Day 42...Difference Between the Now and 42 Days Ago

Today was one of those "having trouble being thankful days".  I havent been sleeping well the past few weeks, so when my alarm went off at 5am I woke up grumpy not wanting to get out of bed.  All day I just continued to feel grumpy.  When I came home my kids were grumpy as well, and there were many meltdowns.  The stress of wondering about my test I took on Saturday would sneak in there here and there too today.  However, what makes my being grumpy today verses how I would be grumpy 42 days ago is vastly different.  I didn't let my grumpiness dictate my attitude in going down a down hill spiral.  I didn't automatically sink into a depressive/anxious state' feeling as if I can't get out of a dark hole.  I simply felt grumpy, but still joyful.  It is hard to explain unless you've experienced it.  Am I saying I just kept a big smile on my face while my son and daughter were crying and/or yelling all the while trying to fix dinner, pack lunches, and clean? Absolutely not, I was frustrated but I also got over it, I also still enjoyed eating my dinner with my family, proud of my son for saying our dinner prayer, and loved hearing about Hadley's story she wrote in class today.  I was still joyful for seeing how the leaves are beginning to turn and how the sun is setting much earlier while taking my puppy to training tonight.  I am thankful that I am actually in my bed at 8:15 with newly clean sheets.  I am so incredibly thankful for my daughter who just walked in, jumped in bed with me, and said she  just wanted to tell me good night and that I'm the best mom ever.  My cup overflows! I am thankful that she loves to be funny and that at any moment she loves to take silly pictures and make me laugh.  I am thankful that in just 42 days my outlook on life has taken a 180 and I go to bed joyful.  God is good!

Our silly picture

Our smiley picture

Smiles, Laughs, Running, Sliding, Family and Fun..Day 41

Today was such a fun day! One of my most favorite things to do with my kids is go to a pumpkin patch!  We found a great place in Hebron, Ohio, called Pigeon Roost Farm.  This was our second time ever going, Landry's first, and our kids absolutely love it.  There is so much to do from slides, swings, tunnels, corn mazes, hay rides, food, etc.  I am so thankful for this awesome family day.  I am thankful we met up with my cousin Erica and her kids, hubby, and my aunt Judy.  I am thankful for the laughter that our girls make, thankful for catching up, thankful for a day away from our everyday life.  I am thankful I am a photo freak and caputred nearly 100 pictures today.  Don't worry I will only share about 1/4 of them below! So thankful for Fall, thankful the weather today was perfect for a day at the pumpkin patch.  Incredibly thankful for this day!  God is so good!

Praying Friends...Day 40

The pictures below show what I am thankful for today.  I am so thankful I have friends and family that pray and encourage me when I need it most! I am thankful I can ask friends to pray for me without judgement or questions; they just do it! I know others emailed, texted, and called that aren't shown below, but I am very thankful for those as well. I don't know my results yet, but I had peace during my test, anytime I started to feel anxious I prayed and recited scripture in my head. So thankful for God's peace. Thankful for my sweet friends who lifted me up in prayer and encouraged me! 

Unwavering Peace from an Unchanging God..Day 39

This picture above says it all for tonight of what I am thankful for and hanging on for tomorrow.  I have an extremely important exam that I absolutely need to pass.  I can do this, God is with me.  I need to let go and trust Him and accept His unwavering peace.  God is good!  Please pray with and for me.

Girlfriend Time, High Heels, Food, and Celebrating to Choose Life..Day 38

Tonight was a great night! I was invited to attend a banquet in support of The Pregnancy Care Center here in Athens and I invited my sweet friend Brittany to go with me.  We both dressed up in our high heels, black dresses, put on some make up, and enjoyed some girl time.  We had some great food, good laughs, met new friends, ran into old friends; all while supporting a great cause.  Living in a college town I believe requires a more dire need of a place such as The Pregnancy Care Center. It was neat to hear all the things they are doing to help young moms and dads make a good choice when they learn they are pregnant by not only educating them on their little baby but nurturing and supporting them through everything.  

I am thankful that Athens has this place, it was so incredible to hear and watch a special testimony by a young lady who had scheduled to have an abortion but chose to have her baby, and now she has a beatiful baby girl.  Not only does she have this precious baby but it had changed this young lady into a completley different person.  

I am thankful to run into people I haven't seen in awhile.  I am thankful for making new friends.  I am thankful for hanging out with Brittany since we haven't had the chance to hang out much due to our craziness of life.  I am also thankful that I have my 2 babies I can come home to everynight to kiss and hug on.  I am thankful God allowed me to be a mom.  I am thankful for fun high heel shoes; black dresses and lip gloss!  God is so incredibly good.

My beautiful friend and I on our night out at the banquet! Isn't she gorgeous? Her heart is beautiful as well!!!

Had to take a pic of my fun but painful heels!

