One Thousand Gifts:171-180

My time is short but we have experienced an abundance of the Lord's provision the past week and a half...

#171- EIGHT sold jobs in a matter of DAYS. This is an abundance of provision, especially after going through a 6 week dry spell with no calls or any interest shown in the business.

#172- friends and family who have diligently been praying for work for John's business.

#173- a free movie ticket to see Courageous last night.

#174- a Christian movie like Courageous that uses the talents of believers to communicate the gospel and other Scriptural truths to its audience.

#175- in the midst of financial uncertainty, the Lord's provision that allows me to continue to stay at home with my children

#176- hearing my children repeat sound doctrine and Scriptural truth as we go through the catechisms almost daily

#177- a night out to eat at Chick-fil-a for Hannah's birthday...finally, a night off from cooking!

#178- being able to tell my children that yes, we will likely be able to go to the pumpkin patch this year.

#179- a "Sonic fairy" who so sneakily dropped a gift card to Sonic in my bag at church a couple of Sundays ago. Whoever you are, thank you. We enjoyed it immensely.

#180- 2 cool FREE new board games through House Party...my local ladies, I'm seeing a game night in our future.

Thank you Lord for your ABUNDANT provision.

One Thousand Gifts: 156-170

This week's list stems mostly around financial blessings. We are in a dry season, financially speaking and as I wrote this list I was reminded yet again of the Lord's faithfulness to us even in the small things. Money is still extremely tight but as I stop to see these little blessings I am reminded again of the Lord's name "El Roi," the God Who Sees. He sees us. He has not forgotten us. And He is using His people to show us that. My intentions are not to highlight our need but instead, to highlight how the Lord is meeting our needs, even if it isn't the way we would have planned.


Thankful for...

#156- parents and in-laws helping to make Hannah's birthday special by buying party supplies.

#157- two tanks of gas compliments of family and friends.

#158- a friend buying my dinner

#159- the opportunity to grow in humility as the body of Christ serves our family

#160- 4 free tickets (that included dinner and special seats) to Sesame Street Live and great company...again compliments of good friends.

#161- an inspection for John's business tomorrow.

#162- a house painting job for John to pick up some extra money

#163- think I've said this before but a husband who is willing to work extra hard doing unglamorous things to support our family

#164- a cleaning job for me thanks to a good friend

#165- an intact family, not a given for many as I was reminded of that today while watching the thousands of families grieve the loss of loved ones due to the terroist attacks 

#166- extra money made thanks to a consignment sale back home

#167- a gift from a childhood friend of John's

#168- new shoes for Grant thanks to Mom

#169- thoughtful friends who are aware of our needs and have contacted me with possible opportunities to make extra money.

#170- a good friend paying me to watch her kids twice a week

One Thousand Gifts: 146-155

Thankful for...

146- my parents taking Hannah and Grant for a few days this week.

147- some extra "goodies" from Dan and Jeannie for our pantry and fridge (one being a 12 pack of Coke) 

148- Grant's growing interest in putting his clothes on by himself

149- watching my kids learn

150- The verse: "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall he not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32  A continual reminder that the Lord has met my biggest need in Jesus and that He will,therefore, meet my lesser needs.

151- The words to Jesus I My Cross Have Taken

152- non spill bubbles (thanks Aunt Bethany...a HUGE HIT for everyone at our house)

153- hearing Hannah and Grant at different times tell each other "I love you."

154- people joining me on the homeschool journey

155- 2 frozen pizzas in the food co-op

One Thousand Gifts: 146-155

146: my free small smoothie (McDonald's is right when they say, 1 in 3 wins)

147: children who like to snuggle

148: an almost fall-like day

149: my days spent home with my kids

150: my children who love to sit on my lap and listen to stories

151: Hannah asking, "Mommy will you please pray that I'll feel better?"

152: seeing Hannah excited about her new homeschool group

153: Grant apologizing without me asking him to.

154: scrounged up change to buy a Coke.

