Stating the Obvious

My boys were having some trouble remembering some basic household rules, so I typed up this "contract" and had them sign it. Stating the obvious was never so necessary! ;)





Click link to download complete document.



 

What do you do to accomplish this in YOUR household?

 





Happy Monday!

Cow says moo!

Hours with my husband, enjoying the roadtrip playlists of music from the soundtrack of our lives.

Time with my sons...they're growing up so quickly...I want to just be IN THE MOMENT, storing up these treasures in my heart, like Mary of long ago.

Today, my family embarks on an adventure. A long awaited road trip to visit my family. It's been years since I've been home and this trip is long overdue.

400 miles today will take us through mountains, through the woods, across state lines, and over bridges to reach the deep blue sea. We'll visit friends today and another 400 miles will take us to family tomorrow. I am so thankful to God for this time together and that it is finally happening. What a wonderful answer to prayer!

The Little Things

While my posts have been sporadic as of late, my blessings have not!

I have tried to spend this CHRISTmas season truly focused on preparing my heart and home for the coming of the LORD. That was the plan anyway...

 "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9

Instead, I found the LORD leading me on a little journey of discovery. Who knew?? ;) Each LITTLE THING that He has revealed to me has been a blessed gift in, and of, itself...

With the last days of autumn, here are My Autumn Blessings:

#95...having a dear friend join my family for dinner and staying to bake cookies with me, just because ♥

#96...attending a beautiful CHRISTmas concert that touched my heart and made my soul sing in praise!

#97...hearing the LORD's Prayer spoken in another language...one I do not know or comprehend, but God does.

#98...getting ready for my husband's company Christmas party and taking joy in "getting pretty" just for him:)

#99...sharing my childhood Christmas memories with my husband, the good ones and the not-so-good ones.

#100...spending an hour on the phone talking to my mom. I miss her so much, especially at Christmas time. We decided that if we can't get together next Christmas, we will set up the webcams when we make our gingerbread houses so we can "share" the time together and laugh at the sugar-induced fun!

It has been a beautiful, blessed season...even if it wasn't what I had planned. I didn't even finish my advent countdown...I was too caught up in each LITTLE THING...each little gift.

Thank you, LORD.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..."

~ James 1:17

Jehovah-Jireh

God’s provision is so perfect, so timely, that I can’t help but be amazed at how I try to put Him into this little box, defined by my little brain! He’s so much bigger, greater, mightier than I can ever hope to imagine…

God Provides in such abundant ways, that I must count them or forever lose them:

My Autumn Blessings…
#78…for turning my house into a home.
#79…for my husband who loves me.
#80…for my children who bless me with their “antics”.
#81…for the opportunities He gives me to bless others.
#82…for the LIFT my spirit receives after time with a friend.
#83…for my sister who challenges me to be honest with her, even when it hurts. I’m also thankful she knows I still love her!
#84…for brides-to-be ♥
#85…for baby giggles ♥♥
#86…for genuine laughter that makes my sides hurt & my cheeks ache! Even better when shared with loved ones:)
#87…for my son who is becoming a young man.
#88…for books that encourage and inspire.
#89…for movie nights, curled up on the couch with my honey.
#90…for songs that express my heart~ and I can’t sing them without crying!
#91…for God’s healing, even when it’s slow-in-coming.
#92…for the silly little thrill I get when I make hot chocolate with my kids. (or mochas for grownups!) Yummmm
#93…for new recipes that turn out better than I hoped!
#94…for my phone that shortens the distance between faraway family.

Lord, you provide so, so much! You are my Jehovah-Jireh! Thank you for each and every blessing you shower down on me. My heart sings with joy ♥

Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room

♫Joy to the world! the LORD is come;

♫Let earth receive her King;

♫Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,

♫And heav’n and nature sing,

♫And heav’n and nature sing,

♫And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing!

Today, we began our advent celebration by preparing our hearts for the coming of our King. I can’t think of a better way to honor our LORD than to truly give Him what He wants for His birthday~ all of me!

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~ Romans 12:1-2

My Autumn Blessing #75…
…preparing our hearts and home for the coming of our King…CHRISTmas has never looked as lovely as it does in the Light of Jesus.

LORD Jesus, Thank you for Your gift of salvation! Following You has been a continuous growing process and I am so thankful that You continue to mold me, change me, love me. Help each us to prepare room in our hearts for You this CHRISTmas season, to last the whole year through. Help us to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Help us to discern what is Your will, what is good, acceptable and perfect. Thank you, King Jesus!

My Autumn Blessing #76…
…hearing my family sing CHRISTmas carols together…off-key…and loving every minute of it!

Preparing for His Coming

Christmas carols before Thanksgiving? I am usually one to wait…until December!

Not this year.

