Happy Thanksgiving

“Not what we say about our blessings,
but how we use them,
is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”
  -W.T. Purkiser

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Praying each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Enjoy family, friends, or whomever you are with.
Be intentional about sharing joy
& blessing others today!
🙂

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5

A Treasure Hunt

Happy Monday!! Can you believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?! To say I am excited is an understatement! As we begin this week I want to introduce you to Morgan of A Treasure Hunt. If you haven’t visited her site yet- you MUST! You will love her heart, style, family, ‘realness,’ and stories. And I promise, you will LOVE her list of blessings below. 🙂

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Hi everyone! My name is Morgan from A TREASURE HUNT and I am so thankful that Chloe invited me to share some insight on thankfulness as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday [where has 2013 gone?!].

I wanted to take a moment to just reflected quickly on what I am thankful for this year.

I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful he came up and talked to me over 3 years ago and thankful he chose me to be his wife.

I am thankful for the miracle I witnessed over a year ago when our son, William, was born.

I am thankful for my family. My sweet parents and brother and all of those who have come to recently joined my inner family.

Now what I am really thankful for day in and day out…

I am thankful for each day I am blessed with.

I am thankful for eyes that are able to see my son wake up each morning to the sweetest grin and wet kisses.

I am thankful for my hands that are able to reach out and hold him. Touch his baby soft skin and to hold his tiny hands as he grabs mine when he is walking.

I am thankful for a heart that is healthy and bursting with love for this tiny precious angel.

I am thankful for feet that allow me to run and mainly to play [and keep up with] my freshly walking little one.

I am thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

I am thankful for my health, all of the blessings bestowed upon us, and to all of those that we hold so close to our hearts.

I wanted to leave you with something I am extremely thankful for each year.

I am thankful to the Lord for capturing my heart and pulling me in close. I am thankful for His unfailing forgiveness and blood shed at the cross. I am thankful for His word and how it is meant to guide our steps. I am thankful for when I really can let go and Let God. He has far better plans for our lives than we can ever imagine and if we just let Him take hold, is it amazing what will happen. When I finally let God control my life [like reaaaally let Him], I met my husband almost instantly. We were engaged three months later and married within a year of meeting. When I truly lifted my hands up and let the Lord bless me with a child in His timing, I got pregnant that month. It is really hard to let go of our own thoughts and wishes for our lives. Really hard, trust me I know! But when you are finally able to and really let the Lord lead each [I mean every single one] of your steps, you will be amazed by what He has in store. Trust me, I know first hand. Whenever I think back on why certain things did not work out how I had planned in my life, I always think to Garth Brook’s song, “Unanswered Prayers.” It reminds me that even though, at the time, I was praying and wishing with every inch of my being for my life to go one way [the way I wanted], those prayers went unanswered. Why? Because He had something far better up His sleeve. I encourage you to let go. Let God. Open your eyes and life to what He has in store for you. I know you will not be disappointed.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! And come visit us over at A TREASURE HUNT!

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1000 Gifts

{wedding photo Scott Cotton Photography :: anniversary photo Ashley Lauren Photography}

Happy November! November is easily one of my favorite months. What’s not to love about getting together with family, focusing on blessings, and celebrating life! {And it is my dad’s birthday month!} For as long as I can remember my dad has embedded in me that it is important to focus on my blessings. He even included it in my family’s acronym {visit it here}. And this month we get to all focus on our blessings.

In honor of Thanksgiving I reached out to a few of my favorite bloggers and asked them to share a little bit about Jesus and the blessings in their lives. Their posts will appear sporadically between now and Thanksgiving. And trust me, you won’t want to miss their encouraging words!

A few days ago my husband and I were sitting on our back porch, eating dinner, and talking about Jesus. His hand has been so apparent in our lives- especially lately. As we began talking about the blessings He has given us I began thinking about Ann Voskamp’s  book ‘1000 Gifts.’    {If you haven’t read it, you must!} Voskamp reminds us that,

“giving thanks is what gets you joy.”

{tweet that}

We must learn to embrace our daily blessings- the big and the small. Later that evening I began my own list of 1,000 gifts. While it is nowhere near complete, it is a beautiful start. And I will continue adding to my list until I reach 1,000! {If you have your own list of 1,000 gifts please share your link below or email it to me! I would love to read the blessings the Lord has given you and will share a link to your list at the end of this post!} Continue checking back to see what our guest bloggers have to say! Their posts will appear midweek.

And so we begin…

1. my husbands smile
2. the way my husband can make me laugh any time/anywhere
3. warm sun shining on your face
4. light bulb moments
5. bible studies
6. salt water
7. salt air
8. sand between my toes
9. okay, anything beach related
10. sunrises/sunsets
11. finding the perfect bible verse at the exact moment you need it
12. adventures
13. fresh flowers
14. making new friends
15. experiencing Christ in & through others
16. blog friends {who knew the internet could form such community?}
17. s’mores {especially when made from a beach fire pit in SoCal with family/friends}
18. words that speak directly to my soul
19. the sound of rain
20. thunderstorms
21. overcast days
22. hearing someone’s testimony
23. black coffee {or espressos}
24. tea {specifically green tea}
25. humidity {yes, i love it!}
26. laughing till i cry
27. spending time with people who inspire me
28. shades of blue
29. celebrating {celebrating anything and everything. each day is a gift}
30. traveling
31. inspiring places
32. experiencing different cultures
33. clean sheets
34. hearing my husband pray
35. great advice
36. walking hand in hand with my man {especially on our evening walks}
37. health
38. bright colors
39. white
40. deep conversations
41. chilled champagne
42.  good beer/wine {especially with my family/friends}
43. fresh fruit
44. accountability
45. love notes from my man
46. candles
47. prayer journals
48. beautiful art {of any kind}
49. worship music
50. coffee dates {with friends, family, husband, strangers, whoever}
51. trying something new
52. inspiring quotes
53. volunteering for a cause i believe in
54. snail mail
55. a good movie
56. my husbands passion
57. saturdays
58. our home group {the village church’s name for ‘bible study’}
59. beautiful photos
60. getting in bed by 10pm
61. encouraging words {verbal, text, snail mail…}
62. more Jesus
63. less me
64. seeing others fulfill their dreams & passions
65. fresh juice {especially home juiced greens… but really}
66. naps with my husband {especially on rainy days}
67. fresh cut grass
68. visiting family
69. meeting individuals with a servants heart
70. tex-mex {yes, it is different and so good}
71. nail polish
72. 80 degree days
73. my moms homemade chocolate chip cookies
74. beautiful invitations
75. dinners outside
76. restaurants with great patios & views
77. Snowboarding {especially with family and my man}
78. dancing with my husband {randomly, anytime/anywhere we feel like it}
79. frolicking
80. big dreams
81. swimming
82. yoga
83. listening to other languages
84. our weekly questions
85. apps that let me keep connected with friends in other countries
86. homemade pizza {especially when we use our outdoor pizza kitchen}
87. boat rides
88. bike rides
89. God winks
90. making messes & treats in the kitchen
91. Bible studies
92. adventures
93. marriages based on Jesus