Natural Beauty

I've said it before, and I'll say it again :: I love where we live! This morning as I was walking with the kids to school, we saw the most awe-inspiring site. About 10 feet ahead of us and on the opposite side of the street, I sensed something. As I looked up, I saw a eagle take off from the tree, probably less than 20 feet off the ground. I have never been that close to an eagle in the wild. I've been to my share of raptor shows and seen a few injured eagles in captivity, but never imaged I would be that close to the majesty of an eagle outside. Less than a mile from my house. On a city street. I'd never seen an eagle in a tree that low to the ground. It was amazing! And SO big! The kids, young as they are, even sensed they had witnessed something special. We just stood still on the sidewalk watching him (or her) soar above the houses. The eagle remained surprisingly low in the sky and we had a fabulous view. I hope to never forget the sight of those white tail feathers taking off so close to me. You could tangibly feel the presence of that majestic animal. It was breathtaking!

I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my very favorite hymns ::

Oh Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Saviour, God, to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art

How great Thou art, indeed. I am grateful for the chance to have been able to bear witness to creation in this way this morning! What a fabulous way to start the day!

flashback friday

A good friend of mine from college had an aunt who was the manager for DC Talk, back in the day. So during our freshman year, she took me along to a concert and we got to meet 'the guys'. Here is a picture from that day more than 21 years ago. Me, TobyMac, Liz, Michael, Liz's sister and her friend and Kevin ::

Fast forward a couple decades and my kids LOVE TobyMac (who was the lead guy in DC Talk). We got the 3 bigs tickets to his February concert at the Xcel center as a Christmas gift, and at the last minute we also got some back stage passes and got to meet him and have a picture with him. They were SO excited! I brought the two-decade-old picture along to show him. He loved it! Guess what else? My friend, Liz, from the picture above (purple and blue stripe shirt) was there. I hadn't seen her in over 20 years and we had a mini-reunion backstage at the concert. Her aunt is STILL TobyMac's agent/manager/whatever after all these years. What are the chances of that?

How's that for a flashback story? Pretty fun, huh?

Multitude Monday

I know, I know. It's Tuesday (again). What can I say? . . . here's my continuing Multitude "Monday" post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's blog, which is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration to so many (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3797. a Wild jersey in a bag of hand-me-downs for Joe

3798. fresh haircut
3799. time with a friend
3800. Costco . . . I love it there
3801. The back door on our mailbox :: so I don't have to walk into the middle of the road to get the mail
3802. 20 degrees and no wind
3803. a nice afternoon run
3804. a gifted hotel room from a friend who travels a lot for work -- so we don't have to pay for lodging for Joe to go to the regional swim meet in Iowa
3805. my parents willingness to drive Joe to Iowa for the meet
3806. a nice group of friends who came over to learn more about health and wellness
3807. dinner with a delightful family from church
3808. a fabulous concert with the 3 "bigs" :: watching them worship is good for my soul
3809. surprising the kids with the fact that we had back-stage passes and would get to meet Toby Mac
3810. an injury-free, fun first time downhill skiing for Lydia
3811. Valentine candy and kids who share
3812. 22 years since I first fell for my Valentine
3813. a weather warm up
3714. a Valentine tea party at my mom's house (just the girls)

3815. the beauty of fresh snow
3816. a long weekend
3817. planning for a warm-weather, kidless get-away with my Valentine
3718. pancakes
3719. dinner at my parents house
3720. after-dinner game of Spinners
3721. crossing stuff off my LONG to do list :: one thing at a time
3722. Joe's excitement about the regional swim meet
3723. a good book, a warm blanket and a cup of coffee
3724. SugaRush donuts :: yum!
3725. sunshine
3726. the sound of birds singing
3727. walking the kids to school
3728. the sound of snow crunching under your feet
3729. restocking our Little Free Library
3730. 10 years since Evelyn's transplant (she was almost exactly the age Sara is now when she got her new heart . . . so thankful for her donor, wise doctors and her life)
3731. seeing Clarence at church again following his surgery
3732. chatting with our favorite 90-something neighbor who was out shoveling as we were coming home from a walk

