day 1 - 5 : thanks & giving...

i am participating in the 30 days of thanks & giving over at jeannette's blog!
i am going to post my thanks & giving every five days! so here are the first five days...
(you can click on the picture above to read about the experiment she is challenging us to do!)


day 1...
november 1, 2009

thanks
today is sunday and i can not help to be reminded how i am so very thankful for our church!
each and every time i think about elevation, i am so thankful that God has brought us to our church home. i consider it a true blessing to be a part of what God is doing in and through our church. i am amazed how He would chose us to be a part of this movement. He brought us to elevation two and a half years ago. we were so broken and God used every single aspect of elevation to heal us and to stretch and grow our faith in Him. i am so thankful for elevation church!!!


giving

with four kids it is hard to find time to spend individual quality time with each of them.
tonight, i carved out some time in our busy evening to make pumpkin bread with jordyn.
i gave her my time and some undivided attention.
just a little bit goes a long way!!


day 2...
november 2, 2009

thanks
this monday morning, i am so thankful that i am able to be a stay at home mom! it was something that my heart always desired to be. and when we were pregnant with our first child, jamil and i agreed that was what we wanted our family to look like. i have been blessed to be at home with my kids since the first baby was born 9 years ago. i truly feel it is what God has called and continues to call me to do!

giving
the way that i gave today goes along with exactly what i am thankful for. i love being a stay at home mom, but i will be honest and say that the days can get long and hard. jamil went from his work to church tonight to be with our pastor while he recorded a sermon. it was a long day for me, but i didn't complain. i was giving of my time by taking care of our family and our home.

day 3...
november 3, 2009

thanks

i am so thankful for my best friend, amy. amy and i have been friends since college, so almost 15 years. God has placed her strategically in my life. we talk on the phone atleast once a day. and sometimes for hours at a time! i am so thankful that God has given me a true friend who knows me and is there for me through all times!

giving

tonight, i invited my sister to have dinner & desert with us! she was away this weekend, so i wanted to hear how her trip was. i love when she comes over to eat with us!!! she actually is a blessing to me because she helps with the kids and getting them settled at dinnertime!!


day 4...
november 4, 2009

thanks
tonight i got to have a girl's night out with four special friends. i am so thankful for their friendship. we all went through a tremendous amount of pain, loss and betrayal within the same year of each other. i am so thankful that each of us are walking on the other side of that mess. i am so thankful we are healed from the pain and that God has been faithful to each of us and is showering blessings on us!

giving
jordyn spent a long time reading this afternoon. she did way past her daily assignment of 20 minutes. she is a fantastic reader! i gave her words of praise and encouragement today!



day 5...
november 5, 2009

thanks
i am giving thanks to God today for His provision over our family. He is an awesome God! He has begun to bless our finances in a way i couldn't have imagined. i am so thankful for His provision today.

giving
today, i will be giving my time and caring for my best friend's kiddos while she is at a doctor's appointment. i will be taking care of her 5 year old son and almost 18 month old twin girls
in addition to jesiah and jaelyn. i will have 5 kids and then at 2:30 my older two will be home and i will have 7 kids! it will be a fun day!