Happy Thanksgiving! + Holiday Table DIY

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to enjoy time with your family and friends today to celebrate all that we have been blessed with. Today at the Poindexter house we have much to be grateful for - I've been sharing many of these things during the 30 Days of Thanks posts this month - but I know the 1 thing that is high on our list that always sparks gratitude is that we serve a Great God! No matter our circumstances, this will never change. Amen? Amen.

I am so excited to be hosting my family for Thanksgiving this year. I already have the Turkey in the oven and many other food dished prepped and ready to go. My family will be coming over at 4:30 to eat, since we are headed to Mark's family first! (Here's to hoping my Turkey will be okay while we are gone!)

Since we are having everyone over we had to modify our kitchen table. There just wasn't any way to fit everybody at our skinny table - we could maybe squeeze in 8 people but it would be tight and there really wouldn't be any room for food.

This is what it looks like normally:

Here's what we did to make it bigger:

Basically we bought two pieces of plywood, my man then secured them together and then screwed "braces" on the bottom to make sure it wouldn't slide off the old table. The plywood can definitely scratch your table top; we weren't concerned because our table is already old and pretty dinged up, but if we had done this with a nicer table I would've definitely laid down a blanket or something to go between the table and plywood. 

Heres how it looks from underneath:

The braces were placed to fit snugly around the edges of the table, on the sides and the rounded corners.

Now we can fit 3 on either side very easily! This picture only shows 2 chairs each because I hadn't gotten the extras from my mom yet.

This one has the fish bowl effect of the panorama shot, but it gives you an idea of how it looks in our dining room. Our dining room is a good size but not large by any means. Thankfully there is still plenty of room to get around even with the increased table size.

And here is the table all set and ready to go! I can't wait to have my family gathered around, everyone at the SAME table and plenty of room for the food too!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 26 + 27

Day 26

I am thankful for the chance to host my family at Thanksgiving this year. Me and My sister will be taking the lead for the cooking this year, which I know is a welcome break for my mom and she will be able to enjoy her holiday without the worries of making food for the family. (She's a great cook, but cooking is by far her least favorite activity - and she's not ashamed to admit it ;) )

Day 27

I am grateful for my sisters willingness to always help me out! She came over today to help with Thanksgiving preparations. She brought over some serving trays, food ingredients for tomorrows feast and her creativity! We set the table up - complete with centerpiece and place settings for everybody. She helped me brine the turkey, (This is my first year brining a turkey! I'm super nervous about how it will turn out, but the brine certainly smelled delicious as we were making it!), she helped me plan out the cooking times for all of the food tomorrow (we have a lot to make in my new oven!) And she helped me prep all of the appetizers for tomorrow.

I am so excited to put up pictures of our table for this years feast! We had to modify our small, skinny dining room table that usually only seats 6 - to a large square table that could fit all 10 of us (and actually we could probably get 12 people around it!) I can't wait to share what we did! But I'm headed off to bed because its going to be an early start for me tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

30 Days of Thanks

Day 25

I am thankful for the convenience heat in my car! It was a chilling 22 degrees this morning as I headed to work at around 6:30 this morning. I love being able to run out to the car and let it heat up before I actually get in it to leave. 

It's the little things in life that I take for granted so often but know I would miss of they were not available to me. 

30 Days of Thanks - The Church

Day 24

I must be completely honest as I write about my thankfulness for the church. In recent years I have become increasingly cynical of the local church. I frequently question the way in which we "go about" our Sunday morning services, our ministries, our song services, etc. In so many ways I feel we have become so immersed in our culture that we are no longer a boat in the water (the world) reaching out to those who are drowning; but instead a boat in the water that has tiny holes letting the water in slowly. So much so that we don't even realize that we are no longer effectively reaching out to the lost, but we are also drowning ourselves. I often wonder what the first century church really looked like and what those christians would say to us if they could see us now. I know this is a very broad generalization and I can't speak for every church. I am just sharing my feelings based on the churches and christians I have known over the last several years... and I include myself in this generalization.

However, this purpose of this post is not to go on and on about what might be wrong with the church, but instead to take a minute and reflect on how grateful I am for the church despite the ways in which we might be falling. And maybe more than I am grateful for the local church, I am grateful for the global church that is stretched out around the world and that has persisted throughout history and incredible persecution.

