unwrapping...

i am joining chatting at the sky's

tuesday unwrapped on thursday this week.

it goes along the lines of being thankful which i normally do

a thankful thursday post anyways.

anywho, "unwrapping is about seeing the small things in the

midst of our everyday, pausing in the moment and celebrating"

i am unwrapping the gift of our 

mcdonald's thursday tradition.

items from the dollar menu of course : ).

this tradition started the beginning of the school year

and since thursday's are my friday's,

it was my gift to treat the kids to 

mcd's on thursdays after i would pick them up from school.

i don't pick them up from school anymore now that my guy

is driving, but we still keep the tradition going.

we don't always do mcd's, sometimes we'll mix it up

a little and pick up something else.

77/365 flickr project365

one other gift i am unwrapping is the gift

of my girly encouraging me to get

out there and start running again.

we've put in a good run these past few days

and the times spent with her have

been quite lovelee.

thankful thursday...

i have so much to be thankful for, so many blessings. 

however, today i was a bit frustrated, 

when i came home from work,

there were...

dirty dishes in the sink (my pet peeve),

kitchen island a mess with food and snacks that didn't make it back to the pantry,

clean dishes that were suppose to be put away,

which meant that the child responsible for that chore didn't do it the night before,

and a family room that hasn't been picked up.

 

and i let my frustration get the best of me

which caused a ripple effect...frustration led to crabby mood,

which led to the "oh, it's the mom lecture" again about how we all

need to pitch in and get it done, which caused me to

feel like a terrible mom that i had to give the 

"oh, it's the mom lecture" lecture when it really wasn't called for.

i mean we're all rushing to get out of the door in the morning,

so it's not like we have the time to tidy everything up.

the frustration slowly but surely faded away,

as i tried to reflect on how i should be thankful that

i have food on the kitchen island that needed to be put back in the pantry and

i have dirty dishes to wash, clean and put away because that meant my family was fed,

and all of the unfolded blankets on the couch provided warmth for my family,

i am thankful for a gracious God who can love me in all of my ugliness and

in my yucky-not-so-grateful attitude moments

and let me tell you there's a whole bunch of those.

and i am most thankful for food to eat

 and blankets to keep my family warm.

thankful thursday...

thankful for the beautiful blue skies we had today

and the signs of spring coming...

thankful that my rosemary bushes are rapidly growing

and the flower buds on my vines are budding.

Also, thankful for a wonderful job that allows me to be able

to have time in the morning to make breakfast for my kids

and pack their lunches on the days they don't have catered lunch.

and this job also allows me to be home

in time to fix the kids a snack or have something ready for them 

to eat when they get home from school.

 time is fleeting.

my kids are older now, not little anymore but i enjoy being able to do 

this for them while i still can.

watching my kids grow up is amazing and heartbreaking 

at the same time.

many times i think to myself,

have i done enough, have i instilled enough value in them, did i mess

them up with some of the decisions i've made for them,

am i preparing them enough for what lies ahead of them

as adults?  will their hearts be in the right place?

i shouldn't really worry so much about the unknown,

God has them in their hands.

parenting is a journey and there really is no one

formula to parent well.

we are all a work in progress.

so for now, while they are still here at home...

i will be here for them

whether it's to make them breakfast, pack their lunches

or have a snack ready for them...

enjoying and relishing the time left.

because in the blink of an eye

they will be gone and off on their own.

thankful thursday...

thankful for my nikki who helps me capture moments, places, and things

such as these...

as i sat in my car stuck behind a garbage truck

which was taking forever...

i captured this

56/365 flickr project365

thankful that I get to see and appreciate little children's artwork

everyday when i go to work...

and from the book i am reading called

Crazy Love...

Have you ever marveled at the simple fact that plants take in carbon dioxide 

(which is harmful to us)

and produce oxygen

(which we need to survive)?

I'm sure you knew that but have you ever marveled at it?

And these same poison-swallowing, life-giving plants came from tiny seeds

that were once placed in the dirt.  Some were watered, some weren't; 

but after a few days they poked through the soil and out into the warm sunlight.

Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe,

on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is HIS glory.

God's art speaks for Himself, reflecting who He is and what he is like.

thankful that everyday during my carpool post at work

i get to see and watch these tulip bulbs

grow, open, and bloom.

