Lists

"When one is thirsty one quenches one's thirst by drinking,

not by reading books which treat of this condition."

~Jean Pierre de Causade

Are you a list maker? I am. I love the feel of accomplishment as I can mark things off my "to do" list. I feel a sense of lightness as I see things getting done, and my lists getting shorter.

Today I am reading chapter 3 of One Thousand Gifts. And I feel challenged. Almost a dare.

I want to make list.

But this is a different type of list. This is a list of 1000 blessings, gifts, things I already have, some that I do not even recognize as gifts; putting in writing all that is good and pure and lovely and beautiful.

Will you join me?

Here is the start of mine...

1. Crackling Fires

2. Smell of fresh coffee

3. Children's laughter

4. Snail mail letters

5. Smell of fresh bread baking

6. Climbing into bed with clean, fresh sheets that have been hung out on the line

7. Smiles from little babies

"But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God." ~Psalm 50:23

Sweetness

Have you ever tried Wholesome Sweeteners? Check out their giveaway here We order from Azure Standard *almost* every month (I sometimes miss the deadline). It is great knowing that the food we eat is healthy and even more awesome having it delivered close to home. Shopping with 5 young kids is not always enjoyable. And with the exception of our small grocery store 10 min away, our closest shopping is 30-40 min away. By the time you get 5 kids dressed, find shoes and coats, make sure faces are mostly clean and hair somewhat combed , bathe everyone and curl and gel their hair, nurse the baby, and then get everyone buckled in the car, plus drive over half hour, you're exhausted. And you haven't even started shopping yet. So to say I love online shopping and special delivery places (like Azure Standard) would be an understatement!

grat-i-tude

:the state of being grateful: THANKFULNESS

There are so many thoughts rolling around in my head. I have about 10 posts I'd like to write about. But when I sit down, all my inspiration seems to leave. So for today, I am thankful for sunshine and family. We love having Jesse home from work and being able to have lots of family time. We're currently building fence around our property (1 mile!) which is great experience for the boys and we're making many memories together.

I am trying to work on having a more positive outlook on life. I am a very realistic person, which can also lead to being negative, (happens when you see most things in black & white). But when I stop and think about all that I have, I cannot help but feel grateful. There is a line from a song that keeps running through my head "...Can the joy of life be found in simple gratitude? And is gratitude as simple as perspective?..." I would say yes.

It brings such joy to my heart when I hear my children talking to each other and expressing thanks to each other. How much more joy does it bring to God when we are thankful to Him? Even, maybe even especially, in the little things.

So today I choose gratitude.

What will you choose?

Lent

This morning I was reading my morning devotions. I have been reading in my one year chronological bible. I have missed many days, but I try to keep going. It is easy for me to feel like I failed and just put it away for another year, but I am so glad I have tried to keep going, even when I miss days.

Today I read in Deuteronomy about the Festival of Unleavened Bread and celebrating the Passover. Then I started thinking about Lent. I have given it a few passing thoughts in the past, but they are quickly pushed aside for more demanding things. I would like to celebrate with our family. I did not grow up doing this and do not want to do it legalistically, but rather as a celebration and remembrance for our children. Today I plan to dig in more and see just what that entails, because, really, I just do not know where to start.

Do you celebrate Lent? What exactly do you do? Do you have recipes to share?

I also was reading on my friends blog this morning, and learned about this book: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

Hmmmm.....sounds like a great book for me to read! I think I'll head over and order it right now.......

~Ashley

Okay, so I know I posted that I would be better about blogging. And I think we can all see that I obviously haven't been. I am not going to make any more promises. This started out to be an adoption blog to keep family and friends updated. But now I have different goals and want to share about our many blessings, everyday life, learning processes and maybe even a few recipes. When it comes down to it, I am not a writer and wonder if I have anything to say that anyone cares about anyway. But then I read all these other blogs and feel inspired....but still not sure what to write about.



As a quick update since my last post, we decided to NOT sell our house (or not for now anyway), we have remodeled, celebrated birthdays, became a family of 7 with the birth of our baby girl Feb 23, are going to be building a barn so we can get our milk cow......I know there is more, but those are the big things.

Here is a picture of our beautiful daughter Amita Rachelle, 7 lbs 10 oz, 20 1/2 in. Born 2/23/11 8:41 pm

Anyone looking to buy a home???

We are desperately trying to sell our home. Our house is about 2500 sq ft, attached 2 car garage and sits on 40 acres! If you (or anyone you know) is interested, please let us know! Click here for the information.

Confession

Not long after writing that last post about "I'm going to be a better blogger....I promise...." my computer crashed. I do have my husbands mini laptop I use, but seriously, what a pain! Plus all my pictures and everything else are on MY computer! I have had great things to blog about. Wyatt starting t-ball, Summer, our new baby on the way, etc, but without my computer, I cannot upload photos. And blog posts without photos are simply...boring. So really, I have not forgotten to blog, I have simply chosen not to.