The Bible says that the church is the body of Christ -

" Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

1 Corinthians 12:27

My gratitude for the church is not based on buildings, or "cool" programs, or upbeat songs, or special conferences, because it isn't these things that have allowed the church to persevere; but I am grateful for the group of ragamuffin misfits that have been rescued by our Savior that make up the church. We are sinners, we mess up, we lose our way, we get distracted, we judge, we trip and fall - but the beauty is that its not about who or what we are but who God is and what He is doing in and through us. 

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20

Because of this, I am grateful to be a part of something bigger than myself. I am part of a group of people who have realized that there is a Creator and that because of sin we were separated from the Creator. We realize that even if we tried our very best to be "good and clean" in order to come before this Creator - the One True God - we wouldn't be good or clean enough and that we would still deserve to die because of our sin. We are a group of people that believe that Christ died in our place and that if we give our hearts to Him we can be restored to our God and be with Him in eternity after our earthly bodies pass away. It is this belief, this hope, that binds the church together throughout history and gives us a common goal and unity that flows from one generation to the next.

I am grateful that God planned for christians to be joined together as one body, that He wants us to be in community with one another to encourage and teach and keep each other accountable. He knew we would need one another. 

 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, 

just as in fact you are doing."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

We may be failing in many ways, but there are few things I love more than when the body of Christ gets things right. I am grateful for the Body because we bear each others burdens, take care of widows and orphans, pray for one another, forgive one another, give water to those who are thirsty, and clothe those who are naked. Because when this happens, God is on our side, and nothing can stop us. The bonding agent of Christ's blood is stronger than anything the evil one tries to use to divide us. 

I am grateful for the church because despite all the ways we mess up. God has promised that she will stand - she will prevail. 

Even thought I struggle with a cynical attitude at times, I know I need to focus on being more grateful for the church, globally and locally. Globally - for those that have gone before me and those working right now under harsh and life threatening conditions to point others towards God. And Locally - those that are even now reaching out to the community and even pouring in to my own life. The church is God's plan for believers to come together. God desires for his people to be in unity with each other and with Him. I am thankful that He adopted me into his family and that I am a part of His people.

30 Days of Thanks - Days 21, 22 and 23

I am falling behind again!

I decided the only way to catch up on my 30 Days of Thanks challenge 9 is to combine a few days into one post.

Day 21 
 I am thankful for the Word of the Lord. It never ceases to comfort, encourage and/or convict me. I do not spend as much time as I should reading or meditating on it. It is such a gift that I often take for granted.

Day 22

  I am thankful for my cousins. I know I've talked about them on here before, so if you've been reading then you know how much I love my cousins and how they were my best friends growing up. I am thankful that we've continued to stay close into our adult lives because I couldn't imagine life and family without them.

Day 23

     I am thankful for delicious smelling candles. There is just something about sitting on the couch with a good book, a blanket and the scent of pumpkin pie floating through the neighborhood. I don't know about you, but I love to fill my house with yummy fragrances! It is calming to my soul. :)

30 Days of Thanks - Books

Day 20

I am so, so, so thankful for the ability to read and have access to books. I have loved to read ever since I can remember! I can still remember that my very first "favorite" book was Amelia Bedelia...

Did any of you ever read this book? I can still picture my little 8 year old self giggling at Ms. Bedelia's antics and wishing I could taste a piece of her pie.

Around the same time I also started falling in love with history and writing stories myself, thanks to the American Girl Doll series. 

Felicity was my favorite of all the dolls. Oh to go back to those days of reading these stories, learning simple life lessons and playing with dolls, right? I had a serious affinity for playing with dolls, it was the girly side to all of my tom boy ways growing up. 

My reading has become a little more sophisticated over the years and I've just recently begun reading through this treasure -

At the beginning of the year I posted a 2013 reading list under my page "she speaks with wisdom..." It turns out I may have been a bit ambitious when listing all of the things I wanted to read this year, as I only completed about 1/3 of the list...You'd think 18 books in 365 days wouldn't be a problem! But as much as I love reading, it just isn't always at the top of my priority list when it comes to getting things done! However, I am excited to brush up on my C.S. Lewis classics and roll over some of the books from my list into the New Year. 

What were some of your favorite books growing up?

What are you currently reading?

30 Days of Thanks - My job + Why I did not pursue higher education

Day 19

I am thankful that not only do I have a secure job in health care, but I absolutely love what I do. I get to work with kids anywhere from 8 to 18 years old and help rehabilitate them from their injuries. I work in a Sports Medicine clinic, which is perfect for me if you know me :) and I get to put all those years of playing soccer to good use to help get an athlete rehabbing from an ACL tear back onto the field.

