1000 Blessings List #5

We decorated the tree this weekend and had a blast doing it too! We have these glasses that make the lights on the Christmas tree look like snowflakes, angels, and santa's face. They're pretty cool. Here's me and my sisters.... the super... I can't think of a fun name right now... and my mom in the back... 155. fun glasses that change christmas lights on the tree... 156. poems by Jack Prelutsky 157. the dancing hamster that sings jingle bells 158. candy canes 159. the smell of pine trees 160. mashed potatoes and gravy at Granny's 161. a water crock that has a full five gallon jug of water on it 162. the Little Britches books by Ralph Moody 163. Dad reading out loud to us at night 164. the stockings made my aunt Gin in Iowa hanging on the fireplace 165. Shrek The Halls movie 166. It's a Wonderful Life movie 167. Jane Austen Novels Kaye~*~*~

Walking In The Light

One night, there were clouds that prevented the light from entering the room me and my sister share in the basement of our house. L had gone up to get water and came back down stairs, then I too went up and got water, then came back down to the basement.

When I got to the basement, I couldn't see a thing. There was no light on, and I was stumbling around, just knowing that I could find my way by myself.

I heard a giggle, and looked towards the sound, seeing just darkness. I heard it again. L was laughing!

I felt around blindly, "What?"

She laughed and said, "Well, I can see just fine, so it is weird to see you stumbling around the room."

"Ha-ha." I smiled, still unable to see a thing. "Could you please turn on the light?" Then L turned on the light, I saw my bed and flopped onto it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was thinking on this, and I started to think that the world is walking in darkness, like I was, stumbling around helplessly trying to find their way on their own.

I was like that. I had heard the message of salvation countless times and just kind of brushed it off. If the Holy Spirit hadn't opened my eyes to the Light, I would still be there, wandering around blindly, trying to fine my way on my own. But now I can walk with confidence and the ability to see, knowing that Christ has saved me from the darkness.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

John 8:12

Lord, as we enter the Christmas season when we celebrate your son Jesus' birth, I ask that you would give me the right words and times in which to convey the message of light that you are giving to the world. You are the Light, Lord, and help me to seek You first above all else this season.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Kaye Ann Silver

1000 Blessings List #4

With Thanksgiving just behind us, let's count our blessings. I want to try to add to this list daily, and I hope to get to 1000 within the next year... ~to see the first parts of my list, click here for the first 60, and here for 61-100~ 139. shoes 140. doctors and nurses 141. health insurance 142. col turkey, butter, and salt sandwiches 143. R speaking in full sentences 144. M plyain Battleship with me 145. gift cards 146. friends who jump up and down when you give them gifts 147. libraries 148. Christmas trees 149. R's eyes when we put up the Christmas tree and plugged in the lights! His jaw dropped and he his eyes were huge! 150. Christmas lights in the snow 151. gingerbread houses with Mamo and Grandpa and cousins...the best tradition... 151. that my dad has a job 152. lightbulbs 153. God's unfailing love and grace and mercy... 154. The peace of God that trascends all understanding Phil. 4:6-7 Happy Thanksgiving! Kaye

He's Ba-ack...

So in my last post I mentioned a possum that decided to visit us in our window well, and on Wednesday, look who we found in the back yard...

We had let our dog out, and this guy was in the garden eating something. We thought it was so funny that he came back, and when I walked up to take this picture, he didn't even flinch or play dead or nothin'. My dad just laughed as our dog barked her head off and the possum just sat there.

Too Funny.

Blessings!

Kaye

Our Guest For The Evening Is...

A POSSUM!

So a week ago we had this little guy fall into our window well in the basement. My sister and I share the room down stairs, and our window is that one looking out of the big window well. My dad went downstairs to watch the world series, and our dog was going nuts. So he went in to check it out, and sure enough, there was this little fella sitting quiet dumbly in the window well.

How did he get there? He fell in.

How did he get out? He climbed out on a board my dad put in, but not 'til 11 pm, 2 hours after we discovered him.

Funny.

Kaye

Quiet Barns

One of my all time favorite things to photograph are old barns. This one is in Arkansas, and I quit snapped the shot while we were driving out of a canyon to head back home and I think it is one of my favorites.

I thank God for the many blessings that He has given me, such as a camera to take pictures with. I don't set up the nature shots, God puts them there and I just take a picture of it.

Thanks to my Mamo and Papa for taking us to Arkansas. It was incredible.

