Monday, September 28, 2009

counting BLESSINGS

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270/365
sitting here snuggled up under a fleece blanket with my fuzzy warm socks on, listening to the rain fall outside... fall is here. just this afternoon it arrived with its crisp air, chilly breeze and, of course, rain. good ol' northwest rain. this morning i was greeted by an amazing sunrise over the cascade mountains. it's a good place to be, enjoying God's country & counting your blessings.

269/365
sunday we enjoyed a fabulous family day at church & with some friends. you know those friends you have that are seriously "like family". those people you're truly thankful for everyday. (still adding up those blessings.) when we got home, i still needed my picture of the day. good thing i've got such a handsome subject loitering around. lucky me!

268/365

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saturday was STAN day! the big party i've had in the works for weeks. with big signs hung on the side of the house, jars filled with khaki foods, custom fortune cookies, and a bunch of pulled pork... we welcomed a bunch of our friends over to celebrate stan the man. with his last 6 weeks having been so busy, it was fun to see him share his stories with everyone. he's one pretty amazing guy, that one. just blows me away with all he can do & does do. (more blessings to add up). there are more party decor pictures here and here.

267/365

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friday was stan's birthday. he worked & spent the rest of the day with the family. with another deployment coming up in the not too distant future, it sure is nice to have these perfect little moments together at home. life can be hard on a lot of different levels, our life is full of blessings and sprinkled with hardships. guess it's just one of those times when you can let it build you up or tear you down. the times apart just make you savor all the more your times together. each little moment grows in significance when there are 10 more you're going to miss. so for those trials that bring us together as a family, i am thankful. (i'm definitely having one of those count-your-blessings days. so very thankful for all that God's graciously allowed me to be a part of.)

you are here card {october afternoon}

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it was fun to surprise stan with a big manly power tool when he got home from work on friday. i "parked" it in his spot in the garage, then watched his reaction through the window as he pulled up. priceless! he's been wanting this particular bit of manhood for as long as we've been married. just made it that much more fun to see the look on his face. ahhhh, all in all, a wonderful weekend of getting to send a little spoiling stan's way. he's one amazing man... and one of my biggest blessings.


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9 comments:

Leah said...

Wow, specatacular photography and so much talent! Color me impressed.
:)

xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Looks you did work very hard on all the details to give a special party. Congrats and Happy B-day, to Stan and nice work to a talented gal! Question: I've been working on a cross country road trip we took, the two papers you used on the card, actual map and the blue one, who are they by?

Scrappy Girl said...

Love the card and I bet he LOVED that manly testosterone-charged gift.

noel joy said...

kim, the papers are by october afternoon. love that road map line! :)

Luv2talk said...

Shhhhhhhh...I won't tell anyone that you got him the saw so he can make you more stuff! ;)

Party looked great. My invite must've gotten lost in the mail. Oh well! LOL

Latrice said...

Noel, I need those jars girl! Where and how much were they? Great tablescape. So cute. My hubby is turning 30 in december I think I have a party to plan!

Scrap,Quilt, Preach said...

Noel, I regularly stop in at your blog which is always such an inspiration in so many ways. Being part of a service couple in Canada, I can really relate to the "many blessings with hardships sprinkled in." That is a lovely way to sum it all up.
Love what you did to celebrate your DH's promotion.Bravo Zulu to you both!

Stan said...

Honey, you are amazing! God must have put a little extra effort into making you because I have a hard time believing the blessings I receive from you could come from any ordinary woman! I am truly blessed to get to share my life you. I love you baby...ALWAYS!

Penny said...

I love the labels you made for your husbands birthday display. How did you make the swirly labels? THANKS!!

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