God's art speaking for himself.

sweet!

thankful thursday...

thankful for what arrived in the mail just recently from my sil and mil!

a box of sweet surprises!

in it was this loveLee necklace and matching earrings also

the mac version of adobe creative suite 4 design premium!

aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

thank you mom and A!

it's been so stinking cold this past week so today i am

thankful for the sun shining brightly and adding

a little warmth into the air.

(sorry joanne : )...i know i should be supporting the local coffee shop...

i normally do, but i really wanted a starbucks.)

49/365 flickr project365

and while i was waiting for my iced coffee 

i happened to notice the mugs they had on display

charlotte, north carolina

(pretty cute eh?)

and yes, i had nikki with me even to get that cup of joe.

last but not least,

thankful for time-out, date night with Mr. L at

our favorite local mexican eatery.

he's been putting in a lot of hours at work so

it's nice to have this time to talk, catch up and just be.

"So then just as you have received Christ Jesus our Lord,

continue to live in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

thankful thursday...

I am thankful that

Mrs. J, Miss J and I

finally had our

lunch date after

weeks or maybe 

months of trying

to get a date together...

(I heart the pic on the left of miss J giving her mommy a kiss.)

sweetness!

Mrs J...

Happy Birthday!

Here's to another

year filled with more

blessings and sweetness!

Heart you girl!

28/365 thankful thursdays

                                                                28/365, originally uploaded by 1randomgirl.

I am thankful to have woken up to a beautiful Thursday morning


 with clear, crisp blue skies...

Thankful that Mr. L and I celebrated our 18th anniversary...


Thankful that I didn't have to work  today or tomorrow making


for a long 4 day weekend...sweet!


I am thankful that my family is home...

safe, warm, and healthy.

21/365 Thankful Thursdays!

                                                                   21/365, originally uploaded by 1randomgirl.

I borrowed this idea and tried to re-create my own version.  
(I really need to work on learning the settings on Nikky)
The beam from a flashlight creates a glow of a heart. The book is a hymnal and opened to the hymn...
"Something Beautiful"

Something beautiful,

Something good,

All my confusion,

He understood,

All I have to offer him,

Was brokeness and strife,

But He made something

beautiful of my life.

I am thankful for many things...but this week I am especially thankful for...

I am thankful that Michael has his license and can drive himself 

and his sisters to school and back, 

to basketball practices and home from away games!

It has made a whole world of difference in my day!

I am thankful that all three kids received excellent report card grades!

I am thankful that my friend Christine sold some of her Etsy items! Yay Christine!
(there's still time to enter the giveaway of Christine's handmade sandwich/snack bag set! So go back to post and enter!)

I am mostly thankful for, just like in the lyrics...

in my brokeness and strife...

He made something beautiful of my life.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

I was randomly reading blogs one day and came upon a blog that inspired me but unfortunantly I forgot to save the blog as a favorite and can't remember what the blog address was. Well, the reason why I was inspired was because of her "Thankful Thursday" posts. It was awesome to read her grateful heart so I am going along the same lines and doing the same on my Thursday's! Thank you whoever you are out there in blog world!

Today I am thankful for:
1. Minimum day and Fall break begins after 12:00 p.m. for my kids! They are off for a total of 11 days! Woot! Woot! They are so looking forward to sleeping in.

2. The people I work with...allowing me to leave work a little bit earlier today to pick up my kids from school since it was a half day.

3. A good day for Nelson because while he is still on the job search he is able to do something he enjoys doing in the auto business and it's allowing us some extra income to add to our reserves while we wait on the Lord to provide that right opportunity.

4. This time that I have my kids around and living life with them through these teen years. Great times and challenging times but time is fleeting and in the blink of an eye they will be gone.

5. Family and friends who continue to pray for us as we wait on the Lord to reveal to us his plans for our lives.

6. Fall and the the beautiful weather it brings.

7. The food that we eat and that God provides for us daily.

8. The opportunity to send Meagan to the "Revolve Tour" with her friends.

9. Our cars that allow us to shuttle our kids to and from the places they need to be.

10. Nelson, along with searching for a job, working on the side doing the auto thing, he is plugging along with building our MonaVie business.

11. MonaVie...a company with a management team that is built on integrity which has a product that is helping change lives one person at a time.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Even in these tough economic and uncertain times I have much to be grateful for how about you?