Singing With My Girl..Day 37 of Joyfulness

I absolutely LOVE TO SING!!  I am so thankful that my daughter loves to as well.  Tonight was one of those special moments in the car.  I had picked her and her friends up from youth group and praise team practice and dropped her friends off who live in our same neighborhood just down the street.  It has become a thing for Hadley to jump up in the front seat to ride maybe 30 seconds in our little neighborhood back to our house.  On our very brief ride back to our house the song "Over Come" by Jeremy Camp came on,  one of our favorites we sing at church and listen to on the radio, so as always I start singing, and then I hear a sweet voice join in along with me.  It was such a precious moment, both of us singing and worshipping God together, a moment where it was completely not planned or wasn't somewhere like church where everyone else was singing.  It really is a moment that is hard to explain unless you were there to capture it yourself.  If I could've;  I would've recorded it; no actually I would've made time stand still and treasure it a bit longer.  I am so thankful that we live in a place where we can choose to listen to what we want, sing when we want, and most of all praise God through singing whenever we want. I am so thankful my daughter who not only loves to sing but loves to sing to God and will just do it without being asked and will do it in any place such as the car.  Love my girl, love her heart.  God is good!

I am bummed I didn't take any pics of her today, but she is beautiful on the inside and out.  

I was able to take a picture of Landry and I this morning, he woke up very early right as I was walking out the door a little after 6:00 am today.  He was in a super good mood!

Family Walk and Dinner Together...Day 36

Due to the craziness of life right now, it seems our evenings as of late have been rushed trying to get there,here, pick kids up, etc.  Tonight was different; we had nowhere to be which was nice.  I am thankful for our pre-dinner walk, I felt like it was the first time in weeks that Josh and I actually had somewhat of a normal conversation to talk about our days instead of what our schedule is for the night.  Walking in the cool crisp Fall air was very refreshing, it was so lovely to see my children walking beside each other talking to one another and not fighting.  I am thankful for those sweet moments.  I am thankful we were able to walk in our house to the aroma of spaghetti sauce simmering inthe crockpot and that we were able to all sit down and enjoy the tasty meal.  Landry said our prayer tonight, those are the most precious words to hear coming from my son.  I am thankful that my daughter helped me clean up the kitchen with not much of a fight.  I am thankful that I haven't had to rush home and do laundry so that my son would have enough clean pairs of underwear for school the next day - Yay for no accidents again!! I know I've set it a lot but it's so true; I am so thankful for his Pre-School, the teachers, helpers, and even the sweet precious students who are acting as "Landry's big brother/sister" and that one little girl who has been crying all day everyday for her momma didn't cry today since she was being "Landry's big-sister".  Can I get an Amen that God is good!!!

I actually took a few pictures of our dinner tonight.  Landry was literally about ready to fall asleep. I wish I had my cameral on our walk tonight. Watching my children pull the wagon together and talking was priceless!

Landry was all about sticking his nasty spaghetti finger in his ear and of course Hadley being funny

Trying to hide from me by ducking under the table

Very sleepy

A Monday Fall Drive and Do-Overs....Day 35

Monday is usually the day everyone dreads; back to work; mundane schedule.  Since going back to work full time and having the career I've always wanted, I haven't found myself dreading Monday's...yet, and I hope that continues.  While I didn't dread today, I am very tired.  I made the mistake of staying up until midnight grading tests and finishing up my lesson plans; there just doesn't seem to be enough hours and days on a weekend to get everything done.  Despite being very tired, today was a pretty good day.  I had forgotten that the weather was suppose to be glorious today since I walked in school while the sun was coming up this morning and hadn't walked out until late this afternoon; but there it hit me as I stepped outside; the Fall crisp air with the warm rays of sunshine! I literally took a deep breath and thought, "Wow, what a beautiful day!"
It was then I decided I am going to make my drive home with the radio up and my windows down; it was fantabulous!  I am so thankful for Fall, the crispness, changing of leaves; reminds me of change and do-overs; which happens to be what I am in the midst of in my heart, soul, and mind.  I am in the midst of changing over to have JOY rather then anxiousness and fear and stress and I am getting a do-over at life.  God is so good!
Landry- JOY update:  Landry has clicked with a few teachers more then others and other students more then others.  One particular teacher happens to be the next oldest group up and happens to be where he has made a few friends.  So he was moved up to this class to see how he would do, if he would respond better in socializing with his peers along with following directions a bit better.  He was placed with a partner who is about a year older then he is and this student was his buddy, helping him with things, holding his hand in line, etc.  When I picked him up I heard nothing but great feedback for Landry! Whoo hoo! He even went to the potty on his own without asking for help- HUGE change!!! Seriously overjoyed!!

Day 34....First Day of Fall - Enough Said

I.Love.Fall.  So thankful my most favorite season has arrived and my least favorite is gone!  I am thankful for these things today:
1. Honey Crisp Apples - they are huge, sweet, crispy, and delicious!
2. My Browns Won!!! Whoo hoo!!!
3.  The weather was absolutely georgeous; true Fall temps today!
4.  My son actually came and told me he had to do #2 in the potty - folks this is huge for him - don't judge!!
5.  Received a call from his pre-school director again, outside of school, on a weekend, to discuss other things they will be doing this week to help him! A-mazing! Athens area folks, First Friends Pre-School is seriously the best!! Take your kids there!!
6. My husband cutting holes into 56 tennis balls so that I won't have to hear that annoying sound each and every time my students push in and out their chairs!!
7.  My freshly painted fab grey fall color toes - so thankful I squeezed in a few min. to do this today.  Yes, it's the little things that bring me such JOY! :)
8. Missed church for the 2nd week due to both children coughing/nasty colds - however, thankful for our morning of rest/hanging out together at home.
God is good!

