Thankful Thursday

This week in our Bible class we talked about how the Israelites had a grumbling complaining spirit even after all the wondrous things that they had seen the Lord do. We shake our heads and wonder why they couldn't just be thankful for ALL the Lord had done. When in reality, we are a lot like them. We grumble and complain, when we see daily all the things the Lord has done for us. Oh, please join me in finding God in the unexpected places in our lives, and let's not be grumblers and complainers like the Israelites. The opposite of a grumbling, complaining spirit is a thankful heart! If we are praising God and thanking Him, we have no time to grumble and complain.

A few things I am thankful for this week...

*An important invitation

*An answered prayer

*A date

*The ability and opportunity to be a part of helping others

*That the oldest princess is old enough to watch the younger two for short periods of time

*Plans that only God could work out

*A two year prayer answered

*Another soul bound for Heaven

*A loss that helps us remember how wonderful it feels to win.

*That the youngest princess still asks me to read to her, and soaks up every minute of it

*The blessing of talking heart to heart with my children

*Chilli on a cold day

*Knowing that my children all have a personal relationship with the Lord

*The oldest princess' willingness to serve outside of her comfort zone

*The young prince's willingness to serve God even in areas that are not his favorite

*The youngest princess' willingness to serve as long as it's on the stage and she is in the spotlight

*Over 3,000 page views - I never would have dreamed!

*Crickets chirping their praise to God, and time between trains to actually be able to hear them

*The fun of being a teacher

*Someone who cared about a simple preference

*That my children still share their thoughts and feelings with their Daddy and me

*Connections that bring help quickly when it is really needed

*A truth affirmed to keep Satan's lies at bay

*That God has blessed me with a wonderful family

*A peaceful (even if sometimes chaotic) home

*A husband that is way better than I deserve

*Teens that say "Thank you"

Thank You, Lord for being so huge, and caring for even the tiniest details in our lives! Help me to always see You, and how You are working in our lives. Help me not to fall into a grumbling, complaining spirit like the Israelites. Please help me to always have a thankful heart.

Fun Times in the Fall

Every October, our school has a Fall Break.  This year, because of our crazy busy September, we decided to stay at home.  We did go join some friends of ours for a day of fun at a local pumpkin patch.  Here are pictures of a few of the great things we did while we were there.

We enjoyed the giant slides and bouncy house things :-).  I love the youngest princess' spread eagle total abandon sliding stance. She was completely enjoying every minute of it!

Of course with all of the hay, and pumpkins, and scarecrows and such, I had to pause to get a few pictures of the kids...Look at those blue eyes!

My beautiful oldest princess...she will soon be out of those braces :-)!  And I love the red, white and blue fingernail polish!  Those are our school colors...always looking for creative ways to show our school spirit!

And the young prince...isn't he so cool!  I love that even though he was totally tired of taking pictures by this time, you can't even tell it.  He was still a great sport!

Then we took a covered wagon ride to the actual pumpkin patch, and let the kids pick out their own pumpkins...our only stipulation was that they had to be able to carry the  pumpkin that they picked out.

Then we took pictures in the field of sunflowers.  My friend's little boy wanted to be in the picture too, so I told him sure, to get in there.  He did!  Too funny!!!  Can anyone say Where's Waldo?

We had a great time and just wanted to share a little of it with you.

And last but not least...one of my students found a HUGE praying mantis, and brought it to school.  Her mom forbid her to bring it back home.  So, knowing that the youngest princess would totally LOVE it, I brought it home.  The youngest princess did love it, and helped me to release it in our bushes, where it will be very happy.  It was really big, and really cool...so of course we HAD to take a picture of it. 

Our prayer is that you and your family are enjoying the beauty of fall just as we are.

