Happy Thanksgiving 2015!

Hello friend,

Happy American Thanksgiving! 

You may wonder why in the world I am pointing out the American-ness of the holiday. Due to having lived in two other countries, most recently Canada, I learned that, of course, not everyone celebrates American Thanksgiving. Today in Canada, it's just a regular Thursday (They do celebrate their own Thanksgiving, in October.). So, for all my international friends and readers, Happy Thursday!

I hope my American friends have a fantastic day celebrating all the blessings we enjoy in this country. We are so fortunate, and even when life is hard and confusing, we still have so many things to be thankful for. Enjoy time with family and friends, celebrating traditions and making new memories. I pray we thank God every day for all He has given us. Cheers!

Blessings and love. xo

Friday Faves {06 November 2015}

Hello, friend!

How are you on this fine Friday!? November has come in with so much beauty! I love Virginia and all her colours.  

Here are a couple of my favourite shots lately . . . 

Check out a few of my favourite deals going on today . . .

I think this would be so cute in a family Christmas photo!

Mantle or Shelf Banner - only $6.99!

http:// 

Wow! 64% off - Colorful Fashion Rainboots! 

Need a teacher gift idea? Teacher Lanyard + Pendant Charm!

Do your iPhone/iPad cords tear or wear out easily? They do around here, so I'm thinking a "strong" cable is next on our list!

76% off - Apple Certified Strong Cable (only ($9.99)!

‪

This is a fun one! Pick Your State Home Tees - 54% off!

And in case you missed my post earlier this week, don't miss these Thanksgiving Deals going on now!

This is not a favourite yet, but I am thinking of putting this on our Thanksgiving menu! It looks delicious. I mean . . . pumpkin, espresso, AND coffee rum glaze?! Yes, please!

Pumpkin Espresso Bundt Cake

I haven't tried this yet either, but it looks like something my whole crew would enjoy. And I like the ease of a crockpot meal.

Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

And my favourite inspiration for this week is a Facebook post by Bethel Music. Please don't miss it, especially if you have any illness or pain in your own body or have someone in your life who is ill. Be encouraged! God is GOOD.

We Speak Life

Have a great weekend!

Blessings and love. xo

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate links. This simply means that when you choose to purchase through these links, there is NO additional cost to you, and I make a small commission. Thank you!

Don't miss these Thanksgiving Deals!

(Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate links. This simply means that if you choose to purchase through my links, there is NO additional cost to you, and I make a small commission. Thank you!)

Don't miss these fantastic ThanksgivingDeals from Amazon! You'll be able to get everything you need from planning your special Thanksgiving holiday to setting the table to relaxing with coffee and pie after the feast.

Here are just a sampling of what you'll find . . .

This one is on my Wish List! 
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays - 45% off!

Prepara IPrep Tablet Stand and Stylus, Black - only $19.60.

Spode Woodland Turkey Octagonal Platter - 23% off and includes Prime!

Ginsu 07113 Chikara Series 2 Piece Carving Set - 24% off

AmazonBasics Premium 8-Piece Steak Knife Set - $22.99 and Prime-eligible!

Entertaining with Caspari 10970SP Linen Leaves Square Salad/Dessert Plates, Orange, (Pack of 8) - only $4.75 with Prime!

Pyrex Easy Grab 9.5" Glass Pie Plate, 6 Pack

What a fun item to have in the kitchen!

Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker With Aeroccino Plus Milk Frother, Electric Titan 

Happy planning and may your Thanksgiving celebration be the most special one to date!

Blessings and love. xo

Happy Thanksgiving 2014

Happy American Thanksgiving today! I hope you are enjoying this holiday and remembering and celebrating the ones who came before us to begin their lives in this country.

I know there are many hurting hearts, wounded souls and those who feel abandoned and alone. Please know that there is Hope for you today. God, our Creator and Father, loves us and has made a way of life, love, hope, peace and yes, even happiness. Cry out to Jesus. He is our Redeemer and Rescuer. He will answer you and be everything you need. I'm not just preaching at you (grin). I know these things personally. He is everything to me and I give Him all my thanks and praise today! He is wonderful and powerful and He knows us and loves us more deeply and intimately than we can imagine.

Blessings and love. xo

Weekly Menu Plan {24 November}

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving week to my American friends! We are so excited for the holiday, family time and time with friends! Although, we are apparently going to be getting a snowstorm! Ha! We'll have to wait and see if it effects our plans.

Monday - Our Favourite Grilled Chicken, sautéed spinach, couscous

Tuesday - Tacos, chips, guacamole (Emma's turn)

Wednesday - Pasta creation by Ben

Thursday - a celebration with friends

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Minestrone Soup, Caesar salad

Sunday - Snack-y supper

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday. Hop on over to see more menu ideas.

Blessings and love. xo

Holiday Bundle Sale!

I am so excited to share this Holiday Bundle Sale with you. Remember last year when I went through My Book of Thanks with Ava and Maya? We enjoyed it so much and it is a sweet keepsake. You can see more here. This bundle includes, not only My Book of Thanks, but also The Passion of Mary: An Untold Story of Advent and My Christmas Wish: A Devotional Prayer Journal for Kids plus two bonuses: a Thanksgiving Planner and a Busy Mom's Christmas Planner! It's a $25.99 value, available right now for only $6.99, including the bonuses!

