1000 Gifts....

22. Beautiful snow falling in large and small snowflakes, covering the grass and turning everything into a winter wonderland.

23. Time spent watching a movie with my husband over the weekend.

24. Long e-mails from a dear friend.

25. The joy of listening to the many hopes and dreams my children have.

26. Knowing that when I am sad or afraid the Lord is always there to listen to me.  He comforts me and tells me to cast my many fears, trials, and concerns upon Him.

27. Little boys who wear snow boots or rubber boots all the time.  So cute!

28. My 8 year old, Matthew, who willingly treks up and down the stairs many times to get jars and cans from the basement pantry.

29. Kids who love your home cooking!

30. The joy of homeschooling my kiddos.

31. The added benefit of watching them learn to read, do algebra, write their own books, all because we invested a little time to teach them how to learn on their own.

 

A Clean Slate

I love the feeling of the new year being fresh, wide open with possibilities.  I always make a list of goals, dreams, or accomplishments I hope to realize during the upcoming year. 

Last year I wanted to read more books.  I ended up reading over 50 new books, and a few previously read books because they are my favorites.  Books that have challenged me, comforted me, and drew me closer to the Lord.  A new favorite, must-be-read-each-year, book is First We Have Coffe by Margaret Jensen.

This year, along with the usual goals of losing weight and reading through the Bible in a year, I am hoping and praying to be able to buy a small farm with a farmhouse, red barns, and fences.  I really miss our chickens, hogs, gardens, flower beds, and just the freedom to do what we want with the land.

The Lord knows what we need in a farm, plus what features I'd like in a farmhouse.  I love big, sunny kitchens, large bedrooms, a place for all of our school books, it definately has to have an upstairs, and a basement.  I like the security a basement gives in tornado season.  I'm still getting used to living each summer with the possibility of a tornado coming our way. 

But no matter if we still are living here, in our rental house, next year, it's okay.  The Lord has a plan for my life and for my family that I trust.  A house and land would be great, but what's even better is knowing that we are in His hand, sheltered and protected.  Here for a reason we may or may not know, trusting that His plan is best for our lives.

Simply Trusting

Simply trusting ev'ry day,

Trusting through a stormy way;

Even when my faith is small;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,

Trusting as the days go by;

Trusting him whate'er befall,

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Brightly doth his Spirit shine

Into this poor heart of mine;

While he leads I cannot fall;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Singing if my way is clear;

Praying if the path be drear;

If in danger, for him call;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting him while life shall last,

Trusting him till earth be past;

Till within the jasper wall;

Trusting Jesus, that is all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Priceless Gift

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Doesn't this verse just make you excited?  A Son was given to us -- to redeem us from our sins and to set us free.  Not for anything we do or don't do, there isn't anything we could do to redeem ourselves.  God, in His mercy and love towards us, sent us a priceless gift, the gift of a Son. 

When a baby is born it is a time of rejoicing, a time of thankfulness that God would bless a family with a new little one to hold, love, cherish, and raise to serve Him.  A priceless gift, a treasure worth more than anything this world could offer. 

As I ponder the wonderfulness of Jesus' birth, I get excited.  Excited that God made a way for us to be with Him in heaven for eternity.  And I just feel so unworthy to receive such a gift, but my worth isn't measured in my eyes.  God made me worthy by loving me enough to want to be with me forever.  And I feel like all of heaven opened up and the angels are singing and there is a bright blue sky and I just feel the warmth of God envelope me in a big hug as I feel His love and acceptance. 


May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
 
~Irish blessing 

One Thousand Gifts

11.  My daughter Chelsea who just turned 17 on Tuesday.  I cannot even express in words how much she means to me.  My right hand when I need it, my "personal photographer" when I can't take the pictures I want to, she cooks a lot of our meals, took care of all of us when we had the Swine Flu last month, and on and on.  Chel...I love you so much!!

12.  That each day is a fresh start.

13.  A 2 year old who keeps me in prayer throughout the day.  A more challenging little guy I've never had.  Thankfully God hears me throughout the day and gives so much grace.

14.  Friends who have picked up and dropped my older two off at church while my car is being worked on.

15.  Safety from the Lord in my fender bender.  I shudder to think what could have happened.

16.  Big brown eyes trusting me for everything.

17.  My parents who both mean so much to me.

18.  A God who loves me in spite of my many short comings.

19.  My husband who faithfully goes to work every day despite the fact that he has a really yucky job.

20.  E-mails from friends far away.

21.  Children who were baptized in September.  Jacob and Becky shared their special day together.  Our church camp is where they were baptized followed by a pot luck afterwards.  How sweet it is to see my children following the One who loves them the most.

For more gifts, please click on the button on my side bar.  It will take you to Ann's quiet place.

