Dec
15
2010- Dish drying rack that doubles to dry paper
- Little girls ‘petting’ the Christmas tree
- Playing ‘dress-up’ with the girls and their constant cries of “ha (t)!” even when they’re holding a scarf
- Cocolate godlfish–they taste like the best parts of a smore
- Little girls thoughtfully chewing on the chocolate goldfish saying “num” (yum)
- Mandy coming over one more time- even though she did not feel well- to babysit before returning to Korea
- Girls introduced to their first PB and Banana sandwich
- Homemade yogurt
- Handing out with Karen at Ellen’s house
- Listening to crazy stories from Steven
- Ellen inviting us over
- ChanWey
- Sensory Balls and fetch
- Discovering and installing PSE actions for quick photo effects
- Stories-all of them
- The Grandest Story ever
- Holding tiny hands
- Little girls warming right up to magical “uncle” Josh
- Josh watching the girls for 5 hours!!
- A quiet lunch at Panera with Derek
- Wanting to shout “Amen” at the end of Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- Both Derek and I crying during the movie
- “Lucy, what have you done?… You’ve wished yourself away….you doubt your value.” Oh the truth there!
- Seeing The Story being told on the movie screen in fairy tale metaphors
- Talking with Josh
- Taking photos of Tamara’s family again
- Having the quilt finally basted after many road blocks!
- Little girls trying to drink stir fry from bowls
- finding out 3-7 words is totally normal at 15 months
- Bronwyn walking hand and hand with a nurse voluntarily to the exam room
- Clear ears!!!
- Hot water heater
- Freezer meals
- Brandt heading home less than one week after his second surgery to correct a heart that would have been useless a few decades ago.
- A vist to a friend who wasn’t home that turned into a visit to the mall playground
- The darkest days of winter coming to a close
- Bitter cranberry juice-but only as it helps me feel better
- Having a sudden fabulous idea for my dad’s Christmas gift (wouldn’t you like to know, Dad :-p)
- Mom crocheting me some baby photo props
- People who speak grace to me
- Exhaustion telling me to slow down
- A heater that works
- Steak with homemade mushroom and caramelized onion sauce
- Bronwyn trying to figure out how to whistle
- Aeralind sitting behind Josh playing peekaboo
- Aeralind snuggles after church
- Painter tap on glasses to mark whose is whose
- the oven going on a cold day
- Cobwebs in my windows
- Last puffy clouds passing by day
- Tamara coming to redo some of Lydia’s photos
- Little girls sleeping with momma-made dolls wearing their preemie clothing
Dec
07
2010Transparency is needed.
I think I hide behind my masks pretending everything is okay because I think everyone else has it all together.
But the truth is: I don’t have all together.
And even more freeing: I’m pretty sure no one else has it all together either.
So here’s a little transparency this morning to make you feel like you’re not the only one with a messy heart or room.
This is the state of my living room 94% of the time (5% it’s probably worse and the other 1% the toys might end up in the bins)
This is the state of my family room 92% of the time (the other 8% of the time I don’t have a finished quilt lying out waiting for me to purchase batting because the piece I have isn’t nearly big enough)
This is the state of my sewing area 99.8% of the time.
As a bonus: I had to search the house for my camera to take these shots. I hid it from the twins on top of the couch and the couch ate it.
One final confession: without transparency and humility before the throne of grace, 100% of the time my messy heart would be so much worse than any area of my home.
Dec
06
2010
1001-1047
- A back yard to play in
- A story of grace to share
- One night sleep, one night interrupted pattern
- Grilled cheese shared with the girls
- Christmas money from my sweet in-laws
- Bronwyn’s ability to climb (even when it gets dangerous)
- A free night of baby sitting
- Coming home to find a sweet Aeralind tucked in Mandy’s arms
- Talking to Mandy
- Hot Ham and Cheese sandwich
- Fleece lined pants
- Catty wiggles
- Fun shaped notebook (Dell notebook shaped) brought home by sweet husband
- Food on the table
- Pumpkin waffles
- So many ways to create
- Saving over $100 dollars on a grocery trip for the whole month by using coupons/and sales
- 12 boxes of cereal (enough for over a month) as a result of that trip
- A cheerful smiling “Hi!” from sweet Bronwyn after a night of crying and morning of crabbiness
- Homemade blueberry preserves coating little faces
- Our Christmas/Jesse tree surviving for over a week in a home with 2 crazy toddlers.
- Slowly spending/savoring our Christmas money from my in-laws
- Derek and babies playing with rubber balls in Target
- Teaching both girls to say and sign hat
- Toddler carrying around books
- Silly blueberry faces
- Letting the girls knead pizza dough with me
- The resulting pizza—sautéed onions and peppers and muenster cheese with leftover bratwurst on an olive oil and spices base
- Derek for saying “I’d love some pizza!” while we ate bratwurst and Caesar salad
- $9.99 in CVS ExtraCare Bucks to spend however I like
- My mom willing to croche some newborn photography props for me
- Pulling Bronwyn out of the toilet bowl unscathed (did I mention she loves to climb everything!)