I have a good boss and fantastic co-workers... there are some girls there that I have loved getting to know over the past few years. I mean, where else can you put on your Tough Mudder head bands, climb a rock wall and goof off taking pictures?

But more than being grateful for where I work and having a job in this tough economy, I am thankful for sound advice and wisdom from my parents when choosing what to go to school for. I currently only have an Associates Degree in Health Science and I am a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant. At one time I had dreams of finishing a bachelors degree and then going to grad school to get a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, but I also knew I wanted to get married and have kids and then one day stay home with those kids to raise them. I struggled with this decision for a while because I had always enjoyed learning, had a fascination with the medical field and had a worldly desire to have a prestigious career to "prove" that a home schooled girl was just as smart as any one else. After much prayer and time in The Word, I knew that being a wife and mother was the occupation that was more important to me because I knew it had more eternal value than money and a career. Because of this I kept my college career to a minimum and have been blessed by that decision ever since.

If I had gone on with my schooling I would just be graduating college this spring, which means I would be most likely be more than a hundred thousand dollars in debt and just starting to work and make money right around this time - which just so happens to be the time that my heart is longing for a baby. That just wouldn't have made much sense... I am certain I would've regretted that choice. Either financially, for wasting so much money on a college degree to end up staying home, or emotionally, for putting aside starting a family in order to work and make money. I am grateful that my mother had eyes for the future, and while she didn't make the decision for me, she did present the truth of what the future would most likely hold. And I am grateful for the Holy Spirit convicting me of a much higher calling than a Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy.

Because of this leading I was able to make it through 3 years of school without incurring debt, I have been working for 3 years and I have been helping to add money to our savings during that time so that when the time comes for me to stay home the initial burden might be less on my husband.

I know many people have both a career and a family, and that might work for them! But I knew that wasn't what I wanted for me and my future family. So my plan, as long as God allows, is to continue working  and save as much money as I can from my salary until God decides to grow Mark and I's family. And as much as I enjoy my job now, I cannot wait until I can start my new job!

30 Days of Thanks - In - Laws

Day 18

Man I am falling behind in my 30 days of thankfulness posts! I didn't realize how hard it would be to sit down and blog every single day... coming up with something to be thankful for has been easy, but blogging about it? Not so much! Anyways...

For Day 18 - yesterday - I would like to take time to thank God for my awesome in-laws.

(From our trip to England this past summer!)

I am thankful for Mark's parents dedicating their lives to raise him into the man he is today. They have always made me feel right at home with their family and they make sure Christ is always at the center of their home. Mark's sister Ann is just the sweetest. She's always offered friendship and she used to do a lot so that I could go along on family trips with them before Mark and I were married. She would give up sharing a room with her husband Jason in hotels or beach houses and share a room with me so that I could go with their family. It may not sound  like much, but I always appreciated it.

I've heard quite a few women complain about their in-laws, mother in laws in particular, so I just wanted to say how much I love mine and how grateful I am to be a part of their family.

30 Days of Thanks - New Appliances

Day 17

Christmas came early for Mark and I this year! We have been planning this present to each other for the past 6 months and it was very exciting to finally purchase and have them put into our home. Earlier this year we decided we wanted to buy new appliances for our kitchen so we decided that could be our Christmas gift to one another. It's a pretty expensive Christmas gift, even for a joint gift, but we worked on saving money over the last few months so that we could purchase these appliances with cash. Thankfully nothing came up that required those funds to be used for something else in the meantime, so last week after being sure that we could spend the money we had set aside, we went out shopping at all the stores during their Veteran's Day sales.

It ended up being harder than we thought to find something for our kitchen, because apparently the space for our refrigerator is smaller than standard size. Of course that meant we would be paying just as much if not more money for a smaller sized fridge because it was a more "custom" size fridge and companies don't make many in that size. How lucky is that? haha We did finally find one that would fit (in size and budget) in a 3 piece suite from Lowes, but getting it into our house wasn't without challenges! Mark had to trim underneath our cabinets to ensure it wouldn't be too tall, and then in order to get it into our house the doors had to be removed from the refrigerator and then reassembled once it was in the kitchen. But it was all worth it! I love the way the new stainless steel appliances look. I feel awfully spoiled when I go into my kitchen now and see these gifts because they are so far beyond what I actually need. 

