Today I am thankful for . . .
438. The gift of Spending a Successful Evening Mini-Golfing with The Grade five and six Bridge Kids for our wind-up. We invited the current grade fours as well, so that they could get a "taste" of The Bridge for next year.
439. The gift of Officially Completing Homeschooling for 2011-2012. The "book work" is done; However, the learning never ends. The next couple of weeks will be time for testing and reporting to the school division. June is officially testing and extreme outdoor education time, which is my boys' favourite time of the year. :)
440. The gift of Hugs.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Warmth
Today I am thankful for . . .
435. The gift of A Chance Meeting that Led to Going Out for Coffee with Friends. Okay, well, I don't really believe in "chance" meetings -- I know this "meeting" was implemented by God. And it was just what was needed for both myself and the friends I connected with tonight. Spontaneity is a grand thing--a valuable lesson I have learned over the years from my husband.
436. The gift of Knowing Another Soul is in Heaven. Our church family lost a beautiful woman today. She recently became ill and from the time we were all made aware of her illness until her passing (today), less than two weeks have passed. While we mourn on earth, we know she is where her heart was -- with Jesus, her Saviour.
437. The gift of Warm Blankets. It's cold here where I live. We haven't turned on our furnace for weeks, and I'm not about to now, since it's supposed to be close to summer . . . so, a warm blanket is definitely something I'm thankful for at this moment.
435. The gift of A Chance Meeting that Led to Going Out for Coffee with Friends. Okay, well, I don't really believe in "chance" meetings -- I know this "meeting" was implemented by God. And it was just what was needed for both myself and the friends I connected with tonight. Spontaneity is a grand thing--a valuable lesson I have learned over the years from my husband.
436. The gift of Knowing Another Soul is in Heaven. Our church family lost a beautiful woman today. She recently became ill and from the time we were all made aware of her illness until her passing (today), less than two weeks have passed. While we mourn on earth, we know she is where her heart was -- with Jesus, her Saviour.
437. The gift of Warm Blankets. It's cold here where I live. We haven't turned on our furnace for weeks, and I'm not about to now, since it's supposed to be close to summer . . . so, a warm blanket is definitely something I'm thankful for at this moment.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Four by Four
Today I am thankful for . . .
432. The gift of Vivid Imaginations. My boys both have one. You should see the jousting game they've come up with. All I can say is that they don't need a phys-ed. program. They've made up their own.
433. The gift of Plans Coming Together. This Saturday is our Women's Listening Retreat at church. I've been in charge of ticket sales and am also organizing the food for the event. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I love it when little details come into place.
434. The gift of 4 x 4. We've had a LOT of rain here (again) and it's difficult for me to maneuver my way on the grid roads with my little car. Wayne let me use his truck to get to work today--what a lifesaver that was.
432. The gift of Vivid Imaginations. My boys both have one. You should see the jousting game they've come up with. All I can say is that they don't need a phys-ed. program. They've made up their own.
433. The gift of Plans Coming Together. This Saturday is our Women's Listening Retreat at church. I've been in charge of ticket sales and am also organizing the food for the event. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I love it when little details come into place.
434. The gift of 4 x 4. We've had a LOT of rain here (again) and it's difficult for me to maneuver my way on the grid roads with my little car. Wayne let me use his truck to get to work today--what a lifesaver that was.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Plan B Can Be Just as Good as Plan A
Today I am thankful for . . .
429. The gift of Making a Decision without feeling guilty.
430. The gift of A Sense of Relief.
431. The gift of Plan B.
429. The gift of Making a Decision without feeling guilty.
430. The gift of A Sense of Relief.
431. The gift of Plan B.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Wonderful Weekend
Today I am thankful for . . .
426. The gift of A Wonderful May Long Weekend. I think the last time I had such a great May long weekend was 15 years ago when I got married . . . this weekend I was able to see almost everyone in my wedding party (on the girls' side) except for one of my candle lighters. We missed her:( Pictures of some weekend highlights follow.
427. The gift of An Ice Cream Sandwich Baking Pan. My friend, Daphne, who was visiting from afar this weekend, blessed me with a special gift--a pan especially designed to make the cake/cookie part of an ice cream sandwich. This pan is so cool . . . and it worked so slick. Pictures follow below.
428. The gift of Eating Leftovers at Mealtime, and everyone being okay with it. I have a lot of food in my fridge right now--that needs to be eaten soon. It's great to have such variety . . . hopefully we can eat it all before it starts going bad. I think I may have over-shopped for groceries on Friday . . .
Photo Highlights from the Weekend:
426. The gift of A Wonderful May Long Weekend. I think the last time I had such a great May long weekend was 15 years ago when I got married . . . this weekend I was able to see almost everyone in my wedding party (on the girls' side) except for one of my candle lighters. We missed her:( Pictures of some weekend highlights follow.
427. The gift of An Ice Cream Sandwich Baking Pan. My friend, Daphne, who was visiting from afar this weekend, blessed me with a special gift--a pan especially designed to make the cake/cookie part of an ice cream sandwich. This pan is so cool . . . and it worked so slick. Pictures follow below.
428. The gift of Eating Leftovers at Mealtime, and everyone being okay with it. I have a lot of food in my fridge right now--that needs to be eaten soon. It's great to have such variety . . . hopefully we can eat it all before it starts going bad. I think I may have over-shopped for groceries on Friday . . .
Photo Highlights from the Weekend:
The results of my very first pedicure!
My toes are the purple/black ones;
Daphne's are the orange ones.
We went to eat at one of our favourite restaurants.
Four friends re-united: Me, Daphne, Liesa and (another) Kim
These three friends are some of the most beautiful women I know.
Fire to cook our supper over on Sunday night.
Mitchell and Ty about to perform their "Drum Band"
for us in the back yard after our smokie roast.
Daphne and I before we left for the airport this morning.
The cool ice-cream sandwich pan that Daphne bought me.
Ice Cream Sandwiches: Ready to bake!
They came out of the pan without a hitch!
Ready to eat!
Mitchell enjoying his ice-cream sandwich . . .
Tyrone enjoying his ice-cream sandwich . . .
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Impact
Today I am thankful for . . .
423. The gift of An Impactful Message from My Pastor This Morning.
424. The gift of Board Games.
425. The gift of Smokies Roasted Over and Open Fire, followed by Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake.
423. The gift of An Impactful Message from My Pastor This Morning.
424. The gift of Board Games.
425. The gift of Smokies Roasted Over and Open Fire, followed by Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Another Amazing Day
Today I am thankful for . . .
420. The gift of My Very First Pedicure.
421. The gift of Reconnecting with Amazing Friends, who made me realize once again how amazing they are.
422. The gift of Sharing from the Heart, in ways that only "Girlfriends" can.
420. The gift of My Very First Pedicure.
421. The gift of Reconnecting with Amazing Friends, who made me realize once again how amazing they are.
422. The gift of Sharing from the Heart, in ways that only "Girlfriends" can.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Catching-Up with a Friend
Today I am thankful for . . .
417. The gift of Anticipating the Arrival of One of My Best Friends. I haven't seen her for two years, and this weekend I get the privilege of having her over for a visit. I am looking forward to lots of catching-up and having fun. I've got a girls-only day planned for tomorrow, and we're meeting up with some more friends. It's going to be great!
418. The gift of A Change in the Weather Forecast. It's pretty cool outside at the moment, and the weather forecasters were predicting a rainy weekend; however, today when I looked at the short-term forecast, it indicates a little bit of rain today, but sunshine for Saturday and Sunday. That is going to make my weekend better.
419. The gift of Mitchell's Opportunity to Study Drums under a different teacher next year. Ty's switch-over to a new teacher in January proved to be a great thing for him. While Ty still misses his first teacher, he has really enjoyed the new teacher, and I'm so grateful that B has space in his schedule to instruct Mitchell next year as well.
417. The gift of Anticipating the Arrival of One of My Best Friends. I haven't seen her for two years, and this weekend I get the privilege of having her over for a visit. I am looking forward to lots of catching-up and having fun. I've got a girls-only day planned for tomorrow, and we're meeting up with some more friends. It's going to be great!
418. The gift of A Change in the Weather Forecast. It's pretty cool outside at the moment, and the weather forecasters were predicting a rainy weekend; however, today when I looked at the short-term forecast, it indicates a little bit of rain today, but sunshine for Saturday and Sunday. That is going to make my weekend better.
419. The gift of Mitchell's Opportunity to Study Drums under a different teacher next year. Ty's switch-over to a new teacher in January proved to be a great thing for him. While Ty still misses his first teacher, he has really enjoyed the new teacher, and I'm so grateful that B has space in his schedule to instruct Mitchell next year as well.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Fifteen Years and Counting . . .
Today I am thankful for . . .
414. The gift of Marriage. It was 15 years ago today that Wayne and I got married. We know that it is only by the grace of God that we are still together, growing stronger. I love my husband and have enjoyed watching his (and my) personal growth through our years together. Has marriage been tough? Yes. Has it been worth it? Yes!
415. The gift of Being Able to Puppy-Sit Billy. We've had my parents' puppy (who was once our puppy) here for a week. He is SO much fun to have around, and he's so smart and playful. We are all going to miss him a lot when he has to return to his real home.
416. The gift of Making a Grocery List. I often take for granted the simple things in life. For instance, I can pretty-much buy whatever I want when I go grocery shopping--many people do not have this privilege. Thank you, God, for your bountiful provision.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Cookies and Lemonade
Today I am thankful for . . .
