February's Gifts Week 4

This week I have strayed somewhat from what Ann has suggested and come up with my own list of thanks.

Day 21

(my own)

154) my sweet nephew coming for the morning,

155) watching my daughter learn to create something new with paper

&

156) seeing the kids find joy in raising funds to bless a differently abled child.

Day 22 wed

(3 gifts that changed today)

157) a visit from my dad,

158) my sweet , kind neighbour giving me a quick destress massage on my neck to ease the tension

&

159) an invitation from a dear friend to "get away from it all" ..... joining her on a trip out into the countryside to visit her mum and dad for two nights while my dear hubby holds the fort here

Day 23

(my own )

160) a safe journey into the country,

161) a wonderful meal ....shared with my friend, her family, and some of their friends that I just met today,

&

162) hearing their voices and knowing all's well at home while I am away.

Day 24

(my own)

163) exploring the little town with my dear friend and her daughters,

164) finding just picked farm fresh fruit and veg at good prices to take home to the family,

&

165) wonderful hospitality shown to me by my friend's parents

Day 25

(my own)

166) a safe pleasant journey home to my loved ones,

167) sharing the joy of my two eldest getting bronze medals in their competition this morning,

&

168) happy ,successful, fun fundraising evening organised by our Home's Cool Co-op.

Day 26

(my own)

169) gift of a bag filled with ripe granadillas/passion fruit....then using some in a salsa for our evening braai

 (1 chopped pineapple, a handful of chopped chives and two chillies from the garden,
 and pulp of three granadillas! Spicy and delicious!)

170) 6 happy children, playing all day between 3 houses and then an impromptu evening braai...
kids swimming and laughing till late

&

171) phone calls from my brother and mum today

Day 27

(my own)

172) talking to my mum and two sisters today,

173) heart to heart with my daughter

&

174) a sweet friend dropping off a ready cooked chicken.

February's Gifts Week 3

Here are my reasons to smile....

Day 14

(3 ways I feel Gods love)

133) His unfailing concern and care in every area of my life,

134) Knowing He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow

&

135) The peace He brings... peace that passes all understanding

Day 15

(a gift in losing something, in finding something, in making something)

136) losing track of time....... 

lost in conversation with a new friend,

137) finding ways to be thankful every day...... 

finding blessing in doing just that

&

138) making the trip to the National Art Museum this morning with my two youngest.....

making memories of fun times learning together.  

Day 16

(3 gifts in shadows....a little difficult for me to think of so I found others)

139) the blessing by a dear friend who treated me and hubby to dinner out on Valentines ,  

140)  a brief lunchtime chat with my cheery sister on the far away farm

&

141) harvesting a butternut from my veggie garden today!

Day 17

(3 gifts found in giving/serving)

142) their smiles when I bake them delicious, wholesome treats for those in between meal times,

143)  seeing "the light bulbs go on",
 after giving dedicated time to my eldest son's English lessons

&

144) happy smile of my daughter when I did her dish-washing chore for her this morning.

Day 18

(my own gifts for today)

145) spending a morning with my precious daughter just the two of us... 

connecting, 

catching up

 and doing things she wanted to do,

146) witnessing the love and blessings showered onto a dear friends daughter for her 13th birthday

&

147) hugs from my teen son and his beautiful smile when he gave me a gift today.

Day 19

(2 gifts that were plan B's...and one of my own)

148) plan B: hubby taking the kids on a hike instead of me...they loved that time with their dad! 

149) Plan A: a curriculum we thought would get our son to grade 12 that was disappointing and distressing....

plan B: a curriculum that is working out just fine! 

&

150) seeing a lone bird, carefree and sitting quietly in the tree...knowing that is my sign from above that all will be ok 

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

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? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 

........Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Day 20

(a gift at breakfast, lunch and dinner)

151) chores done without me having to ask,

152) a productive school morning: 

bible time, 

maths, English,

 Afrikaans,typing, 

hand crafts and reading all done

&

153) a beautiful luxury hamper filled with delicious treats of all kinds, donated by an ever generous friend, to help the kiddies raise funds for Walk4Wheels

February's Gifts ... week 2

Thank you changes it all....

Thank you compels me to keep looking for and finding those 3 or more things daily......

.....even when I don't feel like it.

