Today's Gratitude Thoughts-

Today's Gratitude Thoughts-
Today is my Lizzie's birthday. I had spent much of my pregnancy with her, terrified of the horrible defects the doctors had said she could have from medications I had been taking prior to knowing I was pregnant. It was a scary time. She had been breach until 2 days before she was delivered. When she got herself turned around, it caused a cord wrap that made her delivery difficult. Every day I praise God for a doctor who knew how to handle the situation and safely delivered her. He handed me a perfect baby girl with all her fingers and toes and everything where it was suppose to be and working the way it was suppose to work.

Shortly after she was born, I went through a NASTY postpartum depression. Those days are memories I don't want to even think about. Finally I came out of it, got life back together and this little girl was a light to each and every day.

Around 3 years old she asked me to take her to church. Church? We didn't "do" church. The closest we had done was Celebrate Recovery. But she wanted to go, so we did it. I often credit this little girl with getting me "Saved"... she really was the witness to me of how good God is. Her heart for God still amazes me! She was born with a knowledge of God's goodness that most people don't have any clue of.

She is such a light in a dark world. I give God Glory every day with thanksgiving in my heart that He chose me to be this child's mother! She is beautiful inside and out. Full of love and affection for the world.

I can remember her asking me to pray with her when she was just a tiny thing. How she cried at the plight of polar bears and started saving her found pennies to send to a save the polar bear fund. How she would go to the local soup kitchen and touch the hearts of a few homeless folks, people that even to today she calls "friend".

Last year, when her Daddy passed on, she amazed me again. She cried for a bit, wiped away her tears and proclaimed "It is ok! My Dad is with Jesus and he can breath again. I will miss him, but he has a great life now!"

She is an inspiration and a joy and THANK YOU GOD for my little girl!

Blessings!

Recently there has been a trend among "Christians" to stop saying they are blessed when asked how they are or how a situation might be. I find this so DISRESPECTFUL to GOD. Genesis 1:28(a) God Blessed Them!
The VERY first thing recorded about Man after he was created is GOD BLESSED THEM! I AM BLESSED and I will shout it from the roof tops, from the dungeons, high on the mountain tops or down in the valley of death- I AM BLESSED! From the moment the Lord stitched me together in my mothers womb I have been BLESSED.
So just know that I am never going to stop saying I am BLESSED because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am BLESSED and that it doesn't matter what my physical, financial, emotional, or other bits of life in this world might look like I AM BLESSED because GOD blessed me the moment He created my ancestors and their blessings come down to me <3 blessed="" p="" yup="">

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Isaiah 58:11-12

HAPPY DAYS!

Oh I have neglected my blog! Not intentionally but life tends to get going and we get busy and next thing you know it has been a few weeks since you posted! One of the things that I have been really working on since my last post was praying gratitude prayers. Really sitting listening to God and telling HIM all that I am Thankful for that HE has given me.

Have you ever thought of saying "Thank You God for letting me see that leaf fall to the ground" ? It came on me that even something so simple as watching a leaf fall to the ground is something to be grateful for. First that I had eyes to see it, second that in those few moments it takes it is a few moments of just quiet watching without thought of the busy life we live in the way. It also is a chance to be thoughtful about the seasons of life. So much in the falling of one little leaf and we forget to be grateful...

Breath in and cherish and be grateful for the MOMENT! Life lived from gratitude is so amazing!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!

It's My Birthday!

47 years ago God brought me into this world- what an adventure it has been! I spent a lot of years separated from God and making some pretty stupid choices. But God kept me alive even among the not so great choices for a purpose- I am not exactly sure what my purpose is just yet but I can tell you that I am grateful for who I am and where I am today on my birthday!


This morning I looked back on birthdays past and a couple of them really stand out to me and are "best" birthday memories- one back in the 70's I am thinking I was either 7 or 8 and my Mom set up a great little party. She made a concoction of lime kool-aid and 7-Up and it was GOOD! I ca't tell you a single gift I got that day but I remember the kool-aid and I remember the feeling of joy that I had that day that my Mom made a real effort to make it a special day. I am sure she did the same other years but this one just stands out in my memory.

The other birthday that stands out for me was at the close of the 90's- God had brought an out of control teenager into my life. A wild child who I wanted to love and fix all her brokenness. I wasn't able to but even today, this adult child is special to me. One of my heart children. Sometimes her choices in life just break my heart and all I can do is pray for her. BUT on that birthday this girl, a young adult by then, gave birth to the prettiest baby girl for my birthday! She calls me grandma and it makes my heart swell with love and joy!

Now I am looking at this birthday and realize I am not even half way through the life I want to live. My goal is to live until I am at least 110 and I want to be taking my grandkids and great grandkids fishing and for walks in the woods and  going on grand adventures with them on that 100th birthday!

I am pretty confident that God will grant this to me and so every single day until then I am grateful that I wake up and am in good health!

Today it is back to school in our little town- I have had a child doing the "back to school" thing for 24 years and with one still not in school at the end of the journey I will have 39 "back to school" years under my belt. There have been years past when I could hardly wait to have the kids back in school but as I have gotten older I realize how precious every moment we are given with our kids really is. So as I help them get ready for the new school year, the shopping, the backpacks and lunch boxes all put together for the first day there is a longing for summer to not come to an end.