A Few Precious Words Says it All Tonight..Day 33

I was hoping I could post a video I had just taken of Landry and that would have been all I needed to post for what I am thankful for!  As all of you who have been reading my blog knows that Landry has been delayed in his speech due to his health issues since he was a baby. He had been in speech therapy for the past year and of course now he is attending pre-school!  I can honestly say that the month he's been at school that his speech has really taken off. Tonight after baths we were on my bed getting ready to do our routine of reading, singing, and praying, out of nowhere Landry folds his hands and says the following, "God is great, God is good, thank for food! Amen!" Those were his exact words! Tears of joy, a moment we have been waiting for; for so long!! Just as my son said tonight; "God is good!"

My Life...Blessed..Day 32

Being a teacher unfortunatley allows me to see and hear a lot of heart wrenching issues that students have to deal with.  They deal with issues that they should never have to encounter or face; but yet they are forced to.  One student in particular stands out to me who has dealt wtih a lot yet this student always smiles and is incredibly sweet.  If I hadn't spent a few minutes each day just chatting with this student, I would have never known what has been going on in their life.  This student struck an "Aha"moment with me and ironically goes right along with what I have been writing about this past month; JOY!   This student portrays exactly what God teaches us about in His word, 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3.
Even during the hard times, we can still have joy, and God is the source of that joy.  
This particular student has joy, and I can only hope when I am faced with something awful, I can have this joy and persevere.
Today I am thankful for this student and the joy that this student has.  I am thankful my sweet Landry boy had an amazing week at school.  I am thankful that God has blessed with me this wonderful life, that I have my family to come home too.  I am thankful even during the times my son is throwing a tantrum because he is exhausted from school and didn't nap.  I am thankful for my daughter even when she is mouthy because that means I have a daughter.  I am thankful for my hardworking and considerate husband.  I am thankful because like many students, they are not able to experience what a loving and stable home is.  

This New Life...Day 31

As I mentioned yesterday, doing this challenge of being thankful has literally changed my life in a profound way! I have noticed my outlook on life  has changed, when I get stressed out it's not to the extreme it used to be, and I absolutely love searching and picking out the joyful things that I am grateful for throughout my day.  It is one thing to notice yourself and often times we wonder if anyone else notices change or notices the different things we work on in our lives.  Today my friend Katie that I have mentioned often; encouraged me (yet again) how she has also seen a change in my life just by reading my blogs.  Just hearing that from her confirms the validity of why I am writing this publicly about this challenge.  There is something so encouraging when another person can see a change or at least acknowledges that something is different when you have been working hard on something.  I am so grateful for her and her encouragement throughout this journey.  One of my other main reasons for sharing this challenge in a blog is to encourage others who may struggle with joy like I do.  It has been amazing to hear different ones who read my blog who have said it has helped them a lot, or it has got them thinking about doing this challenge, and that they were happy to get to know more about me personally, especially since I am not quick to open up to people.  I am so thankful for all the ways God is using this blog.

My thankfulness for today:

1. I am in bed by 10pm, this has been an insane week and the exhaustion has come to a head, so glad to be going to sleep soon!

2. My Landry boy woke up feeling awful, fever, coughing but by noon his fever had gone away and he was up playing, having a good time with his Nanny/Pappaw who watched him while I worked today.  Thankful to spend the evening with him and he wasn't grumpy like he usually is since he's started pre-school.    He is such a joy! I love that he ALWAYS has to have a hug and a kiss when we are saying goodbye, it seriously is the most precious thing!

3. Playing hangman at dinner with Hadley so she could study her spelling words.  I treasure those little moments.

4. Thankful that my kids are healthy and growing! I took 2 pictures of them tonight and they both just really struct me that they are growing up so fast! Landry will be 3 in a little over a month, folks that is a big transition, toddler to pre-school, he's looking like a little boy rather than like a little infant/toddler.  Hadley is 7 and she is growing into a beautiful young lady.

5. Thankful for a great class today, I really feel like the students had fun learning and were very engaged in our story today! I love teaching, so blessed to have this job!

God is good!

Half Way There....Day 30 of Thankfulness and Finding Joy

Whoo hoo! I have made it half way to my goal of 60 days of thankfulness!! I can honestly say it has been the most challenging, rewarding, and joyful 30 days I have experienced in my life. That is a huge statement to make I know, but it is true.  Joy is not a feeling, but a choice.  When someone chooses joy, their outlook on life is forever changed.  I am so thankful for Christen encouraging me to start this journey, thankful for Brittany purchasing the book 1,000 Gifts by Anne Voscamp, thankful for my husband, my life long sister-friend Alicia, and sweet, long time friend Katie for the daily encouragement I have received from them since starting this journey!

