Last of August Joy dare and September week 1

I am grateful for so much...

Day 28

886) time spent with my eldest as my other two were busy all day today

887) thankful for short queues when we went to apply for his ID

888) delicious cake pops and cupcakes made by my daughter at a workshop today

Day 29

( a gift one, two, three)

889) one... unexpected invitation by a girlfriend

890) " two.... birds killed with one stone" as I ran errands in the hour long wait for my son 

to finish his extra lesson

891) last three... tickets for a wonderful, fun and entertaining evening as two girlfriends and I went to the Elvis Blue concert

Day 30

( 3 gifts very small)

892) broccoli seedlings that seem to be making it when I thought they wouldn't

893) small breakthroughs, bringing restoration to a precious relationship

894) small gifts as recognition for my educational toy sales this month

Day 31

(Miracles)

895) His protection over a dear friend when she got caught in a rain storm today and another car overturned close to her and her sweet girls

896) His grace and mercy new every morning

897) that He makes a way when there seems no other way

September

Day 1

898) leftover paint from a job done by hubby meant our kitchen could get a much needed fresh coat of paint

899) happy and loud sounds of teenagers visiting

890) enjoying watching our younger two take part in the Shakespeare School's Festival at the Artscape Theatre tonight....thankful it went well for them all

Day 2

(2 gifts cut)

891) delicious birthday cake as we celebrated a sweet little 8 year olds birthday

892) left over quiche cut and shared at dinner time...thankful for leftovers

&

893) hubby doing the hard work of getting wheel barrows of compost out of the heap for the veg beds

Day 3

(3 gifts yellow)

894) delicious gooseberries sun-ripened and enjoyed fresh

895) lemons from my mom in laws tree

896) nasturtium flowers brightening up the garden.

Joy Dare August Week 4

So often things get busy and seemingly crazy ....

It is good to stop and give thanks for the blessings, big or small....

They can sometimes be missed in the daily busyness....

Day 21

859) having the car unexpectedly today and being able to collect a generous donation of bath sprudels for my youngest's Chaeli Campaign fundraiser

860) a visit to the Compass bakery

861) seeing the world anew through the eyes of my sweet baby nephew

862) my friend comping along for the ride over the mountain

863) blessed to watch a beautiful integrated dance production tonight...thankful for a body that works well

Day 22

864) getting much done today

865) laughing a lot with the kids today

866) time to just relax while waiting for the kids to finish drama...reading my magazine from my mum

Day 23

867) hugs from my youngest whenever he thinks I need one

868) quiet moments in the sunshine this afternoon 

869) chatting to my farm sister...miss her ever so much

870) blessed with a bag of potatoes just when I needed some for our evening meal

Day 24

871) early morning coffee with hubby before he went to work

872) struck anew and humbled by His grace

873) specials on seedlings at the nursery...

just in time for some spring planting

874) a voucher to spend at a book store...

enjoyed browsing and finding a book for myself and two to use as gifts

875) weekend again....

 neighbourhood kids having fun together....

movie night and pizzas next door

Day 25

876) an afternoon enjoyed relaxing at friends

877) teens relaxing here tonight again

Day 26

878) early morning sounds of birds ....

a constant reminder of His care for us

Matthew 6:26

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,

 and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

879) rare treat of breakfast out with hubby

880) girlfriends popping in and a good laugh together

881) hubby helping to get things in order in the house after a busy weekend

Day 27

882) a morning walk with my baby nephew in the pram...

good to clear the Monday blues

883) lifts for the kids today

884) warm sunshine and pottering in the garden... 

the promise of  new growth

885) my mum and I messaging one another today

Joy dare August week 3

The children and I have been working through a series of  "Timely Topics for Teens".
 I loved being able to share the following with them this week...

Be grateful.

Your happiness in life doesn't depend on how you look or what you have. It depends on your attitude.

You can go through life bitter and resentful about yourself, or you can accept yourself and be thankful. You can always find something to be grateful for. A man once said, "I complained because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet."

Gratitude is happy thankfulness toward God. Gratitude gets you out of yourself and into God. God becomes the source of your happiness. Then you can get on with the real purpose of life - being what God wants you to be.

Day 14

837) a good and productive school morning

838) good nourishing food and a fire warming us again tonight

Day 15

839) lunchtime flapjacks and hot chocolate next door

840) watching all the kids (from my little nephew to the teens) enjoying playing today... 

building tall towers and watching them fall

841) the way hubby calms any upsets the kids may have...

turning tears to smiles

Day 16

( 3 gifts of family)

842) blessed by my mom in law who kindly lends us her car when ever we need a second car and is more than willing to lift the kids at other times too

843) my siblings, always there even though distance separates some of us....

they way they share in our joys and give support in the tough times....

blessed to have them in my life

844) friends who become like family

Day 17

(3 gifts in the morning)

845) the wonderful group of ladies over at the Hello Mornings Challenge...

faithful friends and prayer warriors

846) His mercy...new every morning

847) sunshine after the storms, perfect for our outing to Monkey Town today

Day 18

848) the gift of our youngest..... 

celebrating his 12th birthday today.... 

blessed to be his parents

849) wonderful fun filled day celebrating....

thankful for family and friends who made his day special!

