November Thankful Dump

*Reading the word cuddled up together in the mornings.
*For the challenge of my first Kiss the Sky boutique. It was hard and God taught me some unexpected necessary things.
*A walk with Mama Holly around our little lake.  I love her presence in our lives. 

*Cute little birdhouse painted by Josie for our yard, and that she still likes to make me things. 
*Michael speaking truth into me and praying over us. 
*A break from the mundane and a school day at the Cool Bean with Josie.  We were both energized by being around people (note to self: must do this more often!)
*The kids' giant fort which they slumber-partied in.  I'm grateful that my big kids aren't "too cool" to do silly together. 
*Josie's cinnamon bagels. Glad this girl loves to bake!
* a finished art project, and adding more color to the landscape of our home.
*Rainbow hot wheels- a Josie and Noah collaboration.   

*A delightful and encouraging dinner with Ron & Margie Grant, before their next adventure to Africa with MAF
*Sara's encouraging messages to me. Canada is too far away. 
*The girls as inventors: Marion Donovan- the inventor of the disposable diaper, and Herbert Johnson- the inventor of the Kitchen-Aid Mixer, for their home schools' wax museum.  My girls are the cutest!!
*My family.  I love that I get to be with them every day.
*Celebrated my 30-oldest birthday with a girls' night made complete with; appetizers n' margaritas, 4 on a Couch, Pictionary, "I Never,"  Sylvia's  chocolate chip cookie dough cake AND Michael's Heath toffee crunch cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (spoiled much?), while being surrounded by laughter and love.
*Birthday celebration continued with a night out with "my Ethel," Diane- my dear friend who MOVED BACK TO CA. FROM WA. AFTER 10 LONG YEARS! And who also wears purple skinny pants, and who spoiled me with a pair of matching purple skinny pants!
*A conversation with my dad for his birthday.  He asked me how old I was.  When I responded "39," he tenderly said, "how can it be!?"  Sometimes I get moments of who he could be if he were healthy. Grateful.    

*The one year anniversary of living in our home, and that God got us through some tough months. 
*Thanksgiving in SLO and that the kids got to go to the beach (something they've been looking forward to). 
*The finale of icarly with the Sloas' & Meeks,' complete with Spaghetti Tacos, "Pepi-Cola," and Groovy Smoothies (there may have also been some tears during the icarly igoodbye episode)! 
*Delighting together when we'd spot brilliant red autumn trees.  
*That Emilie has a sweet group of girlfriends from school.  
*Skypeing with my God-sister,  Melanie and Imogen. Imogen showing me her stickers. 
*Matching cherry aprons with Sylvia at her daughter Maddie's M.E. birthday tea party.  
*Babysitting my second cousins, Ava and Ian.  Noah was a rockstar  helper with Ian.  While sitting beside Ava when she went to bed, she asked "Prima, why are you still here?"  Too cute. ("Prima" is cousin in Portuguese.  I love that she calls me Prima).  
* That eyebrows grow back, and that this is going to be a HILARIOUS story she will get to tell some day (I can't say which "she"... but I can tell you it wasn't Emilie).  
*A full day of errands and grocery shopping with Josie- her soft hand in mine, conversations, and silly with only her for an entire day. 
*My name on a frosting balloon at life group.  Thoughtful.  And this post by Sarah Markley, which described perfectly why I love being the church with our life group.  
*When my grandmother lovingly refers to me as, "Creda" (child in Portuguese).  
*A fresh batch of Kristen's cookies.  

*Cuddling with Michael at the end of the day... especially while watching Parenthood or Survivor
*That Deb is back in blogville.  I've missed her poetic, gracious voice.  Reading her description of herself at her new blog and that she is a "crafter of life with words."  Beautiful.   
*A darling video of our nephew, Jack, 1 1/2, who lives in Australia, doing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" along with my three kiddos to the video we made him last spring.  It makes my heart glad to see him "play" with his cousins even though we are a zillion miles apart. 
*My sister Toni's encouragement and nudging me to, "what is that you always say? 'give it grace.'"  I love her.
*And finally, that neediness isn't weakness, and that the LORD allows me to be needy because He wants me to be close to Him.  God. Wants. Me. Close. To. Him.  My neediness is part of His divine plan (breathing it in).  He sure must love me a lot. 

 Live in Peace!

CYBER SALE

Purchase any item in the Kiss The Sky shop this week 

and receive 10% off 

and

 a complimentary Kiss the Sky magnet!

 

Use Coupon Code

CYBERSALE

Offer good Nov. 26th - Dec. 2nd

 
(1 magnet per order). 

Run Little Turkeys!

Before you devour your Thanksgiving meal 

you MUST feast on this video 

starring my old friend
and the author of The Church of Facebook, Jesse Rice, 

and his darling wife, musician, Katie Rice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hush

It's noisy in my head today. 

I need to step out of it.
Walk away. 

Step into Beauty. 

Walk toward my Best Friend.
Sit with Him. 
Lean into Him.  
Place the weight of my world on His shoulders.

Look up and see things from His perspective. 
See that "man makes complicated what God has made simple."  
Give God the complicated, and just breath His simple. 

Breath in "a day of rest." 
It doesn't matter what day it is, only that I take it.

Take rest... take shalom.  

"Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord; to be complete, perfect and full."

