A plan

That in spite of my desires, thoughts and plans, God has a better one.  That when I pray He answers, even if it isn’t the way I think it should be.

That His plan began before my birth, and doesn’t end for me.  That if I just trust and follow He will reveal His plan in my life.

I’m thankful that I don’t have to come up with the plan.  I am sure I wouldn’t be good at it.

I’m thankful He has a plan for my husband and children too. That I can rest in that knowledge and trust them to His care.  What a load off my shoulders when I trust them to Him.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” declares the Lord..

Psalm 139:¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts,^[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

 

Thank you Lord for your good plan!

 

Memories

I was thinking about the fact that we can remember things.  What would life be like if we couldn’t?  It’s a crazy thought.  I mean we wouldn’t be very smart.  We wouldn’t learn lessons well.  But saying we could learn but just not remember emotional things, life would be pretty dull.

I had a fun lunch and shopping with a friend yesterday afternoon. I was thinking back as I was driving back home over the experiences we’ve shared in the 15 or so years we’ve been friends.  Pregnant together, too many meals to count, babysitting each others kids, ladies conference, shopping trips, vacations.  I was thinking how sweet it is that we have memories.  Memories of favorite things, favorite people, favorite activities.  I’m the kind of person who prefers to make a memory than get a gift.  I’d rather do something with you than have you buy me something.  A memory lasts forever.

I try to be intentional in making memories with my kids.  They enjoy talking over experiences we’ve had.  Even small things like the smell of my mom’s pantry, or Sunday pasta dinners at Great-Grammy and Grampy’s.  Funny memories of things people have said or done.  They remember people’s laughs and try to copy them 🙂  Yes, Aunt Sam, your laugh is often copied 🙂  They talk about things that were hard at the moment but we can laugh about now.  Trips we’ve taken, getting lost, being surprised, so many fun memories.

I heard an idea recently that I really liked.  It was suggested that you take a jar and write on small pieces of paper things as they happen to you throughout the year.  Then on New Year’s Eve read the papers back and talk about them.  What a great way to remember things that you might forget in the midst of living.

I am thankful that God has given us the ability to remember.  I haven’t lost special people because of this gift.  I can remember my grandmother holding me on her lap, in her rocking chair.  I can remember my grandfather’s tight hugs.  I’m thankful for those memories.

Mountains

I love mountains just as much as the beach!  They are majestic and powerful!  They too remind me just how small I am.  The fact that they have been there for thousands of years, immovable.  The way they stand against the sky, guarding the valley below.  The way the vegetation grows on them-large trees near the bottom, slowly things becoming smaller and smaller, buffeted by the wind, weather beaten and gnarled.

I’ve blogged about Mount Washington in NH before.  It is one of my favorite places to visit.  The power of the weather on that mountain is awe inspiring!  They have a live camera feed that you can watch and check out the conditions at any time.  If you are ever feeling like complaining about your weather, it is worth checking out 😉  Here’s a link to their current weather.  Tomorrow wind chills 30-40 below!

The Rockies are another amazing mountain range.  I’ve had the privilege of driving through them and absolutely loved it!  So different from the mountain ranges in the northeast.  Just as beautiful in their own way.  I loved the diversity of terrain.

God is quite an artist!  He has given us so much proof of His existence when we look to nature!  I am thankful that His creation points us to Him.  I am thankful He provided us with such a beautiful place to live.

 

The Beach

I know, call me a slacker, but yesterday was a busy day.  Laundry, cooking, school, driving my son around, what I would have loved to have done is gone to the beach 🙂  The beach is one of my favorite places.  The sound of the waves, the blue sky, the birds, laughing kids.  I could stay there forever.

It’s that place I go when I am in need of peace.  There is something soothing about it.  It reminds me of just how small I am in the scheme of things.  And just how big my God is!  I like to think about and imagine what it would look like under the water if I could see.  How many incredible fish and creatures are swimming under there!

I am not a fan of the sand, it sticks to me for days afterward!  My family knows not to get me sandy! 😉  They love the beach just as much as me, maybe even more because they love the sand too!

I am thankful that God gave us such a beautiful edge to the sea.  He didn’t have to make it pretty, but he did!

 

The WWW

I am thankful that I can pick up my computer or phone wherever I am and just type in a few words and find out whatever I need to know.  Today at BJ’s, when I was grocery shopping and had a question about whether a product was gluten free, I just grabbed my phone and googled!  So easy!  Question answered, no wait, no research, no call to the company.

This afternoon I googled homemade laundry detergent.  I’ve been hearing about it for a while now, but decided today to try and make it myself.  I found tons of ideas and recipes online.

