Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
Happy November!!! Not sure how 2016 has flown by so quickly, but here we are in November already. November is a wonderful month to reflect on the blessings that we encounter each and everyday of our lives. Even if you are going through a tough time and you have to look a little deeper there is always something we can be thankful for throughout the day. May this month be not only a time of reflection of the blessings in your life, but that we actively show our gratitude to people around us in our life. Reach out to someone each day this month and genuinely thank them for something they have done that has blessed you or the positive impact they have made or the encouragement that they have been in your life. Maybe if we make it a habit to do this for a month we’ll develop a habit of naturally looking for the blessings and taking time to say thank you to those in our lives throughout the entire year.
It was a wonderful trip to Kansas to visit my parents and extended family, but it is awesome being back home with Jake and the girls again. They picked me up at the airport with smiles, treats, and big hugs. Always nice being back home with the family again. After getting me at the airport we went to dinner at TGI Friday’s. Dinner was fun and relaxing as we shared stories about our adventures the past few days. The girls did homework in the van that way everyone could shower and get ready for the next day as soon as we got home.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for my Mom driving me to the airport, that my flights all went well, and that I was back with Jake and the girls at home once again.
Tuesday – Thankful for a job that allows me to travel occasionally and for co-workers who pitch in to help out while I am gone.
Wednesday – Thankful Jake and everything he does to help out around the house, and with the kids. Enjoy having some down time and catching up at the end of our day together.
Thursday – Thankful that we got to see Karlie perform in her 1st Orchestra Concert tonight. She did awesome! All that practice is starting to pay off. She just started playing too. At the concert she was in several duets and small group performances as well as the entire orchestra.
Friday – Thankful that the girls were able to attend the Student Council Leadership Pep Rally today. They left before school started and got back right as it ended. They had a fun day meeting other student council members from the area, going to workshops, games, and getting to know their student council team members. They were exhausting by the end of the day, but had a grand time. After a long day of work followed by weekly errands with the girls after school it was wonderful to come home and smell dinner cooking and my Handsome Man in the kitchen. He timed it perfectly by the time we had the groceries carried into the house he was ready with dinner and it was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you Babe!
Saturday – Thankful that the girls had an opportunity to do Community Service work through their Student Council Committee today. They scraped and repainted their school’s bases for their flag pole and light posts. Surprisingly they did not come home completely covered in paint (only a few spots of yellow and purple). Grateful for a chance to celebrate fall with the family, instead of dressing up and going Trick-R-Treating on Halloween the girls have chosen to do a family Halloween celebration at home – carving pumpkins, making different flavored pumpkin seeds, a special dinner, and an evening to relax and spend together as a family.
Sunday – Thankful for my family, none of us are perfect and we live in a broken world, yet we have so much to be thankful for each day and having a family as well as a place to call home isn’t something everyone has the privilege to enjoy. Grateful for a chance to hang out with Jake, Brina, and Karlie today as well as prep as we gear up for another busy week ahead.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day.
Help Each Other …
If You Want Children To Keep …
Photo CreditIf you
I Don’t Want My Children …
Listen Earnestly To …
Do Not Handicap Your Children …
Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!
Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party! Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years. Excellent teacher!!!
Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more. Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!
Luau theme at the Grad Party! The kids had a blast!
Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David! Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!
Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!
Sweet Sisters! Thankful for these two girls!Relationships: Through the Eyes of Children
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There is joy in the simplest thing,
From the green of a leaf on the earliest tree
To the curve of a bird on the wing.
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There are miracles filling each day,
From the grass which mysteriously sways in the wind
To the gold in the sun’s friendly ray.
If you look at the world with the eyes of a child,
There is wonder beyond any measure,
From the stars and the moon in the evening sky
To the sparkle of a dewdrop treasure.
– Maryjane Tonn
I love how children take such joy and delight in the everyday things of life. From a babies giggle to sprinkles on top of the ice cream cone to a handful of cheerful yellow dandelions picked to be displayed in glory on the counter. The little moments of happiness and sheer gladness over the simple yet everyday tasks or items in life. Learning how to use or do something for the first time brings a great happiness to a child.
As an adult there is so much my children and other children can remind me. There is so many blessings all around us. Too often I take those good things that God gives me for granted. I know I don’t take enough time to focus on the blessings and goodness that I see around me.
Being around kids especially small ones for extended periods of time is exhausting yet rewarding. Their energy and excitement is contagious. I am thankful for my kids and the little ones that I have had the opportunity to spend time with because they remind me of the true treasures in life that I have been given. Thank you little ones!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Relationships: Granting Your Spouse Permission to Help YOU Heal
Rose picked by Jake from the Mother’s Day bush Karlie gave me last year! Beautiful!I am blessed to have a loving husband. He takes great care of me and the girls, loves me despite my faults, pitches in around the house, always seeking ways to teach our girls, and intentionally invests regularly time and energy into our relationship and our family.
Yet for some reason when I am tired, hurting, or discouraged he is the first person I tend to lash out at. Is it because he is near? Or is it that I trust he will continue loving me as he helps me get through the moments of hurt? Is it that he is the first person who notices that I am struggling? Is it because I allow “little stuff” to build up, get emotional, and blow the “little stuff” way out of proportion? Or is it a complex multitude of feelings and connections of life that make me think it is acceptable to snap at someone truly trying to lovingly help me?
Life is tough. It would be a lie to say that I have not gone through a multitude of various emotions over the past few months. My girls are growing up so quickly and my Momma’s heart is rejoicing yet broken over it at the same time. I have not invested the time and energy into relationships that are important to me. It has been a struggle to balance life, schedules, and times to the point that some days I feel like I am messing up everything or falling short. It feels like there are days when I am rushing through life and trying to just get what has to be accomplished done only to crash at night and re-start the process all over again the next day.
How can I be an encouraging, positive, loving light, sharing God’s grace with those around me when I feel like the walls are falling in on me? I have been praying specifically that God would break down the walls I have built up around my heart, revealed those areas I need to heal and repair, fill the holes that are plugged with the wrong motives, and work in my life, however, it is at times a very painful process.
When an animal is hurting they tend to find a safe place and withdraw into themselves. If you approach a hurt animal when they are in that safe place or feel like they are backed into a corner they have a tendency to snap at anyone reaching out to help them. Their eyes are clouded with hurt or pain, their defenses are up, and they don’t know what to do so they react in anger at anyone trying to help because it is hard for them to distinguish between someone who is trying to hurt and a person who is trying to help. I am sure vets or people who work with animals see this all the time. The animal wants to be alone in their pain, lick their wounds, and retreat to safety even though it it not the best action if they truly want to heal.
As humans we cannot and should not react the same way as an animal would. We are built to value and crave relationships. Some of our relationships may be healthy while others are pulling us down. We cannot be everything to everybody, it’s impossible, yet we can make an impact on the lives we touch. Starting with our relationship with Christ, spreading to our spouses, children, and reaching out to family, friends, co-workers, and others that we interact with in our lives. It always works best when we are living our life looking for strength, encouragement, and wisdom from the top and allowing it to filter down through our lives to the people we have the privilege of loving and living life beside.
Take time this week to spend time pray. Investigate your heart, reflect on your relationships, and start the process of breaking down the barriers we have created to falsely shield us. Those barriers are really just holding us back and blocking those who truly love and want to help us. Allow your spouse and others to speak truth into your life.
