Jul. 9, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

Here is my Thankful Thursday list for this week:

I have been MIA from TT's lately due to working nearly full-time hours.  However, I am thankful that I have a job.  Working pays the bills.  Blogging does not.    I am also thankful that my job is one I really enjoy.  It gives me an opportunity to show compassion to people who are coming into the hospital for tests, or even to be admitted.  Many times, they are unhappy about being there.  There are also times when they are outright scared.  I am thankful to be placed in a position where I can offer them some compassion to help put them at ease.

I am thankful to be working the 3-9PM shift today.  DD's 13th birthday party/sleepover is tomorrow.  I thought I was going to have to have my mother help dd make her birthday cake (dd wanted to do it herself.)  But when I checked my work schedule, I saw that I had several hours to be home today, so I am able to help her with her cake for this milestone birthday.

I am thankful that dd and I brainstormed to find a way to make this party work, being that I do have to work tomorrow.  Since she was born on 7-11, she wanted her party to be a 7-11 party (7PM to 11AM.)  I will arrive home shortly after the party starts, unless I can get off early because we are slow.    Dh will be here to supervise until I can make it home.  Another neat thing about the timing -- since the party starts after supper time, and will end before lunch time, we will only need to provide one meal for the girls, so that will help keep it economical for us.  That is a huge blessing since dh's work had been slow non-existent for several months.

I am thankful that my dh did have a large job to complete last week.  Not only that, but the weather was perfect for working outside.  The week before, we had 90+ temps, and he would have been working with the sun beating down on him the entire time.

I am thankful for some things the Lord is doing in our family.  It is awesome to see the Lord's hand at work.

I am very thankful that I haven't needed to use my inhaler for a couple of weeks.  (For those of you who don't follow my blog, I was diagnosed with asthma by two doctors.  They believe it was chemically-related, but said that if I get any type of upper respiratory infection, the asthma will likely flare up again.)    I did buy some herbal remedies that I carry with me all the time in case of a flare up.  I've had to use it a few times, and it feels much better than dealing with the side effects from the inhaler. 

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May. 6, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

Please visit Lynn this month for Thankful Thursday.

My thankful list this week:

• DD's yearly testing is done.  (She takes the Iowa Stanford Achievement Test every May.)
• I'm also thankful for the time to visit with the other hs moms at the yearly testing.  It is so funny to watch us as we converse.  This is the once-a-year "connection" time for some of the moms, so when we talk, we are jumping from one topic to another because we have so much catching up to do for the year! 
• We are done with school for this year, and will start on next year's next week.  (Keep reading for the reason we aren't taking a break.)
• I have a typing test early Thursday morning for a job.  (This is the reason we are continuing with school.  I need a job, and we are hoping to continue to hs.  If we keep working ahead, it will help that much more once I start a job.)
• DD wants to continue doing some school.  We both do better when we have a schedule to follow.  We will not be covering all subjects though, so it will be a lighter load, thus allowing both of us time to refresh from the daily grind of doing every subject.
• We have our computer back.
• After not having a computer for several days, I realized what a "stresser" the computer is.  When it locks up or runs slow, I get very impatient.  I also realized that I am spending way too much time on the computer, so I will be diligent to guard my time on the computer.  Basically, I will check emails, keep my blog going, do any business I have online, and occasionally check a board I visit, but that will be cut way back.
• DH has an out-of-town job next week.  This is a huge praise.  With the economy like it is, I cannot remember the last time he had an out-of-town job.  Those jobs make enough to usually cover us for several weeks, and we are barely staying afloat right now.

