Thankful Thursday

It's been a hard week in our community. One of our high school students died in a car wreck and three others were injured.  I didn't know the family.  It just hurts my heart to know so many are hurting who have lost their son, student, friend.  I'm thankful for the outpouring of love I've seen from others around us like neighboring schools and other baseball teams. 

This week I am thankful for...

~ when my husband got home from a long day traveling and what does he immediately do?  Help me in the kitchen finish up supper.  

~ my son making burgers for us for my Mom's birthday.  They were so good.  

~ my DIL helping with the meal too and bringing her air fryer for us to use.  (I've never had one but hear a lot of people that really like theirs.

~ my boy doing well on his testing before they take the real test in April.  We tell him to just do his best and that one test on one day doesn't define who he is.  

~ this week's progress on the new house.  It's already such a change. (posted a couple pictures yesterday) I think I'll cry when I see it finished like they do on those home makeover shows.

~ signs of spring like hearing the birds chirping.  I've been paying attention to these noises.  Also the beautiful bluebonnets in the yards of two of our neighbors.

~ our realtor helping us through this stressful process of buying/selling a house.  

Have a day of blessings!

 Bethany

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Spring has officially sprung (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...did she roll in more like a lion or more like a lamb in your neck of the woods? What needs more of your attention in terms of a good spring clean this year-your house or your garden/yard? 

It has been soooooo windy here.  The past couple of days were calmer but the winds have been crazy this month.  

We will be focusing on our house since we are moving.  We will have so many boxes to unpack.  Titus helped take some of my flowers to the new house (irises, tulips, and lantana).

2. What's put a spring in your step lately? 

Defintely when I walk into the new house and see how much work the workers are getting done from day to day.  The change is exciting to see!  It doesn't look like the same house with the ceiling scraped and wallpaper gone.  

3. When you were a kid, what was the best snack to find in your lunchbox? If you didn't do the lunchbox thing, tell us what was your favorite after school snack. 

I took my lunch occasionally and my Mom always overfilled it with more than I could eat.  I don't remember sides but remember asking for "wonderful ham."  I don't know why I called it that, I meant the thinly sliced ham on my sandwich.  

4. In what area of your life are you planting seeds ? 

I try to be encouraging and play seeds of encouragement for one of the college girls at our church while she's away at college.  

5. Why do you live where you do? Would you consider living somewhere else? Why or why not? 

Perfect timing for this question since we are about to move.  
We moved here in 2010 because of my husband's job after being in that place for 7 years.  We were happy to be back to this area.  We loved this house and have always wanted to look for a little place outside of the city limits with a few acres...we don't need or want a 100!  We've looked with our Realtor at various houses that came on the market since 2019 which is crazy.  We even made some offers.  

One of several qualifying factors for where we looked was in the same school district.  Since I'm on the school board I have to reside in the district.  

We are excited to live in a new place but do have some emotions about leaving this home.  When we came here Caleb was in 1st grade.  Now that we are leaving he is married and doesn't live here and we have Titus who is in 4th grade.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

The days are ticking off quickly as the time comes to be out of this house.  The progress on the other house is exciting to see.  I may cry like they do on the home makeover shows when I walk in and see it finished.  

Here is a picture of the kitchen after they took out the cabinets hanging above the bar.  I have plenty of cabinet space elsewhere and am so glad we took this out.  It really opened it up.  You can still see the fruit basket wall paper near the ceiling above the sink.  That's coming down too, I think they worked on that yesterday.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

Happy SPRING! 

This week I am thankful for...

~ celebrating my husband's birthday with our son and his wife last Friday at our house.

~ funny things my son says like "first child, second child."  This week it was from Titus picking blue paint for his room.  :) 

~ time with my DIL when she came to see the house inside for the first time and looking at paint color ideas with her.  

~  my boy working and having fun at baseball. No games yet!

~ my aunt coming to see the house and bring some things she'd gotten us at her work.

~ progress on our house this week....they've started on removing the popcorn ceiling and dug the hole for the new septic.

~ my Mom who had a birthday this week.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Children's book: The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep

Are you looking for items for Easter baskets?  I'm excited to share this wonderful book with you today.  It's called The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep and the author is Hannah E. Harrison.

About the book:

The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep is a humorous and heartwarming picture book about God's unconditional love. This story beautifully captures the essence of Psalm 23, showing the importance of trusting God, our Good Shepherd, with our lives.

Meet George, a silly and sometimes stubborn sheep living happily under the care of a Good Shepherd. But when shearing time comes, George decides it’s time to make a run for it, and soon finds himself on a journey full of unexpected disappointment, discomfort, and danger. Ultimately, he finds rescue and learns why he really does need a shepherd.

The Bible is full of references to sheep and shepherds, but what does it mean to be a good shepherd? And how are we like sheep? The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep uses an unforgettable character and riveting story to bring biblical truth to life for kids and illustrate the many comforting and loving attributes of God.

