Reminders of Grace

January 7th - My grace reminder by my sink

January 8th - More grace reminders... my sweet girls playing Pretty, Pretty, Princess

So the night before last, as I was once again going to bed later than I had hoped, I'm telling Marty how adorable the girls were that afternoon in their backpacks and bedrolls.  "We're going exploring, Mom."  in the backyard...  As I'm telling him this at almost midnight, I think to myself, "I don't remember seeing those backpacks & bedrolls come back in the house."  Hoping that they were just downstairs, I head to bed.  But as I hear the rain pitter-pattering outside, I have this feeling that they are not downstairs, but sitting outside in their favorite corner of the yard, in the mud...  I cannot go to sleep now.  So as soon as I hear Marty start snoring, I creep downstairs in the dark with flashlight in hand and my rainboots completing my lovely sleep attire.  No backpacks downstairs, no backpacks in the mud corner (phewf!), no backpacks in the fort....  At this point, it's after midnight and I'm searching our backyard in the dark, in the rain, with my little flashlight wondering where they could have put them.  Then, there in the middle of the yard stands their little tent... perfectly arranged, their blankets, pillows, and their backpacks in one of the corners.  I really wish that I had brought my camera out with me.  At that point, any frustration I may have felt disappeared and I couldn't help, but smile.

Finally took a picture of the tent - January 11th

January 9th - Cinnamon Dolce

Since that night, there have been ups and downs.  The wonderful Monday morning treat of a Starbucks coffee being hand-delivered by a friend, just because..., lunch with old and new friends, emotions that rage here and there, and the excitement of Nana coming soon.  As I'm reading the book, Grace-Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel, I've been reminded over and over again of God's amazing grace for me.  Every day I fail as a mother, a wife, and most of all, a daughter of my heavenly Father.  But He keeps on loving me and by His grace, I can start each day new with no mistakes.

Sophie was so excited when she saw Nana!

January 10th - Nana comes for a visit!!

Daddy's little helper (in her pj's)

A day in the life of the Middleton girls...

January 5th - My girls getting a little Daddy time while I fixed supper.

I have been looking forward to Friday all week!!  We actually accomplished everything in the lesson plan book!!  I think it was a first (and hopefully not a last....)  But to celebrate today, my girls and I went to one of my favorite places in North Carolina - Stick Boy Bakery.  This is my haven for my weekly retreats.   I have met several friends of all ages there, planned my menus and prayed for sweet family, and drank coffee & savored zucchini bread with my sweet Mama just days before they left for Japan.

 

Anyway, we enjoyed a lovely lunch of yeast rolls, cookies, and a smoothie for mommy (compliments of Christmas gift cards).  I have to mention for all my healthy friends that I brought along carrot sticks and 

go-gurts since there are no veggies offered there.  But sometimes, they enjoy just bread and honey (and a cookie, of course!)

 

See the wonderful cookies!  Naomi enjoyed the Sugar Cookie w/sprinkles & Chloe got her usual - Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie (because she says they're bigger.)

Sweet sisters... how I love them!

After Stick Boy, a trip to the library was in order.  Sophie loves the board book section.  Chloe & Naomi are determined to have a bunny one day (notice the words, ONE DAY, in the far, far future, if ever).  So they gathered eight books pertaining to the daily life of rabbits, how to care for a rabbit, etc.  I am looking forward to browsing through the vegan/vegetarian cookbooks that were waiting for me on reserve. 

Anyway, this was just another day in the life of the Middleton girls.  Not as exciting as Wednesday, but I'll take it.

Oh, where is my bead?

Sophie loves doing puzzles!  I took these pics on the 3rd, but didn't have time to download them.

What an eventful day!!  We have had a great start back with homeschooling!  Of course, we go to the dentist tomorrow, so we may not be as productive then.  I was going to post our picture of the day as Sophie helping with laundry.  Can you tell she loves her blankies?  Everytime she saw one in the dryer, she held on to it, dumping the rest of the clothes in the hamper.  She finally ended up with three blankies.   But as cute as she is, the event that occurred next was no match..... the green bead.