Yesterday and today I had several little moments where my kids reminded me that I have done something right in raising them. The two going back to school are self confident, independent, and eager to learn. They are ready for school to begin. Today I am grateful that I have instilled in them these things as I shed a tear or two that they are growing up oh so fast!

Missing in Action

Spent the last 5 days on a grand adventure and didn't fire up the laptop the whole time! Stopped a couple of times at places that wifi was available but just decided to stay off the computer- a GOOD thing!

Today I am grateful for the time I got to spend with some beautiful and amazing people! BLESSED to know some truly wonderific folks and it is an overflow of gratitude to be able to spend even just a few minutes with them!

Good Morning!

This morning the Lord blessed me beyond what I could ever have deserved if blessings were based solely on what we have done in life. I sat on my front porch, coffee in hand and as I looked across the emerald green grass that sparkled with the diamonds of morning dew as the Lord sent His light from a sapphire blue sky I was caught in a moment of gratitude for all the people God has sent to my life. From the moment of my birth, the Lord has strategically placed people who have helped me, encouraged me, changed me to become the woman I am today. Some were there for a short season, just a moment of time. There are those who have been there since my life began. Still others who flow in and out as God has lead them. As God showed me the people who have brought me to where I am today I felt an overwhelming gratitude for each of them that I cannot begin to express in words. I had thought of listing them each and every one and realized it would take me a lifetime starting right now to go back over the last almost 47 years to not leave out a single moment or person and what they have done for me. So with that- I am not going to list them but just be grateful for each and every life that has touched mine.... God has indeed been GOOD to ME!

Monday Thanksgiving!

═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════
╭•⊰✿ღ Today is going to be a good day! ╭•⊰✿ღ
═════════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

Today we are off to see a specialist for our youngest son and the gratitude on my heart is that we have health insurance. Having gone most of the last 4 years without it, it has been a blessing to be able to take the children to the doctors for routine check ups and the specialist appointments as needed. Truly feeling grateful for it as we get ready to go. And just so you dear reader knows, I am confident it is an innocent murmur and it will not affect our little guys life in any way.

Sunday Blessings

Good Morning Readers! What a wonderful day the Lord has made! The sunrise was spectacular here in my little corner of the world and the Lord reminded me just how amazing His handiwork is! As I watched the sun come up across the neighbors field I was so overwhelmed at what He does each and every day!

My life is truly  blessed in ways that are truly overwhelming to me. We may not be living in the "money" prosperity but we live in true 100% prosperity in our daily life!

I wake up each morning, and am blessed to be able to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee and God by my side. Soon after that my little ones and husband are awake and I see the blessings of the Lord in having them in my life. We eat breakfast, another amazing blessing from God that we have plenty of food to eat! In the course of just those first few hours of the morning I receive a minimum of 20 blessings from God. Oh I know He gives those same blessings to a lot of people and even unbelievers and that is ok! Because I would desire that everyone know how amazing my Lord is!

Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

 I am grateful! For mornings and afternoons and evenings and nights and sunrises and sunsets and full moon light. I am grateful for stars in the skies and my little stars I get to tuck in bed at night. I am grateful for clean drinking water and a garden that grows yummy food! I am grateful for all that the Lord has done, is doing and will continue to do for me!

As I pray to the Lord asking Him to make provision for the house I have in my dreams, I am also sitting here with TOTAL gratitude for the house we have. It is a very nice little house and I get to watch the sun rise over a field with a horse and cows instead of a row of houses. Seriously in my life a REAL blessing! Since the outdoors is where my heart flourishes. I sit with my coffee and realize, even if we haven't got the financial prosperity that others seek, my little family is richer than most people we meet each and every day and for that - THANK YOU LORD!

TIME!

Have you ever found yourself wishing away time? On my Facebook news feed this morning I was met with "Finally Friday" and "I live for the weekend". In other posts recently I have watched as people wished for a day in the future to be here right now.

As I read different posts that wished away time, I realized how much we can miss in the here and now when we are wishing away the time we have right now.

Today I am grateful for God showing me how important it is to live right now for this moment. Not that making plans is a bad thing. In fact we need to be attentive to plans for the future, Yet, there is a balance that has to be found. Where we enjoy RIGHT NOW where we are and at the same time adjust what we are doing to what the future is going to bring.

It is a blessing from God, this very moment in time. A "PRESENT" to be unwrapped and enjoyed! As I sat thinking on this matter, I was able to see in my own life where I have been guilty of losing precious opportunities for breathtaking moments because I was so intent on what was coming next I forgot to enjoy what was right now.

As many of my readers know, our family is working towards being home owners. Each day I spend a little time working towards this goal. Looking at geographical locations that we as a family will enjoy, looking at housing costs in those areas, looking at work possibilities for my husband in the areas we are contemplating. I also look at homes all over the world that catch my fancy. Knowing that if I am CLEAR in what I and my family want we will be more likely to achieve it. I also look at our budget fairly regularly, since we need to save if we are going to buy. So much involved in working towards being a home owner.

Even in the midst of planning and dreaming, I have to STOP when one of my little ones needs a hug, listen when one of them is excited about something they have discovered, when my husband wants to share something he is thinking. Because while the future is out there somewhere, these guys are right here right now and I don't want to miss a single moment of it!

