practicing gratitude

a suprising (and unexplainable) lack of bullet points (?) dashes will do

• --not having to go home on saturday
• --friends who are like family
• --sunrise WALK on the beach with caroline

• --i belong to jesus
• --steak dinner
• --our favorite lighthouse

• --manicures/pedicures courtesy of aunt amy
• --frosty's cheeseburgers and peach shake 
• --beautiful trees

• --tasty leftovers
• --magic bullet smoothies in fancy glasses (and lots of "cheers"ing)
• --the way aunt amy loves her neices and nephews (all of us, really)

• --facials and all sorts of other things with laura lane
• --rides (and drive bys) in the jeep, moo cow icecream
• --ALL the fun on the ocean mat...especially the "name that animal" game

• --seeing jupiter and venus
• --couple of days with logan at the beach
• --papa feeding the birds

• --all the things lined up (house, cottage, yard, pool, etc.)
• --having a hard time deciding which is my favorite - time under the tent, time on the porch or time around the table
• --we made the papers! :) 

• --never enough time at SSI with the mcmichaels, powells & cashs
• --what the next few days hold
• --sunday morning at SSI community church

• --knowing how to get our CFA order quickly at the tifton CFA
• --beautiful flowers in a beautiful bottle
• --eli's enjoyment of digging and sitting in the hole 

• --getting there with the camp empower buddies!
• --dulce dough (it can't not make the list)
• --kayaking adventures

• --hearing about margaret's car "todd"
• --"the practice of gratitude and hope will change your emotional life." - nancy on that's sounds fun podcast
• --nick's volcanoes on the beach

choosing a grateful attitude

• cracker barrel giftcards and yaya's points
• slept pretty much the whole way to SSI
• moonrise

• special place with special people
• night 1 crab trap
• epworth...chimes...family...spontaneous cornhole....

• nick's dedication to getting and delivering dulce dough
• good cuppa coffee at community church
• incredible kitty (+) care from the kind and generous llcooljm (with daily pictorial updates)

• zoe roundabouting the tree
• bike ride(s) with caroline
• first zinnia!

• ben's quick responses
• big ole sam's haul
• best porch view

• beach naps and reads and walks and sits
• easy smoothies
• pastor nick doing a little post-church preaching

• how much zoe loves "the sea"
• skip balls and ocean mats
• just write liturgies from EMH

• meals around the table at the thompson cottage
• windy walks
• epworth sunsets...porpoises included 

• wind that takes the gnats away
• ice + cherry coke + yeti (again and again and again)
• continuing to choose a grateful one

• the blood medleyed with washed
  
• sweet little beach reads
• the glory (and simplicity) of sweet mama's (and decades of sonny's delights)

 

i am grateful for....

• successful blackstone burgers 
• attic ladder reinstalled (closer and closer to everything being all done!)
• things that make me smile:

• nick made it back even earlier than expected from savannah
• "...friends who are also good friends of yours, O Lord...." - EMH (God has given me such good friends!)
• annabelle's lovely doodles

• glass protectors that make it feel like a whole new phone
• 4 nap weekend
• the prettiest blue eyelids

• the basket of random pieces and parts is all put away
• summer reading program prizes!
• ducks ready for a party

• You Reign Above It All
  
• brownies...blueberry bread...cookies...tasty treats coming out of the oven not cooked by me!
• delightful girls around the table

• all of yaya's tea party stuff
• caroline made it back from texas...eli & logan back from greece....
• celebrating these 2!

• 2 sleeps until the beach
• kindness of the lady at home depot 
• bacon, egg and cheese mcgriddle

magic magnet

• we have tile/a backsplash!!   
• IG game inspo for the win!
• celebrating 2 sweet birthday girls with giraffe slober and all sorts of other wild animals.

• classic date night -- dinner + walk (with a little adventure down whitesville road)
• yaya's wonderfulness (hemming, altering, steaming, etc.)(how is it that i hit the jackpot with my MIL and with my almost DIL?!)
• fun quotes about gratefulness: 

• another incredibly restful sunday
• freedom to say no
• the view from the porch

• mr. corey's kindness and the homemade treats!
• suzanne's enthusiasm and helpfulness
• glimpses from the greece trip (technically this is istanbul)

• emma's help with so many things - decorating for zoe's birthday, chalkboard signs, finishing up AB's gift
• calvary's combination of tradition + jesus = meaningful graduation!
• jacob's graduation - so proud of that guy!

• all of the things zoe drew during graduation - post-its and a pen for the win!
• successful breathe...the way Amanda brings beauty....that earl gray cake....
• texas roadhouse peanuts on the porch

on time this time

• sweet, peaceful, easy, restful weekend
• thursday night snacks + card playing
• kind notes and cards on mother's day
• emery kate is here!

• "i am indifferent to anything but God's will - nothing more, nothing less, nothing else." - ignatius
• sweet ways of celebrating mamas at cityscape
• dove chocolates and a lemon.  such a great treat tuesday. 
• nights when zoe (and jake and/or fatty) fall asleep easily

• 24 years of marriage!
• cinnamon roll + coffee + the perfect wedding bracelet + friendship on the CS playground
• "ask for help when you need it, give help when you can. i think that is how we serve God - and each other and ourselves." - character in "the nightingale"
• leftover easter candy put to good use

• having eli, logan and caroline around
• laps around the parking lot
• tim keller's sermon on not forfeiting God's grace (jonah)
• just right sprinkle doughnut on a morning when she was missing her sister

•  all the construction trash is gone from the carport (still not done...but closer than ever before)
• adults who communicate in healthy ways
• one last night (shift) for the great molly white
• we really do have great cats.

have no fear...the thankful list is here.

• the excellence, thoroughness, kindness and above-and-beyond-ness of danny the plumber
• laundry room clean out and reorganization
• yaya and her team at jordan - in town mission trip!

• window seat at outback
• fresh things...
• these 2!! 5 (+1 day) weeks until their wedding!

• dirty dishes in the dishwasher!! (the dishwasher is connected!)
• hank doesn't hate us! :) 
• jupiter's help with school work

• all things senior sunday went well
• lane's gonna be a grandpa!
• a tiny jesus to carry around in my pocket (and the sweetest interaction)

• leftovers in the cityscape fridge
• jenine's iced coffee
• new to us rug and couch...and all the cashes are home!!!!!

• jaxon and joseph's intentional accountability/good practices
• more and more things getting put back where they belong (or taken to goodwill where they belong)
• incredible beauty within walking distance

 

God's given me such wonderful people....such wonderful gifts

• nick is home!
• amanda's help with hair 
• her dress matched the car (and they had a great time at prom!)

• fun & fabulous date night...appetizer AND dessert!!! 
• keys were found (airtag here we come)
• super skyjo

• fun times on the ride home from trey's baseball game
• giftcards! 
• zinnias are planted!

• diva kindness
• caroline's crutching skillz (and watching zoe jump in to serving her sister)
• trucks coming and going...stuff coming and going....

• troubleshooting the eero (?!) worked!
• faithful friends
• cottage guest who brought a box of goodies from her bakery!!! (check out Magnolia Sweets in Blakely, GA!)

• great mixed media class
• caroline is home! another semester successfully completed.
• emma's help in the nursery sunday morning

• cabinets are in and painted
• electrical stuff is all taken care of
• pantry shelves are in
• we've got our stuff back!