Homeschool help-google

Gift ideas-google

Health info-google

Car shopping-internet

Plane tix-internet

Movie reviews-internet

Recipes-internet

chat with my nieces/nephews via video-internet

Keep up with friends and family without disrupting their schedules-internet

So many more things too.  I am thankful that at the tip of my fingers I can have the world.  I don’t think our kids will ever be able to grasp just how much easier this makes their lives 🙂  The Worldwide web, one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century!

 

 

 

Flowers

I love flowers!  I am thankful God created so many beautiful varieties.  Morning glories, lilacs, tulips, roses, hydrangeas, hibiscus, orchids, daisies, sweet peas, sweet williams..the list is endless!   Some smell amazing, some not so sweet.  Some are long lasting, some quickly fade.  The rainbow of colors is unending!  Flowers make me smile.  I hate to see them die but love having fresh ones in the house.

On Thursday I was given a beautiful arrangement including a few of my favorite.  I would have never thought to put them together but they were beautiful-2 bright pink gerber daisies, an asiatic lily, and a white hydrangea.  I wish I had thought to take a photo before they wilted.

Some of my youngest memories are about flowers.  My grandparents on both sides used to grow all kinds!  I can remember at their houses getting the garden tour.  We would walk around looking at all the different colors and varieties while they told us what they were and where they came from.  My mom does this even today when I visit her, and ironically, my hubby’s grandmother too! 🙂

I guess flowers are in my DNA.  If only I could grow them as well as my mom and grandmother’s did!  I am thankful God gave us such beauty to admire in this world.

Christmas lights

When I was little we had a game we played when we drove around at night during the Christmas season.  I have no idea how it started but we would sit with our eyes glued to the windows and when we spotted Christmas lights we would try to be the first to yell “lights!”  I still do this now, but my kids don’t do get it 🙂

I love driving around and looking at everyone’s decorations.  I love the huge displays the parks and towns put up.  I love the boat parade on the Intracoastal.  I love finding those neighborhoods where every house is decorated!

When our kids were little we would put them in cozy jammies and drive around.  If I could do it all over again I’d probably make them hot cocoa and cookies to take along 🙂

I saw a few of our neighbors putting their lights up this weekend.  I’m looking forward to finding some new light displays this year.  I’m thankful for those who decorate their homes for Christmas!  Maybe I’ll make some cocoa and cookies for the kids this year, even though they are now big kids!  🙂

Classics and days off

This morning I am watching classic movies with my kiddos and getting out some Christmas decorations 🙂  I love old movies and books!  So far we’ve watched “Sitting Pretty,” “Life With Father” is on now, and the original “Cheaper by the Dozen” last night.  “Gone With the Wind” was on the day before Thanksgiving 🙂  My girls love old movies too.  Max says he tolerates them, but secretly I think he likes them.

I love that they usually have large families.  They usually have moral lessons or at least show stupid behavior for what it is!

A good classic movie while baking, or decorating for Christmas makes it feel more like a holiday to me 🙂  And if it’s a movie made from a book all the better!  We read the book and then watch the movie!

I am thankful for mornings off to enjoy fun family movies as we decorate and plan our holiday season 🙂

 

Food!

Today I am thankful for food! 🙂  Readily available, clean, safe, food.  I don’t have to send my son to shoot us a turkey for dinner.  I don’t have to clean it.  I don’t have to work hard tending and harvesting a garden to store up for winter.  My potatoes, flour for pies, breads, veggies, meat all easily accessible at the local store.

No cutting ice in the winter to keep food fresh all summer.  No drying, smoking and salting to keep meat from spoiling.  I get to eat all of my favorite foods today, with minimal work.  (Even more so because I am only cooking potatoes, apple pie, gluten free stuffing, and gf chocolate pie:-) )

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and as you sit down to your feast remember those who celebrated the first Thanksgiving and the amount of work they had to do to survive that first winter!  I am thankful they were adventurous and brave.  I am thankful my life is easier than theirs was, although some may just think I’m lazy 😉

God bless you all today as you remember all your blessings!

Psalm 100:4  Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

Celebrations

I am thankful today that we have celebrations.  In the OT God told the Israelites to set aside days to remember and celebrate-feasts.  I think He knew we would get caught up and forget if we didn’t set aside a specific time to remember.

I love that we can celebrate Thanksgiving, and remember how blessed we are.
Christmas and remember what a gift to the world Jesus is.

Birthdays, when we can celebrate each person and how grateful we are to be a part of their lives.

Valentine’s day, and I know this is mostly a contrived holiday but it is fun to take a day to ensure that those you love know they are special.

July 4th, when patriotism reigns.

Father’s and Mother’s day.

Memorial day and Veteran’s day.

Ideally we would each day let the people we love know how much we love and appreciate them, and we would honor others.  The reality is we get distracted by bills, jobs, chores, school, and we need these celebrations to help us put our eyes  back on the important things.  I’m thankful we have “feasts” to share with others and celebrate!