Joy Dare 2013 - Day 25

A Grace Borrowed, Found, Inherited

1. A Grace Borrowed
A couple of weeks ago when Tony was in Miami, Ty must have thought I would feel lonely at night so he let me borrow one of his "friends."
Ty has lots of stuffed animals that he sleeps with: LaLa the bear, Alligator, Froggy, Plain Teddy Bear, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Tony's old teddy bear, Percy the dog, Baby Bear and about 5 blankets.
I got the privilege of sleeping with Alligator.

2. A Grace Found
A pack of gum.
In the washer.
It's grace that I found it because had I put it in the dryer with all the clothes I would be dealing with a big, hot, sticky mess.

3. A Grace Inherited

This beautiful piece is part of my inheritance from my parents. I got it early because they wanted to make room for some built in bookshelves. This is the piano my Mom grew up with. Then I grew up with it and learned to play on it.

It is also a man-powered player piano. You put the rolls in the top, then pump the pedals at the bottom with your feet and whala! You can play the piano. The kids love it!

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 24

3 Things Blue

1. School uniforms
I love school uniforms for a few reasons.
First it makes mornings so much easier.
"Do you want a light blue shirt or dark blue shirt? Khaki pants or navy pants?"
2 questions and then we're done!
What mom wouldn't love that!?

The other reason is because the school uniforms remind me of where my kids go to school.
Good schools.
Our mission field.

2. My blue fleece winter gloves
Gloves are important for me in the winter. I have some circulation issues and my hands are always cold.
Always.
Just ask my poor husband.
And good gloves are typically hard to find because I have unusually long fingers. There is nothing worse than wearing a pair of gloves where the finger holes end at my middle knuckles.
But this years gloves are perfect.
Made for long fingers and they keep me warm....er.
Mostly.

3. The blue indoor track at the Rec Center
I'm not able to run outside in the winter. My lungs can't handle the cold air.
And I hate running on a treadmill.
Call me a picky runner.
I'm thankful for the blue indoor track at the Rec Center on campus. I can go and run where it's warm.
Running in circles can become kind of monotonous at times.
But it's better than the treadmill.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 23

3 Gifts found in Christ

Truth
Jesus is recorded saying "I tell you the truth." 78 times in the New Testament.
78 times.
What a gift to know we can trust Him.

Righteousness
Romans 3:24 -Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Friendship with God
Romans 5:10 - For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 22

A gift wrinkled, smoothed, unfolded

A gift wrinkled
I'm not a laundry lover, but thinking in this perspective made me thankful for the piles of dirty wrinkled clothes. Because that just means that I have a husband and 3 children who are wearing them.

A gift smoothed
Nice clean sheets on my bed.
Tucked in properly, with equal amounts on my side and Tony's side.
My dear husband sure puts up with my sheet/blanket perfectionism. God love him.

A gift unfolded
Handwritten notes from my kids. They aren't always folded but either way they're a gift.

~ eleven ~

{I'll catch up on my Joy Dare posts tomorrow.}

Today I wanted to focus one one person.
We celebrated our firstborn's birthday.
Every year seems to go faster than the one before.

2002

 It seems like just yesterday I was holding this sweet bundle.

2003

And she got attached to her bunny and sucked her tongue while she watched Cedarmont Kids Videos.

2004

Those adorable blonde curls started growing thicker.

2005

Age 3 brought the responsibility of a little brother, which she took in stride and handled with style.

2006

Four years old and quite the little Mommy

2007

Next comes school age....seems like this is when the whirlwind starts.

2008

This was probably the last year that she was actually thrilled to get her hair done and wear a little bit of sparkle and make-up. 

2009

She turned 7 right before we moved back up to South Bend. It was hard for her to leave her friends and school but she persevered.

2010

This was probably the year we learned the most lessons of faith and perseverance...the building blocks of her spiritual foundation.

2011

This year was when she "owned" her sense of style: jeans, t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts. Not my girly girl, but she rocks it!

2012

And this was the year that she totally turned into a young lady (still wearing the jeans and t-shirts). Matured by leaps and bounds spiritually, socially, emotionally! What a blessing!

2013

I can't wait to see what this year brings in her life. 

Happy Birthday, Anna Irene.

You are such a joy and blessing. You've taught me much about faith, gratitude, trust, perseverance, and duct tape. 11 years ago I never could have imagined that you would turn into such a delightful young lady. I am so excited to see what your future holds as you keep trusting the One who holds your future.

Love you lots,

Mom

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 21

A Gift in Sky, Water, Memory

1. A Gift in Sky
The only thing I saw in the sky today was snow. And honestly I don't really think of it as a gift because I don't really like it. It is cold and it makes driving tricky. I prefer summer. The pool. Being hot.
But...snow means that I live in a climate that has seasons. And seasons are a gift.
The first time you can go out without a coat.
The first time you can wear shorts.
The first time you need a sweatshirt.
Those firsts wouldn't exist without seasons.
So in a way....snow is a gift.

2. A Gift in Water
The ice in the glass of water I drank after my run tonight.
A nice refreshing gift.

3. A Gift in Memory
The memories of when all 3 of my children were born are definitely memories.
The delayed arrival of my first born.
The surprise early arrival of my second born.
And the the attempted early arrival of my third born that turned into an extremely long wait. That's a story for another time.
Definitely gifts in my memory.

Joy Dare 2013 - Day 20

3 Gifts Only Seen Close Up

This was a strange one and took a lot of thought. Honestly I'm still thinking about it a day later.

1. My fingernails
I have been a nail biter my entire life. I probably started biting my nails as soon as I stopped sucking my thumb. I come by it honestly as my mom does it too. And unfortunately I've also passed the habit on to my middle child.
But....
I've stopped for now. And if you look closely you'll see that I have fingernails.
A gift.
Possibly temporary, but a gift for now.

2. Ty's dimples
Ty has these really cute dimples on his lower back. You can see them if you look closely.

3. Snowflakes
This seems like a cheat, but I've got snow on the mind. The stuff has been coming down all day. Snowflakes really are a gift when they are viewed close up. The delicate details are amazing when you stop to consider.
A gift from our Creator.