{ 30 Days of Gratefulness: # 16 }

Today I am thankful for:

( source )

Our beloved Mama B. (David's Mom) who's birthday is today. I doubt there has ever been a dearer soul on this earth. ( Except for maybe her mother) I cannot even begin to tell you the blessing she is in our lives or how much we adore + admire her. She's makes Nov. 16th a beautiful, beautiful day!

Making headway on cleaning the house.

Sweet phone calls.

That I was able to get Annabelle out of the dining room closet quickly, after realizing and bursting into tears that she had locked her self in.

Dryers Limited Edition Peppermint Ice Cream. It's seriously, dangerously good. Thanks a lot Andi. ( it's her favorite and I hold her completely responsible for my addiction to it :)

This really, really good sermon on Fear + Anxiety and Jesus. I did not know until today that Jesus said, " fear not..." more than he said anything else.

Annabelle's precious bedtime prayers to: " Dear Jesus, please fix little baby Ella's body so she can live."

The man of my dreams, who just called down the stairs to me, "Chelle, bedtime."

Thankfuls ( last weeks )

( find this free Thanksgiving printable here )

  I have neglected to post an entire weeks work of daily thankfuls, haven't I?  Not because there is a lack of things to be thankful for by any means, but it's been extra busy around here this past week. David is home from work now, as paving season is over for the year. We are all as tickled as can be about that, and love these special days with him and plan to make the most of them while we have with him here at home with us, during the lull between paving and winter work. 
So in looking back on this happy little week just gone by, I am grateful for:

  How Jack soaks up time with his Daddy's and watches David's every move around the house as he puts finishing touches and touch ups on things around here. All day long Jack carries around his " tool-tools" hitting stuff, and I am thankful for our dear little man in the making, even if it means two cracked + broken windows, two days in a row.   We are seriously wondering if he has a arm of steel, as we've puzzled over how a little person can break windows with three swings of his plastic toy hammer?

  So very thankful to our sweet Jesus for the miracle of little baby Ella, born earlier this week. For the outpouring of prayers and love for her and her dear Mommy, Daddy and two big brothers. And for the sweet hours spent together with really special + gifted friends this week, praying our hearts out and sewing up a little a baby quilt for precious Ella.

This E.Elliot quote: " Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes." ( taken from These Strange Ashes )

Getting so close to checking off, " hang pictures on the walls " from the to-do list.

Asking Annabelle what her favorite thing of the day was: " the little pink christmas tree with lights that we saw at the store mommy! "

Jack and Annabelle's melt my heart baby crush on this scrumptious little baby boy that we are all so in love with.

Havarti cheese ( my #1 pregnancy craving ) in my fridge to snack on, a gift from previously mentioned " scrumptious baby boy's"  nice + pretty Mommy .

Tea partys and matching hoodies and darling little friends.

Sunday morning fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls before church.

Steaming cups of Trader Joes Vanilla + Cinnamon Black Tea with honey + cream.

Annabelle's adorable new nick name for Jack: Dinky.

This pretty little spot that's: " a shared collection of ideas + links + inspiration for creative, crafty, party throwing, homemade gift loving, and sometimes homeschooling mama/artists... "

Big pots of Potato and Ham + Ham and Bean Soup. Obviously I am on a ham + soup ( with homeade bread ) kick.

{ Thankful : Days 5 + 6 }

Friday, Nov. 5th :

  Making cookies with Anniebelle's to raise money to for our Operation Christmas Child project...

  A impromptu date-night of fajitas + flirting...

  Anniebelle's fun sleep-over with Auntie Roo...

  How David always says to Jack..." oh, he was a good little monkey...but always very curious..."

Saturday, Nov. 6th:

  The golden kaleidoscope of leaves out our windows, spinning downward in a morning sunburst

  A entire two hours spent in the craft room. While Jack napped and Annabelle happily cut and pasted a clown and I  worked on BLESSED banners.

   David stashing a little bag of chocolate covered gummy bears in our cart and  kissing me right in the middle of Winco.

( source )

  Watching this " Random Act of Culture " with tears streaming down my face and some serious goose-bumps. And the email I got back from Grannie Annie after she'd watched it too..." That was SO beautiful! Oh my, I hope that catches on! Oh, I hope they do this here! I think that is a lovely, lovely thing to do and I hope it catches on! It was delightful, hallelujah! Pass it on! It really was delightful! IT's worth your effort!"

  Jacks new love: tilapia. He's on a 30 day elimination diet right now. A really strict one and he can only have turkey and white fish for meat. On top of his already, no gluten, dairy, eggs sugar, soy, nuts, most fruits and some veggies, our try-to -figure-out-what-this-kid-isn't-allergic-to diet.

Pouring out thanks...

Nov. 3rd :

   For Jack's appointment with a new doctor that was a total answer to prayer and that gives me hope for getting to the bottom of his allergy/skin issues.

