simple fall banner

Here's a simple fall decor idea! I just printed words and verses in Word, printed and cut them out, then glued them on some pretty patterned paper. I also used some pre printed words from a paper source word pack :) And then of course, hung them on the token twine and clothes pins! I'm not a huge halloween fan, so we kinda just skip to Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for :) 

Enjoy, 

Cj

buy this book...

Your probably thinking... am I at the right blog? No pictures ? More than ten sentences? What happened? :) I promise this long read is worth your time... I promise.

 This book is changing my life. Changing my perspective and changing my attitude. If you would have asked me if I was a thankful person a few weeks ago I quickly would have said yes! But after the first few pages of this book, I realized how far from grateful I am. The book is
"Choosing Gratitude"by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She is so helpful to highlight scripture after scripture, digging in to what God's word says and teaching what true biblical gratitude really is. I was reading this part yesterday that was so convicting. I never thought of myself as much of a worrier? But recently noticed, It's really something I struggle with. It may not be overt or written all over my face, but so often my heart is not at peace.

" 3. GRATITUDE IS A SURE PATHWAY TO PEACE...

I know a lot of women who suffer from a noticeable deficiency of peace. I'm one of them sometimes. I'm not talking about peace that equates to having a day with nothing on the calendar, plopping on the sofa with a cup of hot tea and a good book. Not that this doesn't sound inviting, but let's be honest that's a rare occasion for most of us. The peace I'm talking about doesn't require a mountain cabin or a getaway weekend. It can happen anywhere, even in the most hectic moments and places of your life.

But only because gratitude knows where to look for it. If we were sitting across the table from each other, you could tell me what's stealing your peace right now without having to think hard. You may be grieving a loss that never settles far from your conscious thoughts. You may be crying yourself to sleep at night over a situation over a son or daughter that is beyond your ability to control-a failing marriage, a little one undergoing diagnostic medical tests, perhaps open rebellion against God and against your parenting decisions. Maybe you're facing some health issues of your own, or your income just isn't meeting your monthly expenses, or your church is in turmoil over some hot-button issue.

We know that we can and should pray about these matters. But praying is not all that we can and should do. " Do not be anxious about anything" the apostle Paul wrote. "but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7)

To put it even more simply: In every situation... prayer + thanksgiving = peace

When prayer teams up with gratitude, when we open our eyes wide enough to see God's mercies even in the midst of our pain, and when we exercise faith and we give Him thanks even when we can't see those mercies, He meets us with His indescribable peace. It's a promise.

Oh, we can try it the other way. Without thanksgiving. Author and Bible teacher Beth Moore describes the way most people live, by substituting the familiar phrases from Pilippians 4:6-7 with their polar opposites:

Do not be calm about anything, but in everything, by dwelling on it constantly and feeling picked on by God, with thoughts like" And this is what I get," present your aggravations to everyone you know but Him. And the acid in your stomach, which transcends all milk products will cause you an ulcer, and the doctor bills will cause you a heart attack, and you will lose your mind. (3)

Prayer is vital-but to really experience His peace, we must come to Him with gratitude. Hard gratitude. Costly gratitude. The kind that trusts He is working for our good even in unpleasant circumstances... the kind that garrisons our troubled hearts and minds with His unexplainable peace.

Are you facing one or more chaotic, unsettled situations? Is your soul weary from striving, stress, and strain? There is peace, my friend-God's peace-waiting for you just beyond the doors of deliberate gratitude. But the only way to find it is to go there and see for yourself. God's peace is one of the many blessings that live on the other side of gratitude."

(pages 65-66; Choosing Gratitude"by Nancy Leigh DeMoss 2009)

I want to be a Christian, a wife, a mom, and whatever extra hat :), who joyfully gives thanks in all circumstances, and constantly has the peace of God... wouldn't life be so much sweeter!

Enjoying this read, Cj

thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my So.Cal family. My Aunt Mary and Uncle Sam hosted a fabulous afternoon and evening full of fun and as always incredible food! The entire family of course played volleyball, Hud and I cheered on the sidelines. It wouldn't be a family function without volleyball on the lawn and surf movies playing in the living room. It also wouldn't be a family function with out gourmet food! I have the foodiest... yes, foodiest family! They are ALL amazing cooks. I can't think of any of them that can't cook. We always have a spread that looks like Martha :) made it, and it tastes like she did too :)

My Aunt and Uncle are great hosts and are super creative. The house is always decorated beautifully and Mary always does some fun and unique game or activity for us to enjoy. This year she had a little tree in the entry way with little bowl of tags next to it to write down things we were thankful for. We then hung them on the branches.

 She also had a wall of baby photos she had photo copied and made little vintage looking frames for. The game was called " GUESS WHO?" and the photos were numbered 1-15, for us to guess the family members in the photos. The goal was to see how many photos you could guess correctly. We numbered our papers and guessed away. I looked much easier than it was! It was a great game and everyone enjoyed seeing old photos and even the kids had fun guessing! This game could be played with friends too! It would be a fun game to play @ any party... have the guests bring a baby photo and pin them up on a cool board for an instant game!  Can you guess who #9 is?

As I put up these pics and this post I couldn't help but think about the things I am thankful for... The Lord has blessed me beyond what I could have asked for. He is so good to me and has cared for me beyond measure. I am thankful for forgiveness and grace, knowing my sin and knowing I deserve nothing. I am thankful for the hope and life I have in Jesus Christ because of the cross. I am thankful for my amazing marriage, that the Lord has been so sweet to bless me with and grow me in. I am thankful for my sweet children, here on earth and heaven and know they are blessing from the Lord. I am thankful for my family who sacrificed much for me to have the opportunities I have had, and the encouragement they were to me, always. Im thankful for my family I gained getting married and their tender care for us, even over these past few weeks, sacrificing their lives at home to come serve and help us. I'm thankful for our awesome church who has made us meals, encouraged us and faithfully prayed for us.... there is so much to be thankful for, may my heart and mind be constantly aware of ALL I have and how kind and good my God is to me! This leaves very little room for grumbling and complaining. May we be thankful always, remembering what Christ has done for us!  :)

CJ