'tis the season to be thankful

• celebrating ruth taylor with all the candy for gingerbread house making!!

• "these are my friends and i'd like for them to have coffee." - lori at athens church
• safe and successful adventure to athens! basketball game and ugly christmas sweaters and unexpected empanadas and yaya's company and a fantastic christmas program and fabulous time with family

• time with melinda, jeanie and dan
• lane's love of a sweet thing with coffee (and the way he pulled it out of his pocket and happily shared it!)

• cinnamon rolls and friendship and kindness that makes me cry 
• cash kids in christmas pjs

• a meal a month!  the gift that keeps on giving all year round :) 
• unicorn socks and a sweet lamb that served as prayer reminders for Pip 

• successful pursuit youth progressive dinner
• yaya's creative snowman gifts!!

• that things really don't have to be on social media for them to have happened and for them to have been wonderful  
• grandaddy's buttermilk pie.  so delicious. 

• such an enjoyable christmas day...peaceful and easy...got to run...steak for lunch...papa's fried chicken for dinner...nap in the sunshine..walk in the driveway...laughter and games - lots of games!  buttermilk pie...wonderful family. 
• the lyrics of o holy night...especially the last verse (none of which were written by moriah carey even though that's what the internet said)

• fresh christmas questions  
• family feud!

• family exercise time in the driveway (well, me and laura lane and aunt amy, at least!) 
• bacon wrapped green bean making by these 2 sweet cousins

• christmas thoughts....i think the world is more as God intends it to be around Christmas (except for the stress/dysfuntion some folks take on) - more light! more music! more gatherings/community!  more generosity and gift giving!  more attention on Jesus (whether consciously or not!).

gifts.gifts.gifts.

• headaches go away
• community group christmas karaoke!
• the collaboration that made the foster care christmas party such a success

• coffee at fountain city with hannah p. - so interesting and easy to be around
• jim and linda's kindness
• 4 teenagers, a toddler and bazillion puff balls 

• note in the mail that was especially meaningful
• table/house full of teenagers playing games and spending time together  - makes an ordinary wednesday rather special
• my sentiments exactly:  

• triple bowling date (and really meaningful conversation via the group text thread)
• nick's bowling abilities (as well as his wisdom, truth, smarts and humility)
• an inspirational night of music and worship (with my favorite person)(that would be nick...not andrew peterson. no offense to andrew peterson... :))

• riding around looking at christmas lights (with a cat)
• tuesday night escape to aldi (we really needed orange juice...so i decided to try to get all of our christmas meals shopping done!) (the capp blast made it even better)
• emma's puff ball version of a starry night (those puff balls are bringing lots of joy!)

• tuesday afternoon...friends and kids and treats and meaningful moments.
• "just being" with a friend on a rainy morning in a quiet house
• sweet stories (getting to know christy miller as an adult :)), meaningful scripture

all the little things...

• "God was making all the little things into a big, miraculous thing!" - ann voskamp in "The Wonder of the Greatest Gift"
• getting the to-do list DONE
• sweet little girls in matching christmas PJs

• goodness of God played twice on the way to CCC (once on 107.7, once on 93.3)
• celebrating 10 years of emma!! (and sweet friends and family who added to the celebrating with gifts and cards and calls and birthday boxes!)
• joyful moments during her "late-over" party with friends

• a fresh baby colt and getting to visit Enoch Ministries
• coffee & christmas cookies
• how wonderful nick is
  
• 40% off coupons from CVS
• the incredible success of the Mission Market
• kids doing yoga in the carport (and sneaky pictures taken through the screen door)

• getting to meet our neighbor tiffany (due in large part to the missions market at CCC...sweet fruit!)
• good news for the doblins!!
• listening to zoe jabber

listening for God echoing through everything, everywhere

• the life, smile and service of Osman Kamara (i'm hoping he's teaching my mama how to dance to African music)
• the unadulterated bliss of a cat napping in the sunshine

• shea's visit.  getting to meet her sweet daughter :)
• amazing helpers who did a great job decorating at CCC 

• all things thanksgiving
• christmas decorating!  especially thankful for how nick took the lead on it.  

• complimentary coke at "the hangar" (reward for a job well done?!) 
• caroline's creative care of zoe

•  me: "i must warn you that i'm in a pretty bad mood."   lauren: "i like it when my friends are in bad moods."  Lauren's encouragement and kindness and willingness to brighten my day turned it all around. 
• .50 corndog day at sonic!!  and friends to have a parking lot picnic with (hutton and eli were way more thrilled than they appear in this photo)

• the deal caroline found on a sweater she likes! 
• sorting through the santa shop goodness

• KJ's epic christmas cards.  it's become a tradition. 
• ever helpful reminders

• seeing the trees in uptown columbus (especially the Teen Advisors, Inc. tree!)
• free carwash!  grand opening of the wave car wash place on veterans

• the "i'm going to see a victory" moment before the football game (and how it really had nothing to do with the football game)
• chicken fingers and fries.  so good. 
• "count all His gifts, all His gifts, all His gifts - and listen for God echoing through everything, everywhere." - ann voskamp's "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift" Advent book

A Few Favorite Moments from Thanksgiving

For all 2 of you the noticed, you're right, I didn't post anything last week. :) It always amuses me that the one Thursday of the year that I tend to not want to post/forget to post (as was the case this time! well, I remembered but it was 10:30pm and I was snug in my bed at the cabin...and the internet out there is a bit tricky...so it just didn't happen) is the Thursday when most other Americans are being more thankful than usual...I was just letting them make up for my lack of a thankful thursday list. 

Today there will be 2 posts...a "favorite moments from thanksgiving" post and a thankful thursday post.  Hope you enjoy the double portion. 

These aren't all of my favorite moments from Thanksgiving...just the ones that I happened to have my phone/camera in my hand.  The weather was amazing...the four wheeler riding was wonderful....my family is such a gift to me.

Uncle Lane breaking into Grandaddy's Fort Knox of pie carriers to enjoy a little Thanksgiving Eve Buttermilk Pie

That Pie is worth breaking in to.  So delicious. 

All of the Cash kids loved riding the 4 wheelers...you can't tell from this picture, but Zoe especially loved it!

Laura Lane, Caroline & Zoe.  

Papa Palmer and Uncle Jonathan working magic in the kitchen. 

Thankful for a family that gathers to thank God

Semi Impromptu Family Picture....everybody cooperated so beautifully!

4 of my favorite people on the planet.  What a treasure my siblings and my dad are to me. 

It was a different Thanksgiving without my mom...but not all that sad.  I continue to be so grateful when I think that she is healthy, whole, and well in the presence of Jesus!  Our Thanksgiving feast was incredible...fried turkey, bar-b-que deer, macaroni and cheese, casseroles of all kinds, a whole table of desserts....but I still think it pales in comparison to the feast she is experiencing every.single.day. Oh, the Hope of Heaven! 

Surely there will be more to come.