Everytime a Bell Rings, an Angel Gets Its Wings

Justin and I adopted 2 Salvation Army angels this year.  It was so hard to choose among the 40 children that were offered to us. I wish I could've taken them all!  We chose 2-a boy named Joshua (14 months) and a girl named Shetllyn (2 years).  We were able to get Joshua his need-a jacket, his want-learning building blocks, a fleece track suite set, and a cute dump truck.  For Shetllyn, we got her her need-a coat, her want-learning building blogs, a fleece track suite set, and a cute stackable bumblebee toy. I hope that our gift allows these kids to have a wonderful Christmas, but I wish that we could've give them more!

A Time to be Thankful

Mr. Scarecrow says hello from our front door!  Thursday is Thanksgiving so I wanted to share what we are thankful for!

• God-I'm so thankful that God chose me to be His.  I'm so grateful that He accepts me despite my short comings, loves me unconditionally, and continues to guide me, sometimes pushes me ;), in the right direction.
• A loving husband-It took me a while to find him, but I'm so thankful that he loved me enough to ask me to be his wife!  I'm so very grateful for his gentleness with me, his support, and his level headedness.
• Family-we wouldn't be where we are today if it was not for our families.  Thank you for teaching us, for supporting us, and for loving us.
• Molly and her sweet kisses when I get home from work. She can always make me feel better when my world is upside down.
• Friends-thanks to all of you that listen to our venting, give us a shoulder to cry on, and make us laugh!
• So thankful that Justin and I have jobs and are in a financially good place.  Though some days it may be hard for us to drag ourselves out of bed in the mornings, we have jobs that allow us to pay our bills and to put food on the table and that is a wonderful thing.
• Our health.
• That we live in a great nation that allows us to be individuals.  That we are not persecuted for our beliefs, for being a woman, for the clothes we wear, for what we say.  We feel so blessed that we were born into this country and do not have to face the challenges and persecutions that immigrants face coming to this country and becoming citizens.
• CHOCOLATE.  Everyone should be thankful for chocolate.
• And Justin is probably thankful for his Mama's meat and beans ;)

Thanksgiving is not only a time to be thankful for what you have, but it's also a time to give back to those that may not have as much as you have to be thankful for.  Last year I volunteered with my church to provide and serve a thanksgiving lunch to those who are less fortunate.  This year, Justin and I are serving together!  It's so exciting for me to be able to serve along side my husband during this time and being able to share with him my passion for helping others.  We also decided to sponsor 8 thanksgiving meals so that 8 people will get to enjoy a tasty Thanksgiving lunch.  I hope that we will be able to do this every year and that it will become a family tradition.

We're traveling down to Corsicana this year for a big Smith Family Thanksgiving.  We hope all of you who are taking trips out of town are safe and we hope all of you have a great time with your families and loved ones!  Happy Thanksgiving!