1000 Gifts: 227-297 FINALLY!

I was SO disappointed when I couldn't find my cute little notebook I've been writing each one of my gifts in. After a few days of it missing I finally decided I better start a new and temporary list on a separate piece of paper hoping eventually it would turn up. Finally, it did!!! I found it in the bottom of the diaper bag of all places. I can't believe I didn't think to look there. Of course though, now that I am sitting down to blog my gifts I can't find my temporary list...uhg! Thankfully I didn't number any of those so I can just add them in when it turns up.

~227 That working out feels so good
~228 Chapstick
~229 Coupons that come in the mail for FREE items (thank you Safeway)
~230 Craigslist
~231 the beauty of the snow capped mountains when the sun hits them
~232 Miracles! (both big and small)
~233 Long chats with Clint
~234 My in-laws
~235 Hitting all the green lights
~236 The nice childcare workers at my Y
~237 workout with Drew
~238 Hearing praiseworthy news from a dear friend
~239 Waking up to a surprise from my kids to include breakfast and a sweet card listing 8 reasons they love me. Reasons below :)
~240 You are a good cook
~241 You are fun
~242 You are helpful
~243 You let us help you cook
~244 You take us to church
~245 You take me to soccer
~246 You take me to gymnastics
~247 You let me play wii and watch movies
~248 You teach us about God
~249 You give me num num (this was from evie)
~250 A friend calling to check on and encourage me through my struggle
~251 Christian radio
~252 Doctors available on Saturdays
~253 That Clint is so protective of me
~254 A family hike
~255 The beach
~256 Kids curiosity
~257 Drew's responsablity
~258 Finally having time to catch up with a dear friend
~259 The anticipation of doing some fun pre-school stuff with gus and sam
~260 Date night with my man
~261 His kisses
~262 Feeling and acting like teenagers again
~263 Dinner at my dads house
~264 Hanging out with my big icks
~265 Reading an amazing book!!!
~266 Amy Bayley lending it to me
~267 The way he looks at me :)
~268 Blue Moon on tap
~269 FINDING MY NOTEBOOK!!!
~270 An amazing weekend at Lakeside Bible Camp
~271 How serving turns back to a blessing
~272 For all the godly directors and leaders at girls camp. Some amazing women!
~273 Singing, dancing and having fun while praising God
~274 Hearing the gospel in such a simple way
~275 Watching my girls have the time of their lives
~276 Getting to know their friends better
~277 That God has blessed my girls with good Christian friends
~278 Hearing young hearts pray
~279 Special time with Kaitlyn
~280 Seeing her shine!
~281 For a husband who is willing to hold down the fort
~282 How beautiful LBC is when the sun is shining on the lake
~283 Clint texting a pic of Evie that melted my heart
~284 Drew's honesty
~285 Awesome conversations with Drew
~286 Lilly asking questions
~287 my new eating plan
~288 feeling God go before me
~289 hanging out with my dumpster diving, deal seeking buddy
~290 Evie's jibber jabber
~291 My new haircut
~292 For Tanya who wouldn't tale any $ for it. She's too sweet!
~293 Raw almonds
~294 Improv comedy night with friends
~295 The way Evie said Katie at Heathers yesterday. It was SO cute!!!
~296 Mandie and Brandon visiting Grace
~297 Self checkouts

1000 Gifts: 173-226

 

~173 That Carrie was willing to part with an amazing book so I could read it
~174 This book Made to Crave
~175 That God knew many of his people would struggle with food issues and so he weaved wisdom on this topic all over in scripture
~176 Scripture that are implanted on my heart forvever
~177 I know this is a repeat but, God's constant provision for what we need
~178 Learning the difference between need and want
~179 Another repeat but, my hardworking hubby
~180 Ferry boats
~181 Quiet time
~182 Drew's artwork
~183 School being cancled
~184 ...which made for an awesome day of school at home
~185 watercolors
~186 Patternables
~187 Listening to Lilly read
~188 The smell of bread baking
~189 preschool workbooks
~190 American girl history
~191 Being able to share my sons silly antics via FB
~192 Evie being such a good sleeper
~193 Sex (me too, me too!)
~194 Getting most of the classes we requested
~195 The anticipation of our new and better schedule
~196 Lilly's amazing and generous coaches
~197 Sharing $5 footlongs
~198 The way Evie dances when she realizes I'm about to give her a snack
~199 Clint wrestling with the kids
~200 Lilly's journal entries
~201 Colored pencils
~202 That I have money for gas and a car to put it in
~203 Working out with friends
~204 His grace
~205 The most amazing sisters in Christ in the whole world
~206 Accountability
~207 Hard boiled eggs
~208 Broccoli
~209 Kids playing independently (and not fighting)
~210 My community group
~211 Feeling God's strength
~212 My lap top
~213 Checking things of my to-do list
~214 That my rec room turns into a dance club in a moments notice
~215 For God's help in parenting
~216 Hummus
~217 Cardio
~218 Rice cooker
~219 Organic options (me too, Abbey)
~220 Clint in charge of the schedule (= balance)
~221 5 boys in my Sunday school class (yay for Thomas!)
~222 Creativity in the kitchen
~223 A laid back relaxing weekend full of family time (see # 220)
~224 Holy Spirit
~225 Garlic
~226 Finding 90% off nativity scenes!

