one thousand gifts #254-260

Happy new year! It's Monday.  That means it's once again time to share more of what I'm grateful for. So here we go...

#254 a new washing machine to replace the one that died.  i love that my clothes dry much faster now.  perhaps the old machine had been dying a slow death and we didn't realize it until it stopped working altogether.
#255 Christmas blessings and time spent with family
#256 the joy of giving

Bubba's new "Johnny mops"--this mom just couldn't resist giving him a "gag" gift!

#257 a really nice New Year's Eve weekend--the boys once again spent it with Grandma and Grandpa (and one of their cousins too) while the hubby and I got to stay home and watch movies on our new big-screen tv. :)
#258 my mom who celebrates her birthday today!
#259 rearranged furniture (for the new tv) that gives us more room.  maybe i can start exercising again now! :)
#260 our family chiropractor who, through "muscle testing", has helped us determine a few things Bubba is sensitive/allergic to and which may be the root cause of his eczema that he's had since he was little.  food preservatives, fragrances/perfumes (not a surprise--his daddy is allergic to this too), american and swiss cheeses, & tomatoes are all things that his body reacts negatively to.  so we'll eliminate what we can--especially the corn dogs, hot dogs, and cheetos that he loves to eat and hopefully in a week or so we'll see the eczema is clearing up. :)

one thousand gifts #245-253

So much has happened since I posted my last Multitudes on Mondays, but I'm gonna just jump right in and start adding to my list of gratefulness.

#245 my wonderful husband who loves me no matter the state of our house or my mood!
#246 my firstborn, soon-to-be-12-year-old, son (has it really been 12 years since my due date?!?!)
#247 my funny 5-year-old son-of-my-heart who can't wait for Christmas
#248 anticipation
#249 knowing more what Dad's treatment will be--no surgery, chemo starts wednesday
#250 CaringBridge (you can follow my Dad's CaringBridge site using the name rogerthomas)
#251 the Christmas season
#252 knowing full well I am blessed--even on a day when my washing machine isn't working, my kids won't cooperate, and I'm totally stressed! :)
#253 the Christmas story from God's Word in Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.  (Luke 2:1-20 ESV)

Have a very Merry Christ-mas!  God bless!

one thousand gifts #238-244

Well, if you happened to read my post last Friday, then you already know that my Dad has been diagnosed with cancer.  Today he is getting a MRI scan and a PET/CT scan so the doctors can know exactly what they're dealing with and what the best treatment plan will be.  By tomorrow they should have at least figured out if the cancer can be removed surgically or not.  The mass they found is in Dad's right lung, so we are praying that it's only in the one place and not affecting any other organs.  Strange in a way to be praying that he can have surgery, but the chances of the cancer returning after treatment are greater if they cannot physically remove the mass. 

{Please, Lord--Let them be able to surgically remove that mass!} 

Your prayers are a blessing and are much appreciated as we walk through this valley.  Thank you.

Now to continue with my Multitudes on Mondays.  It's especially good to remember our blessings in these "times that try the soul." 

#238  laughter
#239  music.  specifically songs that touch my soul in a special way just when i need a reminder that God loves me and he "can see something else" even when all is darkness to me.  (thanks, Sara Groves, for writing "From This One Place." i love it!)
#240  friends
#241  prayers...and pray-ers!
#242  good doctors and specialists
#243  special housing for Mom & Dad (and/or us too if Dad has surgery) that is close to the hospital and not super-expensive.
#244  Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through [Christ] who gives me strength."  And yes, even dealing with cancer falls under the term all. 

I think that's  all for today.  I will probably update as I can (or as I feel the need to vent).
Thanks for taking the time to read today's post.