Today I am thankful for:

1. 2 cups of coffee and the thoughtfulness of my husband - he made my coffee this morning before I left for work and I have to admit my coffee is complicated and I am very particular. I like almost more half and half then coffee (no joke) and 2 tablespoons of honey but I have to have my half and half warmed up so my coffee will stay hot. I can't stand luke warm coffee. So today he made my coffee but put stevia instead of honey but I would've drank it, but without even blinking or saying anything he made me another to go cup with my honey. So thoughtful and for the day I had today...I needed both of my coffees. I drank one on my way to school and drank the other within first period. Thankful!

2. The sweetness and joyfulness of my daughter tonight - I hadnt seen her until I picked her up from Praise Team practice at church and when she came out she had joy written all over her face. She like me, loves to sing and this was her first night of practice. She absolutely loved it, that makes this momma proud. I am proud she is finding joy in singing songs and worshipping God through singing!

3. Day 3 of no accidents at school for Landry!!!!  Have I mentioned how awesome Miss Lyssa and Miss Janet are???

4. Sleep - I am so exhausted I feel sick..so I am in my own bed drifting off as I write this!

God is forever good!

5. Beautiful sunrise this morning. 

Simple Pieces of Joy

Day 29 Day of Thankfulness

Long day so this blog will be simply a list of the joys I found today:
1. The sweet lady working with my son at pre-school, going above and beyond. She's working on his speech, cutting with scissors, socializing, eating, you name it she's doing it! What really let's me know she is awesome is that while talking about him today she started crying due to his progress in just 2 days and that she said , " He is very smart and adorable". She had the director and I in tears as well. So thankful for her, this school, and my sweet son!
2.   The beautiful sunrise and sunset! On my way to work I am blessed to see it rise; simply beautiful!
3. My sweet daughter Hadley was able to go back to school today and is feeling better !
God is good!


Sent from my iPhone

Day 28...Thankful even on the Busiest Days

Another long day in the books! Left at 6am and didn't get home until almost 9! Wiped but it's been a good day!  Little Hadley ended up staying home due to her fever and cough but so thankful it didn't/hasn't turned into anything that required going to the Dr. and that she hasn't had a fever since this morning!!! And I am thankful for the little glimpses of gratefulness that I see in her.  Tonight I had told her that I was so glad she was feeling better and that I had been praying she wouldn't get any worse.  She actually told me "thank you" for praying for her and I could tell it was truly sincere.

Landry had NO accidents today!! Can I get a hallelujah!!!  The lady Miss Lyssa worked with him all day, I am talking from 7-5, (so grateful) and he responded so well to her! She did visual cards with him, read him a book, and just hung out with him! The plan is for her to do this for a week or so to see if they can get him to not have accidents!  So thankful for her and that he had a good day!!  I am thankful for other people who can offer resources that sometimes parents can't.  

I am thankful for the busyness, it means I have a loving family including 2 dogs that need attention, a great job to go to, and money to buy groceries at the store.  God is good!

Answered Prayers..Day 27

A big shout out to those of you who are praying for my sweet little man Landry and his accidents at Pre-School. Today the director called me; yes, very cool,she called me on a Sunday, her day off.  She has a sister in law who recently wrote a book on parenting and education.  She is a retired school teacher and she talked to us about her book at Landry's open house last week.  Apparently she and the director were talking about her book and Landry and his accidents came up.  Long story short, she has offered to come to pre-school 3-4 days/week to specifically work with Landry! How awesome is that?  She mentioned something about children tranisitioning and how when a parent who used to be at home with them and then goes to work can effect them.  So I am not entirely sure what she will do, but she has some ideas! What an answer to prayer! God is so good! I am so thankful for this pre-school, thankful for their willingness to work with Landry, and to go the extra mile.  I am thankful God hears our prayers and answers them in a way He sees best.  I am thankful that when I hand over things to Him, He truly takes them from us and gives us peace.  I am thankful for all of you who are and will continue to fervently pray this works out for Landry!
I am also thankful for a very productive day! I have literally been working in my "office" in my bedroom ALL DAY and it is now after 10pm and still not finished grading papers, but I did accomplish a lot today!  Thankful that I have a teaching job to go to tomorrow!!  God is definitely good!
My picture I have to share is what one of my students wrote at the bottom of her spelling test. It made me smile while grading tonight!

