A Year of Thanksgiving

Today, I turned 28 years old. Another year has gone by. It hasn't even dawned on me yet that I'm a year older.  Am I any wiser than I was a year ago? I'd like to hope so.

This past year has been filled with so many blessings. I can't even count them all. The biggest ones of course are the easiest to remember -- like buying a house or Tim's new position at work. The small blessings are the ones that I'm most thankful for -- our health, a roof over our head, plenty of food to eat, comfort, opportunities to serve at church and in the community, love, family, laughter, joy, prayer, and more. It's truly been a year to be thankful for.

Now... if only I had some snow to go along with my birthday. You're probably wondering what in the world is she talking about?

Is she crazy? 

Yes, I am. I admit it, but if you already knew me well, you wouldn't have had to ask that question. haha...

Every year I pray for snow on my birthday. For some reason, I didn't think to do it this year. The past few birthdays have had more than just light flurries too! The ground was covered in a few inches with big, wet flakes falling out of the sky. The weather was almost like a blizzard. So it was always fun to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book and a mug of tea or hot chocolate. Today, it's very strange to celebrate another year of my life without having that beautiful, white wonderland outside. I'll survive though. I know there's more plenty more time for snow to come yet. There are so many more blessings yet to come!

A Glorious God!

Oh goodness -- there's so much to write about, but where to begin?

Thanksgiving came and is already gone. I just brought out a box of Christmas decorations. There were only a handful of boxes marked "Christmas" in the basement. The decorations don't seem like they will fill up our house like they took over our whole living room last year. I guess we'll need to invest in more after the holidays are over and everything is marked down. I have no idea where to begin though! Luckily, I still have some time.

Here's a fore warning -- this post may jump around a bit. So I apologize if you're not following at all. Sometimes it makes more sense in my head then it does on paper. I'll probably read this in a few years and just laugh at myself. 

God has been at work in my heart. Well, I guess technically He always is at work, but more recently I've been feeling Him more. He's given me peace about a really tough decision that I had to make. I thought I'd be angry or resentful with the results. Instead I'm just a little sad, but know that it's for the better and look forward to this new direction. I'm just thankful that God always knows which way I should go and steers me toward the right path even when I stubbornly try to carve out my own little rabbit trails that soon get lost in the tall grass.

This past week, Sunday School was so great! I can tell that people have been praying about it because Tim and I led so well together and I couldn't think of anything that went "wrong." Maybe God is just changing me. I asked Him to do that -- to change my perception, to change my heart, to give me a more positive outlook. Every time I want to find the worst in a situation, God quickly reminds me of the good. He isn't letting me sink into that dark hole that I so often find myself in -- the hole where I feel jealous and sorry for myself, the hole where I feel alone without anyone there to drag me back up out of the darkness. I see the light shining dimly on the walls and see it penetrate the room. It's God's light shining through me. I know He is there just like He always is.

The grey clouds may dampen my spirit at times, but it won't crush it. I refuse to let it! The cold air brings apples to my cheeks and a bright cherry nose. I feel alive and it's wonderful! So instead of falling deep into a bit of blackness, I bask in the sunshine of a glorious God. AMEN!

I guess I didn't jump around as much as I thought I would. For some reason, my thoughts came out better than I could've imagined. It's times like now that the Holy Spirit seems to take over my mind and my fingers so that I can type words that fully capture the beauty of my thoughts instead of keeping them locked up in a cage. I've really missed writing like this. Sometimes I'll go back and reread old journal entries and am amazed by the insight that I had. I have no idea where it came from other than up above. Isn't God amazing? I sure think so. 

Anyway, I better finish a Christmas gift that I'm making. Over and out for now.

A Peace Offering

It must not be easy to live with me. I'm critical and negative. I try so hard to find the good and to get in the Word every day. 

But....  I  .... s t u m b l e... more often than I'd like to admit. 

*sigh*

Yesterday was a bad day for me. After teaching Sunday School with Tim, I happened to find everything we did wrong with the kids. By "we," I diverted the blame to Tim instead of myself. How horrible is that? It was actually a pretty good class compared to some other weeks. There were good questions and participation. I'm greedy and selfish and wanted more. I wanted to see those kids down on bended knee and fully realizing who God is. I wanted them to pray from their heart and not goof around. Instead of focusing on what God was doing through Tim and I, I was focusing on what we could do better by our own will rather than through God's. I just need to surrender it all to Him.

