Thankful Thursday

We've had a chilly, rainy and dreary week here.  There is water everywhere!  We don't have flooding here.

This week I am thankful for:
~ my husband taking Caleb to school 3 days so I didn't have to get out in the cold, rain.  :)  And Titus slept so I got a little extra sleep those days too! 

~ my big boy's hand not being broken with his injury last week in the football game.  He had it x rayed, and they could not see a break but put it in a cast to protect it and help it heal because it was so tender and sensitive.  He goes back to the doctor today for it to be checked. 

~ my little guy having fun helping with laundry with our new washer/dryer. He loves to help!

~ feeling better after asking a couple people to pray for me when I was feeling anxious this week.

~ our ladies Bible class on Tuesdays.  It is such a nice group of ladies, mixed ages, and I enjoy it so much.

~ my robe and house shoes that I've worn so much this week! 


Have a day of blessings! 
    Bethany

Are you waiting for answers?

We had a thunderstorm this week.  We received 4 - 5 inches one night. Certain parts of town were flooded.  Flooding has happened all around the state of Texas this spring.

We have been praying for rain here for a long time.  We have seemed to have several years of drought conditions.  Rain is requested in prayers at church, and you see yard signs that say "Pray for Rain."

The rain ceased for a while Thursday morning and then started again in the afternoon. I opened the front door and looked out at our muddy yard full of puddles.  I thought to myself is this the answer to all those prayers for rain?

It reminded me that all those prayers for rain were answered.  God did not send the rain the moment the prayers were uttered last summer, but as I watched the rain fall I am reminded that He does answer prayers.  We collectively did not give up praying for rain just because it did not rain immediately.

What prayers are you waiting to be answered?  The answer may not come today or tomorrow but be sure God does hear and He will answer in His time.  Don't give up praying!

I'm linking up today with Spiritual Sundays.



Have a day of blessings!

Happenings of this week

Sunday morning at about 6:40 we were woken up by some loud wind beating against our window.  Right after we woke up the power went out.  Caleb hollered at us and we brought him to our room. My husband checked the weather to see what was happening.  The power flickered off and on for a few minutes and the storm seemed to pass quickly. 

When we left for church we saw some damage in our neighborhood.  After church we drove around town and saw some of the damage, like this knocked down sign.  There are uprooted trees all over town and trees falling on houses or buildings.  The National Weather Service determined it was not a tornado but many of the citizens said they saw a twister. 

That night I woke up at about 1:15 to something hitting our bedroom window.  It was hailing.  We checked on Caleb but he was sound asleep through it.  This is what it looked like outside.

We went back to sleep and then we were startled by Caleb hollering out for us.  My first thought was that he was dreaming or had heard the wind or something outside.  My husband got to his room first and when I got there he was flipping on Caleb's light.  I said what's wrong?  He said, "My tooth is gone."  I looked in his mouth and sure enough, one of his loose teeth was no longer in his mouth. 

We had tried several times to get that tooth out over the past few weeks.  It bled a bunch on Saturday, which upset Caleb, so we just stopped. 

I looked around on his bed and found this.  Caleb asked, "Is it bleeding?"  There wasn't a drop of blood anywhere.  I asked him what happened, and he said he heard something click and then felt and his tooth was gone.  I was glad we found it.  (I took this picture later to add to this post!) 

We were just amazed that it fell out in his sleep.  I guess it was ready to get out of there!  We'd prayed that it would come out without causing him problems or worry.  I never expected it to fall out in his sleep! 

He has another loose one on top too (the one I wrote about several months ago). 

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to a COLD Thankful Thursday! We are iced in at our house. Thursday will mark the third day of ice and snow here. First we thought it was going to "warm up" above freezing on Friday but now we have a chance of snow again!

Being inside has reminded me of so many things we have to be thankful for each day, things we may often take for granted on a normal day....Things like electricity (much of Texas was out of electricity throughout today due to rolling blackouts), being able to jump in the car and run down the street to the store (or Sonic!), plenty to drink and eat, food in the freezer. It's kinda felt like a little vacation for me to have both of my boys home these three days. We haven't done much housework but have had fun. We've drawn pictures together, watched movies, and had a lot of laughs trying to stay warm!

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband being able to be home and not have to be out on the unsafe roads. His office was closed.

~ my boy and his excitement about the snow! He woke up about 6:15 on Tuesday and was just so excited to get to play in the snow. It was fun to watch his excitement about having snow everywhere. Wednesday he stayed in his pajamas longer before going out. In the afternoon he played with the neighbor kids and later went back out and scraped ice off the porch. He's my little worker boy! Always wants to be working and helpful!

~ all the warm things we have...pajamas, socks, coats, blankets, robes, cocoa, heater.

~ people who work in the cold weather and don't get "snow days."

~ television and computer to keep up with the news of the weather.

Have a day of blessings!

Snow Day

Our back yard down back porch steps

When my hubby got home from work Monday, we got the boxes scooted out of the way in the garage so both vehicles would fit in there for the night. I'm glad he worked so hard to get the garage cleared out over the weekend!