850) the sounds of my eldest playing his guitar....

beautiful

Day 19

851) a late lie in, much needed after all the busyness

852) blessed to be lent a washing machine until ours gets fixed

853) beautiful Arums ...brought by my neighbour from her mom's farm

Day 20

854) hubby messaging me just to see how I am today

855) time alone browsing in the library in between running the kids around for the afternoon's activities

856) coffee with a smile from my eldest after dinner tonight
857) blessed by a sweet friend with a bag of butternuts

858) reading Ann's post...Chased by Grace and knowing it is true for me too...

Joy dare August week 2

Continuing to count my blessings daily...

many simple pleasures that I am thankful for...

the little things that add up and make it all worthwhile!

Day 8

814) lunchtime in the sun with the kids

815) relaxed evening at home, pot luck supper, neighbours coming over in their pjs laden with deserts, playing Rummikub and having fun

816) thankful that my eldest went back to training this evening after a long absence 

Day 9

817) a 4 day long weekend to enjoy with family and friends

818) my neighbour doing my hair for me

819) enjoying a long overdue dinner get together with dear family friends

Day 10

820) cuddling beautiful tiny puppies.... miss our Roxy

821)  enjoying the science centre with my youngest while the eldest did his science practicals

822) hubby making pizza for a houseful of teens to celebrate one of the their friend's birthdays when it couldn't be done in his own home....

laughter, fun, neighbours joining in for birthday cake

 and a roaring fire as it stormed outside

Day 11

823) thankful for no damage to the house as the storms rage outside again 

824) thankful for a wood fire warming the house again

825) glad to hear my sister is ok....

  snowed in for four days and thankful that my mum managed to get in safely to visit her overnight

826) blessed to be called "mom" by the kids teen friends,

love that they choose to hang out here (even though it gets loud and busy),

blessed that they all took over making burgers and chips tonight,

happy to see them all happy

827) preciousness of holding my sweet nephew until he fell asleep in my arms tonight

Day 12

828) enjoying a few hours connecting with my daughter today,

laughing hard and chatting with her

829) thankful for hubby tidying the house while we were gone

830) coffee and chats with neighbours and friends this evening

831) a call from my farm sister, good to catch up and thankful she was protected from last nights raging fires

Day 13

832) sunshine and warmth after a chilly weekend

833) good brisk walk with my neighbour and my sweet baby nephew in the pram while the kids got on with some work 

834) sweet baby toddling round the garden, munching on just picked tomatoes, gooseberries and fresh peas,

playing with water and mud in the garden,

him shrieking with delight in a bubble bath as he threw water at his cousins,

blessed that he is happy here and that we can watch him grow and be a part of his life

835) friends popping by for coffee unexpectedly

836) diligence and hard work that paid off for our eldest...

amazing surprise exam results today....

one blessed and thankful mama!

Joy dare August week 1

Oops, I suddenly realised that I had not been remembering to take note of  my blessings, despite the fact they are always on my mind. Perhaps it's because I felt I had lost an entire day due to a dreadful migraine that had me down and out earlier this past week. Never too late to catch up though.

I  recently read this quote which spoke volumes to me :
"Life can get messy and obscure our view. Those moments will always threaten.
 It's the nature of the journey." K.Rose
Yes...it can get messy due to our very nature as human beings. 
Yes.....those moments will threaten to rob us of our joy, obscuring our view and our ability to be thankful in everything. I need to constantly remember that despite whatever it is I face, there is always something I can give thanks for.

August Day 1

790) thankful for the kids who took over dinner last night when I felt rotten

791) a friend popping in unexpectedly 

792) a productive school day after all the recent challenges

Day 2

(3 gifts eaten)

793) fresh doughnuts

794) strawberries 

and

795)  liquorice all sorts and more,

all brought over by my neighbour for an impromptu afternoon picnic in our garden on this gorgeous sunny winter's day

Day 3

(a gift at 10h00, 13h00 and 22h00)

796) sweet baby nephew here for the morning, entertaining us with his cute antics
797) quiet lunch after a fun filled and busy morning
798) that  good feeling after having spent an evening out,
surrounded by friends and celebrating a sweet little girls birthday

Day 4
799) sharing heart to heart "mom matters" with a dear friend
800) my neighbour who kindly opened her home for a surprise birthday party for our 17 year old son...
all the kids/ teens who managed to keep it a secret and him being truly surprised....
all the work put into the planning and preparation by my daughter and their friends....
&
a great night of dancing and good fun!

Day 5
801) kids cooking breakfast
802) long overdue chat with my mum
803) our teens wanting our opinions and input

Day 6
804) a happy morning with my little nephew and the kids getting on with their work
805) my kind sister in law taking loads of our laundry home to wash and dry....
 and my neighbour continually letting me use her machine since ours is not fixed after all
806) my neighbour picking up a few items at the shops for me when she went to get her shopping done...
 and treating us to some cold meats to go with the bread I had asked her to get for me
807) lifts for the kids again as hubby had the car
808) a cosy wood fire going in the lounge this afternoon....
snow on the mountains made today really cold!
809) my dad, bearing tea time treats, popping in for coffee late this afternoon

Day 7
810) That He is greater than anything ...
"the one who is in you is greater than the one who is the world" 1 John 4:4
811) a day of un-rushed and enjoyable learning with my children
812) my daughter's help preparing dinner and my eldest's with the clean up after
813) relaxed evening chatting with the kids, laughing and enjoying being together