Joy Challenge

I read the book 1000 gifts over the summer and i fell in love, since then i have been following ann voskamp on FB and of course her blog. But i just discovered a few days ago two fun things about her and her challenge to count gifts.

The first thing i found out, She has an app called 1000gifts in which you can add photos, video, or words and it keeps track of the # gifts you have counted and records them by the date! It can be downloaded for both the iphone and a droid so check your app store! From the app you can also share your gifts via twitter, Flickr, Facebook or email. Its pretty cool and i’m loving using it! I still record mine in my journal where i started but I also love having them on my phone for when i need to look back and be reminded. Plus i only record in my journal once a week so this is a good way for me to keep track of htem daily and then transfer them, plus my phone is ALWAYS with me!

The second thing i learned she was doing which is why i first started using the app is that this year (2012) she is hosting a Joy Challenge! So every month she puts out a list of things to look for everyday. Each day you are to find 3 gifts, some days it will be 3 of the same and other days it will be 3 different items. But everyday its 3 so if you do it the whole year starting Jan 1 that would mean at the end of the year you would have just over 1000 gifts recorded! How awesome is that.  I’m a month behind but i’m ok with that i’m still doing it and by the end of the year i will have recorded at least a 1000 gifts that i can to my list which was already 1/2 way there anyway.

Here is Febuary’s list, i would encourage you to go check out her blog and FB and get her app and start recording your own gifts! and head over to Onethousandgifts.com

I love you more

One night some friends were telling us how when they were first married they use to give eachother gifts with the intention of out doing each other, the idea was to prove that they loved more then the other person loved them. This gave my hubby and I an idea for a fun thing to do in our marriage. We decided to take a week and a set budget for each person and its our goal to prove that we love the other person more.

We have decided to do this during the week of valentines, besides valentines day being thrown in there at the end of the week we will be spending two days at a marriage conference, so we decided it was the perfect week for us to really focus in our marriage and how much we love each other.

I’m very excited about the week. I’ve already begun planning, i have a fun sack lunch planned for my hubby, and have been picking up a bunch of little gifts. a lot of my stuff is free which makes me really excited because i can put most if not all of my budget towards one big gift item!

Well since its all meant to be a surprise i can’t share what i’m planning until after next week. But i’m curious have you ever done this kind of thing in your marriage? Would ever consider it? if so what kind of thing would you do?

Grace

I’m learning a lot about grace this week. Grace is a crazy thing, its a gift from God that comes freely from his love! I’ve been learning a lot about how it plays a part in my mothering and what it means for me to show my children grace. But more importantly what it means to show myself grace.

What i think of when i think of grace is something extended to me after a wrong doing. Not the same as forgiveness which comes with my apology. But this amazing gift that is free and requires nothing of me! I learned after my first was born to give myself grace in the home. It didn’t have to be perfectly clean all the time! And now i’m learning to give myself grace in other areas, grace in that fact that we watched a movie, grace that we had go to mac n cheese for dinner grace .

Grace doesn’t excuse me from doing what i need to do what i should do but it does give me the freedom when i don’t do those things to not carry the guilt of that. Its a beautiful gift that gives me the ability to forgive myself.

Christ died for us, to forgive our sins and to reedem us and show us Grace. That doesn’t mean i can go out and do whatever i want, hurt whomever i want, basically commit sins as i desire. What it means is that when i commit those sins i only need to repent and seek forgiveness and then i can move forward guilt free.

Thank you lord for the gift of Grace!

January 2012

January was a busy month for us, we did stuff around the house completing our Pretty and Practical Challanges which you can read about Domesticdays. We also spent almost every weekend spending some time with friends. It was both a relaxing and a to do list accomplishing month. We tried new recipes, organized our house, played with the kids. We started back to bible studies and managed the never ending colds that hit our home. Here are some photos from our month…

well goodbye Jan 2012 welcome february!

