Happy Birthday, Russ!

Today is Sutton's brother Russ's birthday. I am blessed to have 4 sisters, but I never had any brothers. Russ was the first Page that I met and he immediately made me feel welcome and a part of the family. I feel as though God blessed me with a big brother when I married Sutton. Russ is talented in so many ways. He is a loving husband, father, brother, and friend. He has an amazing faith and a giving heart. Russ- Hope you have had a great day. Sutton and I both feel thankful to have a brother and friend like you!

Thanksgiving Pictures

We had a great Thanksgiving in Midland with the Pages. Here are a few fun pictures from the holiday...

Deck the halls....

My goal for today is to get my house decorated for Christmas. I am having a hard time getting motivated though, so I decided to start by decorating my blog. At least blog decorations are easy to change if I decide I don't like them...unlike my Christmas tree. I will be posting Thanksgiving pics soon, and hopefully I will have pics of my decorated house by the end of the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving...

I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving today because we will be in Midland tomorrow celebrating the day with Sutton's Dad and the rest of the Pages. I hope everyone has a very safe and happy day and that you get to spend some time with those you love. As you know, I have spent November posting about my blessings. We have so much to be thankful for this year even in the midst of uncertain economic times. I am so thankful today for my sweet husband, for the wonderful family I was born into and for the wonderful family I married into, for our dear friends, for our jobs, for our health, for our pets, for our home, for the dear members of our family who have passed on but who have left a legacy of love and hope, and for our heavenly father and His son who died to save us. My sister, Judith, sent me a text last night about a sign she saw in Clifton that said, "Too blessed to be depressed." I think that is the perfect way to sum up and conclude my November gratitude posts. Have a happy Thanksgiving and please know that I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Happy Birthday, Becky!

Tomorrow is our sister in law, Becky's birthday and I wanted to send her a quick shout out. I am excited because this will be the first time we have ever been able to celebrate the actual day with her. We are so thankful that Becky is part of our family. She is a great sister, wife, mother, counselor, Christian, and friend. She is a blessing to all who are lucky enough to know her. Beck- Hope you have a great one and a year full of blessings! (This pic was taken two years ago on Thanksgiving. This was one of my favorite days spent with Becky and Chelsea, drinking coffee and talking in our pj's, shopping, baking, drinking wine, talking around a fire, and listening to music. A perfect day for bonding and girl time...A day I will never forget.)

Neighbors

From left to right: The Chessers and the Burnetts
Today I am thankful for such great neighbors. We moved to this street over 5 years ago and we have always been blessed with really good neighbors. Jim and Julie live across the street and they are a joy. Julie is an amazing baker and she spoils us with cheesecake and other sweet treats. Jim has brought Piper home several times when he has dug himself out of the backyard. They also watch over things when we are gone. Lou and Brenda live next door to them and Lou is the neighborhood watchman. John and Brenda live down the street towards the end of the cul de sac and their constant cheerfulness and friendliness always makes my day. Other great neighbors were the Benicks and the Kanes who lived down the street and became very dear friends. Both families moved when the military called and they had to be stationed elsewhere.

We seem to have a knack for attracting friends who are either in the military or the ministry and therefore they do not stay in one place long. When the Chois moved last summer I told Sutton no more friends in the military or ministry because it is just too hard to say good bye when they move (even though we have remained friends with all of the above, it is just different when they aren't in the same town or state anymore.) Then the Chessers moved next door. I baked them a buttermilk pie and went next door to introduce myself. Immediately there was a connection and I knew we would be friends. Then I asked what they did...It was as if God was laughing at me when they told me Rody was a preacher. Well, a year later, the Chessers are still here and Wendy has become one of my dearest friends. We walk several mornings a week and I treasure that time together. I tell you all of this because today is Wendy's birthday. She is an amazing wife, mother, Christian, and friend. God's light truly shines through her and I am so thankful she lives next door. Check out the sweet blog post her husband wrote for her...It is a wonderful description of the special lady that lives next door to us. Wendy- I hope you have a fabulous birthday and a year full of blessings!

Two things I never thought I would be doing....

Cheering for Texas Tech and eating sushi...Sutton and I are enjoying a relaxing evening at home and life is good. Gig'em Red Raiders!

So much to be grateful for tonight...

