A day late but twice as thankful

(#356-359)I'm thankful for goofy laughter, funny pictures, teenage carefree craziness and these three beautiful kids! My two and my "for now" daughter.

While at the police department, filing a report about our car getting broken into, my kids were in the car taking the above picture (see the broken out window behind Jess). Yeah, I'm thankful for laughter in the midst of hurt. (#360)

(#361-362)And I'm thankful for my conehead. This is one hat that didn't cost $20, thank you very much!

Spring break....lots of thanksgiving to be had!
363....a son who has pushed himself through his disability and is running record sprints. Wow.
364....my daughter whose beauty I see more evident, inside and out.
365...for a foster daughter who is learning to handle her situation gracefully, even on the tough days.
366...for a husband who can do anything he puts his mind to.
367...for time together, just us five.
(#368)Our car was broken into Sunday night at our rented suite. The violation is tough,
but we were thankful for health, wellbeing, etc. etc. We remembered those we know who would quickly trade our expensive misfortune for their more permanent misfortune.

Monday night, Jess came running down the hall in a panicked voice, yelling, "MOM!!!"
She just realized her Bible, in its case... a special gift...was stolen. At that moment, I realized mine was too. OUCH. We hurt. So personal. So needless. So hurtful.
For me, four years of notes, highlights, familiarity, treasured notes and helpful hints...never to be seen again, in that form.
For her, disbelief that someone had taken her Bible that she has loved to read. Her church doodles, her Bible study notes. Her treasured leather "Footprints" bookmark. Her first taste of thoughtless, rude, mean, selfish human nature on the bigger scale.
BUT...we laid in bed last night, with tears, and counted these blessings:
#369...someone can take our Bibles, but they can't take or faith or our Jesus.
#370...I have to re-read all of those Bible verses and let them move me again, and highlight them again. I know God has great things in store for me.
#371...maybe the "thugs" will find one of our bookmarks wedged down in the seat some afternoon in their solitude and give God more than a passing thought. Long after our Bibles have been discarded.
#372...God's word is God's word. Throwing it away doesn't make it go away.

I'd admit that the biggest hurt of all is not the unexpected chunk of money we have had to pay for new windows. It isn't the loss of Cody's track bag that we will need to replace. It isn't that we were late to the orthodontist or spent a day doing glass shopping. The biggest hurt is how much my daughter hurt over seeing how ruthless this world is and how much she hurt that her personal Bible was carelessly taken. We'll heal...and we'll grow. Life is like that. The hard times draw us closer so the good times are even better.

#372...Thanks for peeking in on us!

Happy Spring Break!

It is TIME! I cannot wait until 4:00 today when we start our spring break!! We don't have any extravagant plans due to a high school track star living in our home! We will follow him to Capitol High tomorrow and Portales on Thursday.

I am so looking forward to some down time with my family. Relaxing, playing, laughing, recharging...all of those things I love.

It is freezing cold here today and windy. Doesn't feel like the end of March! Yesterday, it was 20 when I left home and -10 when I got to work. Brrrrrrzeeees!! I want warm!

Mulititude Monday (on Sunday) Counting my many gifts

#341. Today, I am thankful for a small dose of vitamin D!
YES..SUNSHINE!

342. I'm thankful for family moments.

343. For deep conversations weighted with truths from the heart. Conversations that lighten the soul because the sentiments are shared.

344. I'm thankful for this verse in Psalms 51, "the sacrifice of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." and for the realization that all God wants is my surrendered life.

345. I'm thankful for a quilt my grandmother made. My mom gave it to me last week and I found comfort snuggled under it. Tonight, I gave it to my daughter. Oddly, a piece of a most important woman in my life, a guardian angel, now keeping my daughter warm. I wish they could have known each other.

346. I chuckle as I write this one...I'm thankful for hormones! HA! Yes, those things that make me crazy, make me cry, make me a woman.

347-353. I'm thankful for today. Let me tell you about today because there are many thankfuls in today! My foster daughter prayed to accept Jesus as her savior and Lord of her life. We all cried and prayed for her and with her. I was thankful for elation in my son's eyes and for the prayer he prayed for her. I'm thankful for my own (birth) daughter's words, "I talk to God all day at school," as we talked about how God is always with us and how He loves to hear from us. I'm thankful for my foster daughter's courage in talking to her birth father about it tonight. I'm thankful for the tears that well up in her eyes everytime she explains what God has been doing the last few weeks in her life. I can't tell you all the thankfuls I feel over this event. I am also so thankful I was able to share today with her. She could have been in another home, but she is here.

354. I'm thankful for simple things.

355. I'm thankful for today and for the assurance that tomorrow is not a random day, but a planned event. I can't wait to see what unfolds!