After venting a little, I felt God tell me that I could've handled that better. There was no excuse for what I said... and I couldn't take the words back. I struggle with holding my tongue at times. The words that I think should just be written in a journal and locked up never to been seen by anyone. Or better yet, I should just burn them afterwards so even I can't look back on my own ugliness. 

But through the ugly, brokenness, I can be renewed into something beautiful..... until I stumble again.

Last night, Tim and I were assembling Caleb's new bed that we inherited from Tim's cousin. The holes weren't lining up quite right and we were getting pretty upset with that darn bed. It was really a pain! There was arguing with each other and raised voices. My ugly spirit was revealed again even after I had vowed earlier to be a better wife. 

Tim went to pick up Caleb from Awana and returned with a peace offering:

I'm reminded again of how beauty shines through the ugliness. I don't deserve forgiveness, but Tim was willing to give it as freely as God gives His grace and mercy. One more day has come and gone and yet I'm still a failure in acting Christ-like all the time. I'm humbled by God's grace -- that "he who began a good work in me" would still want to "carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." I stumble, but wipe off the mud and dust my shoes off as He picks me up and sets me back on my feet again.

A season of JOY!

Christmas -- the season of giving. Yes, the time is getting nearer and I have yet to even start shopping.

I was paging through a Shopko ad today and saw a few things that would be nice to have, but I just don't really need anything. I'm completely content with what I have and would rather see the look of joy on the faces of others. That's my favorite part of Christmas -- next to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.

When I asked Caleb what he wanted for Christmas a few weeks ago, he replied with, "nothing." I actually had to give him a few ideas and almost encourage him to be greedy and materialistic. What's wrong with me? If my kid is fine with a few cardboard boxes and a roll of tape, I should be fine with that too. For some reason, the world pulls me in and makes me feel out of place because my child doesn't want the latest toys and gadgets out there. He's content like I am. I guess that's something to be proud of.

I am proud of him. Extremely!

A simple smile on my 5-year old's face says it all when I see him giving his toys to friends without asking for anything in return. Yes, he even gave away one of his most precious toys, a Buzz Lightyear doll. He had two of them and even played with both, but he was willing to part with the smaller one just because he thought his friend might like it. It was so sweet! His generous attitude is something that even I can learn from. 

We are so blessed and have way more than we could ever need. Thank you, Father! I pray that we can have servant hearts during the Christmas season and give with JOY. We have clothes on our backs, beds to sleep in, a house to live in, and plenty of food to eat. There are others that our less fortunate. Let's give to those that really need it.

The season of Joy -- a time to share what's most important with my family -- a time of thanksgiving -- a time of laughter -- a time of LOVE. 

Rejoice!

Michelle's Tips on Healthy Living

1. Eat in moderation 
• Snacks and sweets are tasty, but are only meant to be eaten in small amounts.
• When eating a meal, try and gauge how full you are to avoid over-eating. A 7 out of 10 would mean that you're content, but not bursting at the seams. Save the rest of your meal for later and then you'll have room to enjoy some dessert!
• Try using smaller plates to control portion sizes.
2. Self-control 
• Don't go for that second piece of cake. It's not worth it! 
3. Education
• Check the serving sizes before eating or drinking to avoid over doing it.
• Limit eating out and skipping meals.
• Eat often (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack) -- depending on your eating schedule, you may want to omit the afternoon or night snack. Then you won't get to the point where you feel like you're "starving" and just eat whatever is in sight and regret it later. 
• Control your carbs -- about 45-60 grams of carbs for meals and 15-30 grams of carbs for snacks. Then you can better maintain your sugar levels and your body won't need to store any unused sugar as fat.
• Use whole-grain or wheat vs. white if you can for pasta, bread, and rice. It takes longer for your body to process and will help you stay full longer.
4. Exercise
• Do some sort of activity after meals instead of plopping down in front of the couch. If you haven't over eaten, you shouldn't feel stuffed to the point of feeling exhausted. 
• Examples: walking, playing at a park (try those monkey bars out!), active Wii games, dancing in the living room, exercise DVDs, etc...

