One project down!

YAY!!!
I cannot tell you how excited I am! I FINALLY finished the big project that has been hanging over my head for a while. I completely refinished my chair.
I wish I had a before picture; but, my camera decided to reformat itself and it ate all my old pictures. Suffice it to say that I bought this chair at a garage sale for $2. The lady begged me to buy it (as she sneakily appealed to my crafty side--challenging me to refinish it) The chair had been used as an outside decoration and was in very rough shape. (My husband told me that the lady should have paid me to take it...) I had to rip off the old nasty fabric and stuffing, strip and sand the wood, re-stain, re-stuff, and re-cover. Oh, what fun! I'm glad it's done!

And, in great timing...because I wasn't quite sure where we would put it in our little apartment. But, now we have a house to put it in! More to come on that later! So thankful! :)

Thankfulness Month-Day 10, 11, and 12

Whoops...I didn't intentionally forget the last few days...they have been really busy. But, FULL of things to thank God about.
So...number 10: I am thankful for answered prayer. It is so awesome to see God work. "We have not because we ask not." That has been a challenge to me lately. I definitely lack faith; but, how amazing it is to see God answers my prayers despite my severe lack of faith.

11: I am thankful for a job! Yes, yes...I actually worked today. It was so much fun to be in the classroom again. Thank-you God for providing!

12: I am so thankful for my sweet friends! Today, a very special friend is getting married. I am so excited for her and her very soon-to-be husband. Shaun and I are singing in the wedding--hence the reason this has to be a somewhat short post--we need to go practice and get ready. Congrats Makele & Corey!

Thankfulness Month-Day 9

Psalm 139:2-10

 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.   

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 

 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 

 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. 

  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 

  Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 

  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 

  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
 

I LOVE Psalm 139. It is absolutely one of my favorite Psalms. I mean, how could I not be encouraged by the thought that I have a God who knows me, loves me, leads me, and will never leave me. 

Today, I am truly thankful for a sovereign God that knows me better than I know myself--and, loves me in spite of that fact!

I could not imagine living a day without the direction of God. I cannot imagine the purposeless existence apart from a God that loves me and gives my life purpose and meaning. But, what hope I have--what joy I have-- in knowing a God that truly knows me!

Thankfulness Month-Day 8

Today, I am thankful for the rain we are getting here. The ground is desperately needing it. Some people don't like rainy days because they find them depressing and dreary. I can definitely understand that if you have rainy days all the time. But, I love an occasional rainy day. For some reason, the rain is always a reminder for me to stop, be still and meditate on my God and the blessings He's given me.
And, of course, it's always nice to snuggle up under a cozy blanket and get in some good reading. 

ooey-gooey oatmeal cookie kind of day

It's raining outside--like the rain with the occasional rumble of thunder . Like the rain that just makes you want to stay inside and curl up by the fire with a good book. I'm thankful for the rain because we desperately need it. When I was younger, my grandma and I used to make rainy day cookies.
I stole this recipe from my brother-in-law. The way he makes them is perfect; crunchy on the outside, but gooey in the middle. I tried to compete, but they definitely aren't as good...yet. :) Maybe you can give it a try. These are honestly the BEST oatmeal cookies I have ever eaten!

Ingredients:

2 c rolled oats

1 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1 c all-purpose flour

1/4tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 c hot water

1/2 c shortening, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine oats, sugars, flour & salt

2. Combine soda & water-stir into above mixture

3. Roll into walnut sized balls and place on greased cookie sheets 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min.

5. Remove from oven; allow to stand 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.

Yield: 3 dozen 

Enjoy!

Thankfulness Month-Day 7

Whew--it was a crazy weekend! Today, I'm thankful for God's power. This weekend, we had an earthquake in Kansas...yep, you read that right, an earthquake in Kansas.  It was the strangest sensation feeling your the entire house shake and watching everything sway around you. I thought for a while that I was going crazy.
It is such an awesome reminder of God's power. I mean he created this world and a small earthquake in Kansas really is so small on that scale. I felt very small realizing what was going on around me.  But, very grateful that I know the God in control of it all.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do.

Thankfulness Month-Day 6

I Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

 

In EVERYTHING give thanks. Yesterday, we had a speaker come in to our church,  Dr. David Gibbs. He is a lawyer and head of the Christian Law Association. He has an amazing testimony of what God has allowed him to do. We had a wonderful day of worship. And, God really worked in my heart. 

One question that Dr. Gibbs posed to us was if we give thanks in everything. I mean, that's what the Bible says, right? And not only that, it says that it's the will of God. 

Do I give thanks in every situation I am in? Do I give thanks when I'm completely stressed out and in a tight spot? Do I give thanks when I'm struggling or someone in my family is struggling. Do I give thanks for those things that I don't necessarily like?

My husband and I had a long talk about this as we have recently gone through a tough challenge. I so appreciate Shaun's outlook on things as even in the midst of that trial--through a lot of pain and strife, he was able to say that he was thankful for what he was going through. And, now, looking back, we are thankful for that trial because God brought us so much closer to Him and to each other. God taught us things that would probably wouldn't have learned otherwise-God truly changed us. 

So, today, I wanted to give thanks in everything. I want to thank God for those tough times in life; and, thank Him for the grace He gives to get through them as well.