(_)0 The Best Part of Waking up (_)0

No it isn't coffee in my cup (although that is pretty close up there to the best)  For me the absolute best part of waking up is the opportunity to make another amazing day! I love that I live in a time and place where my mornings get to be full of music that praises God and that music is playing for me when I get up out of bed! I love that every day brings some new adventure and I get to be part of it! Yes I am grateful for LIFE! MY LIFE! It isn't perfect but it is a GOOD life!

What if?

Good Morning! What if we woke up today with only what we were grateful for yesterday?

Praise the Lord my life would still be FULL to the OVERFLOW with all I ever need and more! Because in all honesty I can say that my heart is grateful for everything in my life. Beginning with the people God has placed in my life. My husband and children and extended family and so many wonderful friends! From the ever so simple living where I live, to the comforts of living when and where I do, to my friends and family who bless my life so very much, to the amazing sunrises and sunsets that God paints for me everyday.

My computer and books and my camera and OH SO MUCH MORE!

God blessed me with curly hair and brown eyes that can see and 2 ears that can hear. I can speak and breath with ease. I have arms that are perfect for hugging those that love me and who I love with hands attached to do things like type and write! I have two legs that can carry me anywhere and feet that have shoes on (ok maybe not yet at 5am but I have shoes to put on them!). I have a stretch marked belly where once 7 amazing little lives started. I have all I could need in this body of mine and I grateful.

I am grateful to wake up with my husband and pour a cup of coffee and chat with him before he heads to work. To take that coffee and sit on my front porch and have a wonderful conversation with God as the sun rises before me. I am grateful that as I drink my coffee and my little ones wake up I am able to hear their pitter patter on the stairs coming to join me every morning.

I am grateful that God grants me all of this and so much more!

For my cell phone and skype that let me keep in touch with loved ones far from me. For paper and pen and the US Mail that let me write to  those who bring my heart joy!  For love ever lasting from those I adore!

Have I mentioned how grateful I am for dirty dishes in the sink? How blessed am I to have running water that comes out hot or cold with the turn of a handle? That we have plenty of food, even to the point where a bit of waste of it seems to be no big deal (but it is a big deal to waste it, it really is!). To be able to reach into a refrigerator and grab COLD milk, how blessed am I!

A funny little gratitude, my son the other day reminded me of- He was quite disturbed when I wiped his nose with toilet paper. Toilet paper is for butts not noses he tells me.  Here in the US we expect one type of paper to wipe our butts and another to wipe our noses. Really how grateful we should all be for that! LUXURY living!

For all of this and more - I live in constant gratitude and I hope I never take any of it for granted! It is with a grateful heart that i enjoy all of it!

Morning Time Thanksgiving

Oh what a beautiful morning the Lord has made! The dew on the grass, the birds singing in the trees, the sun shining! I am so grateful for my mornings and being able to start the day with God's glorious creation in front of me!

It gives me an opportunity to reflect on all that God is doing and has done and will do in the future. It is marvelous to sit quietly and look at the world and KNOW how blessed my life is. I cannot imagine any better way to start my day.

This morning I am especially grateful that my husband is working. God has placed in his heart the desire to provide for his family and to be in a time and place where that is happening is truly amazing and so wonderful for my husband. He gets a bit unpleasant to be around when he spends too much time not working. I am grateful the Lord has placed on my heart to pray for my husband. I do believe that has impacted my husband in a positive way. Although not 100% consistent, I do try every day to pray for him before he walks out the door to work. I pray for him to meet up with people in his day who will help him in his journey of living this life God has given him. To encourage him, to give him wise advice, to share their faith in the Lord with him and for him to be able to do all that with them as well.

I found this "Guide to Praying for Your Husband" and want to share it with you dear reader...

It's GRATITUDE Overflow!

This morning I really feel the overflowing blessings of God! When the morning first started, I missed morning quite time because my 3 year old woke up when I did (before the sun was awake!) and then my computer was having issues and it took over an hour to repair the problem, my husband informed me he would be working all weekend again, and I began to get frustrated. This was not the way the day is suppose to start.

Yet in all of this God showed me! He allowed me a chance to read my personal Bible instead of reading an online version, he gave me precious snuggle time with my little guy, and he reminded me to be grateful my husband is working! It can be easy to lose sight of the beautiful blessings all around us when we experience a moment of frustration.

Life is amazing and even when those little things happen that can throw us off track, God is right there to guide us back to where I feet need to be and for that I AM GRATEFUL ♥ And coffee that was made when I woke up and was ready for me to drink as I faced the not easy start to the day - REALLY grateful for it! ♥

Patience

I am not the most patient person. Some time ago I came to learn to wait for a while with some patience. I do not have a fast food drive thru expectation to resolutions. Yet I still have this lingering thing of wanting what ever it is I am waiting on pretty quick.

This morning God really showed me that when I wait it is BETTER! Better than I ever thought it could be. When I push to make things happen, I often end up with something ok but not what God had intended for me before I interfered.

Today I am grateful that God is revealing to me the ways to be PATIENT while I wait for what He has planned for my life instead of trying to make things happen my way!