Everything's Better with Someone By Your Side...Day 26 of Thankfulness

I firmly agree that when it comes to anything remotely challenging, stressful, uneasy; having someone who loves and cares for you to walk alongside of you just makes it easier.  I have been studying, preparing for this dang test and keep missing it by 1 or a few points and it's getting down to the wire that I pass it in a few weeks. It's been this huge dark cloud hanging over me for months, getting in the way of being able to spend time with my family, enjoying my hobbies, and teaching. Studying for every possible historic event in the world since 500 B.C. is very daunting and quite frankly I am tired of researching all of this.  Just as I was close to having a meltdown and feeling defeated; my hubby came to my rescue.  I am so incredibly thankful for his relaxed, logical, laid back personality, especially in situations such as this.  I am thankful that he let me vent my frustrations. I am thankful he doesn't judge me or think I am not smart because I can't pass this test. I am thankful he encourages me.  There is one thing he said to me tonight to where at first I was a little annoyed because I thought he felt like I may not pass it again, but that wasn't it at all. (If only I could quit jumping to assumptions. :) ) He said, "If you do not pass this time, it's not the end of the world. We will be okay, you will be okay." What he meant when he said this was a lot of things: he loves me no matter what my test score is, it doesn't change who I am as a person, it doesn't define my ability to be a great teacher, and we'll study more for the next time.  Isn't he amazing? I am thankful that he is staying up with me tonight to go through each and every question on my practice tests, google topics, make me my favorite fall/winter night snack (hot chocolate with marshmallows), and to just be here with me during this daunting task.  I am thankful I have a partner to share this with, this study session just got a lot sweeter! Thankful that God made Josh just for me!  God is surely good all the time!

One other thing I am thankful for are the beautiful sunsets we have here in Athens. I was driving on Rt. 33 towards Athens tonight and the sky was layered with clouds and so many warm colors. I tried to take a picture to capture the stunning sky, but I was driving and it didn't turn out so great, but you can see part of what I am describing.  God is an amazing artist!

Hadley's laugh and smile - so incredibly thankful for her. We had a fun moment using my photo booth app. Here is a freaky but funny picture of us!

Fall is Here...Day 25 of Thankfulness

Yay!!! Love love love this beautiful weather we had today! Fall weather automatically puts me in a good mood, the crisp cool air which allows the jeans, sweaters, and my absolute fav - BOOTS! 

Yes, today, I am thankful for boots. I busted them out tonight on my date night with my hubby!

Since it is Friday and it is 10:30 which means it is an hour past my bedtime and beyond exhausted, I am going to just list the other items I am thankful for:

1. q/t dinner with my hubby tonight

2. BOOTS - yes I said it for the 3rd time :)

3. my dog Jake - it is true what they say, a dog is a (wo)mans best friend, he is usually with me wherever I go, I love that he just knows when I may be having a bad day, seriously, he does, he will just come and snuggle with me, thankful that God provided animals to be companions

4. prayer - prayer is helping me to not completely worry about Landry and his pre-school

5. peace - God is instilling peace in place of a lot of worry

God is good!

Thank you for all of your comments, messages, and your prayers for Landry. It really means a lot.

Yes - I had to take a picture of my first fall boot appearance! :)

Finding the Joy in Stressful Situations...Day 24

Not going to sugar coat things, this week has been long and tiring. Both Josh and  I have been putting in long hours at work, we've had something each evening, our kids are worn out.  However, we still have so much to be thankful for!  Today I am thankful for the following:  

We have 2 fully functioning bathrooms again! Since June we have been remodeling both bathrooms upstairs and had run into some issues, so both of them either didn't have a shower or sink to use. Today, a plumber came and fixed both and now they are both fully useable!! You never know how much we take for granted until you don't have it.

Kids eat free on Thurs nights at our local BBQ joint - I didn't have to cook - food is delicious - our kids eat free - Win-Win-Win!

Watching my sweet son sleep on his daddy's shoulder. The kid who never falls asleep anywhere, fell asleep at 6:45 in the car, slept through Pre-school open house, and went to bed when we got home.  

Friends that I can call on to pray for what may seem silly/small but to me a huge deal.  Alicia and Brittany - thank you for your prayers!!!

My beautiful daughter getting a 100% on her math test. She is like me in that she's not a fan of math and works a little harder then the other subjects that come naturally to her. She was so full of joy when she got home! That's definitely hanging on our fridge! Proud of her!  She truly earned it!

Thankful tomorrow is Friday!! Looking forward to being at home!

Thankful that despite a stressful situation still with Landry and his accidents at pre-school, I am able to ask for prayer, go to God in prayer, and breathe, knowing deep down God has this, and He'll put Landry where he needs to be.  

If you are a pray-er, would you join me in praying that sweet Landry boy would cease his accidents at school and he can stay? We can already see a huge difference in his speech, communication, and we as his parents and teachers there want this to work out!  He's a mystery, does great at home, but at school....struggling. Thanks for your prayers!

God is good even in the midst of stress!