If you're interested in learning more about One Thousand Gifts and Multitudes on Mondays just click on the banner below. 

one thousand gifts #227-237

more "multitudes on mondays"

#227 answered prayers (Husband will be starting a new job at the beginning of next year--same place, new  position)
#228 peace that passes understanding
#229 new yarn to work with
#230 Sunday afternoons visiting Grandpa and Grandma (my mom and dad)
#231 a 5-year-old who is learning his ABCs:  last night he wanted the "Blue U's" and we didn't know what he was talking about until he showed me the box of Fruity Pebbles...did you know the U in Fruity is BLUE? funny kid.  but at least i know he knows the letter U!
#232 crafting fun:  i've seen a variety of "family rules" signs on Pinterest and Etsy so i decided to make my own.  i had an old canvas, bought adhesive vinyl letters from wal-mart that didn't really stick to the canvas, and used mod-podge to seal them in place.  (now i just need one of those metal picture hangers for it so it doesn't fall off the wall in the middle of the night again.  i tried to hang it with Command Picture Hanging Strips--i love 'em since most of our walls are lath and plaster--but they canvas didn't stay stuck to the strips. it could be that it was too heavy and i should have used 4 instead of just 2, but i think i'll get the hardware hangers next just to be sure.)

#233 finding a way to make housework a little more fun
#234 waking up before my alarm (this rarely happens)
#235 plastic mattress cover for nighttime potty training.  (and wondering why we didn't get one sooner!!!)
#236 more free books on my Kindle...check out my Free Book Fridays to learn more!
#237 faith.  hebrews 11:1
#238 hope. jeremiah 29:11
#239 love.  1 corinthians 13

if you're interested in learning more about multitudes on mondays just click on the banner below. 

one thousand gifts #212-226

continuing where i left off a few weeks ago...

#212 autumn
#213 weekends away
#214 mall shopping (something I don't get a chance to do often!)
#215 new clothes
#216 crab legs dinner at Red Lobster
#217 a compliment from someone you don't know
#218 addiction:  Pinterest
#219 time to knit
#220 books
#221 even better--free books! :)
#222 smiles
#223 laughter
#224 having a craft in mind and finding the supplies for making it
#225 a wake-up light to get me up in the morning (should have had one YEARS ago!!!! love it!)
#226 my newest CD:  Fireflies and Songs by Sara Groves

that's all for today.  see you next week! 

one thousand gifts #206-211

206. beautiful fall weather

207. the first night of Bubba's last year of Awana (our club only goes through 6th grade)

208. cheering on the Panthers as they played another good soccer game (even though Bubba’s team lost)

Bubba's the 2nd kid from the right (in the white & black)

209. a new furry friend who just showed up on CJ’s birthday—she’s a beautiful calico, very scrawny, but extremely friendly.  we haven’t seen her in the neighborhood before, so are thinking she was dropped off at the corner near our house.  if she is someone else’s cat, i hope they don’t mind that she seems to have adopted us!

"our" new kitty--Bubba named her Stacie

210. celebrating CJ’s 5^th birthday with family

the birthday boy

opening gifts

211. corn maze fun

castke themed maze with 2 scavenger hunt-type games for the kids to play

which path to take? 

cutie

we made it!

king of the hay stack in mid-jump

we're ready for the hayride

Hope you all have had a "gift" filled week too! 

one thousand gifts #198-205

Sorry I missed last week's multitudes.  I forgot to do it during the day last Monday and then {for anyone who doesn't know already} I ended up in the ER that evening for a couple hours with a very painful kidney stone.  Ugh.  I hope I never experience that again! 

I'm a day late this week with my multitudes too.  I seem to have a difficulty with time management of my home school, soccer practices and games, not to mention life in general.  But I have hope that it'll get better after our soccer season's done in just a few weeks and that I can stay "on task" myself a bit better as well.

198.  my parents who happened to have just returned from their 2-week vacation only to have me ditch my eldest son at soccer practice and come to their house because I was feeling so miserable and didn't know what was going on.  they took care of me, picked up the kid from soccer practice, ended up keeping both boys overnight and dad also drove me to the ER.  Did I mention how thankful I was that they were home?!?
199.  emergency room nurses and a nice doctor too.
200.  morphine. 
201.  having my first CT scan--very interesting despite the morphine-dulled pain!
202.  passing that kidney stone quickly!  thankfully it was a pretty small one.
203.  a sweet offer from another soccer mom to pick up my kid for the soccer game (but since I was all better, I took him myself so I could watch him play)
204.  Bubba's soccer team's first win of the season on Thursday!  good job Panthers!
205.  changing leaf colors--autumn in the air

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but that's all I can think of at the moment and we really need to get started with our homeschool work today!

Have a great Tuesday!

one thousand gifts #179-197

here's installment #14 of my multitudes on mondays

179. first week of {home}school

my boys--1st day of {home}school

"show me your silly!"