155: baby Kate back to good health

One Thousand Gifts: 136-145

136: a productive day thus far

137: Proverbs 3:5-6 A reminder that He will direct my steps as I
look to Him. This gives me confidence and relief.

138: two sold jobs for John's business

139: an afternoon rain shower

140: the teeth marks on the crib; a daily reminder of the precious lives the Lord has given me and a little piece of what used to be.

141: a glass of sweet tea

142: clarity of thought last night to help me organize for today

143: a Sunday nap that provided for more clear thinking last night

144: the saline spray and Flonase that is clearing up Grant's nose (at least I think it is)

145: a quiet evening to myself to watch a girl movie and an episode of The Office

One Thousand Gifts: 121-135

121: a short visit home to spend time with family.

122: time to catch up a bit with an old friend

123: a full night's sleep last night (minus Hannah waking me up saying, "I've got to tell you something. The clouds are dark outside.")

124: chocolate ganche cake at Publix

125: Kate being soothed in the car by holding my hand. Sweet.

126: Mario Kart (yes, I'm a fan...a little too much so lately but it provides good bonding time with Hannah and Grant, right?)

127: rainy days

128: the funny things my kids say that keep me laughing like today when Grant told me he doesn't like the Pistachio Veggie Tales movie because "it freaks me out." Or when he said, after pooping in his pants twice in a row one night last week, "I just can't believe it."

129: a safe trip to Birmingham and back

130: my kids fighting over who gets to sit next to me...I know one day I'll miss it.

131: the Holy Spirit. How encouraging to know that "we do not know what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26) Thankful the Lord knows sometimes, many times we are frozen in knowing what to pray and how to pray and that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us "according to the will of God." He's got my back.

132: Chore charts...a way to get my kids working a bit more around the house.

133: one clean bathroom in the house...it's better than NO clean bathrooms in the house.

134: a new farmer's market in walking distance from my house with fresh vegetables and fruits.

135: Grant putting on his underware by himself...backwards and inside out but it's on and HE did it.

One Thousand Gifts: 106-120

It's Monday...

My list continues...(even though it looks unorganized...I can't seem to fix it)

#106: A SOLD JOB for John's business. Praise the Lord!

#107: Another lead

#108: seeing my own selfishness in light of my children's ease
 to share

#109: friends and family who diligently pray for me/us.

#110: friends and family who delight with us in our joys.

#111: friends and family who carry the burden with us in our
 trials

#112: that we have a Friend in our sufferings who is far more
 acquainted with trials and hardship than we will ever be
 and that He offers us refuge in the midst of our struggles.

#113: a meal eaten out/a night off from cooking

#114: Grant's growing success on doing his business on the potty.
 Do I dare say he may be fully potty trained (minus night
 time)?

#115: the joy in Kate's face as she plays with her reflection in
 the mirror

#116: lots of rain the past week

#117: daily reminders thanks to my sin that I can't do this thing
 alone which lead me back to Him

#118: a "new" dress thanks to a giving friend

#119: two helpful children who actually enjoyed their new laundry
 chore implemented today

#120: a week's worth of full night sleeps...

One Thousand Gifts: 91-105

The list continues...I am thankful for

91: sleepy kids at naptime...a quiet house for an hour

92: the Lord's protection in the every day

93: the smell of fresh cut grass

94: kisses from Grant

95: Hannah calling me her best friend

96: my good health as I'm reminded that many live each day in physical pain

97: another lead for John's job (praying and hoping the Lord will
use one of these leads as a means of provision)

98: the lake in the back of our neighborhood, especially at dusk in the middle of my runs, such a reminder of the Lord's beauty and source of inspiration

99: Kate finally making progress in "Baby Boot Camp" by showing sure signs of sleeping through the night (yes, she's 8 months)

100: straws, an added perk to drinking a Coke!

