Thanksgiving week...

It was a beautiful Thanksgiving.

All of our children and grandchildren were here for the day.

The weather was cold, but the sky was blue and practically cloudless.

We all woke to our alarm clocks going off before the sun was up in order to drive across town 

for Portland's Turkey Trot.

This was a whole new way to begin Thanksgiving at our house, 

but a great way to feel a bit better about the feasting that was to come!

(Due to being gone in the morning, I tried a whole new way of roasting the bird...

and I do believe it was the best one ever. 

Start it at 475 for an hour than 250 for 6-7 hours for a turkey of about 20 lbs.

 Be sure to check that the internal temperature reaches 165 with your meat thermometer.)

We also celebrated youngest granddaughter's second birthday which fell on Thanksgiving.

So, a wee birthday cake, (made by her mama),  joined the pies on the dessert table.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with many reasons to give thanks!

***********************

In 2012 I followed the prompts in Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare in counting my thanks.

In 2013 I'm going back to the way I did it in the beginning,

just noticing and recording the many extraordinary blessings in my ordinary life.

And so I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little black journal.

(and capturing some of them via my camera or iPhone)

#4032-#4054

11-25-13-

-an encouraging text from a friend

-homemade caramel corn in the mail from an online friend

-hot pho soup for dinner with the Hubs

-white spray roses

11-26-13-

-coffee with a young mama from church

-a good talk with one of the young men from our church

-finding the Hub's Christmas present on sale...something I think he'll really like!

-a good dinner and a quiet evening at home

11-27-13-

-devotions before busy-ness

-the Hub's helping me with pre-Thanksgiving prep

-an invitation to have dinner with a young couple from church

11-28-13-

-our whole family together for Thanksgiving

-the Turkey Trot...beautiful weather, exercise before eating, and it ends inside the zoo

-youngest granddaughter's beaming face when we sang happy birthday to her

-best turkey ever!

11-29-13-

-going downtown to Portland's Macy's holiday parade with family and friends

-everyone coming over to eat leftovers afterwards

-decorating the house

11-30-13-

-a quiet day

-an idea of how to do something I needed to get done after I prayed about it

12-1-13-

-joyous worship

-a great message about purpose and divine timing

-a quiet afternoon of Advent reading

gratefully yours, 

See how to enter my giveaway for this beautiful Ghanaian Market Basket by clicking on the photo.

Join the community of gratitude gatherers here...