180. great curriculum for bubba--Sonlight's Core F & Science F too!

181. time each day to teach cj too

182. finally having a school schedule and finding that it really helps!

183. one hour of quiet time &/or nap time for both the kids and myself each school day after lunch

184. bubba’s first soccer game of the season—it was a tie! 

185. the Pack winning their first game of the season!  Go Packers!

186. getting to watch the game at my parent’s house (even tho they’re on vacation!)

187. a really good Beth Moore simulcast on Saturday.

188. friends

189. "scientific" fasting

190. natural weight loss

191. water

192. also smart water :)

193. reading books that help us want to eat healthier and make healthier choices

194. remembrance of 9/11

195. the blessing the new memorial in nyc is--and will be--to the families who lost loved ones there

196. resting all day Sunday

197. naps

one thousand gifts #171-178

This coming weekend (Labor Day weekend) I'm planning on having a rummage sale.  Which means this week I'm busy labeling the items I've already boxed up and maybe sorting through more boxes of junk and adding a few more things too!  So that's why this week's Multitudes is a day late.  I was so busy yesterday I didn't even turn on my computer!

So without further ado, my multitudes list continues.
171. babysitting my neighbor's little guy for a little bit one morning and a good visit with her that day too!

 172. "charlie" and "lola" the new flutterbys

 173. a bohemian waxwing (we think) eating chokecherries in the backyard

174. box day!  (i.e. getting our new curriculum for this fall)

175. getting ready for a new school year
176. beautiful weather
177. bubba doing his best for the local Bible bee competition

178. getting up early to go for a walk with my hubby


And that's all for now!
See ya again next week!

another blessed monday

continuing my weekly gratitude. 
there's so much to be thankful for. 

159. video proof that i'm not the only knitter obsessively in love with their yarns! (this really made me giggle this morning!)



160. a few more days of yard and house help from my parents! i can now sit on the porch and see down the road instead of having the view blocked by brush!  and except for needing to go through boxes and weed out stuff, the house is in much better shape! thanks again, mom and dad!

161. the beginning of soccer practices for our homeschool team

162. needing new soccer cleats for Bubba and finding it's cheaper/easier to order online.

163. getting a good quality pair of cleats that fit right and are here before the second practice of the season!  yes!

164. walking a 5K. not because i really wanted to. but thankful that i can.

165. sore legs (from walking a 5K without training at all). but the pain is good--it reminds me i should be more active on a regular basis.

166. beautiful words and photos combine causing me to stop and ponder at A Holy Experience

167. a really good cup of tea this morning (in lieu of my daily cup of "coffee" since i drank the last of it yesterday and haven't been to the store for more)

168. a morning to myself while the kiddos are fishing with Grandpa and Grandma

169. improved homeschool laws in minnesota  (it doesn't change a lot for me, but i do believe it's a good change nonetheless!)

170. mentally preparing myself for the upcoming school year.  i've purchased our next year's curriculum and am considering what i need to accomplish in the next 10 months with both boys.


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one thousand gifts

my weekly list of gratefulness continued:

149. once again, i'm super-thankful for my parents!  this time, instead of childcare, they spent 4 days this past week helping us out with some much needed house and yard work. 

150. grandma (my mom) helping me clear out the excess junk from our porches and collect-all rooms.

151. grandpa (my dad) working with bubba's help to clear some brush for T who plans to build a fort-jungle gym-playset for the boys. 

152. grandpa teaching bubba the basics of driving.  they use the pickup to pull out the brush by the roots (attaching them to chains).  now bubba knows how to drive forward and back as needed and grandpa doesn't have to keep climbing in and out of the truck.

153. our 11-year-old learning to drive a little!

154. sorting through bins and boxes; throwing away garbage, organizing keepsakes and mementos, and putting the rest in boxes so I can either sell or donate it.

155. finally having the local Salvation Army rep come pick up our old-but-still-in-relatively-good-condition queen mattress that was just taking up space and in the way!

156. having a porch that we can use for more than storage!  it's so nice to sit out there and read, knit, or play!

157. coffee--specifically my daily morning cup of Hills Bros. Cappaccino (french vanilla flavor!)  YUM! 

