Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Will you be surprised at what the Lord hath done? My thought is that if we are consistently taking time to be thankful...to name our blessings one by one....we shouldn't be surprised. God is faithful. He delights in showing mercy.

This week, as I take the time to be thankful in this month of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

• Super Student of the Month Awards! Daria received a SSMA this month. Caden received one last month, but I didn't take note of it too much because it just came home as something in his D.O.G. (Daily Organizational Guide). This month, the school must have gotten smart and they invited parents to come to an assembly. I am very proud of Daria....and Caden, too. I love to see that my kids are doing well.
  

• Failed piano lessons! (oops...did I really say that???) Daria didn't have a very good lesson last Friday. So, it has encouraged her to be a better practicer this week. Her teacher gave her a Christmas song last week and she almost has the right hand part memorized already. I felt bad that she had a bad lesson....but I think that it needed to happen. She should have a very good lesson this week.
  

• Caden getting a 100% on one of his spelling tests this week. What an answer to prayer!! He has been doing so much better lately on his spelling. I really think that he is starting to grasp it a lot better now. He rarely misses more than one or two. Caden is also doing a lot better with his reading. I checked out some early readers from our church library for him to read. He can read through one in a couple of minutes. The pride and confidence he feels when he reads through one is so fun to see. He seems to really be developing a love for reading. Another answer to prayer!!

• A warm house. As the weather is starting to go back to dreary and cold....I am thankful for my house...and for money to keep it warm. It just reminded me of the blessing that my house is to me. Thank you, Jesus.
  

As you noticed, I have chosen not to participate in the "Big Thankful Thursday" group. As much as I enjoyed having comments left that day, it felt weird to have comments from strangers. I am going to continue to be thankful on Thursdays, I am just not going to post my blog on the Big Thankful Thursday website.

Take a moment and be surprised. Be thankful!

Out of Whack

Today has been weird. Do you ever have those kind of days where you just feel like everything is out of whack? I have had a day like that. Nothing real extraordinary has happened. Everything just feels like we are one brick short of a full load, if you know what I mean.

The last two mornings, my kids have had this mean streak in them. They'll get this nasty little glint in their eyes as they bug the bejeebers out of each other. This morning, I just about drop kicked the older two out of the van when we got to school. I felt like growling at them to not come home until their attitudes were adjusted.

I was driving to Community Bible Studies in Tigard this morning and traffic was unlike anything I usually experience on Wednesday mornings. I was a little later than normal due to the fact that I had to do some PAC business in the school office. I stopped to get gas this morning, too. Yet, those extra 5-10 minutes must have thrown everything out of whack. Traffic just felt ridiculous. I think I hit every red light there was; as well, as it feeling like there were twice the normal amount of cars. I felt like double checking I was on the right road in the right town. It just felt weird....out of whack.

Once I arrived at CBS, later than normal by about 5 minutes, the doors to the Nursery where I work were locked. Whoever was responsible for unlocking them, forgot. Okay....She's out of whack a little too. Surely it can't just be me. I know that I am a little bit like a loose cannon sometimes....but come on.

The kids this morning at CBS were a little off, too. Everyone just seemed a little bit cranky....a little bit out of step of their normal selves. One little girl just cried and cried and cried. She had never done that before. We finally had to go get her mother. I guess we all have days like that.

Luke and I went to Joann Fabrics today. Wow. Talk about the Christmas rush...or something. We stood in line for the longest time at both the cutting counter and the check out stand. There was one little tiny girl just screaming her fool head off. You can definitely tell that we were a store full of mothers. You should have seen all the sympathy flowing for that poor mama. Out of whack, I tell you. Luke, on the other hand, was quite the little champ while he shopped with me today. I was so proud of him. I guess he'd gotten his orneriness out at CBS....he had himself a nice little tizzy while we were there. But....when push came to shove...he was a prince.

So...after a long, crazy, out-of-whack kind of day, I feel whooped. I think that I might be coming down with something. My head and nose feel like they are on the verge of becoming something I'm sure they weren't created to be. Out of whack....just like the rest of my day.

Forgiveness

I'm not sure that I will ever fully understand or grasp the concept of forgiveness. I've been waging an old battle today. Though the original wounds are "old," I've been feeling the pains afresh all day. Forgiveness, for me, is a constant battle. Every time the offense comes to mind, I have to take up my shield of faith and extinguish its flaming arrows. Again. And again. I have to consciously tell myself to stop the ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) from invading every aspect of my heart. If I don't ask my Jesus to wage that battle right then....the wound becomes larger than it was before.

God doesn't seem to have those kind of issues with forgiveness. I decided to do a little study this afternoon on forgiveness...because, sometimes, I just can't wrap my mind around it. I am constantly reminded of the times that I fail God and sin once again. It is a daily thing. I resonate so much with that Casting Crowns song, East to West:

I know you’ve cast my sin as far as the East is from the West
And I stand before You now as though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

I often feel like I am one mistake away from God leaving me the way I am today. How can God have the patience and the love to forgive me....for the same sin...again? And again. And again. Forgive is defined as: to pardon or acquit of sin. Acquit is defined as: to free or clear from accusation. God pardons me. He wipes my slate clean every day. He does not stand accusing me of my sin. Grasp it, Chris, grasp it.


