Giving thanks...

Our Happy Thanksgiving is over...sniff, sniff...

I love Thanksgiving. It is a relaxing, slow, holiday with family, friends, lots of talking, laughter, and yummy eating. It is time to reflect on the past year, all that we have been blessed with, and the beginning of the excitement that the start of advent holds.

I just love it...

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving visit with all the Snells up in Maryland. Mimi and PopPop hosted a wonderful few days of awesome food (despite their new oven not working - yes, turkey can be done on a grill!). We got some shopping done (just the craft store for me - I don't really like shopping!), and lots of cousin time. We even got to visit for a while with John's aunt and uncle from Maine and their son and his wife and their cute little boys (who live on the Maryland coast).

We returned home to find our house...alarming. Smoke alarming, that is. We had received a call, the first day away, from a concerned neighbor (thanks Carol!), who had been walking her dogs by our house and heard our alarms going off. She called our house to check on us and luckily our home phone rings our cell phones if we don't answer. We tried to talk through telling her where the hidden key is located and where the power box is in the house, etc.

Luckily there was no smoke or smells, but nothing turned off the alarms. They are connected to one another electrically but even without power, they all have batteries. We didn't want them to have to deactivate all the batteries on all three floors. So the alarms sounded the entire time we were away. Nothing too loud outside, except if you were walking by (we have a sidewalk that many walkers use - I'm sure it turned a lot of heads. On the bright side, no robbers would have come near...)

Mimi and PopPop's treehouse in the woods for the grandkids - complete with built in bunk beds, ceiling fan/heater, dvd player, front porch with a porch swing, real windows and doors. It was a labor of love and is a family favorite!

John found the problem when we returned and fixed it. Although, just now (as I was typing), I had to run and take down the one defective alarm as they all just went off again. Guess it still needs work. Man, they are loud...

Thankful that there was no fire, among all the provisions that I thanked the Lord for this week.

Reminding myself that being thankful and giving thanks is something to do daily - not just once a year.

Thank you God for all you have given me. I am one lucky girl...