Thankful Thursday

I was working on a deeper post yesterday but did not get it finished so I'm moving on. I'll have to finish it soon.

This week I'm thankful for many things!

• I'm thankful for our church camp out that went so well. Beside the fact that I was a very stupid mom and forgot that breezy and cold did NOT mean you could not get sun burnt, it was great. Now I have an exploded lip and cheek to remind me of the lesson I've learned. Emma had a rough time the last night and day but besides that it all went well and I'm very thankful for the Jordan's who let us borrow so much camping stuff we did not have.
• I'm thankful I went to see my MD for further help with my health problems because I was still having problems with loosing my appetite the moment I started eating which seemed bigger than just hormones and I was having other bodily problems the days the symptoms were there. The hormones were helping, I think, but I was still struggling. My MD has been my DR. since I was about 10 and is also my mom's doctor and was my dad's. He has seen our family through a lot and is a very gracious Christian man. He saw my family through my dad's tragic decline and passing and was convinced that my body had run out of serotonin over the last few years (to learn more about that go here). This can cause depression (which I was not experiencing) or adrenaline overload. My body was not handling stress well anymore on any level. When any level of adrenaline pulsed through my body it was over reacting with feelings of panic and symptoms of anxiety when I really had no reason to and did not feel worried or anxious at all. He did a good job of explaining to me how this works and is completely chemical in the brain. He agreed with the OB that my hormones were off and to still follow her advice but that this had to be addressed from both ends of the spectrum and it was all connected. Stressful events that you think you are getting through just fine at the time can come around and have effects you don't expect. Right after dad passed we transitioned from homeschool to public school, and felt led to pursue foster care training. The Lord lead us not to do the foster care when our finances got tighter and I'm thankful for that because I could never have known by body had had enough and would soon be showing signs of it. I am on a new medication and it seems to be helping very well. Today was a rough day but I'm thinking it's because I was feeling confident enough to have a full mug of coffee. I've felt off all day. My body still does not do well with much caffeine. This makes since knowing that coffee releases cortisol which spurs adrenaline and once again I'm reminded that I have to give this MORE time. I'm so thankful for this doctor's wisdom. I learned a lot, but still have a lot to learn. It looks like I need to make some good choices as far as what to take on and what not for a while.
• I'm thankful Emma's feeling better after the braces and teeth pulling the next week. She is a real trooper!
• I'm SOOOO thankful Rick's work gave him the time off to go camping with us. It would not have been as fun on my own Saturday.
• I'm thankful I work for a very nice lady. She is always looking out for me. This week she walked down to the bus stop to get the older kids (usually my job) so that I did not have to be out in the sun (yes, it's THAT bad).
• On that note, I'm thankful for healing! I hurt like you would not believe (there are way too many nerves in your lips....great for kissing but bad for burns) but I just keep realizing that my body is working hard to rebuild a whole new layer of lip!
• I'm thankful for some weightloss and my friend Trish and now Kendall who go to TOPS and spur me on.
• I'm thankful for forgiveness. That I receive it from Christ and that he gives me the call to give it over and over because he forgave me of so much and does still.
• Lastly, I'm thankful and encouraged for all you ladies who want to read Alcorn's book with me this summer! Thank you! I'm really looking forward to it!

Thankful Thursday + Help Me Out Here!

I've not done one in a while so I think it's time!

• I'm thankful Rick and I have made it 13 years together, and I'm thankful for him. We had a nice evening out to celebrate. I'm thankful for my friend Trish watching the kids so we could get out.
• I'm thankful my hormone symptoms are dissipating. They are not going away completely but when they come, they are not as severe as they were closer to post surgery. I am praying this means my body is slowly getting back on track. Easter Sunday was difficult and I began to have heart flutters during church so I had to go out for most of the sermon, but it's still not as bad as it has been. I mostly went out from fear of not knowing if it's going to get worse. That really is the problem right now, being that when the symptoms hit, even though they are not as bad, I have to really fight off fear of them getting worse like they have before. My prayer is that I would learn what God has for me through all of it.
• I'm thankful the kids have been home the past two weeks. Though the house is a bit more messy, we have had some fun times. I'm thankful we got to go hiking to a beautiful waterfall together and just be home together.
• I'm thankful I got to spend one of those days shopping with Princess all day. I was really not sure how it would go. Some days with tweens are just tough and I was not sure the clothing choices would go well if we disagreed. We ended up having a lovely day out together and even a little Carl's Jr. lunch. Though we were tired as could be, it was good day.
• I'm thankful for sunshine again. I know it will be triple digits before too long so I'm really trying to soak in the beauty of the warm days.

