Sometimes it's hard to remember to be thankful...

181. sewing on my new machine
182. finding legos under the bathroom sink
183. smell of clean sheets
184. baby kicks
185. Nolan saying "star wars"
186. a good pediatrician
187. strong antibiotics
188. little feet in flip flops
189. little ones wrapped in hooded towels
190. hearing "hide, hide" as I walk in a room (10)
191. giggles from the bedroom
192. early morning snuggles
193. free sewing patterns
194. fun fabric
195. little hats
196. cool days
197. packages in the mail
198. the excitement of football games
199. Nolan cheering along
200. Ty yelling "Go, Auburn"

relatives, babies, projects and fun

161. Andrew's Aunt Charlotte
162. memories of a life lived for God
163. Lunch with relatives we rarely see
164. a house full of family
165. the sound of a little quick heartbeat
166. the end of all-day "morning sickness" (yippy!)
167. a pooch belly
168. friends who volunteer to watch my kids for FREE!
169. last minute babysitters
170. anxious visits to the hospital that end with relief and joy
171. answered prayers for babies Miles and Ella to stay put
172. serving with friends
173. buckets full of baby clothes
174. new pillow
175. a freshly painted bathroom
176. playing Chutes and Ladders with Ty
177. Starburst jellybeans
178. Nolan learning new words everyday
179. yearning to go back to Africa
180. a God of endless possibilities!

Please take time to say a prayer for Amber and Wes Christie.  They are longtime friends of ours who are in need on many prayer warriors.  Amber is 28 weeks pregnant with twins.  Her water broke over the weekend.  Thankfully they did not have to deliver the babies.  She is on bed rest in the hospital as they monitor her fluid levels and the babies.  We are praying for Miles and Ella to stay healthy and put for weeks.  We are thankful for the prayers He has already answered but we all want to continue to be persistent.

I'm thankful

It's been too long since I've thought about what I am thankful for and I have LOTS to be thankful for.....

141. A new year with my family
142. afternoons full of football
143. Ty saying "War Eagle"
144. Friday night family movie nights
145. Ty being excited about eating in the "wiving room"
146. "L"s that sound like "W"s
147.  Nolan saying "stinky"
148. Unexpected hugs
149. Lego projects
150. completed projects
151. licking batter off spoons
152. free cookies at Publix
153. finishing a book
154. warm socks
155. quite, rainy days
156. My co-workers are also friends
157. wonderful Sunday School class
158. little fingers holding crayons
159. fingers covered in paint
160. a husband who loves his family

Christmas Thanks

121. Christmas Candles
122. making cookies with my boys
123. flour on faces and hands and clothes
124. sprinkles
125. Pecan Crescent Cookies
126. Carmel Brownies
127. husband who takes the kids out while I'm sick
128. My Dad reading to the boys
129. Challenging sermons
130. hugs form kids at church
131. handprint art
132. handmade ornaments
133. the smell of cookies
134. the smell of the Christmas tree
135. Betty Crocker cookie icing
136. classic Christmas movies
137. quite evenings for wrapping
138. Scotch tape
139. warm pjs
140. hearing my son say, "it's Jesus' birthday"

gifts

81. Serious faces

82. Seeing the world through my child's eyes

83. Rediscovering the joy in small things.

84. Seeing amazement in my child's eyes

85. Seeing their excitement over God's creation.

86. Prayers on my kids

87. The love the boys have for their Day

88.  Giggles of excitement when Andrew comes home from work

89.  The sound of feet running to the door to see Daddy

90.  kisses from Nolan

91. boat rides with kids from church

92. watching kids worship God

93. shell hunting

94. singing goofy songs

95. road trips

96. caffeine

97. Amelia Rose

98. Maggie

99. Hatty

100. My bed!!

gifts

80.  B-day meals out with friends
81.  Girls' Night Out
82.  finishing a project
83.  cleaned out garage
84.  little toes in a stream
85.  piles of leaves
86.  laughing boys in leaves
87.  cabinet doors
88.  closet doors
89.  spray paint
90.  Curious George
91.  The Man with the Yellow hat
92.  candy on sale
93.  chocolate mint truffle creamer
94. pumpkin muffins
95. pumpkin cake
96. pumpkin candles
97. pumpkin bread
98. hot chocolate
99. gas logs
100.  carmel dip

a blessed life....

61. April and Mark
62. Times of praise and worship
63. being challenged in my spiritual walk
64. gifted speakers
65. gifted speakers who proclaim God's truth
66. 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
67. quiet drives with Andrew
68. discovering new things about Andrew after 6 years
69. 6 years of being married
70.  In-laws who watch our boys
71. a second night of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep
72. four generations of family in one room
73. fresh flowers
74. hugs from Ty
75. hugs from Nolan
76. Nolan saying "mama"
77. Ty saying "i missed you"
78. Ty saying "i love you"
79.  seeing my Memaw
80.  Boudreaux's butt paste

gifts

41.  sharing tears with friends
42.  husbands who call to say they are coming home
43.  purring cat
44.  birds singing
45.  a husband who surprised me by rearranging the living room furniture like I wanted it
46.  an afternoon spent with some of the 5th and 6th grade girls at church
47.  watching those girls serve
48.  the smell of baking cookies
49.  snuggling on the couch as a fam and eating those cookies
50. Nolan "reading" a book
51. touch and feel books
52. clean kitchen counters
53. the approach of Fall
54. Ty singing "roll the Gospel CHERRY along"
55. Nolan "setting" the table while I cook
56. Brown eyes and long eyelashes
57. Blue eyes and long eyelashes
58. reading the same book over and over again
59. Froggie, Nolan's luvie
60. Staff Bible studies

fall and babies

With the arrival of Fall and the birth of a new baby to our friends Hal and Maghan Craig here is a gratitude list in honor of Fall and babies.

1.  tiny fingers
2.  tiny toes
3.  tiny fingernails
4.  baby hair
5.  baby noises
6.  sleeping faces
7.  smacking lips
8.  warm head
9.  tiny clothes
10. swaddled bundles of joy

11. cool mornings
12. open windows
13. white pumpkins
14. crunchy leaves
15. changing leaves
16. trips to the pumpkin patch
17. smell of wood burning
18. pumpkin bread
19. pumpkin pie
20. football!!!

1000 Gifts

For the past few weeks I have been hit with this from several different directions:

The importance of taking the time to think about and realize what I am thankful for in my life.  What are the big and small blessings from God?  I don't do well with keeping a journal but I do lots better at blogging.  So I have decided to join a group of bloggers who are part of the Gratitude Community.  The goal is to list 1000 things you are grateful for and to be specific.  It's so easy to say "I'm thankful for my family, house, friends, job....."  The challenge is to look at the little things that make you thankful for the big things.  My goal is to complete my list in a year.

1. Little hands that have dimples where the knuckles are.
2.  Quiet moments when the kids are sleeping.
3.  dinner out with college friends
4.  lunch with new friends
5.  spontaneous singing from the backseat.
6.  finding dinosaur shapes in the clouds.
7.  the smell of clean sheets
8.  finding new delicious recipes.
9.  finding clothes for the boys at consignment sales
10. selling clothes at consignment sales.
11. kid spaghetti face
12. the sound of rain
13. the smell of fresh cut grass
14. snuggling baby
15. pumpkin pie coffee creamer, yummy!
16. a new box of crayons
17. holding my husband's hand
18. babies with bed head
19. studying God's Word with my Bible Study group
20. The women in my Bible Study group