411. The gift of Acting on What I Believe to the a Prompt from the Holy Spirit. It's not earth-shattering or anything, but I took cookies and lemonade to a couple of Hut***tes that were working at some grain bins near our house. I passed them on my way home from work, and felt the prompt--"Go take them some lemonade and cookies to refresh them." One of them is a student of mine--he left school early to help his dad at the bins. It was such a hot day outside today, and with the way they dress, I thought they must be boiling to death. My boys joined me as we delivered the goods. My student and his father seemed to appreciate the refreshment. The staff at our school don't get much interaction with the fathers of our students, so it was kind of neat to show this act of kindness to a father and son. I have no clue what they really thought of what I did, but I guess I shouldn't really care since I was acting upon God's directions.
412. The gift of Creating Our Own Slip 'n' Slide. The boys did this last year, and today was the second time this spring that it was hot enough to use again. Mitchell and Ty always have a lot of fun and I think they must enjoy it a lot because as soon as it hits above 20 degrees, they're asking if they can set up their Slip 'n' Slide.
413. The gift of Struggles that I Experience so that I can help others who face a similar circumstance. It's often hard to understand why we go through the things we do; but it's amazing to look back and see how a negative experience is actually helping you give aid to a friend who is currently facing a similar struggle, because you have truly "been there" and can relate to what they're going through. Our life experience can benefit others if we allow it to . . . if we are open to share our heart and story with others.
411. The gift of Acting on What I Believe to the a Prompt from the Holy Spirit. It's not earth-shattering or anything, but I took cookies and lemonade to a couple of Hut***tes that were working at some grain bins near our house. I passed them on my way home from work, and felt the prompt--"Go take them some lemonade and cookies to refresh them." One of them is a student of mine--he left school early to help his dad at the bins. It was such a hot day outside today, and with the way they dress, I thought they must be boiling to death. My boys joined me as we delivered the goods. My student and his father seemed to appreciate the refreshment. The staff at our school don't get much interaction with the fathers of our students, so it was kind of neat to show this act of kindness to a father and son. I have no clue what they really thought of what I did, but I guess I shouldn't really care since I was acting upon God's directions.
412. The gift of Creating Our Own Slip 'n' Slide. The boys did this last year, and today was the second time this spring that it was hot enough to use again. Mitchell and Ty always have a lot of fun and I think they must enjoy it a lot because as soon as it hits above 20 degrees, they're asking if they can set up their Slip 'n' Slide.
413. The gift of Struggles that I Experience so that I can help others who face a similar circumstance. It's often hard to understand why we go through the things we do; but it's amazing to look back and see how a negative experience is actually helping you give aid to a friend who is currently facing a similar struggle, because you have truly "been there" and can relate to what they're going through. Our life experience can benefit others if we allow it to . . . if we are open to share our heart and story with others.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Vanishing Dirty Dishes
Today I am thankful for . . .
409. The gift of Visiting with Another Mom While Mitchell was having his Drum Lessons. She's a new friend of mine, and tonight I brought her a cinnamon bun cheesecake to share with her family, since they've been so nice to us.
410. The gift of Watching a Boy and a Girl who "Like" each other.
411. The gift of Leaving the House with a Pile of Dishes, and Coming Home to the Pile Gone. Wayne said he was bored, so he washed the dishes for me while I was at the music lesson:)
409. The gift of Visiting with Another Mom While Mitchell was having his Drum Lessons. She's a new friend of mine, and tonight I brought her a cinnamon bun cheesecake to share with her family, since they've been so nice to us.
410. The gift of Watching a Boy and a Girl who "Like" each other.
411. The gift of Leaving the House with a Pile of Dishes, and Coming Home to the Pile Gone. Wayne said he was bored, so he washed the dishes for me while I was at the music lesson:)
Monday, May 14, 2012
Every Now and Then
I'm going to start my thankful list first, and then I'll tell you how I (really) am . . .
406. The gift of Knowing I Have Only 20 More Days to Go to Work before the summer break.
407. The gift of Helping One of My Boys Edit their Very First Book Report.
408. The gift of Being Able to Read My Bible when I Desperately Need God-time in the midst of a tough day.
Well, all the glory of Mother's Day came to abrupt halt today. My patience wore thin early on as I struggled to explain a new math concept to Ty. There's been a lot of yelling in the house today . . . yelling at the dogs, yelling at brothers, yelling at a mother, yelling at sons. Thankfully, no yelling at a husband or father - Wayne has somehow dodged the fiery word arrows today.
I think I need to go spend some time in The Word.
I am starting to feel the effects of trying to be everything to all people. And I know that generally speaking, this has not been the case for the majority of the year--it just seems to be a phenomenon that is flooding my world right at this moment, and has been building over the past few weeks as my roles in ministry, friendships, parenting, work (both at my job and responsibilities at home), have been taking their toll on my emotional state. Today, I feel overwhelmed. Today, I feel exhausted. I am counting down the days until I am done work, which is 20 work days in total - but those days are interspersed between now and June 27th. I pray for endurance, patience and the ability to finish well, even if my students have other ideas.
I'll say it again--I need to go spend some time in The Word.
My other issue is something I'm reluctant to mention, for fear of sounding vain, but I am beginning to look "old" and I don't like it. My skin is forming wrinkles and is losing its elasticity; my hair is thinning and in my opinion, looks horrible. Flab is beginning to form on parts of my body that were once toned.
I was trying out some hairstyles with a virtual hairstyler earlier today, and I found a couple of styles that I really like, but of course, when I mention the "h" word (haircut) around any person of the male persuasion in my household (which is everyone but me), they practically hyperventilate. Well, not really, but they don't want me to cut my hair, even though I think that part of why I think I look older is because of my hairstyle, hair color, hair condition, whatever. They don't seem to understand. But how can they? They are "men" (big and little) and for some reason they have been brainwashed to think that women are more beautiful when they have longer hair. I have not taught them this, but their dad probably has to some degree. I hate this mentality and it's just causing much dismay for me. I know I am my own person, but I also want to be attractive to my husband, and I don't ever want him to be embarrassed to be seen with me because I have the "wrong" haircut, which, in his mind, is a short haircut. I've had very short hair over the past 16 years since we've known each other, but for some reason, this issue of long hair being his "preference" has only revealed itself in the past year or so.
I have now come to realize this is probably the stupidest post I've ever written, but I think I'll still publish it. I fear you will all judge my husband to be a male chauvinist pig, which he isn't--he just prefers my hair to be longer.
That's my world today.
I'm going to go read my Bible now.
Here are some lyrics to a song by the group FFH, which spoke to me tonight. It's called, "Every Now and Then" and it is one of my favorite songs. Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the musical score is as well.
406. The gift of Knowing I Have Only 20 More Days to Go to Work before the summer break.
407. The gift of Helping One of My Boys Edit their Very First Book Report.
408. The gift of Being Able to Read My Bible when I Desperately Need God-time in the midst of a tough day.
Well, all the glory of Mother's Day came to abrupt halt today. My patience wore thin early on as I struggled to explain a new math concept to Ty. There's been a lot of yelling in the house today . . . yelling at the dogs, yelling at brothers, yelling at a mother, yelling at sons. Thankfully, no yelling at a husband or father - Wayne has somehow dodged the fiery word arrows today.
I think I need to go spend some time in The Word.
I am starting to feel the effects of trying to be everything to all people. And I know that generally speaking, this has not been the case for the majority of the year--it just seems to be a phenomenon that is flooding my world right at this moment, and has been building over the past few weeks as my roles in ministry, friendships, parenting, work (both at my job and responsibilities at home), have been taking their toll on my emotional state. Today, I feel overwhelmed. Today, I feel exhausted. I am counting down the days until I am done work, which is 20 work days in total - but those days are interspersed between now and June 27th. I pray for endurance, patience and the ability to finish well, even if my students have other ideas.
I'll say it again--I need to go spend some time in The Word.
My other issue is something I'm reluctant to mention, for fear of sounding vain, but I am beginning to look "old" and I don't like it. My skin is forming wrinkles and is losing its elasticity; my hair is thinning and in my opinion, looks horrible. Flab is beginning to form on parts of my body that were once toned.
I was trying out some hairstyles with a virtual hairstyler earlier today, and I found a couple of styles that I really like, but of course, when I mention the "h" word (haircut) around any person of the male persuasion in my household (which is everyone but me), they practically hyperventilate. Well, not really, but they don't want me to cut my hair, even though I think that part of why I think I look older is because of my hairstyle, hair color, hair condition, whatever. They don't seem to understand. But how can they? They are "men" (big and little) and for some reason they have been brainwashed to think that women are more beautiful when they have longer hair. I have not taught them this, but their dad probably has to some degree. I hate this mentality and it's just causing much dismay for me. I know I am my own person, but I also want to be attractive to my husband, and I don't ever want him to be embarrassed to be seen with me because I have the "wrong" haircut, which, in his mind, is a short haircut. I've had very short hair over the past 16 years since we've known each other, but for some reason, this issue of long hair being his "preference" has only revealed itself in the past year or so.
I have now come to realize this is probably the stupidest post I've ever written, but I think I'll still publish it. I fear you will all judge my husband to be a male chauvinist pig, which he isn't--he just prefers my hair to be longer.
That's my world today.
I'm going to go read my Bible now.
Here are some lyrics to a song by the group FFH, which spoke to me tonight. It's called, "Every Now and Then" and it is one of my favorite songs. Not only are the lyrics beautiful, but the musical score is as well.
Every now and then I get
a little tired of my reflection
and I want to break the mirror
And every now and then I get
blinded by my own perception
and I need to see you clearer.
But you have always told me
you`ll always be there.
You are only one prayer away.
Every now and then
you whisper peace to me
with your tender words
unexpectedly . . .
a little tired of my reflection
and I want to break the mirror
And every now and then I get
blinded by my own perception
and I need to see you clearer.
But you have always told me
you`ll always be there.
You are only one prayer away.
Every now and then
you whisper peace to me
with your tender words
unexpectedly . . .
P.S. As I was writing this post, the boys were having WWIII outside the office door. The puppy we're looking after for the week had an accident. And I felt like crying. But, both boys came and apologized for their part in the arguments of the day, and I apologized too.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mama
Today I am thankful for . . .
402. The gift of My Mom, and my Mother-In-Law. My Mom has taught me so much, and I'm thankful to still have her with me on this earth. My mom is a very generous and selfless woman, who has made many sacrifices in the name of her children. My Mother-In-Law has been gone for 7.5 years, but I look forward to seeing her in Heaven again one day. She was also very generous, and acted as a prayer warrior for her kids and grand kids. She was always so excited to see us and she was one of the most content people I've ever known.
403. The gift of My Boys - I wish I had a picture to share of myself with all three of them, but I don't. My oldest, (my stepson), is not capable of being with me today, but I still hold him close to my heart. Mother's Day is easy for me as I celebrate with Mitchell and Ty, but it is hard for me as I reflect on my strained relationship with Thomas. Even though I do not necessarily see the evidence of it right now, I know God is at work and I trust Him to bring Thomas back to Himself one day. And as I press-on in an attempt to re-build my relationship with my stepson, I trust in the TRUE HEALER of all hurt, pain and sorrow. I am so grateful for the gift of the children that God has entrusted me with.
405. The gift of Red Shoes. I've never worn a shoe with such a high heel in my life, but really enjoy the shoes I got to wear with my dress today. I got compliments about my shoes several times this morning in church . . . since the shoes are not evident in any of the above photos, I just had to have some individual shoe photos taken:) And FYI, I bought them at Walmart. For $15.00.
402. The gift of My Mom, and my Mother-In-Law. My Mom has taught me so much, and I'm thankful to still have her with me on this earth. My mom is a very generous and selfless woman, who has made many sacrifices in the name of her children. My Mother-In-Law has been gone for 7.5 years, but I look forward to seeing her in Heaven again one day. She was also very generous, and acted as a prayer warrior for her kids and grand kids. She was always so excited to see us and she was one of the most content people I've ever known.
My Mom and I - April 29, 2012 - Celebrating Mother's Day Early
Me with Mitchell and Tyrone - May 13, 2012
Me with Ty - May 13, 2012
Me with Mitchell - May 13, 2012
404. The gift of My Husband, Wayne. He just returned from Man Camp and while I know he had a tonne of fun, I can also tell that he missed me and the boys. He's been hovering around me like a little puppy dog ever since he returned . . . oh how I love and appreciate him.
405. The gift of Red Shoes. I've never worn a shoe with such a high heel in my life, but really enjoy the shoes I got to wear with my dress today. I got compliments about my shoes several times this morning in church . . . since the shoes are not evident in any of the above photos, I just had to have some individual shoe photos taken:) And FYI, I bought them at Walmart. For $15.00.
My Red Shoes
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Lord of the Rings
Today I am thankful for . . .
399. The gift of A Clean Car Inside and Out. Due to all the rain we've had the last couple of weeks, our roads have been a mess, and as a result, so was my car. The inside of the car hadn't been cleaned since the fall, so yes, it was definitely time for a cleaning inside too.
400. The gift of Getting Some Yard Work Done. The boys mowed about 10 acres of grass today; I raked leaves, cleaned out the dog kennel and did a bit of work with some flowerbeds. It's going to take a lot of my time and energy to keep this yard up to my expectations this year, but I've got to remember that before I can go full-speed-ahead with the yard, the boys and I need to finish their school year off first.
401. The gift of Watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with the boys. We started it last night and finished it up this evening. I've only seen the movie one other time, and didn't really "get it". Thankfully this time I "got it". I think it helped that we read The Hobbit a few months ago as a family. The boys really enjoyed the movie. The only problems we have is keeping everyone's name straight. We still haven't concluded what one of the characters' names was - but he died near the end, so I guess I won't lose any sleep over it. And I was waiting for the character Eowyn to appear the entire movie, but she never showed up. One of my nieces has the middle name Eowyn, so that's why I'm interested in knowing who she is in the movie. Watching the movie also solidified for me why there is such hoopla over it--it was very enjoyable. And the parallels to the Christian faith were made evident to me over and over again as I watched the development of the characters and followed the storyline.
399. The gift of A Clean Car Inside and Out. Due to all the rain we've had the last couple of weeks, our roads have been a mess, and as a result, so was my car. The inside of the car hadn't been cleaned since the fall, so yes, it was definitely time for a cleaning inside too.
400. The gift of Getting Some Yard Work Done. The boys mowed about 10 acres of grass today; I raked leaves, cleaned out the dog kennel and did a bit of work with some flowerbeds. It's going to take a lot of my time and energy to keep this yard up to my expectations this year, but I've got to remember that before I can go full-speed-ahead with the yard, the boys and I need to finish their school year off first.
401. The gift of Watching The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring with the boys. We started it last night and finished it up this evening. I've only seen the movie one other time, and didn't really "get it". Thankfully this time I "got it". I think it helped that we read The Hobbit a few months ago as a family. The boys really enjoyed the movie. The only problems we have is keeping everyone's name straight. We still haven't concluded what one of the characters' names was - but he died near the end, so I guess I won't lose any sleep over it. And I was waiting for the character Eowyn to appear the entire movie, but she never showed up. One of my nieces has the middle name Eowyn, so that's why I'm interested in knowing who she is in the movie. Watching the movie also solidified for me why there is such hoopla over it--it was very enjoyable. And the parallels to the Christian faith were made evident to me over and over again as I watched the development of the characters and followed the storyline.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Babies, Men and Cornbread
Today I am thankful for . . .
396. The gift of A Son for Some Very Good Friends of Ours. Wayne's best friend and his wife were blessed with their third child today . . . a baby boy . . . a brother for two older sisters, whom I am sure are thrilled!
397. The gift of My Husband's Opportunity to Attend MAN CAMP. This is his third or fourth time attending, and I know he was counting down the hours til he could head out the door, load up his quad, guns and other stuff that a man needs for camping . . . I hope he has a fabulous time, and that he will be be rejuvenated by nature and other Godly men.
398. The gift of Fresh Cornbread. Wayne's been bugging me for a while to make cornbread, so I finally did today, and it was super-delicious!
396. The gift of A Son for Some Very Good Friends of Ours. Wayne's best friend and his wife were blessed with their third child today . . . a baby boy . . . a brother for two older sisters, whom I am sure are thrilled!
397. The gift of My Husband's Opportunity to Attend MAN CAMP. This is his third or fourth time attending, and I know he was counting down the hours til he could head out the door, load up his quad, guns and other stuff that a man needs for camping . . . I hope he has a fabulous time, and that he will be be rejuvenated by nature and other Godly men.
398. The gift of Fresh Cornbread. Wayne's been bugging me for a while to make cornbread, so I finally did today, and it was super-delicious!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Encouragement and Affirmations
Today I am thankful for . . .
393. The gift of E-mail Encouragement Just When I Needed It.
394. The gift of God's Affirmation in various ways.
395. The gift of Chatting as a Family Before Wayne had to leave for work.
393. The gift of E-mail Encouragement Just When I Needed It.
394. The gift of God's Affirmation in various ways.
395. The gift of Chatting as a Family Before Wayne had to leave for work.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Easy as Pie
Today I am thankful for . . .
390. The gift of Fresh Apple Pie made by my Mom.
391. The gift of Grilled Hamburgers at home.
392. The gift of Listening to Amazing Singers.
390. The gift of Fresh Apple Pie made by my Mom.
391. The gift of Grilled Hamburgers at home.
392. The gift of Listening to Amazing Singers.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Four Things, Not Three
Today I am thankful for . . .
386. The gift of Honesty From a Friend.
387. The gift of Receiving Hundreds of Dollars Worth of Products for the low price of $62.50.
388. The gift of My Plans to Re-Vamp a Corner of the Yard.
389. The gift of Homemade Orange Scones and Nutella, given to us by the family we hosted on Sunday.
386. The gift of Honesty From a Friend.
387. The gift of Receiving Hundreds of Dollars Worth of Products for the low price of $62.50.
388. The gift of My Plans to Re-Vamp a Corner of the Yard.
389. The gift of Homemade Orange Scones and Nutella, given to us by the family we hosted on Sunday.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Amazing
Today I am thankful for . . .
383. The gift of An Apology from my Son after his incessant complaining about having to rake leaves. Due to all the complaining at the onset of the raking job, I told him that for every complaint I heard from that moment on, I'd add an additional 5 minutes to his assignment. So, in total he ended up with 10 minutes more raking time than his brother, and thankfully that extra 10 minutes seemed to turn his attitude around. When we came inside from raking, he was more pleasant and offered his apology.
384. The gift of An Overdue Visit with My Neighbour. She's moving soon:( and my life just won't be the same without her so living so close:(
385. The gift of Planning for The Amazing Race.
383. The gift of An Apology from my Son after his incessant complaining about having to rake leaves. Due to all the complaining at the onset of the raking job, I told him that for every complaint I heard from that moment on, I'd add an additional 5 minutes to his assignment. So, in total he ended up with 10 minutes more raking time than his brother, and thankfully that extra 10 minutes seemed to turn his attitude around. When we came inside from raking, he was more pleasant and offered his apology.
384. The gift of An Overdue Visit with My Neighbour. She's moving soon:( and my life just won't be the same without her so living so close:(
385. The gift of Planning for The Amazing Race.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Blessing is a Boomerang
" . . . bless—that's your job, to bless.
You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing."
~1 Peter 3:9, The Message~
Today I am thankful for . . .
380. The gift of Mitchell's Excellent Time at his Junior High Youth Retreat. It was SO great to hear that he didn't suffer any anxiety or feelings of homesickness at all. That is a huge answer to prayer. God is so good!
381. The gift of Friends Visiting For Supper. I am thoroughly enjoying expanding our family friendships by sharing hospitality with others. The wife/mother of today's visiting family has been to several of my events for women-only, but today was the first time the entire family came to see us. Despite the heavy rainfall we had today, the kids still managed to find fun things to do indoors and occupied themselves quite nicely.
382. The gift of Animals. I love animals and I think they are one of God's best creations.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The Softer Side
Today I am thankful for . . .
377. The gift of Witnessing The Sensitive and Empathetic Side of My Son. I don't often see this side of Ty (he's more fun-loving and a bit of a jokester), but today something happened and his true heart shone through. While what he shared with me was sad, it was also beautiful to see this part of him revealed.
378. The gift of Gluten-free options. We are having friends over tomorrow and one of the family members can eat only gluten-free food. Since my family has no food allergies or food sensitivity issues, this was unfamiliar territory for me. However, after consulting with the family, searching the Internet for gluten-free recipes, and reading ingredient labels, I think our meal tomorrow will be edible for everyone. I am really looking forward to hosting this family . . . yet another family with kids for Mitchell and Ty to spend time with and that makes me doubly-thankful!
379. The gift of Ty's help with cleaning. Mitchell was gone to his retreat and Wayne was at work, so that left Ty and I to get the house ready for our company. Ty was a huge help with this, and he helped out with lots of the food-prep too. It's always great to have an extra set of hands to assist me.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Face
Today I am thankful for . . .
374. The gift of My Son Taking A Step of Independence as he left for a Junior High Youth Retreat with our church's youth group tonight. Earlier in the week Mitchell informed me that he no longer wanted to attend the retreat (due to anxiety issues), but this morning he had a change of heart and was super-excited to be going. I hope and pray he has the time of his life, experiencing God and his friends in a new way. I am really proud of him for taking this step today, even though I know it was a huge obstacle for him to overcome in his own heart and mind.
375. The gift of Re-uniting with Several of my Bible School Friends for supper tonight, and seeing them face-to-face. There is a group of us that hung out 22 years ago, and we usually see each other once or twice a year. With Facebook as an option now, we have more frequent communication, but it is always better to meet face-to-face. Most of us are facing the 40-year old milestone this year, so it was quite special for me to see them all at this year again. (How many times did I reference "face" in gift 375? Too many, I think, but there was no way around it:))
376. The gift of A Raise for Wayne. This was totally unexpected, but very-much-appreciated news to hear when I got out of bed this morning. If I haven't said it before, I will say it now. My husband is amazing and I love him so much.
374. The gift of My Son Taking A Step of Independence as he left for a Junior High Youth Retreat with our church's youth group tonight. Earlier in the week Mitchell informed me that he no longer wanted to attend the retreat (due to anxiety issues), but this morning he had a change of heart and was super-excited to be going. I hope and pray he has the time of his life, experiencing God and his friends in a new way. I am really proud of him for taking this step today, even though I know it was a huge obstacle for him to overcome in his own heart and mind.
375. The gift of Re-uniting with Several of my Bible School Friends for supper tonight, and seeing them face-to-face. There is a group of us that hung out 22 years ago, and we usually see each other once or twice a year. With Facebook as an option now, we have more frequent communication, but it is always better to meet face-to-face. Most of us are facing the 40-year old milestone this year, so it was quite special for me to see them all at this year again. (How many times did I reference "face" in gift 375? Too many, I think, but there was no way around it:))
376. The gift of A Raise for Wayne. This was totally unexpected, but very-much-appreciated news to hear when I got out of bed this morning. If I haven't said it before, I will say it now. My husband is amazing and I love him so much.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Untitled
Today I am thankful for . . .
371. The gift of A Terrific Boss. Actually, my 'official boss' is an entire school division, but I like to think of the principal at the school where I work as my real boss. Come to think of it, I have two real "school" bosses; one at my job-job and the other at my homeschool job. The homeschool boss is my husband. He's more terrific than my job-job boss, but for a job-job boss, I have a pretty great boss. Are you confused yet?
372. The gift of Giggling, Laughing, Hysterical, Over-Tired Boys. Those boys are my boys and thankfully they are now in bed and (hopefully) sleeping.
373. The gift of An iPod Resurrection. Earlier today Mitchell's iPod went dead. One minute it was working, the next minute it wasn't. We connected it to our computer charger in hopes of an easy solution, but when the computer attempted to sync the iPod, there was an error message. We left the house for several hours and when we came home, the iPod was working again. So strange, but I am very relieved that all is well now.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Safety and Support
Today I am thankful for . . .
368. The gift of An Extended Family Support System. I have some amazing extended family who pray for me, and for each other. They listen and don't judge. They show love and care for me and each other. I am realizing more and more how very rare this is, even in Christian families. I feel so blessed to have a family that enjoys spending time together.
369. The gift of Alternate Routes to get home so that I can avoid the excessively muddy roads.
370. The gift of A Safe Home.
368. The gift of An Extended Family Support System. I have some amazing extended family who pray for me, and for each other. They listen and don't judge. They show love and care for me and each other. I am realizing more and more how very rare this is, even in Christian families. I feel so blessed to have a family that enjoys spending time together.
369. The gift of Alternate Routes to get home so that I can avoid the excessively muddy roads.
370. The gift of A Safe Home.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A Letter of the Alphabet
Most of the people I know who have what I want--which is to say, purpose, heart, balance, gratitude, joy--are people with a deep sense of spirituality . . . They are part of something beautiful.
I saw something once . . . that said,
'A human life is like a single letter of the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning.'
~Anne Lamott~
I saw something once . . . that said,
'A human life is like a single letter of the alphabet. It can be meaningless. Or it can be part of a great meaning.'
~Anne Lamott~
Today I am thankful for . . .
365. The gift of Formulating A New Friendship At Forty. (I'm not 40 yet, but I liked the sound of it to name the gift.) I didn't think I would be making new friends this late in my life, but it is refreshing and fun and kind of scary all at once.
366. The gift of A Very Enjoyable Evening with my boys.
367. The gift of Doggy Cuddles.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Waffle Boxes
Today I am thankful for . . .
362. The gift of Staying On the Road when my car had other ideas. The mud on our grid road was so horrible this morning and there were several times when I thought I was going to be forced off the road into a potentially deadly roll-over. I was praying for safety my entire way to work.
363. The gift of Receiving Positive Answers when requesting help for a ministry I'm involved in.
364. The gift of The Small Square "boxes" in a Waffle to hold all the buttery, syrupy goodness in place.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Early Mother's Day
Today I am thankful for . . .
359. The gift of Celebrating Mother's Day Early with My Mom and one of my sisters. We had fun chatting, eating and playing a game. I really love and appreciate my Mom.
360. The gift of Hearing From Missionaries That Our Church Supports. Today was Mission Sunday in our church, and thanks to Skype and some other technology, we were able to hear from missionaries both at home and abroad.
361. The gift of Post-Rain Air. There is just something different about the way the air smells and feels after two or three days of rain. It actually turned out to be a beautiful evening, following a weekend of severe wetness.
359. The gift of Celebrating Mother's Day Early with My Mom and one of my sisters. We had fun chatting, eating and playing a game. I really love and appreciate my Mom.
360. The gift of Hearing From Missionaries That Our Church Supports. Today was Mission Sunday in our church, and thanks to Skype and some other technology, we were able to hear from missionaries both at home and abroad.
361. The gift of Post-Rain Air. There is just something different about the way the air smells and feels after two or three days of rain. It actually turned out to be a beautiful evening, following a weekend of severe wetness.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Perfect
Today I am thankful for . . .
356. The gift of Understanding Friends.
357. The gift of A Helpful Son.
358. The gift of My Own Realization that "Things" Don't Have To Be Perfect. It's taken me almost 40 years to learn this lesson, but I'm learning to let go of some unrealistic expectations that I've put upon myself for far too long.
356. The gift of Understanding Friends.
357. The gift of A Helpful Son.
358. The gift of My Own Realization that "Things" Don't Have To Be Perfect. It's taken me almost 40 years to learn this lesson, but I'm learning to let go of some unrealistic expectations that I've put upon myself for far too long.
Friday, April 27, 2012
My Refreshing Nemesis
Today I am thankful for . . .
353. The gift of Extra Work This Week. I am always grateful when I have the opportunity to do some subbing at my workplace for the other E.A.
354. The gift of A Fun Evening with The Gr. 5 & 6 Bridge Kids at church. This month the leaders organized a "Minute to Win It" event for the kids, which was a HUGE success. It was so fun to watch the teams of kids compete for the prize. I am so thankful for the very capable and talented parents we have who come up with such creative things for the kids to do this year. Next month we have the Bridge Wind-Up at our acreage. I'm planning my own version of "The Amazing Race".
355. The gift of Diet Coke. Is it okay to say that? I've been working at not drinking so much of it, and I'd say I'm having success; however, after the last two weeks I've had at work (this week was less challenging than last week, but there is definitely a case of Spring Fever in the air), I get much satisfaction out of enjoying a glass of Diet Coke on ice with a slice of lemon.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Baby Tyrone's Birth Day
Today I am thankful for . . .
350. The gift of A Time Change for Ty's Drum Lessons. Due to Ty's recital scheduled for June, his teacher needed to reschedule the "regular" time with an alternate time so that the other drummers Ty is performing with could all meet at once. I hope this time change continues on for a while . . . the 9 - 10 hour Thursdays in the city are really draining on me, especially when one of the boys and I have to "kill time" for hours on end while the other boy is doing his thing.
351. The gift of Mitchell's Youth Group. Tonight they had their final party for the year and I just love all the leaders so much. They give so much of their time and energy to this ministry and I'm so thankful for them.
352. The gift of A Blast From The Past. Tonight while Ty and I were in Costco "killing time" while Mitchell was at youth group, a "stranger" approached us. It turns out she was no stranger at all. She was one of the First Responders (from our former town) on the scene after Ty was born in our bathroom almost 11 years ago. I recognized her immediately, and all the memories of that day flooded into my mind. It was so great to chat with her and I think she really enjoyed meeting Ty again, 11 years later.
350. The gift of A Time Change for Ty's Drum Lessons. Due to Ty's recital scheduled for June, his teacher needed to reschedule the "regular" time with an alternate time so that the other drummers Ty is performing with could all meet at once. I hope this time change continues on for a while . . . the 9 - 10 hour Thursdays in the city are really draining on me, especially when one of the boys and I have to "kill time" for hours on end while the other boy is doing his thing.
351. The gift of Mitchell's Youth Group. Tonight they had their final party for the year and I just love all the leaders so much. They give so much of their time and energy to this ministry and I'm so thankful for them.
352. The gift of A Blast From The Past. Tonight while Ty and I were in Costco "killing time" while Mitchell was at youth group, a "stranger" approached us. It turns out she was no stranger at all. She was one of the First Responders (from our former town) on the scene after Ty was born in our bathroom almost 11 years ago. I recognized her immediately, and all the memories of that day flooded into my mind. It was so great to chat with her and I think she really enjoyed meeting Ty again, 11 years later.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Just Ducky
347. The gift of Seeing Two Pairs (couples) of mallard ducks today. I love the green heads of the male mallards. They are so beautiful.
348. The gift of Ty's Excitement over his Science Lessons on Matter (Liquids, Solids and Gases). We did a fun experiment today.
349. The gift of My Husband's Ability to Listen as I vented to him about something in my world that is bothering me.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tylenol to the Rescue
Today I am thankful for . . .
344. The gift of Slow-Release Tylenol for Muscle Aches and Body. This saved the day for me today.345. The gift of An Invitation for Ty to have a sleepover at his best friend's house.
346. The gift of Positive Attitudes from my boys regarding their responsibilities when it comes to mowing the acreage this summer. They told me that they're going to have a good attitude about doing this chore, because they have to do it whether they complain about it or not, so they've decided it's not worth complaining about. Progress. :)
Monday, April 23, 2012
Triple Wammy Thankfuls
So, my Internet was down for a while. I went to write my "thankful post" on Saturday night before going to bed, and I could not get on to my blog. I tried again Sunday morning and Sunday evening, but still, no Internet. Finally our connection returned today. So, I guess I "owe" this blog nine "Thankfuls" today, to make-up for the lack of Saturday and Sunday. And this is really bugging me, because it now appears that I didn't post every day in 2012. Oh well. That's life:)
Today, and yesterday, and the day-before-yesterday I am/was thankful for:
335. The gift of The Undeniable Fresh Scent of Clean Laundry. On Saturday I did about 11 loads of laundry.
336. The gift of Discovering Fish that I can tolerate eating. Last week the boys and I were in Costco and they had a sample of fish. Of course the boys dove right in; I was hesitant, but it looked and smelled so good, I had to try it. For the record, I hate fish. I wish I didn't, but I do. So, as it turns out, this stuff was really good for my non-fish taste buds. It didn't taste fishy at all. It was Highliner's Basil Pesto Tilapia. We had it for supper on Saturday night and my husband enjoyed it too. He's another fish-hater. But I think we've found ourselves a winner. My doctor will be so happy.
337. The gift of Relaxing at the end of a very busy day. Wayne and I watched a movie. We haven't done that for a very. long. time.
338. The gift of Candidating a Pastoral Prospect at our church. I am not sure of the outcome of the "vote", as we were not able to stay for the meeting following the sermon of the candidating pastoral couple, but I really enjoyed the enthusiastic style of preaching that was presented. Our church is currently doing a series on "Faith" and this pastoral candidate did an excellent job of presenting his thoughts.
339. The gift of a Jysk Store, on my side of the city. Our closest city has had a Jysk store for years; however, it's on the other side of the city; a part of the city I don't find myself in too often. Now there is a new Jysk right in the heart of where I usually shop. For those of you who don't know, Jysk is kind of like an Ikea-wanna-be, but much smaller than Ikea. I love just browsing at all the stuff they have, and I have come across some amazing deals on home decor there.
340. The gift of Celebrating the birthday of my husband's best friend. I made his favourite cheesecake for his gift, and his wife hosted a b-b-q supper for our family to enjoy with their family. She's due to have a baby any day now, so I know it was probably difficult to have company in her state; but she and I both know that our husbands "need" their time together on a regular basis in order to maintain their sanity.
341. The gift of an Empathetic Husband and Boys. This afternoon, I made supper (barely) and then crashed on the couch with my blanket and heating pad. I was not doing well and I felt bad leaving them to eat on their own; but I was toast. Afterwards, they did all the dishes from yesterday (which had accumulated because we were gone to church and to our friends' house for the day), plus today. There were a lot of dishes; but they let me rest and took care of everything. I felt so blessed.
342. The gift of Yard Work. Yes, you heard it here first. I am qualifying yard work as a gift. Anything is possible once you start to view the world with more thanksgiving in your heart. After my rest on the couch, I was feeling much better, so we all headed outside and began the huge task of raking leaves. I could not believe how many of my perennial plants had already begun to emerge underneath all those leaves; and some of them are pretty big already! The boys were troopers as we all used our brand new rakes (incentive for them . . . plus a necessity). Little by little, we will get this done. And we all enjoyed ourselves.
343. The gift of A Beautiful Day. Our thermometer reached plus 24 degrees Celsius this afternoon, which made this evening gorgeous. The only negative in my outdoor experience today was the fact that I saw several mosquitoes out there. Not fun. Not good. But, food for the dragonflies!
Today, and yesterday, and the day-before-yesterday I am/was thankful for:
335. The gift of The Undeniable Fresh Scent of Clean Laundry. On Saturday I did about 11 loads of laundry.
336. The gift of Discovering Fish that I can tolerate eating. Last week the boys and I were in Costco and they had a sample of fish. Of course the boys dove right in; I was hesitant, but it looked and smelled so good, I had to try it. For the record, I hate fish. I wish I didn't, but I do. So, as it turns out, this stuff was really good for my non-fish taste buds. It didn't taste fishy at all. It was Highliner's Basil Pesto Tilapia. We had it for supper on Saturday night and my husband enjoyed it too. He's another fish-hater. But I think we've found ourselves a winner. My doctor will be so happy.
337. The gift of Relaxing at the end of a very busy day. Wayne and I watched a movie. We haven't done that for a very. long. time.
338. The gift of Candidating a Pastoral Prospect at our church. I am not sure of the outcome of the "vote", as we were not able to stay for the meeting following the sermon of the candidating pastoral couple, but I really enjoyed the enthusiastic style of preaching that was presented. Our church is currently doing a series on "Faith" and this pastoral candidate did an excellent job of presenting his thoughts.
339. The gift of a Jysk Store, on my side of the city. Our closest city has had a Jysk store for years; however, it's on the other side of the city; a part of the city I don't find myself in too often. Now there is a new Jysk right in the heart of where I usually shop. For those of you who don't know, Jysk is kind of like an Ikea-wanna-be, but much smaller than Ikea. I love just browsing at all the stuff they have, and I have come across some amazing deals on home decor there.
340. The gift of Celebrating the birthday of my husband's best friend. I made his favourite cheesecake for his gift, and his wife hosted a b-b-q supper for our family to enjoy with their family. She's due to have a baby any day now, so I know it was probably difficult to have company in her state; but she and I both know that our husbands "need" their time together on a regular basis in order to maintain their sanity.
341. The gift of an Empathetic Husband and Boys. This afternoon, I made supper (barely) and then crashed on the couch with my blanket and heating pad. I was not doing well and I felt bad leaving them to eat on their own; but I was toast. Afterwards, they did all the dishes from yesterday (which had accumulated because we were gone to church and to our friends' house for the day), plus today. There were a lot of dishes; but they let me rest and took care of everything. I felt so blessed.
342. The gift of Yard Work. Yes, you heard it here first. I am qualifying yard work as a gift. Anything is possible once you start to view the world with more thanksgiving in your heart. After my rest on the couch, I was feeling much better, so we all headed outside and began the huge task of raking leaves. I could not believe how many of my perennial plants had already begun to emerge underneath all those leaves; and some of them are pretty big already! The boys were troopers as we all used our brand new rakes (incentive for them . . . plus a necessity). Little by little, we will get this done. And we all enjoyed ourselves.
343. The gift of A Beautiful Day. Our thermometer reached plus 24 degrees Celsius this afternoon, which made this evening gorgeous. The only negative in my outdoor experience today was the fact that I saw several mosquitoes out there. Not fun. Not good. But, food for the dragonflies!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Pretty and Handsome
Today I am thankful for . . .
332. The gift of Groomed Dogs. Harpo and Alaska spent the afternoon at the doggy spa, getting all pretty and handsome.
333. The gift of Fresh Rain.
334. The gift of New Drumming Accessories for the boys.
332. The gift of Groomed Dogs. Harpo and Alaska spent the afternoon at the doggy spa, getting all pretty and handsome.
333. The gift of Fresh Rain.
334. The gift of New Drumming Accessories for the boys.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Someone Else Said It Better
Sometimes I struggle with "God's Will For My Life". Notice I wrote that in capital letters. That's how important I've made "it". I think many of us find it difficult to know exactly the path God wants us to follow. We have been given the gift of free-will, which in and of itself, can lead us down many paths--not one necessarily better or more clear to follow than another, but yet, we face decisions on a daily basis that somehow affect the future of our lives. So, when someone asks me how to "know" what God's Will For Their Life Is . . . ? ? ? ? I lack definitive answers. Why? Because I am not God. I do not see "The Big Picture". I am only human and my finite mind cannot answer the mysteries of life. However, I DO know that the most important step anyone can take in their life is to CHOOSE TO FOLLOW GOD. By that, I mean, acknowlege you are a sinner, accept Jesus Christ's forgiveness and strive to follow God in accordance to His Word, The Bible. Sounds simple, right? Well yes, initially it does. And in many ways it is. But there is so much more to it that we do not, and cannot understand about what happens in life. After the decision to follow Christ is made, life continues to present challenges and unanswered questions. But I truly believe that if our foundation in a Living God is sound, He will see us through anything.
(I did not intend to write as much as I just did. All I wanted was a preamble to introduce you to another blogger's thoughts on all of this, which I embrace wholeheartedly. You can read his post here.)
Today I am thanful for . . .
329. The gift of Other Bloggers and Their Thoughts.
330. The gift of Spreading Light.
331. The gift of Receiving a Verse from the Holy Spirit to Share with a Friend in the moment it was most needed.
(I did not intend to write as much as I just did. All I wanted was a preamble to introduce you to another blogger's thoughts on all of this, which I embrace wholeheartedly. You can read his post here.)
Today I am thanful for . . .
329. The gift of Other Bloggers and Their Thoughts.
330. The gift of Spreading Light.
331. The gift of Receiving a Verse from the Holy Spirit to Share with a Friend in the moment it was most needed.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Power Source
This week my employment students (i.e. the ones I get paid in dollars to educate), have been very trying. I think Spring Fever has hit and all I can say is that it's going to be a LLLL-OOOO-NNNN-GGGG ten or so weeks until the end of June if their challenging behaviors continue until the end. Thankfully, my non-employment students (i.e. the ones I don't get paid in dollars to educate, but it's still SO worth it), have not been giving me the same issues. Their "school" is done in about 6 weeks, if all goes according to plan.
I am really looking forward to the summer holidays. I am looking forward to all that I know will be accomplished between now and June 30th. But a huge part of me wishes that I wouldn't have to go through all the physical, mental and emotional labour to achieve the goals I have for my family, my students, my house and my yard prior to June 30th. Wouldn't it be great if we could just "will" things to get done. Unfortunately, that can't happen. So I guess it means I had better get my butt in gear this year and actually make the yard as good as it can get. And I should use my time this spring and summer more efficiently than ever before. And I should not become lethargic or lazy. And I should not expect others to do things for me that I am capable of doing myself. And in the midst of this I should still attempt to savour every moment of each hour, every hour of each day, every day of each week, every week of each month, every month of each year and every year of this life that God has so graciously given me to live.
I was just telling one of my "new" friends the other day that I am SO grateful for each morning that I awake--to be alive. And I am SO grateful every time I walk through my door to be greeted by my kids and/or my husband, knowing full-well that each day is a gift that is not to be taken for granted. I want to honour God with my days and acknowledge that everything good comes from Him. He is my source of life, of strength and of energy. For He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
So, I come. I ask for His strength, wisdom and power to see me through the days ahead.
Today I am thankful for . . . .
326. The gift of Safety in Travel.
327. The gift of Knowing I have a Source of Strength from which to draw power when I feel weak. That source of power is God.
328. The gift of The Sound of the Alarm Clock not to wake me up, but to let me know I am still ALIVE and essentially, that means I have a purpose to fulfill.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Glorious Nature
Today I am thankful for . . .
323. The gift of A Gorgeous Sunset.
324. The gift of Beautiful Sunbeams Shining Down in Perfect Formation through the clouds.
325. The gift of Witnessing Thousands of Snow Geese Fly Up from a Field.
323. The gift of A Gorgeous Sunset.
324. The gift of Beautiful Sunbeams Shining Down in Perfect Formation through the clouds.
325. The gift of Witnessing Thousands of Snow Geese Fly Up from a Field.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Apples and Oranges
320. The gift of Apples and Oranges which we were blessed with by my parents.
321. The gift of Seeing Billy the Pup today when I got the fruit from my parents.
322. The gift of A Veggie Wrap for lunch at work today - I've finally deviated from my Triscuit crackers and cheese routine.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Snow, Rest and Billy
Today I am thankful for . . .
317. The gift of Waking Up To A Snow-Covered Yard. Yep, April 16th and the snow was thick on the ground this morning. By the time supper rolled around, most of it had melted.
318. The gift of A Day of Rest. I will admit, I do not normally treat Sundays as the "day of rest" they are meant to be; however, after the busy week and weekend we had, it was good to relax and not do a whole lot today. Games with the boys, chatting on the couch and finishing off the day with an excellent movie (The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry), I feel so blessed and so loved as I head off to bed tonight.
319. The gift of Positive Reports About Billy from his new owners (my parents). They are loving Billy; he is doing really well housebreaking, and aside from his first night in his new home, he sleeps soundly. He's learning how to play fetch and loves running around outside. I'm super-excited because I might get to see him tomorrow afternoon for about 5 or 10 minutes.
317. The gift of Waking Up To A Snow-Covered Yard. Yep, April 16th and the snow was thick on the ground this morning. By the time supper rolled around, most of it had melted.
318. The gift of A Day of Rest. I will admit, I do not normally treat Sundays as the "day of rest" they are meant to be; however, after the busy week and weekend we had, it was good to relax and not do a whole lot today. Games with the boys, chatting on the couch and finishing off the day with an excellent movie (The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry), I feel so blessed and so loved as I head off to bed tonight.
319. The gift of Positive Reports About Billy from his new owners (my parents). They are loving Billy; he is doing really well housebreaking, and aside from his first night in his new home, he sleeps soundly. He's learning how to play fetch and loves running around outside. I'm super-excited because I might get to see him tomorrow afternoon for about 5 or 10 minutes.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Friends are Fun!
Today I am thankful for . . .
314. The gift of Having New Friends over for supper. Mitchell and Ty have a brother-and-sister duo as a best friend combination. Today their whole family was here for an afternoon and evening of visiting, food, fun and laughter. I love this family so much and I'm so grateful that God sent them to us.
315. The gift of Tacos. I prepped everything this morning, so when it came time to eat, all I had to do was heat the meat, take lids off of containers and set the food on the table for a supper buffet of tacos. Thankfully this was a huge hit with our guests.
316. The gift of Creativity with Dessert. Last night after my party, there was a jumbled mess of leftover Saskatoonberry cheesecake, which I had intended to serve to our guests tonight. However, due to the "jumbled mess", it wasn't really serve-worthy, so I went to Plan B. I put the leftover cheesecake into my mixing bowl, crust and all, added whipping cream and beat everything together. Then, I took graham crumbs and sprinkled a tablespoonful into a parfait dish. I added a few spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture, added a layer of whipped cream and topped it all off with Saskatoonberry jam. It was delicious!
314. The gift of Having New Friends over for supper. Mitchell and Ty have a brother-and-sister duo as a best friend combination. Today their whole family was here for an afternoon and evening of visiting, food, fun and laughter. I love this family so much and I'm so grateful that God sent them to us.
315. The gift of Tacos. I prepped everything this morning, so when it came time to eat, all I had to do was heat the meat, take lids off of containers and set the food on the table for a supper buffet of tacos. Thankfully this was a huge hit with our guests.
316. The gift of Creativity with Dessert. Last night after my party, there was a jumbled mess of leftover Saskatoonberry cheesecake, which I had intended to serve to our guests tonight. However, due to the "jumbled mess", it wasn't really serve-worthy, so I went to Plan B. I put the leftover cheesecake into my mixing bowl, crust and all, added whipping cream and beat everything together. Then, I took graham crumbs and sprinkled a tablespoonful into a parfait dish. I added a few spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture, added a layer of whipped cream and topped it all off with Saskatoonberry jam. It was delicious!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday the 13th - A Beautiful Day!
Salad table, decorated and waiting for salads.
"Pick an Egg" Game
Door Prize Draw Tin
Close-up of the paper-flower centrepieces with
Cadbury Mini-Eggs surrounding the flower
Springtime Plates and Napkins:)
Plates and Napkins at the Dessert Table
The Salads!
The Beautiful Women
Today I am thankful for . . .
311. The gift of Salads and Springtime . . . an evening I was privileged to share with 12 other women, ranging in age from 20 years to 50+. I hosted this evening where other women were invited to bring a salad, play a game to get to know one another more, eat cheesecake and drink coffee/tea/punch. I've included some pictures in this post. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a picture of the cheesecakes. We had Saskatoonberry Chiffon Cheesecake, and . . . my new favourite, Brownie Sundae Cheesecake.
312. The gift of Decorating My Table according to my theme of Springtime. I love the typical bright spring colors, and I found some really cool decorations at Michaels, for a price less than what I would have paid at Dollarama.
313. The gift of Beautiful Women. I am truly blessed to have so many female friends and acquaintances. They have all impacted me in a way that has made me a better person. God knew what he was doing when He created friendship.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Keeping My Cool is Cool
Today I am thankful for . . .
308. The gift of Being Able to Keep My Cool despite the outburst of a nearing-teenage boy in a store because of shopping-for-clothes issues. Can't we just skip ahead to his adult life? I was hoping to embrace the teenage years, but some days I wonder how that's going to be possible . . .
309. The gift of Discovering New Recipes. Tonight's new recipe was for Brownie Sundae Cheesecake, which I am serving to a group of women tomorrow evening. I haven't tasted it yet, but if it's as good as it looks, I think it might be my new favourite.
310. The gift of Watching and Listening to my boys play a board game while I was making cheesecakes.
308. The gift of Being Able to Keep My Cool despite the outburst of a nearing-teenage boy in a store because of shopping-for-clothes issues. Can't we just skip ahead to his adult life? I was hoping to embrace the teenage years, but some days I wonder how that's going to be possible . . .
309. The gift of Discovering New Recipes. Tonight's new recipe was for Brownie Sundae Cheesecake, which I am serving to a group of women tomorrow evening. I haven't tasted it yet, but if it's as good as it looks, I think it might be my new favourite.
310. The gift of Watching and Listening to my boys play a board game while I was making cheesecakes.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
A Big, Fat Headache
Today I am thankful for . . .
305. The gift of Headache Relief. I woke up with a horrible headache - right behind the eyes. After an attempt to deal with in in various ways, it finally departed about 9 hours later. I'm just so grateful that it's gone.
306. The gift of Receiving e-mail RSVP's, texts and phone calls from friends advising that they can attend the final women's event in my home for the "season", which I've dubbed "Springtime and Salads" (plus cheesecake, of course). It's taking place on Friday the 13th.
307. The gift of Accomplishing More Tidying-up around here. It always feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of me each time a room is conquered.
305. The gift of Headache Relief. I woke up with a horrible headache - right behind the eyes. After an attempt to deal with in in various ways, it finally departed about 9 hours later. I'm just so grateful that it's gone.
306. The gift of Receiving e-mail RSVP's, texts and phone calls from friends advising that they can attend the final women's event in my home for the "season", which I've dubbed "Springtime and Salads" (plus cheesecake, of course). It's taking place on Friday the 13th.
307. The gift of Accomplishing More Tidying-up around here. It always feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of me each time a room is conquered.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
More Cleaning
Billy and I
Today I am thankful for . . . .302. The gift of A Clean Office. I didn't realize how bad the state of our office was until I started cleaning it, at which point I questioned why I was putting myself through the torture---and in answer to that question, it is because I function better in "neat and clean" as opposed to "messy and chaotic". Since the boys and I are on holidays this week, we have been making the most of the time to clean. That being said, I still spent 3 hours watching television tonight - Two episodes of House and one episode of Chopped. I think that's about the longest I've watched t.v. in one sitting since last summer.
303. The gift of Grandparents for my boys to visit. I took the boys to my parents' house this morning and I'll go pick them up tomorrow sometime. It helps me to focus on getting cleaning done when I don't have to be on a "schedule" for meals, etc. Wayne is working evenings this week, so today it was mostly just me and the dogs hanging out.
304. The gift of A Very Special Puppy named Billy. Billy is the last puppy to leave our home. After having him live with us for the past 10.5 weeks, it is going to be really hard to see him go. Thankfully, he's going to become my parents' dog as of tomorrow, which means we'll get to see him often. He's just so adorable. I hope my parents enjoy him as much as we have!
Monday, April 9, 2012
The Big Clean
Today I am thankful for . . .
299. The gift of Cleaning The Boys' Rooms and Designating piles of "keep", "give away" and "throw away". I think we had an equal balance of all three piles. But at the end of the day, there is still way too much "stuff" in our household.
300. The gift of "Discovering Lost Treasures" during the Big Clean.
301. The gift of My Boys Helping with their rooms, even though, at times, the task seemed overwhelming. They have both agreed that they will "never let my room get this messy again". Time will tell.
299. The gift of Cleaning The Boys' Rooms and Designating piles of "keep", "give away" and "throw away". I think we had an equal balance of all three piles. But at the end of the day, there is still way too much "stuff" in our household.
300. The gift of "Discovering Lost Treasures" during the Big Clean.
301. The gift of My Boys Helping with their rooms, even though, at times, the task seemed overwhelming. They have both agreed that they will "never let my room get this messy again". Time will tell.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Easter - The Central Focus
296. The gift of Easter. This is the central focus of my life. Without Easter, there is no eternal life. Thank you, God, for the gift of Easter and the death of resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ.
297. The gift of Spending the Day with Family - My Church Family and Biological Family. It was great to spend Easter Sunday morning in church and the rest of the day with family members who live in the same province as us.
298. The gift of Seeing Billy (one of our puppies) adapt to his future home so well. He is such a great traveller, and he really enjoyed the day getting to know his new future home.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
A Productive Day
293. The gift of Completing The Boys' Homeschool Schedule from now until the end of their school year.
294. The gift of Cleaning Up Garbage in the yard this afternoon.
295. The gift of Easter Paska Bread. SO delicious!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Remembering Jesus' Sacrifice
Today I am thankful for . . .
290. The gift of Jesus' Sacrifice on the cross for me and for you. My life is changed forever because of this act of love.
291. The gift of A New Day filled with hope.
292. The gift of Being Able to Pray to God for strength and guidance.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Crawling into Bed
287. The gift of A Birthday Party and Goodbye Send-Off to a very special student at my school.
288. The gift of Chocolate Pie from Fuddruckers, shared with special friends.
289. The gift of Crawling Into Bed after a very long day.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Easter Treats
Today I am thankful for . . .
284. The gift of Easter-Egg and Easter-Bunny Cookies.
285. The gift of Wrapping Up Easter Cookies for my students.
286. The gift of Eating Leftover Icing.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Cranes, Algebra and My Gut
281. The gift of having a pair of Sandhill Cranes fly in front of me on my way to work this morning. Cranes are magnificent birds.
282. The gift of Mitchell's enthusiasm over his math assignments. He recently began algebra-type questions, and he's loving it. This is a huge relief to me, since algebra was a subject I didn't really "get" when I was in school. He did four assignments today instead of just one, and I had nothing to do with it. He is enjoying the work so much that he wants to just keep working and working and working on it.
283. The gift of Following My Gut on making some changes to the boys' English-Language Arts program, this late in the year. They have a new-found enthusiasm for ELA since I have altered their "regular programming."
Monday, April 2, 2012
Smile!
278. The gift of A Puppy Napping with me on the couch. Today after supper, the boys went out to play, Wayne was at work, and I felt exhausted, so I took Billy and Alaska with me into the living room. Alaska made herself comfortable on a chair, and Billy snuggled up beside me while we all had a nap. It was fantastic!
279. The gift of Encouraging a Young Woman in her life and faith walk. I'm not sure why, but a college-and-career aged female from our church "friended" me on Facebook a few months ago . . . I knew who she was, but didn't really know her. Evidently, she has been seeking my advice about her walk with God and life in general. I'm not sure why she sought me out for this purpose, but I believe it's one of God's purposes for me, and I am blessed to be a listening ear and encouragement to her whenever possible.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10 (emphasis mine).
280. The gift of Smiling. Today one of my Hutterite students asked me why I was always smiling. I told him it was because smiling is better than frowning/looking angry. He agreed that my smiling face looked better than my frowning/angry face.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Healing and Hope
Today I am thankful for . . .
275. The gift of Lunch with another family.
276. The gift of Healing and Hope.
277. The gift of a 70-something-year-old friend.
275. The gift of Lunch with another family.
276. The gift of Healing and Hope.
277. The gift of a 70-something-year-old friend.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Fresh
Today I am thankful for . . .
272. The gift of Being Able To Open the Windows To Experience the Fresh Air of Springtime! That is something I do LOVE about Spring - the air is so crisp and fresh!
273. The gift of Early Evening Walks with the Family, and another bonus . . . meeting up with my neighbour and her daughter as they were out walking too. I'm going to miss those walks with her. My neighbour is moving into town soon, and it just won't be the same without having her so close by, especially in the summertime when we could go for walks together on a more regular basis.
274. The gift of Feeling Encouraged after a day that felt heavy. It was an "ugh" kind-of day, as I feel the pain of my sister and her family after losing their pet doggy. I just wish I could take away all of their sorrow and sadness. My encouragement came by way of my own family lifting me up, just by spending the evening with me; plus, we received an invitation for lunch tomorrow after church, which also put me into a better frame of mind. Funny how those seemingly "little" things just help a person cheer up.
272. The gift of Being Able To Open the Windows To Experience the Fresh Air of Springtime! That is something I do LOVE about Spring - the air is so crisp and fresh!
273. The gift of Early Evening Walks with the Family, and another bonus . . . meeting up with my neighbour and her daughter as they were out walking too. I'm going to miss those walks with her. My neighbour is moving into town soon, and it just won't be the same without having her so close by, especially in the summertime when we could go for walks together on a more regular basis.
274. The gift of Feeling Encouraged after a day that felt heavy. It was an "ugh" kind-of day, as I feel the pain of my sister and her family after losing their pet doggy. I just wish I could take away all of their sorrow and sadness. My encouragement came by way of my own family lifting me up, just by spending the evening with me; plus, we received an invitation for lunch tomorrow after church, which also put me into a better frame of mind. Funny how those seemingly "little" things just help a person cheer up.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Remembering the Good Times
Today I am thankful for . . .
269. The gift of Working Together with Other Parents to bring our Grade 5 and 6 kids 'The Bridge' program at our church. Tonight we celebrated Easter and it was fantastic. Have you ever heard of Resurrection Buns? The leader made them with the kids tonight; it was so cool to see what happened when the buns were baked!
270. The gift of Finding a Good Home for Kessel, who has been re-named, Molly. The new owners were very excited to see her and call her their own. We have Billy with us for almost two more weeks until he goes to his new home. We are getting super-attached to him. Thank goodness he is going to live with very close relatives - we'll get to see him often.
271. The gift of Remembering The Good Times with our Pets. My sister lost a very special dog to cancer this morning. I hope my sister and her family are comforted by the memories they have of their beloved pet. She will be missed : ' ' ' (
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Good Day
Today I am thankful for . . .
266. The gift of Buying Puppy Supplies with new owners.
267. The gift of A Tim Horton's Supper.
268. The gift of Spending Time with Family.
266. The gift of Buying Puppy Supplies with new owners.
267. The gift of A Tim Horton's Supper.
268. The gift of Spending Time with Family.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Words
Today I am thankful for . . .
263. The gift of Being 99% Certain that Kessel has a home to go to. She's going to go meet her potential "parents" on Friday morning. I am praying that they fall in love with her immediately, if not sooner.
264. The gift of Word Games. Ty asked to play Scrabble tonight. We didn't have enough time to fit in an entire game, so I taught the boys a modified Scrabble game called "Take Two". You use Scrabble tiles, but everyone makes their own "word connections" with letters they choose from the pile, two-at-a-time. I always thought Mitchell was my word-master kid, but Ty came in a close second to me in every game we played. Unfortunately for them, word games are kind of my "thing", and they're old enough to be good sports about losing to their mom . . . but I foresee some competition in my near future . . .
265. The gift of Receiving Prayer and Verses of Encouragement from my brother, his wife and their kids this week. It has been very uplifting and refreshing to receive their e-mails, detailing their specific prayers for each family member, providing Bible verses to encourage us even further.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Knowing God Cares
Today I am thankful for . . .
260. The gift of Witnessing the Joy of Giving.
261. The gift of Improved Health for both Wayne and I.
262. The gift of Knowing God Cares about the smallest details of our life, just as much as He cares about the big ones.
260. The gift of Witnessing the Joy of Giving.
261. The gift of Improved Health for both Wayne and I.
262. The gift of Knowing God Cares about the smallest details of our life, just as much as He cares about the big ones.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Project Don't Pass Out
Today I am thankful for . . .
257. The gift of Not Passing Out at Work Today. I woke up not feeling well, but still went to work. Wayne wasn't feeling well either, but he stayed home. I was never so happy to be done my day today. As soon as I got home, I headed for the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, heating pad and recliner. I rested for two hours and felt much better after that. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day for me physically.
258. The gift of Television that I Can Get Into. Project Runway All-Stars is now done for the season. I am going to go through withdrawal. I *heart* that show. I don't want to give anything away about who won the big prize, but it was one of the best final runways I've ever watched. All three finalists are amazing designers.
259. The gift of Watching (and listening to) Alaska Playing with the two pups that we still have. It is SO adorable to watch her "play" with her kids!
257. The gift of Not Passing Out at Work Today. I woke up not feeling well, but still went to work. Wayne wasn't feeling well either, but he stayed home. I was never so happy to be done my day today. As soon as I got home, I headed for the Tylenol, Ibuprofen, heating pad and recliner. I rested for two hours and felt much better after that. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day for me physically.
258. The gift of Television that I Can Get Into. Project Runway All-Stars is now done for the season. I am going to go through withdrawal. I *heart* that show. I don't want to give anything away about who won the big prize, but it was one of the best final runways I've ever watched. All three finalists are amazing designers.
259. The gift of Watching (and listening to) Alaska Playing with the two pups that we still have. It is SO adorable to watch her "play" with her kids!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
This, That, and Other Things
Today I am thankful for . . .
254. The gift of Celebrating My Sister's Birthday - I have a lot of sisters, but for some reason, this particular sister has never celebrated her birthday in our home. Distance does that . . . but she was in the area for her birthday and it was fun to celebrate her day at our house. Her birthday is actually on the 26th, but it worked better to have the party today. However, my four-year old niece's birthday is today . . . Happy Birthday, A!
255. The gift of Three out of Four Puppy Homes Found. I am praying for an excellent home for my last puppy, a female "named" Kessel.
256. The gift of "Things". This is a newer board game and it gets me laughing so hard every time I play it. We played it tonight at the end of the party - SO fun:)
254. The gift of Celebrating My Sister's Birthday - I have a lot of sisters, but for some reason, this particular sister has never celebrated her birthday in our home. Distance does that . . . but she was in the area for her birthday and it was fun to celebrate her day at our house. Her birthday is actually on the 26th, but it worked better to have the party today. However, my four-year old niece's birthday is today . . . Happy Birthday, A!
255. The gift of Three out of Four Puppy Homes Found. I am praying for an excellent home for my last puppy, a female "named" Kessel.
256. The gift of "Things". This is a newer board game and it gets me laughing so hard every time I play it. We played it tonight at the end of the party - SO fun:)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Fun Birthday
Today I am thankful for . . .
251. The gift of a Clean House (mostly . . . at least the main areas are clean). I'm hosting a birthday party for one of my sisters tomorrow for supper. The house hadn't been cleaned for weeks and it was BAD. I solicited the help of my family and I think this is the most fun I've had in a long time with this chore.
252. The gift of Celebrating The Birthday of a Two-Year Old. We were invited to celebrate the birthday of a friend's daughter. So precious!
253. The gift of New Tires for the truck. It seems we're always replacing tires around here. But these ones better be worth the pretty penny we paid for them!
251. The gift of a Clean House (mostly . . . at least the main areas are clean). I'm hosting a birthday party for one of my sisters tomorrow for supper. The house hadn't been cleaned for weeks and it was BAD. I solicited the help of my family and I think this is the most fun I've had in a long time with this chore.
252. The gift of Celebrating The Birthday of a Two-Year Old. We were invited to celebrate the birthday of a friend's daughter. So precious!
253. The gift of New Tires for the truck. It seems we're always replacing tires around here. But these ones better be worth the pretty penny we paid for them!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Small Details
Today I am thankful for . . .
248. The gift of a Helpful Husband.
249. The gift of Huge, White Snowflakes falling gently from the sky.
250. The gift of God Taking Care of a Small Detail, which, without His intervention, a situation could have gone horribly wrong. If I really think about what's been going on in my life lately, He's been doing this quite often - "answering" my prayers in ways that I hadn't even prayed aloud yet; obviously the Holy Spirit and Jesus have been intervening on my behalf. I love what's been happening in my spiritual walk.
248. The gift of a Helpful Husband.
249. The gift of Huge, White Snowflakes falling gently from the sky.
250. The gift of God Taking Care of a Small Detail, which, without His intervention, a situation could have gone horribly wrong. If I really think about what's been going on in my life lately, He's been doing this quite often - "answering" my prayers in ways that I hadn't even prayed aloud yet; obviously the Holy Spirit and Jesus have been intervening on my behalf. I love what's been happening in my spiritual walk.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Return of the Birds
Today I am thankful for . . .
245. The gift of The Return of Canada Geese, Hawks and Crows. They were out in abundance today.
246. The gift of Extra Subbing Hours at Work this week.
247. The gift of Food in Abundance.
245. The gift of The Return of Canada Geese, Hawks and Crows. They were out in abundance today.
246. The gift of Extra Subbing Hours at Work this week.
247. The gift of Food in Abundance.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thank you, God.
Today I am thankful for . . .
242. The gift of Starting to Get Some Motivation Back.
243. The gift of God Answering Another Prayer.
244. The gift of Garlic Toast made from ciabatta buns.
242. The gift of Starting to Get Some Motivation Back.
243. The gift of God Answering Another Prayer.
244. The gift of Garlic Toast made from ciabatta buns.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
CHRIS!
Today I am thankful for . . .
239. The gift of (Finally) Uploading and Editing Pictures from the Chris Tomlin Concert. See above for one of my favourite pictures. We were not allowed to use flash photography at the concert, and I wasn't sitting very close to the front . . . so, this was a test for our zoom lens, and I'd say that all things considered, I got some decent photos. I took almost 400 pictures at the concert, and ended up with about 60 that are marginally okay.
240. The gift of Inspiration for Supper, by way of fresh farmer sausage, given to me by the Hutterite Colony where I work.
241. The gift of Calm Puppies. Lately, every time they see me walk by their mini-pen, they go ballistic and whine and cry until I let them out. Today they are not as demanding. Imagine one whining, yelping puppy, and multiply that by four. It's pretty noisy. And pretty annoying.
Monday, March 19, 2012
236, 237 and 238 - for lack of a better title
Today I am thankful for . . .
236. The gift of More Snow.
237. The gift of Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
238. The gift of Going to Bed Early.
236. The gift of More Snow.
237. The gift of Sour Cream Coffee Cake.
238. The gift of Going to Bed Early.
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