Sunshine and Warm Breezes :)

Today, I am thankful for...

61.  Time with the girls this evening.

62.  Glorious sunshine and temps in the 40s.

63.  Open windows, allowing fresh air to circulate in the classroom and not being too cold to do it.  ;)  

64.  Making plans for a birthday surprise for Daddy from the girls...


Things are getting a little hectic during this week, but I'm striving more than anything to remain "in the here and now" and not worry or stress over things in the future.  He is showing me many things throughout each day and I'm so thankful for His faithfulness.

Today, I am thankful for...

58.  A generous friend who is helping the girls get to their dance and theater practices -- and is willing to endure our somewhat emotional girly at times.

59.  Safety on a very foggy night, driving home in the pouring rain on roads full of standing water and some mild flooding.

60.  The promise that God's mercies are new every morning.

Monday, Monday...

Ah, here it is, the close of a somewhat harried Monday.  It has been a little crazy, but honestly not a stressful crazy.  God has been oh so good to me in so many ways.  I had a decent workday - things went smoothly for the first part.  However, today did hold a little bit of a shadow, per say, because my semester at college started back up this afternoon.  Adding that graduate class just seems to push things to the limit - and sometimes, beyond.

I'll come back to that in a moment.  Today, I did see/find/discover, many of God's blessings as I went throughout my day...

54.  The promise that I need not fear, for God has redeemed me and called me by name...  (one last review of last week's verse before moving on to this weeks...  Thank you, Lord, for Fighter Verses - I LOVE THIS APP!)  I love to play the song over and over as I drive to work in the mornings.

55.  A sweet "Good Morning" message from my oldest (who's just discovered how to send texts through skype on the Surface, used for homeschooling) while getting things ready for the day in my classroom.  ;)  

56.  Two words:  OUTDOOR RECESS!  :)  

57.  The moon in the sky to my left, and the setting sun in the sky to my right as I made my way to class this afternoon...  a reminder to me of God's faithfulness, His order, His amazing creation.  

Class went smoothly, though I have to say that I left feeling a little shell-shocked with all that there is to do in this course.  I was also a little frustrated that one of the (very expensive) textbooks I ordered was actually not the RIGHT book (even though I purchased what was listed on the school bookstore website).  

All of this put together left me feeling very overwhelmed when I left class this evening.  I started to feel anxiety creep in.  I did a little self-preaching and a whole lot of praying on the way home.  I kept reminding myself to live in the now, not in tomorrow...  that the Lord has faithfully seen me through all of my previous classes and I have no reason to doubt that He'll see me through this one.  I'm going to take it one day at a time and do my very best to manage my time wisely -- but I'm also NOT going to worry about the level of work or the time it will take.  I can do all things through Him and He's promised to be my helper.  I just have to take it one day at a time, rather than worrying about EVERYTHING tonight.  ;)  -And I wasn't the only one with the wrong book, many of us had the same one - and really, it will work out just fine, not perfectly, but it'll work.  

All of that to say, that I'm very thankful for God's help in my efforts to claim these promises and live them out.  He is really working in my life to get rid of that anxiety/unbelief I've been clinging to.

Giving Thanks, Even When You Don't "Feel It"...

This past Saturday, we received a lot more rain - which froze instantly and made everything (and I do mean, everything) a HUGE mess.  This wouldn't have really bothered me, per say - except that the rest of my family ventured out to my parent's house for the day and I was concerned about their return trip -- AND, it also was a huge factor in my decision to stay home on Sunday, because I am just not entirely sure I would've even be able to get off of our road, let alone get all the way to church...  I was disappointed to be missing yet another service due to weather this winter.  In addition to the weather, I was still feeing pretty crummy from this head cold; while the day of rest on Saturday was helpful, I just couldn't seem to shake the sinus headache and overall fatigue.  ---Put all of this together, plus a few other minuscule things, and I guess I was just feeling pretty discouraged on Sunday morning.

I have to be honest, it was harder for me to see/find God's gifts to me that morning.  I did "make myself" look for them though - and here are some of what I found:

50. The beauty in the ice world outside, especially with the sun shining on it all.

51.  The fact that it was warm enough for the kids to get OUTSIDE for the first time in a very long time...  even though all they could do was slide on their bottom in the driveway!  ha ha... 

52.  I always find it a blessing to listen to my children practicing their instruments - but my oldest is getting so very good on the piano, it makes it all the more enjoyable!  She truly LOVES it as well, so it's a blessing to see her enjoy it so much.

53.  I'm thankful for the ability and resources to listen to an online sermon when it is needed/necessary.

A little R & R

Today, I'm thankful for...

47. ... a quiet house to myself today to pray, to read, and rest.

48. ... God's protection over my family on icy roads.

49. ... playing games together as a family. 


It's another ice-filled day here and I'm trying not to dwell on the possibility of missing church due to weather... :(  

"For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  Isaiah 41:13

Friday Fun

Despite my feeling a little crummy, I had a fun day reliving some childhood memories and having fun with my students and then later with my own children in the evening.  

43.  My day started with a beautiful, colorful sky from across the playground as I walked into work. 

44.  Temps reaching mid 20s!  (A heatwave!!)

45.  The opportunity to relive childhood memories while singing, dancing, and having fun with the entire elementary school and Rick Charette.  Who else gets to have fun like that while at work?  

46.  Getting to do it all over again that night, with my two girls, at the local theater - watching their joy on stage as they got to sing with him.  There's something really neat about taking your kids to listen to an artist that you listened to as a child and sharing in some of the same memories.  :)  

Singing, There's an Alligator in the Elevator on stage with Rick Charette and their friends from theater.

Just another day in paradise :)

It's been a somewhat busy day, but I'm amazed at how relaxed I've been - head cold and all.  It's been a fun day in the land of pre-k - doing a science experiment with ice, talking about snow flakes, playing all sorts of crazy things, and learning about the letter G.  After school, I rushed to "town" to take my youngest daughter to the Dr. for her well-child appointment - which went very well (which, if you know our history at all, you might recognize this as an accomplishment!), and then we hung out while we waited for the oldest to get out of Dramatic Academy.  A fun day, and lots of little moments to notice blessings bestowed to me by God's hand.

Some may seem silly, but they're blessings to me nonetheless...  ;)

36.  Despite a restless night of sleep, I awoke before my alarm and didn't have much sleepiness to "shake off" as I started my day.  (I'm not, by nature, a morning person...  ;)       -I'm working on it.) 

37.  A four-year old's awe over what to us/me, seems a very simple experiment involving melting ice.

38.  Though I try to limit my intake, a little caffeine (purchased with my birthday gift card) to help me make it through the day.  ;)

 Unsweetened raspberry iced tea... ;)

39.  The fanciful imagination of four year olds and that I get to share in it with them daily.

The story behind this would take much, much, too much time to share - but trust me when I say it's a great one!  ha ha... That's a lot of animals on one bus!  

40.  An excellent well-child visit for my youngest in ... I don't know how long.  Thank you, Jesus.

41.  Seeing pure joy on my daughter's face because she got the part of Lucy in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.   

42. The promises in His Word that God cannot lie, and that there is great assurance in knowing if He has promised it, He will do it!

I wish this were something other than just a cell phone pic snapped while sitting at a stop light - but I just had to try to show the setting sun shimmering off all the ice.  All of the open fields I pass on the way to town are so beautiful right now!