this week our little family received a huge blessing. a blessing that has been a plea in my prayers for a very long time. myron has earned some shift changes at work that will enrich our family life so much. might seem like a little blessing, but no tender mercy could have made me happier.my gratitude for the opportunity weighs deeply in my heart. i am so thankful for a loving heavenly father and his perfect timing. i'm grateful that he allows us to experience discomfort, so we can truly appreciate the beauty. i have times when i think he has forgotten about me & my prayers.i still have hopes that have not yet been realized. but i will wait on the lord. because i know, he will always come through. "I delight in the Lord’s mercies and miracles. I know that His tender mercies and His miracles, large and small, are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’s disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the “fourth watch,” meaning near dawn. Yet He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come, though sometimes not until the fourth watch." -Susan W. Tanner
i've taken 4 photos over the past week.
two of them, i blogged yesterday.
the 3rd was of me in sweats & a t-shirt, covered in livy's vomit from head-to-toe, to email myron while he was at work, with the caption, "just in case you're feeling sorry for yourself that you're working a double shift on your birthday."
and the 4th photo was this one here above:
a cute basket of clean & colorful socks to be folded.
...i think i need to get out more. ♥
it was a long, rough thanksgiving week for the dunn fam.
all of us girls were under the weather with a very wicked strain of the stomach flu.
{apparently it's our year for sickness....i swear we always have something!}
chloe was so disappointed [understatement] to miss "indian day" at school &
we were too yucky to attend the thanksgiving feast at granny & gramps' too. ):
we had our fair share of awful, pitiful, depressing moments,
but we tried to make the best of a lame situation....
i moved the girls mattresses into the living room &
they had a sleepover the whole live-long week.
since we were up all night, every night, we might as well have access to netflix, right?
when the girls would have a peak of energy, we'd have a dance party....
they sure know how to shake what their mama gave 'em. :)
even though barfing & chills & fevers & more barfing...isn't exactly what i would have chosen to celebrate thanksgiving...i am indeed grateful for my many, many, many blessings.
i am especially grateful that we are all finally well, and i only have one last load of laundry.
hallelujah. ♥
haha, i got bored with the photo challenge.
even though it's awesome, i'm just too busy working on other things to finish.
so i'm giving myself permission to be a quitter, with a smile on my face.
this november my heart is so thankful for life.
today was an especially blessed day-
i feel things shifting for me,
and i know that god has a plan.
i'm so grateful for this crazy journey called life.
i'm thankful for the challenges, trials and hard things-
*even though they're super lame.
i've learned so much from my personal heartaches.
i'm thankful for the beauty too.
i'm especially grateful for the good people in my life who haven't given up on me-who selflessly serve me & uplift me.
my cup runneth over.
it's a happy day. ♥
a shot of my newly planted babies:
snapdragons, petunias & alyssum.
*and a shout out to my sweet mom
for helping me plant. ♥
day nine is dedicated to my little sister holly.
*these senior photos here were taken by
cute ashley over @ sunshine & shade photography.
omg, aren't they the cutest?
i have many wonderful, inspiring people in my life, and holly is one of them.
i think the phrase "beautiful inside & out" describes her best.
she's happy. she's kind. she's creative. she's sososo fun. she's lighthearted. she's hilarious. she's thoughtful. she's hardworking. she's...well, all kinds of awesome.
she's also student body president at her school & doing a mighty fine job.
i remember her being a teeny baby, babysitting her, and rocking her to the lion king soundtrack to put her to sleep....and now, she's all growed up. {single tear}
even though she's my little sister, i look up to her so much. [cliche but true] i admire her ability to have fun and always have a smile on her face. i admire her firm, ever-believing testimony that she freely shares with everyone. and most of all, i admire her quiet confidence-her ability to be humble, but kind to herself & others.
holls, i love you. ♥
this one's obvious.
pink!
orange, yellow & teal run at a close second, however. :)
this picture speaks 1,000 words about my life.
it might not make you laugh.
{but it does me.}
♥
childrens' books are basically my life story.
we read lots of "1fish, 2fish" & "the happy man & his dumptruck" in this house.
nothing makes my girls happier than storytime with one of their parentals.
♥
chilly, cloudy & overcast has been the weather this week.
but in az, there's always a little sunshine & the bluest of blue sky peeking out.
SUCH a delightful change from hot, hot, hot.
it's so beautiful.
can't get enough of this time of year.
♥
our version of fall leaves =
beautifully green and extremely over-grown bushes.
a lot of the country is bundling up & preparing for winter,
but the beautiful weather party is just starting here in az.
♥
happiness is: discovering sissie's old boots fit you this winter.
♥
this month i'm gonna participate in a 30-day photo challenge,
hosted by one of my fave blogs- positively present,
called {zoom in on gratitude}...
each day i'll be sharing a photo, based on her outline,
that showcases the big & small blessings i'm grateful for.
today's photo = these wheat rolls that i made last-ish week.
they were so easy & yummy.
*i halved the recipe to just make 1 dozen for our meal.
simple ingredients & very inexpensive.
i am grateful for another small success in the kitchen,
as i'm working toward becoming more domesticated at making meals for my fam. ♥
***
another thing i'm going to be working on this month, is my 28 before 29 list.
i edited/tweaked my list to make my goals more definitive/specific.
it seems a lot more doable now,
& tailored to what i {really} want to accomplish these next few months.
i am excited. ♥
