A Life of Gratitude

Have you ever felt like life is just a never ending treadmill? There are so many things that I find myself doing over and over again. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, picking up toys, changing diapers, dealing with back pain...just to name a few. Sometimes these things seem to go on and on with no real purpose. At the end of my life I really doubt that I will not look back with a sense of accomplishment because of all the laundry I folded. If I focus on all these seemingly menial tasks, it can start to seem like life is purposeless; just a never ending treadmill. This is something I've been contemplating for a while so I was pleased to hear our pastor speak about life's purpose yesterday at church. It was reassuring to be reminded that God has a purpose for each of His children. Even when seems like all I do is wipe snotty noses, teach math lessons, and vacuum, God has a purpose for me. Without God our life seems useless, tiresome, unfulfilling and out of control. With God, how

Do you ever get a feeling or ponder a thought and then God totally redirects you? For the past week or two I've been contemplating this blog and wondering if I should stop writing it. I've been thinking to myself, "this is stupid, what I think doesn't matter, people probably think I'm an idiot." I guess Satan has really been trying to discourage me. Well, today I received a comment from a reader in Ohio. I had no idea I had a reader in Ohio!  Here is her heartfelt comment: Tori, I don't even know how I came across your blog...but I know God had planned that I would several months ago. You have blessed me over and over with your bold witness and love for the Lord. I love your outspoken faith and the practical ways you share God's love with your family, friends and bloggers!  What a sweet family you have and I love all the traditions you have created and shared. I have shared your blog with my ladies Bible study group so know that you have a li

It seems like only yesterday Dylan was eating his first birthday cake! I cannot believe we celebrated his 5th birthday today! For those of you who know Dylan, you can imagine that the Transportation Museum is the absolute BEST place to celebrate Dylan turning 5! He has loved trains since the first time he laid eyes on one. He has always liked the caboose the best so when we came across the opportunity to have a birthday party IN a caboose, we couldn't pass it up! Dylan's 5th birthday party was a huge success. All of his buddies and family members got to ride in the caboose, we had pizza and cake, opened presents, butchered a pinata, and toured the museum. I think everyone had a terrific time. I know Dylan did! He received so many nice presents and had a wonderful time playing with his friends in the caboose!  Today I am thankful for the opportunity to celebrate Dylan's special day in such an exciting way! I am thankful for all the precious family members and friend

After spending a week at my Mom's house, our renters departed today and we were able to move back into our house. I always enjoy spending time in Lexington. My parents still live in the house I grew up in so it feels like I'm going back in time when we stay there. Its odd though because now I have 2 children of my own. Its really neat to watch my children enjoying the same home that I enjoyed, playing in the same yard I played in. Bryan's parents also live on the same street (we grew up on the same street) so our time in Lexington is always fun for everyone! It took all day but we were able to get everything unpacked and straightened up. My washer and dryer have been working overtime but I got all the sheets and comforters washed just in time for the boys to go to bed.  Moving back into our house is always nice because we've cleaned so much prior to market and the renters are barely there, so its still super clean. Its also nice to get everything back to "norm

My boys and I enjoyed celebrating Earth Day today! It is no secret that Dylan is obsessed with trash and recycling so, Earth Day is right up his alley! He loves any opportunity to talk about collecting trash and recyclables so we had what seemed like a never-ending conversation today!  We started off our celebration by taking a walk around my Mom's neighborhood. We picked up litter as we walked. Dylan kept saying that God wants us to take care of our world because He made it just for us. Dylan is right!     Dylan and I also enjoyed discussing ways to help take care of God's world. We learned what it means to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Dylan made his own list of how to be a "Earth Day Superhero!" My favorite of his superhero ideas was number 5. He said he is going to pray for Earth!  Today I am thankful for the incredible world that God has given us. Psalm 33:5 says that the Earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. As we walked around t

This was a weekend of celebrating LIFE! On Saturday morning I participated in the Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center's "Walk for Life" with my friend, Melissa. We were blessed with beautiful weather and had a wonderful time supporting this amazing ministry. After the walk, I rushed over to a baby shower for my good friend, Shanna.  This was a very special baby shower because I have been praying for this baby since before she was even conceived. Her life truly is a gift from God and I couldn't wait to celebrate her! I had the pleasure of making a cake with Miss Addie's initials on it. Today, I got to enjoy the sweet little lives that God has blessed me with. We spent the day together as a family. There is nothing I like better!   Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center's Walk for Life Baby Addie's Shower cake Shanna's baby shower Today I am thankful for LIFE! The Bible tells us that God is the creator of all life. Yes, it does take a male and a fe

This evening, after dinner, Dylan read 'Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss for his grandparents. He has been doing a great job with reading but I was floored by how well he read this book. It was the first time he had ever read the book and he did outstanding! I must have been beaming from ear to ear! Hearing my 4 year old son read increases my love for homeschooling! He has learned so much this year. We only have a few weeks left in our Kindergarten year together and we're already looking forward to next year! We even ordered our First Grade curriculum this afternoon. Dylan is so excited! He cannot wait to open the box when it arrives!  Today I am thankful for the ability to homeschool Dylan. I always enjoyed being a teacher because I loved teaching those sweet children to read. But, I gotta say, teaching my own son how to read is even better!  I am also thankful for the ability to order our First Grade curriculum. God provided the money we needed for our Kindergarten curr

Whew! We've been cleaning and packing and preparing for our furniture market renters for last couple of weeks. Although it seemed like we'd never get it all done, we finally finished today and our renters have arrived. While it is a lot of work to prepare our home and pack up our family, renting our home is a great opportunity. We enjoy spending the week with my family in Lexington and we make some extra money too. Plus, it forces us to do some heavy duty spring cleaning that we'd never do normally! Today I am thankful that we were able to get everything ready for our renters. Every year the "to-do" list is overwhelming but somehow we get it all done.  I am also thankful for my parents. They let us spend a week at their home twice a year. It is such a sweet blessing for our boys to spend this time with their grandparents. April and October are always so busy for us because of the Furniture Market but I really enjoy it!  