Now for a thankful tribute to the mothers in my life:

• My own mother, whose wit and wisdom are amazing.  One of the best things my mother has taught me is that you will rarely regret what you don't say, but you may regret what you do say.
• To Linda, who was my spiritual mom when I was a baby Christian.  She spent many hours listening to me babble as I was growing in my faith and trying to figure out what God wanted to do in my life.
• My trusted counselors:  The Word tells us there is wisdom in the abundance of counselors, and I am thankful for the ladies who allow me to "pick their brains" on heavy issues.  Thank you Vanessa, Judy, Linda, Melissa, and Arlene.
• My best friend Vanessa.  My dearest girlfriend, may the Lord come to your rescue soon and heal you from all of the issues that have arisen from the heart transplant.  Watching you go through the many trials of having the heart transplant and then seeing you face the myriad of issues that have risen from that has been inspiring.  Your attitude simply amazes me.  When you have every right to cry and whine to me, you choose not to do so.  There aren't very many people who could do that.
• My friend Lisa.  I had the awesome privilege of watching an elegant grace develop in Lisa as she went through a horrible divorce.  This gal is an abundance of common-sense wisdom.  I am blessed to know her.
• The many homeschool moms I know -- both in real life and those I have met online.  You gals are a huge blessing to me.  Because we share the common bond of homeschooling, we can encourage each other when struggling with issues that no one else can understand.

Happy Mother's Day!

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Apr. 30, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

My thankful list this week is a bit different than normal, but sometimes I think it good for us to look "outside the box" to find things for which to be thankful.

• I am thankful I live in the same city where my parents live.  I have a friend whose husband fell and broke his hip.  None of their daughters live nearby.  I am sure this is difficult for the gals to be so far from their parents, knowing that their Daddy is still in the rehab hospital and is going to need a lot of time to recover.  It sure makes me realize the blessing of being only four miles away from my parents.  Any time my dad has had health issues, I have been able to be there for my mom, who doesn't drive.
• I am thankful for a lady named Teresa, who plays the piano at church.  She is a bundle of joy to watch during worship time.  Her enthusiasm for worship is so contagious.  She is really gifted for where God has placed her.  She blesses me immensely each time she is up on the stage.  It is a joy to watch someone who loves to worship.  Because of her joyful personality, she is the type to move others to engage in worship, rather than just go through the motions of worship.
• I am thankful for the DVD series our women's group is using at the once-a-month meetings.  It is by Priscilla Shirer.  Her teachings are always a timely word for me.  It is amazing to see her words speak so deeply to me.  Yet, when the DVD is over, and begin our table-talk discussions, every other woman will also say, "Wow!  I needed to hear that!"  Only God can speak to hearts like that!
• I am thankful for the privilege we have to pray for others.  I have a good friend who just lost her dad a couple of weeks ago.  Just this week, she lost her dad's mother.  What a privilege to lift my friend to the throne and know that God will see her through.  I have seen so many others with deep needs that I can't meet, but thank God, I know the One who CAN meet those needs!
• I am thankful that although Tuesday marked the 14th anniversary of my miscarriage, I didn't face it with such sadness like I have in the past.  It was more like, "I can't believe it has been 14 years since that happened!"  Of course, there will always be that sense of loss, I have learned to be grateful for what I learned about my Father during that time.  Looking back, I can honestly say that I am glad to have gone through that experience because of the multitude of lessons I learned through it.  God is good ALL the time!  Even in those very hard times.    
• I am thankful for being able to refrain from taking my allergy meds for a few days this week.  I was a bit concerned about my energy level because the flip side of taking the meds is that they tend to make me very energetic!  I have done fine without them, both with allergies AND with my energy level.
• I am thankful for a chance to head to the Y this week with dd to swim and do water aerobics.  We even did water basketball, which was a whole lot of fun!  I am also thankful that on Wednesday, another homeschool family came in and joined us in the pool.  It was nice to see dd interacting with other girls instead of hanging with me all the time.
• I feel as if our city is in a depression, not a recession, but I am thankful that God has promised to never forsake the righteous, and we don't have to worry that we will be begging for bread.  I am thankful that He can make a way where there seems to be no way.  Praise His Name; He is truly worthy of our praise.

What "outside-the-box" things make you thankful this week?

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Apr. 23, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for the rain because it made my allergies settle down.    Today is the best I have felt in nearly four weeks.  Praise God for that!  (See my Tuesday post for cheap tricks for treating allergies.)

I'm also thankful for the sunshine we've seen in between the dark, gray clouds.  I've watched the sky grow dark with such thick clouds this week.  Periodically, the sun will peek through, reminding me that brighter days are ahead.  The dreary days will come to an end. 

