A Month of Thankfulness

This month has been crazy busy.... the crazy-super-fun-kinda-busy.  It's hard to believe we're half way through November and only 39 days until Christmas (and it's still in the 80s here)!  I have a few moments to share some of the small additions around the house just in time for Thanksgiving.  It's quiet here....the husband is out of town, the kids are in bed (sleeping, I hope) and I'm on the couch with a scoop of ice cream, a bag a chocolate chips and a glass of wine with the dog at my feet.  What more could a girl ask for on a Tuesday night, right?  So, here's to 30 minutes of blogging before I need to clean the kitchen....

Earlier this Fall, a sweet friend of mine gave me the book One Thousand Gifts.  The book is amazing.... it's so enticing that I wanted to read page after page, all in one night.  Ann Voskamp's writing style is very poetic, so beautifully written.... she speaks from the heart and her words truly made me think.  They challenged me.  They still challenge me.  The book is about the incredible power of gratitude, a life of gratitude.  It was a perfect read as Thanksgiving approaches and since reading the book I have tried to make an effort to take notice of the gifts He has blessed me with and say "Thank You" with a continuous voice of thanks.

Here's a few of our Thanksgiving decorations and reminders for me to sing of praise and thanksgiving...

Grateful Tree:  my daughter helped me make this tree (I was inspired here).... we pulled out a few colorful sheets of scrapbook paper, she punched out the circles while I trimmed the branches and wrapped washi tape around an old glass jar.  We've been adding circles to the branches every day this month and what makes the tree so special are the notes of thanksgiving written on each hanging, paper circle.

Thanksgiving Banner:  I created a banner out of scrapbook paper (can you tell I used to scrapbook?) to hang across the mantel using twine and clothes pins.  I used a mini scrapbook pad, cut different shapes and layered the papers, then placed a sticker on each card to spell "thankful".  These are the tools I used...

And here's the banner....

Chalkboard Thanks: ok, this one is totally copied from here (I've had it pinned for a while!).  I love the saying and it fits so incredibly well with this time of year.  So, I painted a scrap board with black chalkboard paint and created big, bold letters with white chalk, "Give Thanks, Be Joyful".  I love it!

It hangs in the hallway right around the corner from the living room... you could say it's a continuation of the gallery wall.

Oh, and I finally hung my daughters coloring of "I Am A Child of God".... can you see it?

And of course, there are pumpkins, mostly white, scattered around the house just like here in the entry way....

I hope you treasure this month as a time of true gratefulness for many blessings.  Happy early Thanksgiving!