Thanks Tank Thursday

It's been a while since I did a Thanks Tank post. It's not that I haven't had anything to be thankful for but I haven't taken the time to do it and to be honest I was depressed after our move. I was in a funk and having a hard time coming out of it. There are so many things to be thankful for and not just "things" I have in my life but so many other things as well. This is such a rewarding exercise and even if you don't have a blog or want to take the time to post a thanks tank I hope you take a few moments to sit and think about all you have to be thankful for in this life. So now's the time to fill up the tank with thankful thoughts.

The birth of a Savior: It's hard this time of year not to be thankful for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The Christmas story brings so much hope to all of us. I hope this is something that you can be thankful for as well.

My Husband: I thank God everyday for putting my husband in my life. Thinking back Matt and I realize that there have been so many choices that we both could have made that would have kept us from ever meeting each other. And I am glad that we made the choices we did because those choices brought us together. Matt is my best friend as well as husband. In the twelve years we have been married we have been through so much. And we've done it all together. And because of this our marriage has grown closer. Now don't get me wrong this is not to say that we never fight, because we do, but through the years we have learned how to fight together. And how to say I'm sorry. I am so blessed to have this wonderful man in my life.

Friends: As I have gotten older I have realized more and more the importance of friends. I have realized it even more since moving. I am so thankful for the many friends who have kept in touch with me. They are the ones who have helped me through my funk by just letting me vent my feelings to them. I am also thankful for the new friends I have made and the "old" that I have gotten back in touch with since moving back to Tennessee.

Sewing: If you know anything about me you know how crafty I am. I love to sew. Just recently I made some really cute, even if I do say so myself, t-shirt for the girls. I am hoping to get a couple of outfits for the girls that will have matching outfits for the girls' dolls. I am not sure if I will be able to finish it before Christmas though.

Christmas Tree: I look forward each year to putting up my Christmas tree. I am especially thankful for my tree this year because we purchased a live cut one for the first time in 10 years. Oh, how I missed having a live tree. The smell is heavenly to me and the uniqueness of the tree is awesome as well.



Family: I am thankful that we are closer to our families. We have been able to visit with family more just recently than we were able to visit with them in a year while we were living in the North. Just the thought that they are only a couple of hours away is awesome to me.

Thankful Tree: Since I haven't done a thankful post in a long while I didn't get this up during November. During the entire month of November we have a tree that we add our thankful thought to. I started this last year and we just keep adding leaves to it every year. Anytime we have guests we ask them to add a leaf as well. We put names and dates on it so we can look back each year. The kids were so excited when I got the tree out and put it up in the kitchen.


Our new home: I am so thankful that we were able to find such a beautiful house to call home. And home it has become.

Technology: I am so thankful for technology. I love being able to keep in touch with friends on Facebook. I love being able to keep people informed about our loves through our blog. I love being able to pick up the phone to chat with a friends or family member hundreds of miles away.

Christmas Cards: I love getting Christmas cards in the mail. I always find a door to hang the cards, pictures, and letters on for everyone to see. I love seeing (and reading about) how much everyone has grown from year to year and the uniqueness of each one. And though I haven't even gotten ours done yet, and I am still planning on it, I love sending them as well.

Christmas Stories: I have been collecting Christmas stories for several years now. My favorite ones being the ones that tell the true meaning of Christmas. What Christmas is all about. My favorite one is called The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado. And to tell you the truth I cry each and every time I read this story. Several years ago we started the tradition of reading this story on Christmas Eve after reading from the Bible. I don't know that I have every gotten through the story without crying. But despite that I read this story to the kids every single year. I hope that this will be a tradition that they carry with them one day into their own families.