Thankful Thursday

Rain. I am thankful for rain. It can be inconvenient at times for sure. Like today, we are going to have supper/play date with a family we are good friends with and go to church with. We were looking forward to letting the kids play outside. It is supposed to be raining and some thunderstorms. You know what though? God knows we must need it. Rain is so refreshing to listen too when it's not the stormy kind. The other night it rained,but was the pleasant kind. The boys and I sat on Aaron's bed and raised the window so we could hear and enjoy it. Rain cleanses the earth. It's like God's grace washing away all the filth. It helps our plants grow and our gardens flourish. I used to love sitting on our porch and watching it rain. The smell after the rain  is refreshing too. So though it may put a damper on our plans today, I am thankful we get rain.

What are you thankful for? Join Iris @ Grace Alone for more posts. 

Thankful Thursday

What are you thankful for today? Join Iris @ Grace Alone to share what is on your heart.

I'm thankful for clothes. It sounds so simple,but it's not. There are many in other countries and even in America that don't have lots of clothes. I was able to go shopping today for some church clothes. Every other year I have been pregnant since 2007 and this year I am not. I have lost some weight and needed some clothes that fit me. My hubby kept all 3 boys while I went out at lunch and was gone until late this evening. I enjoyed myself and didn't rush. I stay on a pretty tight schedule when I am at home,so it felt good to just relax. I found some pretty skirts and maxi dresses to wear to church. I like to dress modest and now days that is hard to do unless you really take time. I looked and looked and tried on so much. I found things that are appropriate for church and anywhere else. It's funny how clothes to make you feel good. They keep us warm or can help us cool off. They are such a wonderful thing to have. I'm thankful I have clothes I not only need,but that I want.

What are you thankful for?

Friday's Fave Five

Join us as we look back at our favorites or blessings from the week. Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story is our host,so be sure to link up with her.

1. Softball Sunday... Every 4th Sunday when the time changes and the evenings are longer, our church doesn't have night service. We gather back together to grill outside and fellowship. The kids play and the adults do too. I think it just took on the name softball Sunday because the adults played softball. We had a great time this past Sunday. We invite others who don't have anything to do that evening.
2. Spring cleaning... We did some deep cleaning Tuesday and Wednesday morning. I love to clean! I love the smell of the freshness. My husband steamed cleaned our carpet,which needed it badly. We cleaned windows,the bathroom, and replaced some things. 
3. Great conversation... We had some friends over Wednesday evening for supper. They go to church with us and have a boy and a girl close to our boys age. Jenn brought a Greek salad and I baked chicken spaghetti. We had a great time!
4. Resurrection activities... The boys took upon themselves to draw some pictures at breakfast this week. Daniel is a good little artist. They drew some pictures of Jesus on the cross and of the empty tomb. We did role playing last night of the Passover and betrayal of Jesus upon their request. Today we read the first part of the crucifixion and are doing the scene with a Resurrection set I printed out. We have Jesus on the cross and will take him off and put him in the tomb this evening. Sunday morning I am going to take him out and they will look for him. We also watched the Passover,Betrayal,and Crucifixion last night. It's a great animated story I found. We had some good discussions. We don't do eggs,easter bunny,or baskets.
5. Coffee.. I bought some new coffee today. It's called Seattle's Best. I have been drinking Dunkin' Donuts,but wanted to try something new! I found a great creamer by Bailey's. It's Almond Toffee and it's so good!
6. Bonus... We are starting Spring Break Monday. They are pretty excited and so am I!

I pray you all reflect and meditate deeply on the crucifixion today and tomorrow. Think of how our Lord suffered so we may be in right standing with God,our Father. How awesome!!! Yet, how sad at the same time. I hate that Jesus had to be put through so much pain for the whole world. My perspective and feelings have changed over the years at how I look and observer this holy time. I pray you know our Lord and know He is risen and He is alive! 