And isn't that why it's noisy in my head in the first place...because I ache for shalom.  

The noise: over-thinking, scheming, plotting, sorting, figuring... it's all my own effort to find shalom.  

Vain attempts which leave me shalom-less.

But God.  

To0 good to me God makes simple what even I have made complicated.

He hushes the noise with Himself. 

He is Shalom.

Which characteristic of Shalom do you 

long for today? 

 

Live in Peace!

WINNER!

Announcing the Kiss the Sky 
Give Away Winner~

Drum Roll....

Joy!

from the blog Simply Joy.

random.org was used for this drawing

************************************************************************************

Today, Kiss the Sky is making an appearance at a local Christmas boutique. 

Here is a peak at the dress rehearsal booth,

which took shape this week in our dining room.

Many new items will debut in the Kiss the Sky shop on Monday. 

Come take a look. 

Use the code

joytotheworld 

to receive 10% off your purchase

 Nov. 10th - Nov 16th

Live in Peace!
 

I Voted

for President of the Potatohead States. 

Potato-President elect, Hash Brown is the spud for me.

 

Hash Brown is concerned with the harsh living conditions of his fellow potatoes in the grocery stores.  He will strive to provide roomier potato bins for all potato-kind!

Hash Brown isn't a hot potato like the other candidates- Darth Tater and "All-Righta-Oneida."  
They're small fries compared to Hash Brown. 
That's why he's got my vote... 
and because my sweet potato, Emilie, is his campaign manager. 


Potato President created for Emilie's 8th grade Constitution class. 

 

Don't forget to enter the Kiss the Sky GIVE AWAY! 

GIVE AWAY

Today I am Thankful for...

 The NEW Kiss the Sky loose prints. 

These inspiring unmounted prints are made on 

archival fine art watercolor paper. 

This "For God So Loved the World, 11x14, Globe" 

is listed in the shop,

and is available in a variety of colors.

 (Colors not pictured include- Mustard, Gray, Red, and Sky Blue)

  A new line of Christmas prints

will be making an appearance in the shop this week!

Because I am SO EXCITED about the

 new line of

 Kiss the Sky loose prints,

I'm treating you to a 

GIVE AWAY!

Enter to win TWO Kiss the Sky loose prints!  

The 11x14 For God So Loved the World-Globe print 

AND 

The 12x12, Prepare Him Room-Christmas print. 

(in the colors of your choice)

Enter up to 3x:
Leave a comment sharing which Kiss the Sky piece is your favorite. 
Like Kiss the Sky on Facebook 
Share a link to this give away on facebook, twitter, or your blog. 

Leave a comment each time you enter!

Comments have been opened to Anonymous commenters.   Anonymous Commenters please leave your name and email address. 
 

Winner will be announced Saturday, November 10th.

Live in Peace!
 

with thanksgiving in my heart

"I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart;

 I will enter His courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.

 I will rejoice for He has made me glad."

Today I am thankful for~

A Josie-made ipod case. 

 My silly-socks-girl who selected 

One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful

to listen to 3x on the way to town.

2 kid-free hours every Thursday at "The Bean"

 with

Ruth, Julie, Richard Foster's Devotional Classics, 

and a Pumpkin Chai. 

(left-right)

New dishwasher piece and no more frustration at the falling dish-rack.  

 Folded laundry (maybe tomorrow I'll be thankful it was put away)

Josie's baby "Naomi" at the dining room table.

Emilie's funny messages on the paper towel (and t.p. rolls).

Pumpkin Cream-cheese muffins.  I've been told they are "the best muffins ever!"  Score. 

Josie's face after stealing the loveseat from Noah. 

A quiet night on the Nook and  playing Battleship.

What are you thankful for today? 

Live in Peace!
 

with thanksgiving in my heart

"I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart;

 I will enter His courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.

 I will rejoice for He has made me glad." 

Today I am thankful for~

Emilie's creativity. 
She made her Halloween costume entirely on her own. 
Materials: scrap drop cloth, paint from the school supplies, hand-me-down shoes, hawk feather from the yard (thank you Mr. Hawk).  She is so cool. 

Conversation with Josie as I curled her hair for another Halloween, recounting together all the characters I have plastered and curled for over the years: Cinderella, Snow White, Lady Bug, Annie, 50's girl, Fairy princess, Flower-girls for weddings, Christmas and School plays.
I know I only have a couple more of these occasions left.

This year Josie dressed up as "Miss Hawaiian Tropic" (Josie is addicted to Toddler's & Tiarra's on Netflix). She LOVED wearing eyeshadow and having her lashes curled for the occasion.

Dinner at the Pizza Factory pre Trunk or Treating.  Pesto topped with mushrooms and olives is the yummiest. 

Mama Holly (top left) and Papa Dan, who joined us for the evening. They are terrific "grandparents." 

Running into our dear friends the Hagen's  at PF was a bonus (Michelle pictured with me and Mama Holly)! 

Newlyweds, Joel and Hannah, were the highlight of Trunk or Treating.  

Seeing a lot of creative costumes.  Mindcraft would have been a perfect costume for Noah (who may have been too cool to dress up this year).  Also seeing a few flash back costumes-Rainbow Bright was the cutest. 

I've got cool kids and great people in my life. 

 What are you thankful for today?