☀ Good Morning ♥

This morning I have to Praise the Lord for so much! I am truly in an amazing time in life and my cup runs over with love and joy in so many ways! Blessed with an amazing family, a wonderful husband, good friends, and all the comforts that we in the U.S. have come to expect. Truly God has been good to me.

As I sat thinking about all that I am grateful for, God really touched my heart to remind me to be thankful for the power of Forgiveness!

Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Recent days have shown me just how much it sets you free when you extend forgiveness to those who have hurt you - intentionally or unintentionally. It is an amazing feeling to be in a place where you have forgiven and moved past that person or event having a hold on your life in a negative way. Truly grateful for the power of forgiveness!

MONDAY GRATITUDE!

GOOD MORNING Dear Readers! The sun is rising on another Amazing Day the Lord has made full of so many totally amazing blessings from heaven! I am so excited for today!

What's so special about today? Well in terms of what the average guy thinks, not much. It really is just an average Monday. But I know that each and every day the Lord gives us is a day to CELEBRATE! An opportunity to be AWESOME! A day for God to open the heavens and pour out His BLESSINGS!

So on this Monday morning I am grateful for Monday's and all that the day promises! Love and Family and Provision from the One who provides all I could ever hope for!

Monday's Are AMAZING and I am GRATEFUL for this day!

WOW!

I was sitting on my front porch and watching the world go by. God and I were having a conversation as I watched a couple of cars that I really liked drive by. I found myself saying to God how I would really like one like one of them. A moment of epiphany as I heard myself say it and realized that NO I don't really want one like one of those.

A friend of mine has a saying when she catches her complaining about things only people born in "developed" countries would think to complain about. She will say "First World Problem". Here we complain about things that really have no impact on life itself. "My car is an older model" "My internet connection is slow" "My house needs new carpets" we have an expectation of things in our lives that really have no baring on actual LIFE.

We are a privileged bunch of spoiled kids.

Today, sitting on my porch I realized that although an amazing old Victorian home, a new car, high speed internet complimenting an awesome computer that speeds across the web, a new outfit, or any of the dozen of things I might think I want or need during any given day are GREAT things... they are just that THINGS. None add a single bit of Glory to God or bring me into closer relationship with Him. Now some of those things would be useful in the society we live in to bring God's Word to others, even without them I have a voice that is able to share God's goodness.

After my little epiphany I have decided to take one 24 hour period where I do not talk about anything I don't have and really truly focus on all the AMAZING things I have in my life today!

God is Good and I am blessed and I want to STOP looking at what I don't have and really really be truly GRATEFUL for all I do have!

August 9, 2014 Gratitude

PEOPLE! Yes I am grateful for PEOPLE!

Today would have been my Grandma's 106th birthday if she were still with us and it got me to thinking about how amazing it is to have all these different people who influence our lives.

The "Family" of origin, the "Family" of adulthood, the "Heart Family", the "Friends" the "Church" the "Social Friends" "Work Friends" and of course the Fremenies and Enemies. Each and every one of them touch our lives and affect who we were yesterday, who we are today and who we will be tomorrow.

My list would be more than 100 if I just counted the amazing people God has placed in my life at different times and for different reasons but that truly were a blessing to my journey. So rather than list them all and feel like I might forget someone or make too much of someone while not enough of someone else I will just say:

THANK YOU LORD for each and every person who has touched my life and brought me to here today! Lord your blessings in the form of people totally ASTOUNDS me! PRAISE the LORD for PEOPLE who God uses to draw us closer to HIM, who God uses to provide for our needs, who God uses to encourage us, who God uses to prod us when we want to stop... each and every one of them, even a THANK YOU for those who intended to harm but God used the circumstances to bring about better things than I could ever have imagined!

One Year Ago

Today my gratitude is for the courage God gave me a year ago to do something I never could have dome with out Him! We gave away everything we owned that wouldn't fit in our minivan and we headed north! We didn't have a job lined up or even a home but we stepped out in Faith that God would provide!

How amazing our last year has been! The move grew my faith in GINORMOUS ways that would not have happened if we hadn't taken that first step. I learned more about fully relying on God than I had ever done before. Life has been blessed beyond measure and I am beyond GRATEFUL for all that God has done in the last year!

We are taking the first steps to move into something even more amazing and we are EXCITED because we know that when God is for you it does not matter who might stand against you, any mountain or giant will be moved by the mighty power of the Lord and a mustard seed size faith!

THANK YOU GOD for giving me that courage to step out of the boat I was in and take that first step in faith!

I have said it over and over but my most favorite part of my day is sitting on my front porch watching the sunrise while I have a cup of coffee with God. It is so amazing to watch God paint the sky just for me while we talk. I cannot think of a better way to start my day ♥♥♥♥

I count my blessings and always this is one that is at the top of my list along with the people God has placed in my life, my husband and children and the extended family and friends who are like family. Truly even if I have nothing else the fact that I have God and these wonderful people I can have find joy in the new day. When I start counting all the other blessings God has given me, like a home and internet. I do enjoy the blessings that I am able to get from the connections I make online and sharing my blog and reading others and being able to find worship songs online and read through the Bible with all the different versions and see how others interpret what they read- truly amazing the internet!

My little vegetable garden, oh I love that God grows it and it provides food for my family! I love that there are flowers all around to bring a smile to my face. That God brings that little hummingbird to my window to brighten my day. That I am able to sit and watch the little squirrel in my front yard. Yes God blesses me in so many ways!

