Getting Ahead in the Game

Coffee Break!!!! It's been a busy morning. My day started by nursing a sick kiddo. Funny, didn't he just have the flu last month? If I recall correctly, he's the one who started all this illness, and now, it's come back around to him again. "What goes around, comes around." That's my BC for ya. And since it started last night, he's yesterday's cliche.

Where was I? Oh yah. Today's small thing. After I dropped my kids off at school I took my shopping list and made my way to the grocery store to beat the Thanksgiving rush. It was a great feeling to get just about everything I need for Thanksgiving dinner. I will need a few fresh items from the store as it gets closer, but I'm on the ball for the most part.

Last year I wanted to smoke a turkey but I realized that UH! OH! The turkey needs to marinate in the brine for 24 hours, and then cook for 15! That wasn't going to happen when my turkey was still frozen the day before Thanksgiving. So this year I made sure to plan in advance. My turkey is defrosting in the fridge and I have everything I need for the brine. I'll start the process on Tuesday, and by Thursday, we will have started a new family tradition. Yay! I just hope it turns out ok.

I'm taking a coffee break in between household chores and parent/teacher conferences. I scheduled all three PTC's on the same day because I wanted to get them out of the way and Fridays are my husband's day off. That means that one of us can go to the conference and the other can stay home with kiddos. Somewhere in the midst of all that, we have to pick up my brother in law at the airport. Like I said, busy day. But it sure is nice to stop and have coffee for a few minutes.

Well, it's "back to the grind" for me! Hmmm....maybe I'll go grind some more coffee! That Rachel Anne! Now she's got me doing it! : )

Enjoy your coffee girls! Have a great weekend!

Ten Things Tuesday

This is the time of year that the word "thankful" comes to life. In school, my kids are studying the history behind Thanksgiving. In church they are learning about gratitude; expressing their thanks to others around them. At home, we are talking about being thankful for family, and for a roof over our heads, and food on our table. We are trying to teach them that Thanksgiving is not just a holiday that happens once a year. It is something that needs to happen every day.

This week my list is a little random, but I am thankful for the little things!

1. I'm thankful for my new toaster from my mom. No more burned toast!
2. I'm thankful for gloves, hats, and warm coats in this cold, crispy weather!
3. I'm thankful my husband, who helps me pile five kids into the van in the morning so I can get them to school.
4. I'm thankful for electricity. It's getting dark early here now and it's nice to have lights to turn on instead of using candles like back in pioneer days.
5. I'm thankful for my washer/dryer. I may never be caught up on Mt. Washmore, but at least I am blessed with my own appliances to use while I try!
6. I'm thankful for soap. It seems like we wash our hands a thousand times a day here. What would we do without antibacterial hand soap???
7. I'm thankful for glasses/contacts. I can see so much more clearly with them!
8. I am thankful for trash cans. Where else would all of those used kleenex go?
9. I am thankful for the dishes that we have to eat on, and the dishwasher that cleans them every night. It may be half size, but that means half the amount of dishes to unload every morning!
10. I am thankful for toothbrushes and toothpaste. Two of my kids went to see the dentist yesterday and everything checked out great. The dentist was impressed at how clean their teeth were for a 4 and 5 year old. :)

There you have it. I will leave you with one last thought today. I am thankful for the God-given ability to recognize and acknowledge all that I have to be thankful for! Even the little things.

I Thess. 5:18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. (Amplified Bible)

Company Girl Coffee

I just have to say, that I have been enjoying visiting all of you for Company Girls Coffee this morning. So much, in fact, that I had to get a second cup! : ) There is a lot of wisdom and insight to glean from all of you! I love the honesty that is put into your posts and really enjoy taking time to look into your lives and get to know you a little better. It makes me feel like I'm not so alone in many areas of my life. Thanks for sharing! This Company Girl is glad you do, and I consider myself blessed to know you!

Yesterday was a very busy day for me, so I didn't get time to post until now. I want to pay special attention to this month's verse. I already posted it once, stating how much I am comforted by it, but I didn't go into why.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

My favorite part of that verse is "He will rejoice over you with singing." You see, I am married to a Worship Pastor. He has a lot of other gifts that God has blessed Him with, but I am not exaggerating when I say that he is truly anointed by God to lead worship. There has never been a time when God has not used him to lead me straight into the sanctuary to worship at His throne. Many times over, I have felt God's presence, and known, that even when I felt so consumed that I had no voice, He was singing over me during that sweet time of worship. Comforting me. Healing me. Quieting me with His love. He is so good that way.

I am so blessed to be married to a man who loves worship. I have always loved to sing and make music in my heart to the Lord. Ever since I was a little girl. I know that's why God gave me my DH...So that we could worship HIM together.

Today, in keeping with yesterday's small thing, I'm going to make sure that my DH has a relaxing day of fun! He deserves it!