Here Piper is modeling the new fridge. I am so excited to have the bottom freezer drawer! We sold our other stove to help pay for the new appliances but we decided to keep our other fridge in the garage. I am excited to have all this new freezer space!

We got our microwave 2 black Friday's ago - Mark bought it his first year in the house before we got married but the new oven looks so pretty underneath it!

The dishwasher was an old stainless steel dishwasher so it would've matched, but it wasn't doing a great job cleaning our dishes and this new one came in the 3 piece suite for a great price. A friend of ours needed a dishwasher for the holidays since they weren't going to be able to buy a new one until after the new year, so we gave them our old dishwasher for the interim.

Here is a before picture from when we first got the house - just to show the progress we've made over the last 2 years. (It has officially been 2 years today that we have owned this house!)

And the after - what it looks like today:

(I've also upgraded to an iphone in the last 2 years, the panorama feature is awesome for taking pictures of rooms! Even though it comes out with sort of a "fish bowl" look, you can get the whole room in one picture! I love it!)

I am incredibly blessed to be able to purchase these extras for our house. Mark works so hard to give me nice, new things and I am grateful for his Godly financial planning that enables us to make these purchases and remain debt free. 

30 Days of Thanks - Friends and Coffee Shops

Day 16

I had the opportunity to hang out with a dear friend of mine, miss Heather. We grew up going to the same church but didn't really become friends until my sophmore and her senior year of high school. We haven't been able to spend too much time together over the last few years seeing as she's been living in the Philippines and working for the Peace Corps, but she is back in the States now so we have been trying to have regular "date nights".

On Saturday we decided to skip the main stream Starbucks coffee shop for a local place in downtown Norfolk.

Cafe Stella sits on a quaint street in the Ghent area. We weren't super smart when we decided to go for coffee on a day that ended up being 70 degrees outside, but we enjoyed our warm drinks outside under the yellow umbrella's anyways. I'm not a coffee drinker, I keep trying and the taste is just not something my tastebuds enjoy, but I love a good cup of hot tea. Mmmm... 

It was super cute inside and the tables pretty quickly filled with what seemed like lots of college students (who else has text books and laptops in coffee shops?). 

I am grateful for these girl dates with Heather. She is a lovely, Godly young woman who uses her talents to serve the Lord. I am blessed to have friends that don't just go along with whatever the norm happens to be, especially when it comes to Christianity. It is nice to be able to chat about life and dreams with the binding agent of Christ between us. Plus, she's pretty cool. I don't have any other friends that are fluent in 4 different languages. ; )

30 Days of Thanks - Seasons

Day 15

I don't think there is one season that I don't enjoy. There are some people that say they would enjoy summer year 'round, or fall all the time, but not me. I like the change, in fact I crave the change. I am all about the current season until the end of the 3rd month of the season rolls around, at that point I start looking forward to the coming differences in the world around me. The new temperatures, clothing styles, sceneries, and foods that come with each season gives me a happy heart. I am grateful that God made a world that ebbs and flows between warmth and cold, sun shine and gray skies, celebrations and work, and yes - even life and death. One of my favorite phrases to use when talking about life is referencing "the season of life" that you or I may be in. How amazing is it that we can find so many similarities between the seasons of nature and the seasons of our own lives??? How wise God is to give us something we can see with our own eyes to help us understand life and change. What a wonderful Maker we have!

Currently - obviously - I'm in full fall mode! We enjoyed temperatures in the 60s and 70s for most of October so it took a while for the leaves around here to start changing, but when they did, the trees in our neighborhood put on a beautiful display of colors.

Here was one in my neighbors yard that I had to capture. I loved the way the bottom half was still green!

 This one looked as if someone had set fire to it, the little sprigs reached towards the sky like little flickering flames. I snapped this one while on a walk with Piper a few days ago.

My house is sprinkled with a little fall decor here and there, and I am leaving it up until after Thanksgiving! I love Christmastime, but just like I enjoy each season I've always loved to commit to one holiday before looking to the next! 

30 Days of Thanks - Parents

Day 14

My Parents.

