Thankful Thursday #148!

"They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the LORD:

'For He is good; His faithful love to Israel endures forever.'”

~Ezra 3:11a

Happy Thursday, friends and family! ❤

Today, I am thankful for:

1.  Adorable kids who make life more fun!  Here's my honorary nephew and mini-BFF, Tate, after building an amazing block tower! =)

And here he is with his dad being excited to show me the willow tree bridge because he heard I love tree bridges! ❤

2.  The joy of watching the step-by-step progress and process of my future home taking shape, and the sense of anticipation of good things ahead!

3.  Eddie Kaufholz (one of my fav podcasters from Annie & Eddie), who has responded with kindness and good humor both times I've emailed him, and who has released a new podcast and newsletter this month!!

4.  A delightful Cracker Barrel dinner + games with Mom and Dad and these two (Jace was at Axel's house).  *We also found some fun Christmas stuff and a lovely wooden "Welcome" sign for my new house in the CB gift shop! =)

5.  For the major benefit of saving some money by living with Mom and Dad for what will be just over six months when my house is ready late October!  It's been nice having "Kyndal's room" to sleep in, my own bathroom and shower complete with two cabinet sides (one where I do my hair and the other for face washing, makeup, and teethbrushing), both closets for my clothes and shoes (divided into work clothes vs. non-work clothes), and Jace's room as a makeshift living room where I can do cycling, yoga, and strength classes... and then recline and watch my shows whilst Mom and Dad watch the news at night!

6.  That movie theaters are still going strong (I wondered at times if the pandemic would kill them forever).  I so enjoy a good movie in the theater setting... including this one, which they brought back to theaters with some extended scenes.  Saturday was National Cinema Day, so all movies were $3, which was lovely! 

*Also, it makes me happy that Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick has started a new trend where the actors talk to the audience before the film begins.  How great are Toby, Tom, and Andrew!?  This movie was fantastic and changed my mind on the multiverse concept (which was mostly just annoying to me at first, but if it means  more films like this, bring it on)!!

7.  Finally, I'm thankful for finding this joy-filled photo from Christmas Eve 1996 (I think that's the right year).  Mom had wrapped a series of gifts for Emily, a scavenger-hunt-style present where the boxes are wrapped Russian nesting doll style then the smallest one holds a clue for where you find the next set... eventually leading you to the real gift, which is typically far less memorable than the fun of the hunt for it!  Anyway, cleverly avoiding a stupid argument, Mom assigned me, Rach, and Blake specific spots to help Emily with unwrapping, and here it was my turn.  It makes me happy that everyone looks overjoyed, and Emily looks really excited!  And of course, I love seeing the Christmas decor of 9121 in the background, as well, hence me leaving the uncropped version as well as the closer one! =)  Hooray for Christmas cheer - past, present, and future!

May you believe by faith that God exists

and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

Labor Day Pool Party!

Happy Tuesday, friends!  We are on a holiday break week at CCU, so I'm taking advantage of the extra time to catch up here!  It was a fun long weekend that included quality family time, a Marvel movie in theaters, and seeing so many good friends!!  The Wilsons hosted a Labor Day pool party cookout, and everyone invited showed up... the Moss fam, the Myers, the Fultons, the Youngs, the Shoemakers, the Bradleys, the Weatherfords, and me and Teresa! =)  Such. a. fun. group!!  (It was 26 people including 8 kids under the age of 5, and more on the way!)

P.S.  I love how Tate waits to make sure all the guys are really jumping before he goes for it!

I made Oreo balls for the occasion - always a favorite for Mark and Chet!  Probably won't volunteer these again until I have my own space because I felt bad having to use so many dishes for this. lol  It wasn't my prettiest batch, but no one seemed to mind! =)

Tate wanted to show me something cool they found... so we drove a little further down their neighborhood to see it... a magical tree bridge over the sidewalk shaded by this huge willow tree!! ❤

I loved it and told him thanks for showing me!!

Katherine Claire and Lindsey Claire!  (Heidi Claire had not arrived at that point, but yay for my middle name being a popular choice). =)

Tate and Ellie were excited to see each other and swim!

Chettles cooking dinner for us on the very smoky grill!

Kate in her baby Yoda dress and Tate behind her in his Stormtrooper mask! lol

A random crowd shot... I'm impressed that everyone came!