Over the past few weeks I have been blessed with the reminder that God makes all things new. It seems like everywhere I go I've seen scriptures, heard songs, and heard stories about God making things new. I even wrote a blog last week called, "All things new." So you can probably tell that my life has been inundated with this truth lately! We've also had a real life example of this miracle taking place within our home.  About three weeks ago our caterpillars arrived in the mail. They were so tiny! Within days they had tripled in size and after a week or so, they made chrysalises. A little over a week later they begin to hatch. From those little brown pouches emerged big, gorgeous butterflies. I know its elementary but watching this process has been so exciting for me. It is absolutely amazing! There is no way that these little creatures and the change they undergo isn't a God thing! Only God could change a dull, hairy caterpillar that squirms and crawls into

This day was sort of rough for me. I woke up this morning with a migraine.  In case anyone was wondering, migraines and very active little boys don't mix well.  Thankfully, Bryan was working from home today and he let me sleep until 9:00am! I haven't slept that late in years. Another blessing is that the medicine I take for the lasting nerve damage caused by my spinal headache, is actually migraine medicine. So, after taking triple my normal dosage (which is totally within the allowed daily dosage) and sleeping a few extra hours, I started to feel some better. Today I am thankful for all the ways God came to my aid. I am grateful for Bryan's ability to work from home a couple of times a week, which has been incredibly helpful over the years.  I really don't know what I would have done without Bryan being home today. I am also thankful that a medication I already take is exactly the type of medicine I needed today. I've known for years that God is in control of

We were invited to go to the zoo today with our good friends Keri and Jack. We had an awesome time and it was the perfect day! Dylan and his buddy, Jack, ran all over the place. They were having so much fun together. Evan really enjoyed himself as well!  When we were leaving Dylan said, "Mommy, my feet are sick." After a few minutes I realized he was trying to explain that he is feet were tired of walking. When asking him if he was ok, he told me that was tired because he had so much fun! Today I am thankful for the beautiful day we were able to spend at the zoo. I am also thankful all the amazing animals that God created for us to enjoy. I have to admit, I think the baboons were made simply for children to laugh at. (Dylan asked me today if their bottoms were burning!) I am also grateful for quality time with friends. We truly had a great time with our friends today!

Bryan and I were 2 of the 13.2 million people that watched The Bible on the History Channel. We enjoyed it so much that we pre-ordered the DVD collection. It came in the mail this weekend and we've spent the last two evenings watching it again, after the boys have gone to bed. Seeing it for the second time is even better! The producers and screen writers must have really studied God's Word because this series was full of so many of it's wonderful details. We just watched the portion of the series that depicts the parting of the Red Sea. I've heard or read this story numerous times but I've never imagined it the way it was shown in this series. I guess I've always pictured it as more of a cartoon or children's story but in reality it would have been absolutely breath taking. I love the way The Bible portrayed this event. It was dark, scary, loud, overwhelming, huge and rushed. I've been trying to imagine being one of the Israelites standing at the e

  He who was seated on the throne  said, “I am making everything new!”   Revelation 21:5a I don't think I'm the only one who has felt as if this winter would never end. It seems like I've been shivering for months and months now. I couldn't be more ready to stop bundling my kids up and they are ready to spend more time playing outside. So, I was thrilled with the beautiful spring day we enjoyed today. I even got to wear my flip flops!  Bryan, the boys, and I went on a very long walk this afternoon on the greenway behind our neighborhood. As I pushed Evan along in his stroller and Bryan helped Dylan ride his bike, I was thrilled with the opportunity to spend some time outdoors with my family. It was absolutely gorgeous outside. Every year I am constantly amazed by spring. I love watching the earth come to life again. I love to see flowers of all shapes and sizes blooming, lifeless trees coming to life, bright green grass growing, and the sun shining bright

This sounds a little silly but I realized earlier today that all of our clothes are folded and put away, AND the washer and dryer are both empty!  Can I get a Wahoooo??!!  It seems like I am always washing and folding laundry and there are always full clothes baskets waiting to be unloaded. Today's realization is amazing for our home. I'll be honest, the hampers are probably full and in need of emptying but, for the moment, "all" the laundry is done! So, I had a 30 second breather. As I thought about all of our laundry and the other never-ending household chores, I had to admit to myself that I am actually incredibly grateful for these things. Yes, laundry and cleaning and cooking and dusting, all get old from time to time but I am so thankful for a home to clean and family to take care of. I am also grateful for my husband and my little guys who are such good helpers. They are really good at making life easier for me.   I'm off to start a load of l