Thanking Him even when it is sometimes hard.....

Day 7

(3 gifts red)

112) red paper bag, decorated with hearts, filled with beautiful craft goodies for my craft crazy daughter,

113) making beautiful new friends today- they were dressed in red

&

114) a handful of red tomatoes just ripe for picking in the garden this morning

Day 8

(a gift broken, a gift fixed and a gift thrifted)

115) my bible, the cover has fallen off and it needs fixing, it is the one I have had since a child,

116) a fixed lift arrangement to get our boy to black belt training

 ( meaning we don't have to make the weekly trip out to Camps Bay)

&

117) plenty of good clothes in my cupboard given to me by my kind cousin and even better...

 my daughter and I share them!

Day 9

(3 gifts that were surprises, unexpected grace)

118) 2 days paid work for hubby,

119) an email notifying me that I will receive 12 bottles of Omo and 12 bottles of Comfort to share with my friends, yippee!

&

120) an anonymous "blessing transfer" into my bank account that came right on time...

Day 10

(3 times you heard laughter today)

121) daddy and daughter sharing a laugh,

122) laughter as my 3 played a board game together

&

123) laughter as the neighbourhood gathered to play board games tonight.

Day 11

(3 gifts found in working)

124) the gift of being the SA agent for Hands On Homeschooling ...

it sure helps to pay a couple of things around here!

125) doing admin today that needed to be done - feeling good that it is done until next time....

&

126) the calmness that washes over me as I work in my veg garden, no matter what.

Day 12

(3 hard eukaristos)

The word comes from the Greek "eukaristos," which means "grateful" and is now usually translated as "thanksgiving." 

127) thankful that He knows when we don't...thankful I did not know what the future held 14 months back,

128) humble thanks for blessings and grace extended in ways too numerous to count over the last 14 months

&

129)even through hard trials.... thankful for strengthening of relationships with my hubby and the children,

Day 13

(3 gifts found behind a door today....ok just 2 behind a door and then one of my own)

130) the sounds of girls laughing behind my daughters closed bedroom door...sweet friends enjoying each others company,

131) rest behind my door.... closed to the world as I napped while trying to restore my energy as I seem to be fighting something off

&

132) a beautiful fruit basket given in thanks by a very special lady who was grateful....fruit so beautiful and delicious! 

February's Gifts

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!  ~Henry Ward Beecher

Day 31 (January)

(a gift found on paper, in a person, in a picture)

91) The story of Beatrix Potter's life that I am reading aloud to my children...it makes us laugh!

92) My daughter's hearty laughter at bedtime

&

93) A beautiful smiling picture of my Mom that is on my computer

 (I look at it often as she lives in another part of the country and I miss her )

February

Day 1

a gift found at 11h30 am, at 2.30pm and 6.30pm

94) fresh compost from our heap, put onto the veg beds by my kind husband,

95) a little before 2.30pm but still a gift: a visit from my sisters husband on his whirlwind trip from the farm to C.T.

& at 6.30

96) hubby giving me a helping hand to plant those seedlings that needed planting into the veg beds.

Day 2

(3 things overheard today, all gifts....ok just two and then one of my own!)

97) happy chatter of two friends,

98) encouraging words from father to son

&

99) a wonderful evening spent with a friend (and learning how to cook Asian food!)

Day 3

(3 gifts found in writing)

100) "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy" Job 8:21

101) Beautiful encouraging words from a dear old friend sent to me daily on bbm
&

102)"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:19

Day 4

(3 gifts found when bent down)

103) warm soft beach sand between my toes,

104) icy, refreshing waves splashing over me as I bent down into the waves
&

105) a perfectly created shell

Day 5

(1 gift stitched, 1 hammered, 1 woven)

106) a "stitched" image of where we camped this weekend
(I love that function on my camera even though I don't always get it right!)

107) pegs of a borrowed tent, hammered securely into the ground, and thankfully holding up against the strong winds that had wrecked our tent the night before

&

108) friendships woven into our lives.

Day 6

(3 gifts found outside)

109) an early morning cup of coffee brought to me by daughter as I pottered in the garden,

110)  a wonderful refreshing swim after running around doing errands this afternoon.
&

111) dinner shared with my family at dusk ...in the garden, laughing happily and then going for a swim together!