Seeing this kids' table made me very happy and brought back old memories!

He's a fan! lol

I was there from 3:30 to 8:30, so I had time to swim and eat and play with the kids and catch up with lots of friends... including a good talk with Chet, with both Sarahs, with Jeff, with Mark, with Teresa, and with Jessica!  And I left feeling super thankful for this group of friends, as I often do!

JEM with the Pioneer Woman salsa Kelly made for us!

The kids did *not* appreciate being blocked off from certain rooms. lol

So good to see the Moss fam again!

Miss Parker Elizabeth being a bundle of joy!

Harvey Lane wanting to take Tate's bike out for a spin! =)

Katherine scaring Lucy (the cat). lol

And Jeffrey having fun on the backyard swing!

That's finally all for today!  Have a great short work week ahead!!

May the Lord show you lovingkindness and faithfulness!

Meme-ories and Quotes

And now, a few quotes and memes:

Mom:  "So what's for lunch!?"
Triston:  "Italian sounds good!"
Jace (prone to strongly disagree with his siblings at all times):  "Noooo!!  But I could go for Olive Garden!" lol

Me (at Olive Garden):  "Well, looks like their $5 take-home meals are now $6."
Kyndal Faith:  "Thanks, Joe Biden!" lol
(She's been around Mamaw a lot. This totally cracked me up, though, and it reminded me of Schmidt reacting with "Thanks, Obama" to Jess getting fired on New Girl!)

Jaceman:  "I have one more year until I'm able to start selling candy bars!"
Me:  "Oh yay, I'll definitely buy some from you!"
Jace (with all the finesse and canivery of a salesy salesman):  "Great!  I'll take $20 right now!!" lolol
#notsomuch

This was a while back, but I randomly thought of it yesterday and it made me laugh, so I'm posting it now:
Tate built a little 3-sided square with magnetic blocks then put his toy car inside it and put a lid piece on top.
Me:  "Aww, you built a little car pen - I love it!"
Karli (presumably wanting her son to learn proper English):  "Yep, we built a garage!"
Me, laughing at myself:  "Yesss.  That is also what those are called!"
Chet:  "Honey, did you pull the car into the car pen!?" lol

My cousin, Kristin, sent me this... accurate!! lol

This verse has been my screensaver and a helpful reminder for me since last November!

A couple gems from Chet Lee:

=)

*I freaking adore the ducks and otters in the Dawn commercials, though!!  PRECIOUS.

And that's it for this post... short and simple.

Reading the Narnia books has made me think about this verse several times... I love the idea of even the trees and flowers and animals being more vibrant and intuitive and deeply alive in heaven... and the phrasing of "glorious freedom from death and decay" really speaks to me about God's heart for us and the goodness He has planned for us there!

"But with eager hope, the creation itself looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay."  ~Romans 18:20-21

(May you look forward with eager hope today!)

Home, Sweet (Almost) Home!

Today, you get three for the price of one... a house update + a Labor Day party recap + a post with the latest memes I've saved! =)  Starting here with the house update... it's come such a long way!

My beautiful kitchen all painted with the quartz countertops installed (minus the backsplash, cabinet hardware, and appliances).  Love it!

My eggplant-colored backyard doors... fun!!  I look forward to roasting s'mores in my backyard fireplace this fall (after someone else gets the actual fire going, as anyone who knows me well probably already assumed)!

Master bathroom with the granite installed... mirror coming soon!  *The super dark spots are dirt not part of the flooring.

The Jaceman showing off my "speakeasy" front door!

Guest bathroom

My future child's room... I was a bit worried after choosing a shade of green paint called "Falling Star" for this room without seeing it in person first... but it's light and subtle and super perfect, so YAY!! ❤

I'm happy I went with the rain glass upgrade for the pantry door - I'm a fan!

Mmmmini Miss K!! ❤

Living room fireplace (stone surround coming soon)

Hanging out on the porch in my future backyard!

The front porch is also nice!

I now have a driveway and an above-ground tornado shelter (which is not installed where it goes yet).

LOVING this navy mudbench in the entryway!

Yay for doors everywhere!

It's dusty enough to dull the shine here, but these navy cabinets look great with this fun tile in my laundry room!! ❤

That's all I've got for this post.  One down, two to go.

May you be kind and compassionate,
forgiving others just as the Lord forgave you!