Honestly, this grateful heart could not wait to celebrate the coming of Our King! I’m not talking about Jingle Bells and those silly Santa ditties (whoa…I just said ditty…who am I???) you hear in every retail establishment this year with their subliminal message *shop, buy, spend* being chanted through every aisle. No, I’m talking about True Christmas.

♫♪O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.♪♫






Free from Ann VosKamp

Our family will spend the next month preparing for the coming of Our King. We will (re)turn our focus towards Christ Jesus by creating a Jesse Tree during this advent season with our children. We will make simple, thoughtful gifts for our loved ones. We will fellowship with each other without distractions (so long, Facebook!). We will take God’s gift of love to the streets & spread CHRISTmas cheer wherever we go!

My Autumn Blessing #73…

…streaming unlimited CHRISTmas music anytime I want!



Mighty God, You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings,  Emmanuel, the Great I Am, and the Prince of Peace. And I will worship you, love you, adore you any time of year, any season, any place, any time!



♫♪O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.♪♫

I invite YOU to come, let us adore Him…together! Rejoice with me! ♥



Full

I am full…
Thankful.
Joyful.
Prayerful.
I am full.

“Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Full of thanks.
Full of joy.
Full of prayer and praise.

LORD, from the bottom of my heart, thank you… This blessed season of Thanksgiving should last the whole year through! I am truly humbled by Your love for Your children, Your love for…Me. Thank you, LORD. In my thankfulness, I say YES! to your grace! My joy is complete in You and only You…now and forevermore…

My Autumn Blessing #72…
…experiencing the FULLness of Thanksgiving with my family and my friends! I could not have asked for a better day ♥ and yet You knew, LORD!

How Great is Our God!

How Great is Our God….Well, let me tell you!

In trying to stick to a budget, we bought our November groceries a few weeks back and, even though we had figured Thanksgiving into our budget, when it came time to shop, we had enough money for everything but the turkey.

“We can't have Thanksgiving
without a turkey!”

I told my family to just wait patiently and see if the Lord would provide one, but that we should chose to be thankful regardless.

With the big day getting close, we were all kind of sad that we had no one to celebrate with and...no turkey. A chicken would have to do and since it was just the 4 of us, it would be plenty. *sigh*

On Sunday, after church, one of the other wives was asking what each of us was making for Thanksgiving dinner. I told her ours would be simple, that we had everything but the turkey -literally- but that God's provision is perfect and complete.

Would you believe she gave us her turkey?

They were thawing a bird they didn't have room for in their fridge, but they didn't need it since they were eating at their inlaws’.

God's provision IS perfect and complete! And now we also have company coming for dinner :)

My Autumn Blessing #71…

…God’s perfect provision in the form of a turkey. ☺

LORD, how can we ever doubt you?? Thank you for your Perfect and Complete Provision! My heart is swollen with thankfulness and love for You, Father God. Your loving blessings are poured out on us, even when we don’t deserve it. Your Grace covers us, Your Mercy astounds us. Thank you…thank you…

A Brand New Day

Yesterday was a bit difficult…okay, it was a LOT difficult! Today was proof that God’s mercies ARE new every morning…

At 1 am, I made the decision to turn off my alarm clock. I didn’t have to be anywhere in the morning and there wasn’t much sense in waking up early, if I hadn’t slept! I finally fell asleep and slept through the night.

My Autumn Blessing #59…

…restful sleep! Woohoo!!!

It gets better…

I received good news today…Many prayers have been said for my brother, the prodigal son, and today they were answered, Praise the LORD!

#60…

…answered prayers!

Thank you, LORD! I am so blessed to know that You are in control and nothing happens without Your knowing. Thank you for the rest I find only in You, only…in You. It is perfect. Peaceful. Plenty. A lovely gift.

Thank you for restored peace, for restoration and for forgiveness. Thank you that we can offer it…and receive it…and both get blessed. Let the healing continue and, if it be Your Will and Timing, let each of them come to know where it all comes from from…soften their hearts to receive Your Gift.

In Jesus’ Name,
AMEN.

*LORD, all this in one day???
I can’t wait to see what you
have in store for tomorrow!*

Counting my blessings

Something different…

There comes a time, when life is looking a little darker than usual, and a girl must tell it like it is.

This is that time for me…

Counting my blessings started last summer as a little challenge the Lord had placed on my heart to look at all He has blessed me with, rather than the ugliness surrounding me. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the YUCKY STUFF. It has been therapeutic to see “the little things” that God daily blesses me with!

Last week, I spent a morning having 9 vials of blood drawn. It just so happened to be Halloween, a day I don’t celebrate, and would you believe that the gal who took my blood was….a vampire? Yes…

More tests on Friday…thankfully done by a normal human being. ☺

Today, I am overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness and physical pain. The myriad of symptoms my team of doctors have been trying to diagnose and treat have left me exhausted….I also underwent a nerve conduction test this morning (OUCH!) and was informed that surgery was necessary to avoid imminent and permanent nerve damage.