 May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3049. clear, snow-free paths around the lake
3050. more than 10 miles run this week
3051. kindergarten registration night for Anna :: she's SO excited for kindergarten!
3052. a kid-free Costco trip with Kirb (that nearly counts as a date!)
3053. a glorious sunrise
3054. a great musical for our girls and their choir friends
3055. LJ's teacher and our school principal coming to watch the performance (and that the girls had the courage to invite them)
3056. Kirbs :: I'm so very proud of him and blessed to be his wife
3057. good oncology follow-up for my mom
3058. wonderful, compassionate, understanding teachers who genuinely care for and about their students (especially when one of their students is your precious kiddo, who is having a rough go of it)
3059. healing
3060. a new member in the family of God :: party in heaven, that's for sure!
3061. antibiotics :: and just about a year since Sara's last ear infection
3062. youth group leaders
3063. nap time
3064. less trouble than I expected when needing to located Rebekah's kindergarten picture to put in the yearbook (since she's 'graduating' and all)
3065. the girls' practicing violin together
3066. family dinner at my brother's new house with his family
3067. 9 years of life for my spunky, adorable, fun, favorite (well, there's not much competition) godson.
3068. a 4-day school week (Friday begins spring break!)
3069. the beauty and magic of softly falling snow
3070. a new picture of Melvin and his family :: a 5x7, even!

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2965. No more cast for Rebekah
2966. a split chin for Jacob (and nothing worse)
2967. a great night at Art House North. Exactly what I needed :: time with Kirb, time for reflection, remembering, understanding myself even better! (thanks Brie for taking care of the troops at the last minute)
2968. the peacefulness of a sleeping child :: taking the time to be still and just stare
2969. sleeping in
2970. our Saturday morning wake up crew
2971. a safe, fun youth group retreat for Jacob
2972. Joe handling a disappointment so well
2973. a warm home on VERY cold winter days (and nights!)
2974. the return of ABOVE zero temps
2975. safe travels on nasty roads
2976. fresh, beautiful, powdery snow
2977. taxes filed! (federal anyway, the state isn't yet ready to accept our submission)
2978. encouraging news
2979. a good first week of the new "job"
2980. more creating (and the resulting happy customers are fabulous too)
2981. delivering my art to a friend who had a major role in the inspiration for the creation in the first place (I learned this week that artists can't help but create as a way to process through life :: I'd never heard it put that way before and it lined up so many things inside me. I love when that happens. Thank you, Sara, for pointing it out!)
2982. helping :: it is so true that giving is such a blessing (and the "little" things are usually bigger than the "big"things, it would seem to me!)
2983. a good section swim meet for Joe and Lydia
2984. tweeking my homemade deodorant recipe and coming up with just what I was hoping for! (even great through the workout test!)
2985. Rebekah getting back in the pool again
2986. Lydia's generous hair donation (11 inches) :: even more meaningful than Rebekah's donation earlier this fall, since we didn't yet know about my mom's cancer at that point.
2987. some good family time

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2795. my Bible study girls
2796. lots of crafting
2797. Pandora
2798. mother-daughter time with my mom
2799. Beka's generous donation of 13 inches of gorgeous curls to make a wig for a cancer patient ::

 
 
2800. celebrating a life well-lived, although much too short
2801. coupons
2802. Anna practicing her piano lesson
2803. my bestie home safely from a 15-day work trip to Asia and back with her family
2804. a fresh-looking and less-shaggy 13-year-old after a much-needed haircut
2805. our thankful tree from my mom
2806. a winter-ready garage
2807. beautiful weather well into November :: not something to be taken for granted as a Minnesotan
2808. my husband's servant heart
2809. clean sheets
2810. hanging laundry on the line in late November without even getting numb fingers
2811. sunshine
2812. Jeff :: the girl's soccer coach
2813. a fun second-grade concert