We had a thunderstorm with rain and hail in the evening and then it turned into sleet. My hubby got up at 6 to find out road conditions and talk to others to make the decision about closing his offices. Caleb woke up about 6:15. He was ready to go play! All of the schools here are cancelled for the day and some are already saying a late start tomorrow.

Here are a couple pictures of our beautiful snow! The weatherman is saying we aren't getting above freezing until Friday.

Have a day of blessings!

Facebook and our week

Are any of you, my readers, on Facebook? I have an account there and have enjoyed finding new friends there. It is amazing all the people you can find from high school or college! It's a fun way to connect with old friends I think. Email me your name if you have an account and I can find you!

Hope you are having a good week. Monday night we went shopping. The boys went Christmas shopping and I just went out by myself. I went to a couple stores, got a shake at Sonic (I was sad they don't have banana pudding anymore!), and picked up a gift at the mall for my Mom. Caleb was so cute when they got home and he was being secretive and telling me not to come in the garage. After he had gone to bed I saw in the garage a new ironing board hanging in place of my old one. My husband took me and showed me and said it wasn't part of my Christmas and he just wanted to give it to me. He knew I needed a new one! Tuesday morning I said something to Caleb about it and he had to call and tell Daddy I had found it. We spent a couple hours Tuesday morning making Christmas treats....chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts, and peanut butter crackers. Caleb was so excited to show Daddy what we made when he got home. Tuesday night "we" (but mostly my husband while I fixed bags of the other stuff) made "puppy chow." We fixed gift sacks to take to various people and a tray for Daddy to take to work. It has been sleeting here also. Caleb thinks it is going to turn into snow by morning.

I'm still working on my Christmas cards. They are addressed and written. I need to print the Christmas letter to go inside now.

Have a good rest of the week!
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"The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." Psalm 28:8

Hurricane Ike

Have you seen these pictures of the damage left by Hurricane Ike? I received this link in an email today. The pictures gave me chills to view all the destruction. Picture #2 is amazing. It was taken 220 miles above earth aboard the International Space Station.

Click here to see the pictures. And remember to pray for all these lives that have been turned upside down as they still lack normalcy in their lives.

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"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28

Thinking at the clothesline

I really enjoy hanging out our clothes. I'm not sure why, but it is very peaceful to me. Maybe it's hearing the gentle rustling of the grass over the fence or the singing birds. When I decided I wanted a clothesline, I really wasn't sure how long I'd be enthusiastic about using it instead of the dryer. I am not an outside girl by any means. But I have been pleasantly surprised to find that I actually enjoy hanging out the clothes. I do a lot of thinking and praying as I'm hanging the clothes and listening to Caleb play. I'm thankful for these times to stop and ponder things.

Monday afternoon I was outside hanging clothes to dry. Since we had been at VBS in the morning, I was out later than normal to hang the clothes. It is much hotter at 1 o'clock than between 9 and 10 when I normally am out hanging the clothes. Another 100 degree day in Texas. As I was getting a second clothespin to hang a shirt, the wind blew and caught the shirt off the line. I thought thank you God for the breeze. Even for a moment it was nice to feel the air moving a little bit than just feeling the heat around me. I got to thinking how just a few months ago the wind was blowing so strongly that it was hard to get the clothes on the line or keep them there for very long because of the strong gusts. And a few months before that I went out but quickly turned around and came back in to the dryer with my basket because it was too cold, making my hands feel like ice with the wetness of the clothes. I have no control over the weather. The seasons come and go although sometimes here in Texas summer seems to go on much longer than I'd really like. Hanging the clothes Monday reminded me to be thankful for each day, whatever kind of weather it brings. It really serves no purpose for me or for others who hear me for me to complain about it either. I've tried to make a conscious effort not to complain about the weather and remember that each day is a gift, whatever kind of day it may be.

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"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. he changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him." Daniel 2:20--22

A nice day to be inside

The weather all week in San Antonio was very enjoyable and felt like spring most of the time. The temperature has dropped this weekend. Plus it is misty and foggy. Those are good combinations to stay put inside.

This morning bright and early we took JMP to the walk-in clinic. We were the first ones in the parking lot at 7:35. The dr. said he believes he has a touch of pneumonia. My Mom met us there as we were leaving, and she went to get the RX for us. JMP has been in bed most of the day. He's still running fever and feels terrible. Thanks for your prayers.

He's been apologizing to me for being sick and said he didn't want to ruin my plans. Poor boy! My aunt was in town for a race, and she called to see if we could meet for lunch. Also, one of my friends was taking a class nearby, and we were going to try to meet this evening. I feel so bad for him because I can tell how terribly he feels today.

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"Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." 2 John 1:6, NLT

Rain!

I'm listening to the sound of more rain. It has rained very frequently these past few months. Last week we had some sunshine, which was appreciated. I'm thankful for the rain. I know many people are tired of it but I think it is important to be appreciative of whatever kind of weather we have!

Yeah for the weekend with my boys!!

The verse below was on my daily calendar. It makes me smile to read it. I remember talking about this verse in a class one time. It is amazing to me to think of God quieting His children and singing over His us. The leader of the class compared it to a mother singing to her child. I like thinking of it in that way, something I can relate to easily.
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"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 NIV