158. FABULOUS photos taken by Sarah a couple weeks ago!  Sarah blogged about it here--isn't she a hoot?! anyways, i just got my gallery link for Beyond Ordinary Photography and i can tell you it's going to be tough to choose which ones we'll want to get prints of--they're all so beautiful!  (and that's from someone who hates having her photo taken!!!!)  so happy!

more to be grateful for

Showing gratitude.  Being thankful. Counting my blessings.


142. an "Awesome!" week of VBS according to Bubba

GO FISH VBS at FBC--Bubba's the one touching his hat

 143. fun Go Fish music at VBS all week (If you haven't heard of Go Fish, go HERE!)

 In case anyone reading this is wondering...our church used Go Fish's "Backstage with the Bible" VBS curriculum this year and it's a great choice!!!

144. a quick weekend knit and a new hat for me as a result! sorry...no photos. but it's really cute and looks quite nice on me!  :)
145. enough leftover yarn to make myself a new pair of fingerless mitts too!  at least, I hope so!
146. finding this adorable apple basket at the local consignment shop (my first time in there but it won't be my last!) i love that it matches my KitchenAid mixer perfectly! 

(lemons and limes not included)

147. (mostly) finishing up our American History Core for school (we still have some read-alouds left, but history is done until next school year...in 4 weeks!
148. shopping for curriculum...time to decide what to use this fall!

And that's this week's installment...come back next Monday for more!

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post?  Click on the banner below to learn more about it!

It seems I missed yet another week of multitudes last week.  So I'll try and remember everything from the past two weeks.

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post?  Check out the banner at the bottom of this post! :)


In no particular order and continuing my list which I started here...
130. Fair week fun!  Although a bit too hot & muggy, we spent most of a day there (and a little of another just for more fair foods).

131. Ride buddies for Bubba.  This year he had fun again with his buddy, Ty, at the fair.  Then he also got to meet up with and hang out with his cousin, Evan, later that same day.  Meanwhile, CJ discovered he really enjoys riding the Tilt-a-Whirl and so he got to go on that ride with his big brother & co. a few times too!

132.  A visit from my sister-in-law and her girls!  So nice!   We must do this more often!!!

133.  Picking fresh peas, beans, and zucchini from our garden.

134.  Eating some just-picked peas while still in the garden! YUM! 
BONUS: Even CJ ate a few!!!

135. Finding a few raspberries on the plants I just planted this year!  It's so exciting to see them growing so well!  Next year we'll have lots more berries!

136. Freshly painted walls (I finally got our kitchen dining area painted this weekend!!!)  I hope the color helps me keep my cool and lets the kids concentrate better since we do our schoolwork in there too.  The yucky yellow we found under the yucky wallpaper was really getting on my nerves.  I'm just so glad for the change!  BONUS:  My kitchen dining/schoolroom is (almost) clean!

137. A family photo shoot!  The first one since CJ was a new baby.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated and Sarah was able to come over last night and get our session done despite her crazy schedule with trying to sell their house and move for her hubby's new job. You can read about that on my other blog (and from there you can find Sarah's blog too) if you haven't already!   I'm hoping we got some nice family shots as well as some good pics of the kiddos!

138. All the yard work my hubby's been getting done. (Having and outdoor photo shoot here has helped to motivate him!)  :)

139.  Our VBS is this week and Bubba is SO excited!

140.  A new month.

141.  Watching caterpillars & tadpoles grow and change.

Sorry for the lack of photos today.  Maybe next week I'll have some!

Anyways, that's all for now folks!  Hopefully I'll be posting again next week with more blessings to share!

multitude monday

My weekly Multitudes on Mondays post.  If you're just stopping by for the 1st time, I joined in with this post here.  (Check out the banner below for more information from the person who started it.)

116. another Etsy sale!  yay!
117. a shopping day today (Just to put this into perspective, it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes for me to get to the nearest Wal-Mart & JC Penney so shopping days like this are few and far between.  We do have some smaller local stores, but the selection is rather limited--especially for clothes.)
118. gift cards (I happened to have had one for JC Penney which I used today!)
119. a husband with a good paying job (to pay for everything above and beyond the gift card amount)
120. McDonald's (not my favorite, but BOTH boys eat the McNuggets so I always plan on it when we're down shopping)
121. finishing another Sherlock Holmes book on my Kindle. wish the free version came with graphics, but otherwise a good read.
122. new outfits for the boys
123. and one for me too
124. shoe inserts for Bubba, who has really low arches. am hoping these give him the arch support he so desperate needs!
125. some new yarn too (I needed it for work!)
126. a good run Saturday for T and Bubba--they ran a 5K for ALS.  T came in 3rd of the men in his age group and Bubba got 1st place (of the 2 boys) in his age group.