That's what is coming to mind for today.

Help me out!

I am doing somewhat of an experiment for our family. I'm having to really try to eat better with these new health issues so I've decided to try to pretty much eat from Trader Joe's. There are some things I just cannot afford there but I'm also trying to milk out the budget with legumes instead of meat all the time. They have grass fed beef there we are slowly trying but it's SO expensive! We are trying to eliminate extra hormones that may be seeping into our diet from meat and dairy.

So, I've been checking out the Trader Joe's site as well as the Cooking With Trader Joe's site but I was wondering if any of you had a few or even one good recipe that is composed of TJ's stuff.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a rough week. I won't lie. Monday was a very tough day of hormone problems. Mostly in the panic feelings. I could best describe this as somewhat of a mental claustrophobia. Once again, it comes on for no reason and usually when I'm either just mentally sorting through something (like "okay, I did this and now I need to do that" or "what was that I was supposed to remember at the store?") or when I'm trying to focus on something or someone talking. Even my eyes seem unable to focus well at these times. I can just be looking at someone and trying to hear them and in my mind I'll start to panic and then try to talk myself down from the panic feelings and still try to listen to what they are saying. The other big symptom is that I will get really truly hungry but when I go to eat, within a few bites I start to loose my appetite. This one I don't understand. Monday I fought these off every few minutes all day. Tuesday the nausea hit, as I predicted since that seems to be the pattern. I got in to see my OB. She is putting me on the estrogen all month instead of just two weeks out of the month as it seems these symptoms are pretty much gone while I'm on the patch and it starts getting in my system. She gave me an anti-anxiety to use if there are days it's really bad. She thinks that the patch will level me out enough that I won't need them though. I sure hope so.
I've also just been put on an antibiotic as I developed bronchitis. I've not been sleeping well with tons of coughing. Hopefully the antibiotic will kick it in the bottom for me. I so look forward to feeling better.
In the midst of all this...there is thanks.

• I am thankful to be reminded that I am indeed quite mortal. This reminds me every day of my need for my Savior. When hormones make you feel you are mentally going crazy, all you can do is lean on God's care for you by what ever means he wants to use be it prayer, helpful hands, medicine, whatever. I've been very nervous with which meds and methods are best and I've really had to trust God in this too and that is good for me.
• For kids and a husband who are very capable of navigating life when I'm kinda down. It may not be perfect, and it may not be the way I would do it, but they are doing well at it.
• For my mom, who is praying for me and helping me be brave.
• For times when I feel good and truly can appreciate feeling good.
• For the blessing of every day haven making. Though I've had little energy for it lately, it's been a pleasant work for me to make home life run smoothly.
• For a patient boss who is so nice to navigate these health obstacles with me.
• For the fact that Superkid is doing better this week in school and having a more positive attitude about it all. I'm thankful we have been able to work with him on his heart issues.
• For comforters on clearance for the girls new room decor.
• For the promise that God will see me through anything and that he will see my family through it as well. That he is not only getting us through but he is working it for our good and His glory. It makes one more grateful to go through stuff looking at it that way.

Have a lovely Thursday of gratitude for all God allows you to do and for His wisdom in what he does not allow.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a trying week but I'm thankful God is totally in control because it really does matter, you know!

• I'm thankful to be feeling better. I've not had bad weird symptoms for a week and a half and that's great. I'm thankful it's all helping me make better choices with my health.


• I'm thankful for seeing God work in my children. Even when problems surface and we have to deal with them, it's evidence of him working in their hearts and that's good to know.


• I'm thankful for sunshine.


• I'm thankful my husband always tries to do what is best for us.


• I'm thankful for good meat sales lately:).


• I'm thankful I got to go to a movie with the kids yesterday, we don't get to do that more than a few times a year. It was a great spontaneous way to spend the afternoon because of minimum day.


• I'm thankful God is faithful to lead us when we are not sure where we should go. Even when I feel I'm standing still, he is working to lead.


• I'm so thankful my mom's new job seems to be going well and that God has provided for her in this way.


• I'm thankful my life is pretty simple.

Thankful Thursday

I did not get to the Wed. post that was supposed to be Part 4 of my rant on Christian Hedonism. I've been a little discouraged as to whether it's been helpful or understandable here but I also just have a lot of thoughts to pull together and that takes time and effort I've not had today. Rick was off and honestly, after he took the kids to school we crawled back into bed and watched LOST on hulu.com (....what did you THINK I was going to say?:) Then we had some things we needed to get done. It was a productive day and I sat in the winter sunshine of my living room listening to NPR and sewing patches on Superkid's jeans. Lovely.

