Love this simple and free little project, though I know my kitchen counters {{don't}} need another little bit of clutter. Still, it is convenient in my busy house where I'm working on a little organization to make my life easier.
 

Daughter's number one {{favorite}} question, after plunking-bookbag-down-upon-arrival-home-from-school, is, "Hi Mom! What's for dinner tonight?"

Now you may think that a teensy bit odd, but possibly your mom never made Cheeseburger Meatloaf and mashed cauliflower and such for dinners.  To be sure, not every night is this exciting, but some are, and if you're 10, you like to know if you need a snack that's {{extra}} filling after school, and before dinner, or not. ;)

I downloaded then slipped this printable menu from theprojectgirl into a quickly recycled (and slightly nicked) frame which I discovered gathering dust, (with glass still intact), in my the attic. 

With slim dry erase markers I can create a week of menus; remind myself of what I need to pick up; and finally, record a week's worth of menus to use later when I'm thoughtfully pondering over a menu to feed my family sometime {{next}} month.

Enjoy!

 

A Grace to share aloud before the feast...

 

It is good to give thanks to the Lord. Psalm 92:1

 

The Pilgrim Fathers who landed in Plymouth in America in 1620 knew nothing of the bountiful prosperity that so many people enjoy today. During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were built for the living.

 

Seed, imported from England, failed to grow, and a ship that was to bring food and relief, brought thirty-five more mouths to feed, but not an ounce more of provisions. They caught fish, hunted wild fowl, and venison. They had a little English meal and some Indian corn.

Yet their lives were marked by a spirit of constant thankfulness. On one occasion William Brewster, rising from a scanty Plymouth dinner of clams and water, gave thanks to God "for the abundance of the sea and the treasures hid in the sand."

According to today's standards, they had little; but they possessed a sense of great gratitude. Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian graces; ingratitude, one of the most vicious sins.

 

Today, we ask God to open our eyes to all the blessings He has bestowed on us, and to give us a fresh spirit of gratitude, not just at this season of the year, but always.

 

~Written by Billy Graham

 

Random Edits

Here's another basketball photo I shot and edited from the Riverside game on Monday night. It captivated me with it's clarity and it's blur. Ask me to recreate it for another play at the next game, and I simply could not. Senior, Tucker Daniel is shown.

After the Game

One of my favorite (and unexpected) photos came after last night's Home game.

Writing 1,000 Joys in 2013

 

Writing 1,000 Joys in 2012...

 #408 Four giddy 4th & 5th grade girls singing, "Gangnam Style," at the top of their lungs on the way home from a cold Monday night soccer practice.
#409 Lighting candles for everyday ordinary family dinners.
#410 Brushing & smoothing her beautiful brown hair into a ponytail, because "I like how you do it, mom." {{ouch, ouch!}}
#411 A messy bedroom means they have plenty.
#412 The ability to understand, fully feel, grow from, and then live with, the acceptance of that which I cannot possibly change.

Election Day 2013

I woke with a prayer this morning... that there would be no ugly curses regardless of the outcome of our freedom to choose. That we would choose thankfulness over selfishness. That we would {{smile}} kindly at every American as we vote today and recognize that people the world over don't enjoy this freedom. Go vote today, but then, turn back and be thankful for every citizen's right to this freedom.