There's more that I could write, but these are a few healthy tidbits that I've been wanting to share. Healthy living can still taste good and be fun. As long as you're smart about it, you don't have to give up any of those foods and treats that you love. 

Aprender Inglés

Today, I started tutoring a girl in Caleb's class. I was a little excited and nervous to use some of my Spanish skills again. This girl came from Mexico and doesn't really know English. I can't imagine being placed in a classroom of kindergartners and not being able to speak the same language as them.

My goal is to come up with fun ways to teach the different kindgergarten conceptsso she can understand them in English and mark her progress along the way. I found a great website: http://www.esl-kids.com/index.html that has flashcards, games, songs, worksheets, and other links for teaching ESL. So pumped!

Our first day went pretty well. We worked on recognition and naming of letters and numbers. We reviewed colors and attempted naming the shapes. I have my work cut out for me. B can sing the alphabet, but cannot recognize the letter shapes to be able to tell me what they are. The same with numbers. She can count, but wasn't able to point to a number and tell me what it was called. I'm up for the challenge!

We're going to try and meet once a week for 30 minutes while friends watch Sonya. It's not much time to teach, but kindergartners have short attention spans so we wouldn't have been able to accomplish much more if we tried going longer. I'm hoping to figure out a way that I can tutor B after school or something so that I don't have to try and find people to watch Sonya for me. Then Caleb can kind of help with tutoring too!

Well, that's all for now. This next week is a short week for school so we're not tutoring at all. Praying that our next session goes well!

Garden Artistry

Our pastor's wife is amazing with gardening and offered to give me a few plants that she had an abundance of. I had been looking to transform our yard and add some more color inbetween the bushes in the front of the house and then add a few along the side of the driveway. So this was a great opportunity to learn more about different perennials and do a bit of experimenting with their growing seasons and colors. We'll see how everything turns out when spring rolls around. I'm just glad I got all the flowers in the ground this fall already so I can be ahead of the ballgame. So excited!! 

Front of the House

Before... 

Astilbe between the two bushes

Phlox
 Mums (yellow/orange/pink blossoms)
Corieopsis (yellow w/ red near center)

Summer Aster (lilac color)

Corieopsis (yellow w/ red near center) in barrel
Aster (light purple)
Blanket Flower (red with yellow tips)
Mum (pink)
Blanket Flower (red with yellow tips)
Aster (dark purple)
Purple Ground Cover (unknown name)

 East Side of House

Day Lilies (pale orange)
Black-Eyed Susan (yellow w/ black center)
Day Lilies (pale orange)

Daisies (white w/ yellow centers)
Day Lilies (pale orange)
Daisies (pale orange)

Tulips (red)
Black-Eyed Susans (yellow w/ black centers)
Tulips (red)

Patio Area

Primroses that bloomed in summer

Primroses (yellow)
Jacob's Ladder (purple) 

West Side of House

After the grass was removed / Before the flowers

After

Black-Eyed Susan (yellow w/ black center)
Day Lily (pale orange)
Black-Eyed Susan (yellow w/ black center)
Geraniums (purple?)

Sedum (dark purple)
Purple Coneflowers (purple/pink petals)
Asiatic Lily (bright orange)
Purple Coneflowers (purple/pink petals)
Sedum (dark purple)

By the Garage

Before....

Cut-Leaf Coneflower (yellow)
Purple Ground Cover (unknown name)
Yarrow (strawberry red w/ yellow centers)

Along the Back of the House

Tulips (pink and red)  in early spring

Day Lilies (pale orange)
Asiatic Lily (bright orange)

The saddest part of planting was having to cut back the leaves and flower buds so that all the nutrients and water could go to the root. Even though I knew it was important for the flowers to fully establish themselves in the ground, it was hard to say good-bye to the short lived blooms that brightened up the yard. It reminded me of how God sometimes prunes us a little so that we can bear more fruit. We have our set backs, but we're constantly growing. Thinking of how beautiful these flowers will be if they survive my transplanting them, made me smile. God also loves to see the fruit of His labors.