I'm doing this post tonight and scheduling it to post tomorrow because I know I have full day. I did not have to work today so I'm doing three hours at the day care tomorrow.

I AM THANKFUL!

• I'm so thankful Superkid rode w/o training wheels for the first time today! He has been ready for a long time but his chain was broke and Rick had not got to it. He took to it like water. No problems. He then came in when daddy had to run an errand though and he came through the kitchen telling me that he wanted to wait till daddy and his sisters got home because he was not sure if his breaks would break or not. I tried to reassure him that they were fine but I did not push it.


• I'm thankful my children make me laugh. Today Superkid said "Is it okay if I pay you to clean my room?" (to me) I laughed and said "No!". He laughed too. Later at dinner he though he knew what was for dessert, said what it was and then said "I've spilled the beans". We all laughed because it was a new phrase for him and then it got even funnier when he added "what does that mean?". "Oh, you don't know? You used it properly" I said. He said Mrs.B uses it in and he thought it was funny but was not sure what it meant.


• I'm thankful the new house cleaning routine is REALLY helping me. I don't stress about getting to everything and then end up getting to nothing. Last night I was going to clean my room while Rick took the crew to Awana but I just was dying for a quiet bubble bath without interruption. I remembered that today was my day to do that and I did get it done today! I don't even have to worry if I get everything done in that room because I can hit it again when that day comes back around. It helps me stay focused on one spot and then the spots add up. *Sigh* it's a beautiful thing.


• I'm thankful that my parenting convicts me. Lately the two on my mind have been how I tell the kids they can't play on the computer until their jobs are done and how they can't eat anything at bedtime when they decide they are hungry at the last minute. I should be just as disciplined on myself.


• I'm thankful LOST started again...but that's so not spiritual.:)


• I'm thankful I can trust God when he gives and when he says "no". I'm thankful I'm not anxious either way. At least not right now:)

NOTE: I have added a new feature to the posts. Blogger now allows you to have an opinion on each one. I LOVE comments, in fact they spur me on to keep this up, so if you have one (really, no matter what little tid-bit it is..it makes my day) please leave it. However, if you just have an opinion on the post click one of the options before you leave if you'd like! Thanks.

Thankful Thursday

One cannot get to theological to not be thankful:) So I'm breaking from the stream of thoughts to do my normal thang.

Oh, and there have been two people tell me they have written long comments only to loose them. First of all, I am so sorry! Blogger can be a little mean if you are typing for a while. I am very anxious to hear your thoughts though (this is regarding the Christian Hedonist Post 1, 2, and 3). So, my suggestion if you have a lot to share is to type it in another venue and copy and paste it so you don't loose it.

Most of you know we have been on one vehicle since late November. We tried a few trouble shooting things that were not enough for our car so Rick had it towed in this week. They diagnosed the problem and it was going to cost 900 to 1100 dollars to fix. We were very discouraged. We had no where near that. We don't use credit anymore at all so we did not know what step to take. Then, today another mechanic advised Rick that what we needed to fix (the heating core) could be side stepped to get the car running. It just would not have heat or defrost (and it all ready does not have air conditioning so let the adventure continue lol!). That option is 200 dollars and we are up for the cheap set of wheels whatever they may be. So, I'm very thankful a solution presented itself because we were going to have to have it towed back to our house to sit till we could afford something.

I'm thankful Princess got through her reading of Anne Of Green Gables (she is such a fantasy lover when it comes to literature that I had a hard time convincing her it was good) and she really liked the movie. I have it memorized but it's so different to watch it as a mom of a girl coming into these years! Oh, my goodness, it's so different, and it's such a delight to see her smile at the humor and get sheepish at the developing romance. Ah, my little baby is growing up into a lady with feelings.

I'm so thankful I don't know much and that I love to learn. Especially when it comes to study in the Word. I really don't know much for a gal raised in a Christian home but finding things out for the first time is so thrilling to me. I'm so thankful I have lots to learn.

I'm thankful for my new women's discipleship group even though at first I wondered if I could fit it in with everything else. It turns out it's right along the lines of other issues God is teaching me. I'll be talking some about it in Part 4.

I'm thankful all three kids report cards look good. Our main goal for them is not perfect academics (and in fact if it was we would probably not do public school because they don't have to be too clever to be at the top...but that does not mean they do not work hard because they do) but they all three have been diligent in their work and keeping up. Victoria is carrying a 4.0 in 6th grade and 6th grade is tough. I never carried that. She actually brought some grades up from A's to A+ this quarter. I'm amazed at her sense of purpose with her school work. The classmates all call her for homework assignments or questions. She is on top of that in a way I was never good at. I can take no credit for this in her, it's the grace of God in a gift He has given her and her fathers smarts. I'm creative but I'm not book smart.

