my blessed life

So it's already November!  I absolutely cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by.   And it's not just an adult thing--my kiddos keep saying the same thing.  It makes me a little sad that they feel the years speeding up already.  I think it took me a little longer as a child for that to sink in.   No doubt it's a sign of the busy lives we lead.  I sometimes long for quiet days with no appointments or obligations.  Days where our time is truly our own and we can take our time doing whatever we want.  Reading books, baking cookies, taking walks.... As homeschoolers, we do have much more control over our time.  But it's almost impossible to not be caught up somehow in the busyness of life in 2016.  It's a fast-paced world we live in here in the United States. Which is perhaps why I feel a deep longing to savor this Thanksgiving season a little bit more this year.  It just seems that focusing on the ...

I rarely have a quiet Sunday morning.  Usually Sunday mornings are filled with activity for me: getting myself ready for church (I am a pastor's wife, after all), helping my children get ready for church, preparing a quick breakfast, maybe preparing something for lunch, making final preparations to teach a children's class, making sure the dog is taken care of.  Then when all of that is finished, we jump in the car and head to church where much more activity ensues.  Sundays generally don't have a quiet moment for me until the afternoon--and sometimes even those can be busy as well. Today is different though. I am sitting here by the French doors to our back deck watching the rain come down, as I stay wrapped up in my pink Snuggie in a comfy chair with my cell phone, my Bible and some good books and the laptop for my companions while my family is all at church. I am recovering. This past week I underwent a hysterectomy.  It was a long time coming and my body ...

0626.  handmade cards 0627.  hugs than nearly squeeze the breath out of me 0628.  sloppy, wet kiddo kisses on my face 0629.  early morning snuggles 0630.  laughing with my sister; realizing our laugh sounds identical; laughing harder 0631.  "breaking bread" with my whole family (there's something special about eating with someone) 0632.  celebrating Mothers Day with my own sweet mama~so blessed to have her close by 0633.  flowers and chocolates 0635.  being "spoiled" by awesome hubby This post is linked to Multitudes on Mondays at A Holy Experience . ***** Don't miss a thing here at My Blessed Life! Subscribe, Follow, and   "Like" !

During these oh-so-extra-busy weeks that life is throwing me right now I want to pause and take the time to remember the many gifts I've been given.  I don't want to take them for granted or forget about them.  So again I count my gifts... 611.  the random tender hug from my son 612.  my sweet daughter saying "I love you, Mom" out of the blue on a crazy day 613.  having my family close by to help invest in the lives of my children 614.  an impromptu lunch with friends 615.  hazelnut creamer in my coffee 616.  a lazy, rainy morning 617.  watching my kiddos develop their own ideas for their own science projects and succeed 618.  my God, who is infinitely patient with me 619.  having so many good books waiting to be read 620.  looking forward to the gift of summer, right around the corner 621.  the privilege of teaching little ones about the Word of God 622.  unexpected blessings from...

Counting my gifts even in the mid-winter... 601.  memories of Springs past 602.  the anticipation of Spring to come 603.  the pleasure of a visit from a far-away friend 604.  taking an unexpected day off from the regular routine 605.  the fun of a night out with my hubby 606.  a big, fat red-breasted robin right outside my front door 607.  trying out a new recipe~and the whole family loves it:) 608.  an unexpected encouraging message from an unexpected person 609.  those first daffodils of Spring popping up all over 610.  Belgian hazelnut seashell truffles~pure bliss!

This past Sunday our church honored the school teachers in our congregation who are returning to teach this week.  We so appreciate all they do in our local schools for the children of our community!  My husband found the cutest gift bag idea on Pinterest (yes, my creative hubby is now on Pinterest :) and we sort of recreated it on these gift bags.  I love the way these owls turned out!  Each bag had a different *expression*...too cute!   We stuffed them full of all kind of things these teachers need on a daily basis: sanitizer, pencils, glue, paper clips, sticky notes, tape, white-out, colored pencils, red pens, black pens, highlighter, an insulated cup, and also chocolate:)  Just a little something to make the beginning of their year go a little better.

0581.  staying up extra late with the kiddos to watch for meteors 0582.  teaching my children how to be a *good sport* even when they're totally losing the game 0583.  an unexpected hug from an unexpected person 0584.  summer thunder storms 0585.  discovering Cinnabon creamer for my coffee 0586.  being told that *you were missed* 0587.  being able to bless those who weren't expecting it 0588.  quiet time alone first thing in the morning 0589.  finding *surprise* pumpkins growing in our yard 0590.  family sing-a-longs in the car

Today would have been my husband's grandpa's 83rd birthday.  Instead of celebrating that though, our family celebrated his home-going to Heaven just a week ago. Papa Wayne was a wonderful man and his memorial service was one of the most inspiring ones I've ever attended.  It was filled with people who loved him, people whose lives he had touched in a special way.  We remembered and rejoiced in the amazing example he had set for us to follow. So, Happy Birthday, Papa Wayne!  I know you're having a wonderful birthday up in Heaven!  Can't wait to see you again one day!

