The ABC's of Thankfulness

The Pioneer Woman did this post this morning and I was taken by the idea so here are my ABC's of thankfulness.

As I did this exercise, I realized that the ABC's of Thankfulness are rooted in Abundance.

Brian, my life mate, nuff said.

Charles, our boy so full of life.  He is energy personified,  with his quick wit, thoughtful observations, and constant activities, there is never a dull moment.

My Dad is a big kid at heart and one of the most generous people that I know.  It is always a treat to watch the kids see the holidays through Papa's eyes and vice versa.

Emerson, the most energetic of 18 month old puppies is at once a love, frustration, {{squirrel}}, guard dog, and innocent.

Our little Farm has been the center of our life for over eight years now and I am so thankful for the lessons we have learned.

Girlfriends.  They say it takes a village and it most certainly does.  I am fortunate to have a village of strong women in my community who are phenomenal at stepping up and lifting one another up.

Our Honda has been work horse for us and with over 170,000 miles on it still going strong, I hope I am still thankful for it next year! :)

I love that the kids still have active and vibrant Imaginations.

It has been 16 years since we've had a kitten in the house and our little Juno is quite the handful.  I love that she has both of the dogs wrapped around her little paw, she is quite the partner in crime!

In late fall or early winter I always pull out my Kitting.  Since I always seem to need to be engaged, I love that keeping my hands busy can also be relaxing.  This year I have branched into new things, beanies and infinity scarves, short projects that pack a lot of punch!

This year we had an abundant Lavender harvest.  I love that we have this surplus to play with!

My Mom is such important figure in my life, a week does not go by that I do not talk to her multiple times.  Funny, as I get older the more we look alike, and uh the more I find myself like her.

The days continue to shorten as we near the solstice, I love the urge to Nest as we circle around hearth and home.

Learning about essential Oils has been a journey and something that has enhanced our goals of a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

Our Pigs, a new adventure this year and what fun they have been.  They have such personality, you cannot help but smile.

Quiet moments, always something to be treasured.

Family is A-number one in our book, and I love that we are able to be with our Relatives for the holidays.

Sidney, one of the most creative people I know.  She is an old soul who awes me every day.  We are forever blessed for our first born.

Our Tastebuds group for being our second family.  Such joy this dynamic group has brought to our lives.

I'm afraid that it is Utterly impossible for me to come up with a decent 'U' word. :)

Vibrant fall sunsets.

I so enjoy sipping a little Whisky on a cold evening.

Xander, farm poodle extraordinaire

I am thankful for Yoga, it has given me more balance, flexibility and strength.

I am always thankful for a good night's Zzz's.

All of Our Different Families

We are very fortunate that we can spend the holidays with each of our families.  We made a very important commitment over 20 years ago, that family was an a-number one priority to us.  This became even more intensely so when the kids were born and our business moved us further from both families.  We try to alternate, and this year we are in California with my family for Thanksgiving, and we will be spending Christmas with B's.  It can be hectic, but we have never had a second thought.  This dedication to family is something we want our kids to be acutely familiar with and hopefully emulate.  A nice byproduct of this is they get concentrated spurts of quality bonding time with each family.

Beyond that we have another special family, that of our friends and support system at home.  Any other special days are always peppered with these amazing people.  We laugh, cry, cook, eat, joke, listen, wax philosophical and cook some more.  I know that our siblings also have similar support groups of family-like friends and these relationships are such a gift for all of us.

I am truly thankful for all of our different families.  Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving, full of amazing food, drink, lively conversation (possibly inspired by said drink), and most importantly family of all sorts.  xo

**A special thank you to my dedicated readers for all of your support and comments, it appears that I blew past 60,000 hits this week while taking a break.  A Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Random 5 Friday

through the car window after last Sunday's epic storms

Time has just flown the last couple of weeks and we are now headed full force into the holiday season. I feel more prepared than normal this year.  I think we have finally gotten a good timeline down for farm clean up and transitioning into in home activities.  I am ready to hunker down and simply enjoy.

1.  We are headed to CA today to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. The kids have been in full countdown mode for over a week!

