Thankful: Day 4

Today I'm thankful for time away to relax, laugh, eat, and scrap with some old girlfriends.  For the 7th year in a row, I am at an annual "girls weekend" retreat.  I look forward to this every single year.  I'm one lucky girl!  :)

Thankful: Day 3

Today I'm thankful for my kids. I know I post about them a lot but they truly are such a breath of fresh air for me. I love them and their cute little unique personalities so much. I know that our story could be much different. I almost lost my own life the day Alexis was born so I wake up and thank God every SINGLE day that I am alive and I have the kids that I do. I love them to the moon and back!

Thankful: Day 2

Today I'm thankful for my husband.  He's a great husband and an even better daddy.  Our kids adore him.  He spends time with them playing ball, taking them hunting with him, watching Texas anything on TV with them, wrestles with Austin and (as you can see in the picture below),  dances with Alexis. 

  We went on a date last weekend to see the movie Courageous.  SUCH an awesome movie!!!  The purpose/message of the movie is to reach dads and inspire them to become more involved in their kids lives.  We all lead such busy lives but as I can see first hand at school, having an involved daddy really does make the world of a difference in the life of a kid.  It's amazing and I am SO SO thankful for Justin and his involvement in our kid's lives.  I love you honey!  :)

Thankful: Day 1

I'm joining the "Facebook bandwagon" to give thanks for something every day in November in honor of Thanksgiving.  Since my blog is titled Beautifully Blessed, I talk about my blessings all the time but instead of doing this on Facebook, I wanted to Blog about them so I could come back and read them later or scrapbook about them if I felt like it. These blessings are in no certain order...here we go!

Today I'm thankful for BEAUTIFUL fall weather. 

We went on a family bike ride in the (almost) 70 degree weather this afternoon.  The leaves were so pretty and the sun was beginning to set.  My only regret:  I didn't bring my camera. Darn!  Oh well.....I soaked up the time with my family and the beautiful weather instead. 

I found this photo on Google images....this is about what some of the streets looked like tonight on our bike ride.  Such rich colors.  I love fall and all of the colors God blessed us with...gorgeous!

Blessing: Babies

I've said this so many times but I do not know what I'd do without my kids.  They are a breath of fresh air every single day, bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart in so many ways.  This is Austin on Sunday morning shortly after he woke up. He wakes up rearing and ready to go.  Such a happy boy!

Blessing: Bible Study

I've been a "saved" Christian for about 8 years now.  I've never really been good about reading the bible on a regular basis. Mostly, I think, because I have a hard time comprehending many parts of it.  I know it's key to a fulfilling spiritual life but I still always find 1,000 distractions.  I am one to start initiatives (usually at the beginning of each year) and within weeks or sometimes even days, I've fallen off the bible-reading bandwagon.  I don't intend to be like that....but life always seems to get in the way.

I've learned that in order for me to stick with my commitment to reading the bible, I do better if I have a bible study group to discuss it with.  When I moved to Newell, I joined a bible study of young women.  We took some time off last spring and summer but for the most part, we meet on a weekly basis.  I'm thankful for this.  I'm thankful for these ladies and for the talented authors who write the books we've been able to use to guide our study.  I LOVE the book we're studying now.  It's called Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald.

It's amazing.  Cynthia is truly a talented author and the book she wrote has a way of making me crave reading it and the bible on a daily basis.  There are so many life truths in this book.  I highly recommend it.  Here are a few of the truths that have hit home with me so far (up to chapter 3) in Becoming a Woman of Simplicity:

• Grace greatly simplifies our lives 
• When we abide and concentrate on the Lord, He renews our strength and we are led and equipped to do what He desires for us.
• Good works are part of God's plan.  They are not the price of salvation, but the proof. (John Phillips)
• If any service begins to replace my spending time with God or if I become overly burdened and burned out, I need to reevaluate my ministry.
• (1 John 5:19)--The world around us is under control of the evil one.
  
  The evil one delights in distracting us--whether is's preoccupation with abundance of possessions or filling the world with technology (convicted!!) that leaves little time to rest quiet in green meadows.
•  Cynthia does an awesome job of bringing in different verses from the bible, even in different translations.  Here's a translation from The Message bible.  
• Galatians vs 14 as this: "For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ.  Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate."
• At the end of each chapter, Cynthia shares a bit called Thoughts from an Older Woman.  Here are a few tidbits shared from this section in chapter 3 titled ""The World is Too Much With Us":
• "My concern is that because the world is too much with us, we easily forfeit the blessing of living a God-paced life that has time for solitude and respite away from our noisy world.   It's our time spent quietly in His presence that transforms our minds and renews our strength to go back into the world to be the woman He wants us to be."
• "Less stuff means more time."
• Luke 12:15 Beware! Guard against every kind of greed.  Life is not measured by how much you own.

Also at the end of each chapter, Cynthia writes a small section prompting reflecting.  At the end of the chapter I just talked about, she writes " Take time to let the Lord speak to you about how you relate to the world or allow the world to conform you to its way of doing things.  Write down your insights...

Here are my personal convictions/insights after reading this chapter:

• I am so VERY easily distracted by things of the world.  This chapter was very, VERY convicting for me.  
• Something that has been heavy on my mind (and honestly distracting me solitude with God) is our housing situation.
• The dream of building a house sounds fabulous...who wouldn't want to do that?  I would LOVE to build a house but after spending almost the entire summer looking at housing plans, getting pricing from several different sources...it's going to be very expensive.  Sure, we could probably get the financing to do it, but is it what is best for our family?  Most importantly, is it what GOD wants us to do?  
• I feel very convicted after reading this chapter that I need to set building aside for now.  It's not for us at the present time.  Right now, it's a distraction and God is speaking very clearly to me that it's not His plan for us right now.

P.S.  I read this chapter the week after we found out the property we are renting got sold and we'd have to move.  It was stressful, yet an eyeopening experience.  We try to remember that it's not "our" plan, anyway...it's God's plan and that this must be all part of His plan.

Blessing: Baby Giggles

Aren't baby giggles just the best?  I don't know what I'd do without my kids.  They are such a breath of fresh air most days.  They both have a great giggle...one of my favorite sounds in the whole wide world!