boys are here by my feet.  I should run to see what kind of mischief they have left behind.  It was good talking to you even if only for a few minutes.  I would love to hear how you too are being intentional as you live life.  My email is psalm117ptg@gmail.com.  Looking forward to hearing your insights, ideas, and lessons learned.