Gifts 940 - 959

Good morning everyone! Yes, I know it has been sadly quiet around here...I am sorry. Of course, life has been busy...but also Facebook. It's a very interesting and time sapping creation. Well, anyways, as I was praying this morning and thanking God for who He is and what He has done in my life, I thought I'd add to my gifts list on the blog. :) So, here goes...

940 - The cross is always bigger than my sin
941 - The Lord is faithful and trustworthy
942 - He holds all things together by His Almighty hand
943 - I can be confident in His sovereignty
944 - Eternity is coming
945 - He knows and understands my weaknesses
946 - He changes lives
947 - The old is gone and the new has come
948 - He restores
949 - All that He does is good
950 - His ways are higher than my ways
951 - Christ intercedes for us
952 - His creativity is incomprehensible
953 - The variety of smells
954 - Chemistry in action
955 - Friends' creativity
956 - Small variations
957 - Planning with my sweetie girl
958 - Figuring with my Jman
959 - Unexpected flowers from my hubby

So many good and varied gifts...thankful for a great and generous God...

Here are some random pics from the last couple weeks...

some Lego creations Josh came up with...

beautiful afternoon lunch picnic

my girl growing up way too fast! 

Gifts 921-939

Enjoyed a lovely dinner with my folks, finished up my Perspectives reading, and sitting before a beautiful fire...it's been a nice evening. Lots of things to be thankful for...

921 - That work is a blessing
922 - That we can enjoy God's rest
923 - Reconciled finances
924 - Seeing kids initiate being helpful
925 - Praying for God's work across the world
926 - Sweet, simple stories to read
927 - Seeing other's enthusiasm
928 - A 3 year olds head pressed against mine in great excitement
929 - Having a craft helper
930 - Bumping into friends while shopping
931 - Quick picker- uppers
932 - Sweet smelling candle from a friend
933 - Simple dinners
934 - People leaving for the mission field
935 - Difficult conversations going relatively well
936 - Variety of giftings all working together
937 - Dave helping in the kitchen
938 - Unexpected phone call about a gift
939 - Odd boy pictures...Josh always thinks outside the box :)

Gifts 900 - 920

I've been feeling pretty burned out the last couple of days...yesterday was super busy, and I really just wanted to stay home and not do anything but enjoy quietness with my family. Thankfully, God knows me better than I know myself and has given me a day of calmness today. When I get overwhelmed, it is so important for me to step back and remember the many blessings God has given me...to readjust my perspective on what is right and true...

900 - this world is not my home
901 - prayer is always available
902 - God doesn't change
903 - God is my loving father
904 - snow gently falling
905 - decent night's sleep
906 - holding a cup of hot coffee/tea
907 - pencils scratching out school work
908 - using homemade soap
909 - warm water always available
910 - comfy clothes
911 - fun new neighbors
912 - God growing the book club
913 - sisters joining together in prayer
914 - texts that bless me
915 - words that come at the right time
916 - organizing Legos
917 - toilet paper
918 - balloons scattered about
919 - washing machines
920 - soft, clean sheets

Off now to make some yummy homemade bread with the kiddos...haven't done that for so long...and nothing smells quite so wonderful in the house. :)

the kids made a great snow fort this past week

they especially liked playing in it in the dark

they added some candles for fun

Thanksgiving Thanks

We had a lovely and relatively low-key Thanksgiving. My philosophy is to get as much done ahead of time as possible so as to reduce the stress at the end. :) The morning arrived absolutely gorgeous and clear...an amazing day! We had a leisurely morning, and I made some choc chip banana muffins and bacon for a brunch type meal as our Thanksgiving wasn't going to be until 4pm. We picked up my mom and James around 1pm and then enjoyed a couple hours of games and prep before everyone else came. This year I also decided to cut out those extra Thanksgiving dishes that few people seem to eat, like veggies, but we added in fruit because all the kids love it. I was thinking this morning of Thanksgiving specific thanks...

