My sweet husband...

...gave me the best Birthday present I've ever gotten.

He carved our initials into a tree in our back yard.

I LOVE IT!!!

He took a picture of it and had it framed with these words printed on it:

John and Karen

Sitting in a tree...

The BEST birthday present EVER from the sweetest man I know.

Thanksgiving...a photo essay

Before the chaos... everything is ready...

Everyone arrives... brother-in-law, John and my Dad...my Mom and I are working furiously on something in the background.Thank goodness my Mom brought the giblet gravy.
Th kid's table

Notice: Fig has a mouth full of deviled egg.
After dinner, everyone read a passage from the Bible praising God's goodness

Did you know that Thanksgiving is my birthday?

Thanks, MOM, I love my new coat.

Shine On!

I am thankful that Jesus shines through people who are willing to be lamps for Him.

Tuesday is L.A.M.B.S. day. (Ladies A.M. Bible Study)
I look forward to Tuesdays; it is a sweet, sweet time. Since there is a children's program, Fig goes too and enjoys his class.

This week, Fig and I took on all the regular Tuesday obstacles and battled our way to L.A.M.B.S. I'm telling you, there is serious spiritual warfare going on every week. But we made it, had a good morning, and headed out to the car afterward. I was battle-weary and knowing that the cupboards were bare at home and even if they were full, I didn't have the energy to make a PB&J sandwich, I pulled into the handy, dandy McD's drive-thru. I ordered a happy meal for Fig and pulled around.

"Oh, look! There's my friend Sam! Hi, Sam!" I wave and smile at Sam who is in line in front of me. I think to myself..."I love her...she's so cute and sweet". We inch our way up to the pay window and I extend my debit card to the McD employee. That sweet lady said, "Enjoy your lunch; the car in front paid for you." I couldn't believe it. What a blessing to me. Jesus was shining all over the place because of that thoughtful act of kindness.

But here's the thing. Although I enjoyed the radiance of His glory, there is a bigger story to tell. You see, when you are shining for Jesus it floods all over the place. Places where you didn't even anticipate. As much as I was blessed, the cashier at McD's was overwhelmed by the reflection. I'm glad I was there to see Jesus shine all over her, too. She's probably STILL smiling.
Shine on!
Shine on!

Little Things

[Remember, I am pretty good at laundry, birthing babies, applying lipstick while driving, but photography...not so much.]

I'm thankful for the little things like:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

with a cold Coke

in front of a cozy fire.

Little things like knowing that I don't have to pack six lunches in the morning because it's pizza day. These little stacks of money are all they need.

A Christmas wreath I made with my Mom.

The little things my kids say that make me laugh.

Rosebud: "Mom, Listen! Moonsand, Moonshoes, and moonscape, isn't that cool, Mom, they all have moon in them!"

Me: "mmmmm...yes, how 'bout that?"

Rosebud: "yeah.." {she walked away with a smile}

The little memories that we will share as a family.

For example, last night I left several baby photos on a side table in my bedroom. I intended to return them to the photo album when I had an extra minute. This afternoon, while tidying up a bit around the house, I picked them up and noticed that someone had drawn little moustaches on the babies with permanent ink. Hmmmm....very interesting. At dinner tonight, we held a court proceeding. I presented the evidence and asked if anyone was interested in confessing. We had lots of giggles and everyone enjoyed looking at the silly photos but no confession. Someone came forward later and fessed up. Their honesty earned them amnesty. Everyone enjoyed a funny moment.

Yep, I am thankful for the little things.

What little things are you thankful for today?

My Little Secret

I have a secret.

I've kept it long enough. It's time for the world to know.

It all started when I reached the end of my rope. You've probably all been there.


WHY DO NONE OF THE SOCKS MATCH!!

Then when we had several children, it became impossible. John's socks, my socks, and the girls socks were everywhere and always needed to be sorted and matched. John and I would sit in the middle of the den floor and work on "The Project"

"I have a thin, pink, medium-sized sock with a small rosette on the ankle." I would say.
John responded, "Nothing like that over here. Do you have any gray athletic socks with Nike on the toe?"

And then...the dilemma...what to do with all the socks that haven't matched up in a couple of weeks. For goodness sake, do you throw them away? That doesn't seem right. Where are the matches anyway? Probably the same place where all my spoons are disappearing to. One day I will discover a jackpot of unmatched socks and cereal spoons.

When boys were added to the family, it took me over the edge. I needed to approach the sock issue from a whole new angle.


