Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week and remember our blessings.  It is so good to see all that has happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Anniversaries to celebrate

Sixteen years already?  Wow.

2. Mutual Cheering

I'm not happy with how our team ended up (It was a very painful ending. I was reminded of why I'm not allowed to watch hockey games at home; I get animated and yell at the tv and try to coach the team from my couch! haha.)  But I did enjoy the games, and I liked watching them with the kids.

There's always next year...

*sigh*

3. a great school that the kids enjoy

Our school had their Student-Led Conferences this week and so Rhys and Bryn got to show off their work to me. They were both excited about this opportunity. 

{{I look tired here but I wasn't. I'm just not photogenic!}}

I am so thankful that they get to go to this school and that they are growing and learning. I am so thankful that this is an opportunity that we get to have each year. I am thankful for planned nights where we can spend time getting to see what they are learning or how they are doing in school, no matter what their level or marks are. The kids are excited and you get to see them shine more!

4. Blessings in the mail

Is it wrong that I am so thankful that a friend got a surprise in the mail this week and that surprise was that I mailed her a get-well package? She and her kids have been under the weather a lot with various illnesses and they are run down, and so I wanted to send her something fun and good. So I made a get well card and added some tissues, hand sanitizer and some facials for fun. I also included some small Crayola travel packs for her kids. It was relatively easy to put together and didn't cost a heck of a lot. (I got most of the supplies at Dollarama. It was just the time it took to actually get down to the post office to mail it off that took the longest)

I am just so happy that she was surprised and that it made her day. I am so thankful that I could bless another with a simple act.  It made me feel good.

5.  Crafty Affaire

This past weekend, my Mom and I went to White Rock to check out Crafty Affaire, a Market of local artisans. It was a great afternoon to do that too. I was impressed with how everything looked...the displays were nice and elegant, and there were so many different crafty businesses.  It's a Market that we hope to participate in next year (or even in their winter one) as a vendor with Once Again designs.

{{our newest, and most colourful so far: wild & free sign. It's 5x5 and made out of reclaimed fence boards.}}

I am thankful for afternoons out with my Mom, and for talks and for de-stressing. I am thankful that I have such a good relationship with my mom and that we share similar interests. I am so blessed!

6.Thy Word

I am so thankful for my BSF group. We are finishing up the Life of Moses and I have gotten so much more out of it than I was expecting. I am thankful for His Word and that I have been able to study it and learn it more this year. 

What a blessing it is to be able to read this book! We live in a country that allows us some freedom in our beliefs, and we take it for granted; there are a lot of countries that don't and many believers risk a lot to grow their relationship with our God.


7. cookies!
 
Who doesn't like warm cookies from the oven? Yum!

8. My Hunny home

I am so thankful that my Hunny was able to take the day off of work so that I could go on a class field trip with Rhys (little siblings weren't allowed to come due to space). We also had an appointment with the paediatrician immediately after, so that I wasn't able to be at the school to pick up the kids when they got out. I am thankful that he was able to be with Eden and take her out for lunch and to pick up the Olders.  I am thankful that he has a good job and could take the time off when needed.

9.  my nephews

I got to babysit my nephews again this week. It feels like I haven't seen them in a long time! (especially since I had to cancel last week due to pink eye. Phooey) I love these boys!

 {{Micah and Eden stacking blocks}}

10. water power

Kai used the pressure washer to clean out the back of the truck from all of the dirt we filled for the gardens. He really does love that machine and will always volunteer to use it if it comes out!  I love that he will work hard at a project. 

That's my week in a nutshell. I have so much to be thankful for and I have many more that I didn't mention. What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week to remember our blessings.  It is so good to see the good things that have happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Spring Break

This is our second week of Spring Break. Our neighbours went back to school (they were out the week before we were; our school isn't near us) and it rained for a lot of the the week, so the kids were bored and boring.  I was so happy for when we finally got some sunshine!  I am thankful for quiet mornings and waking up when we wanted to though.

2. Birthdays

This past Monday was Grama T's birthday. That is, my Hunny's grandma. She turned 97!  She lives in an assisted living home, so she has her own apartment room with kitchenette or she can join the catered meals in the dining room. I don't know many 97 year olds who can still live that independantly (even if she is losing some of her abilities)!

Our family went down to visit her on the weekend with flowers (Hunny remembered her favourites are pansies) and the kids drew her cards and pictures. I am kicking myself for not remembering to take a photo of her with the kids though! Oops.