101: that the Lord does not deal with me as I deserve

102: children who reflect simplicity, simplicity in the way they forgive and forget, simplicy in what makes them laugh, simplicity in what makes them content, and the reminder that I should be like minded

103: rolls of laughter I too rarely share with my children

104: modern conveniences that make life so easy

105: milk, that although its date expired, never tasted spoiled...thank you, thank you. :)

Homeschool Diaries and One Thousand Gifts 81-90

Homeschooling continues...

The Good GREAT: today Hannah read a book. Of course, I sat alongside helping her here and there, but overall, she was able to decode and recognize her sight words with little prompting. I was proud. And, so thankful I got to witness it on my own. She's using Bob Books and I'm already a big fan.

I've slowly been regaining some of my teacher confidence also. 5 years out of practice has made me a little rusty, but slowly it's all coming back to me and I've begun to venture out a little bit more on my own. I created a graphic organizer for Hannah a couple of weeks ago. I wrote four familiar words from our word family charts. I had her read them. Then, she drew a picture. My reasoning behind it was to see if she could recognize the words out of the "chart" context. She did.

As I've witnessed Hannah start the reading process I've felt priviledged. I am thankful I've gotten to experience this first hand and as a result, have grown in loving homeschooling. What a treasure to witness my child's eyes open up with excitement as the Lord opens her eyes to His world He's created.

The Bad: time management continues to haunt this list. How do I get it all done? I want to be diligent in teaching my kids but it is HARD. We are on letter K. My goal is to finish the alphabet by the end of August. And now that the pool is open I am trying to juggle pool time with learning time. Yes, we will continue school time through the summer...another perk to homeschooling I suppose.

The funny: listening to my kids recite the Pledge of Allegiance. "And to the publix..." Yes, we're big fans of Publix!

And, with my homeschool update...I am also prompted to add to my One Thousand Gifts list..

#81: getting to witness Hannah read her first

book and seeing the excitement in her eyes. 

#82: bathtubs that turn into castles and

blankets that turn into tents, all done

in the name of imagination

#83: trials from the Lord that keep us from

getting too comfortable in this world and create in us a greater longing for

heaven.  

#84: three kiddos splashing with delight in

the tub

#85: Kate sitting up...means more managable

pool time and bath time

#86: a bag full of teaching materials given to

me by a friend

#87: another lead for John's business

#88: fresh sheets just out of the dryer

#89: a FINALLY clean kids' bathroom

#90:    Me: what can we pray for tonight?

     Grant: Daddy asked me to pway for his

            business.

        Me: do you want to?

     Grant: yes.

    

And he did.

Butterflies and Thankfulness

Weird. It's my new word. I use it a lot. Like when Mommy was playing Mario Kart yesterday (Yes, Mommy plays Mario Kart on days she feels she needs an escape from life).

You know what's weird about Mario Kart? The ghost race.

"That's weird," I say.

You know what else is weird? Caterpillars that come in the mail.

"Weal weird."

They came scrawny, small, and awfully hungry because in just one day they doubled in size. They grew. and grew. and grew.

Which, meant they also did a lot of pooping. Mommy even got to see one do his job in action.

Weird.

You know what's weirder than that? The chrysalises they made. It wrapped all around their bodies. They hung upside down. waiting.

Well, one didn't. In Mommy's excitement to show us the first formed chrysalis she managed to knock it off its perch. There it lay. On the pooped infested floor. We thought he was a goner. In fact, we thought he was decapitated.

You want to know what's weird?

It wasn't.

Nope, approximately 10 days later that "decapitated" caterpillar crawled out of the chrysalis a butterfly. His head was in tact.

A few days later, the four others joined him. Or should I say her?

We watched them flutter their wings as they grew and hardened. We watched them fly about the net. We watched them eat the sugar water.

Did you know they taste with their feet?

Weird.

You know what else is weird? Mommy says that's kind of what God does to people when they become Christians. They become a new creature. They change in amazing ways.

Because of Jesus.

