What a Great Turkey Day

We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving...so far.  We still have lots of days left with Erik's family and I can only imagine what we are going to get into next!  We started our holiday serving dinner with the Go Lucy Go Foundation at LeBonheur.  We served over 150 meals to families who were spending their holiday in the hospital.  I love meeting the families and hearing their stories.  It's also nice just to be able to drop a meal off at patient's room and know that you are silently helping make someone's night a little brighter.  Our work at LeBonheur is not about us personally, but rather about the efforts of people all over the country (and world) who have donated money to help our foundation succeed.  Thank you all for allowing us to do what we do.

Dr. C and Dr. D (husband and wife dynamic duo) helped served dinner and led the children all night.  It was so heart warming watching these amazingly talented doctors become servants for an evening.  

These precious Girl Scouts brought a huge load of items for the Go Lucy Go Foundation Food Bank. Thank you girls!!

Thanksgiving day we celebrated with my side of the family.  As always we had a huge crowd and way too much food.  I love the time I get to spend with my family.  The older I get the more I realize how precious this time together actually is.  

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to you all!

p.s.--this is what my house looked like all day and night the 2 days prior to Thanksgiving.  I loved every minute of it!

I'm Not a Blogger

I struggle with it daily.  You know, the pressure to be a "blogger."  "What if I don't write daily?"  What if people stop reading?"  Those are the questions I ask myself everyday. I just can't keep going through this self questioning on a daily basis.  

First of all, I'm not a "blogger."  I am a mom who chronicles our life for posterity through the median of blogging.  Secondly, if I'm worried about blogging all the time how can I possibly be the mother I need to be on a daily basis?  A lot of days I have time to blog.  A lot of days I don't.  Some days I would have to give up mandatory time with my children to write a post--just for the sake of posting.  I'm just not going to do it.  So, I hope you will stick around and read what life has in store for the Krulls.  I know God has big, huge plans in store for all of us and I'd love to share those details with you.  I just can't promise you will get a daily update :)

This weekend we spent lots of time together as a family.  It was one of the best weekends we have had in a very long time.  Friday my mom and sister and I had a girls day filled with Christmas shopping and lunch!  Oh, I had so much fun!

Saturday was dinner at Huey's and then the Memphis Tigers game--followed by Fro Yo!

Sunday we celebrated my dad and sister's birthdays.  I just love it when my crazy family gets together.  (I lost the charger to my camera battery so all my pictures have been iphone lately.  My new charger came in the mail today.)

Happy Birthday to the world's best Dad and Sister!!!!!

If you would, please be in prayer for Lucy.  She goes for scans Dec. 3 and it's not too soon to start interceeding on her behalf.  I know that so many of you still pray for her although I don't ask for it on a daily basis.  

Thanks at its Best

          

Today was filled with lots of thanks and a few tears. Jack's class had a pow pow and he had a total meltdown. Bless his heart he just didn't want to participate

 While the other kids danced around the tee pee, he sat in the floor and watched. I asked him later why he didn't participate and he told me there were too many people. I guess he is going to be my shy child. 

Lucy, note other hand, had a blast being a pilgrim while enjoying the Thanksgiving feast at school. Erik, my mom and I got to eat lunch with both girls today. It was such a fun time. 

I just wrapped up my night by baking 2 cakes, assembling 20 bags of turkey toes and hand addressing 35 Thanksgiving cards!  Wheh!  What a day!

No matter how busy I was today, I found a thousand things for which I could be grateful. God has been so good to me!

Field Trip

I have to admit that some days I find it hard to know what to blog about. With the girls in school all day and Jack there half the day, I don't have a lot of opportunities to grab my camera and document our days.  I enjoy blogging and I want to keep everyone updated on Lucy's progress, but some days I don't even sit down until 10 pm.  I'm sure not complaining, just explaining why I don't post every night.

Tonight is a catch up post.  Earlier this Fall, Lucy's class went on a field trip to a local farm.  It was a fun day, with lots of activity barns for the kids to explore.  The farm was set up to actually teach the children about local farming and food discovery.  They also had a killer slide that both Jack and Lucy loved!

The kids had fun practicing their milking skills on the fake udders.  I don't know who laughed harder--the kids or the parents.  We also had a great time on the hay ride and walking through the corn maze.

This last picture pretty much sums up our day.  It was hot, humid and everyone was really tired.  My sweet three year old just wouldn't stop though.  He kept up with the big kids but collapsed as soon as he settled in his car seat.  I am so thankful that I got to spend the day with both he and Lucy.  I am so fortunate to be able to go on field trips with my kiddos.  Another blessing I'm not taking for granted today.

