Thanksgiving Blessings

The greatest blessing the Lord ever blessed us with was

~SALVATION~

.....in mercy ~ not giving us what we deserve.....

.....in grace ~ giving us what we don't deserve......

We deserved to go to Hell for all eternity, but in God's mercy He saved us from that awful penalty. Not only that, but by His grace He provided a Way of salvation....that if we but turn to Him in simple faith and in repentance, He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and gives us a home in Heaven! He has changed our lives from being empty and hopeless to lives full of purpose and direction. He guides us, sustains us, provides for us, comforts us, and meets every need ~ physical, mental, emotional, spiritual ~ and loves us beyond measure. We have so much to be thankful for!

And the next greatest blessing is

~FAMILY~

This year, our Thanksgiving feast was at Aunt Crystal's house in Conover, NC. Aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, in-laws, out-laws.....everyone bringing their "specialty" to go along with the unfortunate bird that was deemed an appropriate centerpiece for our meal.

With a family as extensive as ours, it is difficult to gather in one room, so we were spread throughout the house. Some in the dining room, some in the living room,.....

.....and the smart ones in the dessert room. : ) (There were others in here, but they exited when the camera entered.) : 0

Abby decided it was time for a nap.......isn't she sooooooo sweet!!!

Angie and Amanda made these......SO CUTE! This one has been half plucked already! : )
(hey, Amanda......do you remember whose this one was???)
: )

The youngest generation had a good time playing together. Their energy probably tripled that of all the adults put together. : )

They found the little nook behind the chair....neat little place all to themselves.

Abby literally smiles with her whole body! Pictures just can't do it justice!

Would you care for some dessert? There's just about any kind you could care for. And if you can't find it here, how about the counter just a few steps away? There really was THAT MUCH dessert!

Cayden decided it was his turn to read the book.

Madelyn and her hat

Pa Paw and Ma Maw

Us Kidz

Daddy, Al, and Gerald
Speaking of the centerpiece....... : ) : )

Just gotta love the expressions on their faces!

I'm all eyes!

Cayden, Mandy, and Madelyn decided to play train

Does it taste good????
Abby was taste-testing the edge of her blanket. By the looks of her face, it's questionable.....

She was enamored with Ray's bald spot.....ahem! highlights.....on the back of his head. So much so that it was difficult to get this picture of her looking up. We thought maybe she was seeing her reflection. : )

It was a wonderful day with the family ~ just being able to sit back and reflect on how good God is!

;) ~ Siblings......all seven ~ (:

GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!

Like Father, Like Son

Well.......maybe all but size???????

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! Hope you have a fun day with family & friends!

Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

A New Toy.....

...but there's not going to be any playing around with this chainsaw! After all, the owner's manual does caution that "most chainsaw accidents occur when the chain comes in contact with the operator."

You may be wondering what on earth we needed a chainsaw this big for. We will be milling the timber on our land to use for the construction of our house. After weighing all the options, this seemed the most economic (and to Ray, the most adventurous) decision.

In Our "Spare Time"....

This is a great, fun, easy, useful project! No sewing experience required. You just have to know how to handle a pair of scissors and how to tie a nice knot.

First, you choose two coordinating pieces of fleece cut to the size you want your blanket. Lay them together right sides out. Cut 3"x3" squares from all four corners, and then proceed to cut strips 1" wide and 3" long all the way around. Now it's time to tie the strips together in over-handed knots. For variety, we like to tie every other one, flip it over, then tie the rest.

This is what has been going on in our spare time lately. Mom decided to make all the girls matching blankets with a different solid color for each girl. So that there aren't any ruffles up the nose, she sews the top together before cutting the strips and tying them around the other three sides.

Keisha's

Allison's

Valerie's

These are a few of the ones that have been completed. A fun idea to try is pillow shams and pillow cases. You could make a whole set! : ) Have fun!

Birthday Surprises

This past Thursday was a revolutionary day in the nation's history...

It's the only time Ray will ever turn 28! : )

In light of this special event, our sweet friend and hostess in Deale, MD sent him a gift in a very unusual but very intriguing package.....a Coke bottle!

He had to figure out how to get to all the goodies without cutting it open. Very fitting for Ray who is forever taking things apart and tinkering to the detriment of many a hapless article that his over bounding curiosity led him to disassemble to see just how it was put together.

Yes, it actually came like that!

Hmmmmmm..........

Aha! He's just too good at tinkering. He was supposed to think he had to cut it open and we'd stop him before he did, but his close inspection of the bottle saved us the "trouble".

The trap door was hidden behind the address label.

Now to pull it all out....

Just gotta love his new attire! : ) Sorry, Ray.....it's not big enough to cover your "high lights". : )

Still working....(it's a little bit difficult trying to pull things out all the while trying to balance something on the head!)

Now to get the note out.

That was a really neat idea! Thank you, Mrs. Brown!

Already enjoying....

Happy Birthday, Ray!!!!