Don't believe me? Well, it's in the Bible.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Cor. 5:17

Now, don't go getting too excited. I don't think any of us will be changing into butterflies. Bummer, because I really wanted to fly. But apparently this change far surpasses any change we witnessed. Sounds pretty awesome to me even if it doesn't involve fluttery wings.

So, with that, Mommy continues with her list of thankfulness...

#71: God's creativity with His creation

#72: being able to watch a caterpillar transform into a

        butterfly

#73: the wide array of creation we can enjoy each day, a

        playground for our senses

#74: sunscreen that lets us play at the pool for hours

#75: another lead for John's job

#76: three healthy children

#77: the men and women who have serve our country and

        willingly put themselves in harms way to protect what

        we enjoy freely

#78: a daughter who is such a helper with the younger kids

#79: Grant attempting to put his clothes on by himself

        today.

#80: dusk, the most peaceful time of day to me



One Thousand Gifts: 51-70

Thankful,

for...

#51: a lead today for John's business

#52: a trapped fox

#53: memorized Scripture to fight anxious thoughts

#54: dinner with friends

#55: Hannah's growing success in beginning to read

#56: a great big squeezy hug from Grant

#57: that the Lord gives "us this day our daily bread."

#58: a laundry system that IS FINALLY running like a well oiled machine

#59: people who make me laugh

#60: the sounds little Kate makes

#61: fresh picked flowers

#62: hearing my kids say "I forgive you."

#63: another birthday for Grant

#64: $5 horse rides

#65: prayer

#66: the end to the Oprah show (one girl who WON'T be saddened on May 25th)

#67: a swimming pool on a hot day

#68: a pudgey Grant belly

#69: a healthy check up for Grant

#70: the food co-op

One Thousand Gifts: 41-50

It's been awhile. But my list continues...

#41: a meal out at Cracker Barrel thanks to a gift card from a neighbor John helped

#42: the joy that exudes my children and continually brings lightheartedness into my days

#43: that the Lord strengthens us to do all things, that we don't have to muster it up ourselves

#44: free movie rentals at the Blockbuster kiosk

#45: family that shares in our joys and our struggles

#46: Aleve...modern medicine in general that can wipe out a nasty migraine among many other

things

#47: watching a caterpillar turn into a butterfly with my children and being reminded of our

own transformation as believers, that, in Christ, we are a new creation.

#48: the Lord's provision for our family this week thanks to swing sets needing stained and foxes

needing trapped but more importantly thanks to a hard working husband willing to do

those jobs

#49: coupons, another way in which the Lord has provided for us

#50: when my son shouts "yay! school time!"

One Thousand Gifts: 31-40

Thankful. It's Monday. A reminder of thanksgiving. I sit. Contemplate. Why should it take this long to create a short list of thanksgiving? Why is my heart not naturally inclined to "give thanks in all circumstances?" But I will write. I will stop. I will remind myself of the Lord's goodness in my every day.

#31: my children's laughter, the sweetest sound I know and a reminder of the Lord's goodness to me through these three precious lives I get to encounter every day.

#32: a pantry that is full of food and a freezer that overflows, a reminder of the

Lord's provision for our family.

#33: a messy house, a reminder that life is lived here, fun is had, imagination is

fostered.

#34: dirty feet, a reminder of warm, sunny days spent outside enjoying the Lord's

creation.

#35: dirt roads, a reminder of peace in the midst of a fast paced world

#36: sore muscles and feet, a reminder of my able body to move and run, a luxury

some do not have.

#37: tired eyes, a reminder of a baby whose needs I am able to meet through

snuggling and feeding in the middle of the night.

#38: worship music, a reminder of the character of God when I don't have time to sit

and read His word.

#39: a great camera, a reminder of ways I can capture sweet memories with my

family.

#40: a great camera, a reminder of my husband's love for me as he saved for months

in order to surprise me with it.