A Week of Thankfulness

While I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving, I am beginning to really feel the pressures of Christmas mounting up.  There are the presents to buy, the food to make, the unnumbered events to attend and this year (because we don't have enough on our plates) Erik, Ella and I will be performing in our church's Christmas program.  Did I mention that the trio is all there is?  No other actors.  Just a tiny bit of pressure.

 Jack is thankful for Momma's boots.  He said my boots were hard to walk in.  

In an effort to really like our my Thanksgiving this season, and not completely blow through November as if it doesn't exist, I am journaling my daily #daysofthanksgiving on Instagram.  I have found myself snapping more pictures and acknowledging the things and people I am thankful for several times throughout the day.

At night we are filling up our Thankful Tree with everything we are thankful for.  I love hearing what the children have to say as we eat dinner as a family.  Jack has us laughing each time; dinosaurs, trucks, racecars.  It dawned on my tonight during our homemade potato soup dinner that he was actually rattling off his Christmas list.  Oh, well.  He's only 3.

I try to live a thankful life and most day I think I succeed.  Yes, we've been given some unexpected and possibly "unfair" situations to handle but I can honestly say that I at any given moment I am totally aware that things could be worse.  Isn't that something for which I should always be thankful? Tonight I am thankful for 3 well children at their well child check ups.  My children's health has never meant more to me than it does now.

Bumbletees Fabric

How cute are these custom applique t-shirts?  I have just fallen in love with the designs and unique fabrics that Bumbletees Fabric uses.

From time to time I am going to use this blog to help promote businesses that give back.  Bumbletees Fabric is a local Memphis business that gives a portion of its profits to charity.  During this month of Thanksgiving, Bumbletees Fabric is donating 10% of its sales to the Go Lucy Go Foundation.  I'd love for you to check out this precious business.  I know you are going to love it!

Here is a little bit about Bumbletees:

Bumbletees Fabrics is a quaint specialty fabric & gift shop located in Germantown, TN  We carry high end cotton fabrics such as Riley Blake, Michael Miller & Amy Butler, ideal for clothing, quilting and home decor projects. Using these great fabrics, we create pillows, dish towels, tote bags, banners, skirts and anything else that seems to inspire us that day.  We also hand cut and design applique tees for babies, children and adults. Our shop offers sewing classes for all levels, young and old, beginners to advanced.  Our specialty is helping put together fun fabric combinations for any project. Come visit our happy shop… it’s full of creative ideas and will always brighten your day! (Little ones are welcomed…they love our toy basket!)

This holiday season we are having an open house with some great local talent:  Faith Wallace's art and frames, quilts by Kelly Young, Pat McRee's beautiful paintings, Author Amber Turner of Sway, Sarah's Sauces by Sarah Jordan, Revival Jewelry by Sharon Ray, lots of unique handmade gifts by Bumbletees and special treats by a couple of sweet young ladies, Gia Rolen and Mary Jensen of "Grumpy Cakes." 

When you visit Bumbletees be sure to mention GOLUCYGO and they will donate 10%.  Or,  visit their Etsy shop, etsy.com/shop/bumbletees, and mention GOLUCYGO in your message at check out.

Christmas Open House

 Saturday November 16th, 9am-5:00pm. 

2219 S. Germantown Road, Germantown, TN.  

I love the Bumbletees slogan :  Buy Local.   Bee Unique!

**If you are interested in having your business featured, please email me at golucygofoundation@gmail.com.  Remember, you must be a business or individual who donates a portion of your sales to a charity.

***Full disclosure: these shirts were given to my children as a gift from Bumbletees Fabric.

Weekend Getaway

I love my children more than life itself.  I cherish every moment I get to spend with them.  However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy a weekend away with friends almost just as much.  Erik and I spent this weekend with our best friends, Amanda and Nelson.  We went to the lake and had a wonderful time.  It was so relaxing and refreshing.  We fished, grilled yummy food, built campfires and even took target practice with clay skeet.  I don't think I could have staged a more perfect weekend.  We were only gone for 2 days but by the look of the back of my truck you wouldn't believe me.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this fishing term, we went trotline fishing while we were at the lake.  I would like to think that my grandfather would be proud of us.  We even caught 3 fish.  Oh, but it was so cold!  We were all asleep by 9:00 last night, our bodies worn out from trying to stay warm all day.

While we were enjoying our mini vacation, the kiddos were in heaven at my parents house.  The fun never ends when Nanny and Pops are involved.  Jack and Ella spent all day with my dad in the woods while Lucy and my mom held down the fort at home and did some shopping.  I'm not sure if my babies had more fun or my parents.  I am so very thankful for such wonderful parents (and in-laws) who are always willing to step in to give us much needed breaks every now and then.  I can say that I am now ready to take on the week ahead.  My two days away were exactly what I have been needing for a while.