A-Z Memory Verse Challenge

E verse: 
E - "Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17
Have a day of blessings!

My year of gifts....

Last year I read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  If you haven't read it, you should!  I want to reread it sometime.  On my birthday 2011 I started recording daily gifts in a journal at night before bed.  I have recorded 1982 gifts as of 2-26-12. 

I have gone through and reread this journal of gifts.  It was such a blessing to remember all of these special gifts God has given me through the year.  It brings tears to my eyes as I type that.  I'm so glad God has given me this blessing of recording these gifts and remembering them.  It brought a smile to my face to remember the funny things that were said, the special words of my husband or son, the encouragement of friends, spending time with special people, the growth we've seen in our son. Only God would have known just how much I needed to be reminded of all these gifts from the past year on this night before my birthday after a weekend in which my whole family has been sick. (Thankfully we are on the mend, but it was very stressful overwhelming feeling as we were all  feeling so poorly.) 

I am so blessed on this day and every day.   There are so many things I found repeated through this book; many of your names (my blog friends and family members) are written time and again throughout this book.  Thank you for your friendship and the blessing you are to my life! 

I marked some of the gifts and wanted to share them with you today one year later from starting.  I was going to limit it to 33 as I am turning 33 years old today but I couldn't stop at sharing only 33! 

Here they are as they are numbered in my journal...

4.  watching Caleb ride his bike with no training wheels.
16.  the smell of my husband on his clothes as I put them in the washing machine.
51.  seeing my Dad.
105.  Mom and her school being safe today.
106.  peanuts on the floor that remind me of our "booknook" time earlier today.
114.  the kids at school knowing I am "Caleb's Mom."
136.  nice words in a card from my mother in law.
163.  walking to the car holding hands with both of my boys.
196.  cute cards at Michael's and Target
204.  fun time laughing at ladies Bible study tonight and yummy cake.
230.  two squirrels playing in the backyard.
231.  my neighbor giving me the angel food cake pan
232.  and my aunt buying one to mail me.
272.  my new friend at the post office.
282.  being consistent about cleaning our bath tubs.
320.  lunch with Debra.
348.  talking to Chel on Facebook this morning.
352.  my husband calling to check on me when he heard there was a storm headed this way.
361.  wearing new jeans a smaller size.
374.  praying with my husband.
403.  no one hurt by the snake at the baseball game.
418.  Caleb saying "MOMMY!" and jumping in my bed this morning.
442.  Caleb talking about his sister in heaven.
485.  Caleb saying an angel pulled his tooth.
500.  reading in the bath.
507.  talking with my husband about the past year.
513.  learning to trust God.
519.  visiting Cristela.
521.  lunch with Casey.
590.  Sis buying our lunch.
612.  pajama day!
635.  Caleb's servant spirit to fix a snack.
672.  finding a great bargain on shoes for Caleb and getting myself a pair too.
714.  my dream coming true of going to see Colorado with my husband.
747.  sound of a rushing river.
769.  my husband providing for our family.
784.  blog comments.
802.  smiling at my husband over our son's head as he sang "Count Your Many Blessings" in church.
810.  August memories...even though some make my heart hurt.
855.  sweet smile of my cute husband.
871.  new book in the mail.
894.  knowing Jesus loves me.
923.  Caleb's teacher telling me he was a great kid when I picked him up.
928.  Peepaw memories.
969.  listening to an encouraging Grace Cafe
984.  yummy El Chico. (it made me laugh how many times I mentioned El Chico in my list of gifts!)
994.  playing "monkey in the middle."
1025.  my niece Avery Mae.
1103.  opportunity to teach 4 year olds.
1149.  Mom cleaning bathrooms for us.
1177.  starting our family book of 1000 gifts together.
1213.  my husband getting an award.
1282.  snuggles and "good morning my precious little sunshine."
1351.  getting $42 credit on electric bill.
1365.  Heidi's baby boy's arrival.
1399.  seeing Mrs. Pat awake!
1433.  Cody letting me shoot his .22.
1447.  church friends.
1478.  peppermint shake.
1522.  sleep.
1550.  fun mail surprises.
1563.  cute way Caleb says the word "insurance."
1599.  remembering Mammaw's life.
1633.  colors of sunset.
1659.  my husband making me laugh.
1731.  A. saying her memory verse in class.
1743.  reading in car line.
1778.  chicken fried steak turning out like Mom's.
1844.  being reminded of lack of value in accumulating things.
1855.  sweet email from Debbie.
1866.  savoring moment of my boy sleeping peacefully in my arms without coughing.
1902.  safe while driving.
1920.  band aids for cut fingers.
1941.  my husband cleaning the bathrooms.
1950  eating hot fudge sundaes.
1967.  Ms. Eleanore.
1971.  God's strength to help me through a busy day.
1975.  my husband taking care of us.

