Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
GRATITUDE 204 Apples and Publix
Today I am thankful for:
9 lbs of apples
Fun had chopping them with my kids and our neighbor, Mary Grace.
Apples simmering in cinnamon, house smelling delicious.
Warm applesauce gobbled up by all of us.
The God who made such a lavish world for us to enjoy. What a heart of love.
And finally, thankful that Publix applesauce is in walking distance from my house.
(that was a lot of work for not very much applesauce, ya'll. The experience was nice but Publix applesauce will have to do, folks.)
9 lbs of apples
Fun had chopping them with my kids and our neighbor, Mary Grace.
Warm applesauce gobbled up by all of us.
The God who made such a lavish world for us to enjoy. What a heart of love.
And finally, thankful that Publix applesauce is in walking distance from my house.
(that was a lot of work for not very much applesauce, ya'll. The experience was nice but Publix applesauce will have to do, folks.)
Sunday, September 28, 2014
GRATITUDE 203 My boys
Jack and Judah play together each morning for an hour in their room...it's our solution to Judah's 6 am wake up time. They happily play together and Andy and I get a little more time to ourselves before the day gets rolling. Today, I laughed so hard when Judah came out of the room....
Sticker MAAAAAAAAN!!! To the Rescue! Crack. Me. Up.
I don't pick up the camera much these days but I had to for this one! I am thankful for boys who really really love each other. For two healthy boys who are growing strong and smart and tender by God's grace.
Judah perfected his couch cushion cannonball (say that three times!) yesterday. And even learned to yell "cannonball" when jumping from a precariously high spot onto the cushions...boys will be boys. Thankful for boys.
Sticker MAAAAAAAAN!!! To the Rescue! Crack. Me. Up.
I don't pick up the camera much these days but I had to for this one! I am thankful for boys who really really love each other. For two healthy boys who are growing strong and smart and tender by God's grace.
Judah perfected his couch cushion cannonball (say that three times!) yesterday. And even learned to yell "cannonball" when jumping from a precariously high spot onto the cushions...boys will be boys. Thankful for boys.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
GRATITUDE 202 A road trip
We've been out of town and I have so much to be thankful for...
A relatively smooth and very safe trip to Charleston
Fall weather. Snuggling up under a blanket on Tim and Kathi's back porch watching a bluebird, sipping coffee and reading God's word.
Five nights of sleeping with Judah, him cupping his little hands on my face. Love.
Seeing all the Huffmans. Joy.
A night away with Andy. Amazing Chinese food. The convergence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. A long walk through Pittsburgh
Watching Emma Grace dance the night away at Alex and Allison's wedding.
Dancing with all of my sisters-in-law and my Mother-in-law.
Trees changing colors.
Rural West Virginia landscape.
A new sister-in-law!
Running into a friend/mentor who I hadn't planned to see and getting to chat and pray together. A clear gift from God!
A quick pit stop to see my family on the way home and rubbing my sister's growing belly! Next tie I see her she'll be holding that little one in her arms!
So many gifts. Thankful.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
201 A friend's help
Thankful today for a friend's help with Judah while I got a few things done
Thankful that God helped me to balance our finances. I am super bad at accounting. And in the middle of working on our books, I had to stop and pray because I was getting confused. And God really helped me. Neat to see him in the small matters of life.
Thankful for the fruit of the spirit and how God wants us to live a life of freedom, not of slavery...and the spirit works to free us from our bondage to our flesh and give us abundant life....joy peace, love, self control.
Thankful for a teacher who emails me regularly.
Thankful for happy tears, and a precious little one who cried them for the first time this week in a most tender moment with his momma.
Thankful that God helped me to balance our finances. I am super bad at accounting. And in the middle of working on our books, I had to stop and pray because I was getting confused. And God really helped me. Neat to see him in the small matters of life.
Thankful for the fruit of the spirit and how God wants us to live a life of freedom, not of slavery...and the spirit works to free us from our bondage to our flesh and give us abundant life....joy peace, love, self control.
Thankful for a teacher who emails me regularly.
Thankful for happy tears, and a precious little one who cried them for the first time this week in a most tender moment with his momma.
Monday, September 15, 2014
GRATITUDE 200 Full Plate
Though I've neglected my little blog these past couple of weeks, we've been busy living and enjoying so much grace so there's a lot to be thankful for!
For starters, we got a dog. Well, not really, but kind of. A friend of ours had to travel back to China for a month and we are keeping little Elpis, and loving most every minute of it. The more I age, the more I become a dog person. He happens to be a really really cute dog which makes loving him easy as pie. Having him for a month is a gift to every. single. one. of. us. Everyone is in love. Pictures to come. Promise.
We are settling into a routine. Maybe that's why I've been off the blog lately. Life got a bit insane with our ministry kick off happening at the same time as school starting. So many "grooves" of life falling into place that I'm beginning to feel less like a panicked swimmer gasping for air. Thankful for routine. And thankful that our schedules are full of so much of what I want my life to be about. Thankful that God has given us a full plate that includes things like welcome dinners for 200 Chinese students, arranging sewing lessons for my big kids, beach days with international students, joining a veggie co-op, and holding hands with my Grapey girl all the way to school while Jack darts ahead, eager to get to school as fast as possible. So much good on my plate and so much of what I want my life to be about.
Thankful also that I am learning what it means to live by the spirit. What a gift that God has put the spirit of his son in our hearts...and we can depend on him for things that are beyond ourselves...like intimacy with him, loving others, making good choices when it comes to eating, crucifying the flesh. So much of what I have on my plate these days in beyond my ability to do, so I am thankful that I am learning to depend on him more.
Well, I've made it to 200 on this whole gratitude challenge, so I am pretty thankful for the grace to keep on being thankful. Grace. Grace. Grace.
For starters, we got a dog. Well, not really, but kind of. A friend of ours had to travel back to China for a month and we are keeping little Elpis, and loving most every minute of it. The more I age, the more I become a dog person. He happens to be a really really cute dog which makes loving him easy as pie. Having him for a month is a gift to every. single. one. of. us. Everyone is in love. Pictures to come. Promise.
We are settling into a routine. Maybe that's why I've been off the blog lately. Life got a bit insane with our ministry kick off happening at the same time as school starting. So many "grooves" of life falling into place that I'm beginning to feel less like a panicked swimmer gasping for air. Thankful for routine. And thankful that our schedules are full of so much of what I want my life to be about. Thankful that God has given us a full plate that includes things like welcome dinners for 200 Chinese students, arranging sewing lessons for my big kids, beach days with international students, joining a veggie co-op, and holding hands with my Grapey girl all the way to school while Jack darts ahead, eager to get to school as fast as possible. So much good on my plate and so much of what I want my life to be about.
Thankful also that I am learning what it means to live by the spirit. What a gift that God has put the spirit of his son in our hearts...and we can depend on him for things that are beyond ourselves...like intimacy with him, loving others, making good choices when it comes to eating, crucifying the flesh. So much of what I have on my plate these days in beyond my ability to do, so I am thankful that I am learning to depend on him more.
Well, I've made it to 200 on this whole gratitude challenge, so I am pretty thankful for the grace to keep on being thankful. Grace. Grace. Grace.
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