Oh Irving....

It is almost Thanksgiving!!!! I am so excited. I don't know what you are doing for turkey day, but I hope that you have a great time doing it. As for me, I will be feasting with 30 of my closest friends and family at my Aunt and Uncle's house. I will also be doing a creative presentation on the history of Thanksgiving. Don't be jealous, my family is just obviously that cool.
Creative presentations aside, I am so looking forward to wearing some of my comfiest/cutest clothes, eating delicious food, and communing with my favorite people while we reflect on all the blessings in our lives. Just by that day I will be truly blessed.

Anyway, the title of this post says it all. Granted, I borrowed the line from the ever-eloquent Irving Berlin. But I find it to be so true. The world we are living in is such a volatile place- it's ever shifting, ego-centric, scary place. And there are a lot of days that I find myself lamenting the state of things and feeling helpless and angry that I can't change it. I can't grab people by the shoulders and shake them to their senses, and even if I could what right do I have? I don't have all the answers.


What I do know is this: I just deleted a whole rant about people and how disappointing they are when it comes to social causes. And I am really glad I did. Because I got to the end of it and I realized something.
I didn't feel any better.
I was just as bad as the rest of them if I wasn't willing to do more than just write a post on a blog that no one follows.
I am disgusted at the self-centeredness of our society, but am, at the same time, defining it so perfectly with my own egocentric rantings about others. How others need to take a stand, need to shut up and stand up. But how dare I accuse them of doing exactly what I just was.

That is what makes me so sad about America- because at the end of the day I am just as guilty as the rest. And perhaps that's why we are turned around right now- because we have been relying too long on others to get up and go for us when what we really need is to do it ourselves.
That is when real change will happen. That is when real good will prevail.

So today, instead of ranting about schools and politics and welfare, I choose to focus on what I have to be thankful for. I have a loving family, a job, great friends, always enough to eat, a car and money to put gas in it. I have freedom to go anywhere and do anything I can dream of. I have the right to post what I think online without fear or persecution or imprisonment. I can "grow up" to be whatever I want to be. Most of all, I am saved and cherished by a God who loves me, good days and bad, and has a plan for me and my life. He even loved me (and you!) enough to send his own son to the death to pay the price set on my head from the day I was born.

I am truly blessed. And I bet you are too. Even on your worst day, there is always a silver lining. What do you have to be thankful for today, and everyday?


Also, for those of you, my non-existent followers, that would love some crafty updates, just hold on a few more days. My mom and I are making cards AND decorations this weekend, and I promise to keep you informed! Here is a sneak peek of what we've already done a test run on... :-)

It's a trifold card! And it still fits in a regular envelope. Looks complicated, was so easy. Just make sure you're wearing your patient cap when it's time to cut out all the precisely measured pieces. You can find the tutorial we used here, from the blog "Busy With The Cricky."


Have a great Thanksgiving folks! I am thankful for you :-)

Ode to November

Ok, don't judge.
I know I've been terrible about updating this guy. You've missed countless favorite things thursdays, and I know you all care so much about what I like, so...

Just know I've been thinking about you! I haven't forgotten. Every time I open my internet browser the screen shot of my blog glares at me and says "update me! update me!" in that little voice that cartoon characters get when they shrink down to pea size. Yeah, it's that dramatic. Every time.

But a new leaf is turned! It's FINALLY November which is great for a few reasons.

1) It means that October is OVER! I had so much going on in October it wasn't even funny. We hosted our statewide youth convention at our church, we put on our biggest event of the year for our own youth group AND somehow, amidst the exhaustion, I managed to get my stuff together and move. It was amazing. So even though November pretty much kicks off the crazy Christmas stuff for me, it will seem like a piece of cake compared to October 2012 for this girl.

2) November means Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. I get to see my family, I get to eat super delicious food. But the best thing I love about Thanksgiving is that it reminds me to be thankful. I love the history of Thanksgiving and how it means something different to everyone. I'm blessed with a family that loves a pretty idyllic day- kids table, all the fixings, board games, etc. But I'm also blessed with a family that knows how much we have to be thankful for, and I always end up having some really great conversations with my relatives about life. It makes for one of my most favorite family gatherings all year.

3) November means the election is almost over. Whoever wins, no matter what, it just means that the political ads will finally be over, and that's all I have to say on that subject.


I'm sure I could go on and on about all the things I love about November, but I also don't want to bore anyone, so I won't.
p.s. you're welcome.


Since my last favorite things post was in July, I thought I would just give you a short list of some of my favorite things that would have maybe probably most likely been featured if I hadn't been so lazy. The following are a few of my favorite things.

• tribal design jewelry
• sweet potato pie (never had it before this year! tragedy!)
• my new kate spade phone cover (it's beautiful)
• the amazing things you can do with yarn (this is from the youth event previously mentioned)
• the constant flow of 40% one item coupons from Michaels... all accessible on my iPhone.
• Trader Joe's White Cheddar Corn Puffs. SO GOOD.
• clutch wallets, especially sparkly ones.
• my mustache's from history mug
• "What to Expect When You're Expecting," the movie. One of the funniest I've seen lately.

So that's really all you missed! Not anything life changing, I'm sure. Except maybe those white cheddar corn puffs... mmm.

Without trying to go overboard on all the holidays at once, I am happy to announce that I have officially started planning my Christmas gifts. We do three different drawings between my two sides of family, plus the usual friends and close family to buy for, so early planning is essential. Especially when you have my father for TWO of them. The man doesn't want anything! I'll figure something out, I know, and it will probably be food oriented.

Gifts being said, there are some relatives of mine that have a far better chance of seeing this than others. Example: my little brother might try and snoop on here to figure out what he's getting from me (fat chance, sucker!) but my grandmother has never used a computer and has no interest in doing so, therefore I can post all I like about her gifts because she won't find out! My family is good at secret keeping, so don't worry about that. :-)

I have some really cute ideas brewing on holiday things, and I officially started a Pinterest board dedicated to Christmas. I resisted for a long time... I wanted to reject the notion that I couldn't just lump my Christmas crafts with my regular crafts, but alas, this categorical brain of mine rejected my rejection.  It happens, ok?

Bottom line, I'm happy to be back! And get ready for some ultra-cute and super-thrifty ways to celebrate and gift to people this season! But don't forget to enjoy November while it's here :-)

What is your favorite part of November?