Busy, Busy, Busy

You may or may not have noticed that I have been pretty quiet on my blog lately. No, I did not disappear nor have I given up blogging - in fact I have TONS of blog posts whirling around in my head at the moment. Unfortunately, they all take time to get them down. Suffice it to say that we are good, keeping busy, and preparing for the upcoming holidays.

For now, I will compile my status updates from my month of Thanksgiving. There is a fabulous old hymn "Count Your Blessings". I am richly blessed but all too often I focus on the negative aspects of my life instead of on all the blessing Christ has bestowed on me. For the month of November, I purposed to share something I was thankful for each day on Facebook. Below is the compilation to date. It has been a powerful reminder to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS and again I say rejoice" Philippians 4:4. When I wrote down my 'thankful' status each day it was amazing how that simple act lifted my spirits and encouraged me - and there was always something to be thankful to God for - even on the rough days.

Enjoy:

Nov 1st - I am thankful that my power is back on and it has stayed on :)
Nov 2nd - I am thankful to God for a husband who does so much around the house and with taking care of the kiddos :
Nov 3rd - I am thankful to God for my husband. He is a wonderful husband and father. I am blessed to be married to my best friend :)
Nov 4th - I am thankful to God for a wonderful homeschooling community to encourage, support, and socialize with :)
Nov 5th - I am thankful to God for his rich provisions for my every need (and even wants sometimes too :)
Nov 6th - I am thankful to God for my family - I have the best family (both immediate and extended) in the world :)
Nov 7th - I am thankful to God for His grace and mercy in my life. I am thankful for how he gently calls me up to become more like Him but is patient with me in the process
Nov 8th - I am thankful to God that I live in a country where I can vote and make my voice heard :)
Nov 9th - I am thankful to God for Simeon. As crazy as things can be, he can melt my heart with one of his 'light-up-the-room' grins (even if he is the cause of the craziness :).
Nov 10th - I am thankful to God for the NJ Teacher's Convention because it means my husband gets to be home for two extra days and he is using that time to get LOTS done :)
Nov 11th - I am thankful to God for all of the men and women who have served and do serve our country to protect our freedoms and to help those in need. Thank you!
Nov 12th - I am thankful to God for Janaya. She is a bowl full of energy and laughter and you never know what she will say next. Her sweet spirit and determination are a blessing and I am excited to see what God has planned for her.
Nov 13th - I am thankful to God for Elianna. I love her sweet spirit and generosity. She LOVED filling her shoeboxes for the little kids to get to hear about Jesus and she was so thoughtful of what would be good for another little girl to have. I am so blessed to be her mom!
Nov 14th - I am thankful for my parents, Robert Stevens and Marti Smith Stevens. They have been and continue to be such and example to me in the way they live their lives with complete honesty and integrity. Their heart for the Lord and service to Him is inspiring. I am so blessed to call them mom and dad :)
Nov 15th - I am thankful to God for two little girls who, although they were cranky and argumentative, managed to wake me up in time to get the MOPS breakfast completed and in the oven in time :) He works in mysterious ways....
Nov 16th - I am so very thankful to God for Ms. Maryanne - Janaya's vision teacher. She is an amazing wealth of information and has become a dear friend and adviser in the past year and a half that we have had the pleasure of knowing her. I am so blessed to have her in our lives :)
Nov 17th - I am thankful to God for random blessings. B.J. came home last night with a bouquet for me and one for each of the girls. I love that man!
Nov 18th - I am thankful to God for my family. I love when we all get together :)
Nov 19th - I am thankful to God for His guidance and hand of blessing on my life

ps. I am also thankful today for Simeon and for the 11 months that we have had him as a part of our lives. What a treasured blessing :)

Hurricane

According to the weather guy, we're supposed to be getting a hurricane. I really haven't thought too much of it - the media seems to like to hype things way out of proportion - we all panic and then it turns into nothing. This time, seems to be a bit different. We have taken precautions - bought water and food, charged everything, made bread, cleaned up the yard, tethered anything we can't put away, etc. I still thought it wasn't going to be a big deal and we were doing all this for nothing. Then my mom called and told me that the animals know something we don't. Um, that's not good. Apparently, in a matter of a couple hours, all of their grapes were gone. Every last one. So yeah, that made me a bit nervous.

I'm now taking this more seriously, but I know that ultimately we are in God's hands and He will take care of us. Yes, the kids will be sleeping downstairs tonight. Yes, I expect to be without power for a while. Yes, God's got this. He's not surprised by this storm. Though events of late have me thinking of end times a lot more.

So for now, the plans are to be prepared for the worst, hope for the best, and hopefully enjoy a time of slower living with my family without all the rush of modern day 'conveniences'. Stay safe everyone.