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome!  We are meeting for Thankful Thursday in February over at Grace Alone with Iris. 
Today I am thankful for...
~ my loving husband.  He made me smile when he called to check on me when he knew I wasn't feeling well.  He is such a blessing, and I am so thankful for him and our relationship and marriage every day.

~ my sweet boy cleaning up the flower bed.  He decided to do this on his own affter school, using the hoe to chop out the weeds and turn over the soil.  He is a hard worker! 

~ our lesson on hope.  It is so encouraging to stop and realize the hope we have and to read all the many verses about hope in the Word. 

~ my neck feeling better.  Last week I was coughing so I got out of bed to sit up for a little bit on the couch and drink some water to see if that would help.  I started dozing and then went back to my bed.  I felt like I'd slumped over on the couch.  My neck has been hurting since.  Yesterday evening the pain mostly went away.  It still feels a tad sore but so much better!

~ a wonderful book I received in the mail to review, Miracle for Jen.  I will be sharing the review soon (including a giveway).  It is such a great book, I haven't wanted to put it down.  I told Caleb I might just sit and read it till I finish.  He said what about your chores? 
Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: Praying the Bible Into Your Life

I recently finished listening to Praying the Bible Into Your Life by Stormie Omartian.  In this book you will find verses matched with short prayers.  It includes verses from Genesis to Revelation. Some of the titles of the "chapters" include:  God Makes Himself Known to You, Ask God to Know Him Better, and Find Liberty in God's Presence.    

The book was read by Tavia Gilbert.  I enjoyed her voice and listening to her.  She did a good job with this reading I thought. 

It would be good to listen to as a way to grow in the habit of praying Bible verses when certain situations arise in life.  However, I felt as I was listening that it would be easier to focus on it if I was reading it instead of listening to it.  I would like to see the verses and prayers in print, maybe because I am more of a visual learner than only auditory. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from christianaudio Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Have a day of blessings!

Song: "We Are"

A couple of weeks ago I saw this video on my friend Debbie blog, Heart Choices.  I had not heard it and really liked it.  I am sharing it with you here today. It is called "We Are" by Kari Jobe.



 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:14-16

What are you doing today to let your light shine? 

Have a day of blessings!

One more Valentine post!

I realized I forgot to share in my Valentine post yesterday about my sweet Valentine's my husband gave me.  Valentine's is special for us because on February 13, 1998 he gave me a card (as we were eating lunch in the school cafeteria with friends before both of us going our separate directions home) asking him to be his Valentine.  The funny thing is I didn't say "yes" until I got back to college that Sunday!

Every year he makes me a chocolate chip cheesecake around Valentine's Day.  It has become a tradition because one year the church we attended had a Valentine party with a contest for the men to make desserts.  Since then he's been making the cheesecake for me.  It is SO good!!  I look forward to it every February!

On Valentine's morning he gave me my card and also a new alarm clock/iPod charger like this.  My other one had a short in it so it was not properly charging or playing the iPod.  It makes me happy to have this new one.  It has features that my other one did not have which I like also. 

(picture from Best Buy site)

And I can't forget Caleb's Valentine's to me on Valentine's morning.  He made me a card.  They have been learning the proper form of writing letters at school so he wrote me a letter in the card that was so so sweet.  He also painted me a sun catcher with a lighthouse on it.

I love my sweet boys and appreciate that they make me feel loved every day! 

Have a day of blessings!

Our Valentine fun!

This year I wanted to do a countdown to Valentine's Day.  We each decorated mail boxes that I got at Target in the dollar bins.  I fixed little notes and small prizes for both of my boys beginning February 1.  When the flag was up, you knew you had a prize waiting. 

I knew Caleb would love this and have fun with it.  He was really excited about it, and it was so fun to see how he wanted to get involved in giving us little surprises in our mailbox too. 

Before we started this I warned him that the prizes weren't going to be big things (like Lego sets or big toys!).  I didn't want him to be disappointed the first day!  He really enjoyed it and looked forward to it.  On the way to school on the 15th, he said he forgot to check his mail box.  I told him the countdown was over!!

