March 20, 2011

Of Birthdays, Koala Bears and Chocolate Spice Tea

Mondays come and go.
The list continues to grow.
What a blessing to number the thanks
and engage in the moments of life.

Our lives are but a vapor ~
God's Word tells us that.

What are we doing with the days we have been given?
Do we rush through from moment to moment
without a thought to the ONE Who gives us
the very next breath we take?

We are upheld by HIM.
All things come from HIS hand.

What a blessing it is to notice.
The *little* things.

1266. Leaving the kitchen tidy at night with breakfast soaking
in a pot on the stove ~ ready for morning.

1267. Nebula flickering blue, green, red, yellow...
Wonder in the night sky!

1268. To bed at 8:30 pm!

1269. Boy-laughter at bedtime ~
Daddy tucking them in!

1270. Encouragement from Howie when I need it

1271. Sharing a secret with Emma ~
just us girls

1272. Her little organising ways ~
I found the bath all set up for me to wash
her hair first thing on a Saturday morning

1273. The *special* way that Emma set the table
for Daddy's birthday breakfast...
complete with balloons and straws and a Peter Pan placemat!



1274. My two journals on the kitchen counter


1275. Birthdays to celebrate!
Four of them in our immediate family in 7 1/2 weeks ~
LOTS of cake to bake! :)


1276. Too funny that Fraser thinks it would
be a good idea to have a Koala Bear for a pet!
He's been doing research and discovered that
they make good pets!
Option #2 ~ A Sea Otter...
and he was SERIOUS!


1277. Austin was able to get his former
violin teacher back...and along with that,
a spark of JOY!

1278. Heat from the registers and the taps...
so much we often take for granted!

1279. New glasses for Calvin

1280. Her running toward a flock of pigeons
and them flying away...over and over again

1281. Daddy jogging past me with the boys

1282. Boy-played Beethoven from memory

1283. Chocolate Spice Tea with cream and sugar ~ YUM!


1284. A lovely treat in the mail from a sweet friend ~
Thank you! :)



1285. Flowers from my Dad...*just because* ~
Love you! :)


1286. Another sunny day

1287. Long-ago, second-hand bought (mostly)
Playmobil still in use



1288. *Just because* special things Daddy does for
the children



1289. God's goodness always

1290. Crisp, fresh air coming inside through the slightly
open windows...refreshing!

1291. More and more and more papers to deliver ~
A wonderful job for the boys!


It's easy to count.
It begins with noticing the *little* things.
Noticing the moments.
Entering into them and writing them down.
It's as simple as that.

My journal sits on my counter.
I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

14 comments:

Make a Joyful Noise all ye Lands said...

Camille~
What a beautiful sweet family the Lord has blessed you with. You are an encouragement to me as I read and see you giving thanks for all the good he has bestowed on you in His loving ways.
I love the notes and flowers daddy gives. My Gary does that often and we love to start our day with notes, flowers, kisses ect. from daddy.

Blessings for a wondeful Christ filled week.
Love,
Virginia

Trisha said...

Making me cry this morning, Camille. Don't do that! :)
I loved reading your list....flowers from your Dad, a Koala bear wish (you ARE getting him one, right? ), sharing secrets with your daughter, yummy food...and on and on. Yes, the LORD uphold us with His mighty hand. It is one of our prayers..."Keep me, O Lord!"

Much love to you!

His bondservant said...

I think a Koala bear would be a great pet too! My middle child would have a zoo if we would let her. Love all the pictures Camille...especially the one of the whole family. You have such a lovely family my friend. God bless you.

Jill said...

So many wonderful things to be thankful for! Love the idea of the koala bear for a pet. What fun that would be!

Blessings,
Jill

Unknown said...

BEAUTIFUL! Your words and photos touched my heart! So many blessings the Lord gives us!

Patty said...

I enjoyed reading through your blessings. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Wanting What I Have said...

Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Birthdays!!! The Engineer's 30th is Friday (25th), mine is Sunday (27th), and Little Man's falls on April 2nd! Too fun! Do we have any matching birthdays?

Love the playmobile! My children are so enjoying the few pieces we've begun to collect. They are wonderful!

And I do love the idea of a Koala bear for a pet. My grandparents gave me a Koala bear backpack when I was in the first grade and I so loved the way it hugged my back - like it was my own little pet. :)

Blessings to you, dear friend!

Camille said...

Dear Virginia ~ You are such an encourager...thank you for your sweet words my friend! :)

Dear Trisha ~ Oh...I didn't intend on making anyone cry! NOOOO...we are not planning on getting a Koala Bear...OR a Sea Otter! LOL! Thank you for your sweet encouragement today...you are a blessing. :)

Dear Jackie ~ Thank you so much my friend! I appreciate you. Maybe your girl and my boy should meet. LOL! :)

Dear Jill ~ Our Fraser agrees with you and doesn't understand why we can't! Do you? :)

Dear Jenn ~ Thank you my friend! It's a great blessing to belong to the LORD, isn't it! :)

Dear Patty ~ Thank you! I appreciate your kind words...I trust you will have a wonderful day too! :)

Dear Jennifer ~ Thank you for the birthday greetings! Happiest of birthdays to the three of you! All within a week!! Wow! Howie's was on the 21st of February, Emma's the 8th of March, Austin's the 8th of April and Calvin's the 14th of April...not as close together as yours. Have a wonderful week my friend!

In His Love,
Camille

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Wow! Till the birthday season. Our month is Sept. We literally have them stacked up with many members of our family. We've done lots of combined birthdays. So, I look forward to seeing pictures of your new Koala bear soon ;)

The Adventures of a Simple Life said...

Camille,
Your lists are so...inspiring and touching. They make me want to go and sit and just count blessings around me. Thanks for sharing your heart with us in these posts.
Your pictures are beautiful.

Thank you for shining the light of Christ to all of us. The Lord is using you greatly for His kingdom.

I would most definitely get your son an otter or koala!!! ;) After researching how much a koala might cost to have as a pet, you may add to your list of "things to be thankful for" that they are not allowed to be pets. So there you have it...you are off the hook!!!

Blessings to you My Sister In Christ!
Christine

Farmgirl said...

How wonderful to look at daily happenings and find the joy in them. How wonderful to be able to "give thanks" in all things! Thanks Camille, for sharing your loving mother heart, and your tender, loving "wife" heart!

Camille said...

Dear Jackie ~ Funny how it sometimes works like that with birthdays! :) September is a good month for birthdays...a nice way to end the summer. And yaay for multiple birthday gatherings...more festive that way!

Dear Christine ~ How sweet you are! Thank you for all your kind and encouraging words. As for the Koala bear...no chance of it happening even if we could afford one...we live in the wrong place for that! :)

Dear Heather ~ Thank you for your wonderful encouragement my friend! God is truly good, isn't HE? I'm glad you've joined the bloggy world...it's fun to peek in on you too. :)

Many blessings,
Camille

Cinnamon said...

Happy Birthday to your dear Husband. What a kind he must have felt like being spoiled with balloons and a straw in his cup! I know my children would consider that an extra special treat :-)

I love your whole post. From new interesting pets :-0 to sweet notes written to your children from daddy.

What a blessing you are to me~

~Cinnamon

Camille said...

Dear Cinnamon ~ You are a blessing to my too my friend! Hang in there and just keep on looking to the LORD throughout the coming days. He will never leave you nor forsake you...how PRECIOUS He is!!

With Love,
Camille