Music and Joy Go Hand in Hand..Day 23

I am incredibly thankful for music. I love all types from rap, country, jazz, 80's, 90's, pop, rock, christian, worship, really all of it except for techno, that I can do without. It depends on my mood or what I am doing when I decide which type of music to listen to.  I am especially thankful for worship music tonight.  There is just something about it.  One of the positive aspects of having a 35 min. commute one way to work everyday is that I get to listen to my music rather than kid music or listening to one of the kid's cartoons/movies on my iPad.  Since my drive is out in non-cell and radio station land, I only pick up about 2 or 3 stations, but with only 1 that I can get the whole way.  That station happens to me a christian station that plays a good bit of worship music, songs that I have sang a lot in the praise band at church and songs I have on my playlist.  I have always enjoyed singing since I was very little, in fact my first time singing in front of people was at church, no music, just me when I was maybe 6 or 7 yrs. old.  Since that day I have loved and have kept singing at church.  Music can really add so much joy into a persons life, it does for me.  I know for me personally when I've had some hard times and needed healing, God has used many different worship songs to do just that. I am so thankful that God has given such great things like music to really speak to my soul and provide songs with words from scripture that apply to what is going on in my life.  I am thankful that God has given me the joy and love of singing, I absolutely love to sing whether it's in the car, as I am cleaning, or leading others in worshipping God through singing. When I sing, there is a joy that fills my heart and soul and I am so thankful for that.  On my drive home today, I was reminded of that joy that comes from singing when one of my new favorite songs came on, "One Thing Remains", it was raining but the sun was still shining and the sky was incredibly beautiful.  Seeing the sky reminded me of God's creation, and as I was singing the chorus "Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me..." I was reminded of how much God loves me ALWAYS, no matter what I do, say, etc.   For this reminder I am thankful for music and singing and the joy that it brings. God is good.

Peppermint Mocha Creamer....It's Beginning to Smell A lot like Christmas...Day 22

I absolutely love this time of year. Fall. Football.Pumpkins.Leaves changing colors and falling from the trees.Crisp air (even though it has been in the 90's this week lol).  After Fall then shortly becomes time for Thanksgiving and Christmas which means I would get all excited when I would walk into the creamer section of Krogers and find Peppermint Mocha Creamer!! I would get so excited that I would take a picture and post on Facebook/twitter and send it to my friend Julie who has the same love for it as I do.  This year is even more exciting because not only do I get to enjoy this fabulous creamer NOW but my awesome friend Brittany made a homemade version just for me tonight during Bible Study - yep- HOMEMADE! I think I have mentioned how awesome Brittany is in the kitchen and because a lot of her influence our family has decided to choose better eating habits such as eating more natural, organic foods and really reading food labels.  It really didn't come as much of a surprise tonight when I mentioned how much I love my peppermint creamer after tasting her homemade pumpkin spice creamer and wishing the one I buy didn't have a lot of artificial ingredients; that her reply was; "It would be really simple to make your own." And in about 20 minutes she had made a mason jar of yummy awesome goodness peppermint mocha creamer with just a few staple pantry ingredients.

Tonight I am yes, you guessed it, thankful for my favorite creamer. Thankful that it is homemade and not full of artificial junk.  Thankful that Brittany loves me so much as to whip that up for me.  I am thankful that God creates people like Brittany who absolutely loves to cook and that it brings so much joy to people like her and uses that gift to bless others.  Thankful that I have a house to come home too even though it is a mess right now.  Thankful I have my husband to give me a hug and tell me he missed me while I was at work today.  Thankful my sweet Landry boy had no accidents today and is starting to communicate with his words better since attending pre-school.   Thankful for my Hadley girl who really wants to do her absolute best in all that she does and that it bothers her when something isn't right.  Thankful. God is good!

Yummy Peppermint Mocha Creamer - I cant wait to add some half and half and this to my morning coffee tomorrow!! 

Yes It is Time for Sleep! Day 21 of Thankfulness

It has been a long day! I left my house by 6am, pulled in at school a little past 6:30, taught around sixty children today, only sitting to eat my 20 min. lunch, stayed nearly 3 hrs. after the students left, ran home after 6pm, grabbed my daughter and off to puppy training class for Myrtle! Can we say bed time yet? Nope! Pull in around 8pm, unload the groceries that my hubby and son bought this evening, put groceries away, help get kids bathed, ready for bed, then realized I forgot to tell my hubby we were out of half and half and needed Diet Coke (priorities people-to get through the day), so back to the store with 5 min. before closing! I pull back in the garage, pack three lunches, and FINALLY -FINALLY get my pj's on and get in bed! So incredibly thankful for my bed tonight. I am very thankful that my awesome hubby was able to pick the kids up from school today and that he went grocery shopping tonight! I am blessed and thankful that my family is adapting to our new hectic schedule. God is good!  Thankful for this life and for this opportunity to be a teacher!

The Simple Little Things in Life...Day 20

What a busy day! I have worked several hours on lesson plans and assessments, yet feel like I have not accomplished anything!  It is so easy to get caught up in work, life, laundry, etc and forget to stop and be thankful for little things.  Tonight while running errands for my classroom I decided to stop and feed my belly and my brain.  There is a restaurant in up town Athens that is probably one of my favorite; Broney's! They have the best cheese fries with spicy ranch sauce and amazing sweet peach tea.  So I grabbed some take out and went home to continue working.  Thankful for this job even though at the moment it's stressing me out hard core and thankful for little things such as yummy food!  If you haven't caught on yet while reading my blogs, I love food and I love my sweet tea!
God is good!

