We did. ;o)
As I mentioned in a previous post,
Wednesday evening, we had church service.
During the service, we sang many songs
of praise and thanksgiving
and had some time of testimonies.
It is always such a blessing to give praise
and hear praise to the Lord!
Pastor handed out a paper
with the word "Thanksgiving" on it,
written vertically,
and he and the congregation
offered words from Scripture and such
to name things we were thankful for.
It was a blessing to see the children participate.
One of the things Ally shared
was a verse and how she is thankful
for the strength that God gives us.
Will said he was thankful for our nation's liberty,
God's Word and he, also, mentioned homeschool. ;o)
Carolynne was thankful for
Daddy and Uncle Steven, who are in Iraq. ;o)
Beth, listening as Pastor said the letter,
said she was thankful for apples
when he said the letter 'a'
and she did similar with other letters.
I was tickled to see her naming things
that started with those letters. ;o)
After the service,
we had a Thanksgiving 'feast' and fellowship.
Lots of delicious food and fellowship
shared with the blessing of God's people.
After eating, Ally wanted to play her guitar.
Soon after she began, all of the children
surrounded her to sing along.
It was so precious to hear them all singing out!
I was so delighted to see them all having
such a wonderful time together.
A little later, Pastor joined in on the fun.
He played Ally's guitar while all the children sang more...
It is such a blessing to have a pastor that loves children.
He delights in being a pastor to the children
as well as the adults and that truly is a blessing.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving morn,
I started making phone calls to my family members.
I am thankful we have good relationships
and that we enjoy talking to each other.
My sister was the last call I made.
As I was talking to her, she was sharing
how she had finger foods, decorations, and such
all set out and she was anticipating
our mama's and grandparents' arrival.
As she was talking, it occured to me
that, somehow, I had become
a little more discouraged the past few weeks
that I had realized (or wanted to admit)
and remembered how much I did enjoy
Thanksgiving Day, including the 'hospitality' of it all.
So, with her encouragement, I got off the phone
and was determined to have a mini feast
for the children and I.
I sent the younger ones out to collect acorns
to make a centerpiece for the table....
They came in with lots of little acorns
and, also, a wide variety of colorful leaves
and a couple of pinecones,
all of which we put in the basket
and set on the table.
Beth helped to slice some cheese
to put on a platter...
Carolynne put crackers on the platter
as the cheese was being sliced...
Ally made the Oreo fluff...
When the food was prepared,
Will and Ally set the table
and we, eventually (after some brief company Ü)
sat down to enjoy our feast together...
We enjoyed taking turns sharing some things
that we are thankful for
and took turns praying before we ate.
It is such a blessing to hear my children pray!
After supper, dessert, seconds, etc...
we cleaned up, put in our Christmas cds
and put up our tree together.
It was very enjoyable, though Daddy was missed.
They often said, "Daddy would like this"
and "Daddy would like that"...
It was sweet to hear them.
After putting up our tree,
we gathered in the living room
to decorate our mini-tree
with some special ornaments
while reading the nativity story from Luke
(and some in Matthew)...
As I read the Scriptures,
the children and I put the special ornaments on the tree...
Afterwards, we sang "Away in a Manger"...
It was a precious way to end our evening.
Today we slept in a bit, cleaned house,
had lunch with friends, and just enjoyed one another.
Here are a couple of photos of the children today...
Carolynne and Beth coloring by the tree
Will playing a board game
as Ally sews her dress for our upcoming family photos.
Tomorrow we have some friends
and some out-of-town friends coming for a visit.
We are excited about that.
I, also, hope to sew up the lil' girls dresses
so we can get our family photos done soon. ;o)
I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend, too!
"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Sing forth the honour of his name:
make his praise glorious."
~ Psalm 66:1-2
13 comments:
*clap, clap, clap*
What a lovely evening you have shown your children!
How fun! Glad you had a good evening :)
You had a great celebration! I know, from my husband being in the AF for 10 years, and now being missionaries, that it can get discouraging being away from family on holidays that we love to celebrate with them. I'm glad the Lord helped you over that discouragement, and you were able to have a wonderful day.
It looks like you had a precious family time (loved the family worship pictures). I'm glad you decided to make yourselves a *special* meal. :o)
We all could learn alot from your attitude of making a good time, even when we are feeling discouraged. We are far from family too, and have been for years. I know that your husband is proud of you, and the daily efforts that you are making in surrounding yourself with the scriptures and raising your children.
It sounds like a lovely day. Would you mind sharing how the Oreo fluff is made? It is a favorite around here but pricey to buy already made at the market. Thanks@
You do indeed have a lot to be Thankful for. Thanks so much for sharing your Thanksgiving!!
You are so very blessed sweet sister! I could not help but smile and beam while looking at all of your sweet pictures! Your church sounds like such a wonderful place to worship and learn about the Lord, a true house of worship and fellowship as it should be!
What fun you have had with your children! Your Christmas decorations are lovely! :-)
I pray you all have a very blessed, relaxing and joyous Christmas season!!!
Hugs~
Tiany
I'm glad you had a day of Thanksgiving, You do have alot to be Tnakful for, I just want to say I,m so very Thankful God blessed me with you for my daughter,you are such a blessing to me,as are Ally Will, Elisabeth,and Carolynne.
I wish you could be here or me there, but Blessings,God gives to us wherever we are.
Loved the pictures and I Love you all.
Always in my heart & prayers
Mom & Grandma Jeannie
Grafted Branch ~ It did turn out to be a lovely evening and we did enjoy it very much. I hope y'all enjoyed yours, too. ;o)
Mrs. T ~ Thank you, it was quite fun. I was glad we enjoyed our evening, too. ;o)
Susan ~ I am thankful, too, the Lord helped me realize some things and that He enabled me to overcome them. Our day ended up being such a blessing!
Jodi ~ Yes, it was precious family time. It was such a blessing, too, to sit and read God's Word with the children as we decorated the second tree. ;o) I (we) were glad we ended up making a special meal, too. The children (and I) loved it!
Tracy ~ Thank you for your encouraging words. I am so thankful that the Lord is faithful and that He is "... the lifter up of mine head". (Ps. 3:3)
Gerkin ~ Thank you. It was a lovely day, indeed. ;o)
Our Oreo fluff is made with crushed Oreos and a tub of Cool Whip. We just mix it together. Yum! I've never seen it sold at stores but it sure is good made at home. ;o)
Marsha ~ Yes, I do have a lot to be thankful for, as we all surely do. ;o) Thank you for visiting, again. ;o)
Tiany ~ Thank you for your kind words. We do feel very blessed for our church home and are very thankful the Lord lead us to this precious body of Christ.
Thank you, also, for your prayers. They are such a blessing. ;o)
Mommy ~ I sure love you, too and miss you. I'm sure y'all had a great time at Lisa's. ;o) How wonderful that y'all got snow, too. Woo hoo! Love you!
~ Christina
Looks like you and your children had a wonderful day of Thanksgiving.
I'm thankful for so many things, but I'm very thankful for servicemen like your husband who are willing to give up these special days with their families so that our families can have a safe holiday and every other day throughout the year. I'm also thankful for those families, like yours, they leave behind that are supporting them and eagerly wait for their return.
~Kristi
Pictures say a thousand words. I love your blog, your stories, and the inspiration your family gives to others. Thank you for sharing that with us.
Blessings,
Malina
Looks like you had a wonderful day! We too have a Pastor that loves kids and it is such a blessing.
Glad you had a great time together with your family and friends and your church family.
~Amy
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