Endings and beginnings

Tomorrow night the "Naples Girls" will meet for the final BookClub to discuss Carolyn Mahaney's "Feminine Appeal". It has been a wonderful study and many of you (even though you may not be here) have been encouraged, challenged and taught what it means to be a Godly wife, mother and friend. So now as we end this study, I have been thinking about what to do next. With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, I thought it would be appropriate to get our minds and hearts ready for Christmas. What is the joy of Christmas? How can we prepare not only our hearts, but our children's heart, to find the wonder and real meaning of Christmas? And on a closer approach, how can we develop a grateful spirit in our home? As I have chatted with some of you, all these questions seem to point to a need we have.

So from now until Christmas, we will be chatting about being thankful and the real meaning of Christmas.

I hope you will stay with me...I know you will find our posts meaningful and helpful.



For today...I wanted to share a family craft you can do to begin to prepare kids for Thanksgiving. I know there is lots of talk of turkey and eating and family gathering. But for your centerpiece this year why not do a "Gratitude Pumpkin Patch"?

Start with gathering either real or resin (plastic) pumpkins. Real pumpkins will not last long so the plastic ones you can put out every year and add to your "patch". You will need them to be at least 3 inches wide. Gather as many as you need for your family. With a sharpie, have them write on the bottom of the pumpkin " (Their Name) Gratitude Pumpkin for 2007" . Then, in a different place...maybe going around the pumpkin : " (Name) is grateful for __________(Then have a list of what they are grateful). For smaller children you can have them write with pencil and you go back and retrace their cute writing or you can write it for them. I still have Josh's first "Gratitude Pumpkin" where he listed he was grateful for his first Bible and Mrs. B (what he called his first grade teacher)

You then gather the pumpkins in a basket with Fall garland. It makes a wonderful and reflective centerpiece and one you can talk about at the table on Thanksgiving day.


Hope you enjoy it!

Janet