"You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love." Nehemiah 9:17 Am I slow to anger? Today I wasn't. As I hashed through that old wound, I was angry. Did I feel love? Not really. Just hurt...and disgust. Certainly not very gracious and compassionate. I long to be slow to become angry.

"When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions." Psalm 65:3 Overwhelmed is to be engulfed, submerged, to overcome completely, to overpower. How often do I feel that way about my sins? Daily. Daily.

"Yet he was merciful. He forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath." Psalm 78:38 Doesn't that verse just amaze you? We deserve to be destroyed; and, yet he restrains himself. I had to ask God to help me with that today. I wanted to lash out...to rip apart...to be justified. I am glad that God's mercy can overwhelm my sins and save me from them.

"If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you, there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." Psalm 130:3-4

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sins and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19 Is this where we get the concept of God casting our sins into the sea of forgetfulness? Oh how I wish that I could do that! I wish that I could truly let go of offenses and remember them no more. I wish that the memory of them would not cause a new battle to rise up in me again. This is the one concept that I have the most difficult time grasping. How can God truly forget my sins? How can he forgive them once....for all? I understand that we learn from our mistakes. I suppose that if we can't remember the offense...we will never learn. I still wish that I could truly forget.

"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Acts 13:38-39 Justify is to declare free of blame. Blame is to think of as responsible or guilty. In Jesus, we aren't even guilty. We can stand faultless before the throne.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:7-8 Do you know what I am struck with here? Two things. 1. The Riches of God's Grace. God is not stingy with his grace. He lavishes it. Riches also speak to me that there is an abundance....there is no worry that the Bank of Grace will foreclose on me. 2. With All Wisdom and Understanding. I forget sometimes that Jesus understands me....he understands my sin. He fully understood what it would mean when he died on the cross to offered me Grace and Mercy.

Those are my wandering thoughts on forgiveness today. Who knows if they really make any sense at all. That's okay. This little mini study, for me, helped me to remove my focus from the battle in my heart and placed it where it should be...on Jesus. Hopefully now that I have written some of my rambling thoughts out, they will stick with me better....ready for battle on another day.

2..4...6...8...Who Do We Appreciate???

KYLE!!

Kyle...Kyle...He's our man.....if he can't do it no one can!!

Okay...I'll quit the goofiness now. I only take my cue from the man himself. Today is my nephew, Kyle's, birthday. Eleven years ago, today, I had the honor of witnessing his arrival into Planet Earth. I am sure that it would mortify him if I told you all that I saw him naked. So I won't.

Kyle is a pretty neat kid. My only wish is that I lived closer and I could be the "Cool Aunt" I always dreamed to be. He likes us all to think that he is a little shy.....but I think he is just teasing us. He can be quite the little ham. Here....let me show you.

As my mother would say, "The Apple doesn't fall too far from the Tree." In Kyle's instance, I am not sure if the Tree would mean his dad....or my mom....a.k.a.....The Gramminator. Nuf said.

Kyle is an awesome kid. I'm proud to be his aunt. He is a great baseball player....so I've heard. I haven't been fortunate enough to watch him play. But...from what I hear....he could be the next Up and Coming in the world of baseball. I hear that he does pretty good at basketball, too. Though, once again, I've been cheated out of witnessing that, too. He works hard at his homework, is a good student, and last I'd heard his Mom, Dad, Grammy, Papa, Auntie, and Uncle were pretty proud of him

He loves the Denver Broncos. He's even been on TV!!! At least I think it was him....it was some kid with weird, blue and orange hair. Whoever it was, was standing next to my Dad and brother in law. He doesn't seem to mind watching the Boise State Broncos, either. Must be a blue and orange thing. Weird color combo if you ask me!

I enjoy being with Kyle. He is a sweet kid. He is probably going to disown me if he ever sees all the mushy stuff I've written about him. I could go on and on in my tribute. But, I think I will stop now. He may not let me stay in his room at Thanksgiving at the rate that I'm going now. I think I may have to sweeten him up with something. Who knows what I might find in my bed? Yikes.

Sorry, Kyle. Hope I haven't embarrassed you. I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday!! I think you are one of the neatest kids around. I love watching you become the man that God has called you to be. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Trunk or Treat: The Results

It is a little late in coming...but the final results for Trunk or Treat are IN!! I would have to rate the evening a whopping 5 star event. It really was a good evening. I was so pleased with how it went. God really did a good job helping that event along. I guess the best way to tell about the evening is to just show it with a few pictures. These are just a few of the highlights.

Luke was a power ranger. Found it at the bargain price of $3.74 at Goodwill. He never could remember what he was....so he was asking me all the time. He loved wearing it. I think he slept in it at least two nights. In the picture he is hording his tickets to turn into prizes. He is the one who gets the most pumped up about the candy and the prizes....but he came home with the least. He just got so excited when he would get a little that he would stop to "rejoice." I am sure that one of these days he will "catch on" that he should collect first....stop to admire later. He definitely did more than admire his candy. I think he ate at least half of his stash that night. Tim was suppose to be on Parent Patrol....but he was too busy taking pictures, I think. After him waking up crying three times that night, I asked Tim yesterday if Luke had eaten anything decent at the party. His reply: "I don't know....I didn't feed him!" Ugh.

