Of houses and birds and things

Things I am thankful for this week:

• Watching the progress of the house being built on the empty lot in back of us. Not much to see at the moment, but it is fun to look out and see what they are doing each day.
• The variety of birds at our feeders. I am so grateful for the variety of birds and their beauty. Cardinals and Chipping Sparrows and Hummingbirds and House Finches and Mourning Doves etc. God is so good.
• Continued safety for hubby and his father on their western adventure. They are still in California but expect to be heading east in a couple of days.
• Cell phones...so I can keep in touch with the adventurers.
• Having an extra 5 hours of work added to my already full week of work. Sigh. At least I wasn't bored this week.
• Delighting in Psalm 119 with a precious group of ladies at our monthly Women's Bible Study.
• Enjoying Chinese food while hubby is away!
• My son. Happy Birthday Brad.
  

A surprise visitor

I was very delighted this morning to have a surprise visitor at our bird feeder... a beautiful male Cardinal.

We have seen them since moving south, but so far none had found our feeder, which is not a big surprise as there are not many trees around, and places for them to hide.

I got great encouragement from this gift that the Lord sent to me. What a special way to start my day! It brought a much needed boost to my spirits.

Thank the Lord for His encouraging gifts.

Of Adventures, Albums, and Activities

I am thankful for:

1. The current adventures of hubby and his father. They are in the middle of a several week long trek across the country and back so that his father can visit with friends and relatives in California. The Lord is blessing the trip, arranging things for them, and keeping them safe. They are currently in Oakley, California!
   
2. Peace for me while number 1 is happening.
3. The joy of scrapbooking. My current album project is focusing on the 10 day trip my mother, hubby and I took to Washington State in 1999 for the wedding of my niece Jill to her Evan. What fun it is to see the pictures again, remembering all that we packed into those 10 days. I am thankful for pictures.
4. Being able to enjoy the fun of having weird meals at weird times. Corn dogs make a good brunch.
5. Learning to appreciate quiet times of talking with the Lord.
6. Lovely heavy rain yesterday What a delight to watch it come down.
7. Some really strange conversations with our cat. ( Very one sided conversations I will admit, but I do need to talk with somebody occasionally!)
   

Milestones

This week I am passing an important milestone...one year at my job. I am so thankful for the Lord's help through these past 12 months. It is very evident that this job was His choice for me. I would never have chosen it for myself! It has stretched me, challenged me, taught me. And, I am thankful for the flexibility of the hours. It has been just what I needed, and He knew that ahead of time.
I have a steady one day a week time slot which I really enjoy. And, since I fill in for 5 ladies I never know when I will get called in to do extra hours. Between vacations, sick days, and family emergencies I have put in some extra days in the last couple of months, and that has been a blessing.
And, it helps that my review on Thursday went well, and I get a raise! Raises are good.
God is Good, and He is Faithful.
And, on a side note....I am going to be a Grandma. That is another important milestone! Wow! The Lord is indeed Good.

PTL for His Blessings

Once again my heart is full of thankfulness for blessings:

• A lovely time of fellowship and feasting on the Fourth with friends and family.
  
• Telephone calls with my mother. She does not always hear the phone, and does not always hear me when I call, so I am grateful for the times I do get through and actually talk with her.
• 33 years ago tomorrow I met a wonderful person. Our daughter Penny. Happy Birthday a day early. You are a special lady and a good friend.
  
• Shopping with hubby.
• Really enjoying Psalm 119.
• Only having to work one day this week. Wonderful! And it was a nice quiet day which is an added bonus.
  
• Good music.
• Hubby being able to spend time with his father.
• Rain. We had two really good storms last weekend. What a delight to see all that rain.
  

You know....

You know you are in a Severe Thunder Storm when some of the pictures on your walls fall to the floor.