Trying to count all the blessings God pours out is like trying to count all the stars in the sky! You can try but you lose count and if you ever feel like maybe you have counted them all, more pop up right before your eyes!

I am grateful for all that GOd has shown me and given me and for all that is yet to come!

I have said it over and over but my most favorite part of my day is sitting on my front porch watching the sunrise while I have a cup of coffee with God. It is so amazing to watch God paint the sky just for me while we talk. I cannot think of a better way to start my day ♥♥♥♥

I count my blessings and always this is one that is at the top of my list along with the people God has placed in my life, my husband and children and the extended family and friends who are like family. Truly even if I have nothing else the fact that I have God and these wonderful people I can have find joy in the new day. When I start counting all the other blessings God has given me, like a home and internet. I do enjoy the blessings that I am able to get from the connections I make online and sharing my blog and reading others and being able to find worship songs online and read through the Bible with all the different versions and see how others interpret what they read- truly amazing the internet!

My little vegetable garden, oh I love that God grows it and it provides food for my family! I love that there are flowers all around to bring a smile to my face. That God brings that little hummingbird to my window to brighten my day. That I am able to sit and watch the little squirrel in my front yard. Yes God blesses me in so many ways!

Trying to count all the blessings God pours out is like trying to count all the stars in the sky! You can try but you lose count and if you ever feel like maybe you have counted them all, more pop up right before your eyes!

I am grateful for all that God has shown me and given me and for all that is yet to come!

WOOHOO! Sunrise and Coffee and God!

I have said it over and over but my most favorite part of my day is sitting on my front porch watching the sunrise while I have a cup of coffee with God. It is so amazing to watch God paint the sky just for me while we talk. I cannot think of a better way to start my day ♥♥♥♥

I count my blessings and always this is one that is at the top of my list along with the people God has placed in my life, my husband and children and the extended family and friends who are like family. Truly even if I have nothing else the fact that I have God and these wonderful people I can have find joy in the new day. When I start counting all the other blessings God has given me, like a home and internet. I do enjoy the blessings that I am able to get from the connections I make online and sharing my blog and reading others and being able to find worship songs online and read through the Bible with all the different versions and see how others interpret what they read- truly amazing the internet!

My little vegetable garden, oh I love that God grows it and it provides food for my family! I love that there are flowers all around to bring a smile to my face. That God brings that little hummingbird to my window to brighten my day. That I am able to sit and watch the little squirrel in my front yard. Yes God blesses me in so many ways!

Trying to count all the blessings God pours out is like trying to count all the stars in the sky! You can try but you lose count and if you ever feel like maybe you have counted them all, more pop up right before your eyes!

I am grateful for all that GOd has shown me and given me and for all that is yet to come!

Foo-Foo Girl

Afternoon Gratitude-
I sat here looking at all sorts of different homes and gardens and really wonderful things that one can do when you are a home owner. I saw many really nice things that were in a variety of different styles. But I admit nothing makes my heart go pitter patter like foo-foo gardens and ribbons and lace in an old Victorian place! I love and appreciate that God made me a foo-foo girl!

Tuesday Gratitude

Love and Blessings dear readers! I have a little quote up above my coffee pot that says "I can do all things through Prayer and Coffee" and this morning I am especially grateful for coffee.

I realized a while back that although I like the caffeine and might even have a bit of an addition to it, the thing that I like MOST about coffee is that each and every morning I am reminded to pray because of my coffee.

Most mornings I take my coffee to the front porch and sit with God, talking about the day and the things on my mind. It is a wonderful quiet time with God that I really enjoy having. I also am able to sit and have a cup of coffee with a friend at a local coffee shop and sit at the table with my husband. Coffee is amazing in how it provides an opportunity to connect with others.

And so it is for these reasons that I am grateful for coffee!

ALIVE!

GOOD MORNING Dear Readers! What a blessing it is to be alive to be able to shout for joy at this amazing day the Lord has made! How grateful I am that I get to be alive! I am grateful that I have the life I have. It is truly a blessed life!

Oh we may not have all the money we would like, but we have enough for all our basic needs (I remember a time when we didn't) We may be renting instead of owning but hey that's so much better than homeless (we have been there too!) I am grateful for my amazing husband who shares this journey with me. It took a long time to find each other but I am ever so grateful God brought him to my life! My children, the seven I gave birth too and the half dozen who have my heart as if I had! I love them all so very much and it fills my heart with JOY to have them all in my life! 

Yes indeed life is GOOD! God is GOOD! I am grateful to be alive today!!!!

GRATEFUL HEART

GOOD MORNING Dear Readers! What a wonderful day to be alive! This morning as my boys and I ate fresh strawberries, they had a glass of milk I had a cup of coffee and WOW! How grateful I am that we get fresh fruit to eat- many places in the world they have nothing to eat. I am BLESSED to live in a place and time where there is such an abundance of healthy food choices (ok and not so healthy choices too that taste yummy)

I am grateful for my morning coffee. It is one of those things I really enjoy. Could I leave it and never have another cup? I am sure but I am ever so grateful that I don't have to. That I get to sit on my front porch, watch the sunrise and drink my coffee!
 You know, as I think about all that I have in this life and all that I am able to do my heart soars with gratitude! Life isn't perfect, there are things I would like to change, but PRAISE GOD for all I do have and all I get to do and the amazing people in my life! It is GOOD! 

