Thoughts on Thanksgiving...

This Thanksgiving we are spending time with Mr. Pancakes' family.
Baby Pancakes will be spending his first thanksgiving.
And we will be attending Church and giving thanks for all that has been given to us.

This year more than ever I am thankful for so many things...here are my thoughts.

1. Health...my family is healthy and in life sometimes that's all we can ask for.  

Health breeds happiness and we are happy and healthy and thankful.

2. Mr. Pancakes...for just being who he is.  

He is a wonderful husband and an awesome husband.  

And Baby Pancakes and I are so proud he is our man always and forever!!

3. Baby Pancakes for just being the sweetest, kindest, 

and cutest baby who has ever lived. 

 I am proud and honoured to be his mom, mommy, mama.  

We are having so much fun together and for this I am thankful.

4. Co-workers...who are just so welcoming of my new role as mom.  

Who accept all my quirks and new habits which includes pumping!

5. Bloggy Friends...I have not been a diligent blogger reader 

because of all the changes of work and baby 

and wifey duties but you continue to stop by and comment on posts and for this I am grateful.

  I find that I can read more blogs over the weekend 

so this is what I will be doing...catching up on your blogs over the weekend.

6. Church Family...for being so wonderful and prayerful towards us.  

Every time I think they have gone above and beyond for us...

they exceed this and for that I am thankful.  

It's a blessing to be part of such a wonderful Church environment.

7.  Health Insurance...we finally received the bills for 

Baby Pancakes' delivery and NICU stay and it 

was astronomical but thank goodness for Health Insurance,

 we ended up paying a reasonable amount...such a blessing!!

8. Our Livelihood....with all the weather related tragedies happening, 

we are thankful for our jobs, homes, cars and life.  

There are so many people who have lost so much in an instant.

9. My Family...for being wonderful, funny and loving me always.
And for accepting all of my 100 pictures a day of Baby Pancakes.  

10. God because without Him, nothing in my life will be possible!

Whatever you do this Thanksgiving holiday...
be safe and have a wonderful time!!!

Via

To Shop or Not to Shop..

This is the question many of us are asking as the 

newly minted Black Thursday and Friday approaches.

I have always been fascinated with Black Friday...

the idea that people wake up early to stand in line for a big ticketed item for a cheap price....

mind you the big ticketed items are usually limited 

and only the first ten customers in line get this said item. 

 So in the end, all the waiting was for nothing 

because you end up getting pushed and shoved only to not even get this said item.

WHY DO WE DO THIS TO OURSELVES?

Mr. Pancakes and I were talking about this yesterday 

and we concluded that sometimes we participate in these events just to say we participated. 

 I think I have been to a Black Friday event only once 

and I think I went after 11:00am which is definitely 

way toooo late to venture out to the mall for deals.  

But the crowd, the pushing and shoving has never interested me. 

 I am more of a leisure shopper.  

Don't get me wrong...i LOVE an awesome deal and I am the first to say I am a bargain shopper

 BUT I guess my desire to get a good deal does not outweigh my sensible side.  

People have died for goodness-sake while Black Friday shopping.

And now ALL the stores have decided that one day of crazy shopping is not enough...

they have decided to add another day.  Not just any other day but Thanksgiving Day.  

One of the days out of the here which is supposed to be designated

 for spending quality family time, eating, laughing and enjoying each other's company. 

 Even if you don't like your Crazy Uncle or Nutty Cousin, 

you get to spend the day making jokes about them in front of them.  

The fact that stores will try to take this away from families is just down right greedy!!

Of course, there is CHOICE in all of this. 

 People get to choose whether to shop or not to shop but why even give people that option?

 Certain times out of the year should be sacred family time. 

 Thanksgiving Day.  

Christmas Day.  

Birth Days (well I think they should be) 

and New Year's Day.  

The holidays have become commercialized enough 

that we shouldn't take these days away from families to spend quality time together.

Whether you chose to shop or not to shop on the new Black Thursday, 

remember what's important this Thanksgiving holiday...your family members.  

Because at the end of the day, 

electronics will break, 

toys will be lost, 

clothes will be become old

 but the memories of your family's laughter, 

conversations and sharing the same space together will last a lifetime.

Becoming a family of three by having Baby Pancakes has solidified for 

me the importance of the holidays.  Giving toys are fun 

but the most important thing I want to give my son is the gift of family.  

And that I don't need to stand in line for because it is FREE and PRICELESS.

Question of the Day:

Are you shopping or not shopping?

Disclaimer: This was not the post I planned for today but this was on my heart.

Also thank you for your comments yesterday on my whinyness...patience is definitely a virtue.

Via

 

30 Day Photo Challenge: Days 5-8

Happy Friday...i am continuing with my 30-Day Photo Challenge.