Lots of yummy food

Taking a day to reflect on all the great gifts we've been given

Thanksgiving texts from friends

Special foods you don't eat at other times

Lots of pies

Family all around one table

Remembering Lincoln's address regarding Thanksgiving

Happy chatter

Reading Thanksgiving leaves

Beautiful tray of fruit

Enjoying time together

We also got to enjoy a slideshow of Dave and Susan's mission/tour of Nepal and Bhutan. Totally different and interesting culture. They also brought back some fun things for us...neat, warm hats for the kids, soft scarves for the girls, and puffy vests for the guys. 

Hope your Thanksgivings were most lovely and pleasant as well...

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the most delightful holidays...I love taking some time to slow down and deliberately recollect all that we have been given. We usually host Thanksgiving at our house each year so I have the blessing of having people in my home. This year we'll have my mom, Dave's folks, Jeff and Becky's family and James. We had hoped to have a few of the other international students, but they ended up going elsewhere. 

It's interesting how when you stop and think about all the things you are thankful for, there are so very few "things" on that list. Mostly it's relationships and other generally "free" gifts we've been given. That seems so contradictory to the Black Friday frenzy that seems to come earlier and earlier each year. I was talking with the international students the other day and asked if they knew about Black Friday. Surprisingly, they did, and many of them were very concerned about it...afraid that it was a dangerous time. :) Some of their families even cautioned them to not go shopping on that day for their safety! Crazy how much our consumerism has been shown around the world. 

Anyways, here are some things I am daily grateful for...

New birth: Christ's great sacrifice on my behalf that I may be God's child

Family: living together side by side, day by day, with ups and downs, yet so very dear

Extended family: thankful that most live nearby, that they also know Christ

Friends: I have the very best friends in the world, thankful for their influence in my life

Creation: I never get over how beautiful this world is that we live in

Health: no major challenges or limitations

Books: that grow and delight and influence me, the amount of mentoring I have had through them

Necessities: a beautiful house to live in, cupboards and closets full, far more than I need

Senses: our amazing world is greatly magnified through them

Sound mind: the ability to think, create, dream, and interact

some pics from last Thanksgiving...I'll try and show today's pics, tomorrow
 

 

 

 

Gifts 885 - 899

Wow, it has been almost 2 months since I've written a gifts post...my time does go by fast!

885 - tadpoles

886 - amazing double rainbows

887 - fragrant roses

888 - heartening visit with a friend

889 - truth

890 - silence

891 - hikes with beautiful views

892 - wildflowers

893 - reminiscing

894 - giggles

895 - growing up

896 - end of school

897 - M&Ms cascading into the bowl

898 - hearing about God's work in relationships

899 - the right person in the right place

here are some pics from the Old City
sorry this first one is so blurry...love all the beautiful fruit and veggies
 

selling meat this way makes me cringe
 

I always think the spices look so lovely
 

Gifts 865 - 884

This will be an atypical "gifts" post...earlier this week I had a very overwhelming-type day...I don't get those very often...so I took some time alone and spent it with the Lord reorienting myself. Part of the time I spent writing out some thanksgivings, choosing to think on true and honorable things rather than my out-of-whack feelings. Here they are:

865 - God is near
866 - God cares
867 - I am His child
868 - I don't have to be perfect
869 - God's ways are best
870 - I don't/won't always understand
871 - God is at work refining me
872 - God is forming me more into the image of His Son
873 - God will give grace for today
874 - God is enough
875 - God has a purpose
876 - Satan is not in control
877 - I can believe even if I don't see
878 - In His presence is fullness of joy
879 - Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere
880 - In Christ there is hope
881 - God is faithful to His promises
882 - The Lord hears us
883 - God delights in us
884 - Sometimes we need to be broken before we can be made whole

Gifts 856 - 864

Been thinking a bit about how God displays Himself all around us through people and creation.

