thankful

I feel obligated to ensure you that although I broke the rule and put up Christmas pre Thanksgiving,

that does not mean I neglected to give Thanksgiving its adieu.

Got the banner making idea from another blog! I am not the crafty type so I am completely impressed with myself!

The banner still hangs today {Sunday} because I am thankful.
When it really boils down to it. I am thankful for my life.
It's not perfect. Its not always glorious, some days are down right disasters, but

I am thankful for the good (click the links if interested in the good and bad)

and the bad because both the good and the bad make my life what it is today and

although I would like to go without the bad, its not realistic and without it would the good still be good?

For the first time I was the Thanksgiving host and we raised our glasses and

gave thanks

to the good and the bad!

I even transformed the "Christmas trees" into "thankful for {4}..." trees

and each guest received a {4{ and took a moment to reflect on what they were thankful for this year.

I am thankful for moments like these...

After lunch everyone had other places to run to, so Mark and I packed the kids up according to the 'ole Sanley family tradition and went to the movie theater to see Tangled.

It ended up being a great way to spend Thanksgiving evening as a family. It was kadence's first time in the theater and she did surprisingly well as long as she was on constant feed of movie theater popcorn! (definitely thankful for that!)

.........and thanksgiving always leads to

Black Friday people!

The only way to kick off the holiday season!

We did it up right!
Out the door by 2:20 am

Christmas music

tons of ads

and
good deals!

I so got my ipod! Woo Hoo

and just a "few" other things!

by the time we got home at 3:30 in the afternoon we had already been shopping for 12 hours and awake for 13 {which makes it closer to 20hours by the time bedtime came around!}

It was great!

Love

Love

Love

Black Friday

yup.

It beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

I am thankful!

throw cares away

So I broke the "rule"

and we decked the halls with Christmas this weekend (yes pre Thanksgiving)

*GASP*

 and guess what.....the world did not implode on itself...in fact it was just what we needed to lift the spirit in this house of stress lately!

If you would have dropped by this weekend you would have found a Christmas strung from here to there, me~no make up~no hair fixed....totally sucked into the thought of hibernating in our house{that has been cleaned and new carpet installed-Yippeeeeeee} for the whole weekend!

 The kids were just as sucked in as I was (and guess what...I told Mark to pick up a "small tree" for the kids' room when he ran to Columbus Saturday. He came home with a 6 footer...okay! So much for small tree!
Mark said you could not really decorate a small tree {and my tree in the living room is so off limits} so they needed a bigger one! Oh yeah baby he's so sucked in too, although denies it!)
I am loving every minute of this!

 I did not have ornaments at my finger tips to decorate an additional 6 footer so we had to create our own! The kids were completely enthralled by the entire thing!

 Kadence even got a chair for her baby to see the tree "PRETTY" she tells her!

and

Cohen thinks that maybe just maybe Santa will put their presents under their own tree in their own room!

Yes I broke the rules and Christmas has completely exploded at our house!

and I am loving every minute of it

{I even sat in the living room, dark,. just the Christmas tree lights twinkling and reflecting off the shiny ornaments. It is so calming to my soul. I can't stop staring at them....sigh}

Get those lights up people

Calm your souls

You'll love it!

Black Friday is on the horizon........the official kick off of the season!

all seem to say throw cares away, Christmas is here bringing good cheer!

inner processing

"Sometimes it feels like I'm not enough, like I want to give so much but my reserves are low.That's part of loving too though...making it through the empty spots and finding ways to replenish the good." ~Kelly Hampton

The quote sort of spoke to me. A description if you will of my inner processing this week.

Some weeks are easier than others to find the good. I found myself looking at these pictures from a few weeks ago {Post Halloween Pre Grandma} validation that we measure time in moments  It was dark by 6pm when we get home, but beautiful out and I said "heck with it, Cohen get the rake."

 

 and did we find the good that day.

Yes, some days it comes so easily for me and then other days I find it difficult to not get bogged down in the day to day, to do lists....

Yes some days the reserve is low and I feel like I am not enough. That there is so much more I should do.



HEY YOU! That's right I am talking to you, Pull it together!



I have been attempting to make a conscious effort to replenish the good.



Last night Cohen and I were sitting in the rocking chair, close to bedtime and my phone rang.

I didn't get up to get it.

Cohen looked up at me and said "mom you didn't get your phone because you are snuggling with me right." as he nuzzled in a little closer.

I am in awe at how quickly and effectively my kids can replenish my "good."

Pile up too many tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays. ~The Music Man

I have indeed been piling up too many tomorrows and last night my children brought me back.

What a gift they are.

(A clean house helped matters too~not to steal their glory or anything!)

and can I mention that Christmas is only 36days away. I have been so caught up in surviving that I would tell you that Halloween was last week! Holy Buckets Batman it's time to get serious! Black Friday is only one week away and that is one of my favorite holiday kick off's!  Since the saying says attitude is a choice and we have to FIND the good.......I put together a christmas song playlist yesterday to listen to as I was typing away at work and man did that turn my attitude around! 
 There is nothing like Black Friday, twinkling Christmas lights in your darkened house, belting out traditional Christmas songs as if I were a professional singer, flour on the counter and frosting on your pants, as the aroma of cookies baking fills the house, the excitement, the love, the feeling and oh how I love Christmas, to replenish all that is good.Take it in people...........ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Maybe just maybe this current "empty reserve" has its purpose and I will truely appreciate everything this Christmas season has to offer.