Thursday

Things I Love About Today-
starting out my morning with God's Word, being on top of laundry, and a run
morning air after a stormy night
the wonderful grace of my God
His steadfast love and mercy being renewed every morning!
laughing at my crazy parents who stay out until ridiculous hours
finishing my to-do list by mid-morning
warm blow dryers
the curly hair that God has blessed me with! sounds silly, but I love it!
driving with windows down in beautiful weather
my sweet trouser-jeans
Yahweh granting me patience during Mary's piano lesson
facebooking Hannah about wedding showers all day
oranges
naps
reading last month's Real Simple magazine
experimenting with recipes
baking cranberry orange scones for Arielle's wedding shower
reading Feminine Appeal

Verse of the Day-

Titus 1:15-16
To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their WORKS. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any GOOD WORK.

Titus 2:7-8
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of GOOD WORKS, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for GOOD WORKS.

Titus 3:1-8
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every GOOD WORK, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because WORKS done by us in rightesouness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to GOOD WORKS. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Titus 3:14
And let our people learn to devote themselves to GOOD WORKS, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Wednesday

Things I Love About Today-
helping the kids get ready for Piano Guild
long phone conversation with Kim!
2 1/2 hour lunch with my wonderful Grandmother!
sharing a Dewey's salad and pizza with her
wisdom and advice from her
home again
taking the kiddos to Guild
walking around Mobap with Benjamin
the feel of the air right after it rains
catching up with Mrs. Haas, my old piano teacher
making speedy quesadillas for the kids before I left for choir
leftover Dewey's for my dinner!
singing Alto with Annie!
watching Lisa act out stories
long phone conversations
rambling

Verse of the Day-
Genesis 1:18-25

"Then Yahweh God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.' So out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that Yahweh God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

'This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.'

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

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."