Abundance : 1000 Gifts

Coming off of a weekend full of family and remembering his abundant gifts,
my gift list continues...

0161
My parents. Here with us.

0162
The bustle of the grocery store Thanksgiving week.

0163
A cart full.

0164
Abundant food to nourish and enjoy.

0165
A Thanksgiving morning 10K.

0166
Our church's Thanksgiving worship service.

0167
Hearing the testimonies of His provision.

0168
Running with delight through the field of Christmas trees.

0169
Apple cider doughnuts.

0170
A deep inhale of cold, crisp air.

0171
Smoke rising from chimneys. That wonderful smell.

0172
Decorating the tree with my three exuberant children.

0173
Ornaments that remind us of years past.

0174
Lighting the first Advent candle. Beginning our Advent celebration.


Great is Thy Faithfulness...

Thanksgiving

O My God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects,
my heart admires, adores, loves thee,
for my little vessel is as full as it can be,
and I would pour out all that fullness before thee
in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with thee
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless thee for the soul thou hast created,
for adorning it, sanctifying it,
though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me,
for preserving its strength and vigour,
for providing sense to enjoy delights,
for the ease and freedom of my limbs,
for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support,
for a full table and overflowing cup,
for appetite, taste, sweetness,
for social joys of relatives and friends,
for ability to serve others,
for a heart that feels sorrow and necessities,
for a mind to care for my fellow-men,
for opportunities of spreading happiness around,
for loved ones in the joys of heaven,
for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.

I love thee above the powers of language to express,
for what thou are to thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.



Praise and Thanksgiving from The Valley of Vision,
a collection of Puritan prayers arranged by Arthur Bennett

My Favorite Cookies

These cookies stay soft, freeze well, and look lovely stacked in cellophane bags. They are a holiday staple in our house. Simple and delicious.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup additional sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the 1 cup sugar. Add egg and molasses; beat well. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.

Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, using about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough for each. Roll balls in the additional sugar to coat. Place balls about 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven about 10 minutes or until light brown and still puffed. (Do not overbake.) Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

from Better Homes and Gardens, New Baking Book

Delight to Praise : 1000 Gifts

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy
because the praise not merely expresses
but completes the enjoyment;
it is its appointed consummation.

-C.S. Lewis, from his Reflections on the Psalms

Delighting in His gifts, my list goes on...

0152
Dancing in the kitchen with Hannah.

0153
Her love for the piano. The recital piece in process, filling our home with music.

0154
Our leaf piles at the curb. The wonderful husband who got them there. And the wonderful leaf-vacuum truck that takes them all away.

0155
Hot Chocolate. Daily.


0156
Simple toys.


0157
A walk to the library. Beauty along the way.


0158
Saturday evening soup. Delicious recipes shared.

0159
Time to get down on the floor and play. Just Peter and me.


0160
A fine art gallery of their own. Gathered. Created. Enjoyed.



Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise...

A Few Turkeys

Coffee-painted turkeys.
We used sharpie markers instead of paint for the red and yellow. Sprinkling the coffee painting with salt created a neat texture pattern.

Hannah likes her coffee a little stronger than Will's.

Peter's hand-print turkey...

and another little turkey... and F and G.

Clear November : 1000 Gifts

Wrapped up in His grace, my list of gifts continues...

0141
A slower season.

0142
Wrapped in blankets.

0143
Space heaters and books.


0144
Our dinner club. Many years of friendship around a table.

0145
Slow food.


0146
Lunch dates. Pizza you have to fold.


0147
When we can walk instead of drive.


0148
The brightness that comes when the last leaves fall.


0149
Quiet trees showing their beautiful frame.


0150
He crowns me with steadfast love. Psalm 103.

"...and the crown must be far more precious than if it were made of corruptible things, such as silver and gold; it is studded with gems of grace and lined with the velvet of lovingkindness; it is decked with the jewels of mercy, but made soft for the head to wear by a lining of tenderness." - C.H. Spurgeon

0151
And mercy. New every morning.



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Faithful : 1000 Gifts

I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

-Psalm 13:5-6


My gift list continues...

0128
His imagination.

0129
My gatherer. Needing to carry a beautiful river stone all the way home.


0130
Quiet, peaceful games.


0131
Just up from his nap snuggles.

0132
Baby showers.

0133
Warm homemade bread and butter.

0134
The things she will do for him.


0135
The children's choir. Sweet songs of praise.

0136
The quiet and constant falling of leaves.

0137
Walking beside another.

0138
Mourning with those that mourn.

0139
Prayers for a heart-weary friend. Perseverance and petition for all the saints.

0140
Pulling old prayer journals off the shelf. Looking back, remembering, seeing clearly His faithfulness.




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Weekending

Pumpkin pancakes.
Hiking along the Potomac.
Weekend exhale.