0571.  listening to my kiddos giggle as they tell each other their funny dreams from the night 0572.  celebrating the life of a loved one, knowing you'll get to see them again one day 0573.  the joy of seeing far away family and friends 0574.  the smell of rain on a summer day 0575.  coming home after a long trip 0576.  a delicious {surprise} dinner made for me by my husband 0577.  the sweet "welcome home" kisses from our dog 0578.  walking barefoot through thick green grass 0579.  laughing with your sister 0580.  a visit to our favorite bakery

So many gifts each and every day... 0561.  fun family time on a road trip 0562.  listening to my son humming while he plays 0563.  a cool, refreshing dip in a pool on a hot summer day 0564.  my favorite pillow 0565.  late night conversations with my love 0566.  knowing that I'm right where God wants me even if it's a tough place to be sometimes 0567.  having fun with friends 0568.  discovering more truths in God's Word when I dig deeper 0569.  frozen coffee 0570.  fresh okra, fried up Southern-style

While I haven't stopped counting, it's been a while since I posted some of my gifts on here.  It's good to share gifts--it reminds me even more to be grateful. 0551.  sticky little-kid chins, stained pink from watermelon 0552.  the clickity-clack of a ceiling fan 0553.  the joy on my child's face when she receives a handwritten letter from a far-away beloved friend 0554.  the satisfaction of crossing off things on my to-do list 0555.  the coolness of a pool on a hot summer afternoon 0556.  watching my kiddos play in harmony (even if it's only for a few minutes at a time) 0557.  receiving a blessing from an unexpected source 0558.  lovely fresh veggies from our neighbor's garden 0559.  scrubbing out that ring of dirt from the kiddos' bathtub and knowing just how much fun they had getting dirty 0560.  falling asleep reading a good book

0536. the calm after a storm 0537. the smell of freshly-cut grass 0538. writing out lesson helps on an old-fashioned chalkboard 0539. creating art with my children 0540. fresh spring air coming in an open window 0541. forgiveness 0542. home cooking after too much fast food 0543. little kiddo giggles 0544. bubble baths 0545. girls' nights out 0546. the feeling of satisfaction after cleaning my house 0547. singing 0548. singing with my sister 0549. new magazines in the mailbox 0550. grace

I have a precious 6-year-old son. He has adorable dimples.  He just lost his first tooth, so he has a cute gap-tooth smile right now.  He loves to laugh, tell jokes and play silly pranks.  He loves to read, eat fruit and play Angry Birds. He's very good at math and art and building Legos.  He gives amazing hugs and sweet kisses and tells me that he loves me often. He has a sensitive spirit, even though he sometimes hides it.  He's still very much my *little* boy. He also is impulsive, has a quick temper and can throw a pretty good fit at times.  Thankfully, he is generally quick to say he's sorry and try to do the right thing. He's not perfect by a long shot.  Neither am I.  Not by a very long shot. In fact, it grieves me when I see my negative traits sometimes exhibit themselves in him.  I need to be a better example. Every day brings new challenges with him and also great moments of joy.  And deep sighs of relief when I g...

Some days it's imperative to count these precious gifts lest I get caught up in the mundane and routine of household drudgery and the breaking up sibling fights.   So I stop.  And I remind myself. 0526.  butterfly kisses from those long little boy lashes 0527.  giving my sweet girl her *nightly* back scratch to help her get sleepy 0528.  spooning 0529.  a surprise gift from a new friend 0530.  listening to my children as they quote Scripture they've learned 0531.  soft candlelight when the power goes out 0532.  reading bedtime stories by flashlight 0533.  an encouraging word from a far-away friend 0534.  the success of a new recipe 0535.  an answered prayer

0511.  a yummy weekend breakfast eaten at leisure 0512.  a weekend morning spent with my family at a kids' craft clinic 0513.  watching the extreme concentration on my kiddos' faces as they worked hard on their task 0514.  watching father and son, one teaching, the other learning 0514.  sharing with them the joy of accomplishing their craft 0515.  listening to the talk the rest of the day about that fun of that simple experience 0516.  the surprise gift of a warm-enough-to-go-to-the-park-day in January 0517.  our puppy's first park outing 0518.  the fun of trying to walk a wiggly, over-excited puppy on a path 0519.  unexpected puppy kisses:) 0520.  my sweet girl and her beloved puppy 0521.  the blessing of a faithful husband and a loving father to our children 0522.  sunshine after days of rain 0523.  the joy of time spent with kindred spirits...

With this New Year, the gifts just keep on coming.   I don't mean Christmas gifts, but instead those sweet precious daily gifts that God gives continually.  The things that we often just forget about or take for granted. I'm so thankful for these things!  0499.  a fresh new year, full of possibilities   0500.  homemade bread 0501.  snow flurries 0502.  puppy love 0503.  the satisfied feeling of a productive day 0504.  the sweet bond between a boy and his dog 0505.  watching the excitement of my kiddos over the success of a science project 0506.  the absolute sweetness of tucking my kiddos in at night 0507.  my very favorite chocolate 0508.  packages from the mailman 0509.  black raspberry & chocolate chip ice cream 0510.  a day gone better than you could have hoped

Our Thanksgiving week was so wonderful and I have so many blessings in my life. Still counting them... 0481. sisters...'nuff said 0482. hang time with his Papi 0483. hang time with cousins 0484. silly boy cousins 0485. reading with Papi 0486. visiting grandparents 0487. those cheesy family photos...that we always love to look at later 0488. a Thanksgiving day walk with my sweet daughter 0489. the most amazing pumpkin pie ever 0490. sharing a meal with family and friends 0491. an wonderfully blessed meal 0492. teaching my daughter tricks in the kitchen 0493. a hubby who loves my cooking 0494. surrounded by simple beauty 0495. did I already mention my amazing husband? I love him so much! 0496. and I love my adorable (onery, silly, sweet....) kiddos, too 0497. preparing those memorable family meals with my mom and sister 0498. playdates with *old* friends