Blessings!
Kaye

Norman Rockwell

These are three of my favorite pictures by Norman Rockwell.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving~

As thanksgiving approaches, I couldn't help but look up this Norman Rockwell painting. It makes me smile. This is sort of how our thanksgiving dinner looks (at least, there are that many people all gathered around). I was thinking to myself and I thought of this: The pilgrims, that first thanksgiving, were thanking GOD for their bountiful food and friendship. I don't know why, but for some reason that struck me like a 2-by-4 between the eyes. This Thanksgiving, I want to thank GOD, not anything else, for the great year that we had that was only made possible through Him. Thanks, Lord, for always keeping us in your care and loving us no matter how many times we fail you. Thank you for the family you have blessed me with. For my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. And I thank you also for the friends who are my family too. Thank you for blessing us with a house to stay in, a furnace that works, and the food on our table that we take for granted so often. I pray for those who are without these things this Thanksgiving. Let them know You care about them and have a reason for everything, that You have a plan. Help me in some way to reach out to those who are needy this Thanksgiving. Thank you Lord for Your great plan. In Jesus' Name, Amen. Kaye

1000 Blessings List #3

Hello there...

I am once again going to bombard you with things from my blessings list...

101. my camera 102. Geometry... even though I think its boring... 103. good eyesight 104. R running around in his blue hat with the pompom 105. Kleenex 106. grilled cheese and pickles 107. M’s sense of humor 108. the speaker in our living room that has its volume adjuster knob missing 109. ladybugs 110. trees to climb 111. sledding 112. skiing at Highland and Spirit Mt. with my dad 113. the fence around our backyard 114. beautiful gardens that my mom works so hard in 115. leaf piles to jump into 116. food to share with friends 117. that one day when we had Granny, Grandpa, Mrs. P, Doug, Kylie, Josie, Zee, Isaac, and us five all in and out of our small house; mom running all over; thinking of installing a revolving door; painting rooms; talking about a bathroom; having our living room overflowing with stuff that was out of my mom and dad’s room while we were painting; Mt. Dew being served; lemonade everywhere; chips and pretzel bags being tossed to people; WHAT A BLAST!!! 118. family and friends that are willing to help us out when we need it 119. warm sunshine after a month of clouds and rain 120. sunsets over the lake 121. picnics at the Lake H 122. happy Saturdays when all we do is sit around and talk at the table 123. playing baseball in Granny and Grandpa’s backyard for what seemed like 2 minutes but was really 3 hours 124. dinner on the patio 125. warm spring nights with no mosquitoes 126. quesadillas and chips after church on Sunday 127. Friday night movie and pizza in the basement 128. my dad saying we’ll only watch half of the Lord of the Rings, but then staying up until 1:30 a.m. watching the whole thing 129. homemade buttered popcorn 130. NASCAR 131. angels 132. laying on our backs watching stars late at night 133. seeing the stripe of the Milky Way 134. Michaels craft stores 135. going into Michaels close to Christmas to watch and listen to those little towns that they set up that are made of porcelain, and the people move on some of them, and just being so happy just to do that 136. quilting with Mamo in the loft on cool summer days 137. Mamo Camp!!! Racing, ATVing, going to the farm, pontooning, quilting, working in the woodshop, driving Papa’s truck, and having campfires after dinner that last until 9:30 pm 138. small group at church with Julianna 139. warm M&M cookies!

I know that it is a lot to read, but I really enjoy doing this!

Thanks for reading it!

Kaye

Boys vs. Girls

This is a picture I found online,

but it will give you a pretty good idea as to what the floor of our living room looks like.

Boys are so much more different than girls.

Boys catalog cars, crash them, and see if they can carry all of them at once.

Us girls put them into families, have the cars go to racing school, and go for drives around the couches in the living room.

Boys stomp around and pretend to be dinosaurs.

We girls twirl in our skirts like ballerinas.

Boys go outside and conquer the backyard.

Girls swing and pretend to be Laura, Mary, and Carrie from Little House on the Prairie.

I am very blessed to have a mix of Matchbox Cars and Laura Ingalls in my family.

Luv U Sisters-L and M

Luv U Bro- R

Kaye

Tenth Avenue North

This is one of my new favorite groups. I like there songs. They are good. My dad makes fun of me because in one of their songs they sound sad, (the only one on the cd that's low key) and he says their emo. NOT! They are really good. I didn't look them up on YouTube yet, but I'm sure they're there if you want to check it out.

Kaye

Pictures

I'm going to bombard you with pictures and sign off for the day.

I hope your day is blessed!

HCR...

The Canyon

It looks fake, but we were there! SUN!

The End of the Bluffs

Ever feel like this fella? He's a little blown glass elephant that I have on my desk...

My life Collage...

Soup for dinner...

cooking utensils waiting to be used

Bye There...

Kaye

Boy in a Wagon

This is my brother who I know has a purpose in this world bigger than I could ever think of or imagine. Just over the last few months I have seen God work in ways that I've never thought possible. As I ran up and down our sidewalk towing him, listening to him sing and talk about the airplanes and trucks, I was overwhelmed at God's goodness to bring this little guy, this little joy-filled kid, to my family. I think back to when I first met him, a timid little guy who wasn't sure of what was going on or who our family was. To now when he likes to sing and talk and talk and talk about everything that he thinks. i love him. Thank you, Lord that you blessed my family with him. Thank you for your plan. Thanks for letting us be his family. In Jesus' name, Amen Kaye Ann

The Two Cups

I was just in my kitchen getting my brother a glass of water.

