making my list...

today is the day

that i'm making my list,

my list of what i am
most grateful for

this thanksgiving season.

~~~

i am most thankful for~

~~~

my husband

who works hard

and provides me

with a wonderful life,

~~~

my daughter

whose life has changed

my life

in incredibly wonderful ways,

~~~

my grandsons

who give me so much

love and joy,

~~~

my dad and mom,

brothers and sisters

and their spouses,

nieces, nephews

and their kids,

a family i looove to be part of,

~~~

my friends

that are near and far

who love and accept me

for who i am,

~~~

my home

that is cozy and warm

and full of all that i love,

~~~

my overall good health

that allows me to do

the things i love,

~~~

my animals

that amuse me

with all of their antics

and show me unconditional love

in return

for a little

something to eat,

~~~

the chance

to sponsor okiru

in uganda

thru compassion

which has brought me to

an even keener awareness

of hunger and poverty

and how i can help,

~~~

all the lessons

i have learned

thruout the year

that have made me

a better person,

~~~

a God

that always loves me,

and even delights in me,

and who provides for me

all that i need

each and every day.

~~~

i am

abundantly blessed.

~~~

and i am grateful...

~~~~~

~~~

~

have you made your list?

peggy

it's beginning to look a lot like...

it's beginning

to look a lot like...

~~~

thanksgiving

in south dakota!

~~~

it's cold and snowing

this morning,

not unusual

for a late day in november.

we've been especially blessed

this year with

a long and beautiful autumn,

full of mild days

and glorious color.

~~~

and now,

with thanksgiving

only 3 days away,

winter appears to be approaching.

~~~

i am grateful

for these days

as we approach thanksgiving.

~~~

i am grateful

for all

that i have been blessed with.

i am most especially

grateful for

family,

friends...

~~~

the barn that houses

the animals i love,

the garden shed that

holds my hopes

for spring and summer...
~~~

and

our home.

~~~

wishing you a day that looks

like thanksgiving to you!

peggy

blessings of warm and cozy...

in this season of thanks

i am being,

more than ever,

mindful

of all that i have

to be grateful for.

~~~

today,

on this cool and gray day,

i am grateful

for our fireplace

that warms me

and makes our home

warm and cozy.

~~~

being warm and cozy

is a blessing

and i am grateful.

~~~~~

~~~

~

wishing you a blessed and grateful day...

peggy

learning grateful...

several years ago

i heard sarah van breathnach

discussing her then new book

"simple abundance."

~~~

i listened to her speak

about being grateful

and how it changes your life.

~~~

i was intrigued

and interested

in being more grateful

in my life.

~~~

shortly after,

i bought her book.

i can truly say

this is one of the books

that have changed my life!

i've read and re-read

this book.

~~~

"simple abundance"

is written as

daily readings

and each month focusing

on a particular principle

relevant to living

a simply abundant life,

~~~

one of sarah van breathnach's

suggestions is to

keep a gratitude journal.

this gratitude journal

is a journal

in which you daily list

5 things for which

you are grateful for.

~~~~

big things,

little things,

whatever you are grateful for that day.

~~~

some days

it is easy

to list 5 things (or more!)

that you are grateful for.

other days...

well...

some days really sssssssss...

stink,

and on those days,

it just isn't as easy

to be grateful.

listing 5 things that you are grateful

on a day that really stinks

isn't easy,

but it is possible.

~~~

i believe being grateful,

especially on days that really stink

is learned.

~~~

learned.

~~~

i believe i've learned

to be grateful

on good days

and on days that really stink.

and i believe

being grateful

every day,

has changed my life.

~~~

~~~~~

~~~

~

what are you grateful for today?

peggy

a season of thanks...

the season of thanks

is here.

~~~

sometimes,

it seems,

thanksgiving is forgotten.

~~~

sometimes

givings thanks

is forgotten.

~~~

my hope and prayer

for myself,

for my family and friends,

and for all of you,

is that thruout this

season of thanks

that we will all

take the time

to be mindful

to give thanks

for our many blessings.

~~~

and that in

each and every day

that follows

this thanksgiving season,

we continue

to give thanks...

