pickin' pumpkins

give a kid a camera...

we're going on a leaf hunt...

thankful hearts

embry

my puppy

playing games

mommy & daddy

hayes & ellie

karate

drawing

the airport

our beach house :)

blackwell

swinging

spiderman

ellie

minnie, nana, papaw, grandpa

my brothers

mommy & daddy

jude & jessie

jesus

when we go to the fair

coloring

my jewelry

pictures

seeing g.g.

playing on the i-phone

lipgloss

going to the pedicure

fruit snacks

hayes

legos

a home

food

clothes

mcdonald's

my parents

my lego book

god

birthdays

school

dinosaur museum

kyle

a god who loves and forgives

a wife who loves and forgives

children who are excited to see me every time

the privilege of pursuing a career that i enjoy

I attempted to capture some pictures of things I was thankful for throughout the day today.

  

I am guilty of getting caught up in all of the little things that seem to go wrong and letting those little things cloud a grateful heart. Now more than ever it seems like things are falling apart around us... whether it be something with the house or one of our cars. But ya know what? We have a house and we have two cars.

And they are just things. And things are temporary.

I'm deliberately making more of an effort to stop and remind myself of just how fortunate I am. I belong to a mighty and loving God, a mighty and loving God who has given me this precious little family to share life with. He's given us a safe place to call home, food for our bellies, air conditioning for when it is hot, heat for when it is cold, good health, fabulous friends and family, great schools, a wonderful church.

I'd say that is blessed. And thankful I am.

May you reflect on what is truly important today and take the time to thank God for each and every one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

sidenote: Something that I am not so thankful for is the decision I made to replace the lights on our Christmas tree. Do not, I repeat DO NOT ever think it is a good idea to strip a pre-lit tree of its lights that no longer work. It is a very bad idea and I have the blisters and bruises on my hands to prove it. Run as fast as you can to the nearest store and buy another tree!

kansas city getaway

Kyle and I snuck away to Kansas City for a few days. We had a great time... we always do. We did lots of shopping, knocking out most of our Christmas list! Yay! We explored. We ate way too much yummy food. We met up with bloggy friends (Allison, John Michael and Jenna) and high school friends (Nick and Becky).

We visited Jamesport, an Amish community. What an experience that was. We did see buggies, but we saw more cars. :) We followed a map through the countryside. We discovered a dairy where we did some cheese-tasting, stopped at stores with beautiful furniture and loaded up at the cutest little bulk supply store ever. We also made a stop at a bakery, which could have passed for a scene out of a scary movie. No lights, creaky old floors, people watching you in the dark. I quickly lost my appetite for the sweets I bought.

We got some much-needed time for just the two of us. Now we're refreshed and ready to take on the world! Isn't that right , babe? :)

Thanks to all of the grands for taking care of our babes. 

a fun weekend

carving a pumpkin with papaw 

getting our hair did at salon de ellie 

cherry berry deliciousness 

our favorite trick or treat spot ... GG's!

thanks Mom and Dad for helping turn our weekend into a good time!

trick or treat

Here's a first for us. The kids got to go to the store and pick out whatever costumes they wanted... with no help or pleading from Mom. As you can see, we ended up with three dragons. Ellie threw on a necklace for a feminine touch. :) Even though it isn't what I would have chosen for them, I can't help but love that the two little ones wanted to be just like big brother. And I love that big brother was ok with that.

Happy Trick or Treating everyone!

pumpkins and popcorn

We took advantage of Daddy being home tonight and carved our pumpkins. Don't tell Miss Elle, but Cindy-relly has a butchered arm or two

and some wacked-out eyes. FYI... Momma's not so good with carving tools and white pumpkins are a little tougher to cut.

 I also attempted caramel corn for the first time. Oh yeah. 

pumpkin patch

We discovered the perfect little pumpkin patch the other day. It was a breathe of fresh air compared to the one we usually visit. We walked along the path of pumpkins, playing games until we reached the big hay maze. The owner took us through the garden, showing the kids all of the vegetables and herbs. Have you ever smelled chocolate mint? Yum! There is a beautiful, red barn (which you should know by now that I am a fan of a good barn. :)) filled with goodies to buy... like pumpkin butter. Double yum! There was also a petting zoo and a tractor available for hayrides. And the nicest people. Seriously nice.

Now to get the pumpkins out of my car that have been in there for three days.

                                      

trick or treat!

Buzz, Woody and Jessie wish you a Happy Halloween!

pumpkin party

We had our friends over to eat and carve some pumpkins (uh hem, have the daddies carve some pumpkins). It's always fun having a houseful. Thanks everybody for partying with us! And, thanks Katie for being so on top of the picture-taking. :)

And because this just makes me laugh...

pumpkin patch

pumpkin cake

Here is a perfect dessert for the holidays. It is so simple and delicious. My mother-in-law, Bev made it a few weeks ago and we all went crazy for it. She literally had it in the oven within minutes. You gotta try this. It will not disappoint!

Pumpkin Cake

1 spice cake mix
1 large can pumpkin pie mix (not plain pumpkin)
2 eggs
1/4 c. oil
1 container cool whip

*Mix all ingredients (except cool whip) well with mixer.
*Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.
*Cool completely.
*Top with cool whip.