Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been thinking about how Thanksgiving is ONE of my favorite days each year, but the truth is it is my MOST favorite holiday!!! The thing I love about Thanksgiving is that it is not about giving/getting anything. It is about gratitude. It is a time to take a fresh look at our lives and say 'WOW, life is good!'. Sure, sometimes life is not all we want it to be - there are times of disappointment but.... amazingly to me - even in the bad times of life I can see how God has preserved us and it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. It's a time to appreciate God's grace on our lives!

It's also a time to remember what we DO HAVE. This world we live in presses us to the next thing all the time. The newest, latest, greatest thing to have is ever pressing upon us with a 'you must buy me' mantra in tow. But at Thanksgiving we can look at what we DO have versus what we do not have. We can be thankful for our truly bountiful blessings. Our homes, our vehicles, our washer and dryer, our dishwasher, our refrigerator and stove and beds and on and on. Such simple things we forget to think about. Our washer and dryer is a bit dated and at times I think of what it would be like to have the front loader, but then today as I was loading the washer I thought "I'm so thankful that our washer and dryer is working well. No problems with either of them." Sure, they sound like they are working hard when in use, with all the squeaking and such but... PRAISE GOD THEY WORK!!!!

It's also a time to be thankful for the people God has brought into our lives, family and friends. Sure, we all have those difficult relationships in our lives but.... I see those people as the relationships I learn the most from. They are NOT easy and those relationships often offer me the best they know how to give me today. Maybe it is due to a bias against me or maybe they are in such pain they cannot see how they are so hard to love, or maybe there is a mutually known conflict, whatever the case... I'm not mad at what they cannot give - I'm thankful they are prospering in their lives and that is enough. I don't want to look at what they are not - I do not expect anything more than what they offer. That is enough and that is how I can manage to show thanks for even the difficult people in my life. (And yes, at times, I know that I am the problem in some difficult relationships; but until God reveals that to me I usually do not see clearly either. Until He reveals that I have to approach the difficult relationships as I mention above.)

It's a time to stop and think 'WOW God - I don't know why you blessed me but you have blessed me indeed and for that I give you THANKS!' There is no 'gimmee gimmee gimmee' it is 'thank you, thank you, thank you'. He has done great things for us!

SO HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL! I pray your Thanksgiving is a true day of rest to you and your loved ones, that you are able to taste and see that the Lord, He is good!!

Let FREEDOM Ring!

"Let freedom ring
Let the white dove sing
Let the whole world know that today is the day of a reckoning
Let the weak be strong
Let the right be wrong
Roll the stone away
Let the GUILTY pay
It's Independence Day"

Hear Ye Hear Ye - all citizens of this once great country! May we rise up and return to our freedom once again! May the many races of America rise up as one people - all agendas (including racism) and limits be removed once and for all! May the political parties cease and unity reign. May ALL CAREER politicians be removed and may true pioneers - those with real vision for the betterment of us ALL rise up and be seen as true warriors for our nation. May the 'us them' mentality be forever gone and may the majority rise up for the rights our founding Fathers fought so dearly to preserve for us. May the ultra liberal and ultra conservatives lose their voices so that the majority may speak and be clearly heard!

May the rich have compassion and be stirred to reach out and lend a hand to the poor but may the government NEVER enforce this! May the sole enforcer of this tender compassion come solely from our creator - the one who DID create us ALL equal! May the poor be cared for properly - with dignity and with the agenda of carefully teaching them to fish so their dignity may be restored rather than teaching them to expect a check. Someone with dignity will far surpass someone trained to look for the meager rationings thrown at them. It is the fight to survive, that is within us all, that stirs us on - not the fight to sit and wait for charity.

May the sick be well cared for, and once again may it be that they are cared for with dignity. Not in such a way that bankrupts them and causes them to lose all they have for the simple pleasure of breathing clearly another day! May this not be done with an iron fist that limits the best we can be but with a hand of tenderness and compassion that causes a Doctor to not watch a family suffer due to not having $ or insurance. May the doctor patient relationship be restored and may true freedom reign within this field once again. May the drug companies and insurance companies get their hands off the doctors so they can properly diagnose medical issues and not throw a pill at us when we aren't well!

May the church rise up with compassion and love. May the church be Christ - rather than another business entity looking for who's the best among their peers. May the church return to it's first love and seek God's face, rather than His hand. May the church lose it's haughty way of looking down on those whom stir the very heart of God. Those who act out in such crazy ways but are ultimately seeking love. Those who've been wounded by the hand of another - they need the one true solution to the ails of their lives and not a judgmental glance from the 'holy'.

May America be TRULY FREE again - Father God heal our land!