I'm thankful further tests seem to indicate there is nothing crucially wrong with me. I am still having pain in my arm that comes and goes and we are still not sure why but I'm hoping it will pass with increased vitamins and exercise. The doctor thinks I initially got an infection in my arm through a torn nail bed. I do work at a day care where germs are flying so there is no telling what got into my system. I'm still hoping it finishes healing, but I'm thankful the tests have shown no serious problems.

I'm thankful for God's wisdom and that I just get to learn from Him forever.

OH! And I'm thankful it's almost time for Lost to start up and the winter Olympics! So temporal I know.

BTW: If you would like to join me in doing Thankful Thursdays...please do. There can never be enough reflecting on what we are thankful for!

Thankful Thursday: Shelter

It's Thursday and I'm thankful for shelter! There are many reasons. I've been pondering on the people of Haiti and their great loss of shelter, on our storms and the two new leaks in my house that remind me how much the rest of it keeps out, and on the shelter of God's almighty hand.

So many are left without shelter now. So many like Job have had everything stripped away from them. John Piper posted a poem he wrote in his pondering on Haiti:

Jesus in Haiti
After the Earthquake

Do you consider safety, or your health,
A sign from me?
I am not awed by might, nor struck by wealth,
Or poverty.

O, I am struck! And crushed. Buried, I wince,
And dying, pray,
A sympathetic Priest in Port-au-Prince,
Even today.

But there, in those United States the boot
Is on my face.
“Saul, Saul,” I ask, “Why do you persecute
And not embrace?”

Your King, I lift my arms to you in peace
And patient grief;
And summon now to Haiti enemies
For my relief.

I find that a very powerful poem. "why do you persecute and not embrace?" is so striking to some who have responded so arrogantly in the Christian media. I'm thankful for other Christian leading men who have risen to show a more Christlike attitude. The last line is the most powerful however "and summon now to Haiti enemies for my relief". It's amazing that God will use those who don't know him even when we who sometimes do not rise to the occasion. It's incredibly convicting. May we not put our boot to the very face of Jesus by not helping the helpless.

Yes, our house has a few more leaks. We will need to do some serious patching once the weather dries but last time I found a leak I just freaked out and felt so discontent with my home. This time I was immediately thankful for how safe and dry we WERE inside here! I've been impressed with the blessing of shelter, and warmth, of dry blankets and warm food. There is so much to be thankful for. Yet I also have to remember to hold even all that I have with an open hand.

Above all, oh, I'm so thankful for the shelter of God's provision of himself. Not really just what he gives me to take care of me, shower love on me, or meet my needs, but the very provision of himself, of the revelation of my need for Him and the solution of His Son to provide it.

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad,

Let them ever sing for joy;

And may you shelter them;

That those who love you may exult in you."
Psalm 5:11

The reason I'm thankful for it is because it is the one thing that cannot be taken away. This of course parallels my thoughts reading Job as I shared in the previous post. God sheltering us means one thing and one thing only. It is not defined by his provision here on earth, though He may give it. It does not mean continued health here on earth, though He may give it. It is not wrapped up in funds for our next need, though He may give it. It is fully and completely the gift of Himself, which is the shelter or the resting place that perfectly fits the one thing we really truly and only need. Love for God breeds joy, unstopped and untainted by the lack for anything else. That is a basis for continued thanks in my soul.

So, I pray for those without shelter, be they in California in the storms, or in Haiti. I pray the Lord will provide their needs and send His people out to help them. I pray even more that men will find the shelter of their souls in these times of loss AND in the times of plenty. The shelter that cannot be taken, and the shelter from eternity past, and our portion forever.

Thankful Thursday: Yes, I'm Thankful For The Public School

I've decided to devote my Thankful Thursday (which I've not been remembering to post enough, sorry!) to something on my heart. I've pondered and prayed about the emotions this conjured up in me and the Lord has convicted me to deal with it from a grateful heart.

I read this on someones facebook pages as a group description they had joined.

"So-called "public schools" are, in fact, "government schools." "They are operated by the government, using government employees, on property owned and controlled by the government, using government funds. Supporters of this destructive system would object to such candor, of course, since most Americans know that to identify something as a "government institution" is to brand it inefficient at best, destructive at worst. Child abuse is neither always obvious or intentional. The most rampant form of child abuse in this country is not only legal, but committed routinely. It is the act of taking what arguably is, or should be, the most precious things in your life--your children--and placing the responsibility for their education in the hands of the government."

