One Year Later:1000 Gifts

"I will sing of your mercies that lead me through valleys of sorrows to rivers of joy."

I have one thing to add to my list today. A someone who is missed every day, who has left a hole in a family that will never be filled. He loved passionately, cared deeply, prayed always. This year has been the hardest for our family. Ever. But, God has us in His hands. We WILL sing of His mercy and He WILL lead us through this time. It still feels so fresh, but we will look to the heavens for He will never leave us. I don't know what the next months will bring, but I do know that we have a God who loves us and shows us His kindness everyday. I thank God for Tom, for letting us have him for a time, and I am even more thankful that God called him His own and Tom now spends the rest of eternity with His Savior. "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he LIVE." John 11:25-26


#197

Tom

Still Counting:1000 Gifts

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

When you don't know what God's will is for you, GIVE THANKS. This I am doing in faith, knowing that God is faithful and will supply all of our needs, never leave us to fend for ourselves, and promises to finish the work He has started. We are weary, but God is good.

So, trusting in our great God, my list continues....

#165-196


almond flour pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream
hot air balloon filled sky
a visit from Grandma
celebrating birthdays from afar
chilly mornings
soccer games
birds still chirping
Red Bull and a straw
feeling his peace
little girl in tulle skirt
rain
morning after rain
walks
a girl who wants to please (praying I am a mom who is easy to please)
apple cider
cozy wraps
my Juicy Couture socks thanks to Tom!
Ugg boots
early mornings
hazelnut lattes
blustery fall day-reminded us of fall in Maryland
colored pencils
macadamia nuts
a large gift---mysteriously arriving in the mailbox--provision
cedar & pine in the fireplace
balloon glow
cloudy skies
fall boots and scarves
little girl and her dog
visits from family
rain and clouds

Fifteen Years

Fifteen years ago today, I married this man. I was 19. Some said that it would never last, that I didn't know what I wanted out of life....they.were.wrong. I knew it then, and I still know it today.

Wherever this journey of life takes us, I want to be by his side for it all. Here's to the next 15 years. I love you Michael.

Spontaneity:Our weekend

Spontaneity is something I am not good at.



I used to be, but for some reason the older I get, the less I want to do things I haven't planned for.



But, this morning we did something spontaneous! And it was so fun.



We got up early, got some coffee and vanilla steamers and drove to a field to watch balloons rise from the near balloon fiesta park. What fun!!



And, I would have missed the gorgeous snowy mountain...one of the prettiest I have seen since we moved here. God is good, and He gives us little graces like this to remind us we are tucked safely in His hands and being used for His purposes. I needed that reminder this morning.




Praying I do more of this...kids are happy and contented and my heart is at rest.

Pumpkin Spice Love

I got this recipe on Pinterest, my new obsession. I have tried to make many pumpkin spice latte recipes, but NONE of them work out too well. Until this one! This recipe for Pumpkin Spice Syrup has made my fall. With a gluten allergy, many, many things bother me. Including one of my favs, the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte! It pains me to speak it out loud. When fall comes around, I CRAVE an S-bucks Pumpkin Spice! I tried this fall, and well....you don't even want to know. So, I have been on the hunt for a new way to satisfy this craving. Pinterest has been an addiction lately, and it has brought such great recipes and ideas. This is one of them! Yum!!! Here is the recipe...

Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup

1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground ginger
1 t ground nutmeg
3 T pumpkin puree

Combine water and sugar in medium pot over medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved.
Whisk in remaining ingredients. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not bring to a boil

Strain in cheesecloth. (I did not have cheesecloth, so I used my French press)

So, another way to use this syrup is in a martini!! It was yum...I already tried! Mix equal parts with your favorite vodka or vanilla vodka, the syrup, a little cream or a little Bailey's....it is soooo good! I am sure you could find lots of ways to use this stuff!

Enjoy!

Reminders of Grace:1000 Gifts

From a Vintage Towel circa 1966:

Lord, bless this food that I prepare
And bless the chores I do;
And as I serve the ones I love
May I remember You.

Then when I bend my knee to scrub
Or face a task with dread
May I remember that's the time
To life my eyes instead

For everything is there to see
And all around us lies
The mud that's tracked in underfoot
Or rainbows in the skies

So may I choose the good to see
The beauty in each day.
And may a song be on my lips
At work and rest and play.

I read this on The Contented Sparrow and loved it.


As I search for a rhythm to my days, my heart chooses to be grateful...my list goes on.

#157-164

a day at home-ALL DAY
reminders of GRACE
hearing voices of friends from Maryland
remembering that it's ONLY by grace I have been saved
a loving and faithful husband
quiet moments at home
seeing my kids learn & grow
a loving God who sustains and uses ALL for His glory

Mikey's 10th:1000 Gifts

I cannot believe Mikey is 10! It flew by and seems like yesterday he was delivered into our arms. This crazy kid has been the sweetest, most challenging person in. my. life. Maybe because we are so much alike, or maybe because he is the middle, or maybe just because. He has had to face many challenges in his young life...a sick and often impatient mama, which for an extremely sensitive kid, is a very hard thing to take. It breaks my heart whenever I think of how tired and impatient I have been with him. He has been quite sick himself. As a very young baby/child, we spent many nights in the hospital, awake every few hours with breathing treatments...I think he had about every virus and illness a young child can possible get. Then the lyme disease. Oh boy....to see your child in rage all day, or try to physically hurt you and threaten to hurt himself.....I can't tell you how difficult some years were. But, God IS faithful and He is calling our young man to Himself. I see how he is growing, and I often have to remind myself that he is God's first. He is becoming quite the leader amongst his peers. He knows how to take charge when things are getting out of hand with his buddies, and he is quite the athlete. I can't wait to see what God is going to do with his life, and I pray for patience and grace to raise this strong young man in a way that honors God. Happy Birthday Bubba!!! I love you!



So with the hope Christ gives and a VERY full heart, my list continues:

#152-156

kids to run around for
a home to return to
a loving hug from a friend
my boy...growing in grace
His many provisions