November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 7)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 7
Who: Friends
Do you have those people in your life that you have been friends with for years and they have been an encouragement in your life in the good times and the bad? These are “true blue lifelong friends” who in many ways are like a sister or brother. Whenever you get together you pick back up like you seen each other just the day before when in reality it has probably been several months or in some cases years. Although I am thankful for technology because it makes it easier to stay in touch even though there may be many miles apart. I am thankful for the blessing of these special friendships. Today I mailed out “I’m Thankful For….” cards and sent messages to several others.
Day 6
Who: Siblings
Today I mailed out “I’m Thankful For…..” cards to our siblings and sent texts to several of them. Even though I had my fair share of sibling disputes with my brothers growing up I love them dearly and am so very thankful for them. I am thankful for my sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws too, they are awesome! I am very blessed with wonderful siblings (and their spouses) and appreciate them so much!
Additional Activity: The girls and I spent a couple hours today cleaning and organizing our church’s food pantry. It was a great time of working together, talking about the many amazing blessings we have in our lives, and why it is important to share what we have with others (i.e. giving food to people within our local community). The girls worked hard and cheerfully. I couldn’t have gotten it done as quickly if they hadn’t pitched in and helped. The best part was as we were leaving a lady walked up to us and wanted to know if we had any food. I was able to pull some items from the pantry and share them with her. The girls were excited that we were able to help someone. Although we never know the full situation or the intent of an individuals heart many people within our own community are struggling. I am thankful for moments when the girls can experience situations like these because it really does make a positive impact on the lives of our children.
Day 5
Who: Parents
Mailed out thank you notes to our parents and called them to talk for a few minutes. I am thankful for the godly parents in my life. Although, they are human like myself they are loving and kind. I have been blessed with great parents.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 6)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 6
Who: Siblings
Today I mailed out “I’m Thankful For…..” cards to our siblings and sent texts to several of them. Even though I had my fair share of sibling disputes with my brothers growing up I love them dearly and am so very thankful for them. I am thankful for my sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws too, they are awesome! I am very blessed with wonderful siblings (and their spouses) and appreciate them so much!
Additional Activity: The girls and I spent a couple hours today cleaning and organizing our church’s food pantry. It was a great time of working together, talking about the many amazing blessings we have in our lives, and why it is important to share what we have with others (i.e. giving food to people within our local community). The girls worked hard and cheerfully. I couldn’t have gotten it done as quickly if they hadn’t pitched in and helped. The best part was as we were leaving a lady walked up to us and wanted to know if we had any food. I was able to pull some items from the pantry and share them with her. The girls were excited that we were able to help someone. Although we never know the full situation or the intent of an individuals heart many people within our own community are struggling. I am thankful for moments when the girls can experience situations like these because it really does make a positive impact on the lives of our children.
Day 5
Who: Parents
Mailed out thank you notes to our parents and called them to talk for a few minutes. I am thankful for the godly parents in my life. Although, they are human like myself they are loving and kind. I have been blessed with great parents.
Day 4
Who: Pastors
Dropped off thank you notes at the church office on the way into service.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 4 & 5)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 1
Who: Hair Stylist
I needed a hair cut after putting it off for several weeks so I headed to the salon. My hair has a pretty simple and easy cut so it usually only takes a few minutes for a hair stylist. I had never met the person who cut my hair before, but took the time to learn a little bit about her. She has two small kids, ages 2 and 6. For my expression of thanks today I made it a point to give her a generous tip and tell her “thank you”.
Day 2
Who: My Spouse – Jake
I am so thankful for everything Jake does for our family. He works really hard, is an awesome Dad to our girls, and loves me. Jake is my best friend and I am very grateful for him. He takes good care of all of us and I don’t tell him “thanks” enough. Today I gave him a hand written thank you card and a bag of chocolate truffles.
Day 3
Who: Daughters – Brina & Karlie
I am very thankful for my two girls! They light up my world, make me laugh, and help build extra character in my life. It took many prayers and a few tears before God gave these two precious blessings in my life. You can read more about my journey with my Loosening My Grip: Why Can’t I Get Pregnant? series. As a way of saying thank you to the girls I gave them thank you notes and spent time reading some of our current book Little House in the Big Woods together.
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 3)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 1
Who: Hair Stylist
I needed a hair cut after putting it off for several weeks so I headed to the salon. My hair has a pretty simple and easy cut so it usually only takes a few minutes for a hair stylist. I had never met the person who cut my hair before, but took the time to learn a little bit about her. She has two small kids, ages 2 and 6. For my expression of thanks today I made it a point to give her a generous tip and tell her “thank you”.