~~~~~

~~~

~

give thanks...

peggy

happy thanksgiving...

a very happy, blessed, and thankful thanksgiving to all...

thankful...

i am thankful. thankful for so many good things in my life. making an entry daily to my "i am thankful for..." list this month has made me become more aware of how much i have to be grateful for and how many blessings i have in my life. being aware of what i have to be grateful for makes me realize how very many blessings i have, which, in turn, makes me more aware of how blessed i am and more grateful. and on and on... being thankful and giving thanks makes me feel much more blessed and happy!

again, happy thanksgiving! be happy and be thankful...

talking turkey...

this is a vintage lacer to stitch up your stuffed turkey before baking it! i remember my mom stitching up a turkey and i've done it too but not with one of these lacers. i've just used needle and thread. i love the color and and the detail to it! it's amazing to me how something quite ordinary is so appealing to look at. new things just don't have this look.

speaking of turkeys, i heard on the food network that to have a really moist turkey you should soak it in a brine of water (enough to cover the turkey), 2 c salt, and 1 c sugar for 12 hours. i want to try that! hope that you have a moist turkey for thanksgiving!

sharing food and joy...

these pictures are from the children's book "one little, two little, three little pilgrims" by b.g. hennessy. to me these pictures depict the sharing of food and joy at a thanksgiving feast. i love that!

i hope that we are all able to share in the food and joy of thanksgiving with our family and friends and also with those who are less fortunate than ourselves. to count our blessings and to be a blessing to others. isn't that what thanksgiving is all about?

thanksgiving greetings...

thanksgiving greetings to you... again! another thanksgiving postcard to show you today. this one is sitting on top of our breadbox in the kitchen. the color is so good and the turkeys so realistic!

i found the teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl at an antique shop in red lodge, montana when my husband and i were on our honeymoon. they are the pattern of my dishes. i call them church dishes because you used to see them at every church and have even accumulated some of tehm from a neighboring church that closed. i don't know the name of the pattern or who made them. they are plain and simple and cream in color. i love them! they're the only dishes i have and i am always on the lookout for replacements or pieces i don't have. to me they look good whether i'm serving an everyday meal or a thanksgiving feast!

another thanksgiving greeting...

here's wishing you sincere thanksgiving greetings! i love these old postcards and am always on the lookout for old holiday postcards. i love the color and the detail! i like to set them out wherever i can around our home.

they are so pretty to look at and it is fun to read the greetings that have been sent to friends and family in years gone by. as much as i love getting a card or letter in the mail, i can only imagine how much the greetings were appreciated in days past when there was so much less communication!

tom turkey on a platter...

and here is the tom turkey that is the most special to me! this is a thanksgiving platter that my dad bought for his mom when he got out of the army. that makes this platter over 50 years old. isn't is great? i love it!!!

i had been looking for a turkey platter for awhile and mentioned to my mom about wanting one. she told me about the one dad had and the story behind it. the platter had been tucked away and i had forgotten about it. i was excited to see it and knew i had found my turkey platter! i asked dad about it and he said i could have it after thanksgiving last year! so now i have a turkey platter! lucky me!

another tom turkey...

here's another tom turkey that decorates our home! this one is a candle. i've also seen other novelty thanksgiving candles including men and women pilgrims and men and women indians.

there'll be more tom turkeys to come...

thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away...

november is nearly half over and thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away! where does the time go? i'm looking forward to thanksgiving, as i always do. i love to get together with family and eat! the food at thanksgiving is just the best! this year we will spend thanksgiving day with my husband's family. he comes from a family of 9 boys and so there is a lot of family and a lot of food!

this little turkey is a creamer that i've had for awhile now. i don't remember where i got it. i like to decorate seasonally and for the holidays so my intention when buying tom turkey was to decorate. and he is doing just that on my kitchen windowsill! now i'm thinking that using tom for his original purpose of serving cream is a great idea for thanksgiving day. what a tasty treat to add a little cream to a strong cup of coffee with a piece of pie! tom is a turkey of many trades. ya gotta love him.....

a peaceful thanksgiving...

a peaceful thanksgiving.....that is something i wish for everyone this thanksgiving. a peaceful world to live and love in. peace in our hearts, souls, and minds. peace in all that we think, say, and do. peace.

what the world needs now is peace, sweet peace...

i'm thankful for.... list

it's another beautiful autumn day in northeast south dakota! what a blessing! i'm thankful for these past few beautiful, sunshiny days. it is the season to be thankful and today i've started an "i'm thankful for..." list on my blog. it is a good way for me to really think of what i have to be thankful for. today i've listed my family. i have a greaaaat family. i am thankful for the family i grew up in and i'm thankful for the family i have now!

i hope my list of what i'm thankful for inspires you to consider what you are thankful for...

a season of gratitude

thanksgiving is soon approaching. this is a wonderful oppurtunity for all of us to count our many blessings. november is a beautiful time of year. the color is gorgeous, the sweet, spicy scents that fill the autumn air are incredible, and the days are brisk and short which bring us inside sooner to enjoy our warm, cozy homes and spend a little extra time with our family friends. these are all blessings for me.
i have many blessings in my life, too many to count. altho i have too many blessings to count, each day this november i am taking note of a special blessing each day. my special blessing for today is the first follower on my blog! i am sooo excited! thank you, laura, for being my special blessing today! i wish you and your family many special blessings this thanksgiving season....