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Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

January 2, 2016 By Jackie 4 Comments

What I’m Into {December 2015}

Hello, 2016! If ever a year seemed to fly by it was 2015. I know I sound like a broken record every month when I do these mostly updates, but December was one of the busiest months I can ever remember.

My two oldest boys each played 6 basketball games for a total of 12. Three of the kids had Christmas concerts/programs, and four of the kids participated in our church Christmas play.

Not only that but, two of my boys had birthdays and my husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. Couple all of those things with getting Christmas presents ready and celebrating Christmas with family and you have a recipe for exhaustion.

Even with all of the busy days, the last week of December was much more relaxing and I am thankful that we were able to enjoy a slower pace before ballgames begin again next week.

I am looking forward to seeing what 2016 brings, but first I want to give you a little recap of December 2015.

My Family

Joshua and Joseph’s birthdays are in December exactly 3 years and 1 week apart. So, we always have their party on the same day. This year Joshua wanted a basketball cake and Joseph wanted a train cake.

While I have made fun cakes for them before (like this basketball cake), I simply felt too rushed on time to do justice to the cakes. So, with a little Photoshop magic I was able to print out a basketball and a train, tape them to toothpicks, and stick them into the cakes. This was super simple and saved my sanity.

Joshua’s cake was made using my allergy-free chocolate zucchini cake recipe and Joseph’s was a Texas sheet cake.

Birthday Cakes with Printouts for Decoration

Speaking of celebrating, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in December. I still can’t believe it has been 20 years. Look at those two kids in the picture on the left! We were just babies. 🙂

We’ve been through a lot, but I am so thankful for having JT by my side through it all.

20th Anniversary Then & Now 2015

On Christmas Eve my husband dropped me off at the grocery store while he and the kids got some gas. I didn’t need but a few things so it didn’t take me long.

While I was in the store I received this picture that Julia took on my husband’s phone. I love this crazy crew of mine!

Truck Selfie 12-24-15

Later that night, when everyone was asleep, I set to work putting the presents under the tree. I always loved, even as a college student, going to bed with no presents under the tree and waking up to see all sorts of presents under the tree.

Christmas Tree with Presents

Everyone always has their own pile of presents. Sometimes the piles seem small, but my kids are always so appreciative of what they receive. I love to watch them excitedly open presents.

Before Opening Presents 2015

My favorite presents are these five precious gifts from God.

After Opening Presents 2015

My daughter Julia works so hard in school. She had a really stressful month with all of the work she had to complete for her classes. She has two classes she is taking for college credit and there are two others which are very tough.

So, when our pastor asked her to sing the song “Blessings” by Laura Story on a Monday she said yes even though she knew she would have little time to learn the song before Sunday.

While Julia didn’t think it was her best performance, I loved it and her willingness to praise the Lord through song in spite of her busy schedule.

My Favorite Picture

December Rainbow

One morning a few weeks ago I came home from town and saw this rainbow. As you can see the end of it was right in our field. However, there was no pot of gold at the end. 🙂

What I’m Reading


This month I have been reading the unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo (affiliate link). It is such a good book. It is also very long. I am almost finished with it and I am excited to get to the conclusion, but I am going to be kind of sad when it is over. I am not sure which classic novel I will read next, but I am afraid it might pale by comparison to this book.

What I’m Working On

Early in December I decided to turn some of my crockpot recipes into crockpot freezer recipes. With the busy month we had I am so glad I took the time to do so. I ended up making a couple more crockpot freezer meals a week or so later. They made life so much easier last month. The only thing I probably will not do again is freeze potatoes and carrots.

Crockpot Freezer Meals

For several people on my list I made necklaces. For some of the necklaces I used words from the dictionary, for others I used a family picture, and for others I used a picture of a team mascot. They were a lot of fun to make and were really well-received. I wish I would have taken more pictures of the necklaces I gave away. Maybe I will make some more and write up a tutorial.

Word Necklace

Do you remember the crocheted dolls I shared about last month? Well, Janna loves hers. She has played with her doll quite a bit during the past week.

Crocheted Hat & Doll

I also crocheted hast for all of my kids. They were all made using a modified version of my Super Simple Hat pattern. The only exception was Julia’s hat which I shared about in October.

Crocheted Hat and Cat

Joseph wanted a cat with blue stripes. I have no idea why, but I found a cute cat crochet pattern that had a shirt which I made with blue and white stripes. He seems to like it.

On the Blog

December was a pretty slow month on the blog. Here are the two posts I did manage to write.

  • Crockpot Italian Beef
  • Party Food: Build Your Own Sub

Well, that about does it for December 2015 (and 2015 for that matter). To keep up with me until next month’s update head over to Instagram where I share all sorts of random pictures. Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook while you’re at it.

What were you into in December?

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer to show what I’m into lately!

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting this site. 

