Thankful for...

I remember celebrating Thanksgiving with our friends the Nordstrom's one year and they shared a tradition with Ryan and I that I just loved! Each year on Thanksgiving they take a sheet of lined paper, fold it in half length-wise and make a list of all the things they are grateful for that year. Then they frame their lists together and hang it so they can remember all year long how blessed they are. So, in no particular order, and definately not all-inclusive, here are some of the people/things I am thankful for this year:


My Heavenly Father
My Savior
A loving, supportive, hot husband
Beautiful children who love me (nearly) unconditionally
Family
Friends, friends, friends
The Temple
Cookies (Leslie's Pumkin and Cassity's chocolate chip!!)
Thunderstorms and the smell of rain
Warm socks
Priesthood
A Prophet who continues to recieve revelation and directs us
Hot showers
Foot massages
Tomato soup
Toilets that flush (and I'm thankful when people actually flush them too!)
A house to clean
A husband who doesn't grumble when I don't clean the house I'm thankful for
Holy Ghost
Girl's Nights Out
Good books
Coming home from Super Saturday to find homemade snowflakes hanging in the kitchen
Planned slumber party with the kiddos (planned being the key word here)
Health
Friends who are living a parallel life and help me to keep things in perspective
Being able to find humor in the everday
Scrap nights
Primary
Crisp-air morning walks
Staying in bed an extra 15 minutes
Music
Blogging

Well, I could go on and on but I'm guessing a sheet of paper has about that many lines. I really am so blessed. I know that if we stop to count our blessings we will realize how much love our Heavenly Father has for us and how aware of each one of us He truly is.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Wood Pile

Last night our friends Clive and Van came over to play for a while. We all had so much fun! As I was pushing Clive on the swing he looked over at our woodpile and asked "What are all those tree stumps for?" I thought that was so cute! But it also reminded me of a lesson I learned a while back and wanted to blog but just haven't taken the time. So... here it is.

Brother Hampton, from church, dropped off a truck load of firewood about a month ago. It sat at the end of the driveway for a couple of weeks. Ryan and I were both busy and getting it stacked wasn't a huge priority. (Secretly maybe we were each hoping the other would get around to it first!) In the end, thankfully, I wound up with the task.

Now, stacking wood isn't really something I necessarily enjoy doing. And it seemed to be taking FOREVER! Every time I returned for a load the pile looked like it had multiplied. On one of the trips though I noticed how high the stacked pile was getting as well. And my heart just filled with gratitude. The Lord provides for us. The wood pile had been almost depleted from this past winter yet here it was, completely replenished. What a blessing! It made me reflect on all we have and I was able to see the Lord's love and concern for me and for my family. I'm thankful for the service we have recieved and I'm also thankful for the opportunity we have to serve others. I know that is one way that Heavenly Father answers prayers.