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2778. hope
2779. wrinkly baby foreheads peeking over shoulders :: I can hardly stand it!
2780. how the grain of wood looks after soaking up a bit of stain :: so beautiful
2781. the great energy in church on Sunday
2782. answered prayer
2783. Evelyn home again, after spending the week in the hospital
2784. seeing Clarence back at church on Sunday
2785. tear-inducing laughter with friends
2786. determination and dedication
2787. light at the end of the tunnel
2788. my hard-working, dedicated husband and his amazing {God-given} leadership skills
2789. encouragement and affirmation from others
2790. game night with girlfriends. Boxers or Briefs :: such and fun and funny game!
2791. a great 6.23K with Kirb and the 3 big kids. great way to start off a Saturday. {Jacob finished WAY quicker than I expected him to and Kirb -- who doesn't run and hasn't been training  and running for a year and was wearing JEANS for crying out loud! -- was ahead of me nearly the whole race, although I beat him in the end. My bitterness and jealousy get a bit of a break due to the fact that he is still ache-y 2 days later, whereas I feel just fine, and have since I stepped out of the shower. So extra proud of my boys! The girls had a great time too, and Lydia has declared her desire to run lots more 5Ks with me.}

2792. new, updated pictures of Melvin in the mailbox
2793. Sara Groves. Live!
2794. waking up to our first dusting of snow

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2599. the early-morning sound of the paper guy backing out of the driveway
2600. the way Anna calls the newspaper "the news" :: i.e. "The news is here mom."
2601. our annual neighborhood block party/potluck
2602. meeting the newest neighbors {a new couple who moved in down the block and a 10-day old baby from across the street that I hadn't met in person, only in pictures
2603. a visit from Kirby's brother
2604. bike day at preschool
2605. 45 kidless hours to celebrate our anniversary
2606. sleeping in
2607. 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep
2608. 16 years of marriage
2609. watching Jacob's football game :: coffee in hand, Kirb by my side and no kiddos to keep an eye on
2610. shopping at i like you
2611. massage
2612. long-standing, meaningless-to-the-rest-of-the-world traditions between me and Kirbs that make us both smile
2613. dinner at Chatterbox
2614. my sacrificial parents and their willingness to stay with our lively brood!
2615. coming home to our half dozen
2616. transferring birthdays and special dates into my new 2013 calendar {that I almost paid full-price for, but then saw the exact one I wanted in the clearance section for 70% off :: someone had written on about 3 pages of it and then returned it, so it was "used" . . . hey, I've got white-out!}
2617. checking things off "the list" that have been on there for MONTHS
2618. Sara singing Toby Mac
2619. great finds on a trip to Goodwill
2620. re-affirmation that the book is always better than the movie
2621. "Step into Africa" with the 4 bigs. a fabulous experience. SO glad we went!
2622. writing a letter to Melvin
2623. new babies
2624. 5K coming up this weekend for me, Rebekah, Lydia and Joe
2625. "for all your goodness I will keep on singing. ten thousand reasons for my heart to find" :: love it!


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday {yet another two-weeker}

