A Life of Gratitude

Tonight at church we had an Intercessory Prayer Night for families. It was such a neat way to get families together, praying for one another and others.  There were 6 stations set up around the sanctuary. At the first station the kids were to pray and ask God to speak to them and give them an idea to draw on their canvases. Dylan drew a big smiley face and wrote, "God will never let you down." Evan drew a very detailed picture of Jesus on the cross. I asked him what made him draw that picture and he said, "This is the price Jesus paid for us!" I loved watching them pray and then draw what God brought to their minds. The second station we went to had a large map. The kids used sticky hands to pick a country somewhere around the world to pray for. Tyson picked China. So, together, we prayed for the Chinese people to learn about Jesus and give their lives to Him. We prayed that they might have warm homes and plenty of food to eat. We also prayed that t

Today my family went with a few other homeschool families to volunteer at the Out of the Garden Project. This project is such a blessing to our community. It provides food for children that have very little to eat at home. Each day a small bag of snacks is sent home with a child so he doesn't get hungry until he has the school provided breakfast the next day. Each Friday, a bag of easy meals are placed in the child's bookbag to take home for the family to eat. I had no idea this warehouse even existed. It is in the back of a church in High Point. The warehouse is lined with boxes of donated food and bags. All of this food is sorted and bagged and delivered to students all over Guilford County.  Its a surprising statistic, but out of Guilford County School's 73,000 students, 67% of those receive free or reduced school lunch. This is one of he highest rates in the nation. Greensboro and High Point were ranked #1 for food insecurity in the United States until July of

I am a list-maker. I have at least one to-do list going at all times. I also have a daily and monthly planner, where I write down alllllll the things I have to do. I mean, when you have 4 children, you have to write things down! I love being able to check things off my list. It makes me feel good, I guess, like I've actually gotten something done. I've even been known to write things on my list after I've accomplished them, just so I could check them off!  Silly, I know.  Recently, I've been feeling aggravated with myself for not being able to check things off my list. I have a whole lot going on and not much time to do all of those extra things on my to-do list. But still, I hate not being able to check those things off!  I have been praying about this and been reassured that God isn't bothered by my to-do list or how many things I check off of it. I do know, however, that He cares deeply about me and wants me to know that even if I never check another t

After having 3 boys and being a boymom for 9 years, I have been so super excited about having a little girl! The day I found out that I was expecting a baby girl (and had the DNA proof that it really was a girl) I started day dreaming of the fun things we will do together, just me and my daughter. Today, I got to do the first of those things with Allison!! Today, she got her ears pierced! My girl and me  So happy! Can you see those little diamonds? Today I am grateful for my beautiful daughter. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my boys and enjoy every minute with them!! But, there is something special about a daughter and I'm so excited to experience so many girly things with her! I am also thankful for the amazing ladies at Merle Norman who worked so diligently to make sure Allison's earrings were placed just perfectly. They pierced both ears at the same time which made it quick and easy. Allison only cried for a brief second and then she was all sm

For Father's Day the boys got Bryan this silly "Daddy Saddle" because they love to ride him around like he's a horse. It got used once or twice and then put away so we hadn't played with it in months until, this weekend. The boys found the saddle and insisted Bryan wear it!  It is never quiet in my house, as I'm sure you can imagine, but the laughter and screams that occurred because of the "Daddy Saddle" might be the loudest our kiddos have been yet. They had so much fun! It really was hilarious!  An evening full of hoots and hollers as the kids and their daddy were just "horsin' around!"  Today I am grateful for fun times as a family. We often plan trips and excursions and spend money to have fun but honestly, some of the best times together are impromptu, free, and silly. I love that we get to spend so much time together, laughing and playing.  I'm incredibly thankful for these precious people God has gi

Today is my hubby's 37th birthday. I've been thinking all day about the many birthdays we've celebrated together. Bryan turned 16 the year we started "dating!" I know that sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not!  Aren't we cute? Sooo young!! I think this was 1998 My Senior Prom 2000 Our Wedding, 2004 We used to dream about the day we would get married and have babies! I actually remember a specific conversation when I said, "We only have to wait 8 years until we can get married!" Well, we waited and waited and now I can barely believe all that time has gone by! Things haven't always been perfect but God has brought us so far and blessed us beyond measure.  Today I am grateful for the many birthdays I've been able to celebrate with Bryan. I've seen him grow into such a wonderful husband and caring father. Every daydream I had as a 16 year old girl, has come true. Now we have 4 little ones that