I highly recommend anything Heather writes and do not want you to miss out on this wonderful deal. This is a beautiful way to spend time with your children during the holidays, plus you get free planners to help with organizing your Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. 

Go now to get your bundle!

Blessings and love. xo

Disclaimer: This post contains my affiliate links, which simply means that if you purchase through my links, I make a small commission. There is no additional cost to you. Thank you!

Weekly Menu Plan {25 November}

Good morning, Friends! It is crisp and cold here in Northern Virginia this morning. The sunrise was amazing and it looks a little more like winter today. We are packing and organizing and cleaning and praying, praying, praying. We have one lead on a house. It's not an ideal location, but it is a good fit, otherwise, and has many other pluses, so we're asking the Father for confirmation today. Thank you to those of you who have prayed, messaged, encouraged and are continuing to do so during this transition for our family. We are grateful for you.

Here is the plan for this week:

Monday - Leftovers or sandwiches

Tuesday - Grilled cheese, salad

Wednesday - Chicken stir-fry with lots of veggies

Thursday - Thanksgiving dinner with dear friends (I'm still deciding on what I'll contribute to the meal.)

Friday - Shrimp and grits

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Snack-y supper

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful celebration. Love and blessings. xo

Linking up: Menu Plan Monday

My Book of Thanks: a 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids {Review}

You may remember that I mentioned my friend Heather's new ebook, My Book of Thanks: a 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids at the beginning of October (check HERE). This is such a wonderful resource that I don't want you to miss! 

Gratitude is so important in our family. We value it highly and have taught our children to be thankful, first to our Father and then to everyone around us. Thankfulness is a beautiful quality in a person. We nurture this quality daily (you can see my post on how we include this every day in our worship time) and Heather's ebook, My Book of Thanks is a sweet way to record what our children are thankful for, as well as teaching the daily practice of being thankful. My younger girls have been recording in this journal each day and it is so precious to see what they have written. Their journals will be such a treasure to them when they are older.

Here are some of the pages from my girls' My Book of Thanks journals:

We love the Scripture that is printed on some of the pages and plan to incorporate those into our memorization routine. This is the perfect time of year in the United States to incorporate this journal into your children's routine.  (I believe it could be used anytime and in any country, though, not just during November or nor just in the US.) It's a wonderful tool to help your child express his or her gratitude. Go now and check it out!

My Book of Thanks: A 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids comes in two choices: 
Pre-K-Grade 2, right now just $1.99 (regularly $5.99)
Grades 3-6, right now just $1.99 (regularly $5.99)

Disclaimer: I received this product from Upside Down Homeschool in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my very own. This post also contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

My Book of Thanks: A 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids

My new friend, Heather from Upside Down Homeschooling, is offering her new My Book of Thanks: A 25 Day Gratitude Journal for Kids right now through 10/5 for only $0.99 (normally $5.99)!!! Help develop a spirit of Thanksgiving in your kids with this fun, 29-page printable keepsake book where they can express their gratitude through journaling. Heather sent me a free copy to review with Ava and Maya and we are getting started tomorrow! I'll be back in a few weeks with our thoughts, but I already anticipate that my girls are going to love going through this sweet journal.

And after glancing through it, I would recommend it to anyone with children (not just homeschool children) ages 4-9.

Go now to grab yours at this fantastic, low price! 

xo

Thanksgiving Favourites

Happy Thanksgiving week!

I wanted to share a few of our favourite Thanksgiving books for the upcoming week. My little girls and I have already started "rowing" our Five In A Row book (with several big kids listening in and remembering years past). They are so excited to make Cranberry Bread in the next few days!

Others that we are perusing, most of which are coming from the library...

The Thanksgiving Story

N.C. Wyeth's Pilgrims

A Holiday Book: Thanksgiving

Squanto, Friend Of The Pilgrims (Scholastic Biography)

I hope those of you who are fellow Americans have a blessed week celebrating our Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving (and for my friends to the south who have forgotten, yes, we have Thanksgiving in Canada, too!)!

We started our festivities on Saturday with our some friends who invited us over for dinner. We had a lovely feast and then share some sweet time in worship and praying together. (Oh, and we watched some crazy food shows, thus the disgusted look on Emma's face in the first photo)...






Then last night we were invited for Thanksgiving dinner at the home of our friends, the Kloets. We've known them almost the entire time we've lived in Canada and we are thankful for their friendship. We always enjoy good food and conversation with them. And check out their fabulous front porch...








And today we had a special treat of going to the Harvest Festival at Puddicombe Estate Farms and Winery with our friend, Christine! A huge thank you to Christine's parents for this early Christmas gift!!! There were farm animals, train and wagon rides, wine tasting, face painting, a bouncy house, apple picking and a playground. It is a unique, 213 year old farm and we had a wonderful time!

It's been a fun long weekend and we are thankful today and every day!

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

Blessings in Jesus!