Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. It took me a while to get in the mood, since we've had such mild temps, and no snow... but here we are just 2 days before Christmas, and I'm getting excited!

This December we have tried to the focus off of the "stuff" and on to the "season of giving." The kids and I enjoyed helping cook for the last night of Awana before Christmas break. 

Our church had a Christmas program that was so wonderful thast we invited them to come share it again at the nursing home where my grandparents live. It was very fun!

This week I've taken a break from pretty much everything and have enjoyed the visitors that come by our house, and just doing fun things with the kids. We've had a cousin sleepover under the tree:

board games:

and even baked our first ever gingerbread house!

Thankfulness... a life-long privilege.

Since hubby had to work today, we had Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday. 

Wyatt helped in the kitchen. ;) I treasure these moments with little hands excited at performing the "chores" of life. He's my biggest helper with feeding the chickens and collecting eggs every day as well. 

Tyler shot his first turkey last week while they were out deer hunting. It was just in time for Thanksgiving, so we enjoyed the turkey Tyler got, and donated the turkey we had in the freezer. God provides! 

It was an amazing turkey too, very tasty after soaking all night in a yummy brine. 

The girls set the table beautifully too!

We have so much to be thankful for! 

For supper that night I made up a tenderloin loaf, pork tenderloin rolled around the venison tenderloin, which was wrapped in bacon. Very tender, and very yummy.

Cold weather makes me want to bake and cook all day. :) But, oh the dishes!

Today we celebrated at the nursing home with my grandma and grandpa, as well as my uncle, Mark. It was a wonderful meal. They moved to Heritage in September, and we are so thankful to have them so close. The kids and I get to see them nearly every other day, and I'm thankful to know that they will get to know their great-grandparents. That is something I never got to do. With Grandpa's Alzheimer's we know our days for making these connections are limited, and we are thankful for every moment we get.

The past few days have been super cold, below zero at night. I'm SO thankful for our cozy warm home, and the family life that fills it. I'm sorry I haven't posted here much, as most of the time our life is less than poetic, leaning more on the side of just hectic. I hardly feel I have anything worthwhile to say. But days like today are reminders to stop, reflect, and articulate our thankfulness. It's a shame when we get so busy living that we forget to stop and reflect on just how blessed we are to be living it. 

So Thank you, Father God, for your provision for this cozy, connected, wonderful, hectic, yummy, exciting, beautiful, and fleeting life. 

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17

This time of year the wind is always blowing. It's not so much a matter of waiting for a windy day, but actually waiting for a day it's not blowing TOO much.

Today was perfect: