Thankful Thursday

There are so many things to be thankful for! This feature was started by Louise at Talk Nerdy To Me.  Check out her list and then make your own.

Gratitude and Joy are closely connected; it helps when I focus on things I am thankful for.


1. Good Health Reports

In just two months, my friend had a colonoscopy done, was diagnosed with colon cancer, had surgery to remove the polyps and tumour, and had follow up testing done...all while being a single mom to two girls, (they stayed at our house for a few days) plus had her older teenaged son visit...and we just got the news this week that her cancer was only stage 1, and it was all removed and she will not need chemotherapy! Hooray! What a relief! It was a stressful, and prayerful few months! But God is good and I am so thankful that she can go back to being just a mom to her girls.


2. God's beauty

It is so easy for us to take for granted the sights and smells around us. At this time of year, we expect to see flowers and green grass and hear the birds and to enjoy the warm sunshine, when each time we are exposed to those things, they are a direct gift from God to us. Famine, war, fires, drought...those are realities for so many people on this earth. We have no idea what good we have. So when we have evenings like this:

...it is good to just stop, look and marvel at God's beauty and be thankful for another day.

3. Cooler Weather

I admit that I was a bit overheated last weekend in the 30 degree weather, and I was concerned about it being too hot for those on the Serve 2014 trip's outdoor activities (yard work, painting, etc) since it was supposed to be even hotter than last week. I don't do well in very hot weather (although I do handle it better than my Hunny) and so I was dreading having to endure it even hotter while being stuck at home. So I am thankful that it hasn't been too bad. It has been around 24 degrees, and I can deal with that! A nice breeze, some sunshine, it's perfect!


4. Creative thinking

So good to have a Hunny who thinks creatively in finding ways to cool down the kids in our own homemade boat pool.


5. Abi's missionary heart

Those are the words that my Mom titled Abi with. She has a missionary heart. She is out serving others in our local community this week and I am so thankful that she desires to be a blessing to others.

I am also so very happy that she is coming home soon! Yay! She is missed when she is gone from home.


6. Friendships

Kai got to spend the night at his friend David's house this week. They have been best friends since grade 2 and I am loving watching the two grow up together. They are similar enough to have so many interests and yet different in just the right areas that they can build eachother up too. It is no small thing to have a good friend who you can share yourself completely with. I am thankful that he got to spend time with him, since we don't live near eachother and his family has been gone a lot this summer already.


7. Long Weekends

It was BC Day on Monday, which meant a long weekend here! Yay! We didn't do anything special, but it was nice to have my Hunny home for an extra day. We did some cleaning up in the yard and we did some shopping and we did some relaxing. It was good!


8. No Screen Weekend

I had heard of a friend who does "No Screen Sundays" in her home, which means that no one is allowed on the computer or watching tv at all that day. After my kids have spent much of their days on Netflix, I decided that I needed to implement this in our house too. Except that I didn't do it just for a Sunday, but for the WHOLE Long Weekend!!!

I was happy that they not only survived, but they also handled it really well. They asked to go on the computer/tv a few times, and there were some tears and tantrums over not being able to do what they wanted, but they actually handled it well! Hooray! I think I'll be doing this again. Our kids watch way too much tv and computer games!  I am thankful that the kids were able to find activities to do, and that they played well together and that they still have some creativity!


9. No more diapers!!!

I am so very happy to report that Eden is potty trained!! She was using the toilet full time the week before her third birthday, hooray! But I waited on posting or getting too hopeful just in case!  I read that the child isn't considered full potty trained until they are trained for nighttime as well, but if that is the case, then some of my boys still aren't yet either. *sigh* I have decided to ignore that though. :)  

Eden is still in pull ups at night, but will wake up dry almost every morning. She has only had an accident maybe once or twice since June.  She actually cried for me at 3:30am this week because she had to pee. I begrudgingly took her to the bathroom, but I was thinking in my head "that is why you wear a pull up, though!", where she tinkled and then went back to bed and to sleep easily! That is what I call successful training! Hooray!

10. Birthdays

So very thankful that we get to celebrate another birthday with this guy. 

(I love this fuzzy selfie that B took of us!)

Happy 8th Birthday, Bryn! We love you!


So many things to be thankful for. In looking over my week and making these lists, I have found myself more at peace. It is no small thing to be able to see the blessings in the regular days and in the tough days and in the days that seem to slip by us so fast.  I would encourage anyone to start up their own list. Check out Louise's list as well, and then leave a comment and link if you do your own!