Whenever I talk about my parents there is a gigantic chance of a lump forming in my throat or tears sneaking out of the corner of my eye. They have, and continue to sacrifice so much for my and my siblings. When I think about them, I think about how they were once in my shoes. They had their future in front of them, filled with dreams and plans and the choice to pursue worldly gain or seek after something more eternal. I am grateful they chose eternity. I am grateful that they chose to raise 6 kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 I am grateful that my dad worked hard, sometimes taking on extra weekend or night jobs so that my mom could stay home. I am grateful that my mom put aside her college and career goals to stay home with 6 young kids and teach them at home.

 I am thankful that they always showed us what a real marriage looked like - with love, passion, and commitment but also with frustration and struggle. I am thankful that they allowed the testimony of Christ living in them to pour over into us, so that we could see that God was living, active and real. 

My parents continue to be a source of strength and discipleship for me, even though I am no longer under their roof. I cherish the sweet conversations with my mother, learning and gleaning wisdom. I seek opportunity to speak with and ask advice from my father, realizing he is far more knowledgable on my many subjects than I ever will be. 

(Here comes that lump.) I don't mean to be cliche, but the following statement is true. Without their teaching, disciplining and encouragement I am not sure what kind of person I would be today. At the very least I know I would be a woman with many regrets. Thankfully I don't have to dwell on that thought because I know that God in His wisdom had always planned for me to be born to these two lovely people. I pray that one day my children can speak as highly of me as I feel about my parents. 

30 Days of Thanks - Fireplaces

Day 13

This one is getting in late today! I'm going to keep it short and simple since it is nearing midnight. I am thankful for the fireplace in my house! A real, wood burning fireplace is one of my favorite features in a house. As the Hampton Roads area is finally dipping into some low winter weather (its going to be below freezing tonight!) there is nothing better than to come home from work to a roaring fire in the hearth. I love the warm glow and the feeling of homey coziness that comes along with burning logs in my home. We enjoyed a dinner of broccoli cheddar soup (in bread bowls!) in front of the fire tonight. It doesn't get much better than that on a cold winter night. :)

30 Days of Thanks - Brothers

Day 12

Just as I am thankful for my sisters, I am equally as blessed to have my 2 brothers in my life. I was always the "tom boy" of the 4 girls in the family so I spent a lot of time playing around with my brothers growing up. Especially my brother Adam, since he was only 2 years younger than me.

Adam was born with the heart of a man's man. His desire to work hard, protect his family and serve his mom and sisters is an innate gift that God granted him. He loves the Lord and has passion for sharing the gospel and he loves to love on little babies. (He is dying to be an uncle!) Unfortunately, because we live in a fallen world and bad things just happen in the life for no good reason, he was in a tragic accident when he was only 9. This took away his ability to walk, to use his left arm and to speak "normally".  However, God can work all things for the good of those who love him, and Adam's disabilities don't keep him from trying to put to good use all of the character qualities that he was born with. I am inspired and challenged by my brother daily to appreciate the small abilities that I take for granted and not let life's circumstances get me down.

My brother Noah is 10 years younger than I am. He just turned 15 last month! Like Adam he has many qualities that prove he is a young man after God's own heart. In addition to loving and serving his family his favorite things are to laugh and make people laugh. He is always affectionate, eager to hug and be hugged. An not to mention he is quite the ladies man. ; ) 

And since I'm talking about brothers, an honorable mention goes to my brother in law Adam. Yep, we have 2 Adams in the family now. He has been a part of our family for so long now, since I was 15. I am thankful for the fun he brings to our lives and the way you can always count on him to help you out at a moments notice.

30 Days of Thanks + Veterans Day

Day 11

With today being Veterans Day, it is of course natural that my thoughts of gratitude would be directed towards those that have served and are still serving our country. There are many people in my family that have been or are still a member of the U.S Military, including my mom's mom and dad who both served in the Air Force, my dads dad who was in the Navy, and many great aunts and uncles who served in various branches during World War II and Vietnam. I also live in the area that is home to the largest U.S. Naval base in the world. Needless to say, as locals here we know and are friends with many who serve in the Military and we get an up close look at the sacrifices they and their families make. I am grateful for their choice to serve their country in this capacity so that I may enjoy many freedoms that I often take for granted.

In honor of Veterans Day I searched around on the web and found some different ideas for thanking past and present service men and women. If you ever get the chance, don't hesitate to express your thanks for their service!

1.) Say Thank You! A sincere thank you with a nod or a hand shake, just don't linger or ask awkward/probing questions.