One sight that is always fascinating to me is to see a very dark, gray sky in the background.  Yet, looking at a tree in the foreground, I can see the sun shining on it.  That is always an odd sight.  Yet, isn't that how it is when we are facing spiritual trials?  Things seem so bleak and dreary.  Darkness fills our soul.  Suddenly, a ray of Sonlight strikes our soul.  It can be through reading the Word, hearing a message that is the Rhema word to our spirit, hearing a word from a friend that is like apples of gold in settings of silver.  Suddenly, our soul, which was so dark just a moment ago, feels flooded with the Light once again.  Though we may still face this trial for several days or weeks, we are reminded that we can do all things through Christ.  His mercies are new every morning, even those mornings when our trials looms before us.  His mercies will carry us through.

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Apr. 16, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful:

• That although I am struggling in my spiritual walk, God knows where I am and loves me anyway.  I told a friend the other day that I feel spiritually bored right now. 
• We are close to being done with school for the year.
• Although finances are very tight (especially since I quit my job), God has provided for our needs.
• We thought we'd have to take the cat to the vet today, but he seems to be better.  For the above reason, I'm thankful we don't have to add a vet bill to our expenses.
• For my friends who love me in spite of my struggles, and will be a listening ear when I need to talk.
• For laughter -- it always does a heart good!

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Jan. 15, 2009 - Thankful Thursday

Here is my thankful list for this week:

1. I am thankful that I was able to change dd's dental appt. from today to yesterday.  It is -10 this morning, with a wind chill of -25.  I am thankful to not have to go outside at all today.    (FYi -- dd woke up not feeling well, thus another reason to be thankful for getting her to the doctor yesterday.) 

2. I am thankful that while dh doesn't have any work right now, we still have food in the freezer and were able to pay this month's bills. 

3. I'm thankful that we didn't to make an expensive trip to the vet for our cat.  His problem was taken care of for $5.00. 

4. I am thankful for some family time we had where we took the Five Love Languages test.  I already knew what my two languages were.  I also knew that one of dd's was physical touch.  I figured out her other one is quality time, which makes a lot of sense when I think about some things she says.  I had a feeling that dh's was also physical touch, but that is actually his secondary love language.  His primary is words of affirmation, which is the same as mine.  That really surprised me, but I won't go into why.    Of all things, I scored a big, fat ZERO on physical touch, so I know it will be a struggle to try to "speak" that language to them when that isn't my love language.

5. I am thankful for a couple of books that were given to me to pass on to a lady I know who is going through a difficult marriage.  -- One of them was the Love Languages book.  I have that book, but it is an older version and didn't have the assessment test in the back.

6. I am also thankful that after being verbally attacked by a wolf in sheep's clothing, the Lord's peace sustained me. 

7. I am thankful the Lord is sustaining me, in spite of my fear and worries over what is going to happen to us.  As I have searched for a job, it is looking like the only types of jobs that may be available are working at places like a convenience store (very dangerous, especially in this city), fast food restaurants, or perhaps Walmart.  I don't want that type of work because it is not what suits my gifting, but it's looking like I may have to go in that direction.

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Jan. 1, 2009 - Thankful Thursday and S&T Friday

  and

FYI -- All of the recipes I mentioned above are on my blog.  Check the Tightwad Tuesday category and the Recipes category for more details. 

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Dec. 17, 2008 - Combined Entry for Heart Transplant

I am combining several entries this week due to time constraints. 

She got the heart transplant!!!! 

My best friend was placed on the heart transplant list just after Christmas last year.  On Tuesday morning, I received a phone call from her hubby, informing me that she had her new heart!  It came in late Monday night, so they did surgery from around midnight until 6:30 the next morning.  She did very well throughout the surgery.  What a wonderful Christmas gift!  We are so thankful for this!

This week's devotion:  Christmas

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Oct. 30, 2008 - Thankful Thursday and Boo!

This will be a rather short post because I have several things I need to get done.

I am thankful for the sunshine this week.  It has been beautiful.

I am thankful for the lovely fall colors in the leaves -- what a gorgeous time of year!