1000 Gifts: 148-172

 

~148 A fun time ironing with friends
~149 The awesome community of amazing Godly women at EHK-12
~150 The wisdom spoken to me on an area of struggle
~151 I have to admit that part of me is very thankful to be back at the daily grind (just part)
~152 Double deals
~153 Free cleaning products
~154 Hot tea
~155 The fun Drew is having in musical theater
~156 Friends that aren't afraid to ask for help
~157 Cool classes
~158 Someone else making dinner
~159 Evie's pucker
~160 Seeing Drew on stage looking like the cutest little person Ireland ever saw :)
~161 Shilea Corey
~162 That we can be assured that God opens and closes the womb
~163 A night out with the ladies
~164 My uber cozy bed ( I heart Temperpedic)
~165 Pretty flowers
~166 Not just chit chatting but taking the time to go to heart
~167 A relaxing Sunday afternoon
~168 New pots and pans (FINALLY!)
~169 The fact that Drew has been wearing her little person hat all day
~170 Psalm 34
~171 Fleece sheets
~172 2 Cor 3:18
~173 Finding balance in areas that have been very unbalance

1000 Gifts: 101-147

 

~101 Extra counter space
~102 Sour Patch kids
~103 Taking a stroll down memory lane
~104 That God has blesses us with 4 Kids
~105 How well my kids know how to do chores
~106 My backstock
~107 A smooth glass of red wine
~108 Glass bowls
~109 The smell of a cake baking
~110 Watching more and more items I don't need leaving my house
~111 Re-purposed leftovers
~112 That Clint forgives me after I've been less then kind =/
~113 Photographs that bring back a 1000 memories and emotions
~114 Making progress
~115 Having all the kids jump in bed with me and having a laughing good time!
~116 Waking up to snow
~117 How bright snow makes the world
~118 Fried rice
~119 Watching 4 tweens have a super fun girly time
~120 Having fun with them too
~121 Feeling like a "cool mom" cuz they wanted me to hang out with them
~122 Digital cameras
~123 The way the morning sun makes the snow and ice sparkle
~124 That God has blessed Drew with awesome friends
~125 Shopping with a buddy
~126 Matching jeggings (lol)
~127 Gus reffering to his english muffin as a wheel
~128 Finding the perfect present for Drew
~129 total at the register being less then expected
~130 Lunch out with the fam ro celebrate Drew
~131Friends we are very thankful for + delish food + good wine + fun games = a great New Year"s Eve!
~132 Hubby and the kids taking care of me and each other while I had a bad migraine
~133 For thoughtful friends who send kind words
~134 That my headache finally ended
~135 Clint doing the dishes
~136 A phone chat with my mom that reminded me of better times with her
~137 Seeing Drew turn into an amazing young lady
~138 Evie sitting content and playing with her toys
~139 P.B and J
~140 An entire day at home
~141 Movie night
~142 The innocent and curious ?'s of my Sunday school class
~143 An afternoon spent with my Mom
~144 Hubby coming home with good news
~145 That working hard DOES pay off
~146 Having a radio in my car again
~147 Mr and Mrs Wilson

1000 Gifts: 21-100

 

I have really been loving this! My hope was to combat my discontentment by choosing to see all of the many gifts that are before me on a daily basis. So, rather then sitting down on Monday to catalog all of the gifts, I have kept a cute little journal with me to jot down gifts as they arise. At times when I was feeling discontetended about something, I forced myself to look for a gift. And what do ya know...I always found one! The funnest part about this whole list is that each and every one has a story behind it. Feel free to ask me sometime :)