Day 19....Thankful for Saturdays

I love Saturdays, especially when I am able to sleep in a little and have some q/t time with my man.  Spending time with him without our kiddos is rare and so when we have that time we cherish it!  After having a nice lunch with our pastor from church we decided to look at trucks.  I know some would think that is an incredibly boring way to spend time together, but to us it was fun. We love to "dream" about having something new, bigger, better and just look. We test drove one, talked to many dealers, and realized, yep, those will probably just remain a dream, but that is okay.  We had fun, and that is what matters. I am so thankful that I married someone who isn't into having the "best" and is very frugal with finances.  I am thankful that we don't have to do elaborate dates in order to have fun.  Thankful for the the times we get to spend together, for the ones who watch our kiddos so we can be together. Love him immensely! God is good!

Taken from our Florida trip to Naples last month

Girl Talk and Sleepovers..Day 18

I am thankful for a sleepover with my sweet girl Hadley tonight.  We are watching Romona and Beezus. Thankful for my girl, thankful for sweet mommy/daughter time.  

Finding the Strength...Day 17

Not gonna sugar coat this one, today, a rough one.  At 4:30 am my son decides to wake up, I run in his room to keep him from getting naked and peeing on the floor as he has been lately and to help him pee in the potty. When I went in, he was half naked, put his pull up in the dresser drawer, while I was searching for it, he literally stood right in front of me and peed - ALL OVER THE FLOOR. Did I mention it was 4:30 and that my alarm was set to go off at 5:15? So, I flipped out, yelled at the poor guy and he screamed bloody murder and cried for the next hour. Yep, failed parenting at my finest. I realized soon after (probably the sobs coming from my son) that yelling at him at 4:30 in the morning wasn't the best choice. But I am beyond exhausted and seriously who is thinking logically at this time of the morning, and I should've considered that with my son, he's 2 1/2 its technically the middle of the night, he probably may not really know what he is doing? I don't know, but after trying to console him, get him to go back to sleep for the next hour was a no go.  

This then had me getting a late start for work since I now leave at 6:15am, and when I went to get ready he followed me crying and didn't want me to leave. Broke-my-heart. So as you can guess, today didn't so much start off on a good note.  This was my second day of school and while nothing major happened, the students are great, etc. this sense of standardized testing, lesson plans, etc. etc. started piling on, and the lack of sleep set in which meant my lack of finding things to be thankful for started to flutter off into the distance.

As I drove home from work I could feel the anxiety start to creep in, my exhaustion egged that on and the fear of how my precious son who had been up since 4:30 and at pre-school since 7:15am would be a complete mess when I picked him up, not to mention finding out how many accidents he probably had today.  To my surprise he was more than elated to see me, he kept hugging me, kissing me, and saying miss you mommy, love you mommy - thankful!!!

As I sit here at a coffee shop working on lesson plans after 9pm, when I'd so love to be in bed, while I could easily slip into the complaining mode of..Im tired, I have so much work to do, etc. etc. I think back to this time at 1, 2, and 3 yrs. ago, probably at this same seat and same table feeling like I will NEVER get this master's degree and have my own classroom - tonight I have my degree and have my own classroom - thankful!  God is good!

I Survived ....Day 16 - Incredibly Blessed

I did it! I survived my first day of teaching.  It was fun, tiring, chaotic, exciting, stressful, I LOVED IT!

Thankful for this school, I know I am where God needs me to be.  God is good!

Some pictures of my classroom:

My absolute favorite area; reading corner! It was a huge hit with the students!

Excited I was able to hang books from the ceiling!

:)

Exhausted, Nervous, and Excited...Day 15 of Gratefulness

Since I'm literally running on maybe 2 hrs of sleep in the last 48+ hours, this is gonna be short.  Today was another work day in the classroom with some training and then Open House until 7pm tonight.  It went well, it was fun meeting my soon to be students and their parents.  Tomorrow is the BIG day - my 1st day as a 4th Grade English teacher!!! So thankful and blessed.

Thankful for an awesome podcast that my sweet friend Katie told me about as I was walking out the door this morning.  I had mentioned the whole start of me writing 60 days of thankfulness derived a lot from the book 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voscamp; well she did an interview about this book with LIfe Today and I really cant put into words how amazing she was.  To read about her experiences of finding joy is one thing but to hear her tell it, and here the JOY in her voice now after finding it was just what I needed to hear this morning on my way to school.  I don't remember word for word of what she said but basically, we find JOY by being in the presence of God, we are in the presence of God by being thankful.  Such a simple line, but so rich and true. So that is what my blog of 60 days is all about, finding that JOY by being in the presence of God by being thankful.

There is a verse in the Bible that says just that but of course I can't find it, when I do I'll post it.

JOY - presence of God by being thankful.