Here it is...my secret.

I don't match socks anymore.
There. I said it.

All socks are kept in this community sock bin in our linen closet.
It works beautifully. When we fold the freshly washed laundry, I make a pile of clean socks and put them away, all at once, in this bin. Every morning, each family member makes a trip to the bin and finds two socks that fit their feet. Voila! Simple as that.

One more thing. We only buy white socks. Find two that are approximately the same size and you're good to go.

Our Thanksgiving Tree

To turn our minds toward thankfulness, we have created a Thanksgiving Tree.

I used a simple poster board and traced my hand and arm and John's hand and arm to form the trunk of the tree. Each of the children added branches by tracing their hands.

Each night at dinner we add some leaves. The leaves are cut out of construction paper. Everything is simple and basic. I'm sure some of you could get even more creative and have a real masterpiece. I've learned that I can become paralyzed by perfection. I just used what I have around the house.

The children are enjoying this fun project and I'm blessed to hear their hearts.

Yesterday

I did not post yesterday about what I am thankful for.
So...to get caught up, I'll give a belated gratitude post.
Drumroll, please.

Ready?

Yesterday, I was thankful that I survived the day.

I wish it was inspiring or encouraging or even just hinted at positive.
Nope.
It was a tough day.
Nothing earth-shattering or catastrophic...just hard!

Do you ever have days like that?

Aren't you glad for new, fresh mornings?
Today will be better.

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
Lamentations3:21-25

Consequences

There are times when consequences are necessary for our children. Unpleasant, I know, but necessary. [Big Sigh]

John and I have discovered that creativity is the key. Also, the importance of matching the consequence to the poor choices they make.

One of the frequently used consequences is hard work. When chores are not done because poor choices are made, the offender will be issued a very unpleasant, additional chore. If you drive by our house and see a kid filling a wheelbarrow with pinecones, you'll know why. If the offense is absolute rebellion you may find that the inside and outside of our trashcans have been scrubbed squeaky clean.

Some of our creative consequences have been:

Losing the privilege of sitting on furniture because he/she was jumping on or abusing it.

"Practicing" walking up and down the stairs, since he/she obviously "forgot" that you shouldn't stomp up them.

"X" number of laps around the house because he/she repeatedly acts out in anger.

You get the idea.
We try to stay positive. I'm not always successful, but I try. Usually, the consequence is beneficial in and of itself. They learn something or accomplish something.

Most parenting books you read will always talk about being consistent. I agree....sometimes.
Sometimes children need grace.
This is the part where we, the parents, have to make good choices. We need to be prayerful and know when to administer consequences and when to extend grace.

There are times when swift consequences speak the loudest to my children but there are other times when knowing they goofed up and receiving undeserved favor speaks even louder.

I'm certain of this because I've experienced it myself.
God's grace to me ....that's what I'm thankful for today!!

Laughter

I'm thankful for laughter.

Our house is full of chuckles, and giggles, and howling and chorkles and hahahas.

My kids are hilarious. Just tonight...

Scooter sniffed one nostril closed without touching it...how do you do that? We laughed.

Triple H sang "We will, we will...Rock you" and then added on something about Cool Whip. We laughed.

Banana was caught in the act of Hip Hop Dancing to a Hannah Montana song. We laughed.

Rosebud was also dancing a little jig with wild hand motions. We laughed.

Bucket put pantyhose on his head and pretended to be a bank robber. We laughed.

Mojo replied to a sibling with the attitude of a 17 year old. We laughed.

Fig ran outside wearing only a NC State tshirt (no diaper). We laughed.

What was funny at your house today?

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine

The Bridge

I'm thankful for The Ultimate Sacrafice.
Grab a tissue and watch this.
http://www.maximumreferrals.com/bridge

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

I'm glad to be home. I've been to the PBC women's retreat. Wow, it was great!
Here are the highlights:
Car ride with Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Lots of freetime to do what I please (I actually got to use the bathroom without little finger wiggling under the doorframe and voices yelling, "Mom, you in there?")
Delicious food that I didn't plan, cook, or clean up
Excellent teaching on "The Prayer Driven Life: Living in the Power of the Promise" (Oh boy, was I ever convicted, encouraged, challenged and inspired)
Farkle
Beautiful scenery (Have you ever been to Lake Hickory...stunning, absolutely stunning)
Creative Saturday activity
Early morning worship time at the gazebo

and

Time with precious women.