Thankful Thursday

This time of the year for Christians is so vital in who we are today. I'm so thankful for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. I look at Resurrection day a lot different than I used too. Growing up we dyed and hunted the eggs,had baskets with goodies,and always got a new outfit. We knew Jesus died and came back to life,but it was not a focal point for us. My Mother was born again,but my Daddy was not. It wasn't until I was almost 24 that I really started looking at "Easter" different. My Lord was in so much agony over this that He prayed/cried so hard drops of blood fell from His head while in the garden of Gethsemane. He was beat so bad he was unrecognizable. That is not something pleasant to think about. He would take on the sin of the world! He would be separated from God because of it. God would literally turn His back on His Son and not look at Him. That is not something to take lightly. It's not something to overlook either. It was a very sad and horrific day for the followers of Jesus. I am thankful Jesus did this for me and for you. He made a way for us to be reconciled back to the Father. How awesome! How glorious! The joy came in the morning when Jesus came back to life just as He said. That is the happy part. I still think it's not to be taken lightly. We want our boys to know the true meaning of Resurrection day and we don't want to take the focus off of it for one second. I want them to grow up knowing what Jesus did for them.

What are you thankful for? Join Laurie @ Woman Taking A Stand for more posts and to link up!

Friday's Fave Five

I didn't get to link up as early today,but still wanted to get my post in! Join us and share your favorites from the week.

1. Bonding time... My husband took our 2 older boys camping for one night this week. I missed them a lot,but it is awesome to see my husband take up time with my boys. There is so much more he could have been doing,but he chose to spend time with them.
2. Giving... I love to give! I make jewelry and I did a give-a-way on my Facebook page this week. It was so much fun and always is to do. I made 3 pieces to give away. From the Heart Jewelry by Heather is my page for anyone interested.
3. Outside time... we have had such great weather this week and I took the big boys out while the toddler slept in this morning. We had a blast! They found some snails,worms,and rollie pollies.
4. Friends... We went to some good friends house yesterday evening for a birthday party. It does me good to see my kids forming friendships. They had fun and I had a great visit with a good friend of mine.
5. In-Laws... My oldest SIL came over today and one of my nieces. It's always fun for the boys to have family come over. We even made a trip to Michael's,Hobby Lobby,and to get ice cream. 

Hope everyone has had a wonderful week! Link up with Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story for more posts.

Thankful Thursday

What are you thankful for today? We all have so much to be thankful about. I'm thankful for beads. Yes, beads. I learned to make jewelry in college and it got pushed to the side after my first 2 sons. In the last year I have picked it back up and began making it again. I loved making jewelry before having kids and I still love it. I am able to make a little extra income for our family and still be at home with my 3 little boys. I'm thankful God gave me this talent. I started a Facebook page in 2011 and have been able to bless others with pretty things. I love to do give-a-ways,which I just did this week. I want to make pretty things that people can afford. If I could, I would just give it all away,but my husband would probably not go for that ha! It blesses me to be able to do something like this. I love being able to stay at home,but still do something for others. I love to create things and creating jewelry is so much fun! I'm artsy and always have been,but painting wasn't my thing though I love it, I wasn't great at it. I didn't have a talent for it. I love to write,but I don't have a talent for that either. I would love to write a book or have my blog take off with thousands of followers,but God had something different in mind. I have a talent for creating and making jewelry and for that I will be thankful.

Link up with Iris @ Grace Alone for more posts

If you are interested in my jewelry you can visit my Facebook page From the Heart Jewelry by Heather. My email for that is fromtheheartjewelry_08@yahoo.com.

Friday's Fave Five

Sometimes my week is rough. Motherhood can be exhausting for sure,so looking back at the positives helps me each week. 

1. Longer evenings... We enjoyed a beautiful evening Sunday before night service. We went to a friend's and took a ride on the Benche (sort of like a Gator,not sure if you know what I mean). It was beautiful and so breezy. I love being outside. It's a favorite of mine. Time changed this weekend,so now we get longer evenings and it's nice.
2. Signs of spring... I do love cold weather and the Winter season,but I need Spring, in more than one way. Last year was a rough year for me and it effected the family also. Feminine issues plagued me and finally I am seeing the light. It will be like turning over a new leaf literally. The beautiful days have been so refreshing!
3. New hair do... I went this past Wednesday for some highlights. It's only about the 3rd time in 10 years that I have done them. I wanted some lighter color. My hair used to be cotton top and it was that way until the pregnancy years. I miss it. So I did some "fake" color. I really love it!
4. Local cafe shops... While I was out getting my hair highlighted, I stopped at a friend's bread/coffee shop. Oh it is such a good place. They are a Christian family and very delightful too! I had a lemon bar with Costa Rican Smooth coffee.
5. Conversations... My 5 year old and I had a great one today. I was folding clothes and we talked about animals. He is so cute. He was asking all sorts of questions. I love him and how he is getting more mature and smarter.

Join Susanne @ Living to Tell the Story for more posts!