I don't think I took that wrong when I read it to mean that I was exposing my children (or bringing it about myself) to child abuse by having them in public school. This hurt my spirit so much as a fellow member of the body of Christ.

It hurt me not because I care what men think, even Christians because see, I answer to two others above all these. (1) I answer to God who distinctly led us into the public schools all be it shocking to me and crushing to my legalistic presumptions about going public, and (2) I answer to my husband who decided this was best for our family at this time.

God would NEVER lead us into sin, NEVER. God would never lead us into abusing our children. One cannot say that attending a government school is child abuse (and therefore sinful) if they are not willing to say that all governmental institutions are sinful. Is sending your child to a state college sinful? Is it child abuse because it's government?

Is a single mother abusing her children by sending them to school when she has no husband and therefore has to work? If it is not sinful for that situation, then it is not for any family with these options. Though her reasons are desperate and extreme they are a good guideline to tell us if something is sinful or not. The family unit may have it's own less dramatic reasons for being led into the public schools. Sin is always wrong across the board. It is always clear and not altered by motive.

That is all I will say on that. I have a tender spot for this having journeyed through it and I want to be careful to be gracious though my emotions are in tumult at such "Christian" attitudes.

So...I am thankful:

• I am SO thankful for the journey the Lord has us on right now. Every day I keep an open heart and ponder what the next step is. Is it to have them back home? Is it to stay where they are? Is it for one of them to come home? What do you want Lord? I'm willing to do any of those if the Lord leads. I know His way is joyful.


• I am thankful for our little town and how close the school is to home.


• I'm thankful for great teachers, and I'm not just saying that. Each year the Lord has provided wonderful teachers for the kids so far, and guess what? I trust him to do that as long as he wants them there. Now, a bad teacher may not mean that it's not still God's will, it may mean a new challenge for us as a family and for our child. That is why we will seek him every step along the way. He will bless when we do what He wants, not what we want. To obey is better than sacrifice! Isn't it true though that sacrifice fulfills our sense of righteousness though? We feel good that we have given up something for the Lord. That may not be the sacrifice he wants us to make and obeying him is always a sure way to know what He wants.


• I am thankful for how public school has changed our family. We are able to relax more as a family and talk about life and God. Rick and I are able to have time together that we never had. My sanity level is so much better and have learned so much more what it means to trust the Lord with my children. When a homeschool mom teaches, she sacrifices ALL her time for this goal, and that is not easy. When a public school mom sends her kids in the Lord she sacrifices ALL control on what the Lord allows in their hours away. That may sound trite if you are on the homescool end and you may say "oh, that's nothing!" but trust me, it is.


• I am thankful for the branching out into the community that this has allowed us to do. Although being salt and light was not our mission statement, it is, now that we are called, a real joy to see happen. I truly trust that the exposure and challenges we face are preparing my children even now for the exact purposes God has for them in His kingdom. If I were to hold back, I would stand in His way.


• I'm thankful for the homeschooling years we had! They were great! That is until the Lord began to show me that a change was needed. That is not to say that a rough day homeschooling is a sign that you should stop. We have bad days in public school too! I go to the Lord with all of those and wait on Him. No hasty decisions, just waiting on His lead.


• I'm thankful for our freedom as Americans! We have the right to teach at home! Praise the Lord. We have the right to take part in an institution put together by our government! Praise him still. We are not shut out from those places because of our faith and that is freedom! Again I quote something that meant a lot to encourage me a few years ago by a mom blogger "we seem to want to keep God in the schools but take Christian kids out of them". Oh, dear, what sadness. If the Lord takes me back out, I pray he sends others in! Christian kids and parents ARE Christ in the public schools.

I have a heart to encourage other mom's to be open to God's leading. We serve Him before any man or woman. People will create legalistic boundaries, God will break them down. He will send us everywhere, teach us all things, call us out, put us back, use us in every way. He does not expect us to look the same, march the same, or be afraid of those who don't and who need Him. If you are a mom struggling with schooling decisions, I encourage you to pray and then speak to your husband about your concerns either way. Let God be the author of your children's education, not you, and not the government, GOD. HE does all things well.

NOTE: If the above quote is intended to mean only that the government requiring public school for children then the abuse is on our rights to freedom, not to children. It is not abusive to a child to have him in a school, it is an abuse to take away our freedom to have him at home.

