Just Some SUPER Cute Pictures!

These super cuties were having fun on the beach after our Thanksgiving meal!

These pictures are just too cute not to post!

I am so thankful for my hubby and my kids!

Thanksgiving Snacks

I decided this year to make up goodie bags for our neighbors for Thanksgiving and have the kids deliver them. We had such fun make the snacks.

The recipe for the snack mix came from Money Saving Mom (the printables used on the bags I got from a link off Money Saving Mom)and the recipe for the Pilgrim Hat cookies I got from my sister-in-laws blog (theoscreativecorner@blogspot.com).

We LOVED these Pilgrim Hat cookies! They are hard to not continue to eat and they are fun to make! We decided these will be on our list to make next year too!

Pilgrim Hat cookies.

The kiddos working on the Thanksgiving snack mix. I got the recipe from my email from Money Saving Mom the recipe includes Bugles, pretzels, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, corn nuts (I used cajun corn nuts), and candy corn. Here they are bagging it up getting ready to give it to the neighbors.

Annalina's 7th Birthday!--November 5th

I am finially getting around to posting Annalina's birthday pictures. I was having trouble some photos for awhile but now all seems to be working again! We had a great birthday day. Gabriel, Annalina, Ross and I went to a cyramics store and each painted our our thing. Annalina painted a frog, Gabriel a nutcracker, Ross a turtle and me a big plate for my mom for Christmas. We had a lot of fun not only painting but just anticipating getting to go!

After our little party for Annalina Daddy lit a fire and the kids played with their castle and some of the toys Annalina got for her birthday. They had a great time setting up the scene above!

Above: Annalina is wearing pink hair from Grandma and Grandpa and is holding a toy snake Gabriel picked out and purchased for her. She LOVES it!

Above: Is part of the scene they set up and the queen is the

gift Ross picked out for her. She loved the Queen too!

Annalina with Rosser!

Above Annalina is wearing a dress Auntie Theo made for her for her birthday from a pillowcase! Not just any pillowcase either but one my grandmother needlepointed MANY years ago maybe as much as 40 years ago! The dress is so cute and a keepsake because a Great-grandma did the needlepoint and Auntie Theo made it a dress! Too Cute!!

Annalina with Gabriel and the gift from Gabers.

Off The Grid News Article: Learning To Be Thankful In Hard Times

Every November for the last fifteen years, I have read William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. And every year I'm blown away by this classic Pilgrim story. Written with intelligence and a keen wit, Governor Bradford chronicles the journey from England to Holland, back to England and finally to America with a small band of very determined Christians. These Puritan folks endured persecution and arrests from the established Church of England, as well as the harshest conditions imaginable as they made their voyage and then established Plymouth Colony. Sickness was common during the crossing and conditions only got worse when they landed. But despite freezing conditions, disease and starvation, the survivors always carried a most thankful spirit. The book is an easy read and very inspiring. This year I decided I would read Winthrop's Journal instead. It's John Winthrop's actual blow-by-blow account as he made the pilgrimage to America ten years after the Plymouth colony was established. Winthrop founded the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630 and, like the Pilgrims, you can't help but be amazed at the continual state of thanksgiving despite incredibly hard times. Check out these journal entries in the year 1630: - Friday, 2.] The Talbot arrived there [Charlton Harbor]. She had lost fourteen passengers. My son, Henry Winthrop, was drowned at Salem. - Thursday, 8.] We kept a day of thanksgiving in all the plantations. And then in the next year, after numerous lives were lost at sea getting supplies to the colony: - January 18.] The provision, which came to us this year, came at excessive rates, in regard of the dearness of corn in England, so as every bushel of wheat-meal stood us in fourteen shillings, peas eleven shillings, etc. - January 22.] We held a day of thanksgiving for this ship's arrival, by order from the governor and council, directed to all the plantations. Okay, quick review. The guy loses his son and the response a few days later is thanksgiving. In January of the next year, provisions (seeds of all things) show up late and at highly inflated prices, and what's the response? Thanksgiving. I often wonder how modern Americans would respond if put in these stark, early colonial conditions. It seems that much of the American attitude today is characterized by a spirit of entitlement rather than a spirit of thanksgiving. If we're going to change America, we have to change it not only in the body politic, but primarily in the hearts and minds of the American people. We must restore a permanent sense of thanksgiving, despite the circumstances we find ourselves in. Here's the thing: In addition to enjoying the benefits and wonders of our relationship with God, can we also learn to thank Him for the difficult times that He sometimes gives us? Interestingly, many of David's psalms of lament actually end up with remarkable thanksgiving and praise. The Bible is indeed full of reminders that God's blessings do not remove trials and hard times. In fact, our difficulties may often increase as we are so blessed. In the book of Exodus, God blessed the Israelites greatly with safe passage through the Red Sea. And yet, after a few days journey in the wilderness, they were already out of water. This presented a new opportunity to feel either entitled to water or to demonstrate faith and thanksgiving, despite how thirsty they may have been. As we prepare for hard times ahead, it would do us all well to look to the example of those who remained faithful and thankful no matter what the situation in which they found themselves.

Excerpt taken from Off the Grid News and was written by Bill Heid

What A Blessing . . . . Christian Friends

Our kids with Eric and Kristen's kids. (not using the kids names on here!)

Oh, the kids thought this was SUPER one BIG slumber party! 6 kids in one room!

Getting ready to say goodbye after a wonderful visit.

On Monday of this week our super wonderful friends from Washington state came for a visit! We were all thrilled to have them come and for us to get to spend time with them. Kristen and I met when we where both pregnant with our first and our husbands were going to be deploying on the same boat. We were deployment buddies and went through the joyful and hard together. Kristen is a sister in Christ that I greatly respect and she sharpens me. She is a doer and she has such a humility and love for her Lord. I am thankful I can call her my friend and thankful for how she has sharpened me.

Eric and Kristen's children are so sweet and fun. My kids just love them. After they left Gabriel commented that it was nice that they "believed like we do". How true, it is very refreshing to be around people that have such similar values and beliefs!!

Another thing to be thankful for this week: Time with Good Friends!

Thanks Kristen for taking the effort to come see us!!

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation-1863

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God . . . No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. . ."

Even a Child is Know by His Doings . . .

Tonight we were at Costco for pizza and I had my hands full with Carson. I sent Annalina to go get some napkins and Ross wanted to go with her. The 2 of them were off on their mission. A few minutes later they were back with napkins, straws, etc. After they got back a lady came up to me and said she wanted to tell me what the kids were doing when they were getting the things. UH, OH what happened??? She said that Annalina was "SO PATIENT " and that she was instructing Ross on what to do/not to do like not putting the straws done because it wasn't clean. She also said Ross was being so careful about counting correctly and hence counted many times! She was impressed and wanted to let me know how they had acted when I wasn't watching. I thanked her for telling me!

It was a great real life lesson for the kids that "even a child is known by his doings"! I talked to them about that and how they didn't even know this lady was watching but she was. If Annalina had been impatient and Ross had been belligerant in listening to Annalina's advice that lady would not have been impressed and would not have thought they were any different than usual. We want to show people that we have Jesus and that there is something different because of HIM.

2 Corinthians 4:7&10

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.