Lord, WHY can’t I just be normal??? WHY haven’t you healed me yet??? WHEN can I rest??? I’m so tired…WHEN will You heal me???…I’m tired of hurting…

*sigh*

In the midst of my rollercoaster ride that is my life, I have still been able to count my blessings.

#53…I am thankful for the husband God blessed me with.

#54…I am blessed by my tenderhearted children who see the pain in my eyes and know to hug gently, but sincerely.

#55…I am thankful for friends who ask “How are you?” and want an honest answer.

#56…I am thankful for my partners in prayer, those I pray with, and for, and those who lift me up in prayer too.

#57…I am thankful that when I go to see a new doctor and have to fill out the stack of new patient paperwork, that I can gracefully, thankfully, joyfully write homemaker as my occupation.

Father God, You bless me so completely. You know exactly what I need because You SEE me…Help me to see others with the love that You see them with. Thank you for my family and friends, who surround me with Your love and grace…Help me to extend Your grace to others, even when I don’t understand why I should. Thank you for calling me to be a mother, a wife, and to be home where You want me to do what You would have me do…Equip me for each day as You see fit. AMEN.

My October Blessings

A Month FULL of Blessings...

The month of October has been an absolute blur for me! So much going on in such a short span, but so many blessings to be counted!

#27...driving 5 hours to my inlaws and leaving the kids so I can get a date with my favorite man ♥
#28...wearing skirt on a rainy, windy day just so I can look (and feel) pretty for my husband...
#29...sipping hot coffee while people-watching downtown...

#30...finishing the last of our adoption classes! One step closer to expanding our family☺

#31...a field trip to the deepest lake in the United States. Nothing compares to the sapphire blue of Crater Lake!

#32...having a surprise me with an overwhelmingly kind & generous gift...and still having no idea who to say thank you!

.... So, thank you, Jesus!

#33...taking 10 minutes to lay in my hammock and enjoy the colorful canopy of the autumn leaves.

#34...a beautiful sunset shared with loved ones♥

#35...answered prayers!

#36...having family arrive, gradually over 3 days, as they gather to help us prepare for a big celebration!

#37...living out "many hands make light the work" and loving every minute of it!

#38...borrowing a daughter to help me, my son and my niece bake 50 cupcakes and a huge cake...

#39...having my sister, the cake expert, make my vision a reality!

#40...renewing our wedding vows before God, family and friends!♥

#41...totally overwhelmed by God's gifts of love, raining down on us, surrounded by friends and family, the amazing celebration our anniversary, so many hugs, smiles, tears, laughter...my heart is just bursting with joy!

#42...looking forward to when I will see my long-distance family again...instead of looking back. I will miss them, but I hold them close to my heart.

#43...preparing for some family time away from the daily hustle and bustle...

#44...spending time in the woods, loving God's closeness in creation, while my boys learn wilderness survival skills!

Thank you, LORD, for the great gifts that You give. Thank you for the blessing of friends who become family, and family who becomes friends. Thank you for the love that You pour out on your children who love you! May we always choose to follow You, all the days of our lives.

My Autumn Blessing #22

Blessed...


...a beautiful day for meeting friends in the park. I love the cool feel of the fall air on my skin, slowly warming up from the sun breaking through the clouds.

LORD, only you would have the perfect combination of cool air and warm sun to create such a beautiful autumn day. Thank you for the friends we got to visit with, bless them, and thank you for the easy-going day with my family.

My Autumn Blessing #21

My Autumn Blessing #21...


...movie date night with hubby...at home. My favorite!

Thank you, LORD, that even when we can't get away, we can still find time for each other at home:)

My Autumn Blessing #20

Autumn Blessings abound....

Yesterday, while sitting at my younger son's football game (in the rain!), my older son commented on how several of his brother's teammates were there without their families. "It's kind of sad because their parents are never here. They just drop off and pick up their kids."

Yes, Son...

"Why???"

I don't know...various reasons, I suppose.

"I'm glad our family is different."

Me too!

LORD, I am so thankful for moments like these, where my children understand that choosing to follow You, to honor and glorify You with our actions, DOES look different! Thank you, LORD, for the opportunity we have to be together as a family, supporting each other, cheering each other on. Thank you for little heart-to-heart conversations like this. May You be magnified in all we say and do!

My Autumn Blessing #16, 17 & 18

My Autumn Blessing #16, 17 & 18...

...waking up to the pitter-patter of rain.  *sigh*

...my son playing football in the rain, coming in the house soaking wet with a huge grin on his face.

...building new friendships, for me and my children, one smile at a time.

Thank you, LORD, for the changing of the seasons, the watering of the earth, the cooling of days. Thank you for the simple joy found in raindrops from heaven. Bless my family today and guide us through our week. May you be our focus each and every day that you give to us.