May you feel God rejoicing over you with singing this week,
Melissa

From Pumpkins to Pie

From This:
To This:

I am no Betty Crocker, but I just had to take a quick minute to share about my recent adventure in cooking with my Sister-in-Law. She and I sometimes like to take on projects together in the kitchen. One summer it was canning peaches. This fall, it happened to be making pumpkin pie from scratch.

Last month I got my kids four small pumpkins from the grocery store to decorate. When I looked on the bottom of them, there was a recipe for pumpkin pie. The recipe said "Easy Pumpkin Pie," but I am not sure it could be qualified as easy. It took us all afternoon to complete the task. The results were well worth it though. When we were done we had three delicious, made-from-scratch-with-love, pumpkin pies!

Thanks for trying something new with me La! Cooking with company is always twice as much fun! : )

10 Things Tuesday

In celebration of my 4yr old's birthday, I will be writing my 10 things about her today! : ) Happy Birthday kiddo! You'll always be my Care Bear! I love you very much.

1. Four years ago today I was blessed with my fourth child. I love her so much. I am so thankful that she was born.
2. I love her smile. There's something mischievous behind it. It's very contagious. I am so thankful that she can make me smile, especially when I'm feeling down.
3. I am thankful that she is content to play by herself or entertain her little brother when I need to get some things done around the house.
4. She's very curious. Always wondering how things work and asking lots of questions. I am thankful for her desire to learn.
5. I am thankful for hugs and kisses! Any time I get ready to go out the door, and every morning when her daddy gets ready to go out the door, she runs with open arms yelling "hugs and kisses!"
6. I am thankful that the first thing she wanted to do this morning after opening her presents was share her puzzle with her brothers and sister. What a sweet thing to do!
7. I am thankful for and amazed at the imagination she has! She doesn't need a lot of toys. She takes what she has and turns it into whatever she wants to play. I love to watch her and sometimes play along.
8. I am thankful for her love of music. She loves all different kinds of music and wants to listen to music all day long.
9. She adores her big sister. I am so thankful that she was born a girl...and I'm sure her sister is too! Even with three years between them, they love to play princess and have tea parties and retreat to their room to play together away from the boys. I'm so thankful they get along the way they do.
10. Most of all, I'm thankful for the God given gift of raising this precious child. She is so dear to my heart, as are all of my other children.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift You've given me in each of my children. I am reminded with every birthday of the incredible privilege of being a parent. You answered my prayers for children, just as You did for Hannah. For this, my heart rejoices in You.

-1 Samuel 2:21 "And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters."

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This is a little late, (due to some unavoidable events this week) but I wanted to say a special Happy Birthday to my 95 year old Grandma! I admire her greatly for her strength and determination. She is 95, but still going strong. She lives on her own, still cooks for herself, knits, sews, and gardens. Those are only a few of the things that I love about her. The more I learn about her, the more I want to be like her.

She's a faithful wife... She stood by my grandfather through thick and thin over the many years they were married. Right up to his death she loved him, and she continues to cherish him in her heart today.

Faithful mother/grandmother/great grandmother... She would do anything for each of her four children and her many grandchildren/great grandchildren. (Mine included) She has taught all of us how important it is that we stick together as a family and take care of one another.

Hardworking...From her days on the farm with my grandfather, to their property on the Oregon Coast, to the plot of land she lives on now, she knows the value of being a hard working woman.

If there is an example of a woman who lives life abundantly, it is my grandmother. I love you grandma! Happy Belated Birthday!

Small Things on the Go

This week, I had a very scary incident with my 7yr old daughter. On Monday night, she began throwing up and she continued well into Tuesday. When it didn't stop and she couldn't keep even a tablespoon of liquid down, I called her pediatrician. On Wednesday morning I took her in to the doctor. From there, they sent us to the ER, where they immediately put her on an IV for dehydration. They drew some blood, and when the results came back, I was told that she would be admitted to the hospital overnight.

There, I stayed with her overnight, comforting her by holding her hand, praying with her when she was afraid, and sleeping by her side on a cot. When she wanted water, I held the cup and straw to her lips. When she was finally hydrated enough that she needed to pee, I helped her by wheeling her IV along side her into the bathroom. I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses that helped get her on the road back to health.

We were able to come home yesterday, and she is resting peacefully. I wanted to take a minute to share this story because I discovered something about small things while I was caring for my daughter. They are not just something that you do at home. By Rachel Anne's definition, small things are the "simple activities" that we do to make our home a sanctuary for our family. I would take that one step farther, and say that small things include anything that we do inside or outside of the home to make our family feel loved.

Thank you, Rachel Anne, for helping me realize that sanctuary is in the small things. Now I know that sanctuary is not just something that happens at home. It exists in my heart, and it's in the small things that I do, wherever I go.