I have fallen behind on blogging about my blessings. Tonight I feel so thankful for so much. I am thankful it is finally cold enough for our first fire of the season and for my favorite flannel pj's. I am thankful that I am done with grocery shopping until after Thanksgiving. It was crazy at HEB tonight and I know it is only going to get worse this weekend. I am thankful that I can go to the grocery store, fill up my basket, and not worry if I will have enough money to pay for my groceries. A few weeks ago, I saw a man being chased out of HEB as he tried to steal groceries. I can't even imagine how desperate he must have been to feed himself and his family to have to steal groceries. I wish I could have bought him those groceries, instead, he left the cart in the parking lot and sped off in his car, probably off to try to steal elsewhere. It broke my heart and at the same time reminded me of the blessings I take so for granted. I am thankful for our new, improved, fancy HEB...It is so awesome, even though it does take me two hours to shop because there is so much to see. I am thankful that the holiday season is just around the corner and that Love Actually is on t.v. tonight. I am thankful for a weekend at home and I am looking forward to a day of baking for the youth bake sale and catching up around the house. What are you thankful for tonight?

9 Days to Thankful...

Found this on Stacey Julian's blog tonight and thought it was a great idea...Unfortunately I had already failed because I was eating Milk Duds as I was reading it. At least Wendy and I got our brisk walk in for the day and I got plenty of sleep last night. Maybe I can start over tomorrow and do my own version of 9 days to thankful...I really don't know if I can give up sugar, but we'll see.

The Word

I am so thankful today for time spent worshiping and being in the Word. Sutton and I got to teach our high school youth this morning. We do this once a month and I think most of the time we end up learning more than they do. Today's lesson was on
1 Samuel 1-20, the story of Hannah. It was such an awesome reminder that God hears our prayers and remembers us. We talked about the difference between wishes and hopes and that a hope is something that is desired with a confidence that the desire will be fulfilled. This story gives me so much peace and hope in the future that God has in store for us as a couple. I don't think it was ironic at all that this lesson fell on our Sunday to teach. We have been struggling the past few months and needed this Biblical reminder that we must turn to the Lord always and put our confidence and trust in Him. The sermon today was also very good. The lesson was from Matthew 25: 14-30 and it was about using our talents for God's glory. My enthusiasm for things has been a little low lately and this was a great reminder that God has given us all talents that he wants us to use for his good. I am inspired about the week and pray that I will find new ways to use my talents to glorify Him.

Introducing Puffin...

So we decided to name the bunny Puffin. It took almost a week to decide and now Sutton can't remember his name because we have called him so many things this week. Thanks to everyone for the great name suggestions. I loved reading all of your comments. Charlotte was the winner of the random drawing. Char- be on the lookout for something fun in your mail next week. Let me know if you still have the same mailing address. Here are a couple of fun pics of Puffin. He has really packed on the pounds this week. Sutton spoils him with celery, parsley, lettuce, and cilantro. He likes to watch tv with us on the couch and always seems to leave a surprise on Sutton's shoulder...I am wondering if they make bunny diapers? He has adjusted well to his cage and will be moving into the garage very soon. You might be a redneck if you have a bunny cage in your dining room... Hope you are having a great week. I have several gratitude posts to catch up on so check back over the weekend.

Weekend with Family

I am thankful today for a fun weekend spent visiting with all sides of our families. Sutton and I both have large families that are spread across Texas. We treasure every moment we get to spend with family members and this weekend was awesome because several of them were here in San Angelo! We enjoyed having dinner with Sutton's Mom and Rick on Friday night. We all drove down to Eldorado to watch Sutton's cousin, Garrett, play football. The Eagles played well but were unable to outscore the Rock Springs Angoras.


On Saturday, Sutton was in a skeet shoot and I was stock showing with my sister, Jennifer, my niece, Emily June, and their friend, Reese. Emily June had a great day winning showmanship and Reserve Champion Steer Overall in both rings. On Saturday night we all relaxed here at the house and had dinner. The Kelleys had to go back to Yoakum on Sunday morning.



Sutton's cousin, Reed, and his fiancé, Brandi, came by the house on Sunday and we all went to lunch. We had not seen them since the big engagement so it was great to get caught up on all of the wedding planning. They make a great couple and we are excited about their August wedding. Here they are with Reed's sweet dog, Grace.

We also enjoyed getting to know our bunny better this weekend. He now has a permanent home complete with a cardboard house so that he can have some privacy. We are still debating on a name and appreciate all of the great suggestions. I will be posting the winner of the drawing very soon...