Hear Us From Heaven (by Jared Anderson)

Verse:
Lord, hear our cry
Come heal our land
Breath life into these dry and thirsty souls
Lord, hear our prayer
Forgive our sin
And as we call on Your name
Would You make this a place For Your glory to dwell

Chorus:
Open the blind eyes
Unlock the deaf ears
Come to Your people
As we draw near
Hear us from heaven
Touch our generation
We are Your people
Crying out in desperation

Lord hear our song
Your children worship
As we sing out Your praise
Would You make this a place for Your glory to dwell

Bridge:
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven,
Hear Us From Heaven (4x)

Happy Mother's Day One and All

This has been a super fun weekend! Saturday was filled with laughter and exploration for the kids - digging in the backyard that is. Then today was just fabulous! My babies gave me my gift from them yesterday. They could not wait. They said "Dad, may we PULEEEEEEEEEEEZ give Mom our Masterpieces now??? PULEEEEEEEZE!?"By then the secret was almost out so - he allowed them to give me my gifts. Here is what HC created for me:
And here is JB's work. Truly Masterpieces right!? :)
I love my husband! What a super Daddy he is! He really planned this Mother's Day out right! I think the thing that makes it all the more special is that this year the kids 'get it'. They know it is a special day and so they continuously give me hugs and tell me how much they love me and they repeatedly tell me things like this "Happy Mother's Day Mom! You are the BEST Mom I've ever seen!" Who can resist that!? I am reminded today that at this stage of life - my kids run to Steve and I as we walk in the door and when we leave they are full of hugs and kisses! I know that there are many stages of parenting but for now I'm drinking in the abundance of love - it overfloweth in my house! Lord may HC and JB always love Steve and I AND each other! That is my Mother's Day wish today!

Happy Mother's Day to all you SUPER Mom's out there!!! May you have all the hugs/kisses/and appreciation that your heart desires!!

There's a Party in My Cabana

Girls just wanna have fun ya know! :) My HC found out that Daddy gave me a Mani/Pedi for Valentine's Day and the tears began flowing! "I want to go!! Can I go Mom?" I told her I was going with friends and she could not go. The waterworks were heartbreaking. I told her I would paint her nails for her if she wanted me to. She was eager to have her turn. We did a little rainbow number on HC and she was well pleased! We used hot pink, light pink, purple, orange and blue. The orange and blue are very light and mainly look like sparkles. Such a happy girl! See, whether you are 5 or >5 painted nails = a happy girl!
Happy times indeed! We sure did miss you Missy - but we totally understand! It was so nice being pampered. Aren't our hubbies the BEST!?! It was so nice to talk to one another without constantly being interrupted by children. Our babies were safely off with their Daddy's - having fun I know!
We all left feeling refreshed and pleased with our spruced up toes - a little "Party in My Cabana". Gosh... this just makes me want to walk on the beach a little bit!
My "Mauve Maniac" friend rockin' those fly toes!
And the "Susie Pink" (can't remember the official name of this color) was a great choice too! I'm thinking this was a fun gift and I hope this will not be the last of our girly adventures. I've never had so much fun having my nails done - the time just flew by!
Happy Valentine's Day Steve! I loved my gift - it was the perfect fit!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Our New Year's Eve was so fun. We had a date night and so did HC and JB. They went to play with friends while we had dinner out. They had SO much fun on their night out - they read the Gingerbread Man and baked Gingerbread cookies (something I do not do enough of - baking). They were so excited. They were not ready to leave once the night ended. We arrived too early according to all involved. They had changed into PJ's and were getting ready to watch Frosty and partake of their cookies when we barged in and ruined the fun. It was definitely a fun night for HC and JB!
We had a great night out - we ate Thai food for the first time. I even had almost sushi and all! Great fun! The best part of all was the company - totally a fun group (we missed you and your hubby Ashley!).
The other side of the table.
New Year's 2009 was very unique for the MorningSong family. Normally our New Year's Day is a lazy day of hanging out. This year we chose to bring order to our storage unit. There are SO many things I haven't seen, with my own eyes, in three whole years. It was time to bring order and purge a bit. After the storage purging we caught a late lunch and headed to another unique event. We played our first ever game of Monkey Ball. We had never heard of the game until New Year's Eve - we were invited to play a game and we had a great time! Here's a pic of Steve and JB learning the art of throwing monkey balls.
Steve testing his skills. JB waiting for a turn.
My boy LOVES to join in the fun - all sports all the time!
HC didn't have as much skill - and she was quite OK with that!
JB trying to help me figure this game out. I lost 2 games back to back. I need to practice and who knows - I may be a monkey ball superstar before ya know what hit ya! (And yes - if I am around with monkey balls - you may want to DUCK!)
HC had MUCH more fun playing in the leaves and digging in the dirt - and basically playing with the other kids! So fun!