3. 24 years in Christ

Twenty-four years ago on March 23rd, I accepted Jesus into my heart! I grew up in a Christian home, so it's not like I didn't know the Bible stories or didn't believe them, but I needed to make that decision on my own; I needed to encounter Him on my own. And He made Himself so real to me when I was listening to a song about His death. It was Palm Sunday and I remember every year and marvel at that night. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called Children of God! (1 John 3:1)

4.  Busy days driving

 I had to drive Bryn over to a friend's house, and then drop Abi off at her friends, come home and then head back out and pick up Bryn, and then go out and babysit my nephews, all right after eachother. It was crazy busy!  And very rainy!  I am so thankful for safety as I drive in the rain and when it is darker and when there are so many construction sites on the roads I tend to drive! We take driving as a given, an automatic ability when you are older, and don't consider being thankful that we made it to our desination safely.

5. nails

Can we just take a moment and marvel of the miracle of my nails?  This is three weeks of not biting! Three Weeks!!! Can we get an Amen?  I am pretty pleased with myself, thankyouverymuch! I am thankful for nails and for self control.

Now I need to trim them (it's getting hard to type!) and then slap some Jamberry designs on them!

6. new music

I have been listening to PRAISE 106.5 FM ever since I was a teen (and back when it was KLYN) and it is what we have on in our vehicles when we are out driving; Christian music has been a HUGE part of my life growing up (and one of the main venues that I was able to make that choice 24 years ago...see above!) Praise is based out of Lynden, WA, which is just half hour from here, so it is "local" enough to mention both sides of the border. 

But I was very happy to hear of an even more local Christian radio station that started up!
The Valley Stream is a sattelite radio station that is based out of Abbotsford, woohoo! They have four different channels available (Contemporary, Gospel, Rock and talk shows like Focus on the Family, Dr. Tony Evans, and Beth Moore); I have been listening to the Contemporary channel and have heard so many songs I had never heard before and so much more variety! I am very happy!  Check them out if you are looking for Christian music online: The Valley Stream.

7. cards

I got my creative groove back and managed to make a whole pile of cards this week! 62 to be exact!  It helps when you are making them in batches. (I would often make 10 of the same design at once) I am ready for upcoming birthdays again!

I love being creative! And I love making cards!

8.  sibling love

I love it when they actually play together and help eachother out! Sometimes it feels like all they do is tattle and get annoyed and try to irritate eachother!  I am thankful for moments where it looks like they are actually a loving family!

9. Five feet tall

It was bound to happen eventually: my 13 year old is now as tall as my mom! Soon she will overtake me! Now, granted both my mom, and my mother-in-law and myself are all short, but it is still exciting to reach the height of an adult! I don't know how tall my kids will be, but I am sure they will all be taller than me! (or I hope so!)

I am thankful for small things like this! They make me smile!

10. Sudden plans

I didn't think we would have much happening this week (last week felt more busy) but we still managed to get some friend get togethers and sleepovers in. As I mentioned in #4, Bryn got to go to his friend Forrest's house, and then I dropped Abi off at Hannah's for a sleepover and Kai got picked up for a sleepover (it was nice to have an 'early' night at home with the two Olders gone, but my Hunny and I didn't get to snuggle up on the couch and watch HGTV together, haha, as I came home late after babysitting.) And then we had Kai's friend over here and it was a good and fun week after all. But I do think the kids are ready for back to organized events like school!

Some weeks are just amazing and some are just quiet and maybe a bit boring. I am so thankful that we are given more blessings no matter what and have so much to be thankful for. How about you?

thankful thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week to remember our blessings.  It is so good to see the good things that have happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. this girl

I am so thankful for Abi; for all that she is to our family. She babysits for us when Hunny and I need to go out somewhere (like our parent-teacher interviews at the schools, or for grocery shopping, or even just a quick step out for a coffee and a breather), even when she sometimes finds it frustrating. (we do pay her often. Sometimes in small gifts of a latte, and sometimes in cash, or in paying for new books for her to read, like we did this week!)

 
I am also so very thankful for her creativity and resourcefulness. When I was out at my dental appt recently, and Hunny was working late, she saw to dinner plans and made something for everyone. It was so good of her and I was so blessed by her thoughtfulness and her ability to fill a need. I don't know how I ended up with a girl like her! 

2. this silly girl

The Fiesty One decided to cut her own hair one morning while I was still in bed.  I know that a lot of kids do this; I certainly did as a kid, and even into my teens! But it still made me nervous to see her own handiwork!

I was thankful that it didn't really look too bad! I felt mixed on whether I should commend her on her abilities or tell her how it was a bad idea!