  Craft night...which included a bunch of wonderful, creative ladies, busy with a fun Advent project, yummy treats,  yards and yards of burlap and laughter + chatting until well past midnight.

  A vase full of colorful leaves.

  For a little shop update.

  Sweet baby flutters.

Nov. 4th :

  For a sweet Bible study time this morning. I think our little group is starting to feel a little more brave and safe to take things to a deeper, more honest + real level. For a lot of conviction on my part as we read through the chapter in our book: Profile of the Lukewarm.  I wanted to jot down some quotes here but after I'd scoured the house for it, I realized that David must have taken it to work with him, which makes me so happy and thankful to know he's been reading it on his own.

  Delighted in these three beautiful little girlies and their matching pig-tail braids...another one of this sweet + darling friend's, 1000 + 1 talents.

The silly telling of a bedtime story by Anniebelle's to her Daddy that started  like this..." Once upon a time Daddy there was a rabbit who had a tail made out of cheese. And who walked on his ears. And had two bellybuttons for eyes..."at which point they both dissolve into silly, silly giggles.  

  Thankful especially for this day because it was on this very day 29 years ago that this most amazing + beautiful lady was born.  Struggled all day understanding why God would allow her birthday to be turned upside down by something really scary happening to her just as amazing + beautiful little daughter. All day + evening I worried and ached for them and for other dear friends who are hurting...and then came David's gentle encourage-ment to " not doubt God ...to just trust that He knows  and allows what's best for us and those we love so dearly. And by last night the prayers  of so many were already being sweetly answered, worries stilled and from the sound of things, it has been a really happy, normal, celebrating + making up for lost time, sort of day for them.

 

{ 30 Days of Gratefulness}

Thankfuls:

Novemeber 1st - 

 
  That afternoon I had bought a 50 lb bag of flour at Costco and somehow managed to get it into the back of my car...and then later called out the door to my just home from work husband..." hey would you mind bringing in the flour in for me" as he magically pulled not one,  but two bouquets of flowers from behind his back. Talk about perfect timing. You can imagine my shock... and my delight. Today I cannot see them without smiling and remembering with particular fondness, the giver of my yellow + orange spray roses. 

  A evening family walk in the rain to stalk up on "Wa's" ( waffles) for Jack. And thanking Jesus for gluten free, dairy free, egg free breakfast food that I can just pop in the toaster.

  Snuggling + three hundred bedtime kisses from our littles...

  This quiet little space to stash away bits of beauty + wise words.


November 2nd - 

  That it was warm enough this afternoon to leave the back door open and let Jack play happily out in yard for over 2 hours.

  For two huge loaves of homemade bread that perfume the entire house.

  For miles piles of clean laundry, because it means we have clothes to wear. 

  For an ugly disagreement ( because are lives are far from polished and perfect )turned to forgiveness, humility and tear-stained kisses. That make me think of the words to this song:

" Well “I Do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another, I’ve heard, is a good place to begin‘Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found

And we went dancing in the minefields

We went sailing in the storms

And it was harder than we dreamedBut I believe that’s what the promise is for "

taken from Andrew Peterson's, Dancing in the Minefields

  The cute letter Annabelle wrote today for our little baking fundraiser:

" Dear Everyone,

Would you please like to buy cinnamon rolls, bread or cookies for shoe boxes for children who don't have many things? These children get really excited when they open their Christmas shoe box. And it's fun to make them happy.

Thank you very much.

Love,

Annabelle XOXOX  "

Oh, how I love her heart!

Saying Goodbye to October...

 One of our very sweetest + busiest months of the year so far.

Now for some pictorial proof:

( our first school outing, apple-picking with dear friends ) 

 October just wouldn't be October without:

making caramel apples

autumn treasure hunts

finding heart-shaped leaves

wagon rides

cute pumpkin faces from Grannie Annie...

and being spoiled x 29 for my birthday, some really, really special visits from precious friends family of ours, lots of hot soup + homemade bread, finally getting to hear that little baby heartbeat, stacks + piles of books about apples and Abraham Lincoln and acorns and butterflies,birds and babies and fun preschool projects, a really lovely group of bible study ladies, the trio of pumpkins and  vase full of amber/orange leaves on my dining room table, Annabelle reading a book to David with 22 words in it, a fun + yummy early Thanksgiving dinner with good friends , the birth of this dear to my heart baby boy, the kids "sledding" down our stairs, havarti cheese ( oh dear me ) my daily pregnancy craving and the culprit, I fear of more than a couple extra pounds, a entire hour of quiet to spend with Jesus on Thursday afternoons, Jack's funny faces and " WoW's!" ( usually in reference to a big truck ),  the splendid sun spilling over the leaves + trees outside, glowing like the colors from a stained glass window...all the Annabelle + Jack adventures we've had this month, great and small, makes me think of this sweet song ,and the great anticpation of the joy+ love that's yet to be...