Good Gifts

This year has been a difficult one for us in many ways.  Health issues for me, Andy starting a new business and all that means, switching from homeschooling to sending the kids to public school, and divisions at church have all taken turns weighing us down. 

You know, I think I would have probably given in to despair and discouragement if it hadn't been for my thankful list.  In the summer of 2011 I started writing down several things I was thankful for each day, numbering them in a notebook, and trying not to write the same thing twice.  I was inspired to do this by the book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp.  Actually writing down the gifts God sends our way each day really does change your perspective.  I notice His gifts more now than I would have before.

For example, see the road in the photo above?  The county is doing road construction on the paved road that we usually take to go places so instead we get to drive on this road- isn't it pretty?  Every time I drive down it it makes me happy.  The wildflowers that are blooming in the ditches, the beautiful blue fall sky, having a good talk with one of the boys- they are all gifts from God, ways He shows His love and care for me, even in this old sin-filled world.

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Good-bye Summer Tea

Our summer weather is winding down, the cool mornings and evenings feel so good- September is a nice month, isn't it?  I made some Constant Comment tea today, it's one of my favorites.  We still have a few summer flowers blooming so I decided to pick a few one last time for the table.

The marigolds, roses and mums look pretty in this creamer, don't you think?  I always take sugar in my tea but not cream- I guess I haven't grown up yet enough to drink it unsweetened!  This cute sugar and creamer are made by Newcastle in Japan.



This teacup is special to me because I bought it when we were waiting to adopt AJ- we waited 2 long years to be matched up with him but we always had hope that God would send us the child he wanted us to have- and he did!  AJ was definitely worth the wait.  The teacup is by Sandy Clough.

May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace

as you trust in him,

so that you may overflow with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

 

I am joining Tea Time Tuesday and Table Top Tuesday again today.

Welcome to Holland

Sometimes life doesn't turn out how you had it planned back when you were 20-

but that's ok- because God's ways are always better than ours!  I like this little story

because it illustrates this so well.  I read it years ago and just found it online now to share with

you- it can apply to lots of different situations we find ourselves in.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

No worries

Like it has been in so much of the country, our summer here was very dry and hot.  We have a small creek running through our property and it was dry almost everywhere except this one water hole that never dried up.  We think there must be a spring under the ground there.  SJ, AJ and I took a walk in the woods behind our house the other day and stopped by there.  The pictures I took reminded me of these verses in Jeremiah 17:7-8.

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.

 



Fall is for apple pie

My parents have a couple apple trees so we went over there last week and the boys each filled up their own bucket with apples.  AJ had big plans to make his own pie with his apples.  So yesterday we went to work and he made his own pie. Then SJ thought he needed his own pie too so he made one next.  They did a great job! 

AJ and SJ are such good friends, they are in kindergarten together and they have so many good times together, it makes me happy!  I love watching them run across the yard, watching each other and laughing the whole way- how nice to have a brother who is also your best friend!

How good and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1

Auntie Toots' Teacups

Isn't fall a lovely time of year?  Our weather changed last week and so the cooler air inspired me to decorate for fall.  I found a pumpkin spice candle in my decorations box and the house smells so cozy now with it burning!

Isn't this little girl cute?  She belonged to my great-aunt and on the bottom it says "last gift grandmother", her grandmother died in 1951, so it's fairly old. 

These teacups are special because they are from Andy's side of the family.  We had 3 teacups but no saucers, then last week I was at an antique store with my mom and we found two saucers that match- so that was a fun find.  They belonged to his "Auntie Toots".  I'm not sure how she got the name Toots, but that's what everyone called her!  Her brother, who was Andy's great-grandpa, was known as Slim.  I love this photo of them.  They are branding calves in the mountains of Colorado.

 

The fall season reminded me of this verse-

 

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God stands forever.

Isaiah 40:8

 

In a world full of change, it's so good to know that God never changes!  He is always good, always loving, always forgiving, and always just.  I am so thankful for that!

 





I'm joining Table Top Tuesday and Tea Time Tuesday

 

 

 

Andy walks with me

Back when Andy and I were dating, we were sitting in church one Sunday, and I told him my favorite hymn was "In the Garden"- here are the words if you don't know them.

 

I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known.

~C. Austin Miles~

 

It's a nice song and all, but this is why I really told him it was my favorite hymn--

 



 

Andy's grandma sent me this newspaper clipping when we were dating and I still have it in my Bible, I guess because I'm sentimental like that.  (:  Hope you all have a great weekend!