3. A friend of ours had her story published! 

A friend wrote a story for a grade five class project two years ago, and her teacher suggested she publish it, so her mom loked into it this year! A small company accepted it and the book came out just recently! It's so exciting! I see many years ahead of her developing her writing skills and growing her talent; she is already a great storyteller!  

Check out more information on this story, and how you can get your own copy!  We should support young talent, and local talent!  the lotus princess

4. a shameless promotion

 I don't join these things to gain followers, but I thought it was neat that Pinterest was using one of my boards in their "you may want to check this out" email this week! *patting myself on the back for being awesome*  It was neat to think that Pinterest wanted to promote me and my silly board on building projects! It made me feel pretty good! I'm thankful for small and un-important things like this that make me feel happy.

5. Jamberry party

For Abi's birthday party, she wanted to have friends over for a sleepover, but also do something fun, so we invited a woman over for a Jamberry party. I had heard about Jamberry this year, but had never had a chance to try it out myself, or to go to a party, so when we saw someone at a craft fair promoting their own business, we thought we'd try it out!

I'm a nail biter...I know, I know. It's a terrible habit. I really thought I would be over it by the time I hit my 30's, but by then the habit was set strong, and habits are hard to break.  I had heard that having a manicure would help, but since I don't have the money or time (or interest, really) to have one, I had heard that having pretty nail decor would help too.

My nails looked good!  My cousin's wife said that it helped her out, but if she had a snag or it bubbled up or frayed, she would pick at it, and I found out that to be true for me as well! Sadly, they did not make it a week! But I am going to try it again (after all, I did buy a few sets!) and hopefully I will be stronger this time!

I thought it was cute that even Eden was included! Our nail instructor, Kelly, applied Eden's nails for her, which I thought was very nice, considering I wasn't expecting her too. (you never know how some people will respond to a toddler, you know, when it involves their business, but Kelly was so wonderful!) She loved them!  *

6. Christmas music

I pulled out my Christmas cds the last week of November! I have a small collection that I listen to often, and I would say that my absolute favourites are the ones by Michael W. Smith. He has three...no, wait, I think he just came out with a new one, a Christmas with Friends one where he duets with others.  I love his Christmas music, they really do touch my heart. I love that he adds a symphony orchestra and many choirs. Oh, my heart is so happy and at peace when I listen to it. 

I was so happy to find his cds on youtube, so I've been listening on our tablet to the mix' while I prepare dinner. It really has helped with my peace!

All is Well (the song in the picture above) is a song off of his first Christmas cd, way back in 1989! It is actually sung by the American Boy Choir, and wow, it is so touching. Especially if you listen to Frank Peretti read his story of the same title. *tears* (I think you can listen to the story here. I'm not too sure since my computer isn't running very well right now, so I can't test it.)

7. custom card order 

I don't know if you are aware of this, but I love making cards and I really love making cards for other people. So I was pretty excited to have a custom order of 20 thank you cards to make for a friend!

8. Medication!

My thyroid is kind of ...off...this week. I have been in a lot of all-over body pain, having heart palpitations, feeling so so so cold, dealing with insomnia as well as fatigue, and been angry and frustrated yet also apathetic and depressed. It's been a really rough week!  So I was so thankful that my doctor called in my prescription to the pharmacy for me when mine ran out and I struggled.  

I may not always feel like my doctor is doing enough for my thyroid care, but I am sure thankful to have something to take that helps just a bit! Hopefully this will let me feel more..normal...again.

9. Snow!!!

The first snowfall of the season is always exciting!  Usually when it snows in other parts of the Lower Mainland, it won't fall at our house since we live at the bottom of two or three big hills, so I was quite surprised, and very happy, to see how much we received in the end! And ours lasted longer than my parents' house in Chilliwack!

The kids were going to go play in it, but that lasted hardly even 10 minutes. It was just too cold! We still have this arctic chill going on! Brr!

10. Swim lessons

We finished up our swimming lessons. The Youngers had a blast! They loved learning to swim, and they loved their teachers, and they were proud of themselves for what they accomplished; they started out timid and gained new skills. They didn't pass their levels, but that's okay. They learned so much and are able to now get their faces/heads wet, and that's a big step from when we started!

They keep asking about swimming, so I definitely see us repeating this in the Spring!


So that's my week in a nutshell!  There is so much to be thankful for!  What are you thankful for? If you start a list, let me know. I'd love to share your happy news too!



* I was curious as to how long Eden would keep her nails on, just to find that she had pulled them off in bed that very night! haha.  Of course, she wanted new ones on the next day!