I am having a really fun time doing these challenges...

I am actually taking ALL the pictures with my iPhone

but have been editing with Instagram which makes it even more fun.

Here are my Days 5-8.

Day 5: Morning Sky

I actually have two pictures to illustrate this.  The first picture i took at 10:00am on Day 5 because i forgot to take it earlier while i was feeding Baby Pancakes.  So i remembered to take another one around 5:30am on Day 6 and what a difference in the morning sky within the five years! The morning sky reminded me of how spectacular God is!

10:00am

5:30am

Day 6: Books

I decided to take a picture of books on my bookshelf I have to read more and yet to read.  I have been trying to read through the Bible for years but always stop for some reason.  And also Eckhart Tolle's books and have not been able to complete them.  One of my friend's informed me it's life changing.  

With this challenge...I am reminded it's important to just do it...my goal is to read one of these books by the end of the year.  I used to be such an avid reader.

Day 7: Something Funny

I took a picture in a magazine of Kelly and Michael during their Halloween Costume show.  I watched it and thought they were hilarious.  They dressed up in over 40 different costumes and each skit they did was funny! I loved Kelly as the the Long Island Medium and Michael as Oprah.  They were so funny!!!!

Day 8: Favorite Color

I snapped a picture of a top i contemplated buying while I was out shopping today.  I ended up NOT buying it because i realized it's NOT fun shopping when I have extra mommy weight.  But nevertheless...i LOVE the color YELLOW and it usually puts me in a good mood but oy vey....i need to get raid of this extra weight!!

All in all...Days 5-8 have been filled with God's grace through the morning sky, 

reminder to read a verse in the Bible daily and reflection on health and wellness...

who knew that taking a picture of my favorite color 

would motivate me to begin living my healthy lifestyle sooner rather than later.

Days 1-4 can be found here.

Birthday Giveaway Winner!!

My birthday celebration was really awesome!

I received some awesome gifts from Mr. & Baby Pancakes...

including a Gucci scarf which I can't wait to rock.
 I felt like a total adult when I got this gift...

It will become definitely one of my fashion pieces.

I have decided this year (after i lose ALL my baby weight to redo 

my closet with pieces and not clothes..but more on that later)

Then my bff got me the cutest personalized frame from Personalization Mall...

ever heard of them...

They really make awesome products.  And I am in LOVE with my gift...

it's similar to the item below.

There were cake and candles, cupcakes from Coldstones 

(OMG is all i have to say about that one), 

birthday wishes and birthday songs but best of all there was joy on another awesome birthday!

Where i continue to feel blessed and count my blessings another year.

This year it was great to have Baby Pancakes to celebrate with us...

he even helped me blow out the candles!

And now to celebrate the winner of my Birthday Giveaway 

is Monique of Tipa Tipa...

yaahh...congrats Monique.  

I will be emailing you to see if you want Panera or Starbucks or both!!!!

Thanks everyone for wishing me happy birthday....much appreciated it as always!

  

30 Day Photo Challenge: Days 1-4

Good Morning Ladies and Gents...

Are there really any Gents out there that blog like ladies do?

Anywho i digress....hope you are having a wonderful Monday...

And that you have already VOTED...if not this morning...sometime later today.

Tomorrow should be an exciting day...

But back to this morning and my 30 Day Photo Challenge...

so far it's been fun coming up with things in my life that are related to Gratitude.  

The most challenging aspect of this challenge is remembering to complete the daily task: 

capturing the gratitude.  

I am getting used to it.  

And the challenge is reminding me to be thankful in the moment.

Without further delay...here are my Days 1-4.

Day 1: Favorite Food

Hands down....my favorite food is rice with chicken...

any kind of combination....i will eat.

I remembered to take a picture for my challenge 

when i was almost done eating...that's how engrossed i get when eating rice with chicken.

 FYI: my first email address was ricegirl!!

 

Day 2: Smile

I was watching Mr. Pancakes playing around with Baby Pancakes and i couldn't help but smile.  

Seeing them together really does bring a smile to my face each and every single time.  

And of course it would...both of them are my heart and soul .

Day 3: Happiness

This day is related to day 2 because Mr. Pancakes and Baby Pancakes are my happiness.  

But this particular day i was feeding Baby Pancakes and couldn't help but capture his eyes. 

 Seriously, looking into his eyes brings me more happiness than I have ever experienced. 

 It's such a powerful and wonderful feeling. 

I take so much pride in knowing i am responsible

 for this little person who depends on me for everything.

I am thankful.

Day 4: Leaves

There are so many beautiful leaves out this fall but the two below 

caught my eye because it was so rich and crisp looking!  