The "mail" included ideas I made up or saw on Pinterest.  Here are some of the ones we had: 

1.  conversation hearts game--The mail was a note and a box of conversation hearts.  I wrote on the note that they would have a game after supper with their box of hearts.  Then I made up various challenges for them...like how tall can you stack the hearts in 30 seconds or who can sort their hearts the fastest.

2.  I love you books--For my husband I made an "ABCs of our Love" book (idea from Pinterest).  I loved how it turned out and how it really does tell the story of us!  On the same day I had a book also for Caleb that was "7 1/2 reasons I love you."  I thought 7 1/2 would be fitting because it was the mailbox prize for the 12th and he was going to be exactly 7 1/2 years old that day! 

3.  Valentine craft--I found all different sets in the Dollar Bins at Target.  I chose some little pom pom critters for Caleb to make.

4.  Family fun Friday--After school Caleb and I cut out heart shaped cookies.  Then after supper we all three decorated them with frosting and sprinkles. 

5.  Coupons--Caleb really got into this.  He would write coupons for us almost every day!  One of mine was a coupon for him cooking supper for me.  Another one was folding laundry.  He gave me coupons to exchange for pictures he'd made for me too.  He gave one to Daddy to take out the trash.  We gave Caleb some too.  Daddy gave him one for watching an extra episode of "Dick Van Dyke" together (they like to do this in the evenings after bath). 

My husband gave me some fun mailbox surprises too.  The first day there was a note that said when I found another yellow stickie to follow the directions on it.  When I got in the car to take Caleb to school, the note said to play the CD in the stereo.  He had downloaded a song ("No Doubt About It") for me.  I was smiling all day; it totally surprised me and was so sweet!  He gave me other things he knew I liked in my mailbox like Bit O Honeys, note pads, Valentine socks, and candles.  He gave me some coupons too for a date night, back rub, and fixing me supper.. 

I believe our Valentine countdown will be a new tradition for us! We all had fun with it.
I fixed my boys a Valentine supper on Monday night because Tuesday  morning my husband had to leave for an out of town meeting.  Originally the meeting was going to be all week so I was very thankful it got shortened and he was just gone two nights.  And also thankful that I got to see him on Valentine's morning.  :) 

On Valentine's Day I helped pass out "Val-o-grams" at Caleb's school.  It was a PTO fundraiser.  Caleb got this little frog balloon and a kiss on the one we ordered for him. 



The balloon kept moving when I was trying to take a picture!

Then in the afternoon I helped with his class party.  We had ice cream sundaes, which the kids loved!  After school Caleb went to his art lesson and then we went to eat at Whataburger.  It surprised me he chose that! 

Thursday my husband got home, and I had another surprise for him!  I had ordered a "My Husband Rocks" tshirt from Union 28.

I had it on when he got home, and he was so surprised.  Caleb wanted to make a welcome home poster, and then when he saw my shirt he wanted to pin his sign on his shirt.  (I told him they have "My Dad Rocks" shirts too so he wants to get one of those!)   

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

We are meeting for Thankful Thursday in February over at Grace Alone with Iris. 

This week Iris wrote about being thankful for her lunch date with her friend.  It made me think of (and miss) my sweet friend, my forever friend I call her.  We went to school together, she was one year younger than me.  In high school I had the same lunch period as her, and we always sat together.  I graduated and went to college.  She went to her first year of college and then transferred to the college I attended.  We started eating together again and would meet each week.  I moved after my husband finished his degree, and she went on to law school.  We would still drive to meet to eat sometimes.  A few years ago, she took a job in a town about 45 minutes from my house.  We would meet about once a week for lunch at Panera or Pei Wei or Schlotzsky's.  I looked forward to these lunch dates so much.  Now that we have moved away, I have come to miss this time with my friend.  We still keep in touch, and the fun thing is I live on the same street as her parents.  I'm thankful for her and her friendship through the years. 

This week I am thankful for...
~ my husband who shows me his love every day, not just Valentine's Day.  He is so sweet and loving, I'm so thankful for him.

~ fun with my boy this week....Valentine's party at school (I loved that when he saw me he hugged me and told me he liked the frog balloon we sent him with the PTO Val-o-gram fundrasier), reading at bedtime, a walk/bike ride after school.

~ our fun Valentine's day.  I need to write a post about this.  We had a lot of fun with our countdown to Valentine's day using the mailboxes we decorated.

~ the snow we had on Sunday.....and the sunny 70+ degree days also this week!! 

~ being able to volunteer at the school. 
Have a day of blessings!