New Addition

I am so excited to introduce the newest addition to the Page household...I was in an office on Tuesday and the nurse was giving away bunnies. The doctor was taking one home to his daughter and it was so cute. I have always wanted a bunny and deep down I think someone else around here has always wanted a bunny, too. I was able to talk him into letting me get one and he picked up our little guy yesterday in Menard. He said the bunny is totally my responsibility, so I need some help from you, our faithful readers/ stalkers.
We are trying to come up with a name for him. My choice was Hef after Hugh Hefner. We tried it out yesterday and I don't think Sutton is sold on it, so I decided to do a little blog game. Thanks to Becky for inspiring this giveaway. I have always wanted to do a little RAK giveaway (Random Act of Kindness) here, so if you think Hef is a good choice,if you have another suggestion, or if you just want to leave a comment, post them by Monday morning. You can do it anonymously if you don't have an account, but please leave your name so I know who it is posting. Post as often as you like. We will do a random drawing, and whoever wins will get a little surprise from me (to be determined) in the mail. In the spirit of gratitude this month, this is my way of saying thank you for reading our blog. Have a great day and I look forward to reading your posts!

Fun Night Out

Tonight I am thankful for a fun night out in the middle of the week. We went to an art party featuring my favorite artist, Kate Crossland Juett. Last year, I bought my first piece of art from her and I am still amazed and inspired by it every day. It is the top painting in the picture, but I don't think a picture can do it justice. You really need to experience Kate's work in real life. She does collage art with painting, hand sewn beads, and vintage stamps. It was great to visit with Kate again and to see her latest body of work. After the party, we went to dinner with Sutton's aunt and uncle and our dear friends, Patty and Randy. It was nice to go out and relax in the middle of the week. It was also nice to take a break from all of the election news.

The Right to Vote

I am thankful today that we live in a country where we have the right to vote. I voted on Friday and Sutton voted this morning. We did what we could do- I hope you did too. Tonight we are praying for the future of our country.

I took the picture yesterday on my drive between Colorado City and Snyder. You might remember this post from August... I love that someone takes time out of their life to decorate this little patch of trees on the side of the road for each season. I look forward to that drive every month because I never know what the sign is going to say and it always makes me smile. The sign this month fits perfectly into my November gratitude project. I am thankful to that anonymous person for always making my day and for reminding me that even the smallest things can make a difference.

Weekend at Home

Today I am thankful for a weekend at home with time to catch up and piddle around the house, time to cook, and time spent with Sutton. We have not had a weekend like this in a long time, and it has been good for my mind and soul to just be home and relax. I feel caught up and ready to face the week ahead.

I made homemade chicken and dumplings last night out of Cooking Light magazine. They were good, but I still haven't found the perfect recipe. If you have one you would like to share, please leave a comment. We would really appreciate it! For some reason yesterday we were both craving really good chicken and dumplings, and I searched all of my cookbooks and clipped recipes, and this was the best I could do with what I had on hand.

Gig'em Tech!!!!

Wow! What an awesome game! I don't mind one bit that I have that Tech flag in my yard now that they beat the hell out of t.u. Sutton and I watched the game here at home. I don't know that I have ever cheered for Tech in my life, but tonight my voice is hoarse and I still have goose bumps from that last touchdown. Tonight we are thankful for a huge win for Texas Tech, and we are thankful that the Aggies won today, too!

Count Your Blessings...

Since today is the first day of November, I have decided to dedicate my November posts to counting my blessings. My intention is to blog daily about the simple things in life that I am thankful for and to use this blog as a type of gratitude journal (but be patient with me if I miss a day or two here and there...) I am hoping to complete a gratitude layout at the end of the month using my blog entries as the inspiration. The Scrapbook University group is doing a November daily book, but I don't want to overload myself with another project, so this is my way of "playing along". I hope you enjoy the blog this month and that it also inspires you to think of all of the blessings in your life at the moment.

To start off the month, I am very thankful for my job and the chance to work with my partner, Denise. Today is her birthday and I am hoping she is having a fabulous day. We have worked together for over 4 years, and in that time she has not only been a great partner, but she has become one of my best friends and almost like a sister. She is one of the first people I call when something goes wrong and she is always there to listen, support, and offer perspective. She has seen me at my absolute worst and still seems to like me just the same. She has shown me how important it is to balance work and life and she is amazing at both. Happy Birthday, D-Hope it is a great one!