May the Lord bless each of you who reads this with people who love you enjoying fresh strawberries (or favorite fruit) for breakfast over a cup of coffee (or tea) or a peanut butter jelly sandwich on a blanket in the yard or a bucket of chicken on the tailgate of the truck while you watch the sunset! 

Rise n Shine!

Blessings this morning dear readers! This mornings gratitude is simple- it is for having the financial resources that God provides. I cannot imagine going back to how we lived just a year ago. This life we have with our family today meets all our basic needs and we are blessed to be able to afford some of our wants as well.

I sincerely appreciate all that the LORD has done to increase our families resources so that we are doing more than surviving and that we are able to over come living in lack of even some basics and be in this place today where we are enjoying life and able to live life fully. I just am feeling exceptionally blessed today to be able to do more than we have been able to do since the 90's.... LIFE IS GOOD! and GOD IS BEST!

Morning Gratitude

Last night before bed the babies and I went out and laid underneath the stars it was a wonderful experience! One they want to do over and over (every night forever I was told).

This morning I sat at my desk and watched as the sun peeked slowly up over the mountain top to shine it's light on another beautiful day. 

It seems in life we get so caught up in stuff we forget to go lay under the stars or sit and watch the sunrise. I never want to be so busy that I forget just how wonderful these things are! When my boys want to show me the melody they made on an app they found that lets them play a xylophone, I don't want to be so busy that I don't stop and watch and listen! 

It is a slower paced life that I desire and I am BLESSED by GOD and count it as GRATITUDE that I am able to live a slower life and enjoy these little things!

100 Things!

Blessings Dear Readers! What an amazing day the Lord has made with every heavenly blessing available to us today!
Today's Gratitude List is going to be a "One Hundred Things" list. One hundred things that bring me a smile!
Making a one hundred things list is so exciting to me! It really gets me focused on all the totally amazing things in the world around me and how exciting it is to live in the abundance of things that bring me joy! Beyond the obvious family and basic living provisions!


So Here we go!!!!

1. Cup of coffee to start my day
2. Cup of hot tea to end the day
3. Glass of sweet on a hot summer day
4. Cup of hot cocoa after playing in the snow
5. BBQ with friends and family
6. Fried Chicken with potato salad and watermelon
7. A big pot of stew (with all the garden veggies tossed in!)
8. A warm bagel loaded with cream cheese and lox
9. Apple Pie
10. Strawberries picked fresh from the garden 
11. Snap Peas right off the vine
12. A field of wild flowers
13. Toes dunked in a mountain stream
14. Listening to a real babbling brook
15. A walk on a path through the trees
16. Roses in bloom
17. LILACS!
18. Hollyhocks
19. Daisies Dancing in the breeze
20. Cool Grass under bare feet
21. Blackberries picked from next to a river
22. Sitting on the bank of a river fishing
23. Watching ducks swim in a pond
24. Watching Geese fly overhead
25. Listening to Robin's sing a tune
26. Hearing the doves coo
27. Watching Sparrows flutter around the yard
28. Butterflies dancing through the garden
29. Bumble Bees gathering pollen
30. Making a wish on a fluffy dandelion
31. Drifting down a lazy river on a tube
32. Watching a turtle sun itself on a rock
33. Leaning against a tree reading a book
34. A summer breeze caressing sun kissed skin
35. Watching waves lap at the shore
36. Building sandcastles on the beach
37. The cool forest canopy over head while walking on a trail
38. LadyBugs!
39. White Picket Fences
40. Old Victorian Houses
41. Front Porches
42. Clean Kitchens
43. Pitter Patter of little feet on the stairs
44. Playing tag with my kids
45. Adventures with my husband and babies
46. Cows in a pasture
47. Kittens 
48. Puppies
49. A dog curled up at my feet
50. Meteor Showers
51. Lightening Storms
52. Rain to interrupt a hot summer day
53. Watching a tractor cut hay
54. Lace Curtains
55. Lazy afternoons snuggled with a small child
56. A Babies Giggle
57. A warm fire in the woodstove on a cool autumn evening
58. Singing to God
59. Rainbows
60. Quiet Conversations with God
61. Loud conversations with my kids
62. Gentle conversations with friends
63. Listening to my babies tell nursery rhymes
64. Hugs
65. Holding hands with my Husband
66. Picnic in the front yard
67. Sunrises that paint the sky in amazing hues of different blues 
68. Sunsets in shades of pinks and yellow
69. Silver Moons
70. A pair of jeans that fit just right
71. Morning dew sparkling like diamonds on the grass
72. Brushing out a horse
73. A waterfall
74. Seeing my adult children happy
75. Books
76. Internet 
77. Cell Phone
78. Stain Glass windows
79. Old wooden churches
80. Listening to old church hymns
81. Watching a Bald Eagle soar
82. Watching an Osprey fish
83. Watching an Otter float down stream
84. Watching a squirrel gather food
85. Seeing Elk on the hill
86. A moose walking down the street
87. A deer laying in the shade of an apple tree
88. Morning Glories opening with the morning sun
89. Watching a bird build a nest
90. Flying a kite
91. Coloring in a color book
92. Dancing in the rain
93. Playing Pooh Sticks at the bridge
94. Day Dreaming
95. Spending an afternoon writing 
96. Family Dinners
97. My own front porch
98. My husband
99. My Children
100. GOD

And there you have it! 100 Things that make me smile, bring me joy, that I coult as a blessing that I get to enjoy!