856 - Love as shown through the tenderness between a mother and her child

857 - Joy as shown through the exuberance of childhood

858 - Peace as shown through the stillness of a lake

859 - Patience as shown by a cat silently stalking it's prey

860 - Kindness as shown by the immense beauty around us if we look for it

861 - Goodness as shown by the encouraging call of a friend

862 - Gentleness as shown by the light rustle of breeze through the trees

863 - Faithfulness as shown by an elderly man caring for his wife

864 - Self Control as shown by the dog awaiting his master's command

A friend took the kiddos on her horse a couple weeks back
 

 

 

Gifts 838 - 855

To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience.  --Merton

838 - flowers pushing up

839 - little boy songs in the shower

840 - kisses from Toodle

841 - sitting close with a friend

842 - adventurers down the hill

843 - wiggly worms

844 - sparkly eye liner

845 - strumming of the guitar

846 - quick trips to the store 

847 - a list of new book reccomendations

848 - annual cookie decorating with friends

849 - seeing people know freedom in Christ

850 - unity with others found in Christ

851 - people who respond back to you

852 - hope

853 - soft sugar cookies

854 - being forgiven

855 - a dishwasher

here's more from our spring festivities...
egg hunt
 

 

in the eggs were some candies and clues
 

 

there were 7 separate sets

the clues led to bags with Trailblazer Books in them and an
assortment of letters on the bags spelled a word...do you know what it is?
 

Toodle guessed it first try and the "grand prize" was a set of
beautifully illustrated books - Wizard of Oz, Heidi, Pinocchio
 

Gifts 822 - 837

Thankful for the little things in the day to day...

822 - that God uses imperfect people

823 - blanket art by a little friend - he made a flower for me :)

824 - celebrating birthdays with friends

825 - a full night of sleep

826 - the simple excitement for pancakes

827 - working together in the kitchen

828 - planting first flowers of the year

829 - Cutie oranges - we eat tons of these!

830 - delicious mangoes

831 - avocado sandwiches

832 - that scripture never gets old

833 - the adventures of Robin Hood

834 - accepting the imperfect

835 - picture books - we read so few of these anymore

836 - little friends that are excited to see you

837 - finding enough volunteers

my kiddos have a frequent obsession with ninjas
today they made some cool shields
 

 

I think Josh's leaping frog picture is so funny
 

Josh does a "ninja training course" for Hannah
 

Gifts 810 - 821

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.” - Henry Ironside

810 - crazy high 1st of March temperatures

811 - flowers already in bloom!

 

812 - ice cream on the hammock

813 - hearing kiddos tell their night-time dreams

814 - going out for dinner with my mom :)

815 - cleaned refrigerator

816 - kneading bread

817 - kiddos getting more capable

818 - the power of God's word for change

819 - openness

820 - cats climbing walls

821 - finding books I've had on my wish list at Goodwill

Gifts 777 - 809

You don't live life in big moments. You live life in the utterly mundane. If God doesn't rule your
mundane, then he doesn't rule your life. The character of a life is set in 10,000 little moments, not big
moments. ----From this article by Paul Tripp

777 - on-time flights
778 - palm tree swaying in the breeze
779 - time to think/reflect
780 - sand between the toes
781 - cousin adventures
782 - fans
783 - space
784 - tide pools
785 - turtles
786 - incredible vistas
787 - the amazing variation in creation
788 - water bottles
789 - creative fountains
790 - everyone piled on the couch
791 - catching waves
792 - sand castles
793 - walking hand in hand
794 - mochi ice cream
795 - eating on the patio
796 - strawberry papaya
797 - working through struggles
798 - remembering God's great love for me
799 - waves crashing on the rocks
800 - seeing areas to improve on
801 - painted toes
802 - whales frolicking
803 - stacking rocks
804 - digital pictures
805 - pleasant waitresses
806 - healthy bodies most of the time
807 - Fanta at the beach
808 - fun hats
809 - farmer's markets