So far our 2009 is proving to be a bit unusual but unexpectedly FUN! I can deal with a year like this. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

A Peek at 2 Wee One's Spending Their Christmas GiftCards

Can you guess what question Steve and I hear 1 million times a day now??? You've got it.... "Mom/Dad can we paLEEEEZE ride our bikes now?" Saturday, the 27th, was a busy day for us. The kids had a few rides around the block and we were off to spend gift cards. HC is itchin' for a basket so she can take a few things along with her. She chose to wear her backpack for now.
"Let's ROLL Daddy!"
Then we stopped off for a meal - with a coupon in hand. Here they are waiting for our wings to arrive.
Grubbin' on some wings.
Then the first stop was Target. Uncle T, Aunt S and cousins A & K gave the kids giftcards. HC bought rain boots and a flashlight with her giftcard.
JB felt that HC made 2 good choices and... you can NEVER have too many flashlights. THANKS Uncle T and Aunt S and A and K. We LOVED shopping! It really made the kids feel so big to choose whatever they wanted.
Then it was off to Wally World with the gift cards Grandmother sent them. HC found 2 dolls on sale. The doll to HC's left was on sale for $7! HC was a happy girl.
JB bought a horn for his bike and a super cool spider man car. Thank you Grandmother and Grandfather!! WE LOVE YOU!
Later that night Steve and I went to eat. Steve had a business dinner and we got to eat at Shula's. It was fun.
Here's Steve posing with the menu. Pretty neat huh?
There were several couples in attendance but only one other couple was willing to pose. Mrs. L and Mr. B - we had a fun night out!

Quite a busy day but a fun one!

An Unusual Journey To Christmas

This was a very unique year for us. We've had our share of ups and downs but the last three months really shook up our plans for Christmas. One big problem we faced was when our van broke down in September; the repairs were costly. The transmission usually is one of those things you never want to repair. That sort of job takes the BIG bucks. Steve knew this repair would require more than we could muster up on a whim. He prayed for direction and it was amazing how God showed Steve the way to pull our funds together so we could repair the van. It was truly a plan we would never have come up with on our own. Before long our van was repaired and our bill was paid in full - no credit either! Thank you very much! We used to (about 4 or 5 years ago) approach the unexpected times like this with plastic in hand. We've learned a lesson or two since then and we now prefer cash.

Earlier this year I participated in a small group that taught me how to save money at the grocery store. We covered many topics, the main one being that God wants to provide for us. He wants to be in our lives more than we realize and more than we often allow. We are often so busy trying to 'fix' the things that pop up in life that we forget that God can still provide miracles for us today. Well, I found out my friend (who led the shopping small group) was moving and I wanted a second dose of her teaching. I knew there were things I could use refreshing on. I never expected anything more than dotting those I's and crossing those T's. God was smiling as He watched me open every surprise along the way.

We were at the point of the class where we barter and I thought with Christmas being so close that I didn't want to join in on bartering (crazy thought right). I intended to sit back and watch - to take notes really. The last meeting before bartering we were talking about what to bring and such when one of girls mentioned she may bring a key thing I was in need of. In fact it was something I put on my barter list last time and thought it was too much to ask. She mentioned having that very item and I knew that was the Holy Spirit nudging me to join the fun. Although that barter did not work out in the end, I spoke up and did mention a few other wants. Why not - I wanted to see what else God had in store for me this semester.

I hesitantly mentioned we wanted to get our kids bikes for Christmas - I thought 'who would want to let go of a bike at Christmas time?! Really!' So I mentioned that we were looking for a girl and a boy bike. Someone had a boy bike. Gulp. Then they also mentioned an outdoor play house. We've always wanted to get one of those for the kids but it's not been a high priority so.... we've waited with the hope that we would one day buy one before they outgrew the fun of a play house. I was beginning to think HE had a plan in action. He KNOWS what we have need of before we ask! (Where have I heard that a million times before?) Wow! That's a GREAT God! So.... I listened on as request was made and request was found. This was getting to me. This was a beautiful thing! What one person needed another person wanted to let go of - amazing.