If this doesn't scream JOY- then I don't know what does :)

A Special Birthday Celebration! Day 14

Today was a lovely day with family, not just an ordinary day but to celebrate Josh's grandpa.  Pappaw is what we all call him, even people that aren't family call him that.  He turns 77 on Wednesday. It was a fun day with tons of awesome food enough for an army which is always the case with this family.  We swam, well the kids and Josh and I and our puppy ! We are so blessed that our kids still have their great grandparents, many kids aren't able to know them. What is really neat is the special bond Pappaw has with each of our kids. Hadley is his little angel and Landry is his little buddy. From the time Landry was born, Landry fell in love with his Pappaw. Everyday Landry asks for Pappaw and when he's around Landry doesn't let him out of his sight. Truly blessed. Pappaw is very dear to all of us and so thankful that we celebrated another birthday with him!  Happy birthday Pappaw!

This picture of today's celebration captures their special bond!

That Moment When Anxiety Sets In..Day 13

What a day! I have had this sinus headache/migraine for nearly 24 hours which was so bad I couldn't sleep AT ALL last night. The past three nights have been awful, to me there's almost nothing worse then being able to get in your own bed and sleep, but can't.  I am really hoping to be over this sinus infection so I can be ready to greet my 4th graders bright and early Wednesday morning.  Since I didn't sleep last night, I was up already at 6 when sweet Landry boy awoke.  I brought him in bed with us and of course he wasn't having any of that. He kissed Josh on the cheek and that was the end of him sleeping as well. My head was still pounding so much that it was hard to see and I told Josh how my night was and I didn't know what to do to make this headache go away.  So being the awesome hubby that he is, he scooped up Landry and headed downstairs so I could try and sleep.  Landry didn't want to leave me, as he has been attached to me lately and  I had told him I had a boo boo on my head, his sweet little hands cupped my face and he kissed my head ever so gently. Love that sweet boy. Thankful.  So in the midst of this annoying headache, I was able to see how sweet, gentle, and loving my little guy is, thankful.
I think a lot of times being a mom; we often either aren't able to rest when we are sick due to the husband working or perhaps they may be single and there is no one else to care for the children, but for me, neither were the case for me this morning.  Josh was able to take the kids, feed them breakfast, and get them ready for church AND bring me toast and my medicine in bed this morning!  But still as a mom, I felt incredibly guilty that he had to do that and that I should just get up and take care of the kids and do this and that.  Thankful that my husband is glad to help out and take care of all of us, thankful that he knew I needed rest.
I was able to get some sleep by dozing in and out the next few hours and contemplated about going to church or not. I definitely was tired of being in bed and wanting to get out of the house, but my head still hurt pretty bad. I ended up going and was glad I did.  Then it hit me like a fierce wave in the ocean at night, anxiety! We left church and had no food in the house so we were trying to figure out where to go, I was grumpy, hungry, and frustrated. After driving around for awhile, and not being able to decide what sounded good, because when you have a headache like this, nothing sounds good. So I went through Arby's and grabbed my family lunch, nothing for me. I was too annoyed and grumpy. We came home and I came upstairs to do some work and to study.  Anxiety - yep, it's here, full force - I start teaching in a few days, no lesson plans written, classroom not all the way set up, studying for a test in 3 wks, the house hasn't been cleaned, need to go grocery shopping, plan meals for the week, etc. etc. etc. Josh came in to see what was up and I just let it out. Yep, my anxiety led me to tears, ones I often hold back but should just let them flow.  I told him everything that was bothering me and I started to feel better. It is amazing how just having someone hear what you worried about and crying (more so for girls I am sure) can bring you perspective and peace.  Josh hugged me and encouraged me, and set up a game plan to get this test passed and function with work.  Thankful for such a sweet and understanding husband, my best friend.
After pondering this anxiety, that was part of why I haven't been sleeping. As I have tossed and turned these past three nights, so many things run through my head. How am I going to keep it all together? How am I gonna pass this test? How am I going to write all of my lesson plans? I can't teach - how do I teach? How will I function with having to get up by 5 am every morning without going to bed each night at 7pm? How can I balance my family, job, and church? See a pattern here? How -How-How
Anxiety is evil and sneaky, slips in when you least expect it.  Only this time, I was able (after a tearful meltdown) to face it head on, and replace it with thankfulness.  Thankful I am able to start teaching in a few days. Thankful I have a loving and supporting family to come home to. Thankful to spend the rest of the this evening running errands with the whole family.  Thankful to be able to let go of this control and let Josh be my teammate, life is so much easier when you let others help and share the load.  Thankful that my velcro boy kept saying - one more kiss, one more hug x 20 tonight when putting him to bed.  Thankful that last night my sweet girl Hadley wanted to snuggle, something that she NEVER does now that she is 7, but we did and she fell asleep in our bed and never moved once when Josh carried her to her own bed, peaceful.  Thankful for a God who helps me face my anxiety FINALLY instead of trying to hide from it, I have such a long way to go, but I believe for the first time, I am taking the baby steps necessary to get there.  This is one of my favorite verses that I say over and over in my head:
I Peter 5:7 Cast all of your ANXIETY on Him because He cares for you.

He truly cares and He will take it all, but we have to be willing to give it to Him.
God is good!

Sweet Hadley fell asleep snuggling with her momma last night