2.) Send a letter or a care package. There are many organizations you can go through to send encouragement to those that are away from their families. (Like THIS one)

3.) Buy and meal/coffee for a Vet. If you notice someone in uniform while eating out, quietly (and even anonymously if possible) purchase their meal or drink for them.

4.) Remember military families. If you know a spouse of a military member that happens to be deployed, offer to help with things on the home front. Yard work, baby sitting, or taking them a meal could go a long way to ease their burden while their spouse is away.

5.) Visit a military cemetery or memorial and "pay your respects". If you have children, bring them along. Teach them that Veterans Day (as well as Memorial Day) is not just a holiday or a day off of school. It is a time to honor those that have sacrificed for our freedom.

6.) Volunteer for a charity organization that helps veterans. There are many, all you have to do is google it!

7.) Show support in your community! Attend or volunteer at events in your community that honor military men and women such as parades or welcoming troops home at an airport/dock.

8) Pray for them.

Are there any other ways that you have thanked a military service member?

30 Days of Thanks - Laughter

Day 10

I am barely getting this in today, but I am so incredibly thankful for the gift of laughter. Tonight Mark and I enjoyed a nice night out with his sister and brother in law and went and saw a comedy act. I had never been to a live comedy show before - mostly because it is hard to find good, clean comedy and I'm not interested in hearing crude jokes or foul language. But a few weeks ago Mark saw that Kevin James, the actor from the TV show King of Queens, was coming to town. Mark loves Kevin James and knew that he put on a clean show, so he bought us tickets right away and we found out after he bought them that his brother in law had bought tickets too!

It was definitely a fun time! I laughed so hard that I have a headache now. Has that ever happened to you before? Its a good feeling - the laughing hard part, not the headache. It was a good way to end the weekend before a new work week. God is gracious to give us these little gift of life. Could you imagine a life without laughter??? I am so thankful for His grand design when creating us.

Have a good week everybody!


 

By the way - laughter - is spelled funny. (along with cough, tough, etc.) I want to know who decided the "gh" together would make the "ff" sound. It just....it makes no sense.

30 Days of Thanks - Saturdays

Day 9

I am thankful for Saturdays, especially the kind of Saturdays where there's nothing really on your "to-do" list. You don't really have to go anywhere or do anything unless you want to. Yep. Those are the best kind. It had been a while since we've had a Saturday like that, but today was one of them.

My top 10 favorite things about these kinds of Saturdays:

1.) Sleeping in.

2.) Eating breakfast with the husband.

3.) Slow start to the day. You know, getting to stay in your PJ's just a little longer than usual.

4.) Playing with the Piper

5.) Tweaking home decor

6.) Browsing Pinterest for more home decor ideas

7.) Reading - books, magazines, newspaper, whatever suits my fancy.

8.) Planning future home projects - I have a cute puppy pail project in the works! I can't wait to share it!

9.) Lighting and enjoying the fragrance from my Yankee Candles

10.) Early dinner and enjoying a movie on the couch with my man.


We did venture out today for a couple of hours to head over to my sisters house. Erin and Mallory were holding a Christmas Pictures mini shoot for people to get pictures done for their Christmas cards this year. They did Mark and I's for free (the perks of knowing the photographers ;)) so we took Piper over and got some cute pictures of our little family. I can't wait to share them!

Here's a picture I snapped of Mark and Piper while they were waiting for Erin and Mallory to set up the background.

Yes, Piper is wearing a scarf.

Yes, I know, she is adorable.

And my husband's not looking too bad either. ; )

30 Day of Thanks - Sisters

Day 8

There are few words that could describe how glad I am that God made my 3 beautiful sisters a part of my family. We were always very close growing up, thanks in part to my moms insistence that friends come and go but family is forever therefore we should spend more time together than with friends.

I am thankful for that advice because just as mom predicted, these girls are still around. They are for sure my best friends and we're having a fun time sharing our lives together.

My older sister Erin, the first born in the family... In her young 27 years of life she has already faced many challenges but always carries herself with grace. She has a Mary heart, one that I wish I could cultivate in my own soul. She is always spending her time on "the best things" in life and leaving the worries and clean up for later. Making memories is her specialty. She is lovely and strong and lucky for me she lives less than 10 minutes from my house :)

My younger sister Mallory is the beauty of the family. She turns all the boys heads when we are shopping in the mall - and not because of her attire, for she's also the most modest of us 4 girls, but for her classic, natural beauty. Not only is she the beauty but she was and still is the bringer of laughter in the house. In heavy and sad times we can always count on Mal to lighten the mood. She is   young, captivating and full of life, with so many good things coming her way. Not to mention she is the one that took these beautiful pictures during our family photo shoot in 2012. 