Day 2
Who: My Spouse – Jake
I am so thankful for everything Jake does for our family. He works really hard, is an awesome Dad to our girls, and loves me. Jake is my best friend and I am very grateful for him. He takes good care of all of us and I don’t tell him “thanks” enough. Today I gave him a hand written thank you card and a bag of chocolate truffles.
Day 3
Who: Daughters – Brina & Karlie
I am very thankful for my two girls! They light up my world, make me laugh, and help build extra character in my life. It took many prayers and a few tears before God gave these two precious blessings in my life. You can read more about my journey with my Loosening My Grip: Why Can’t I Get Pregnant? series. As a way of saying thank you to the girls I gave them thank you notes and spent time reading some of our current book Little House in the Big Woods together.
People appreciate sincere thanks. I want to make a positive impact on the lives of others. As I share my 30-30-30 challenge with you I hope it will spark your imagination and encourage you to share your story too.
In everything give thanks!
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 2)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 1
Who: Hair Stylist
I needed a hair cut after putting it off for several weeks so I headed to the salon. My hair has a pretty simple and easy cut so it usually only takes a few minutes for a hair stylist. I had never met the person who cut my hair before, but took the time to learn a little bit about her. She has two small kids, ages 2 and 6. For my expression of thanks today I made it a point to give her a generous tip and tell her “thank you”.
Day 2
Who: My Spouse – Jake
I am so thankful for everything Jake does for our family. He works really hard, is an awesome Dad to our girls, and loves me. Jake is my best friend and I am very grateful for him. He takes good care of all of us and I don’t tell him “thanks” enough. Today I gave him a hand written thank you card and a bag of chocolate truffles.
People appreciate sincere thanks. I want to make a positive impact on the lives of others. As I share my 30-30-30 challenge with you I hope it will spark your imagination and encourage you to share your story too.
In everything give thanks!
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18
November 30-30-30 Challenge: Saying Thanks 30 Ways to 30 People for 30 Days (Day 1)
As I was reflecting back on the many amazing blessings in my life I realized that don’t let those around me know how much I truly appreciate them enough. The idea of participating in a “thankfulness” challenge for the month of November was started a few months ago when I purchased cards for my family to send out for the Thanksgiving Holiday (see the picture of the front of the card below).
It is my wish to show my gratitude to the people I interact with day to day. For the month of November I am planning a 30-30-30 Challenge. It is my goal to say thanks in 30 ways to 30 people for 30 days. Each day I plan to do at least one activity expressing my thanks to one person every day for thirty days.
Day 1
Who: Hair Stylist
I needed a hair cut after putting it off for several weeks so I headed to the salon. My hair has a pretty simple and easy cut so it usually only takes a few minutes for a hair stylist. I had never met the person who cut my hair before, but took the time to learn a little bit about her. She has two small kids, ages 2 and 6. For my expression of thanks today I made it a point to give her a generous tip and tell her “thank you”.
People appreciate sincere thanks. I want to make a positive impact on the lives of others. As I share my 30-30-30 challenge with you I hope it will spark your imagination and encourage you to share your story too.
In everything give thanks!
– 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Love It – Purple Heart Necklace
My Purple Heart Necklace, beautiful reminder of the blessings in my life! Thanks Handsome! My husband has known for years the impact the Little Purple Flower had on my life. We were dating at the time the incident occurred and he was delighted to see God use such a beautiful reminder to encourage me. Since that time Jake has on numerous occasions surprised me with a gift that had a purple flower or something similar on it as a reminder of how much He loves me. The gift is also a visual reminder that God daily gives me the many blessings I have in my life.
On Valentine’s Day my husband and I celebrated together at Winter Jam 2011. When I got up to go to the restroom before the concert started I came back to a small package on my chair. He gave me a beautiful purple heart necklace (totally surprised me) as a way to remind me of His love and the many blessings in our lives as a couple. I had no idea that he was even saving his money to get me such a sweet surprise.
