my blessed life

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...

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

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

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