1,000 Gifts ...

5. Right now I am thankful for yard sales that are over, cleaned up, modest profit, garage much less cluttered, and leftovers donated to a friend.

6. That my 2 boys are playing pirate ship so well together.

1,000 Gifts...

Today I am seeking things to be thankful for amidst the overwhelming to do's, but it only takes seconds when you stop to try. There's a lesson there.

2. Waking up with one child's body wedged on my right side and one on my left. Then the latecomer had nowhere to go and is sound asleep on my back!

3. Snuggling my growing too fast daughter and naughtily laying in bed way longer than I should while listening to two boys giggle downstairs.

4. Seeing my daughter trying to teach her baby brother to read any reading him lots of books over and over and whispering the words in his ear and her not even realizing all the while she's becoming a better reader, not to mention a better person.

1,000 Gifts…

While at the beach I splurged and bought myself a book I had been wanting, 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

I have been reading her blog for a while and absolutely love it. I’d been wanting to get the book when I could savor it, thus the beach. This is DEFINITELY a book to be savored! I once heard someone say that there are different worship styles just like there are learning styles. Some feel closest to God through music, some through ritual, and some like me who feel closest when studying God’s word and making discoveries and connections therein (there were other worship styles but I can’t remember them right now).

This book spoke to me like few others before (and I’m not even half way through!). There’s a saying about something being a feast for the eyes, but this book was a feast for the soul for me. God truly blessed Ann Voskamp with the gift of prose. I love reading her descriptions of things.

So, I have to join her on the challenge to chronicle 1,000 things I am thankful to God for, though I don’t believe that will be hard as He has blessed me abundantly. I am so excited to chronicle them on my blog and to get into a habit of thankfulness. What a gift that would be to pass on the my children- the ability to always find something to be thankful for during the sunshine and especially during the storms! I can’t think of much I’d rather pass onto them. I tell them all the time that people want to be around people who reflect the joy of Jesus. I’m hoping this habit of thankfulness will make me into one of those joy reflectors.

Wow, number one is kind of daunting. It should be really elaborate and profound and wonderful and the perfect kick off. For once, I’m going to keep it simple. Simple, but fathomless:

1. Jesus.

Wordless Wednesday…

Remind Me Why I Spent Money on Bunk Beds…

Every night as I go up to bed I am never sure where I will find the kids sleeping. Sometimes they are all in one bed and sometimes they aren’t in beds at all!

I love when I find them all in Sissy’s room because I know that means she was reading to them:

Jackson’s room is a very popular stop. Half the time he encourages it and they stay up way to late playing. Other nights he locks his doors to keep out nighttime visitors. Usually, it is Will I find in Jackson’s room because they are my night owls while I will find Ashton and Wesley up playing long before the rest of the house. On this night I took a picture because they were both snuggling their stuffed dogs. Every night I still find Jackson snuggling his Sparky is like a gift because it seems he is growing up way too fast!

All this just goes to prove my case that we should just throw them all in one room and use their bedrooms for other things!

When You Spend a Lot of Time in Time Out…

You have to find a way to entertain yourself:

Big Haps in the Dodd House...

Part of being this wonderful man's wife is possessing the ability to be extremely excited when dead turkeys and deer show up in the back of your man's truck, always photographing them, eating them for every meal, hanging on the edge of your seat to hear the 45 minute play by play of the big kill, and patiently chasing the kids on Sunday morning while he tells it again to every man in the building (OK, so I don't do so well with the last one).

Do you want to know a secret?

I love every minute of it. Maybe not every minute when he falls asleep all afternoon because he got up so early or when I never get to sleep in on Saturday or when he gets home hours after he said he would... wait, where was I going with this?

Oh yeah, I love my hunter. No, really. I love that he is so incredibly passionate about something. I love that he's passionate about something that has been important to my family for generations. I love that he is passing that passion on to our next generation. I love that after days of working at a stressful job and being a very involved father he has this safe, wholesome way to unwind. I love that he says his favorite part of hunting is sitting in nature marveling at the Creator. I love that he is never closer to his God than when hunting. I love that God has gifted him with many hunter friends who are godly influences. I love that God has placed us within a church family where they embrace hunting and the pastor calls him every time he sees a big buck. I love that he has a secret dream of a way to use his passion for the glory of God's kingdom and as an evangelism tool.

And most of all, I love that in 2 years all 4 kids will be old enough to go with him, and I will be making up all those Saturday sleep ins I missed!

So, as the rest of us feel fall approaching and get excited for beautiful leaves, football, pumpkins, and my birthday (maybe that's only me that gets excited about that one) my man is getting the itch feeling deer season around the corner. I absolutely groan and will dread it, (have I ever told how I once missed my own birthday dinner becuase I was helping him track a deer) but I have to admit to loving it for him as well. Besides, I can always get him to do lots of honey do's on Saturday afternoons- if he stays awake.

So there's my secret. Don't tell him or I will lose all honey do leverage!