(pancake design how to found here)

The American Girl Party

Was there any doubt about what kind of party Hannah would request? We had such fun pulling it all together.

Her birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we had an "American Girl Luncheon" after church. She invited nine of her friends and asked each of them to bring their American Girl doll with them. Yes, they all have one... at least.

The girls arrived hungry, so we ate first. The Menu: Star-shaped sandwiches, turkey roll-ups, homemade mac-n-cheese, carrot sticks, grapes, apple slices with apple dip. Apple cider and chocolate milk to drink.

I prepared 10 conversation starters, one for each girl to ask during lunch. I had them on strips of paper in a bowl they passed around the table. The girls really liked the questions. I loved hearing their answers.

If you could be any American Girl doll, which one would you be? Why?
If you could eat only one type of candy for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If you could meet any famous person (from history or today), who would it be?
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
If you had to be one age for the rest of your life, what age would you pick?
What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Or create the perfect ice cream flavor.
What would you like to be famous for?
If you were an animal, what would you be?

After lunch, we played American Girl Bingo and Don't Eat My Girl (found this game at Tip Junkie). We used marshmallows for game pieces.

I decorated the cupcakes with mini wands I found at the party store.

We opened gifts. Took a group photo of all the girls with their dolls. And sent each of her friends home with personalized American Girl stationery (designed by me, printed on white cardstock, tied up with a bow) and a fun pen.

Hannah loved every minute.

Homeschool Report

As the local public school's first marking period ends, I thought it a good time to evaluate our first quarter.

So many days I feel we are still not in a groove. The kids seem surprised, even shocked, some mornings when I tell them it's time to gather for lessons. These lessons that we start at the same time every day.

I've been really happy about our curriculum choices. And the kids are all doing very well. We've had many good days. And on those days, it's really easy to love homeschooling.

And then there are the days that we just seem to bump into one another. The house seems crowded. We pick and poke. And I start to compare my day to others. Think about all I can't do, all my kids might miss. I start to tally all that homeschooling costs me. I forget the blessings. Comparison is truly the thief of all joy.

I pray, Lord, help my eyes to see. Please show me fruit in all this laboring.

Last night, as I sat on the floor sorting and filing all the work the kids have completed over the past several weeks, He brought so much to mind...

Will is learning to read. And I can watch and see so many little triumphs followed by high-fives and hugs when he finishes a book.

Hannah and I have great conversations about our history lessons, poetry, nature studies. We are connected by shared experiences.

Peter loves to be a part of our history lessons. And turning what he has gleaned into imaginative play. Hannah and Will join in. They are learning and reading and exploring and experiencing together.

Will loves math and asks for more. He wants to be challenged; and I can move at his pace.

Hannah spends time with Peter while I am teaching Will. She loves to read his story Bible to him, work on his letters, play games. Peter adores her.

We have so many, I don't know - let's find out moments. And we investigate, together.

When given free time, Hannah reads and writes. She writes letters and poetry, practices cursive, reads stacks of books. She is becoming a lover of language.

When they battle and wound each other, and they often do; we can stop, correct, and bind up wounds. Heart lessons abound. Like sandpaper, rubbing sometimes all day long, we become smoother.

Our afternoons are free to read, rest, explore, create, be involved in sports and music lessons. Family dinners are filled with conversations about things we learned that day. We end our days reading together. We have time.

So, while I had intended to write about our marked progress in individual subjects and review our curriculum choices. This tells more of our first quarter experience, the blessings of being home, a heart and mind progress report.

A Heart Expanded : 1000 Gifts

This practice of God-seeking, blessing-counting, beauty-finding ...
it has a way of expanding a heart with joy.
And helping eyes to see through His lens.

So with a heart full, I grab my gratitude journal and pen more of His blessings....

0114
Hayrides and kettle corn.


0115
Little boy joy.

0016
Dirty knees.


0117
The thrill and delight of a really big slide.


0118
Roasting pumpkin seeds.

0119
An extra hour of sleep.

And yesterday, we celebrated...

0120
My girl. Eight years old.


0121
Remembering her first day.

0122
Big hugs of thanks for a special gift. And little brothers keeping a secret.

0123
'Happy Birthday' sung over the phone. Connecting with far-away family.

0124
Sitting and brushing her hair.

0125
Picking out a special dress together.

0126
The giggles of gathered girlfriends.

0127
Seeing His work in her heart.


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