Day 278. Thankfulness Challenge, Days 1 - 4.

So, I'm catching up on my "what I'm thankful for" days.

Day 1.  Thankful for phonecalls from Romania.  :)  This is my little, outdated cell phone... but it works well, and I love it.  It has lived a good life, and I see no reason to get rid of it until it dies for good!  Anyway, my best friend and I have made an agreement to try to fit it into our schedules to catch up once a week on Mondays (my morning; her evening).  So far, so good!  And I can't tell you what a treat it has been!  :)

Day 2.  Thankful for the ladies in my Bible study.  We are studying the book of Job right now.  It has been a blessing to go there from week to week.  I love the leader.  She is an absolutely awesome lady!

Day 3.  Thankful for my husband's job.  Yeah, I wasn't too creative with this picture.  I took a picture of his laptop... because he often sits with it, and works!  Ultimately, I'm thankful that God provides for our family... and I'm thankful for my husband who sticks it out even when the going gets tough, to work hard and "bring home the bacon."  We are a one-income family, which can be a struggle from time to time.  But my husband NEVER complains, because he is 100% support of my staying home to care for our family.  I'm thankful for his conviction and for his character and for his self-sacrifice.  ...AND I'm thankful for Dell... because they're awesome.  :)

Day 4.  That would be TODAY.  I'm thankful for 1/2 days of school... when I can spend a little extra time with my sweet kiddos, and treat them to small things like lunch at Bread Co.  Yum!

Being Thankful.

I don't know what picture I'm planning to post yet today.  I thought I'd give a little heads up to my new plan for November.

Facebook is a funny, little thing.  Sometimes it annoys me to death!  And other times, I'm enlightened when I see friends of mine posting statuses that make me think, encourage me, or even humble me. 

A friend recently posted a "thankfulness challenge."  It's not novel, really.  I've seen similar things done before, but in posting her "challenge," she reminded me how something so simple can be so important.  Her goal was to post something she is thankful for, every day, from now until Thanksgiving.  Seems rather simple, doesn't it?  Well, sure it does!  Who can't think of ONE thing, every day, to be thankful for?  And, yet, I am reminded that there are those who actually may have to struggle to come up with things... which causes me all the more to realize just how blessed I am.

So, here was my FB status for this morning:

My friend is doing her "thankfulness challenge." And I LOVE it! Post something you're thankful for, every day, for the month of November. That's easy enough. BUT, I have some catchup work to do... 11/1- thankful for phonecalls from Romania! 11/2- thankful for the ladies in my bible study! 1...1/3- thankful for my husband's job. 11/4- thankful for half days at school!!!! Join the challenge!!!

I thought I would extend it even further, and make it part of my 365 for this month.  For the rest of the month of November, I'll have a theme for daily pic... something I'm thankful for.  It may be something simple.  It may be something HUGE.  Either way, a prompted reminder to consciously dwell on your blessings can only result in something that is GOOD.  So, join me this month, and count some of your blessings!  We couldn't begin to name them all, so just a few will do.  :)

Day 277. Seniors.

I'm finishing up some editing this week, and thought I'd post some more favorites:

Day 276. New Camera.

So... the end of the camera story...  Before we even knew if my good ol' Canon Rebel was dry and working, my husband swooped in and saved the day (as he often does) and had a new camera body ordered and on its way.  He takes care of me that way.  My SWEET new Canon arrived yesterday.  Wow.  A lot to learn... but I think I'm going to LOVE every moment of it!  I'm a "hands on" kind of learner.  I don't like to read manuals (unlike my husband who is VERY much a studier)... So, I will play around with it and figure out what I can on my own.  When I get frustrated, I'll pick up the manual and figure out the RIGHT way to achieve what I'm looking for... In the meantime, I'm WAY eager to buy a new lens... AND have my old Rebel (which will now serve as a WONDERFUL backup) cleaned up and restored to its glorious self...

Aren't you glad I told you all of that?  Today's photo... because it's an important one... and the first one I've posted, that was taken by the NEW camera:


Did you excersize YOUR right today????  (This is the collar of my sweater, in case you couldn't tell!)

Day 275. Fall.

Remember that day I fell into the pond at the park in the middle of a session?  Yeah, how could any of us forget?  Well, when my pictures miraculously reappeared on my memory chip, this was one I had taken just before the family had arrived for their session.

Today is the first day of November.  How does that happen so fast???

Day 274. Halloween Night.

This KS1's opinion of Halloween.  Such a party pooper.  He gets it from his dad.  :)  That's okay.  I love him, just the way he is.  :)

Day 273. Halloween & Birthdays

Two of my guys celebrate fall birthdays, only a couple of weeks from one another.  Some years, I'll combine their parties, and this was one of those events... we made it a costume party for the fam.  It was a blast.  The boys absolutely LOVED it!

The Freeman Girls:

Some of our fun, party decorations.  :)