2012 thus far (wordless Wednesday)

Tummy time

Sweet nursing baby

Listening to books on tape

Brother love

Ollie learning to laugh

Pirate ship

Someone likes bath time! He often climbs in before its time!

Harvey “Serenading him to sleep because he’s tired!”

Peek-a-boo

How cute is he?!?!?!?

Mommy’s version of 7 minutes in Heaven. Litteraly this lasted for 7 min!!!!

Pretty things

Pretty Weather

Waking up to this

After a night of this with friends!

and lot’s of that

While mommy is busy!

2012 is starting off busy but good!

 

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Onward Bound 2012

Well that last post was the last of my 2011. It was a full year but now its 2012 and i’m ready to see what is in store for year!

I have big plans for my year, new organization, new schedules, new workout, vacations, family time, time serving, and time spent with God. The most time consuming project though this year you can check out over here. Its Project 366 a photo a day every day in 2012. Follow a long and check out my ordinary days in photo fun!

What is your big project for the year?

(Day 2)

A Day at preschool (photos)

Here is a peak into Harvey’s first day of Preschool Co-op. We sure do miss it, but lucky for us we can still do play dates with our teacher the talented Mrs. Leslie.

 

 

Heart for the Homeless

Over the summer I delivered a box of food to a friend who was helping a girl through an organization who supports teen moms. I explained to Harvey that we were doing a “favor for Jesus” and that this girl had no food and so we were going to take her some. Well that little event trigged something in my little man and ever since he has a heart for those with no food. This inspired me to have him do a service project that ended up really blessing us as a family. We put together bags of food which we kept in the car for the homeless.

The boys even drew pictures which we included in each bag….

We have since handed out all the bags. The first was to a lady the very day we made them. Harvey handed it to her directly to which she replied he was an Angel baby he thought that was funny. We gave one to a man on the corner and then later that day we saw another lady to which Harvey yelled we need to give her food to! (she was standing on the corner trading stuffed animals for groceries) So for her we actually went into the store and bought a couple bags of groceries. We didn’t take the stuffed animal, we decided she could use it as payment for another bags worth of groceries from someone else. A couple weeks ago we handed out our last bag. It was to the same lady as the first time, but to me it was extra sweet to see the bag get handed out. of all the food we had handed out thus far, Harvey had either picked up on a conversation Tyler and I were having or we pointed the person out to him, but this time I was stopped at the light not even looking at the lady, and from the back seat i hear “Mom, that lady needs food, can I give her some?” I asked what lady and He said “That one!” pointing to the lady i had missed on the corner. I said sure and we circled around to give her a bag. When were done Harvey said Mom “I need to find a man to give food to!” and you know what the Lord honored him and later that day with harv asleep in the back Tyler and I stumbled upon a man in need. Sadly we had no food or cash, but we offered up the next best thing a prayer! It made me cry a bit with each bag to hear Harvey pray for these people and to see him so excited to provide them a need, but it also gave me a bit of a heart for them also, and helped me to see that even when i dont have anything to offer them i can always stop and say a prayer for them while sitting at the light.

Thank you Harvey for your Heart may you always allow the spirit to open it to those God puts before you!

His Favorite Spot

Levi recently foun a favorite spot to play, under the table! To be honest it was my favorite as a kid to so i can’t really blame him. Something magical about playing under a table, the possabilites of what that table can represent are endless! Pretty much lately if your wondering were he is hiding just check the room for a table and there yo might find him!

how cute is this face?

Seriously that smile?!?!?

Makes me wonder where will this kids’ imagination take him some day!

The Big 3

Harvey turned 3 back in december and so for his birthday we had a drive in night! It was raining so our drive in was held inside, lucky for us my mom has a big enough kitchen! We hand delivered each kid’s invitation; a moving box for them to turn into a car. Then we pulled out the project so old disney shorts (short black and white cartoons), ordered up some pizzas and had our selves a party!