On the tenth day of Christmas...

the blessing I found.....HOME!

O.K., so I know we have been house bound for a couple days, but we decided to venture out today to finish up our shopping and brave the roads.

The roads weren't really much of a problem, it was all the people on the road and on a mission!

We planned on taking our time and making our excursion somewhat relaxing with no real time frames and that really helped.

When we were all done, I was really grateful to drive up our driveway and see our beautiful home all lit up with Christmas lights.

Another blessing, though a bit materialistic, I feel so blessed to have a warm place to rest.

On the ninth day of Christmas...

the blessing I found....A CHRISTMAS MOVIE MARATHON!
It was a great day to lay around in our pj's and watch as many Christmas movies as we could stand! We enjoyed homemade cocoa and lots of snack foods.
Yes, it's true, you can get a little cabin fever with all this snow and cooped up, but man it has been great.
I am sure the novelty will wear off soon enough!
But, for now...we will look at all this snow as a huge blessing!

On the eighth day of Christmas...

the blessing I found.....TRANSFORMATION!

Actually, I can't take credit for this one, Dave made this observation. We were able to get out of the house early today and take a rare, uninterrupted walk through the woods, enjoying the freshly fallen snow. Snow seems to muffle all the usual noises, and the quiet is so refreshing.

Snow also transforms everything it touches, even the most barren and pathetic plants can become beautiful works of art. Just like Christ, when he transforms us from the unattractive, hopeless sinner that we are into something beautiful and to be used for His glory. I am grateful for Christs' power to transform my broken life into something he can use!

On the seventh day of Christmas....

the blessing I found....COOKIES!

I love to bake, and I pray I am instilling that love in my kids.....actions always speak louder than words.


We had so much fun baking and decorating...getting creative with the sprinkles and sugar.


It isn't just the cookies themselves of course, it is the time spent together, talking and laughing. I think I get to know what my kids are thinking and feeling, their fears and struggles way better in the kitchen as we work side-by-side.

On the sixth day of Christmas....

the blessing I found....SNOW ANGELS!
Finally!! We had snow at our house, and it was beautiful! I admit, I was allowing disappointment to take over my attitude, as we watched the surrounding areas get snow. We felt a little slighted.
But when we woke up today.... I do believe Dave and I were almost more excited than the kids. It was a blast watching the kids play, sled, have a snowball fight and then of course make Snow Angels.
I have to say, taking time to intentionally look for a blessing each day has been a challenge, but at the same time a real eye opener, to keep me focused on those things which truly matter.