I am thankful that no matter who gets elected next week, MY GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. 

I am thankful for the insights the Lord has given me for some "bumps" in the homeschool journey.  I have been especially frustrated lately, which has resulted in a lot of anger.  He has shown me some things that have helped me to calm down and approach things a bit differently.

I am thankful for the chance to get out Wednesday afternoon and spend a little time with my mom while we went to Hobby Lobby, the Dollar Tree store, and Meijer.  It was fun, even if it didn't last very long.

I am thankful for the scrumptious brownies that dh brought home today.  He scored some big-time "brownie" points, pun intended. 

Today's devotion:  BOO!

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Oct. 23, 2008 - Thankful Thursday and Witch's Brew

Though I don't look forward to winter, I have to admit that I am thankful for the cooler temps because I'm hoping it will get cold enough to freeze the pollen in the air.  This allergy season has been hard on me.

Though we have had a lot of computer trouble due to our very-outdated computer, I am still thankful for the wonderful resources I find online.  Just this week, I found a healthy recipe for oatmeal-cinnamon pancakes.  I also found one for making mozzerella sticks.  I love to eat those when we eat out, but they are just SO expensive!  I am grateful for the chance to find new ways of doing things, by use of the Internet, and know that it is helping me to do a better job of being a keeper-at-home, as well as "doing my husband good and not harm all the days of his life."  (For those of you who may be interested in the recipes, stop by Mary's blog and visit her Tightwad Tuesday tips for this week.)

I am thankful for the opportunity to homeschool.  My dd was struggling with a concept last week in math (banking principles), so we were able to spend four days on that one lesson, until it "stuck."  If she was in public school, we would still have been "homeschooling;" it just would have been in the evenings when everyone is tired after a long day.

I am thankful for the wonderful shopping trip dd and I had last Friday.  (See my Tuesday post for more info on the blessings of that day.) 

While I am not thankful that someone hit my car in the church parking lot, and didn't "'fess up," I am thankful that the damage is no bigger than what it is.  It could have been much worse.

I am very thankful for my friends (real life and online buddies).  They make living a lot easier with their support, insights (like iron sharpening iron), and their humor. 

Most of all I am thankful for the sacrifice my Savior made for me.  I saw a neat video clip about the crucifixion.  As you see some scenes taken from the Passion of the Christ, the narrator makes a few comments like, "When the nails were pierced in His hands, He looked into the face of the one who was hammering them into place.  It was yours."  "As He hung there on the cross, in sheer agony, His eyes fell upon a face in the crowd.  It was yours.  He thought of eternity, and how His sacrifice was worth it all, all for you."  Very moving video.

I learned this week that the word "excruciating" came from the time period when crucifixions were popular.  It means "out of the cross," and is in reference to the agony which was suffered by the one who was being crucified.  From now on, when you hear the word "excruciating," I hope it reminds you of the Cross of Calvary and how much Jesus loves you -- so much that He would go through excruciating pain, just for you. 

Today's devotion:  Witch's Brew

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Jul. 3, 2008 - Thankful Thursday and Change of Plans

I am also thankful that I have not come down with the stomach virus that dd had earlier in the week.  It was so bad that she lost 5 pounds.  She also grew 1/4 inch taller while she was sick!  I'm not sure whether to be   or  about that!

I am thankful for the blue ribbon dd earned for her ceramics project this year.     Last year, the judge was awful.  She stood right there and lied to the kids about how to get a blue ribbon, then she promptly gave them all red ribbons, even though they had done exactly what they were supposed to do. 

I am thankful for air conditioning.   

I am thankful that when I need wisdom, God is so good to supply it. 

I am thankful for my dh who works so hard so that I can continue to stay home, as well as homeschool our dd. 

I am thankful for places of encouragement that I have found online.  Our local homeschool group has really dwindled.  Not too many people attend the functions, so it is hard to find encouragement locally.  I would be lost without my online "buds" to carry me through those tough times! 

I am currently going through a "change of plans" in a certain area of my life so I thought I would share this devotion with you.  Perhaps it will encourage those of you who may feel like  when God tells you it is time for change. 

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