~21Modern medicine (Excedrin Migraine)
~22 My husbands sweet smell
~23 Gus' peanut butter sandwich dance
~24 Drew caring for Evie
~25 Spiral bound journals
~26 How much my nutcracker soldiers remind me of my grandparents
~27 A fun day at my in-laws
~28 Making treats with family and friends
~29 Carbonation
~30 Finding the perfect person to pass our baby stuff to
~31 Clean and organized kids bedrooms
~32 To be doing 1000 gifts alongside friends
~33 Forgiveness
~34 Tender moments between siblings
~35 A never changing God
~36 Gods constant faithfulness
~37 Sleeping in late
~38 Waking up to Gus saying "can I snuggle wit choo?"
~39 Evie's awesome morning hair do's
~40 That Clint is not afraid to BBQ in the winter
~41 Sweet neighbor ladies
~42Swagbucks (= free $)
~43 Almond extract
~44 Clean running water at my finger tips
~45 Nana's homemade hot cocoa mix
~46 Crock-pot cooking
~47 My digital picture frame and all the pics in it
~48 Q-tips
~49 Sweet text messages from Clint
~50 My Kitchen Aid
~51 Drew's helpfulness
~52 Good phone chats w/ Heather
~53 A clean kitchen sink
~54 Satan's lies being exposed
~55 And for Gods truths that replace those lies
~56 Friends that aren't afraid to speak truth into my life
~57 Netflix
~58 Hand-me-downs
~59 Reliable vehicles
~60 Our cozy home
~61Listening to the kids laugh and giggle while singing Christmas songs and decorating cookies
~62 For my fun marriage
~63 Josh Turners music
~64 My goofy extended family
~65 Dancing
~66 Clint's silliness
~67 Over hearing Clint and the kids pray and a late night chat prompted by ?'s where he shared about the true meaning of Christmas and the gift that God gave us
~68 Celebrating Jesus' b-day
~69 P.J's after a long day
~70 Saturday morning family breakfast
~71 Old traditions
~72 New ones
~73 Kids excitement and joy over simple gifts
~74 My dishwasher
~75 For a 2nd wind after feeling all pooped out
~76 Cheesecake
~77 A morning walk/run with my girls
~78 Jeremiah 50:33
~79 Lamentations 3:23
~80 psalm 103:22
~81 After Christmas sales
~82 Lilly's sweet little desire to be a healthy and fit person ( I can learn a lot from her)
~83 Empty laundry hampers
~84 Not waiting until New years to make changes God has called me to
~85 Going to the Mall by myself
~86 2 new bras ( you have no idea how bad I needed them)
~87 Mitchell Family Christmas
~88 Clint's Dad sharing his heart and the true meaning of Christmas
~89 Boardgames
~90 Gift cards
~91 laughter
~92 Special time with just me and my #3 and #4
~93 Cousins
~94 New cooking and baking items
~95 Watching Evie perfect her forks skills with pancakes
~96 Fuzzy posters (they keep kids happy while I get stuff done)
~97 Lilly's sweet, careful, playfulness with her new doll
~98 Drew's creativity
~99  Watching Lilly and Gus play make believe together
~100 Looking to God to help me make order out of chaos

 

I'm in! 1000 Gifts

In an effort to battle discontentment and focus on the MANY blessing my loving God bestows upon me, I have decided to join my dear friend Carrie and the Gratitude Community in cataloging 1000 gifts. I am praying for a change of perspective in the daily doings of my beautiful, challenging, exciting, messy, God given, unique and ordinary life.



~1 For my husbands patients and willingness to help me through each struggle

~2 Grilled cheese on homemade bread

~3 Clutter free rooms

~4 Being able to donate items to those in need

~5 Creative ginger bread house designers

~6 That my girls love wrapping presents

~7 Text messaging

~8 For this Blog post and the brother in Christ who shared in with me

~9 Matthew 6:33

~10 Christmas cards

~11 Friends you can always be yourself with

~12 Prayer

~13 Coupon Connections NW

~14 Relaxing music

~15 A long conversation with my Dad

~16 2 weeks off from school

~17 That my kids love Gummy Vites

~18 Quiet moments with God

~19 Family Photos

~20 Extra time with my BFF these last few days

The BEST gift ever!!!

This year hubby gets extra points for cluing in on the the wants and needs of his lady! His gift for me this Christmas was a maid!!! Not indefinitely, but for 2 separate times. Clint's logic behind this was that now with his new job he finally gets paid vacation, so he thought I should get my own version of that too. The funny thing is that he was pretty self conscious about giving this to me. On Christmas eve he asked me if he could tell me what he wanted to get me cause he wasn't sure... I was like "Are you kidding me? This is the BEST GIFT EVER!!!" I told him he could get this for me every year for the rest of our lives! I cannot wait to cash this gift in. I'm hoping to do it early January and then maybe again in the spring (and you know what I will be asking for in may for my birthday and Moms day) . Of course the house has to be picked up first but he says they will scrub the floors, bathrooms, windows...even my base board!

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! I'm about to lose control and I think I like it! OH yeah!

This post deserves a song, but not that one cause the video is totally inappropriate.

Click on THIS and do the happy dance with me :)