The baby of the girls - the baby of the whole family - is Sara Evie. We always joke that my parents reached perfection with the last kid of the family because her looks are a perfect blend of my parents. She was a sweet surprise to our family when she was born, and her life brought joy during the hardest time in the Kessler Klan's history. Now she is 13 and learning who she is in Christ and who she is going to be in this life. She is good and pure, delightful and pretty, and has the gift of a servants heart.  

 I praise God for the gift of my sisters. 

(Thanks Mal for sharing your pictures with me! Check out her blog Without Words Photography, she has an amazing talent for capturing people and special moments. Yes this is my shameless plug for my sister :))

30 Days of Thanks + Happy Birthday Piper

My Puppy turns 1 today! (Or so we think. The man we bought her from couldn't exactly remember what day his puppies were born on, but it was around this day he said...Sketchy? yea, its a good thing we got Piper out of there! Anyways...)

I was so excited to come home on my lunch break and take her for a nice long birthday walk... walks on my lunch break are a normal occurrence for the two of us, but today's walk was going to be extra long just for her birthday! Unfortunately I came home to a very sick puppy, as in sick all over my kitchen floor puppy. I'll spare you the details.

Needless to say she did not get her birthday walk or her birthday bone, but does seem to be feeling better tonight.

So for my Day 7:

I am thankful for my Piper. She has been such a fun addition to Mark and I's family and I'll always remember that our first Christmas as a married couple we bought ourselves a puppy.

She has definitely grown up in a year!

30 Days of Thanks - Half Day Wednesdays

Day 6:

Today is my half day for work which means I only work from 3pm-7pm. The other days are looooong, but this half day sure makes it worth it.

I can sleep in a bit, which helps me take on the rest of the week with me enthusiasm.

I get to have a good quality work out - now that the marathon is over I'm not going on 3-4 hour runs on Wednesdays anymore, but I'm still trying to get a good 60 minutes workout.

I get to spend quality time with My piper pup. Shhhh.... don't tell Mark, but I let her hop on the couch with me this morning while I'm blogged and she waited patiently for her walk.

I get to go grocery shopping - with coupons! Having time to do this during the week gives me more time on the weekends to hang out with friends and family.

And I get to clean the house/get laundry done. Again - when Saturday rolls around and I've already done the deep cleaning and the laundry, well it just makes me a happy person. 

So for my 6th day of thankfulness this November, I am thankful for my work schedule - especially my half day Wednesdays. :)

30 Days of Thanks + Voting

Day 5:

I am thankful for living in a country where I have the chance to vote for the kind of government I want to have. Not only can I go to the polling place after getting off work - a poll that is conveniently located 5 minutes from my home - but I can go there without fear of riots or harm coming to me and those around me. 

I am grateful for those that lived before me that thought not only about themselves and their families, but about the future of our country - they thought about me and my family. They sacrificed not only for their generation but for my generation and for sure their sacrifice came at a greater price than what we face today for our opinions and convictions. 

I hope that my family, my generation, will continue to appreciate the privilege that we've been given. I hope that we will remember that for every right we have been granted, there is a responsibility that comes along with it. That we will continue to educate ourselves on the ones that we vote into office and that we base our votes on biblical standards. 

Praying tonight that God blesses the State of Virginia with a Governor that is a true champion for life,  marriage, and family.

30 Days of Thanks - My Husband

Day 4:

My Hubs. I knew when when I was 16 that he was the man I was going to marry. His friendship over the years, from before we entered into a relationship until now, has been instrumental in shaping me as a person. I am grateful that the Lord allowed us many years of friendship and fellowship as christian brother and sister before falling in love. (Or before allowing love to be woken up.) I love and respect my love for the man that he is. He is my provider, protector, leader and best friend. He challenges me, supports me, and loves me despite all of my short comings. I am blessed.

I dug through some photos today for a very short walk down memory lane with pictures from Mark and I's early years. (Are we still too young to have early years?) Whenever I look at these pictures I marvel at how God granted me one of my deepest desires by giving me Mark.