I am so thankful to be blessed with incredible friends. It was a huge blessing to spend uninterrupted time with those sweet girls. Some are long time friends (notice I didn't say old) and some were new friends. I love them all! I am thankful for friends to laugh with, friend who are willing to say the hard things, friends who cry with me and for me, friends who inspire me, friends who hold me accountable, and friends who love me even though...

Thankful For

Hi there, Im banana plus Im my moms guest blogger today! One of the things we are thankful for is our grandparents. We are blessed with good, loving grandparents! Our grandparent are always coming to games to support us, always helping with the kids, and giving us lots of love!
We just wont to say thanks to grandparents for always loving us! Thanks!

Tagged

I was tagged a couple of weeks ago to post my schedule for a typical day. I've procrastinated because, well, it's a little drab. Try not to doze off. Here it is and never let it be said that I am not a rule follower.
(By the way, I'm in a bit of a hurry...there WILL be grammar and spelling mistakes...my editing and grammar friends will have to extend some grace...you know who you are)
Since our schedule varies wildly...here is a slow day.
6 am -- wake when John showers
615--wake again when John wakes older children
620-- wake again when 1st kid showers
630-- wake again when 2nd kid showers
635-- get out of bed, read Daily Light, stumble downstairs and pack 6 lunches
7 am-- Good Morning America (love that Robin Roberts)
715-- Begin the out-the-door countdown and the "have you...?" checklist (have you brushed your teeth, packed your gym bag, etc?)
730-- Kiss oldest 4 children goodbye- carpool picks up- Kiss John goodbye
735-- Shower and Dress
805--Dress 3 youngest kids
830-- leave for elementary school
9 am-- home for tidying up, laundry, to-do list, etc
10am-- start dinner, plan meals and snacks
11am-- feed Fig (only kid at home)
1130-- Play and Read with Fig
12 noon-- Nap for Fig and Quiet Time for me (my favorite part of the day)
1pm-- Email, Blog, Facebook, Craigslist
2pm-- Chores or projects or business tasks (www.twiceasnice4tots.com)
230-- Run carpool for older kids
3pm-- Snack and Homework
330-- Run carpool for younger kids
4pm-- home to change into basketball uniforms for young kids
430-- young kids to Upward basketball
5pm-- pick up older kids from school basketball practice
530-- pick up younger kids from Upward basketball
6pm-- home for homeward and dinner prep
7pm-- dinner when John gets home
730-- clean kitchen and supervise kids chores
8pm-- Enjoy each other...family time
9pm--bedtime

You still there?

Today I'm thankful for my good health and the good health of my family.
Because God has graced us with healthy bodies, we are able to do all the things I've listed. I'm grateful and try not to take it for granted. John has diabetes. God has kept him miraculously healthy and well-controlled. Seven children, 14 years and only one broken bone...Praise God! If we encounter a health crisis tomorrow, God is good and His grace will be sufficient. I've seen it in the lives of dear friends. But for today, thanks to the Lord, He has kept us healthy.

Ooops, I get it now!

I feel like one of those folks on the V-8 commercial. Someone should have hit me on the forehead. There is a reason why everyone doesn't use their children's real names in the blogs. I'm new to this and it shows. But I'm having so much fun.

I've edited all the previous posts and replaced real names with our beloved nicknames.
In birth order:
#1...Scooter (because all first born children in the Hollingsworth family are nicknamed Scooter, so you guessed it, my Dad calls me Scooter, too. Shhh, don't spread that around)
#2...Triple H (because my Dad accidently knocked her in the head one time and it should've hurt but didn't. He called her hard headed ____...triple H.)
#3...Banana (if you know us, its obvious)
#4...Rosebud (ditto)
#5...Bucket (I have no idea, but it's funny and he thinks it is super cool)
#6...Mojo (you have to know her)
#7...Fig (read an interesting story about Jesus calling the first disciples in John and you will figure it out)

I love November. There are many reasons including my birthday.
Thanksgiving is another.
Goal: To post everyday between now and Thankgiving with something I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my husband. He works so hard and is so smart. He is more than I could have dreamed of as a father. He is willing to go it alone this weekend so I can attend a women's retreat and he has not complained one time. He is very funny. (Did you know that about him?) His love language is gift giving and everyday, when he comes in from work, he brings me a Coke in a can...my favorite! My husband loves Jesus and spiritually leads our family. He can't watch someone getting a shot on tv because he is so empathetic. He has never raised his voice and is rarely angry. He loves me, even when I am unlovely. I thank the Lord for choosing him for me.