- Hearing about my dad’s mysterious and delicious tomato plant that was still producing right up until the weather turned cold
- A long nap for all crabby parties after a crazy night
- An Amazon book order with SwagBucks earned giftcards
- Holding both babies in a rocker at tchurch nursery as we waited on Daddy
- Playing fetch the balls with the babies as I record some of my blessings
- Bronwyn lugging around blankets and talking to them
- Aeralind bouncing on my lap
- Blueberry preserves on little bottoms
- Sunshine on cold days
- Climbing–Oh the constant climbing!
- Finally hearing the girls talk and understanding them
- An opportunity to be paid for a passion
- Wonton/Egg Roll Wrappers. I’m obessed with all I can do with them
- Being made new in the likeness of Christ
Nov
29
2010A little over a year ago I started this journey with the Gratitude Community. A year of diaper laundry. A year of nursing. A year of battling strong will. A year of conviction of selfishness. A year of growth.
Most every week I recorded tiny gifts of grace given to me by the Father. I captured moments that otherwise would have been lost. But most of all I found joy. Joy in the here and now. Joy in the good gifts from a heavenly father.
It’s hard to express the shift in my heart. Hard to tell you that I look at each thing differently. How wonderful it feels to savor sweetness over and over reading all my multiple blessings.
And I’m learning (slowly) that the right questions do have the perfect answers. Yes, He is Good. Yes, He gives good gifts. And those gifts, those graces, are unmeasured, vast, and free for me to open each day.
942. Waking up to Sun after 2 dreary days
943. my Good Morning Girls
944. Moving bookshelves
945. Bronwyn chewing on my Thanks notebook
946. Family Breakfast date at Chick-fil-a
947. Aeralind walking inside of the play area tunnels
948. Both girls going down the giant twisty slide
949. Having bathtubs/showers (even if I hate cleaning them)
950. Bronwyn walking around chewing on a dinner plate
951. Aeralind having the plate shared with her to do the same
952. The smell of ham frying
953. A squirrel eating out of a drawer on my porch
954. New PJ’s trailing behind little girls as they chew in their tags
955. Goind down big slides backward all by themselves at the park
956. Playing with Mia (another 14 month old we met) at the park
957. Sitting and eating crackers with Mia at the park
958. Couponing sites
959. Feeding little girls Pie Crust “cookies”
960. Measuring cup “toys”
961. Little girls playing in dirt at the farm
962. Bronwyn sitting on guitar cases facinated by the muscians
963. Aeralind shaking grass by it’s roots in joy
964. Other people keeping an eye out on the girls as they try to escape or jump off chairs
965. Going to the farm for Thanksgiving
966. Being invited 3 years ago
967. The girls snuggling with Peter and playing with him
968. Voices lifted in thanksgiving songs
969. Exhausted snuggly babies
970. Talking to Dad, Monica and Mom all on the same day– longing for them to be at the farm.
971. Trusting my gut and taking girls who are having trouble sleeping at night to the doctor where they were diagnosed with ear infections
972. Waking to a child screaming and my first thought being “I haven’t thanked Him for 5 consecutive nights of sleep!”
973. 5 Consecutive night of sleep after the start of antibiotics
974. Aeralind snuggles in the middle of the night
975. Bronwyn finally wearing herself out
976. Borrowing photo equipment from Rachel
977. Taking photos of little Gabriel
978. Learning to use photoshop elements
979. Snuggling with Derek watching NCIS
980. Praise and Gratitude Spreading like a Wildfire
981. A brief conversation with Mandy about an issue on my heart
982. Moleskin journals to write thanks
983. My toaster oven from college still working
984. Toddler girls in their first pigtails
985. Pie returned with my thanksgiving dishes
986. God working tiny threads together to make something beautiful
987. A dream coming true
988. Diapers-their constant drone in the washer saving me money
989. Christmas tree put up and lovingly petted (like the kitty) by the girls
990. The distinctive smell of winter finally arriving in the cool air
991. Little girls sharing food at the dinner table
992. Little girls who are not picky eaters
993. Chasing squealing toddlers
994. $5.95 giant Long Island Cheese pumpkin on sale to cook and freeze for more pumpkin treats
995. My sweet husband. I am so spoiled.
996. Little girls using forks and spoons correctly (sometimes)
997. Free trial of photoshop elements and the money earned to purchase it on sale
998. Beginning to understand their little words: book, ‘itty, ba (ll)
999. Ann Voskamp sharing her humble journey–daring us to join a community of gratitude
1000. Grace Unmeasured: a song to remind me of my own journey of gratitude.
