oh the joy!

remembering the light milkweed at the farm this fall, and marveling at this-

the first snow!

a quote, a birthday, a new house

A week ago on Friday I turned 17.

We had been in our new house one week to the day.

I thought about all that God had taught me over the last year.

All that he is still trying to teach me.

My friend Betsy sent me a card in the mail, wishing me another great year.

Inside, she enclosed a bookmark.

I was amazed. How did she know that this was what I had been learning, trying to capture for the last year?

Learning that every little detail is a gift from God.

“Every hour of the day

and night

is

an unspeakable,

perfect

miracle.”

A miracle.

So I take my time, clicking way too many pictures, and just looking for daily miracles.

As He says,

“Seek and you will find…”

I found.

(And after trying for a long time, I finally got it… caught that smile on camera)

Joyful blessings abound…

and grace is enough.

 

a one year older

Kaye

Thousand Gifts: Part 3

pictures to come with this one…

#29-38 of the countless blessings…

the appraisal on the new house going well

fighter verses

pizza and laughter and Christmas with the W family

2 1/2 hours to get to the wild game

exercising

PSEO starting again

sleeping in on Sundays… the day of rest

ink in the printer

The Word

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers

may the Lord bless you endlessly…

Kaye A. Silver

Thousand Blessings

This year will be the first year that I am going to name.

I was thinking about it, and praying, and this year will be the year of gratitude.

“Give thanks in all circumstances…”

It’s hard. I’ve come to realize that already.

Like the last nights of 2 am and my eyes open wide…

learning to give thanks in the dark when you are tired is hard.

And in the good things, too. Simply remembering to give thanks for them all this year.

So I’m starting over, counting endless blessings again.

 

1000 Blessings Recount….

The uncountable, continual blessing… #1 to #1001….

Christ… What you are… who you are… thank you….

. Awed by God at working in wondrous ways- finding us a new house!

surprised by foxes out front

anonymous gift card

R, L, M dancing around in cowboy hats

Betsy’s laugh in the living room

Mamo’s candle log in the fireplace

God’s clear guidance

Lightsabers and star wars reenactments

Packing boxes to move

Apollo 13 and Andy Griffith on New Year’s Eve with Dad

dreaming big about the big house

K’s Reepicheep moves

Christmas and Peace

 

(I’ve counted a lot, so there will be multiple posts under this title…)

Quiet

 

Enjoy the quiet of cold,

the joy of rest,

and the love of family this freezing weekend...

Blessings….

Kaye

 

(special thanks to Lillie from Lillie’s Valley for sharing a picture of her oak tree… beautiful…)

A Little Late

Blessings counted a little later in the week…

559. Starbucks hot chocolate on a bitter cold day

560. The light falling just so across the kitchen table

561. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers

562. Exercising with L

563. Third Day’s new CD, Gone

564. Audrey Assad’s voice on the speakers

565. The fan in the kitchen to blow out the smoke of burned french fries… :)

566. Kira asleep on the couch

567. Perfect Peace…

567. Camels marching across the walls

568. warm honey sticks on the counter

569. The Wild Game

570. Mini donuts

The Wild

Last night was another adventure.

Because whenever we go anywhere with Dad, whatever it is, whether planned or unplanned, it’s an adventure.

And they are awesome.

We live close to the cities, and those of you who know me know how close we are to the big city. 

Snow started last night around 3. Dad came home, all of us excited.

Loaded into the car around 5… to go sit on 394 for 45 minutes just to get to the 94 ramp.

Yuck.

Snow keeps falling and cars were crawling. We rejoiced when the speedometer hit 10.

Got a cool pic of the city coming into downtown, where we headed to a street that hopefully would be faster than sitting forever on 94.

 

Sat some more in downtown, called Mom.

1 hour.

Usually, my dad can get downtown in 3 minutes.

Not tonight.

The clock ticks 6.

We urge the traffic back on 94 now, just go 10!

No such luck.

But we have fun all the same. Heater on full blast as the snow falls down to keep the windshield ice free, and the windows down to cool us off.

Around 6:15, a sign says 30+ minutes to the 35W ramp.

That’s close to where we’re going.

Oh well.

The ramp comes into sight at 6:45, and we are hopeful that we’ll make it- we might make it- by 7.

We sit.

15 minutes.

On an off ramp.

Oh well.

Dad has to go, so we run into a Sears, and hear the puck hit 6 blocks away, the clash of sticks.

7 o clock.

At 7:15, we’re parked 4 blocks down, run like crazies- like Wild- to the shining stadium.

Make it by 7:30, and are wowed.

The Wild.

No matter that we missed the first period- we don’t care one bit. 10 rows from the ice, nothing is cooler than the flying skates, the sticks slapping, the puck flies and we duck.

Zambonis fill the rink, and we laugh. Who cares that it took us 2 hrs and 10 mins. We’re here, and it’s a blast.

The 2nd period starts with a crash- literally- as an Avalanche hits the wall.

I snap pictures.

Brave player lifted off the ice, and we all watch as the game goes on in the state of hockey.

We are losing bad. Playing horrible. But that’s okay. The poor goalie- a new guy- tries hard to hold his own with the 2 real ones out on injury.

We wince with him as they score again.

The mini donuts come around, and we buy two.

Kind of a tradition with us. Go to a game, get mini donuts.

Yum.

The game goes on.

The stands all chorus as they attack the goal, the Avalanche goalie flies like lightning, blocking every shot.

Then the crowd is on their feet, and the fog horn goes off.

We cheer on the Wild, the lights go crazy, and the music is loud.

What a blast.

We walk around the center fast, not nearly as big as the stadium, but awe filled none the less, filled with the memories of MN miracles…

I smile at this golden medal to the coach of the miracle team- college kids winning the gold against the biggest team in the world.

This ten year old hockey team, rising from the memories of the golden Northstar days, and though not the best,

they are the state of hockey’s team,

so we cheer.

Even when

in the 3rd period

the puck slides

slow motion

across empty ice

into an empty net.

The cathedral shines in the dark, the snow still falls, and we laugh the whole way.

Thank you to the people who gave us the tickets to the game! Thanks for letting us go see the WILD.

We had a blast!

and how long it took us to get home?

20 minutes.

2011 Surprises…

This morning after arriving home from church, Dad discovered that we had a visitor last night…

His footprints led all the way around our house from the garage to our front walk way. They were all lined up, and the back tracks stepped on the front tracks.

Any ideas?

Dad leaned in close to get a good look at the tracks while M ran for the nature book, all of us standing in skirts, 7 degrees, looking at these perfectly placed prints.

After a careful deduction of tracks and size, (and M teasing me about a coyote walking around), we came to a conclusion.

A red fox!

How funny that of all the places for one to walk around he chose a first ring suburb!

Laughing at the wonderful surprises the first few days of the new year have brought…

#531-545

awed at God working in wondrous ways-finding us a new house!

surprised by foxes in the front yard

surprised in church by an anonymous gift card to the grocery store, which ended up being worth twice the amount written on the card when scanned at the register! Thank you, Anonymous! God bless you for your kindness!

R, L, M, me dancing around in capes and cowboy hats

Betsy’s laugh in our living room

Mamo’s candle log in the fireplace

God’s clear guidance

Light sabers and star wars reenactments

packing boxes to move to, as R calls it, “The New BIG house” (!!!)

Apollo 13 with Daddy on New Years Eve, then

Andy Griffith black and white until the clock struck 12

dreaming with L and M about the new house

K. B.’s Reepicheep real estate rescues… ;-) we are very thankful for you!

Christmas… and peace…

a blessed year full of Christ’s plan…2010

kaye ann