He had been looking for the perfect necklace for awhile until he found the purple heart which he thought it would be a perfect fit for me. For those of you who know me personally I am not a glamour and glittery type of person. I grew up with three brothers on a farm and was more of a tomboy than a princess. I can count on one hand the pieces of jewelry I wear regularly. Every single piece I wear daily Jake picked out on his own for me (most of them were surprises too). I wear my watch, engagement & wedding rings, and my heart necklace he gave me for our 7th anniversary every day. The only other time I wear different or more jewelry is for a special event or Date Night when I an extra necklace, ring, or bracelet. So needless to say I was shocked to receive a necklace on Valentine’s Day and my heart about burst with love for him when I realized it was a purple heart meant to remind me of the little purple flowers in my life.
I am surrounded by many blessings in my life. Some days I have to look harder to find those blessings but they exist no matter how big or small. I am thankful for a God who extends love and grace to me every day. A husband whom I adore and kids that bring so much joy and laughter into my life. The best part is they all love me despite my imperfections and crazy days. Thank you babe for reminding me of the MANY blessing in my life. I am thankful for the amazing gifts God has given me!
“Love It” is a series of posts on items that I use regularly in my household that I love! There are some items in our daily lives that make life more enjoyable, efficient, or just plain fun. I will be sharing with you some of the products that have been given to us (or to me) that have made it to the top of my list. It’s my way of giving a huge thumbs up!
Family Celebrations: Valentine’s Day
We had a blast celebrating Valentine’s Day together as a family. The day was so packed full of fun that I didn’t have time yesterday to post what we were up to so I am doing it today! Here are little snip-its of our family celebrations!
Brina and Karlie's Valentine Breakfast Goodies While Brina and Karlie were getting dressed for school we set out a little box of sweethearts and heart necklaces for them to enjoy. They ate heart shape blueberry pancakes and saved their candy until after school. Although they did wear their heart necklaces ALL day!
Special Valentine's Surprise on my Steering Wheel! Jake went with the girls to pick out something special for me. They left these little goodies on my steering wheel. When I got into the van to drive Brina and Karlie to school I noticed my Valentine’s surprise. They picked out a flower, kitten candy and a Valentine’s Day card. They each wrote their names and drew me a picture. In my card I had a heart family of four, so cute!
Valentine's Day Gifts Daddy and the girls each received a package of “Nerf Darts” for Valentine’s Day. Now when we have our little nerf wars we won’t be knocking each other over to get a dart, hopefully. Karlie was so excited she hugged the package, spun around, and ran out of the room (to get her nerf gun, of course). Brina had her nerf gun loaded first and Mom was the primary target since I was cooking and couldn’t defend myself, don’t worry I got them back!
Expression of "love"! I had a package of Starbursts so I spelled the word “Love” on the table. The girls thought this was so neat. They were excited that they could read the word and could barely wait for Daddy to come home so they could eat the word!
"I Love You" Balloon I picked up an “I Love You” balloon at Dollar Tree for $1. The girls thought this “ape” was so adorable and managed to drag it almost everywhere they went for the rest of the night!
Brina celebrating Valentine's Day with her class! I was able to help with the girls Valentine’s Day party. The kids had a lot of yummy treats to celebrate the day. Brina was so excited to have me come spend time with her in the classroom.
Karlie enjoying chips during thier Valentine Party! Karlie ate all the non-sweet goodies first, including a yogurt and Doritos, as you can see from her orange mouth she really enjoyed the chips. She was telling all her classmates that I was her Mom and that they should wish me “Happy Valentine’s Day”!
Homemade heart shape Valentine's Day white pie pizza! I made homemade heart shape white pie pizza with mushrooms and olives on top for supper! The girls thought it was funny the pizza was a heart and the slices were different shapes from “normal” pizza. It was a fun and easy way to spread the Valentine cheer!
Minor casualty, nerf dart was shot into the oven! I was pulling the pizza out of the oven in the middle of a nerf dart storm and this little guy didn’t survive. It managed to hit the hot oven, when I went to pull it off the dart tore. The girls were sad that a dart was broken but it gave me an opportunity to demonstrate why they shouldn’t be aiming in my direction while cooking!
It was a super fun day with the family. Having children have makes the Holidays even more of a special treat, they get excited about celebrating. I am thankful everyday for my family and the memories we create together.
Song: “Love Never Fails” by Brandon Heath
It isn’t encouraging to know you are loved. “Love Never Fails” is a great way to put it. God is love and he allows us to experience love on earth as well through our relationships with our spouses, kids, family, and friends.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
May you be able to enjoy time with someone you love today!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Celebrate love and cherish the memories on this special day!
Wishing you a sweet day full of fun with the ones you love!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!!
Photo by Ellie