The Good Shepherd and the Stubborn Sheep is perfect for:

• Children ages 4 and up

• Family devotions and bedtime reading

• Discussions about the meaning of Psalm 23, the parable of the lost sheep, and how God is always with us

• Sunday school lessons and church libraries

• Easter baskets, baptism or First Communion gifts, birthday gifts, and other gift-giving opportunities

About the author:

Hannah E. Harrison is the author and illustrator of six award-winning picture books, including Extraordinary Jane, My Friend Maggie, and Poopsie Gets Lost. Her books have received numerous starred reviews, been chosen as Kirkus Books of the Year and Editors’ Picks on Amazon, and have been selected for book clubs. Hannah is originally from New Hampshire, but now lives in Oklahoma with her big-hearted husband, two delightful daughters, a crabby cat, and a playful pup.

My thoughts:

Oh I just love this book!  I was excited to share it with you.  

Psalm 23 is so familiar and yet I can always learn something new from it.  A book like this is perfect to share this Psalm with a child and have a discussion about sheep and shepherds and then discuss how we are all like sheep and Who we have as our Shepherd.  You could also tie it into the parable of the lost sheep in the Bible.  You can talk about what characteristics we've had like George the sheep.  

I love the beautiful illustrations and the cute sheep. 

We read a lot of children's books and this is definitely a new favorite for me.  The text and illustrations are fabulous!  I hope you will check it out for your family library or for a gift for a little one in your life.  Sometimes I give away my books away but this is one I will be keepig for my library shelf! It definitely gets 5 stars from me! (That doesn't happen too often.)

Watch this little preview about this sweet book.

This book can be purchased at this link.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

#goodshepherd #zonderkidz #christianbookreview #ad

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. I write the Hodgepodge questions so they'll post on Sunday, which sometimes throws me off in terms of what day it is. St. Patrick's Day will be celebrated on Monday, March 17th. Did you mark the day in some way? Wear green? Make a special meal? Watch or participate in a parade? 

I wore green to my school board meeting.  I didn't do anything else to celebrate.  

2. Do you think luck plays a part in your life? Explain. 

No, I always say I'm blessed not lucky.  

3. Of the 15 green foods listed, which one is your favorite and how do you like it prepared? Any on the list that are a hard no for you? In general do you like fruits and veggies? As a kid did you eat them willingly or did you hide peas in your napkin hoping your momma wouldn't see? 

Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, celery, cucumber, grape, green bean, kale, kiwi, lettuce, lime, 

pear, peas, pistachios, spinach

My favorite green food on this list is broccoli.  (I was going to say Brussels sprouts but that's not on here!) I like broccoli steamed or raw in broccoli salad.

I do love fruits and veggies.  I enjoyed them as a kid and picking them from the garden.  

4. What's something that makes you 'turn green'? (with envy or with illness... whichever way you want to run with it)
It sickens me to hear of chidren who are mistreated or neglected. 

5. Did you spend a lot of time outdoors as a child? Doing what? Do you spend a lot of time outdoors now? Doing what? 

As a child I remember walks or bike rides with my Dad.  Also I liked to ride my bike up and down our driveway and around our circle.  I spent time outside in pretend play.  If we went fishing I always took a book along to read.

As an adult I do not spend a ton of time outside.  I do go on walks in our neighborhood and am outside for baseball practice in this season of life or playing basketball on the driveway with my son.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

It's been a bit since I did the Hodgepodge so I'll do an update. We closed on our new house at the end of February.  Repairs and updates are in progress.  Our house was listed on March 9.  We had two requests for showings that day and then 2 offers.  By Thursday we'd accepted an offer.  Now we are in the option period.  

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

Thankful Thursday

It’s our spring break week and today is my husband’s birthday. 

Today I am thankful for…

~ celebrating my husband today. I’m so thankful he was born on this day 2 weeks after me.  He’s such a blessing. 

~ seeing my fire fighter giving a talk at a “touch a truck” event at the library. It was so unexpected and unplanned for us to be there at the same time. It made my Mama heart proud to see him interacting with the kids and talking to their parents. 

~ my DIL saving me a bowl of the white chicken chili she made. It was yummy!  

~ having my boy home on his spring break. We played bingo and hunting-opoly one day. 

~ seeing family at our niece’s 2nd birthday. 

~ having 2 offers on our house this week and signing a contract. 

~ having our house clean and ready to show and making progress in the new house. 

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany

A new month has begun.  Hopefully it will be spring this month.

This week I am thankful for...

~ the work my husband has done on our house to get it ready to sale.

~ getting to have birthday supper with my oldest and his wife.  

~ my DIL sending a video of their dog with the pillow I made him.

~ going to the Leadership Day at the school.  My boy looked so big standing there, it almsot felt like I didn't recognize him.

~ that we got the keys to our new house!  We started taking out the carpet and getting the work done this week.

~ letter in the mail from my little pen pal.  

~ figuring out quick meals for us when we are so busy with packing.

Have a day of blessings! 

 Bethany