Thankful Thursday

For this week, a sampling if some of the MANY blessings I am thankful for:
*For three beautiful, healthy children

*A warm blanket on a cold morning

*Fun times making memories with my kids

*A break from the "busy" life

*Two baptized Sunday morning

*Being out of my comfort zone, which helps me know how to better help others when they are in that same position

*Dinner at home several nights in a row

*That the littlest princess is beginning to show real maturity in her prayers

*Heat on cold days

*Every few minutes that pass without me coughing

*Both princesses making music on the piano, and the young prince making music on his guitar

*Answered prayers for Grace

*The prayers of friends

*Great 5th grade students

*Cough drops

*Sweat shirts

*Encouragers

*The young prince spending time with the littlest princess

*The youngest princess confessing without being prompted

Thank You, Lord...for all of these things, moments, and people that You used to be a blessing in my life this week.

Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday. I am counting some of my many blessings over the past week. I hope you are as well!

*Another win for our football team

*A chance to see my second favorite team play, if only for a little while

*A stay at home Saturday

*Goodbyes that mean our friends are that much closer to the mission field

*Unexpected opportunities

*Hearing not one, not two, but three precious souls sing from their hearts to the Lord

*Being able to help out my friend, and make the littlest princess' night, at the same time

*That I GET to go to the dentist, when I don't HAVE to go, especially when others around the world do not have that luxury

*No cavities

*A fun day with the family and friends

*Dinner at the dinner table

*Plans that didn't look like they were going to work out...worked out after all

*Watching tv with the young prince

*Fall clothes and decorations

*A date with my handsome prince

*A delicious dinner

*A POWERFUL movie that I know will change lives

*Great friends who watched our children, and made our date possible

*Time at home to get things done

*Sharing our bounty of blessings with others

*Visitors at church and Ignite teens

*A tenderhearted child who loves and considers others

*The trust that comes with the sharing of a prayer request

*A child that entertains us with her antics

*An appointment I've been waiting on

*Peace, when My spirit is anxious

*Mercy, when I don't deserve it

*Grace, when I most need it

These are the things, plus many more for which I am thankful for this week. I am constantly amazed by how God works in both the big and little details in our lives. I love looking back and seeing how all the pieces fit together perfectly. God is so good!

October Baby

I have just seen a really powerful movie called October Baby. It is about a girl who was supposed to be aborted, but lives. It is a story of hope, and belonging, and forgiveness. It is a top quality movie with great acting, and a touching storyline. It deals with the mature issue of abortion, so I would not take young children, but otherwise it is a clean movie...no curse words etc. It has a wonderful mix of humor and drama. I laughed and cried throughout the whole movie.

I feel like this movie will minister to women all over the United States that have had abortions. I also feel like it will minister to the nurses and doctors that perform abortions. So, if you know anyone who falls into either of those categories, please make plans to have them join you in seeing this movie when it comes out in the spring. If you are interested in learning some of the behind the scenes info, or in watching the trailer, please go to www.octoberbabymovie.net

Oh, and some of it was filmed in Alabama...so you local folks will recognize some of the places :-)! There is also a special limited release October 28th, so if you live in or near the Montgomery area, I highly recommend that you see it if you can.

Please support this awesome movie. I can't wait to see how God uses it to touch and change lives!

Review of Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand

Pattern of Wounds is a murder mystery novel by J. Mark Bertrand. The main character is Houston homicide detective Rowland March. March is investigating a murder that his instincts tell him is a copy cat murder to a case he has already solved. A kink is thrown into his theory however when a Harris County detective tries to prove that this murder is the latest in a string of serial killer murders.

The characters are well developed, especially the main characters. They face true to life problems and issues. The plot kept me guessing, and surprised me to the very end.

I wish I had known that this was the second Rowland March book series so that I could have read them in order. I felt several times that I was missing some information by not having read the first book in the series. I was drawn to the book because I love mysteries, and because the book is set in Houston, my hometown. It was neat to be able to read about familiar places in a fiction genre. I did not like that he stereo typed the Harris County detective to look like a country hick. I also felt that at times things were covered in a little too much detail.

Overall, if you like mysteries, you will most likely enjoy this book. I would suggest that you read the first book in the series before you read this one.

I was given a free copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers for the express purposes of writing this review. The opinions expressed above are completely my own. I was in no way pressured to give a favorable review.