Thursday on the Homestead - Don't Judge a Day by Its Blog Hop

Holey moley, things are getting a little out of hand here on the Homestead. I'm honestly starting to track which day of the week it is by which blog hop I'm joining. And I spend my spare time (wait a minute! what spare time?) trying to figure out which blog hops go along with my planned post. And, oh yeah, do I have coordinating photographs? I mean, this is like putting a new outfit together. (Oh, I love that dress, but I have no shoes to go with it. And what about jewelry? Do I have the right style?)  And then there's this whole "word verification" thing that Google insists on supporting and which is making everybody crazy and. . .

I'm sorry, am I confusing you? Why don't I just shut up and we'll look at some photos and you can answer the question: "What do these images have in common?"

Front Yard Guests are the Best

Nothin' But Horseplay

Stock up with BYGO (I love it when my husband does the shopping).

Ok, so did you figure out the answer to the question?

Hey, I knew you'd get it. 

You're smart.

"One today is worth two tomorrows." 

Benjamin Franklin

Nancy
Today is Thursday (at least I think it is) and I'm joining:

and

Thursday Challenge

For more pretty photos by bloggers who won't confuse you like me, 

hop on over to those two sites.

Count Your Twofers (And Other Blessings)

I love twofers.  Those Buy One - Get One Free specials that come our way every so often. During the winter months in Estes Park, local restaurants offer "Buy One Entree, Get the Second Entree Free" deals. It almost makes me look forward to cold weather. 

Last week we received a twofer for Starbucks. 

"Celebrate the Season with a friend." I like that. My best friend is Dennis and vice versa, so we walked to the local Starbucks together and enjoyed our favorite cafe mochas. This time with a splash of peppermint. Nothing like living on the edge.


This being Thanksgiving week and all, I've been thinking about how God has blessed me, beginning with my twofer buddy. It wasn't that long ago (9 months and 9 days to be exact), that I lived alone. (Well, not completely alone. I did have Tillie the Wonder Dog. But that's a story for another day.) Now I have the joy of waking up every morning to my wonderful husband and looking at this beautiful view from our apartment.

I'm thankful for family. Dennis' kids and mine.

I thank God for the blessing of clean air and water. Some of which I can actually photograph, such as this picture of Fall River.

Of course I'm grateful for the wildlife all around me. Sometimes even in our own backyard -- literally.

We have the blessing of our beloved mountains. To me, this is God's splendor revealed.

I'm thankful that I have the freedom to write every day. 

And that I'm surrounded by my husband's lovely artwork.

I'm also thankful for those of you who take the time to read my blogs. Forgive the cliche, but Joyful Altitude and Mountain Manna Devotionals really are labors of love. I especially am thankful when you leave comments. They encourage me so much.


Finally, I'm most thankful for the love of my Savior, Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary. If it weren't for Him, I wouldn't be where I am today, and there would be no Joyful Altitude.

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place." 

2 Corinthians 2:14