Have you ever examined a leaf...there are so many intricacies to one.

God is amazing in all His action and creations!

Until Next Time...i recommend you sign up for the Challenge...

it's totally fun and it does remind you to be thankful and live life with gratitude!

Early Thanksgiving...

Today is Columbus Day but in Canada...

it's Thanksgiving and since i am Canadian...

i celebrate (without the turkey) on my blog...

I am thankful

--- for God...

---for the cuteness that is Baby Pancakes...he adds to my joy!

... for my beautiful family of three

...for my extended family of more than three.

---for my friends

---for my blog friends (and readers)

---for my Co-workers, especially my boss

---for the iphone and internet

---for the inventor of Words with Friends

 (keeps me awake during middle of the night feedings)

---for the Fall colors

---for cozy and warm nights.

---for daytime TV and the Voice

---for my ability to celebrate two Thanksgivings!

Question of the Day:

What are you thankful for today?

The Good, Bad & Ugly of Thanksgiving...& Giving Thanks!

Team Pancakes would like to run down some of

 the good, bad and ugly of Thanksgiving...

before giving thanks and grubbing!

1) Family

2) Great grub (food)

3) Church Service

4) Fellowship

5) Basketball/Football  games  all day(Mr. Pancakes)

1) All the darn cooking

2) All the darn dishes after dinner

3) Traffic & Traveling

5) Football/Basketball Games all day (Mrs. Pancakes)

1) Crazy drunken uncles (you know we all have them)

2) Uncomfortable & ugly bellies
(great read on eating slow to prevent overeating: Athletes4Life)

3) Unbuttoned pants

4) Going to work on Friday

Team Pancakes is thankful for:

 God because without Him we couldn't be thankful 

for our families, friends (including my blogger buddies), 

health and everything in between...

We give THANKS!

 Reasons Team Pancakes readers are thankful:

• I am thankful for my son, he has made my life complete :)
• This year I am thankful for my family, my battle buddies, my fiance, and waking up each day to live another day.
• I'm thankful for days off and sweet puppies to snuggle with!
• i'm thankful for my family!
• I am thankful for God's grace and mercy which carries me from day to day.
• I am most thankful for my family! They are everything to me!
• I am most thankful for my family! They are everything to me!
• I'm thankful for friends who are like family, who coming so very far to deliver good news to us in person :) 
  And I'm also thankful for blog friends like YOU
• im thankful that im alive and i have a good family and that im loved
• I'm grateful to the Universe for the fact I'm finally starting to be real me and to enjoy in my real life!:)
•  I am thankful for my dog Monte, who makes me smile even when I don't want to.
• I am thankful I have a great hubby and adorable kids.
• I am thankful for my health and strength. =)
• I am thankful for two healthy little boys. They are my life!! 
• God has preserved my son and me and blessed us in so many ways (that I could only dream of) and for that, I am truly thankful
• I'm thankful for another day with my dad. 
  (he has terminal pancreatic cancer & was recently given 6 months, but you never know - everyday is a blessing & an opportunity for hope.)
• I feel so bless to have my wondenful daughter and husband in my family. 
  God bless you all on this thanksgiving day

p.s: 

enjoy the day and don't stress out too much, 

remember the reason for the gathering...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Inspire Me Series: Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Tuesday Friends!

I thought i would do a special Inspire Me Series: Thanksgiving Edition with the lovely and uber artistic/creative Marilyn...seriously if you don't know her...WHY?! because she makes some of the most amazing and thoughtful things EVER! She inspires me on a daily basis to be more creative and just live myr passion in every thing i do.  I am overly excited she agreed to share a little about herself 

and some of the ways we can be creative this Thanksgiving Day!

___________________________________________________

Hello friends, my name is Marilyn from next door over at The ArtsyGirl Connection. 

I am really excited and truly honored to be here sharing with you all today. 

It's totally a privilege as I LOVE Mrs. Pancakes and her fun inspirational posts 

and admire her faith in love, marriage, trust in God, 

and focus on so much positivity that she shares here in her lovely part of the blog world.

Thanks for having me here today Mrs. Pancakes... 

A little about me....

I am a mommy to two beautiful little one's, engaged to my very best friend 

and a bit of  a craft junkie. I love photography and cooking when I can 

(I'm not that great but when I focus, cooking isn't so bad, lol.). 

I can be the biggest dork but those that love me don't seem to mind...

Hope you can join me sometime and share in my artsy fun rants and raves sometime. 

Have you always been a creative person?

I can't say specifically I've always been creative, I've mostly been organized, 

I was the OCD child who couldn't get chocolate on my hands for too long, 

let alone on my sweater. Haahaa. 

