Tuesday

Things I Love About Today-
Noah's birthday!
going on a run in this beautiful weather
feeding the chitlins lunch
delicious toasted sandwiches
reading and reading and reading
facebook message threads with my awesome friends
getting to talk to Elizabeth!
hearing Mary Walton in the background :)
dinner with my family and Grandma and Grandpa
small group with Ami, Amy, Anna, and Hannah!
talking, laughing, talking, venting, talking, and praying with them
mostly praying with and for them

Verse of the Day-
Philippians 4:4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Monday

Things I Love About Today-
being trusted with 5 children all morning
Elizabeth the ridiculously adorable baby
Paul the rambunctious and fun toddler
smart little Luke
helpful Rebekah
responsible Alice
crowds of 2 and 3 year old little boys flocking to me
letting them take turns blowing and popping bubbles
watching their attempts to blow
sharing my big box of chalk- "just one color at a time..."
meeting Seminary moms!
reading "5 little monkeys" 4 times in a row- "can you read it to ME now?"
huge stacks of books with no bag :)
iced tea
falling asleep on the hammock
reading outside
watching Andy Griffith with Caleb

Verse of the Day-
Titus 2:3-5

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled."

Sunday

Things I Love About Today-
getting breakfast ready for my mother
the wonderful Proverbs 31 woman that is my mother!
laughing at my dad who was in a very funny mood in the car
church of course
borrowing babies :)
Wes Baker visiting from Peru
-he preached, then presented their ministry during Sunday School
coffee for the first time since Wednesday
my cool vintage shirt from New Orleans
Fletchers for lunch
going to see Grandma for Mothers' Day
Sunday afternoon naps
watching 7 Brides for 7 Brothers with Mary!
seeing friends in surprising places
talking wedding cake
making Country mixes for friends
chilling with Nathan
talking with my toothy-thing in that makes me have a lisp

Verse of the Day-
Romans 7:4-6

"Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order hat we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit."

Saturday

Yesterday at Dominion was fantastic. We got Sonic on the way, which made the kids ecstatic. I was pretty happy that my grilled chicken sandwich came on a wheat bun. I finished my book right as we got to Dominion. Most people fished, and I watched from the front porch swing, listening to Country music, wearing cowgirl boots, drinking iced tea, and knitting. Then the sun set, and it was perfect. When it got darker we sat around the fire, then all played Mexican Train before bed.

Things I Love About Today-
snuggling with and tickling Mary
eating cereal from a mug
blue jeans and cowgirl boots
knitting up a storm out by the firepit
running/walking/hiking with Mary
picking flowers for Mama
laying in the clover
finally reading Madeline's Senior Research Paper
painting with Mary
being inspired by Madsey's paper to be a little more abstract
(which for me, isn't very abstract- I'm usually a perfectionist!)
chilling on the hammock
listening to RUF music on the way home
taking pizza orders
NOT going to three store and only buying something from one of them
but I did like going to them with Elijah :)
making strawberry muffins
wrapping presents with Nathan (he just watched)

Verse of the Day-
Romans 6:20-23

"When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Quote of the Day-
Rachel: I would say to them, "you'd better not flirt with me or my 6 brothers will beat you up!"
Elijah: Yeah, and one of them is with you!
Rachel: Would you beat them up for me?
Elijah: well, I could tickle them...
:)

Friday

Things I Love About Today-
a blah morning turning into a beautiful afternoon
reading first thing when I got up
facebook threads with 4 awesome friends
rain
going to Chucks Boots to get...
COWGIRL BOOTS!
more Mother's Day errands
friendly and helpful sales ladies
wearing my awesome new boots to Bread, Co. and Lisa's
visiting invalid Lisa :)
toasted apple butter, turkey, monterey sandwich-yummm
packing to go to...
DOMINION!
being gone for 24 hours, but bringing 7 books... haha
iced tea

Verse of the Day-
Romans 6:11-14

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

Thursday

Things I Love About Today-
strength from Christ to do the things I need to do, even when my body is weak
I'm sure I sound like a broken record sometimes, but it's a great feeling to have all of my laundry folded and put away the day that I wash it all. I used to just let it sit in my room for a week, and then start the whole process over again!
finding a rubberband-bracelet that said "Dimes for Carey" ;)
making homemade bread
cooking dinner (specifically, lasagna)
watching last nights results on AI- I'm so happy that Kris is still safe!
going on an outside run (minus the part where a bee followed me)
Carey, the awesomest big brother ever
my family being picky about my sweaters :)
ending up putting my sweater on inside out! hahaha
graham cracker cookies
hanging out in the great outdoors
learning the game Mexican Train (dominoes)
dominating while I was on a team with Mary, but losing after she went to bed
my fantastic Daddy and Mama
my sweet Aunt Lori
Romans

Verse of the Day-
Romans 8:31-39

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-- more than that, who was raised-- who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

'For Your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered,'

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Wednesday

Today was one of those emotional-roller-coaster days. Parts were wonderful, parts heart-breaking.

Things I Love About Today
playing the piano just because I wanted to
reading a Doug Wilson book outside
front porch swings
cooking for other people
going on Mother's-Day errands
bringing Aunt Lori a meal
hugging her and crying with her
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" Gal 6:2
meeting Hannah for lunch
catching up with her
her cute outfit
coffee for the first time in 3 days (broken French press!)
phone calls
watching Caleb's Senior Research Presentation
making chocolate chip pancakes for the kids for dinner
"car talk" with Annie and Hanney
choir practice!
praying for Aunt Lori with the rest of choir
talking about life and death with Mrs. Hoover

Verse of the Day-
Ecclesiastes 3:9-22

"What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man.
I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before Him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath. and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?"