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"...He will come to us as surely as the dawn comes.

He will come to us like rain...."

Hosea 6:3

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from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the LORD is to be praised

psalm 113:3

Picture me {im}perfectly

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Isn't that the truth? 

I've been reading The Happiness Project, and doing a lot of thinking about my attitude. 

What I have is so much more than enough: my precious family, a loving husband, a beautiful son, my health, their health, friends, financial stability, education, a career I love, freedom, the grace of God, assurance that I will live with Him in heaven. I consider those the "big ones", but there are thousands and thousands more that I take for granted every minute: clean water, electricity, having a car, being able to buy good food and however much we need, health care, clean clothes, having a telephone, being able to call and FaceTime with family whenever we want....

I get a little sick to my stomach when I look at the extravagant blessings God has given me and think that I would ever feel dissatisfied or ungrateful. But it happens. I struggle with contentment. So, I love that beautiful print up there, and I love these words from Matthew 5:5:

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are - no more, no less. 

That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

(The Message translation)

~linking up with Hill at Capturing Motherhood~

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I don't have a blog post ready to go today because I'm too excited!

My niece is going to be born today!!

So I will be spending the day in prayer for my brother and his wife, and their precious little one.

And glued to my phone waiting for news and pictures.

Be back soon - to introduce you to the newest member of the family. Eeeep! xoxo

~linking up with This Kind of Love~

Happy weekend!

It's been a banner week.

It got sunny and the crocuses popped up!

...and Michael started walking!

It's so funny - we've been waiting and waiting for him to do it.

Then, yesterday, he just decided it was time.

We've been joking that he must have been feeling saucy because he was wearing his Austin t-shirt :)

We're slowly making arrangements for our move to Texas - cleaning out, donating, packing, shipping, etc. I'm looking forward to more of the same this weekend. I know at some point I will be overwhelmed by this move, but right now I'm just thankful to be going home with my little family. 

I keep thinking about how I felt last year at this time. I was so happy and so excited to meet our little boy. The whole world seemed bright and fresh and like it was opening up for the first time, just to welcome our son. Here we are again on the brink of spring, and again it is so  beautiful and filled with the promise of God's good blessings.

  My cup overflows.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! xoxo

Pinspiration

Are you on Pinterest? I am (find me here), and it has been a huge source of inspiration and fun! I love trying out the recipes and DIY projects that I pin. Some turn out to be a disappointment (like this cake), and others make me wonder how I ever lived without them! (Like this recipe for cilantro lime chicken - it is fantastic, and easy! The chicken cooks in the crock pot for six hours, then we serve it with black beans and spanish rice, and it is so, so good.) So, rather than keep them to myself, I'll be sharing some of my 'prize pins' here from time to time. 

Today I found one of my favorite pins, to date - ABC scripture cards. This one got me excited because although Michael and I read from a Bible story book every day, I am excited for him to learn real scriptures and not just the stories. This project is great, even for a very little one. There is one short scripture for each letter of the alphabet in an attractive, colorful template. 

I started by printing the scriptures onto cardstock, then laminated each page. 

Next, I trimmed the edges and cut apart the scriptures. I punched a hole in each one and put them on a ring. Easy as pie, and it took under an hour (counting the time I spent chasing my rug-rat around and pulling him down off of various furniture).

And it includes a bit of encouragement for the card-reader, too.

Now the fun part - sharing the words of life with my sweet baby :)

 (via I can teach my child)

~linking up with Jellibean Journals~

February 2 - words

Breakfast with the risen Savior, John 21. 

Maybe my favorite passage in the whole Bible.

I'm so thankful my Lord cares for me enough to watch over my soul and my stomach :)

via Jones Design Company

Miracles are my fave

I am a long time fan of You Are My Fave. The author, Melanie, is the kind of likable, down-to-earth, personable blogger who instantly makes you feel like an old fried. Her honesty extends even to the most personal and painful parts of life, including her struggles with infertility, which she documented at YAMF and Babble for the last year or so.

