365.193: Thankfulness

Thankfulness ~ Choosing to respond to God, others, and circumstances
with an attitude of hope and gratitude,
seeing all things as filtered by a loving, sovereign God,
who can and will work all things for good.

The presence of God is attracted to thankfulness and squelched by a lack thereof. (Psalm 100:4)
Hope and gratitude lead to peace and rest.
Choose to be thankful for the hundreds of blessings you experience each day. And even when you don't feel like being thankful, choose to do it anyway. That is what the Bible calls a "sacrifice of praise." (Psalm 15:14, 23)

I've committed to something my church is calling 60X6. Every 60 minutes (once an hour), for the next six weeks, I am going to do three things:
Acknowledge God's presence and love
Thank God for whatever is happening in that moment
Listen to God

I have already started--I set an alarm on my phone to go off once an hour from 7am to 10pm. And in just this short time, I am already seeing/feeling an increased awareness of God's presence in my life! Praise Jesus!

Does anyone want to take this challenge with me?

365.192: Snoozin'

Somewhere in the universe, there exists a very similar picture of me, at about the same age, sleeping on a stair. Sometimes it it just too tough to make it to the bed for your nap. I feel ya, Tiny.

365.190: Pilgrims' Feast

Holden's preschool class had a Feast this morning (or "veast," as he pronounces it) to celebrate Thanksgiving. Parents were invited, which I was just totally eating up. For some reason, I just love watching Holden in his "big boy" environment. And I am relishing the fact that he adores it when I show up. He lights up and wants me to stay right beside him the whole time. I know that won't last long, so I am treasuring it now.

He was so proud of the placemat and Pilgrim hat he made!

Lining up 16 four-year-olds for a picture is no small feat.

Holden at his "Veast!"

365.189: Lifegroup Thanksgiving

Tonight for Lifegroup, we shared a Thanksgiving meal together. It was so delicious and fun, except for my children acting like little crazies who must have been raised in a barn. Here is our group! (Shockingly, all 12 children are with their matching parents.)

L to R: Ryan and me with Turner and Holden; Christine Smith with baby Noah (her husband Nathan and daughter Annaleise were at home); Jenny and Chase Thebault with Susanna, baby Sam, and Evie; Mattisa and Jason Dumas with Diane, Jace, and baby Daniel; Alex and Christie Finch with Autumn; and Cory and Elisabeth Gouldman with Chloe and baby Jackson.

365.188: Little Chef

Holden just loves to cook with me. When we were finished cooking our sweet potatoes today, Holden wanted to create his own dish. Without a recipe. Or help. This is what we got:


Mmmmm..who wants a bite?
He put in flour, raw ginger, scallions, frozen peas, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lots of cinnamon, among other things.

Watching him "cook," I was taken back to my brother Clark and I as kids. We used to love making up new recipes. We would pull a million things out of the refrigerator and put it all in the blender. Think ketchup smoothies.
So I guess the apple isn't falling far from this tree.

365.187: Cover Art

I've started the cover art for my new journal (which is the third I've had since moving to Waco). This is just the very beginning.

365.186: Pink Eye

So...this happened.