Oh, where is my bead?  Oh, where is my bead? (The song of Larry the Cucumber losing his hairbrush kept running through my head the whole afternoon.)  Well, after being shown this lovely bead during rest time, I thought nothing more...until.... Chloe mentioned that Naomi had been complaining of her nose hurting and one nostril was running profusely.  By God's intervention, the remembrance of that lone green bead came to my mind.  I asked Naomi where it was and she said, "I don't know.  I lost it."  The look on her face told me otherwise and she finally confessed to putting in her nose.  After some blowing of the nose, phone calls to the doctor, and Chloe confessing that she put her finger up Naomi's nose to try to "help" get it out, we headed out to the ENT for some additional help.  Naomi was so brave through it all and with a few tears, the bead was removed safely.  We now all know that anything smaller than an elbow should not be put inside of our nose.

Last of Christmas?

Is this one of last glimpses of Christmas?  I certainly hope not.  Even my sweet Naomi prayed tonight, "God, you are such a great God.  You came as a little boy in a manger, but you can save everyone because you are so big!  Thank you, God!"  May your Christmas not be over, but continue through this new year!

New Beginnings...

Looking back over this past year, I would definitely say that it's been one of the hardest years of my life.  Learning that my parents were moving back to Japan, selling our house (not exactly with a willing heart), moving with three children, and homeschooling two of them with the third being a very busy toddler destroying everything she can possibly get her little hands on, would give me reasons to call this year a time of learning, with lots of mistakes, lots of tears, but so much joy! 

Three precious girls in their Sunday dresses

I am already breaking one my resolutions by staying up too late writing this post, but you know what?  It's ok because they are really goals, not resolutions, that with God's strength, I am going to strive for and only by His grace will I ever reach.  
A few of my goals for this year are to ...1.  Read more to my girls2. Go to bed earlier (oops!)3.  Read through the Bible again in a year4.  Read a book a month (can you tell that I want to read more?)5.  Take a picture every day of something that I'm thankful for (it may not always be posted on here, but I'll do my best.)6.  Run another 5K or 8K7.  Memorize Colossians 1 & 28.  Declutter...

Thanksgiving Blessings...

1172.  a hug from a friend
1179.  a full gas tank when running late
1184.  mis-matched pajamas
1196.  a morning at home
1210.  evidence of Jack Frost
1217.  red velvet cheesecake for two
1221.  the reminder to savor the moment with my children
1223.  the raking of leaves
1224.  umbrellas, jump ropes, & imaginative minds
1231.  frozen pizza
1234.  cranberry candles
1236.  one open window
1238.  cotton fields with a background of trees ablaze
1251.  my little one's pom-pom curls
1257.  a day set aside to remember & give thanks

If life could only be like a green smoothie...

The other day as I was making the girls their green smoothies with clutter all around me, the calendar bursting at its seams, I thought to myself, "Why can't life be more like green smoothies?"  If you've never tried a green smoothie, you are missing out.  There are many different recipes out there, but our favorite is my mama's recipe of three ingredients:  spinach, pineapple, and green grapes.  That's it.  So simple.  So healthy.  So energizing.  

With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching so rapidly, I already feel myself gasping for breath at the busyness, clutter, and craziness that often seems doomed to come along with my two favorite times of year.  But it doesn't have to be this way... why can't life be more like green smoothies?  Simple.  Three ingredients.  I don't have three magical ingredients for life that will solve everyone's problem for this, but I do know that if my eyes stay focused on Him, the simple reason for celebrating in the first place, I have nothing to fear or dread.  

"Thanksgiving only becomes thanksliving when the thanks for His vertical, coming-down grace — is expressed as a horizontal, reaching-out grace." - Ann Voskamp