1000 gifts, Part 3

I cannot express how blessed I have felt the past week. Glimpses of sun and warm weather have boosted all our moods. Sam has began the journey of potty training, he is so happy and so proud of himself. With Easter passing Ryan is back to his consistent schedule and is home in the evening.

Here is the next section of my 1000 gifts...

#36 Ryan's days off.

#37 Making memories.

#38 Dry weather!

#39 Safe public parks, allowing our family to have a free family day.

#40 Looked over steak in the freezer, impromptu BBQ.

#41 Energy to get some housework done.

#42 Fenced backyard, allowing Sam to roam.

#43 Hard working husband

#44 Great book and time to read it.

#45 The moments when Sam just wants a hug.

#46 Being able to open our windows and let the breeze blow through.

#47 Gardening.

#48 Creating a useable space in our backyard.

#49 Energy this morning!

#50 Day 2 of no diapers!

#51 Seeing Sam's excitement and pride when he uses the potty.

#52 Heat in our home so Sam can run around without pants (makes potty training so much easier)

#53 Being able to devote a week to Sam and potty training.

#54 “Sam's new puppy” at Papa and Grandma Murphy's house.

#55 Having a new free activity while we play with and walk the puppy.

What else I am up to today...

- Detail clean the kitchen, finally stop cleaning around the stuff that doesn't belong there and put it away.

- Go through Sam's clothes, goodbye high waters and 3/4 length sleeves.

- Pick up everything in the living room, again stop cleaning around the stuff that doesn't belong.

- Vacuum.

- Spend 15 minutes emptying the spare bedroom or soon to be babies room.

1000 Gifts, Part 2

The past few weeks have whirled by. Realized today that I haven't shared my progress on my goal of reaching 1000 gifts.

I am loving this process. God is using this list to help me find joy in each moment. Even the ones I would rather look over, like a toddler with the stomach flu or the symptoms of early pregnancy.

#7 hugs from Sam

#8 Loving husband who puts us first

#9 Comfort of our home

#10 Rest

#11 Our God who can do anything, even things we cannot comprehend

#12 Husband who parents with me

#13 Loving god

#14 Husband's flexible schedule

#15 The love between Ryan and Sam

#16 Being able to stay home and care for our sick son

#17 Helpful husband

#18 TV to distract Sam while I am not feeling well

#19 Sister who lives close by

#20 Tauna's love for Sam

#21 Lazy days

#22 Being able to comfort Sam

#23 Extra Sheets

#24 Gifts from family

#25 God's financial provision

#26 Blooming Lilacs

#27 Hearing our little peanuts heartbeat

#28 The resources to make our family healthful meals

#29 The desire to make our family healthful meals

#30 Husband's support

#31 Ryan's 4 day weekend!

#32 Wonderful day trip to the beach

#33 Incredible son who enjoyed the day in the car

#34 Singing with Sam before bedtime.

#35 The joy of seeing Sam learn the signs for “Jesus Loves Me.”

1000 gifts

I have been following a few blogs in which the writers are practicing the art of being thankful. They are doing this by following the example of Ann Voskamp and her book “1000 Gifts”. I have yet to read this book but I have heard rave reviews. Essentially, the challenge is to change your perspective and cultivate a heart of thankfulness by making a list of 1000 gifts or moments you are thankful for.

I have been mulling over this idea for a few months. After a night of grouchy Sam, temper tantrums and pure exhaustion I found myself at my wits end. I resorted to yelling and being too hard on my sweet boy. After the shame subsided I quickly made the decision to change my perspective and start my list of 1000 gifts.

I thought I would share a few items from my list and maybe a few pictures along the way.

# 1 A healthy pregnancy

#2 Warm tea on a stormy night

#3 The messes of an active toddler

#4 Soothing a tired and cranky toddler

#5 Prayers for my sons future

#6 Being able to hold and love my sweet boy

This is just a start, but I can already see the change of perspective. Maybe you are not interested in committing to 1000 gifts. I challenge you to write down 4 or 5. It is amazing what a attitude of thankfulness can accomplish.

What else I am up to today...

• I am working at staying on top of housework while battling morning sickness and fatigue. Each day this looks different. Today it was setting a timer for 15 minutes, every 15 minutes I got up and picked up the house for 3 minutes. Sounds silly but it kept me moving and I had a sense of accomplishment.

Our Gift

I love seeing God work in our lives. I love being able to clearly identify where we end and His grace begins. Of course it doesn't always happen this way. I usually am confident that I have it all worked out my way and with my timing (yes, you can laugh).