I've been reading along, and praying for her and her husband for a while now and - Praise God! - they recently shared some very happy news. Melanie calls it a miracle and I believe that is true. 

That's not the only miracle I have witnessed lately. My brother and his wife are expecting again!! After a long year of pain, loss, and heartache, God has provided a new source of hope and joy. We are beyond excited for them. I find myself thanking God and begging for his protection over this baby over and over again every day. 

Our God is so good. He hears our cries and gives us the desires of our hearts. 

Psalm 37:4

A new era

It rained all weekend,

the snow is gone

and I'm home today, beginning the transition to 

stay-at-home mom.

There are little tiny buds on the trees

and there is a very active little boy kicking around 

inside me, reminding me of the beautiful changes

on the horizon.

Today I am especially thankful for the blessing of renewal -

for the miracles big and small that God performs 

all around me every day.

He made them all

national geographic photo contest

"You are worthy, O Lord our God,

to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things,

and they exist because you created what you pleased."

Revelation 4:11

Out of the woods

we heart it

Has God ever led you through the woods and brought you out to a beautiful sunny place? I have just had such an experience. First, I studied and thought about nothing but a stressful licensing exam for five weeks. I took the exam, was afraid I failed, and the next day Tim and I got on a plane home to Texas. In the days that followed, when I normally would have been obsessing like crazy over the results, God relieved my mind and filled me up with precious friends, laughter, fun, music, dancing, good food and the love of my family. I got my results {passed!} with my parents standing right next to me and we hugged and cheered and celebrated together. 

God is so good.

His timing is perfect.

His ways are perfect.

He looks after our needs and gives us the joys of our heart.

I am so, so thankful.

Ten years ago today...

...I married you, my love and my best friend. As sure as I was of our love and our commitment, I couldn't have guessed all of the ways God would bless us. Through you He has poured out His love, mercy, patience, and grace on me in ways I had never known. I don't deserve you but I am so thankful that God joined us together. You are His great gift to me.

I love you always. xoxo

Happy Earth Day!

"It was You who opened up springs and streams...

The day is Yours, and Yours also the night;

You established the sun and moon.

It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth;

You who made both summer and winter." 
Psalm 74: 15-17

Lamb of God

sharon montrose

This year I've had a fresh look at Easter. I work in a Jewish subacute care facility, and this week was Passover. All week long I watched the observant residents don their caps and prayer shawls and gather to sing and pray and celebrate God's deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt thousands of years ago.  

"...each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. ⁴ ...Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸ That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. ⁹ ... ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.

 ¹² "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

 ¹⁴ "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD -a lasting ordinance...

 ¹⁷ "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.^{" Exodus 12: 3-17}

Many of these faithful bear the marks of imprisonment in Nazi death camps - scars and ID numbers tattooed on their wrinkled arms. Their understanding of deliverance is so much deeper than mine, but just being around them and seeing their faith has strengthened mine. I am so thankful that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for me and all of the other lost souls of this world. I am so thankful that He rose again. The perfect Lamb of God to deliver us from slavery and death - to take away the sins of the world.

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

 ²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
 ⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
 ⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matthew 28 1-10

Showers of blessings

I have had the most wonderful, possibly perfect, Saturday. I slept in (relatively) late this morning, and then had breakfast and a devotional with some amazing women from my church family. I did a little shopping and scored some amazing plates on sale at anthroplogie:

(At first glance they appear to be just normal, respectable, neutral dinnerware. But on closer inspection...

  

...lizards and leaves and vines!!!! I can't explain how much I love these, or how pleased I am with the deal I got.)




But, back to my perfect Saturday. While I was out this morning enjoying myself, my sweet husband ran errands and bought food, and his bolognese sauce has been simmering all day. Heavenly. The rest of the day has been spent walking our sassy pup, taking care of our home, jogging, listening to music, and just enjoying being together.

