to post or not to post

i was just signing in and was ready to post some pictures and write about some things we have been doing when i realized. it is 10:15pm and i have several things that i need to get done. this, although the most fun, is definitely not the highest priority. with that - i thought i should continue the log in and reveal my struggle to manage my time well.
with no further stalling - i am off to do the things that i ought to right now - please pray for my continued diligence in how i spend my time.

thank you

things that i am thankful for

in NO particular order:

each new day
my family
loving husband
darling son
wonderful parents
brothers who care
cousins to lean on and laugh with
a grandma who is always ready to visit with
in-laws who accept me as their own
aunts, uncles, cousins who love
friends
knowing that God cares for me
the sun
having God's Word to read
the moon
our house
a job that i enjoy and makes a difference
our church
mentors who have taught me more than they will ever know
getting in touch with old friends
talking with my cousin who i haven't seen/talked to in 17 years (b/c of a move)
laughter
the promise of Heaven
flowers
soft grass
swimming pools
lakes and beaches
fun jokes
football season
freedom
health
paperclips (i just like them)
our dog
neighbors
pictures
music
free offers / coupons
summer days
warm sheets/towels
cozy fireplaces
footy pajamas
yummy food
soft fabrics
starry nights

come to think of it, i am also thankful for:

lonliness - b/c it draws me near to the One who will never leave me
darkness - to make the light seem so much brighter
quiet - to be still
sacrafice - to see what is really important


i am thankful - for i have been blessed abundantly - every day in so many ways

a short story and a Smorgasbord of pictures

we were so blessed this last weekend to have some wonderful friends (craig and rachel and their children and niece) come and visit us from dallas. we met them when we lived in racine WI. they moved to dallas, and then we moved here. so it has truly been wonderful to be able to reconnect. even though we don't see each other very often, to quote a michael w smith song, "friends are friends forever when the Lord's the Lord of them". they are such and encouragement and we just really appreciated having them here with us! here are some of my favorite pictures from our visit:

load 'em up - we are going to the pool!

cornell family + nathan at lake travis

we really had a great time!!

here are some other "catch up" pictures:

nathan showing his sympathy for his sick mommy (i am WAY better now!)
i took nathan for a bike ride and he kept trying to move his helmet around. everytime he did, it would pull at his chin and he would scream. so we had him 'practice' wearing it in the house to get used to it. it worked!

i baked some brownies for a church tail-gate party at a baseball game. i thought i would make them special so 1/2 had chocolate chips and the other 1/2 had white choc chips and there were pecans throughout. i don't know if all the extra ingredients did something to the receipe or what. but i have NEVER seen a brownie bake up into such a weird shape! it just came out looking really funny. maybe someone could give me some insight as to what you think went wrong??

nathan and i went to the "national night out" event in our subdivision. it is to promote public safety etc. . . there was face painting and . . .

well, i just hope he doesn't come back with any ideas in 16 or 17 years!

thanks for reading/looking. hope you enjoyed!!