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jackiesblessings

I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that h I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that has happened in 2020. There have been so many negatives for so many people. I can’t say it has all been positive for me either. However, there are some things that have happened in 2020 for which I am so grateful. 
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The main thing I am grateful for is the extra time I was able to spend with my kids. We had so much fun during quarantine and this summer. I know this wasn’t the case for everyone, but I do not regret the days when we had nothing planned and could just have fun together. Whether it was walking in the woods, playing games, watching a movie together, or even doing chores, I never once heard an “I’m bored.” 🙂 
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In addition to the gift of more time together, I am also grateful for all of the milestones we have celebrated this year. In June, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and then we had four milestone birthdays. Julia turned 21, James turned 18, Joshua turned 16, and Joseph turned 13. (Janna felt left out, so we told her that her birthday was special because it was her last birthday in single digits.) Also, today marks 25 years that JT and I have been married. 
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While I won’t be sorry to see 2020 go, and I hope
and pray 2021 is better for so many people who are hurting right now, I don’t ever want to forget the good times we had this year. 
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P.S. I took all of these pictures over fall break.
The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual church service yesterday, and I couldn’t resist getting a picture with them in front of this beautiful Christmas tree. ❤️
James has been playing school basketball since he James has been playing school basketball since he was in the fourth grade. Tonight he and his fellow Seniors  were recognized at their game, and I just can’t believe James is this old. 
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Normally, Senior Night is the last game of the season. However,  because everything in the world seems so uncertain right now, we wanted to make sure the boys got a chance to be recognized. We wanted something “normal” for them. I am thankful James and his teammates not only got recognized but also won their game. 
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P.S. We had our masks on at all times other than when we took pictures.
We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is t We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is turning 13 today, and it just doesn’t seem possible. The beautiful baby boy who was placed in my arms on a cold and foggy day in December is still my “little” guy. However, after looking at this picture of the two of us, I don’t think he will be shorter than me for long. Joseph is still my shy guy, but he is also sweet, loving, kind, and just an all around good kid. We also lovingly refer to him as the cat whisperer because the kittens and cats follow him around like puppies. 🙂 It has been so much fun to have Joseph at school with me this year now that he is in junior high, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mama. Happy birthday, Joseph! ❤️
2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of 2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of those challenges was self-inflicted. 🙂 I just finished my fourth master’s level course of 2020 through Ball State, and I passed the high ability licensure exam last Thursday. This means that I will soon have high ability added to my teaching license. 
.
When I signed up to take my first class in January, I had no idea what 2020 was going to entail. Teaching in a pandemic isn’t for the faint of heart. Taking classes and caring for five kids while teaching in a pandemic has allowed me to see what I am really made of. I don’t mean to brag, but I am pretty happy that I received straight A’s. Beyond that, I learned so much, and I am grateful for this opportunity even though I felt stretched to my limits some days. 
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Yes, 2020 has been challenging, but I have been blessed with more time with my family, knowledge gained, and challenges met and overcome.
I almost forgot to post this here. 🎂 Joshua is I almost forgot to post this here. 
🎂
Joshua is 16 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible that my little pip squeak of a baby boy is now about 6’4”. Joshua is now the tallest of the family, and I’m not sure he is done growing. There hasn’t been a dull moment since Joshua arrived, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. He is a fun-loving, hard-working, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. I am so thankful God thought I was up to the task of being Joshua’s mama. ❤️
My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t c My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t cry as soon as he was born but first looked around to see what was going on in the world, is now a 6’2” handsome man. I truly never thought the years would go by so quickly, but here we are. James is 18 today. 

There are so many words I could use to describe James: hardworking, dedicated, persevering, intelligent, funny, curious, kindhearted, dependable, respectful, and helpful. I could also expound upon his accomplishments, and I could tell you how great he is. However, I don’t love James for what he has accomplished but simply because he is my son.

I have been so blessed to be James’s mom, and I thank God every day for entrusting him into my care. I don’t know what the future will hold for him, but I know he will do great things. 

For anyone reading this who is struggling with a tantrum throwing toddler, a strong-willed child, and/or a child who questions everything, I would like to encourage you. Look for the positive qualities your child possesses such as perseverance, dedication, and curiosity and build upon that. I will never regret the hard days of parenting because my prayers and hard work have paid off. Helping James reach his full potential and keep those qualities without breaking his spirit has been worth the effort.

Happy Birthday, James!
I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed sur I’m not going to sugar coat it. Today seemed surreal. It felt chaotic. Nothing was normal. We are all exhausted. However, it was wonderful to be with my students again after five months, and my own kids enjoyed seeing their friends. I don’t know how this school year will play out, but I am ready to go back tomorrow and try to make teaching virtually and in person work to the best of my ability. My students are worth the effort. 
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James is a senior, and this was his last first day of school. Joshua is a sophomore, and Joseph is in 7th grade which means I have all three of my boys in the same building with me. Janna is in fourth grade, and she was very excited to be back at school. Julia will be a senior in college when she starts back next week. 
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I am praying we all have a safe and healthy school year. I plan to try not to think about the unknowns and what-ifs and take it one day at a time.
This morning I told four of my kids we were going This morning I told four of my kids we were going to go on an adventure. (No, I didn’t leave one out of the fun. James played in a golf tournament with his dad. 🙂) Anyway, it was quite an adventure. It started with my vehicle telling me one of the tires needed air, but it must be a bad sensor because it was fine. Then I almost ran out of gas. I drove us on all sorts of country roads we had never been on, and I even thought I was going south when I was actually going north for like 10 miles. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It was very obvious I have not been many places since March. 
.
Anyway, Julia, Joshua, Joseph, Janna, and I went to @maxandhoneys where we took some pictures and picked a beautiful bouquet. It was really fun. After that, we went to Greencastle and then to Lieber State Recreation Area. We finished by stopping to do a few things in my classroom, and we made it home before it started raining.
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I am so thankful for a day of doing something fun and “normal” but out of the ordinary. I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s the best way to describe it. Yes, we had to wear masks sometimes and practice social distancing, but it was still a good day. 
.
Here are some pictures from our day. The last picture is of James before he went to play golf. How is he old enough to be a senior? 😢 I am so thankful for my family. 💕 Also, kudos to Joshua and Joseph for being good sports about picking flowers. Their future wives will thank me. 😀

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