Counting On...(258-272)

Three Gifts Redeemed:

#258  He ransomed me.  "Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!"

#259  Improving health. Slowly, but surely. Thank you, Jesus!

#260  Somehow we've gone from this...

to this...

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Three Gifts Entwined:

#261

#262

#263

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Three Gifts of His Promises:

#264  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.'"  Ephesians 6:1-3

#265  His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) "Grace that is greater than ALL my sin!!"

#266  "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."  Romans 8:28

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Three Gifts Uncovered:

#267  Tots in tents.

#268 The eyes of a superhero.

#269 Bare, but beautiful.

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#270  A Gift Heard:  Softest trickling of a tent-side brook, lulling me--miraculously.

#271  A Gift Held:  Summer favorite.

#272  A Gift Hoped For:  Each one of them.

Why I count.

Counting On... (249-257)

Three Gifts Spoken:

#249  Prayers with a husband.

#250  "Yes, ma'am."

#251  "That's 'rrrrr!' And 'ehhhhh?!' And 'ti ti ti!' And 'wooguh wooguh...Aaaaaaaa!!' And what's that? Double u? Wuh wuh whut's happenin', dude?  Mommy! I think that's a water in there!"

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#252  A Gift Sung:  Alphabet letters all jumbled, so softly melodic.

#253  A Gift Written:  Diligent cursive.

#254  A Gift Painted:  First-grader's map of Bible lands--her loving the blue waters best.

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Three Gifts Almost Gone:

#255  This baby...

...now answering my offer to help with, "No, thank you. I can do it. I'm a super hero!" 

Baby almost...(already?)...gone.

#256  Brown grass on its way to greening up.

#257  Dwindling vat of before-the-rate-hike peanut butter. Making it last...

Go here to see why I'm counting my gifts.

Project 365: Week 12 "kitchen and classroom"

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Lest you thought my house was clean all the time...

This is pretty much the usual.

Monday, March 19, 2012

The kids heard the ice cream truck this afternoon. Oh, dear. (It's Spring Break here, which is why the truck was out hunting neighborhood children.) The Davidson kiddos scrambled around and dug through piggy banks to buy their own treats.

Counting On...(237-248)

Three Gifts That Made You Laugh:

#237  Quirky fashionista.

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#238  Atticus (enters room suddenly 'in character'):  Mousey wants some cheeeeeese. 'Cause Mousey wuuuuuuvs cheese!

Me: He does? Well, can Mousey say 'please'? 

Atticus (aka Mousey): Pweeeeeeze can Mousey have some cheese?

(Atticus, taking cheese, then exits stage left.)

<nibble nibble>

Counting On... (231-236)

Three Gifts Red:

#231

#232

#233

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Three Gifts Eaten:

#234

#235

#236

Still counting...

Project 365: Weeks 9 & 10...& 11 (whew!)

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sundays are often very busy days for us, especially on the mornings I sing. Or if we're having an open house, for instance! So, I didn't get a picture until bedtime tonight. This expression on Saylor's face here reminds me of Drew Barrymore for some reason. See it??

Monday, February 27, 2012

SCHOOL SCENES:

Filling a "cotton boll" with itty bitty seeds.

Counting On...(219-230)

Three Gifts Found in Silence:

#219  Nap time respite.

#220  The sound of my man sleepy-breathing, just as he dozes off, right next to me.

#221  A smile in sunshine.

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Three Gifts Given Away:

Counting On... (195-218)

#195  A Gift Bent

Busy with the business of learning.

#196  A Gift Broken

Because of brokenness, walls are now protected from bangs and bumps.

#197  A Gift Beautiful

Enough said.

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Three Gifts in the Kitchen:

#198  Carmelized onions.

#199  Little helping hands.

#200  Fatty, nourishing foods.

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Three Gifts Loud:

#201  Boys celebrating birthdays.

#202  Boys experiencing speed.

#203  A boy and his guitar.

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Three Gifts Carved:

#204  Gifted silver finding its way out of its box.

#205  Names left behind.

#206  A symbol handed down, signifying so much more.

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Three Gifts in Christ:

#207  Grace that is greater than all my sins.

#208  New mercies.

#209  My righteousness.

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Three Gifts Read:

#210  "Hush, Jane! you think too much of the love of human beings; you are too impulsive, too vehement; the sovereign hand that created your frame, and put life into it, has provided you with other resources than your feeble self, or than creatures feeble as you. Besides this earth, and besides the race of men, there is an invisible world and a kingdom of spirits: that world is round us, for it is everywhere; and those spirits watch us, for they are commissioned to guard us; and if we were dying in pain and shame, if scorn smote us on all sides, and hatred crushed us, angels see our tortures, recognize our innocence (if innocent we be...), and God waits only the separation of spirit from flesh to crown us with a full reward. Why, then, should we ever sink overwhelmed with distress, when life is so soon over, and death is so certain an entrance to happiness--to glory?"  

--Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

#211  "It took me seventeen years to realize I couldn't parent on my own. It was not a great spiritual insight, just a realistic observation. If I didn't pray deliberately and reflectively for members of my family by name every morning, they'd kill one another. I was incapable of getting inside their hearts. I was desperate. But even more, I couldn't change my self-confident heart. My prayer journal reflects both my inability to change my kids and my inability to change my self-confidence. That's why I need grace even to pray. (...) It didn't take me long to realize I did my best parenting by prayer. I began to speak less to the kids and more to God. It was actually quite relaxing." 

--A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, Paul Miller

#212 "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"  --Esther 4:14

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#213  A Gift in Wind

#214  A Gift in Water

#215  A Gift in White

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Three Gifts Round

#216

#217  

#218

I'm continuing to count. Are you?

Counting On... (175-194)

Three Gifts From the Past--That Help Me Trust the Future:

#174  Once upon a time we lived in another house, and I thought we'd never sell it. But we did.

#175  God has provided...and will continue to provide. Sometimes in ways I wouldn't have guessed, sometimes at the last minute, but faithfully...always.

#176  The knowledge of who my husband and I once were...and how God has redeemed us and is ever sanctifying us. How far we've come! And He is graciously faithful to journey with us all the way, making us into His Son's image, "until He completes the work begun."

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#177  A Gift Dull: Regular day, nowhere to go, nothing exciting happening...how children fill the dullness with smiles and play and just being-togetherness.

#178  A Gift Shimmering

#179  A Gift Cleaned

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Three Gifts at 3 PM:

#180 House vacuumed.

#181 Gun fight with a grandfather.

#182 Floor mopped...because children were occupied. (See #181.)

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Three Gifts Green

#183 

#184 

#185  

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Three Gifts Wore:

#186  New clothes.

#187  Borrowed "life-saver." (double meaning)

#188  Everything about this.

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Three Gifts Hard to Give Thanks For:

#189  Two lives, precious and beautiful in the sight of God, unseen by us who miss them, living in heaven...and in my heart.

#190  When life necessitates change. (Change is never 100% easy.)

#191 Sickness.

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Three Gifts Found:

#192

#193

#194