I would have to say, in an attempt to get better at my OCD habits living at home with all boy's,

 I stumbled upon a creative aspect to life at home. 

I got better and better as I got older and when my children came along.

 I've always had my own style, my own little twists to what makes me ME 

and that has developed much into inspirational creativity over the years.

What motivates you to be creative?

A lot of my motivation to craft really stems from having a home and my children. 

My favorite things to create are home goodies and crafts for my kids. 

I absolutely LOVE the feeling I get when I'm asked "where did you purchase this 

or that" in terms of decor in my home or item's I made for the children, 

and can smile and say "oh, I made it"!! LOVE IT!! 

Its really beyond rewarding to know that something I created out of love 

was found good enough to be featured in a store and someone took a minute to mention it. 

That's inspiration and confirmation in every way possible to my love 

for sharing and giving a bit of myself through my creativity.

                          A huge part of why I love to craft also has to do with my business "Plus Events". 

        I don't tend to feature too much of it on my blog 

but it's a little business I have dedicated to weddings. 

To date, I've been able to put together four weddings successfully.

I enjoy every bit of being able to have a bride and groom walk into each event 

(ceremony or reception) and fall in love all over again 

with their vision and be happy that what they wanted for their special day 

was exactly executed and made their day just that much more perfect.

 It's rewarding, it's motivating, it brings upon happy emotions for me, 

that I shared in their experience and they will forever 

be able to remember the intricate details I took a minute to add to their requests.

 I sincerely stay humbled when asked to decorate for special events no matter how small. 

Being a part of making someone’s day special means so much to me.

My GF's wedding i put together last year.

Projects and causes close to my heart inspire me 

and allow for me to find creative means to give back or share 

and bring forth awareness in little ways to help other's. 

I am inspired by various crafty mom's, awesome and inspirational blogger's like Mrs Pancakes and the likes. 

I draw inspiration from all around depending on my day.

 The web can be a wonderful place to get lost at times. : ))

What's your favorite craft to do during Thanksgiving? 

This thanksgiving, my favorite crafts have been crafts focused on creative way's to give back, 

and to show thanks and appreciation to the ones closest to me

 and surprising the unexpected loved ones around me. 

One of my favorite things I created this thanksgiving was my Thankful Turkey 

I featured in my Three Weeks Of Thanks Project for "Thankful For Frugal Crafts". 

I loved the idea of having a turkey featured within our home that we can all take a moment to feather with a thankful note for something we appreciate this season. 

We extended feather's to friends and family stopping in to stuff in their notes of thanks and share in ours.

 I even took a fun moment to feature some "thankful for bloggy bff's" 

on a  feather with some of my favorite blogger's around. 

It was a really cool project that the kids, my friends and family enjoyed being able to participate in. 

This year, I made a "Thankful Turkey" with the children that was so adorable and meant a lot. 

They got to add thankful feather's with notes and what they where most thankful for and we placed it in our kitchen. We all add to it here and there as the month goes by and we will take a minute to read our notes this thanksgiving after dinner: ))

                                    Another project I worked on this season I loved was about giving. 

I really enjoyed giving back to my neighbors and to the troops. 

A great and frugal way to give this season is creating little treats 

you can Jar up and deliver with little notes to show appreciation for your family and friends. 

I have the best neighbors and created some "Autumn in a jar" goodies with thankful notes for them.

 It was really easy, cheap and absolutely warming 

and fun to see how much they enjoyed them.

You can also give back this season via creative and inspirational projects 

such as "Operation Cards For Soldiers" . 

Sparing literally about five dollar's, you can send the troop's some fun 

Christmas cards with touching and heart warming notes to show appreciation 

and let them know they matter and remain close to our hearts. 

Take a moment and get involved if you can...

Although small, it felt awesome!

I sincerely appreciate you all taking a moment to indulge in a bit about me. 

I would love for you to stop in sometime and say hello. 

I love new artsy friends and will be very thrilled to come on over, visit and indulge in a bit about you too. 

Thanks SO much Mrs. BEAUTIFUL Pancakes for having me here today. 

Wishing you all an amazing THANKSGIVING SEASON... 

Gobble Gobble & Give Thanks..

                         ___________________________________________________

Isn't this lovely lady beyond talented?! 

And she has the best heart in blogland...she is ALWAYS using her blog

 to promote amazing projects like: "Operation Cards For Soldiers".   

Team Pancakes will definitely participate in this project.  

And the Yarn Turkey...i am convincing Mr. Pancakes to craft with me!  

Thank you again Marilyn and i am so glad i got to know a little more about you! 

Ladies, please stop by her blog, The ArtsyGirl Connection, and ask her questions

 about anything artsy and crafty related and just to say hello!

Happy Thanksgiving Marilyn to you and your lovely family!