So much to be thankful for!!

I was listening to K-love radio today as they were promoting "Hope for the Hungry".  $2 will provide a hot meal and hope for someone in need.  I read this on their link: "As many as 30 million people in the United States go hungry every day. Estimates are that 750,000 to 1 million people are now homeless on any given night" Check out the link for this promotion, and consider giving to help provide more meals for those in need : http://www.klove.com/promodetails.aspx?i=5437

I began to think about how amazingly blessed we are with all that God has provided.  We are able to put food on our table, heat our home, and drive our cars (both of them).  Our monetary struggles are nothing compared to what some people are facing.  And this year, with such a terrible economy, more people are finding that they have to go without.  Some of those suffering are people with college educations, who once were able to provide for their families, and now find themselves without basic necessities due to job loss and lack of employment.
I am very thankful this year because, even though we have struggled, God has provided for our needs.  We have not had to go without the basic necessities, and we have been blessed to be able to pay for what we need.  We are blessed to be able to travel to my parents for Thanksgiving to enjoy a full meal in a warm home.  We are surrounded by friends and family who love and care for us, and we are filled to the brim with love for one another.  We do have much to be thankful for indeed!

Goodbye Dear Dining Table
We purchased our dining table when we first moved into our house three years ago on Thanksgiving day!  We have loved the table until recently when we tried to fit more than six people around it for dinner.  With my parents, brothers, and girlfriends, eight people is just too many.  Good thing we are a close family, cause it is crowded!  Not to mention we only have six chairs that work for this counter height table.  So we have to resort to using one stool and one crate and bucket combination designed specially by Scott to reach the table....

So we put the table and chairs on Craigslist, and low and behold we found a buyer.  A wonderful family with four children.  They were thrilled with the table, and I know it will get a lot of great use.
For now we use our old antique table in its place.  I am on the hunt for a great deal on a larger table. (Stay tuned to see what I find!!)  In the meantime I also hope to use some of the proceeds from the selling of the table for the much needed lighting in the kitchen.  Goodbye lovely table, you have served us well...

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The Perfect Rainy Day!
Scott and I had been planning to spend the morning in Napa Valley today to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors and maybe take some picture for our Christmas card.  It was apparent when we woke up this morning that it would be a rainy day, but we decided to proceed with our plans despite the forboding weather. The drizzle at our first picture destination soon turned into a downpour before we could even get the camera set up.  Kona was not happy to be in the rain and wouldn't cooperate, and Scott and I were both becoming quite grumpy.  We ran back to the car to re-group, and decided that pictures or no pictures, we were determined to enjoy the fall colors and the day. 
The fall colors on the vines are especially beautiful this year with deep reds, orange, yelllow, and brown. The mist hung in the hills and the air was crisp and refreshing.  We ended up stopping for some cheese and bread and then we found a vineyard where we could park and pick-nick while enjoying the view.  As we finished lunch, the rain stopped.  We were able to capture a few pictures during the break in the rain.  It was truly one of the best ways to spend a rainy day!

Home, beautiful home.
Many of you know that I was blessed to grow up in the beautiful Napa Valley.  I was raised on two acres in the coutry, in a small country house with animals of all shapes and sizes.  Four years ago my parents sold my childhood home and moved to the mountains to get out of the busy Bay Area.  I supported their decision whole heartedly, but it doesn't mean I don't miss my home all the time.  Since we live close to Napa, and we visit friends there frequently, we often drive by my house.  The new owners have planted a vineyard in the front and back fields.  The house has been painted, and the yard re-landscaped.  It looks just beautiful.  I am so happy to know that they are taking good care of my home, and raising their young family there, just as my parents did so many years ago.  It was raining today, so I couldn't take any pictures, but the vineyard was geogeous, and colorful.  As we stood outside in the rain staring at my childhood home, the memories came flooding back. I could have stood there all day staring at my home, but the tears were about to fall, so I decided it was time to leave. Someday I hope that Scott and I can find a place in the country like where I grew up.

He is in control of All things!
Sometimes I feel like the only area I have any sense of control is in keeping my house clean. In the last few years God has slowly been challenging me to surrender every aspect of my life to Him.  And today, He taught me that even the smallest areas (like keeping your house clean) need to be surrendered to Him.
I was happily preparing lunch with Scott when I reached into the fridge to grab a glass bottle of sparkling juice.  When I turned to set it on the counter, I accidentally slammed the bottle right into the counter top.  The glass shattered and the juice splattered all over the kitchen counter and floor.  I quickly grabbed the dog to get him safely outside when I noticed I was bleeding from a few different minor cuts. As I stared down at the disaster, my first thought was "why does this need to happen?" We had been having such a great day, and this was most definitely getting in the way of our good day.  I began to get very upset because my clean kitchen was now very dirty and very sticky.  I felt out of control.  As we cleaned I thought about my "need" to keep my house clean in order to give myself some sense of control.  I very soon thereafter was aware of God's reminder that He wants my complete surrender in EVERY aspect of my life, including the seemingly minor things, like a clean house.  As He so graciously showed me today, I should not be seeking to control even the smallest things in my life.  I realized that God knows best, and there is no point in trying to control anything, even the little things, because really He is in control of it all!

The beginning of new lighting in the kitchen!!

As I mentioned a few posts ago, our kitchen is in desperate need of new lighting.  Since Scott removed the ugly box with the florescent lights so that he could use the lights in the garage, our kitchen has been rather dim.  I have been using other lighting alternatives such as the under the microwave lights, the stove-top lights, and lights from nearby rooms... but it is still rather dim.  So this weekend we started the process of relighting the kitchen by purchasing under-the-counter lighting.  Scott-the-handy-man spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon installing these new LED lights, and they are fabulous!  Now I wait patiently for the recessed lights in the ceiling...

Thanksgiving in October

A couple weeks ago our dear friends Jon and Jess came over to spend the morning with their three boys.  Jess prepared a spectacular meal of roast and potatoes.  And together we made miniature pumpkin pies in cupcake pans.  THE best pumpkin pies I have ever tasted (probably because you use cream cheese in the mix!).  We had such a special morning sipping on hot cider, making pies, and tasting a warm and hearty delicious meal!  Thank you Flowers for coming over!

        Praying for our meal

Mmm... pumpkin pies!!

The Weather Chanel

Does anyone else watch the weather chanel just for fun?  I often turn it on, and it is so comforting.  I feel more connected to the rest of the world.  I love the music.  Sometimes we leave it on for Kona as background noise?
Am I the only one who loves the weather chanel??