In October I posted about the excitement and hope we had for what God was doing in our lives at that point. Little did I know, I only saw a small part of God's masterpiece. I ended this post saying...

“I can vaguely see the outline of where this road is going, and I cannot wait to get there. Although, if the road makes an unexpected turn or there are bumps along the way I can say that I will still enjoy the ride and I have faith that where we end up will be even better then where I imagine we are going.”

As I wrote this paragraph something stirred inside me. When I read the paragraph to Ryan I had tears rolling down my face. I had no idea why I was reacting this way but I knew there was something powerful about what God just wrote through me.

A week before this post we had found out I was pregnant. A week after this post I miscarried the baby. This wasn't my first miscarriage experience, but it never gets easier. I was naive enough to think that since I had Sam I was healed and would not have to deal with this pain again. As I processed the pain of loosing this baby God brought me back to this blog post several times. Each time I would revel at the clarity and truth of the statement. It truly was amazing, I thought I was writing about great promise and hope, yet God was writing through me the exact statement I would need to hear when I was in great pain. God is loving and powerful.

Much has changed since this post in October. Much has changed in the last few weeks. We continued to follow God down the road He was leading us. Unsure of where we would end up. He has again shown us his love and blessing through expecting another child!

We had our first doctors appointment earlier this week and they were able to confirm a healthy baby and we could see the little heartbeat! After experiencing the early loss of a baby I cannot explain the overwhelming joy we experienced when we saw that fluttering little heart. As if the moment wasn't emotional enough Sam contributed by saying “baby” and blowing kisses at the monitor.

I am very thankful for my little family and I am very thankful for God's love and faithfulness.

Callahan Wedding Quilt

My lovely sister was married a few weeks ago. The event was a family affair for the Murphy Clan: Ryan officiated the service, I had the privilege of supporting my sister as her matron of honor and Sam provided the comedy in the position of Ring Bearer.

The wedding was beautiful. From the quartet that provided the music as guests were seated to the emotion behind the vows the couple spoke. This will be a day many will remember for a long time.

One thing I appreciated was how much the day reflected the couple we were there to celebrate. Tauna, my sister, did a great job of incorporating her love of music and art. One way she incorporated this was her wedding quilt.

During the reception each guest designed a quilt square. Creativity was encouraged and the guests came through! There is a portrait of the couple, well wishes and many scriptures and prayers.

While the couple enjoyed their honeymoon it was my task to piece the squares together and finish their wedding quilt. I was very happy to complete this for the special couple. What an honor to be able to weave together all of these memories and create something that the couple will cherish throughout their marriage. It was a great feeling to pass the finished product off to the bride, knowing that this piece will contribute to the warmth and love of their home.

Of course, Sam had to get in on the fun and "cheese" for the picture.

Many wishes to the Callahan's and thank you for including us on your special day!

What else I am up to today...

- Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Teague

- Spent 15 minutes with God, through worship and bible study. Something I have been trying to fit in more but keep procrastinating.

- Skim my closet for clothes that I have no intention of wearing again. The struggle here is I have clothes I love, but don't wear. Well, it is time to let somebody else love them.

Scrap Pillow

I am notorious for substituting materials for crafts or ingredients for recipes. I would much rather use what I have around the house then spend the money. This really takes the pressure off to make what I make "perfect". If I didn't spend money I won't beat myself up if it doesn't turn out! Although I have found that many substitutions work just as good if not better then the original.

I recovered and designed this pillow using fabric scraps and an old throw pillow. I got the inspiration for this project from another blog, this is just my interpretation (so please don't give me any credit!)

What else I am up to today...

- Family day! No big plans, but looking forward to an adventure or two.

- Finish my sister's "wedding quilt" (pictures coming soon!)

Sam's Memory Quilt

Sam's Christmas present this year was a quilt made out of his baby clothes. I made it to fit a twin size bed so when he made the move to his big boy bed it would fit nicely. Last night marked the first night in his big boy bed, I am so excited to share my special project!

I got this idea from my good friend, Tristan. She, like me, was tired of saving huge containers of baby clothes but wanted to save the memories. Thanks for the idea Tristan!

Along with his quilt I made Sam a little elephant. The fabric matches the border and backing of his quilt. It was quick and easy and made entirely from scrapes. Gotta love that!

I hope this encourages you to get creative or finish those projects that are taking up closet space!

What else I am doing today...

- Sam has a play date with his friend Izzy

- Making corned beef and cabbage for dinner!

- Working on my Daily Plan