Thankful Thursday On Saturday

I was spending Thursday resting with Rick as he was recovering from a head cold and I was trying to rest a bit for being out all night at the movies. So, I'm going to catch up now.

• I'm thankful we were able to get our car home from it's breakdown point on the freeway. We were both worried we would have to have it towed but Rick got it back by the skin of his teeth and me following right behind to make sure it was okay. I'm so thankful he was okay as it's coolant system is shot and the problem was overheating. I prayed him home for sure. We are on one vehicle but every time that happens to us it makes me so thankful we live so close to school and my little job. God is good.


• I'm thankful my brother was able to come home for Thanksgiving. It was not going to be that way for a long time because my mom could not afford to bring him home for both holidays. (My brother lives on a Christian ranch for disabled adults) She was able to get a great deal and he had been so sad not to be home for Thanksgiving. I'm so glad it worked out.


• I'm thankful again for my little job and the sweet lady I work for. She has been so nice to give me some extra hours so we can have some sort of Christmas this year. I don't think we have ever had such a tight year and my being able to do some extra work that does not take away from my work at home or family time has been a gift straight from God's hand. I am SO VERY thankful.


• Oddly, I'm thankful it is such a tight year. It's making me think harder and get even more creative. I've really been focused in a non-material way this year and am learning some real restraint. I have shopped for NOTHING yet. We probably won't be able to shop until the beginning of December and we will have to be so careful. It's so good for me and I think this Christmas will be the best ever because the sights, sounds and family love will be the greatest gifts. I'm really having a special joy about each little cheap idea I get and that's a blessing.


• I'm continually thankful for the best friend I have in Rick. The past year has been a tough year when it comes to friends for me for many reasons. I'm in that stage of life where my kids are getting a little older and I want to start doing girly things but I have very few spontaneous friends. Rick and I are both spontaneous and though it's hard for us to get out much, I so appreciate that part of him and look forward to the fun we will have more and more. We just love so much in life and getting out and doing stuff. I look forward to doing that more and more with the kids too as we are able. I have wished that I was able to find more girlfriends that way who you could just call up and say "let's go..." and they say "alright! sounds great!". I live up in the middle of nowhere and far away from most of my friends anyway. My best friend here is like a sister to me but she just had baby #5 and I'm just not in that chapter of my life anymore. I guess I'm just so glad Rick totally gets this part of who I am. He totally understands and is so truly anxious that I get the chance to get out. He seems to understand where my head is at this stage of life and he appreciates that I'm there. On our level as husband and wife it's great. As I am restless about friends, he is understanding and becomes so precious to me because as my very best friend, he is the best spontaneous soul I know. Bless you babe.


• I'm so thankful for my maturing daughter. It's scary but exciting to see her growing up both physically and emotionally. I am so proud of her and love that when we sit down and talk about God's perspective on things in her life, she really gets it. Growing up is NOT easy and I know I did not get some things spiritually at nearly 12 that she already gets now. I really look forward to the next few years with her. I know there will be very hard obstacles yet to come but the light at the end of each of those tunnels really brings me joy. She is such a sweet and interesting child. All my kids are interesting. I love that about them.

This week will be a great week to reflect on all those things to be thankful for. We will always be able to find problems in life but we can usually find more things to be thankful for to out shadow them. That's a great gift from God.

A Thankful Thursday (been a while)

Yes! I am still thankful for things! I promise! I have not done one of these for a good long while though.

1- I am most recently thankful as I just cleaned out the cupboard and found some culinary possibilities I had forgotten where there. Note to self: do that more often! It's something God uses to bless me though so I almost want to forget (or is that an excuse not to clean? hmmm)

2- I'm SO THANKFUL for the C.S Lewis book club my friend Donna is doing and that Rick and I get to do it together. Mere Christianity was not something I got as well when I read most of it years ago. Today, it is blowing my mind and putting awe in my heart for God.

3-That God delights in us finding Him and that we delight in finding Him too. That God is so very delightful!

4- I'm thankful that God prepares us for what is to come even when we don't know what it is but we can feel it on the horizon.

5- I'm thankful to get to demonstrate gratitude to my kids in hard times. To be here to give them perspective and remind them that we are, at our worst, an EXTREMELY blessed country.

6-I'm thankful for each of the kids teachers and the diligence they have in teaching well. I'm thankful I get to share my time with them and our lives as they teach our kids each day. We really could have some awful teachers but we don't. I'm so thankful for that.

7- I'm thankful that life does not HAVE to be perfect all the time, because frankly, I just can't keep up.

8- I'm so thankful that my husband is always trying to find ways to support and help me.

