Entering HIS Gates With Thanksgiving.....

There is an element of mystery in choosing thankfulness!  We give Him thanks, regardless of our feelings, and He gives us joy, regardless of our circumstances. (Jesus Calling)

For those who don't know Jesus intimately it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Him for heartrending hardships. 

Thankfulness opens my heart to His presence and my mind to His thoughts.  I may still be in the same place, with the same circumstances, but it's as if a light has been switched on, allowing me to see things from His perspective.

May I always give thanks to the Father for everything, (good and bad) in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ! ~ Ephesians 5:20

Smash It, Baby!

My sweet friend Christa has started a new obsession in my life!  

It's called Smashing and it's all about keeping a Smash book!  It's so funny because she has done this for years on her own.  She didn't call it smashing, but an art journal.  You can call it whatever you want!

It's simply a book used to keep everything that makes you smile.  Here is a better description and a blog dedicated to Smash Books!  

SMASH BOOK BLOG

Here is my "raw" Smash Book! (above)

I couldn't wait to get started and so I immediately added my first decoration!  Does that flower look familiar?  It came off a gift bag that became the theme for this very blog!
 

My first entry was highlighting a day at the Chihuly Museum!  I am going to add pictures once I pick them up.

Here are some pages from my store-bought Smash Book waiting to be filled with memories, glue and glitz!

I will close with the video my friend Christa posted that started this new craze!  

Have fun watching:

If you are receiving this via e-mail you may have to go to my actual blog to view the video? 

And The Celebration Goes On......

My precious friend Debbie took me out for a day of big girl FUN in celebration of my birthday.  

  Debbie is that friend who weaves Jesus into everything she does. I'll share an example below!

We went to a wonderful restaurant in downtown St.Pete. It was great food, but the outside wrap-around-porch added the ambiance of peace and renewal. 

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Chihuly Museum:

Debbie took me for a day of education and inspiration.  Dale Chihuly is a famous, world renown artist known for his glass work.  I've never seen anything like it.  When we first walked in my eyes welled up with tears.  Beautiful just doesn't give his work enough credit.  There is something about seeing it in person that pictures could never capture. 

"For the light makes everything visible" ~ Ephesians 3:14a

As we were walking through the museum we noticed that it was the light that brought the glass to life.  The glass by itself was simply a hunk of glass.  

Isn't that true as believers.  We are just human beings walking around UNTIL the light of Christ illuminates in us, and through us, to those around us. (Thank you, Debbie Friley for that inspiration)

 

We ended our day with Gelato!  Oh My!  

Thank you sweet friend for loving me, believing in me, discipling me!  Most of all, I thank the Lord for giving me you as my friend.  There are no words that could ever thank you enough for such a wonderful day! XOXO

P.S.- Thank you for teaching me how to get the most out using my little point and shoot camera!  These pictures really did come out so much better.

Birthday Beauty & Blessings!

Thank you, Christa, Carolyn, Lynn, Diane and Tim for the flowers and thank you to my boys for the cake!

"43" Is A Beautiful Number!

Love my boys!

Family Tradition!

Melt in your mouth steak stuffed with blue cheese!

26 birthdays with my man!

Oh Yeah!  Scott's loving my birthday, too!

Mama and her Colton

Thank you, Diane and Tim for my beautiful flowers!

Thank you boys for the "20"!

"For I know the plans I have for you, Mary!  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future!

Basking In His Presence

James 1: 5-8
 
"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do."-
 
Basking in the light of my glorious Savior.  So thankful that I don't have to have all the answers.  I just have to know the ONE who does!  Oh Lord, I stand firm in you and only you.  I know that the things of this world are fleeting, they offer a temporary pleasure and then disappear.  Your love is from everlasting to everlasting! 

 

Learning Endurance

"For you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow"-- James 1:3

Yesterday marked the one week start of a commitment to walk obediently in the area of self-control with food.  (aka: new diet) 

 

It seems simple doesn't it.  Eat less, move more!  

Except, enter in the sinful nature of the flesh and how it loves to edify itself, instead of God.   

"For the hearts of these people are hardened,
      and their ears cannot hear,
   and they have closed their eyes—
      so their eyes cannot see,
   and their ears cannot hear,
      and their hearts cannot understand,
   and they cannot turn to me." ~~ Matthew 13:15

Lord, keep my heart pliable so that it years only for YOU!  Walk before me as I lay down the idols that I've allowed to build a wall between us.

As I entered day 7 yesterday, I was not feeling hungry, my joints and gut were feeling so much better, BUT I was struggling with extreme fatigue.  So much fatigue that it almost began to feel like depression.  

I couldn't connect with others to write a simple text or e-mail.  Taking my children to baseball and cheering them on wore me out.  Returning a phone call felt hard and huge.  

 In the midst of this fog, my flesh began to hunger after the things that would satisfy it in the moment.  I should have readied for battle in that moment but I didn't.  Instead I rolled around in how I was "feeling".

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants"~~ Deuteronomy 30:19

Lord, help me through the power of your spirit to choose life when I'm tempted to listen to the liar.

I praise you in the midst of this struggle Lord.  It's an opportunity to draw closer to you.  To learn the blessing of endurance.  

"For you know Mary, that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow"-- James 1:3

Time4Learning We're Back!

As most of you know our big school change this year was switching to Classical Conversations.  It has been a perfect fit for our family!  However, what you may not know is that I took a break from Time4Learning after three years.  I was in a season of change and wanted to try some new things.  

Every six weeks we take one week off from school and during that time I allow myself time to tweak and change things that aren't working, while fine tuning those things that are!  Everything has been going so well that there was only one big change..... Time4Learning!  

Oh how I've missed thee!  I wish I had taken a video when I told my children we were going to use TIme4Learning for their math again.  You would have thought I had just told them we were going to Disney!  (grin)

This is our first week back and it feels so good.  I have missed the familiar sights and sounds of the interactive program.  My children thrive and come alive as they work through their lessons.  They find it so much more interesting then simply doing traditional math, paper/pencil math.  (We do plan to occasionally print the sheets off the website that go with the lessons)

The biggest bonus has been how perfectly Time4Learning fits with Classical Conversations!  

Every week in Essentials we work on Grammar/Math Drill and Creative Writing!  This has made a HUGE difference in their Time4Learning lessons.  They are more equipped this year than ever before. 

Jacob, is simply using Time4learning for his math and reading.


Seth, is using math, language arts and then we are pulling some of the social studies in to go with the history were are studying in Classical Conversations.


Colton, is using Math, Language Arts, Social Studies and Time4Learning's amazing art program.