It’s day 30…already! How can that be?! Seriously, November went by in a red-hot flash. Wow. And, I actually managed to post every day too. Yay!! So, here I am on the last day of the thankful challenge. I’ve said before, but it’s been great to post daily in gratitude. And, I plan to continue blogging daily in December with a photo challenge from I Heart Faces. I’ve also challenged my friend Dena  to participate in the challenge with me, so y’all stay tuned.

Back to gratitude. Because, hello, one more to go for the month of November. I have thought all month about what I wanted to post about for the final post of the month. I have gone back and forth on if the post should be somewhat deep or light or random or — WHAT? To say I over-thought this to some degree is an overstatement, actually. But, as I sat outside the girls’ school waiting for Mariana to get out of gymnastics after school yesterday, it came to me: I am thankful for children.

As I sat on a bench outside the school yesterday, I was near enough to a playground to hear the kids playing. I just have to say that hearing the laughter of children playing has always been one of my very favorite things. There is just something uplifting in the laughter of a child and when you add multiple children to that, well, it’s just plain joyful.  I love that kids can be so happy just being themselves. They don’t need a whole lot, really, to just have fun. No worries, no concerns – just living it up, like kids should get to do. It’s a beautiful thing.

I suppose it’s a given that I am thankful for children since I do have two daughters. Naturally, I am VERY thankful for them, as I have written about earlier this month. They are two beautiful miracles and answers to many prayers. But, you know, I have been a big fan of kids for a long time. I was the kid that always looked forward to babysitting when I got older. I always loved playing with kids and I still do, honestly. Kids bring joy and sunshine to life. They remind us that life doesn’t always have to be stuffy or stressful. They remind us to take some time, even as adults, to just do something fun and forget our troubles for a few minutes. They remind us of the beauty that life has to offer. I think that kids are pretty much just awesome.

So, since I’m posting about children today, I’m going to take this time to share a giving opportunity that’s easy and goes for a great cause. Please click here to visit the Share with Childrens website. On this site, you can view a truly beautiful video and you can also send a message of hope to patients at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. It only takes a few minutes to send a message  and Verizon will donate $3 per message sent, up to $30, 000! So, not only can you send a message  to a precious child, but you can also help raise funds for Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to do something amazing and special. Let us all be thankful for children because they are truly a gift from God. (Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him – Psalm 127:3)

Have a blessed day, y’all…
Kelly 

Today I am thankful for Christmas music. 

I should probably confess first that I am one of those people that generally doesn’t want to hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving. (There are obvious exceptions, but those are special, of course.) I just feel that oftentimes Thanksgiving gets overlooked and the stores start pushing Christmas decorations, music and merchandise altogether too soon. It’s a personal preference, but I just prefer to save it for after Thanksgiving. That being said, once Thanksgiving has passed it’s Christmas music time!

I have always had an affinity for Christmas music. I love everything from the good old classics through the more modern songs and the instrumentals too. Christmas music has a way of helping me get into the spirit. I have had a bit of a difficult time feeling the Christmas spirit yet this year. Now, granted, it’s not even December yet, so that could very well be part of it. But, I don’t know — I just haven’t felt that Christmas spark too much this year. As I was listening to a local Christian radio station yesterday morning, the Christmas songs on there really started working on me. I started to feel that Christmas feeling. And, I love it!

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? I have a lot, but I’ll share a few of my top favorites. They are:

• O, Holy Night — This is a classic and I adore it. I recently heard a version of this done by the christian group Third Day and although it wasn’t done in the classic style, I still really liked it. This song is just amazing!
• Silent Night – Again, a classic. Reminds me of candlelight Christmas Eve services at church.
• Breath of Heaven – Amy Grant sings this beautiful song from the point of view of Mary. It gets to me every time!
• Mary, Did You Know – This song literally had me in tears the first time I heard it.
• Transsiberian Orchestra’s Carol of the Bells – I know this one dates back to the 90s’s, but there is something about it that I just love.
• Sleigh Ride – This is just a fun song. When I used to play in the band about a hundred years ago (give or take), we always played this at our Christmas concerts. I can’t not smile when I hear it.

Those are just a few of the songs I love at Christmastime. There are many more, naturally. And, now that it’s that time of the year, I can enjoy Christmas music for a few weeks.

Have a great day, y’all…
Kelly 

It’s hard to believe that I have just two more thankful posts to go in November. Well, after this one, of course. This month has really flown by quickly. I really want to say thanks to those that have been reading along with this thankful challenge this month. It has been great!

Today, I am thankful for our home. 

When we were house-hunting just over six years ago, Mickey and I had a lot of ideas as to what our ideal home would be. It should have a big front porch, a full basement, a main level garage and be on a level lot. Guess what? Our home doesn’t have a front porch, it has a partial basement, it’s a drive-under with the garage under the house and the yard is hardly level. But, guess what else? It’s ours and it’s just right for our family. We have learned that even though it’s not what we thought we wanted, it’s very obviously where we needed to be. Our house may not be the biggest, the fanciest or the most up to date, but it’s our home and that’s more than enough.

Some of my favorite things about our home:

• As I mentioned above, it does have a partial basement. This has been an excellent place for the girls’ play room. If it gets junky (or, I should say WHEN it gets junky), it’s hidden away from the rest of the house. A mess I can’t see doesn’t drive me nuts as quickly. 😉 We have plans to one day turn that space into a den or something, but for now it’s a fun play room for the girls.
• We have a great fireplace. Sure, I wouldn’t mind if it were wood-burning instead of gas, but at least we have a fireplace and I’m happy for that. There is something very comforting about a nice fire in the fireplace. Ahhhh.
• The kitchen is a nice size. We’d like to update and renovate, but the cool thing is that if/when we get around to that, we have the space.
• Mickey has a home office. What was probably originally a “formal living room” is his office. That’s a great feature for our home and for Mickey’s business. He doesn’t have a commute at all.
• We are in a great neighborhood and have great schools. Those two things are pretty fantastic!

We tend to say that this isn’t our “forever home”, but, who knows, it just might be. Time will tell. We still dream of a home with a sprawling front porch, a big finished basement and a backyard that rivals a putting green. But, even if those things never come, we have a great home and we are thankful for it. Most of all, we are thankful for the family that makes our house a home. 🙂

Have a great day, y’all…
Kelly