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2429. Joey telling me about his crazy dream
2430. dragonflies all over the place in the evening sky :: so cool
2431. Sara's face covered in chocolate after eating her pudding pop on a 90+ degree day all by herself -- Little Miss Independant
2432. falling asleep again when I had given up on sleeping any more for the night
2433. hanging up beautiful art in our basement hallway :: all done by our kiddos
2434. genuine gratitude from my kids
2435. a great morning of shopping in Buffalo :: great bargains!
2436. being "carded" at Trader Joe's buying beer for Kirb
2437. the boy pushing his mini cart around Trader Joe's belting out "Mighty to Save" without an ounce of concern that someone might not like the fact that he's singing in the grocery store
2438. lemonade stands
2439. kids occupied for hours and hours {see #2438}
2440. a fun baby shower
2441. night out with a friend
2442. dinner at IKEA
2443. IKEA shopping {with a gift card!}
2444. the farmer's market
2445. unexpected, encouraging email from a friend {Hi Katie! . . . thanks, you made my day}
2446. girls enjoying a birthday party at the roller rink
2447. an absolutely perfect weather day
2448. evenings at the park
2449. visit from Mel, Chad & the kids
2450. exciting news
2451. my Grandma's TV debut {she's toward the end, if you watch the clip}
2452. BopBop and Joe taking a bike ride
2453. Rebekah singing with and praying for Sara before she goes to bed :: to hear her pray that Sara would come to know the Lord makes me so joyful, grateful and blessed!
2454. my friend Jodi's little guy, Eli, on the news :: what a brave little man he is!
2455. a cool, beautiful morning run
2456. music and how it touches me so deeply
2457. lots of time to create -- it makes me feel alive and refreshed
2458. apologies, hugs and forgiveness
2459. Joe reading to me from "Farmyard Tales" until I fell asleep
2460. dancing flames and glowing coals
2461. decorating the basement
2462. a family walk
2463. the sounds of the night :: taking time to really listen and hear them all
2464. Sara's laughter
2465. finding videos on my ipod that Anna recorded of herself
2466. beautiful evening walk with my love {and Sara . . . we left the others at home with a movie!}
2467. seeing kids playing tennis in the middle of the street while out on a run {and the fact that I knew the kiddos made it even better}
2468. laughing as a family
2469. my mom :: she is such a blessing in my life!
2470. crafting up a storm and being totally caught up on orders for the first time since May :: that feels good!
2471. Smashburger with Rebekah
2472. "throwing away" Sara's nuks :: bittersweet, my baby is getting so big {unfortunately still not "big" enough to sleep through the night!! honestly babe, let's get that one nailed down already!}

2473. Joey's desire to be baptized
2474. my patient, loving, meal-cooking, dish-washing, kid-putting-to-bedding, hard-working, cute husband


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday {or maybe the one after that} for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

1905. getting my favorite parking spot at the library (yup, I have a favorite parking spot -- it's wider than the rest, perfect for my HUGE van!)
1906. watching the snowfall out the window :: a real live snowglobe! so beautiful!
1907. shoveling when it's not too cold and the snow is light and fluffy (I think I could have swept it with a broom!)
1908. sisters practicing violins before school
1909. the 550-piece orchestra festival the girls were part of :: it was wonderful!::1910. a long-overdue coffee date with a friend
1911. Bible study
1912. people with whom we can be honest, vulnerable, transparent and authentic . . . and enjoying, so much, our time together
1913. a MUCH-NEEDED haircut for my shaggy pre-teen
1914. each time the dryer starts :: what a blessing!
1915. turning in early
1916. my hard-working husband
1917. church
1918. fabulous workout music that makes the workouts fly by
1919. Joey heading to school this morning without complaint
1920. the privilege of having known (and been blessed and prayed for by) Viola Carlson and the joy of knowing she is home with the Lord. The world is a much, much better place because she was here!
1921. him coming up to me after our adult Sunday School class yesterday (where I had gone WAY beyond teary -- teary, for me, is no longer shocking to anyone who knows me well, but this was a whole other story! -- at the memory of a wonderful, wonderful woman gone to heaven much too soon) and giving me a hug, telling me that he knew his wife would have given me one if she had been there that morning and he thought she would want him to give me one from her (great man you've got there, Catherine . . . but I know you already know that!)
1922. prescription drugs
1923. Sara's sweet voice as she learns new words

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday {evening edition :: once again}

Better late than never {twice in a row, now} :: here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

1881. hearing Joe and Sara "chatting" and laughing in their room in the morning
1882. a massage
1883. annual girlfriend overnight with some WONDERFUL women
1884. Sara holding my finger with her chubby hand
1885. book club
1886. 54 degrees and sunny on January 10th
1887. a great husband
1888. people excited about things I made them
1889. the power of music
1890. being introduced to the music {and powerful, true lyrics} of Rend Collective {you don't want to miss this video, even if just to hear their fabulous, addictive Irish accents. LOVE! -- it'll be 5 minutes well-spent, I promise!}
1891. a challenging message from Francis Chan {as wonderful and powerful in person as you might imagine after reading his writings}
1892. Sara's smile
1893. Costco
1894. old photos of our house from the 40's and 50's
1895. generous people
1896. friends
1897. the guy at the auto parts store who took pity on the not-yet-showered, harried mom with 2 little kids {one still in her jammies} and offered to put my new wiper blades on the van for me. bless his heart!
1898. fresh snow
1899. visits from out-of-town family
1900. date night
1901. 25+ years of friendship -- a lifetime of history and loyalty
1902. being home again and seeing my family after my 24 hour vacation
1903. sleeping in on a no-school, no-work day
1904. helping out some friends in the wake of a sleepless-night, sick-kid crisis