It's another one of those days when I feel so blessed my heart overflows with thanksgiving. It happens to me a lot lately, and I find myself wondering, why me? I know so many people who are struggling - with relationships, addiction, career, faith, money, health - and we are blessed over and over again. I don't know why God has blessed me so generously, but I am humbled and thankful and I know this much is true:

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded: and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Luke 12: 48

Thank you, Father, for the blessings You pour over me and my family. I know that every good and perfect thing is from You and no one else. Give me the strength to honor You with my life and use Your blessing to Your glory. Amen.

Snow day

I recently started my third and final clinical rotation for school, and although I'm enjoying it, it has made me intensely aware of how much I loved being home over the break. There is a part of me that needs to work and have a life outside of our home, but I am always happiest when I am here and taking care of our little family. I never got bored during the more than forty days I had off from school. I rested, worked out, organized, crafted, cleaned, studied, traveled, played with my puppy, prayed, talked, wrote, lunched, shopped, cooked, read. The time was so precious, and so rejuvenating to my soul. I used it wisely, but I've been a little blue this week just knowing that blissful chapter had come to an end.


I don't know why it surprised me. I should expect, by now, that my God will be lavish with His blessings. But today he sent another beautiful snow storm, and Tim and I both got to stay home for the day, all snug in our little house with our little pup. Tim worked and I read blogs like it was my job with a warm puppy on my lap. We cooked a good lunch and ate together. I baked a cake and made a stew. It hasn't been an extraordinary day, but it was just what my heart desired. And I didn't even have to ask.

"You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips." 

-- Psalm 21:2

  

* I took these pictures with my favorite new iphone app, which I learned about on my favorite blog.

Stormy winds that do His bidding

I'm having one of those dreamy mornings that only come along every now and then. I woke up after a peaceful night's sleep next to my warm, drowsy puppy. Nowhere to be. Nothing to do. Feeling healthy and strong. Blessed beyond measure. Content in every fiber of my being. Aware that even if it lasted only a few minutes, this was a gift from above.


And then God blessed me some more. 


I opened the door to let my puppy out and discovered a fresh new snow was falling. Big beautiful flakes floating thickly through the air, covering the earth and transforming the bare trees into art that makes my heart sing. Cool. White. Pure. I stood there taking it in and all was quiet, except for the sounds of birds calling and flying from tree to tree, and Ella happily snorting and hopping around in the snow.


Oh, how You bless me, Lord! The whole world declares Your praise. Your ways are beautiful, and everywhere I look I see Your creation. I give thanks for Your overflowing blessings. I do not deserve Your perfect gifts, but I am grateful. Help me to honor You with my life. Bless those who are alone. Grieving. Hurting. Hungry. Cold. Unable or unwilling to see Your beauty. Open their hearts and overwhelm them with Your love. You alone are to be praised, God of the heavens and earth.

Hallelujah! Praise God from heaven,
      praise him from the mountaintops;
   Praise him, all you his angels,
      praise him, all you his warriors,
   Praise him, sun and moon,
      praise him, you morning stars;
   Praise him, high heaven,
      praise him, heavenly rain clouds;
   Praise, oh let them praise the name of God—
      he spoke the word, and there they were! 
He set them in place
      from all time to eternity;
   He gave his orders,
      and that's it! 
Praise God from earth,
      you sea dragons, you fathomless ocean deeps;
   Fire and hail, snow and ice,
      hurricanes obeying his orders;
   Mountains and all hills,
      apple orchards and cedar forests;
   Wild beasts and herds of cattle,
      snakes, and birds in flight;
   Earth's kings and all races,
      leaders and important people,
   Robust men and women in their prime,
      and yes, graybeards and little children.
Let them praise the name of God—
      it's the only Name worth praising.
   His radiance exceeds anything in earth and sky;
      he's built a monument—his very own people!
   Praise from all who love God!
      Israel's children, intimate friends of God.
   Hallelujah!    Psalm 148