Caden was a pirate this year....along with just about every other boy there. It was definitely the popular costume of the year. Once again, I found this at bargain prices at Goodwill. Next year, I think we need to hit that sooner so that we have a better options. Caden was in heaven this night. He came home with the most candy and prizes than probably Daria and Luke combined. He is definitely a horder (like his Mom). He was a man on a mission that night. He was out to collect as much candy and prizes as he could. He only ate ONE piece that night. He was much too busy gathering his booty to stop and enjoy it then. Smart man.

Daria was dressed in a poodle skirt outfit. She looked cute....though not the cutest right there. She had a blast that night. She definitely enjoys a good party. She was helpful setting things up...and cleaning up afterwards. Dad wasn't doing such a good job taking Luke around trunk or treating....so I sent Luke off with her. She seemed glad to do it. The silly girl, though, was too busy to put shoes on to go outside. I had just picked the kids up after school since I was there setting up for the party. She changed into her costume...but chose not to put on her shoes. It had to be below 50 degrees that night....but little girlie went around barefoot. She complained of cold feet...but didn't like my suggestion of putting on shoes. Too busy, I guess. If you notice the blond "girl" next to her....that is our neighbor boy. He is wearing one of Daria's dresses. He made a pretty cute girl! It was so funny. I was amazed he had the courage to do it!

Here I am in the back of my trunk passing out candy. I love that part of the evening. It is when I finally get to stop...and watch all the little kids all dressed up and excited about the candy. I love Trunk or Treats. My kids still get their stash of candy....and I know everyone they are getting them from. Everyone has a great time decorating their cars/trunks for the evening, too. Below are some pictures of a couple of my favorites!

This gal's was fabulous. It is a mine shaft. Didn't she do just great??? She won our grand prize of the evening.....$10 to Papa Murphy's and $5 to Blockbuster!!



This once was pretty great, too. It looks like the car is "alive." When someone would walk by...the trunk would lift and scare the kids. I was parked close to them and I just laughed and laughed.

Here is my friend, Shannon, and I. She was my co-planner of the event. I am so thankful for her creativity and her organizational skills. I have the drive and passion....she has a lot of the knowledge and creativity. I think we work pretty well together. I guess you could say that we are the Queens of Trunk or Treat. (Though...she is really dressed as a fairy.) It really was a great night. Even though, I didn't hardly sleep at all that night....and I am still wiped out....I am already looking forward to next year!!

New Look!!

Hello, Faithful Friends.

I hope that you like my new look. I spent more time than I should have looking for just the right one. Hopefully I will really like this one because Tim spent a fair amount of time helping me alter it. I also lost some info....so I had to add them back in.

If you have any comments or suggestions on how to make it look nice.....please share. I'm kind of lame on "interior design!"

So...thanks to my sweet hubby for my "facelift." Enjoy!

A Day to Rejoice!

This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Thankful Thursday has arrived again. Last Thursday, I began reading in my latest Guidepost. It seemed so appropriate that I read that very night an article titled, "The Power of Gratitude" by Stephen Post. He listed 5 health benefits that come from having a grateful spirit. After reading that article, I could hardly wait until today to write another thankful post and share these benefits with you.

1. DEFENDS. Just 15 minutes a day focusing on the things you're grateful for will significantly increase your bodies antibodies. (Come on....kick that nasty cold....give thanks!)
2. SHARPENS. Naturally grateful people are more focused mentally and measurable less vulnerable to clinical depression. (I'll witness to that....Amen!)
3. CALMS. A grateful state of mind induces a physiological state called resonance that's associated with healthier blood pressure and heart rate. (okay, Peace, here I come....)
   
4. STRENGTHENS. Caring for others is draining. But grateful caregivers are healthier and more capable than less grateful ones. (Maybe I can be a better Mom....)
5. HEALS. Recipients of donated organs who have the most grateful attitudes heal faster. (Surely that means others would heal faster, too!)
   

So....what do we have to lose from being grateful? Sounds like nothing to me. So...let's give thanks together!

• I am so thankful that God answered my prayers to keep my mouth in check last night. I was doing the little happy dance last night as I went to bed. My MIT group told me that I needed to give myself a gold star! I think I will just settle with giving God a glorious high five!!!

• I am thankful that the Trunk or Treat was a success. Things really just went nice and smooth. I had more help than I had anticipated with set up...and clean up. We had lots of participation from the church and community. My kids had a blast....and so did I. I think I will have to chalk it up as a complete success.
  

• I am thankful that my kids managed to wake up this morning with no difficulties. We had smiles....and there were no arguments. Praise God!!! Nuf said on that topic!!

So...cheers to another Thankful Thursday. May you take a moment out of your busy day to pamper yourself. Be thankful!