Morning Gratitude

  

Good Morning Readers! It's going to be a GREAT day here in my little corner of the world! The sun is shining, humidity is low and it isn't too warm. Doesn't get much better than that for July! So top of today's gratitude list is PERFECT for me WEATHER 

 Next on my list is my home! We may not own it (or even buying it) but it is a good place for our family at this time in our lives (and a WHOLE LOT better than homeless!) Along with the home goes all the stuff involved like electricity, running (clean) water, waste water system, cable, internet, and telephones that let us stay in touch with people we love.

  I am grateful for all the food we have to eat! It is amazing and I am grateful to live in a time and place where starving is the very least of worries. I heard someone once say that for a person to starve to death in the U.S. (assuming they were not being held captive or had a physical ailment) they would have to really work at it. The sheer amount of food thrown away each day by food facilities (grocery stores & restaurants and the like) could sustain most any person who was without food. Of course also, I am grateful that is food I enjoy! I came to the realization a long time ago, I would have been one of the whining Israelite's when it came to the manna day after day after day meal after meal after meal. So yes indeed on my gratitude list is the variety of foods God provides for me!
                                                       
 WOW! That is the most amazing blessing from God! I have my biological family, my heart family, and my church family! Because all the other "stuff" really doesn't matter if we don't have others to share it all with. Of course the family I most grateful for is being a child of GOD. Because like all the stuff isn't important with people you love on the journey, even with the people you love tagging along, if you aren't aware of the amazing part of being called a child of God, life is missing something.

Yes I am grateful for many things! Trying to never take for granted any of it. Not even the air I breath (having had people I love suffer with lung disease breathing is like a pretty important thing if you are living on planet earth) For today this is my list BLESSED to the overflow with so much! God is GOOD!

Blessings!

Dear Readers,
Most mornings I am blessed with being able to have a cup of coffee with God on my front porch. I feel so very blessed to sit on my porch with God and my coffee and watch the sun rise in the morning sky. I love how God paints these amazing pictures for me to enjoy as we talk. This morning as we talked, the little sparrows sang their morning tune in the trees, dew sparkled like diamonds on the lawn, the silky spider web caught the sun and I marveled at the design one little spider was able to make.
Cars drove by with people on their way to do whatever it is that they have to do at sunrise on a Friday morning and my heart was lead to pray for them. I prayed for each of them to have peace in their heart today.

This morning my gratitude list is that I am blessed with these slow mornings where I am able to have coffee with God, see all that He has set before me on my front porch, the ability to pray for others, my husband has work, my children, my LIFE! This amazing and beautiful life and all that comes with it!

Gratitude for what's to come

Today I am posting my hearts desire for a home to raise my children- I have tried to be specific in describing what I want in a home as far as looks go. Really felt like as our family is making some changes that this would be the perfect time to post it.

Leaving the store lined busy main street, it is just a short jaunt down the road protected by large trees standing guard to the house. You are given the choice to pull up at the curb in front of a white picket fence that is decorated in a variety of different flowers and plants. An arbor graces the front gate and invites you into the neatly manicured yard via the path that leads from the curb to the broad front steps. Or if you would rather, turn into the gravel driveway from which you will see the amazing views of old growth trees and a creek peeking from behind the garage. You might even be able to see our kids playing back there.

The trees in the front yard offer shade from the noon day sun with swaths of sunbeams  kissing your skin in other areas of the yard. A bird bath and feeder invites robins and other song birds to soak in the beauty of the yard. At the flowers hummingbirds can be seen dancing in the air. Standing in the yard the one looks to the front door and is greeted by the front porch. The expanse of the porch spreads across the front of the house, wrapping around and hugging the house.Climbing the steps the fragrance of mint and lavender growing wafts through the air.  The table and chairs inviting you to sit and relax reflect bygone days of summer afternoon teas.

The country charm is lost on no one as the potted peonies and violas bob their heads at our guests. The double doors open wide, "Thank-You for stopping by! Come on in!" Who knew such a delightful entryhall hid behind that door! Pink? Yes PINK! Pastel pink walls provide the backdrop for a white settee flanked by two large potted evergreens. On the wall over the settee is a wonderful painting of a garden scene. To each

side are doorways into other parts of the house. Closer to you are two closed doors. The one to the left is the coat closet~ of course not needed on such a beautiful day as this. On the right is the powder room. Go ahead, go freshen up and then we will take you on a tour.

We are going to the right, through the arched doorway. Stepping into our sitting room. There are several sitting areas arranged for comfortable chatting with family and friends. The victorian style furniture entices you to sit and stay a while. Yes this is something of a ladies room in it's pallet of spring colors and chiffon's and lace. Come, lets go on into the diningroom. Oh look at that table! It's beautiful! The legs carved with intricate designs. Each chair shares the same design of flowers growing up a trellis. The table is set with charger, plate, silver and cup. Just waiting for us to sit down to supper. The urn in the center of the table flows over with lilacs and ferns. Over head the old chandelier gives off it's wonderful light. A china hutch in the room gives a home to the extra dishes not in use.