9- ON that note, I'm so thankful we enjoy thinking and talking about life together and that our views on life are so similar in order to bring about some great times together.

10- I'm thankful for rest. When it comes I always feel I need it. We live in a time when people can actually afford "down time". How long we will have that luxury?

Thankful Thursday

I did not get around to last weeks so I'm really looking forward to reflecting today.

• Today Caedmon's teacher blessed me by telling me that Caedmon was a delight to have in her class. I was relieved because he has a very sharp conscience and tells me how many times the teacher told the class to be quiet that day. I began to worry if he was getting in trouble for talking but she said not at all. He just really pays attention to if everyone is obeying or not. He does not nag them, but he comes home and reports fully! I'm so thankful he has a mind to do what is right. What a blessing.


• All of my children have been a delight and joy to me this week. Not perfect, but really different, interesting, and growing on different levels. I just seemed keenly aware of the gifts they are to me. So thankful.


• My little job (an hour and a half a day at a day care in town) is going really well. My employer/friend is very easy to get along with and it is a blessing to have my children there with me for most of it. It took us a few days to get use to the different schedule at the end of the school day but we seem to have worked into it now. It is also helping me be more disciplined since I'm using the money I get paid each week for weekly groceries. Weekly shopping makes me more dependant on God and more focused on every dollar. We add a little from the regular budget but the old grocery fund is going mostly into paying off debt.


• I'm SOOOO thankful our closet is put back together. We did it the cheapest way we could and although we would like to upscale it in the future, we only spent 20 bucks and pulled a shelf in from the shed to use. No more clothes on the floor waiting to be hung! Yeah!


• God has been good to give me the focus to really work on some fitness goals this week. Rick has been very supportive and I've had some push and inspiration from different sources. It has been hard for me to make it a priority but I'm so thankful for the time. Once I get through this, maintaining won't take as much time.


• I'm thankful the kids have stayed healthy so far. So many kids have been sick and I thought we were headed there this last weekend when Caed got a low fever and headache but he woke up chipper and healthy.


• The girls are going to get to take keyboard and a "soils to succulent flavors" class. I will get to join them on the second one after my day care time and have asked if I can bring Caed with me. They will be growing things, learning nutrition and cooking in the kitchen from what they grow or learn about.


• I'm so thankful for the new schedule. It is helping our family out so much. I love that Rick sits with us for breakfast and reads the word to the kids and we also get on most days to have a family time of more reading and prayer at the end of each school day. It has been a calming time and a blessing.


• I'm so thankful Caedmon is excited about Awana this year. Last year he did not want to go and he said he didn't this year but Rick and I insisted that they would all three go. He shocked me by saying that he was excited the day it was going to start and has loved it so far. He is already excited to invite a friend from school. We all ready have the van full with our kids and three girls in Victoria's class who are back to going with us again this year so on special nights we agreed we would take two cars.


• I'm thankful for mine and Ricks morning quiet time. He brews the coffee and brings it in which is lovely since I'm not the morning person he is (oh and someone at my TOPS meeting had a funny joke about a husband and wife debating about who would make the coffee and she said they would look to the bible for the answer where she found it...HEBREWS...HE BREWS! HA, that was cute) and we sit and talk and wake up slowly and then do our own devotions side by side. Some mornings we even have time to pray together about the day. That has become a great morning routine for us even if it is at 5am! Eeek.

So, that's the thankfulness on my mind this week!

Thankful .....Friday?

Sorry, missed again. I was all over the place yesterday. I'm not sure how many people actually anticipate these anyway so I've probably not let anyone down at all :) .

Still...

This week I have one big one!



I'M SO THANKFUL SCHOOL IS STARTING MONDAY!



I don't care if I get criticism for saying that...bring it on. You don't live with my restless and mounting-ly fidgety children every day so you can say what you want. You don't have my personality that can't seem to start a project or anything really and get it done when they are around all day.

I am so reminded the last month why our family works so much better with the kids in school. Rick and I were in the bubbles together last night just saying "oh, man, now we remember why homeschooling was tough on us!".

We are looking forward to the schedule, the structure, and all of us doing the jobs we do best. The kids really need the interaction and brain stimulation again. I guess if we lived out in the country or on some land where there was more to it may be different, but here in our little modular park, I have to be outside with them most of the time.

I really click well as the housewife/mom. That is what I'm so anxious to take on again. Structuring my errand schedule and housework, making their coming home treat for the day, organizing the house....I'm so in my element with that.