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful for this week where we can relax and re-group before the new year. We've had some fun, stayed long in our pj's, played games, read books, watched movies, played with all our new "toys", had a fun dinner with friends, sang Christmas carols gathered around the player piano, upgraded our cell phones to ones that actually work, purchased Santa-looking diapers for half price on the day after Christmas (plus I had a coupon, which made them nearly free!) and slept in. It's been just what we needed! To cap off the break, we're going to spend nearly 48 hours together with our bestie family ringing in 2012.

stats

Little Miss Sara had her one year check up the other day.

Here's some important info about Sara at one::

• 30 1/4 inches tall (75th percentile)
• 23 pounds 3 ounces ( 80th percentile)
• 18 inch head (75th percentile)
• 5 teeth (3 on the bottom, 2 on the top . . . with a 6th one about to appear)
  
• can walk (but still often opts for crawling)
• waves, claps, signs "more", knows "how big is Sara?" and raises up both hands for "SO big!"
• can say "hi" (and does often!), "momma" and "dada".
• is not a fan of drinking from a cup -- prefers a bottle or a straw
• has yet to sleep through the night
• doesn't mind being carted around by her siblings (or their friends) even if they hold her in ways that look, to me, like they would hurt . . . what a trooper
• jabbers a lot
• will make a b-line for the bathroom to splash in the toilet if you forget to shut the bathroom door (she has some freakish radar for an open bathroom door)
• has mastered going UP the stairs, but can't get back down safely (although, unfortunately, has gotten down in an unsafe manner . . . yup, exactly what you're thinking. Don't worry. She survived just fine.)
  

There is a song I've been listening to lately that makes me think of my baby and how fast she's growing. I've been humming it a lot the past few days since my "baby" transformed into a toddler and I'm mourning her baby days while remembering to enjoy her blossoming toddlerhood. It's a fabulous song (the whole album is pretty darn good, in case you wondered . . . and so are all the other JJ Heller albums I have, too). To hear "I get to the be the one" by JJ Heller, click here and then play the first clip on the page entitled JJ Heller's song dedicated to her new baby due in the fall of 2011 (the baby has since been born and is a girl named Nora) and go here if you want to read the lyrics (they're very sweet).


Those babies, they grow up so fast! The other night as Sara was sick (blasted ear infection) and I was up with her most of the night I held her as she slept . . . and she's just. so. big. So long. So heavy. So grown up looking. That particular night, she would only sleep against my chest while I was sitting up. Anytime I tried something else (laying down a bit, or -- heaven forbid -- putting her back in her crib) she'd start screaming again . . . and with 5 other kids in the house, middle-of-the-night screaming is something we try and avoid. So I sat on the couch with her sleeping on my chest for a good portion of the night. It left me pretty tired, but, these days, the chances I have to hold her as she sleeps don't come very often, if at all. So, I'll try to see the silver lining and remember the feel of her one-year-old body against mine heavy with much-needed, but hard-won, sleep.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1693. a really fun family day::1694. the man working out next to me at the Y reading his well-loved (TONS of underlines, notes and highlights) Bible :: what a blessing! reminded me of this quote :: "A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't." (Charles Spurgeon -- the guy my nephew was named after)
1695. helping at preschool::
1696. a good outcome to a stressful, potentially yucky situation involving an anxious deer nearly in an all-out panic
1697. kids walking to school on a glorious fall morning
1698. strangers telling me that I have a beautiful baby (I know being beautiful isn't the most important thing by any standards we hold, but I think she's beautiful and it's nice to have others think so too . . . and mention it!)
1699. the library
1700. Home Depot
1701. backyard fires with hot dogs and s'mores::1702. open spaces to run and play and relax
1703. sharing old stories
1704. a big van that can haul lots of kids (all ours and room for a few extras)
1705. new music to love
1706. an encouraging, fun, unexpected email (who doesn't love a surprise?)
1707. answered prayer (Quinlyn is home!)
1708. doctors and antibiotics
1709. my Bible study girls
1710. online shopping (+ free shipping)
1711. surprising people and brightening their days a bit
1712. . . . knowing that it makes a difference
1713. a beautiful full moon::1714. wrapping up fall soccer::
1715. the beauty of creation::
Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

