What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving...

'Twas the eve before Thanksgiving and all through the house...a lot of creatures were stirring...pies, jellos, casseroles...yes, stirring up lots of good food for the family celebration.

Last week I posted about how thankful I was for my tongue .  And as we prepare to eat all the wonderful food for Thanksgiving, I am doubly thankful for my tongue and my sense of taste.  Today I am also thankful for my sense of smell!  It seems to me that one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is all the wonderful smells of pies baking, turkey roasting, the aroma of the sage, celery and onions of stuffing/dressing baking, permeating the house with delectable fragrances that make our mouths water and our tummies start growling...

We are not going to have our traditional turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day this year due to family scheduling...our big gathering will actually be on Saturday.  But, in keeping with the season, we will have pumpkin pies and apple pie to go along with our small family dinner tomorrow.  I just couldn't resist baking these pies so that I could smell and taste the flavors of the season.


(apple pie and pinwheels from left over crust baking in the oven)

Little by little the Thanksgiving decorations are coming out of hiding and standing in their places in preparation for the celebration...

The Pilgrims have come prepared for the feast...

And these prayerful children and parents are giving thanks for all that God has provided...

The Little Pilgrim Shakers and friends are all lined up and are ready to be filled with salt and pepper and  placed on the tables...



I love this little needlepoint picture my sister Doris made for me way back in 1978!  That reminds me of our table grace we used to say as children...

Yes, as we prepare for the big feast we pause to reflect on our many blessings...so many I can't count them.  This year we will welcome a new member to our family table...our new daughter in law Rose! And we will miss our sweet "Nanny Steiner" at the table, who is living in a nursing home, but is thankfully in good spirits and good health...just not able to travel anymore.  

We've had a wonderful year with good health and answered prayers. The Psalmist sums up pretty well what we should be saying and feeling on this Thanksgiving Day.


Psalm 107:1-2, 8-9
1.  "Oh, give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
8.  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness,
and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9.  For He satisfies the longing soul,
and fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Indeed, God has redeemed and protected us from the hand of the enemy...and He truly satisfies the longing soul...and fills the hungry soul with goodness...

It is my prayer that you and your family and friends will have a day of great blessing and joy as you gather together and remember God's "wonderful works to the children of men." Even when we are having difficult times, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for.  

The last verse (43) of Psalm 107 says:

"Whoever is wise will observe these things,
and they will understand the lovingkindness
of the Lord."

Amen!
Happy Thanksgiving to all, 
and to all a "good night".





9 comments:

  1. Pam, I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving day! This is the first year my husband & I will celebrate alone. We have so much to be thankful for! God has truly been gracious to us! Thanks for sharing your photos! God bless you!

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    1. Oh dear Carol, I do hope you and your hubby will have a blessed day of thanksgiving. If you were closer I'd say come on over! We are going to have a relatively quiet day tomorrow, but will make up for it on Saturday with about 20 people here. May God fill your hearts with praise and thanksgiving. Thank you for stopping by for a visit.

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  2. Enjoy your family tomorrow and on Saturday. Tomorrow, it will just be Hubby and me. Saturday our son will come up from where he lives. He has to work on Friday. This is a good thing. It gives me two more days to try to get things done.

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    1. Thank you Cecelia. We will be a very small party tomorrow as well. Just our youngest son and a friend of ours who is widowed and does not need to be alone. We won't have a turkey dinner until Saturday, when there will be approximately 20 people here! Thankfully, everyone brings something. I hope you have a restful day tomorrow with your hubby, and enjoy your son on Saturday. That will be a wonderful time for you, I know. It's not how many people we have, but the spirit and love that is present as we gather to give thanks to the Lord for all His blessings. That is real purpose. God bless you and have a wonderful time.

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  3. Pamela, you are such a blessing with all your encouragement, thought filled posts, beautiful photos, sense of humor and ... pie! I want pie now. May you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving time together. That needlepoint is a prayer we kids said hundreds of times at our table growing up. Sweet memories.

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    1. I know, I wanted PIE last night too,but we took a vote here in the house and decided to let it wait until today. That was difficult, because it smelled SO good...but I am glad that we persevered and did not waver... Have a blessed and beautiful day today. I hope you get some pie somewhere somehow!!

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  4. I am catching up on blogs so am late here, but your pies look beautiful! I know this has been a special month for your family, full of so many blessings!

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  5. Pamela, the pies look fabulous! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

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  6. Pies are the darling of Thanksgiving! Your pies looked amazing, and just mouthwatering! I too made pies and it was a feast for our small gathering here at the house, just our two children and us. It was lovely though, no scheduled time to eat, and very relaxed and we had such a good time visiting with each other. God is truly so good to us, and so thankful for this time of giving thanks, and being thankful! I am thankful too, to have a nose to smell the good food, taste buds to enjoy it, so many things we take for granted, and so much to be thankful for!

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