Next is our bright and cheerful country kitchen! Oh what charm with the white washed cabinets adorned with rosebuds and vines. The oven and stove a vintage replica of of one from the 1890's with all the amazing 21st century bells and whistles. Let me show you my fridge! Yes! Isn't that awesome that we were able to create a facade for the fridge that blends with all the cabinets! I love it! I also really enjoy the country sink. Finding such a beauty, the cast iron that fit in our space. Did you see the dishwasher? It is hidden also. Right there next to the sink. Yes it is wonderful. Lets go on out the door here. We are going to the summer kitchen!Isn't this great! The screened in porch is the perfect summer kitchen. I enjoy being able to cook out here, can out here, and just hang out reading a book or enjoying the birds singing. This is a wonderful added space.

Back in we go, follow me into the family room. There are the stairs to go upstairs. This room is Bright.           Comfy. Family Friendly is the word. You sure can tell kids live in here. Where all the other rooms were

graceful and peaceful, this room is whimsical and full of energy. Art eisles, books and toys. Cheerful colors and an energy just fills this space. Are you ready to follow me upstairs? Four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and TONS of closet space up there! It is really awesome. Each room, as soon as you look in the door reflects the personality of it's inhabitant. All different and all totally awesome. So there is more, the laundry room and pantry and down in the basement the totally wonderful storage areas. This really is such a wonderful house. I am so glad you came to see it with me.

Don't forget that the backyard is a playground for my babies. The swing set, the pool, the puppy running around back there. Our garden and of course all the old trees and the little stream. God is good to me. He has given me the desire of my heart in this beautiful place for me to raise my family....

Praise in the Morning!

Good Morning Dear Readers! This morning I found that my mind just wasn't cooperating with slowing down and focusing on the good in life. I sat with a long list of things that I didn't have instead of the things I do have...

It started as I was washing the dishes. I stood at the sink hand washing and wondering why I don't have a dishwasher like most people. I was feeling really like it wasn't fair. Here I am washing dishes by hand and I had just read someone whining about having to unload their dishwasher. Then once dishes were done, I put a pan on the stove, I turned away, turned back a WOOSH! The pan was on fire. Lid grabbed, fire out, a little smoke and black junk to clean but a crisis averted. Yet, my mind instead of gratitude was frustrated that I had to deal with this and still feeling rather sorry for my lot in life. A friend was lamenting how her smart phone was acting up and again, I found myself thinking "well darn it I don't even have a smart phone". Kids asked me to turn on tv and I found myself going "Why can't we get XYZ channel instead of being stuck with this channel"

Oh I know all about how people all over the world may not even have food to create dirty dishes, or indoor plumbing to wash them. I know that there are 100's of people waking up this morning homeless, without anything possessions left from fire. Yes I know there are many many who have it worse than me. The logical mind knows it, yet I was having a very hard time in that moment appreciating what I have.

In the middle of this feeling ever so very sorry for myself I went out on my front porch for a conversation with God. If asked, even in the middle of feeling sorry for myself I could have made a list of "blessings" and not felt blessed. I knew it and couldn't fix it on my own. 

That conversation with God- in the Bible we can read a letter Paul wrote to the Philippians. Philippians 4 Paul says I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me
It was as if I really heard this passage for the first time. Even though I have read it, quoted it, & maybe even applied it a few times this morning it IMPACTED me. WHEN I take my eyes off of God, off of what Christ has done for the world, it doesn't matter what I have in this life. Family, friends, home, luxuries all become insufficient because they do not fill my heart.

Today I am grateful that when I turn to God, He guides me and answers me and through Him I have a HOPE and a FUTURE even if I don't have a dishwasher.... 

   

 

Blessed by...

(¯¨`❤.,¸_¸,.·´         
     `·.                          .·´¨`·.
          `·.·´¨¯¨`·.       '·Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ   )
         .·´ )            `·.,¸_¸,.❤´   
       (_¸.·  ♥ Blessings ♥

This morning as I sat counting my blessings, my heart was just filled to overflow with happiness at the things the Lord has given me 
  ,·´¨¯¨`·¸ _¸,.·´     
   ‘·-·♥        

 Blessed at morning light coming through the trees

  Blessed to take a walk down a path 

 Blessed to see the water flow  

Blessed to be on this path the Lord has set my foot!!!!

Dreams

Today I am grateful for dreams-
I have spent most of my life dreaming of owning an old victorian mansion. While I haven't had the chance yet in this life to own one yet, as I look at all the pictures of them and imagine what it would be like to fix it and furnish it and make it a home for my family I find a happiness that is in the hope for the future, a dream.

A Prayer of Gratitude

Blessed be the Lord my God of my salvation, whose lovingkindnesses never cease, whose compassion never fail. I do not lack nor am I found wanting of any good thing. Praise the Lord for providing me with plenty of food and filling my heart with joy! Sing to the Lord praises for blessing the fruit of my womb and the works of my hands. The Lord my God has blessed me in the land He has given me.Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless his people While they curse, may you Oh God bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice. Sing joyfully to the LORD; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.