The monkeys

I'm so proud of my kids! Their band got all superior scores in district competition this week. You can tell who had the camera...but just for fun, I'll post a recent picture of the girls. They shared a seat on the bus so none of them together on that day.

Never before....

Tiling was something my men had never done. Jerry had watched it but hadn't done it himself. Well, I can't say that again because now they've tiled two bathrooms and did a great job! Here is Jerry teaching Cody how to cut tile. Cody cut the tile for his own bathroom. I'm so proud of them!

Brrrrr!! It is cold outside!

I remember, as a kid, March meant wind, allergies and playing outside in warmer weather. Hmmm.....not THIS March! We are home on a snowday. The millionth of this school year, which means we'll be having Friday school and possibly school into June. Ugh. I am willing to brave the roads, but the decision makers didn't call me!

So, my class wrote letters to my nephew, Riley, in the army in Afganistan. I told them to entertain him and his men and make their letters creative. Two of my 2nd graders "made up" jokes. Oh boy! One of them was: What do you get when you cross a goose and a moose? A moosey goosey. They DIED laughing as one included this in her letter. She was soooo proud of her contribution to making Riley smile.

One brought in a book of poems to share with the men. Also contributed were a bag of Ruffles, a jar of tabasco like sauce and a ball to play with. It is fun to see what they think the men need over there, across the world.

I'm a HUGE fan of Relationship and quite the opposite of religion. I heard that the Jehovah's Witness's believe only 144,000 people will make it to heaven. So...why in all the world do they have children?? And why, whyWHY do they go door to door to recruit more members? I'm guessing the maximum load in heaven was reached generations ago. Just my confusing ponder of the day...

I've told you before, but Jess came home from kindergarten troubled because a classmate wouldn't stand for the pledge. It deeply offended her that someone couldn't honor her flag!! I asked why and she said, "because he is a Joe Hobo witness. Who is Joe Hobo, anyway??" (I don't believe in poking fun at religions, but some of the absurdities just don't rest well on my brain.)

Well, back to the Cinderella chores. It is nice to have a day off, even though I have NO idea how I'm going to have my math kiddos ready for the big state mandated test. That is a whole other post that will raise my blood pressure and make me want to type bad words, so I'll leave it at that! Have a warm day and a cozy heart today!

Multitude Monday

#331 I'm thankful today for moisture!

332. For sunshine! I feel a small hint of spring and it feels GOOD.

333. I'm thankful for spinach, strawberries and blue cheese! YUM!

334. I'm thankful that I still know a little spanish after taking it for FOURTEEN years! It is pitiful that I am not fluent, but I like that it is still "there"!!

335. I'm thankful for advice that I don't like. It rubs me against my grain, but I know it is right. I know that I need "sanded"....

336. For the reminder that " accepting the challenge to work through a crisis/conflict can be a tremendously important part of developing closeness in a relationship. Don't deny it, don't work around it, don't back up from it. Work right thru the middle of it with God. He has never left you. Never ceased loveing you. And never shut off His goodness from you." That has been a great quote for me, from Beth Moore.

337. And for another TRUTH!!! (Note to self...read this daily!!) Faith is NOT that God has done what I told him to do!!

338. I'm thankful for the joy I feel when making soldier care packages. It feels good to give a little smile.

339. I'm thankful for mistakes of my past that make me kinder to those younger than I.

340. I'm thankful for the stress relief of cooking a meal for my family and for the years of watching others that makes me feel confident in my simple creations!

Have a beautiful week! Thank you for checking in on me. And thanks for your comments!

Multitude Monday---starting at #321 going to 1000

#321: Today I am thankful for a girl who sort of hap-hazardly came into my life. Lindsey. I am touched by her! She gave her testimony, yesterday, to a group of teenagers. She shared her mistakes in order to help them avoid the same ones. She touched some hearts....

#322: I'm thankful for places of peace in a busy, hectic day.

#323: Sometimes, when counting my gifts, I hit a wall. I will be counting my blessings and then, I find things I am NOT thankful for. Things that discourage me, frustrate me, make me angry. Should I just learn to be thankful that heaven isn't on earth? Without disappointments, I wouldn't turn my heart heavenward.

#324: I'm thankful I'm not a hoper anymore. I'm a Believer.

#325: For peppermint tea.

#326: and massage

#327: For the in laws who care about me and love me for me, not because they have to because I married their relative.

#328: For Pinon firewood smoke.

#329: For connecting with old friends on facebook. I love old friends!

#330: And...as my warm comfy bed calls me, I am thankful for my feather pillow and flannel sheets!

What are you most thankful for today?