2.  Trying to wrap up work, home, and school concurrently is at once overwhelming and invigorating.  It never ceases to amaze me how much can be accomplished.

3.  We are very fortunate that some wonderful work friends help us out on the farm when we are out of town.  Thanks so much to Heather and Steff, the chickens and bunnies are grateful, as are we.

4.   I hit the big 4 1 last Saturday.  It has been so heartwarming the kindness of friends near and far all week long.

5.  I always try to post when we are traveling, but much depends on how my iPad behaves.  Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving full of family, food and thankfulness.

Thankful Moments ~ Thanksgiving

Though the last few days have left me with me with minimal access to post, the days have not lacked Thankful Moments.  They have been full of family, food and fun farm activities that the kids get to experience anew each time as they get older and appreciate them in different ways (more to come on that :).

When looking out onto your horizon be sure to enjoy each moment.  Don't be so focused on that distant line that you forget to slow down and enjoy the beauty as your eye lingers the landscape.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just Open Your Eyes

I was running to get gas the other day, cruising down a road that I often travel and saw this rainbow of cabbage.  What struck me, other than the gorgeous color, was how I had missed this during it's growth?  Surprisingly, from "America's Dairyland" we are also a large producer of the nations cranberries and cabbage.  In fact, my township of Franksville, was once home to volumes of open sauerkraut fields.  If you have ever seen Franks Pure Foods Co. it began here in 1907 and the label you will find on many a bottle of sauerkraut. 

Aside from this little history lesson, this is about what happens when you just open your eyes and look beyond whatever your current distraction is and find joy and appreciation from the simple beauties that surround us.  Since we are staying home for Thanksgiving this year, last night B and I went out to the garden and pulled beautiful fennel bulbs, leeks, carrots, celeriac and arugula that we will incorporate into today's meal.  What a lovely thing, to be able to harvest produce for our harvest meal.

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder  

A Happy Thanksgiving to All!

How Was Your Thanksgiving?

We are back, settled (transferred all of the photos), and had a great trip!  We spent Monday at the zoo and it was a great day.  I'd say the only hitch was it was supposed to be 60 and it was 40 and windy.  It certainly made running between the indoor exhibits a priority!

I think the zoo was a great pace setter for our trip.  Full of colorful family moments, beautiful light and quite contemplation. Add in a few batty excursions, waterfalls of conversation, and eating an amazing meal~ Perfect!  How was your Thanksgiving?

Change of Scenery

November has been a tough photography month for me. It seems that after the leaves finished changing and falling and the stark greyness began to emerge, I had a hard time finding inspiration. I felt like I was capturing the same thing over and over.

On Friday when we hit the road for Kansas, that stale feeling seemed to melt away and I've been taking pictures right and left! My posting may be a little sporadic this week, since we're deeply involved in visiting, but I'm finding my photo mojo again and am so happy!  A little change of scenery seems to be just what I needed!  Happy Monday!

Chasing The Sun

 Do you ever feel that there is a convergence of thought or at least of similar things that all at once hit you?

This evening as I was driving the kids home from school,  I caught a glimpse of the most amazing sunset.  The cold clouds, low on the horizon, had just slit apart and the sun's blinding ball of fire was peering through.  I drove past the house to a nearby field to capture a picture.  I got a few shots in, but apparently my p & s is on the fritz and the photos were less than stellar...sorry.

Anyway,  as I watched this, I  remembered B saying, just after noon on Sunday, "wow, look how low the sun is in the sky!"  How true!  Did I mention that the time that I saw this beautiful sky this evening was at 4:15?  This time of year the sun stays low, just under the radar, every day.  When you are lucky enough to capture it on a cloudless day it seems bright, yet muffled, barely warming the cold air.

I wonder if this muted feeling is what contributes to the amazing comfort we receive from the special warmth of home that comes this time of year.  We begin our drive tomorrow toward our Kansas Thanksgiving homecoming, and will gain a few more minutes of sunlight.  I look forward to chasing the sun as it dances across the sky, 600 miles South.  

Happy Weekend!