It's Great to be Two

Aaron turned 2 on Sunday.  He was thrilled to open his own gifts and blow out his own candles.  He stuck a few fingers in the icing and smiled, then laughed as we all watched him.  Two is such a fun age for little ones.  I just want to remember each day, what it feels like to hold him, his sticky kisses, chubby toddler hands, how he says "bye" to me as he goes downstairs to play with Matthew, and how he loves to cuddle and nurse.

I love how he concentrates so much on opening his gift.  My husband said he always wants to remember the look Aaron gives as he's concentrating.  So cute!

The cake tasted really good.  Chelsea made and decorated it.  She loves to decorate cakes and is really good at it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am just so thankful for Aaron.  I didn't think I'd ever be blessed with anymore babies after I had Matthew, and for 6 years I wasn't able to conceive.  Imagine my surprise when I found out a new little one was going to join our family!  Life is such a blessing.

It was a very hard pregnancy for me, filled with many doubts and fears.  I was afraid to do anything for fear I would lose the baby I had prayed for years to conceive.  I ended up on bed rest in my 7th month after I pulled a muscle in my back.  I was nervous, high strung and lacked faith through it all.  Aaron was born by c-section after many hours of labor.  He was transverse and despite our best efforts, he just wouldn't turn.  My worst fear had come true.  Me, a home-birthing, natural labor believer had a c-section.  It was very hard to recover from, mostly because of my lack of faith that ALL things work together for good to those who love the Lord.  All things, even c-sections.  And you know, I finally came to the point of not caring how he was born, just that he was here, and he was my special gift from God.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aaron through the past two years:

Happy Birthday my littlest love!

Daybook~

FOR TODAY...

November 30




Outside my window...

a blustery day spent inside, all warm and cozy




I am thinking...

about our Christmas photo cards we'll be sending out soon.  This is my first year sending out photo cards.




I am thankful for...

being able to stay home with my kiddos. 




I am wearing...

a navy blue skirt with a striped shirt.  And my Smartwool socks, of course.  I live in a drafty, old farmhouse.  :-)




I am remembering...

Christmas from my childhood.  How magical it all seemed, how wonderful to the senses.  The lights, the taste of good food, the smell of pine, the reminder of a little babe sent to save the world.  How wonderful salvation's message is to my lips, to my heart, to my very soul.




I am going...

nowhere today.  I have to take my car in to get fixed tomorrow.  More on that at the bottom of this post.



I am reading...

some magazines, a few children's books...I need to get started on something new.  :-)





I am hoping...

to get my car fixed this week. 



On my mind...

The fun we all had at Thanksgiving.  The games we played, the good food, the just being a family day we all shared.



From the learning rooms...

Matthew's moving up in math, and we have a few weeks of doing the minimum in school work so we can enjoy this glorious season.



Noticing that...

I need to finish deep-cleaning the downstairs.  Then onto the bedrooms up stairs.



Pondering these words...

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow." Martin Luther



From the kitchen...

grilled cheese, jalapeno poppers, just snack-y type foods.  We have one of these nights every so often.



Around the house...

I need to finish decorating for Christmas.  We thought we lost our ornaments, but they were in the basement for some reason.  We were all so happy to have found them.  We always reminisce as we put them up.  The story of our family is there in those ornaments...the reminder of times past, and the hope of days to come.

One of my favorite things~

Chubby toddler hands.  So sweet and little for only a short time.  I'm trying to kiss them as much as I can!


From my picture journal...
 

 
 
I was in a minor fender-bender last week.  Jacob and I were out getting some last minute items for Thanksgiving, picking up Chelsea's glasses, and were going to browse around a thrift store, when I hit a pole.  The entrance to this thrift store is very tiny, and it has a pole about a third of the way into the opening.  I thought I gave myself enough clearance...but I didn't.  We take the Suburban in tomorrow to get fixed. 
 
To read more daybook entries, visit Peggy.

Multitude Monday~

I've long been a reader at Ann's wonderful, thought-provoking blog.  Such spiritual food is found at her quiet spot.  So, I decided to join her Multitude Mondays and maybe alternate with the Simple Woman posts I've been doing.

1000 Gifts

1. Time with my husband when all the kiddos were asleep.  Laughing, talking and just enjoying each other's company.

2. Kids who love to read.

3. A toddler who says "bapples" for apples. *so cute*

4. Sunny days with puffy, white clouds.

5.  An older daughter (she has her own blog) who decided to do all the dishes over the weekend.

6.  A book written by my younger daughter, Becky.

7.  Hugs from my 14 y.o. son Jacob.

8.  Laughing at my 8 y.o. (Matt) as he plays with the 2 y.o. Aaron.

9.  The Lord's gentle conviction in some areas of my life.

10.  Looking at some old pictures of my children when they were younger.

Won't you join?  Go here to see other gratitude journals.