 
127. $460 in donations raised by Bubba (with a little help from his daddy)--enough to win the "prize" for his age group--a new iPod Nano!  good job kiddo! and thanks to those of you who gave!
128. a lovely lightning show Saturday night.
129. capturing some digital lightning. :)  isn't it pretty?

It's fair week this week up here and it's supposed to be in the 90s all week. UGH!  I sure hope the heat doesn't make everyone sick!

multitude monday

Today is Monday.  That means it's time to add to my multitudes list!    
I didn't post last week because of the holiday--we were pretty busy!

106. sunshine

107. clouds--especially beautiful thunderheads!

108. rain to water the garden

109. celebrating the Fourth of July with family

110. Sherlock Holmes (not only am I enjoying reading the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but my hubby and I have been watching an old television series with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes)

111. winning another new knitting "book" (okay, so it's not an actual book, but I don't know what else to call Toe Up Socks in a Box by Wendy D. Johnson) from Crafternews on Facebook!

112. starting a new knitting project--socks, of course!  and learning more about toe-up sock knitting as I knit.  I choose the pattern "Sheri's Posies Socks" from the Toe Up Socks in a Box pattern cards and have a good start on the first sock.  (I'm not knitting these two-at-a-time like I usually do because of my unfamiliarity with the toe-up method.) 

113. browsing a flea market for inspiration

114. being privileged to homeschool and qualified to give my children their standardized tests myself (we just recently did Bubba's testing using the IOWA basics tests)

115. attempting to teach cj the alphabet and seeing him actually start to care! :)

multitude monday

It's Monday again.  Time to look back at my previous (hectic!) week and consider my many blessings.
Thank you, Lord.

99.  eye doctors (I just had my check up today!  No worries!)

100. glasses and contact lenses for those of us who need them (it's nice to see things clearly, every now and again)

101. fresh & new contact lenses (as opposed to ones you've worn quite a few days already...)

102. disposable contacts (as opposed to those ones way back in the day that you had to be sooooo careful with so you didn't rip or lose one because it would cost you every so much to replace!)

103. rain (we've had enough now, though)

104. thunder

105. my husband--because even though he didn't sleep well last night due to the fact that I was not sleeping well because of the itching of the poison ivy rash on the back of my ankle that I evidently picked up Saturday night when I was outdoors for our weekly Bible Bee bonfire/supper-cookout, he is willing to come home from a long day at the office and cook his family dinner and then enter the dark, dank cavern (aka our basement) to try and help our sump-pump which has been having difficulties and needs some therapy--he's a wonderful man!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Come back again next Monday for more! 

multitude monday

it's monday again.  time to continue counting my blessings!  (apologies to anyone who missed last weeks non-existent post. i forgot!)


in no particular order this week...

81. watching a mama kitty and her two darling kittens (they're not ours--just a neighborhood cat that claims our yard as part of her territory)
82. lessons from the Bible Bee Sword Study on 1 Peter

83. memorizing verses with Bubba
84. having our own church "service" at home as a family on Sunday morning
85. seeing a young deer cross the road in front of our house as we were having our family church service {would've missed that blessing if we hadn't stayed home!}
86. good friends you can count on (and hopefully being one in return)
87. wearing my new shawl and loving it!
88. swim lessons and having them all done for the summer
89. watching cj color in his coloring book and seeing how much joy it gives him
90. fingerless mitts on a cool summer evening
91. time to knit each day
92. time to read each day
93. time to celebrate my father and my husband on Father's day
94. a new fire pit in our yard
95. having a bonfire/campfire in our new fire pit twice this summer already!! amazing!
96. new yarn
97. being able to dream of the possibilities for those yarns!!  i think this is half the fun!
98. a little better-late-than-never spring cleaning.  it's really just a start, but at least it's something!

tune in next monday for the next installment...if i remember!  ha!