Join me today at Laced With Grace!

Join me over at Laced With Grace for a devotional called "Jesus Loves You."

Happy Valentine's Day!

Have a day of blessings!

A-Z Memory Challenge

Our new verse for the A-Z Memory Challenge is:

D - Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2

Have a day of blessings!

My Valentine Wreath

I found an idea on Pinterest to make a Valentine wreath using the directions at this blog.  I got the stuff and made my own.  It was very fun and easy to make.  And I like how it turned out!
I started with one yard of material and a 13 in. round wreath (which I got at the Dollar Tree). 

I cut it into strips that were about 1/2 in. wide x 6 1/4 in. long.  This was not exact, I just guessed as I was cutting.

Then I tied the strips onto the vines of the wreath.  Tie each strip in a knot and fill up the wreath until you can't see any more of the vines.  It took me nearly the whole yard of material to cover my wreath. 

Here is the finished wreath.  I might add a foam heart to hang in the middle with fishing line, but I haven't done that yet!  It looks small in this picture but hanging on the wall it seems to be the right size! 

This was a fun, easy project.  I want to do another one with other material for another holiday or season. 

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

We are meeting for Thankful Thursday in February over at Grace Alone with Iris. 

It looks like it's been a week since I put anything on my blog.  I guess it's just been one of those types of weeks for me!  It's been a different few days here.  We are praying to all be well soon!  Caleb has a cough, and my husband had strep throat.  I met the boys at the walk-in clinic Sunday after church because Caleb had thrown up in the night.  I was pretty sure it was from his allergies and drainage.  He used to do this all the time but hasn't since we've lived in this house.  They tested him for strep and flu and both were negative.  Then on Tuesday my husband was feeling so bad that he went to the doctor, and he did have strep!  So today after this week I am thankful for our health and that we aren't normally sick around here.   

Today I am thankful for...
~ my husband being a good Daddy to care for our boy.  Sunday morning I was teaching class so he stayed home with Caleb and then took him to the doctor.  And on the way home he got me a peach tea from Rosa's and that made me smile! 

~  being able to hold my boy while he goes to sleep.  I just savor the moment of having him on my lap as he sleeps so peacefully.  The past two nights I have held him so he is more propped up and doesn't cough and goes right to sleep and sleeps soundly.  Then we move him to his bed (which can be a challenge as he is so heavy now!).   

~ being encouraged this week in so many ways by encouraging music, emails from my Mom, and blog posts I've read.  I read several when I was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged that reminded me I'm not the only Mom to have ever felt this way.  That was encouraging to me.

~ reading while waiting in car line in the afternoons.  I enjoy this time of quiet so much and look forward to going early and reading! 

~ finding some good buys at an estate sale last Friday.  I went back after school with Caleb and he had fun looking too.  I think I found a new "hobby."  It made me think of my Dad and father-in-law and wonder what treasures they'd find because they both like going to sales. 

Have a day of blessings!

Thankful Thursday

We are meeting for Thankful Thursday in February over at Grace Alone with Iris. 

Happy February to you!  I always love this month and all the special memories that it holds for me.  What are you thankful for today?  I read this verse and wanted to include it on my post today. 

"I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High."  Psalm 7:17

Here is my thankful list for today:
~ My husband's "first day of February" surprise to me.  He'd made a cd with the song "No Doubt About It" on it and put it in my car to play when I took Caleb to school. 

~ My boy sleeping soundly this week.  Which means Mommy is sleeping soundly too!  Last week he got up several nights for various reasons so I have noticed sleep this week! 

~ Taking a walk around our neighborhood in the pretty sunshine.

~ Having fun with our Valentine countdown!  All 3 of us decorated mailboxes Tuesday night.  We put little notes and surprises in them for each other until Valentine's Day.  We know to check our  mail when the flag is up. This is Caleb's box he made.  The inside is decorated too.  When I told him we were going to do this, he kept asking me what color his was.  He said you didn't get me a pink one did you?  As you can see, he is learning cursive!
 

Today Caleb's note said he had to wait for the surprise until after school and the clue was Mommy was making it today.  It is over of the oven now, and I will frost it soon!  (I hope he wants to share with  me!) 

~ the enjoyment I've had teaching the 4 year old class at our church on Sunday mornings.  It is so exciting when I see they have remembered something from a previous week, like their memory verse or something from our Bible story.  We've had several lessons on Hannah and Samuel; next we will have lessons on Elijah. 
Have a day of blessings!