One Thousand Gifts: 21-30

Today I am thankful for:

#21: a meaningful talk with a good friend

#22: warmer weather

#23: a park that's walking distance from our house

#24: God's irretractable love for me because of Christ

#25: birthday cake

#26: the number of times my children tell me they love me each day (and they are many)

#27: Kate's easy going personality

#28: new clothes thanks to some birthday money

#29: Grant's poo poo potty success ON MY BIRTHDAY (the best present ever)!

#30: 3 new leads for John's business

One Thousand Gifts: 16-20

Another week has passed. With its passing come new gifts to be thankful for. Yesterday John and I celebrated seven years of marriage. Our celebration came with little fanfare but with much contentment. Little fanfare simply because that's where we're at right now, a season where celebrating an anniversary means enjoying our family and grabbing a bite to eat at Zaxby's (hey Zaxby's was our celebration dinner the night we got engaged...that's just how we roll). And, with much contentment because celebrating another year of marriage is not about fancy dinners or extravagent plans, but about what the Lord has done in both of us through 7 years of sharing our life together. And He has done a lot. Besides blessing us with three beautiful children, He has blessed us in so many, many ways. But, more importantly, He has changed us. Changed us for His glory. Changed us for our good. Changed us for the better. Marriage is great. Marriage is hard. Marriage is for His glory and our sanctification. With joy, I can look back and see His work in my life. I can see growth, fostered and carried out by Him, not me. This reminds me yet again of His faithfulness to me, my husband, our marriage. With that...

I am thankful for:

#16: my marriage and the Lord's commitment to it

#17: a gift card that came through the mail yesterday through an anonymous friend
(thank you friend if you are reading this, we are truly thankful).

#18: a daughter who is not inhibited by fear when meeting new people and going
to new places.

#19: $10 off of $10 coupons

#20: a run on a beautiful afternoon listening to worship music and being reminded
of our great and awesome God.

One Thousand Gifts

The past week has been a bit of a blur. Sickness has hit our home. Sickness has hit me. Twice. I'm not one to usually get sick. But sick I have been. Thankfully, it is nothing more than a nasty head cold that followed an illness associated with nursing. On top of sickness, a close friend's daughter had a major scare that ended her up in the emergency room. Though she was not my own daughter, I found myself praying as though she was. Then, on top of localized craziness, we have the sheer devastation in Japan and the continual and growing unrest in the Middle East. Life is crazy. This past week, near and far, crazy. However, in the midst of chaos, there is hope. My discipleship group is reading a great book, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. What wonderful words of truth this book brings as we walk through a world that is full of hurt and disappointment both small and large. Bridges writes to believers:

"Because God's sacrifice of His Son for our sins is such an amazing act of love toward us, we tend to overlook that it was for Jesus an excruciating experience beyond all we can imagine. It was for Jesus in His humanity a calamity sufficient to cause Him to pray, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me' (Matthew 26:39), but He did not waver in His assertion of God's sovereign control.

Rather than being offended over the Bible's assertion of God's sovereignty in both good and calamity, believers should be comforted by it. Whatever our particular calamity or adversity may be, we may be sure that our Father has a loving purpose in it. As King Hezekiah said, 'Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish" (Isaiah 38:17)."

In the midst of uncertainty I can hold fast to the truth that the Lord "works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

So, from that, my list of thanfulness #s 11-15:

#11: Romans 8:28

#12: the good health report of my friend's little girl, Ada

#13: a HUGE answer to prayer, John's first job sold with his new job

#14: though everyone but John has been sick the past two weeks we have not had to go to the
doctor...another answer to prayer since we have yet to receive our new insurance benefits.

#15: that Kate slept through the night...11 hours STRAIGHT...thus giving me 7 1/2 hours of
uninterrupted sleep since Oct. 12th. Yes, I am that aware of my last night of full sleep!

One Thousand Gifts

Today I am thankful for:

#6: only one potty accident (for Grant, not me)

#7: a house that covers our heads during a storm

#8: Hannah's and Grant's prayer to keep Grandaddy safe as he travels home

#9: time outside laughing with my kids

#10: clothes that have been passed along to me for our kids that I can now pass along to others