thankful thursday

Today I am so thankful for the people who walk this journey of life with me :: my friends. I have the most wonderful, wonderful friends {including my husband, my mom, my wonderful girlfriends and even friends I've never even met in person . . . yet}. I've been praying like crazy for nearly 24 hours now for the daughter of a girlfriend of mine who is really sick with meningitis and is in the hospital. It was looking pretty dire at this time yesterday and we all started praying {and crying and emailing and making phone calls and texting -- well, not me. I'm not a texter. But the rest of the clan was texting and some one would call or email their 2007-model friend to keep her up-to-speed. Thanks girls!}. Today, I'm thrilled to say that she's doing much better. Out of the woods, it would seem, although still in rough shape. Hopefully she'll be home again over the weekend. Anyway, all that to say that I'm so very thankful for friendship and all that it means in my life. I really couldn't make it through a day without it. "Life with you is half as hard and twice as good!" Enjoy::


And on a differnt note, this is another of my favorites. It's totally the story of my life. If you haven't heard it {or even if you have}, you should listen!

thankful thursday

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

"Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth"
psalm 108.5
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty,
the whole earth is full of his gory."
isaiah 6.3b
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in therm.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;"
psalm.96.11-12
“I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing."
john 15.5

Enjoy your day!

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1659. cool, old cars {complete with wood paneling}
1660. fun mail
1661. a beautiful moon
1662. kids playing on a trampoline in the dark
1663. grilled chicken
1664. football games
1665. seeing friends
1666. a glorious October weekend . . . amazing weather!
1667. kind people who drive my kids places
1668. a lovely afternoon walk
1669. a fabulous concert with my love::1670. kids excited about their new Bibles::1671. the very best of friends and time together
1672. very thorough doctors, modern medicine and a baby who can breathe::
1673. a "good" nights sleep :: better than I expected, all things considered

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

awake my soul::

this view earlier today had me humming track 5. give it a listen::

Third World Symphony by shaungroves

actually, give the whole thing a listen. it plays on repeat at my house these day. it's fabulous! and powerful. and my 3-year-old has nearly the whole thing memorized. i got to hear him speak this week and heard him sing too. he's a pretty great guy! enjoy!

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1627. the whir of the washing machine :: soundtrack of my days
1628. first game of the football season ending in a win
1629. fall is here!
1630. looking forward to Friday and a kid-free night with my love {thanks Mom!}
1631. a new season of Parenthood {my FAVORITE show}
1632. making it through the first full week of school
1633. good conferences with Rebekah, Lydia and Joe's teachers
1634. fans at Jacob's first home game {in addition to his whole family he had :: 1 youth pastor, 1 grandma, 2 cousins and an aunt -- thanks for coming guys!}
1635. 3-year-olds singing along to some great music ::
"Without you we all fall down
Without you we all fall
You make life with living
You make me want to start giving
More and more away to you
It's not mine anyway
I could never try so hard
I could buy a place in your heart
But here I am
My name written on your hands
Because you paid the debt I owe
Without you we all fall down
Without you we all fall ::

1636. crafting
1637. almond latte for a chilly Saturday morning soccer game
1638. scrap wood {thanks Catherine!}
1639. rainy Sunday afternoon naps
1640. another week underway



Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

Sweet baby

Another fabulous Sara said it well when she said sang:

Nothing in this world is quite as sweet
as a tiny baby fast asleep.
I could watch you 'til the end of time,
especially when the baby is mine.

{Sara Groves}