I'm also looking forward to the interaction with the teachers and the kids again. Some of them have become extended family to us. My kids do so well, having the accountability to us and other adults and so far we have been blessed with great christian teachers for them as well as a great christian principal. I'm just reminded how wonderful the situation is for now.

I'm loving their excitement to go through the supplies we got mostly free from CVS and load up what they need. I'm anxious to make a gift basket for each teacher for their room as well as some scones and a jar of our apricot jam from the summer.

The season is changing and I love it! I was genuinely excited to have them home in June and we did have fun but as the summer went on and July ended, the mood changed to boredom, bickering more, cabin fever, heat exhaustion, and I knew it was time for change. Now, it's here...

and...

FOR THAT I'M SO THANKFUL!

We are heading up to the school in a few minutes to see what classes they are in and if they got the teachers I requested. They are excited for even that and I'm right behind them with excitement!

Late On Thankful Thursday

We were at the beach yesterday and I did not get to blog. I broke my next to baby toe so that took out the evening. Been laid up with it today too. Man oh, man.
But...I am thankful for:

• a great husband who is helpful
• children who are old enough to fend a bit for themselves even though my house is falling apart with mess by now
• time to get out to the coast. before i got hurt, it had been a great family day.
• another batch of cucumbers given to me to pickle when I can stand up longer.
• creative children who are always coming up with stuff to show me
• upcoming schedule structure, i'm looking forward to that
• brave men to fight these awful calif. fires.

I think that's about it for now.

I would like to ask for prayer that this silly toe heals quick. It hurts to be up on it and I cannot take much time out. I'm also worried about it healing right. Thanks.

Thankful Thursday

Here we go!

1. So thankful God is intimately involved in our lives and leading us. GO HERE.


2. Thankful my friend gave us a laptop. It's old but actually works better than our other one. It's not officially ours yet since they have to clean out their stuff but I'm so blessed.


3. Thankful for a huge bag of strawberries that were given us and for the chance to pick wild blackberries with Rick yesterday so that I can make jam from them and maybe a pie. It was so painful though and next time I will NOT wear Crocks. I ruined them. Tons of thorns went into the bottom of them and when I pull them all out I will have a ton of holes.


4. An older couple in our church said they wanted to watch our kids! We only have one this week but we took them up on it and went to the beach for a sunset dinner. It was lovely.


5. Somehow our electric bill was WAY low. By about 50 dollars under budget. Amazing how setting that air conditioner at 80 helped.


6. Emma's teacher from last year is such a blessing to me over and over. She is on Rick's mail route and sent home a bag that had a pencil bag LOADED for each of the kids for the first day of school. There was even a snack for them. I love her so much. What a dear woman.


7. I'm thankful for time with just Caed this week even though he has been bored, hyper and restless for lots of it. It's been fun to have just three of us.


8. I'm amazed at the overtime Rick has been getting and it looks like although they are tearing up his route into a bunch of swings, he may get to be a T-6 for a while (the guy who does others routes when they have their days off so he does a different route every day) which would mean at least a dollar more an hour.


9. I'm thankful we get to go help harvest food for the food bank tonight and bring a little home. I don't know just what to expect but I think just going out to do the harvesting with Caedmon, Rick and I will be a lot of fun.


10. I'm thankful my husband has a heart that is always longing to do what is right. He is always willing to hear me out when I need to vent and He has an openness to change. I'm very blessed by that.

Thankful Thursday

I love these and am amzed how my brain goes from one right into the next. There is so much to always be thankful for.

1. I'm thankful the kids are getting better and that swine flu is not as bad as it was.


2. I'm thankful that somehow there was a 40 dollar credit at the doctor because we did not have the 50 for the co-pay this time. I don't know what I would have done.


3. I'm thankful for the person who allowed people to come pick apricots from their tree. I have made two jam batches and frozen two bags. I also have a batch of freezer jam and hope to do some more today.


4. I'm thankful Rick has been staying healthy and getting an hour or two of overtime.


5. I'm thankful for all the CVS deals that are supplying us well with free school supplies.


6. I'm so thankful for my friend who has a newer treadmill to give us. That was so generous and I'm amazed.


7. I'm still thankful for the produce from our neighbor who likes to garden but not eat veggies.


8. I'm thankful for my neighbor giving me a lap top to borrow till we can save up for a new one.


9. I'm SO thankful for the family who generously invited the girls to go to the fair and get a ride bracelet and everything. Unfortunately Lilo got sick and had to come home but it was so nice of them and Princess got to stay a few more hours.


10. I'm thankful that God is teaching me to not be impulsive to go do or go get when I think we need something, but to wait on him and truly let Him decide what we need and provide it from His own resources.