I prepared for barter night while fighting the inner urge to shop and handle our Christmas gifts myself. Would they REALLY want to release their bike? Really? Still I needed a bike for HC. She even asked the big guy for a bike - this was a must have now! I didn't feel I should buy her bike yet and then that Tues (we bartered on a Friday night) I was prompted to look at one of the many emails Toys R Us was sending daily. This email had a $30 off coupon for the very bike we wanted for HC. We bought her brand new bike at $39!!!! I had deleted many an ad from Toys R Us over the weeks leading up to Christmas and felt the urge to open that single email. That's a miracle! So we bought our HC's bike for $39 and I will share what else I left with (that finished off our blessed Christmas)! Here's a glimpse of our tree Christmas Eve. View 2
Here was the play house - it is a little small for them (they cannot stand while inside) but I think for now they are thrilled! :)
Here was our set up to keep the kids from seeing the goodies 'Santa' brought in the night.
The second barrier between them and the goods. This gate worked wonders last year but not this year! We forgot to give the play by play of what they should do in the AM and sadly JB woke first. He climbed over the gate, crawled below the fabric barrier and tip-toed into our room. We woke to his sweet face at our bedside saying "I think I saw something! I think I saw my Spider Man bike!!!!" Steve responded "No, you didn't see anything." and he swiftly put JB behind our barrier for a drink of milk. We woke HC and the giggling began!
Beneath the tree.
Free to see the joys of Christmas unfold!
So the bike. HC's bike was a super deal and JB's bike was via barter. The friend who bartered this bike with me had 2 bikes for her son who is the same age as JB. She got bedding that she needed and the girl who gave the bedding received a window pane and my Sit and Spin. So I ultimately traded my Sit and Spin for her bike when it was all said and done. On paper that doesn't seem right but.... the purpose is for all parties involved to be satisfied and we were all pleased so... barter was done. The ultimate goal is to be fair and to bless one another. We all left that night feeling unjustly blessed.
Here is HC posing with her Daddy. She chose his Christmas gift and would not be swayed away. She picked a GREAT gift for him!
We didn't know of all the goodies hiding in the bottom pouch. Since Daddy travels on the airplane more these days - this was a perfect gift. The 3 ounce bottles and all!!! :)
I know this is a blurry shot but it captures the first free moments of JB on his bike!! THRILLED! Oh... and I bartered for the bike helmets too! A totally different barter.
Here's HC concentrating! We had to fill the bike tires with the right pressure - this was a trial run. We tightened the straps on the helmets too!!
Back to the goodies of Christmas. Scarf, hat and gloves came in HC's stocking. The boy baby came from Mom and Dad. All her babies were girls and they needed a brother (according to HC). This was a $5 baby from Wal-Mart. And HC made it ABUNDANTLY clear that she HAD to have this $10 stroller - so JB bought it for her.
Here they are finding the playhouse. JB didn't make it out of the door in time to be in the picture.
Peek a boo - I see you!
Official bike ride around the block.
That's what I call a HAPPY face!
Strong legs.... go... go.... goooooo. Slight incline here.
Rounding the corner first is HC
with JB pulling up the rear. Still on an incline here.
I have no idea what provoked this expression but it was blog worthy! :) Yes - I wore that out of the house and around the block twice. hee hee
Taking a break in the driveway.
OK so.... we bought HC a robe and PJ's, JB gave her the princess alarm clock but I bartered for ALL the dresses. HC asked for clothes from the mall. She loves the things I make for her too (direct quote by the way) but she likes mall clothes too. :) She was tired by this point. Counting the dress she was wearing that would be 9 summer dresses.
JB LOVES puzzles. You may have guessed - I bartered for ALL the puzzles! HC bought him the tire and a few cars. Plus he made it SUPER DUPER clear that he wanted a dancing car. She bought him that too. I bought the books earlier in the year and I bought the Zingo from a friend.
Here I am with JB. He chose this blanket (wrapped around me) and was DETERMINED that Mommy MUST have THIS very blanket. Steve could not convince him to change colors or anything. Not that I am opposed to this color - I just bet Steve saw a color he knew I would prefer. But how can I NOT adore this very blanket? JB asked "Mommy, is that the bestest comfy-est blanket ever?!" It is super soft and YES JB... it IS the BESTEST COMFY-EST blanket ever!

So... all the details of what was bought/bartered wasn't meant to brag or show off. Well, that's not true. I am bragging on how God did much with our little. With all of the goods I bartered I was free to buy for nieces/nephews and a few small things the kids asked for. HC and JB didn't ask for much really but boy were we able to do abundantly more than we would have ever done had we paid for the items we bartered for. Truly a provision to our family. I know many families who bartered with us can say the same but... God showed me that it isn't about running to chase down the best deal! Trust HIM and HE will guide even the tiniest details of our lives. Even our Christmas buying can be more than enough while spending FAR less. I found it hard to wait to shop and trust that this would all work out, but man was it worth it. I think this was the least stressful Christmas season of our lives (after I endured waiting to buy). We had more than enough, without spending. We were able to give like we enjoy giving - to family and to our kids. We had time to sit back and enjoy the beauty of Christmas this year without all of the bustling about. It was truly the BEST Christmas I've had. What made it even better was hearing both HC and JB saying 'This was the BEST day Mom. The BEST Christmas day!" throughout the day. Who could ask for anything more? God is STILL in the details - just in case you have forgotten! I hope your Christmas was as blessed and precious as ours was!