Our first "couple" picture. Taken after our churches Easter Ministry drama that Mark and I were both a part of that year (March 2008)

College Group Ski Trip (2008)

Missions trip to Costa Rica (Summer 2008)

My 21st Birthday (2009)

My first trip with his family to pick apples (2010)

30 Days of Thanks - My Home

Day 3:

I am thankful for my home. Mark and I went to Home-a-Rama today with my parents and my sister and her husband. I'm not sure if you've ever been to a Home-a-Rama, but it is basically a chance for architects and home builders to showcase their designs by building extravagant homes in a new neighborhood that are open for people to tour in the area. My dad gets free tickets to these things because he's in the lawn care/landscaping business so thats why we always go. They are usually priced in the $800,000 to over 1 million, so to say they are out of our price range is the understatement of the year, but we still enjoy going to look, dream and get decorating/landscaping ideas. (Ones that we can try to copy at a much lower cost.) Here is a sketch of my favorite house of the night.

 I've heard people say that they don't like going to Home-A-Rama because it just makes them discontent with what they have. For whatever reason, it doesn't have that effect on me, and when I got back home to my middle class house I felt grateful for what I do have. Sure there are things that I would like to update and change over the next few years, but it is perfect for Mark and I in this season of our lives. We live in a great neighborhood, located only 10-15 minutes away from our places of work, close to both of our families, and we will be able to afford it with only Mark's income when we have kids. It has enough rooms to start a family, have house guests down for the weekend, and have family over for Thanksgiving this year. (More on that later!) It has a fenced in backyard with a deck and a fire pit. It has a room over the garage that we currently use as a movie room/man cave and a fireplace in our family room that we can enjoy on cold nights. I could go on, but you get the point. I love my home and I love who I share it with. There are already so many precious memories written on these walls and so many more to be made.

 (This was taken almost 2 years ago! We closed on the house Nov. 2011)

College Football + 30 Days of Thanks

Today we were gifted with free tailgating passes and football tickets to today's ODU game. Mark's sister, Ann, was given these by a friend and she was kind enough to invite Mark and I to come along. We enjoy going to ODU football games but we had never had the chance to tailgate there! 

I was in charge of bringing the pasta salad and dessert. Pasta salad was easy, but I decided I would try and be creative with the dessert. : ) Last year before Christmas time I bought this gigantic tub of cookie cutters - I don't remember how much it was to be honest - but this things has come in handy over the last year. It has a cookie cutter for just about every occasion imaginable. So I got it down today and crossed my fingers that there would be something resembling a football shape in there...

 

And there was! But I shouldn't have been surprised, I mean this tub has a cookie cutter shape of a bat in there…(the animal, not the baseball kind) so a football shape isn't really that crazy.

There were also letters in that tub so I pulled out the O, D, and U shapes to just to add some variety.

Super cute right? I totally took a picture of them in dough form though just incase they turned to big blobs in the oven. 

Thankfully they didn't! Icing the cookies was a little harder than I had imagined. I messed up the white "laces" on my first few football cookies and even after that they didn't turn out like anything that comes off of Cake Boss, but I still thought they were cute.

Of course because the icing of the cookies took longer than I had planned, we ended up running a little late. In my haste to put the cookies in a plastic container and clean at the same time, I ended up knocking 5 or so cookies to the floor when I pulled the baking sheet off of the oven to put in the sink. *face palm* Good thing I had made more than I needed. : )

We enjoyed the day at the game and even met the unofficial ODU mascot Charlie. He's a labradoodle shaved to look like a lion with a mane. Its a little hard to tell in the picture below, but when he first got this new haircut last year, people were calling the cops because they thought a "baby lion" had escaped from the nearby zoo. How do I know that? It made our local 5 o'clock news. I'm not sure if those people that called in had ever seen a baby lion before, since this creature below is clearly a dog, but it made Charlie a local celebrity and its a fun story. He turned out to be a sweat heart too!

Day 2: 

I am thankful for football. College and professional. Its a fun sporting event that my husband and I both enjoy watching. We are always excited when summer ends to have football to look forward too, even if we like rival teams. And we love it even more when we can enjoy a game in person, in November, in 70 degree weather. Its a recreational activity that we both love, and its always good to have things like that in a marriage. :)

PS

Just so we're clear… the 30 things I'm thankful for will be in no particular order. Because, obviously football is not second in line the top things I'm thankful for coming right after my Savior. Duh, right? But I just wanted to make sure we were all thinking the same thing. ; )