While I was filling up his little cup with the sucky thing in it, he reached into the drawer and pulled out this not as good, no plastic sucky thing to go in the lid, and starts to put the lid on it. I walked over and said,

"Hey, buddy. Want your water cup?"

He looked at me like I had two heads. I'm sure he was thinking- I have a cup. See? So then he started to try and drink out of it. There was no water in this cup. He looked up at me.

I tried again- "Yo! Buddy! This cup has water and ice cubes in it!"

This time, he reached for it, handed me the empty one, then I gave him the cup filled with cool water.

I thought to myself how this is kind of like what Christ did for us. We reached in out of our own accord and tried to get water out of a cup that would never satisfy. When Christ first offered us a change, a chance to get the satisfying water, we probably said, "Nah. I want to try on my own to get water." We were blind to the fact that God was offering us this free gift that would forever satisfy, and tried to do it our own way. But we realized after trying to get water, that our way didn't work and that we would have to trust God and ask Him for the living water. And when we reach for it, God will give us the satisfying water.

John 4:7-15

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food).

The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew, and I a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews did not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water..."

Jesus, thank you for the living water that you offer to everyone who calls on you.

K.A.S.

Be Good, Be Kind, Be Gentle

These are the three things we are trying to teach my brother right now:

1. Be Good- don't hit, scream, or pinch
2. Be Kind- be nice to your sisters and everyone else
3. Be Gentle- be sweet and don't throw stuff that shouldn't be thrown

I was thinking about this the other day and how I should also remember these three things. Only mine is like this:

1. Be Good- do all my school, make bed, etc.
2. Be Kind- think nicely about people 'cause God can hear every thought "take every thought captive"
3. Be Gentle- when you really just want to throw your sibling in the trash bin, breathe and realize that God has a reason for everything. It could just be a test of patience.

And when I thought about it some more, I realized that I could improve on so many things, especially the reason behind why I do things. So I just keep reminding myself-
be good, be kind, be gentle
Kaye

Habakkuk 1:5

This book starts out with Habakkuk asking the Lord why there is so much destruction and hurt. He tells God what he sees, and this is what God answers:

"Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am doing something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

I think that this verse applies to now. We look up at God and ask why all the suffering and the hurt and hardship? Why? God wants to get our attention. He wants us to know that even in the hardship and pain, He is moving and working. God is constantly bringing people to Him. His timing is never wrong. There are no Ifs with God. He knows what's going to happen. So I choose to trust Him, cause I sure don't know what tomorrow holds, but He does.

I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty cool.

Kaye

1000 Blessings List Continued

Okay... here are my additions to the ever-growing list:

70. chickadees 71. watching my siblings play cars 72. chicken for dinner 73. God's great love 74. fingers that work 75. Grandma and Grandpa E. 76. my mom picking me up after class 77. Bonnie B. 78. long talks with Mamo on the porch after a fun day on the lake 79. my room in the basement 80. my mattress 81. the abundance of quilts that are on my bed 82. smiles from people I pass when I am having a bad day 83. the ever-present sound of music in our house... it is too quiet without it! 84. the imagination that God blessed me with to write stories 85. chocolate covered graham crackers... yummo! 86. Christmas 87. Thanksgiving Dinner 88. Easter... Resurrection Day!!! 89. church services that challenge you 90. watching God move through our church 91. that old bench in our living room that holds our outerwear... 92. when the boy sleeps for a long time at nap, and wakes up happier :-) 93. warm Sunday walks around the pond 94. the New Years Day walk through the woods with B, T, and J 95. new mittens 96. the huge Christmas tree at Papa and Mamo's cabin 97. Granny and Grandpa's Christmas feast! YUMMO!! 98. my mom's anniversary bird... if you don't know what I'm talking about, my mom bought this sweet little carved bird with long, metal legs for her and my dad's 17th Wedding Anniversary present. 99. Sam T, our church's contemporary music leader 100! Philly missions trip.... awesome... I am so excited!!!! I reached 100!! More posts later on... Blessings! Kaye

1000 Blessings List

Hey there one and all.... What a fabulous fall day I am having! The colors are changing, the raking is almost done, the wind is blowing, the sky is clear, and I am done with geometry for the day! As I mentioned earlier on in my blog, I am doing 1000 Blessings and thought I would share it with you! If you want to check out A Holy Experience blog, click here!

1000 Blessings 1. Jesus Christ saving me by dying on the cross for my sin and rising again on the third day 2. The Bible 3. Mom 4. Dad 5. my sisters, L and M

6. my brother, R 7. my warm house 8. a bed to sleep on 9. living in the United States where I am free to worship my God and have many freedoms that my brothers and sisters throughout the world don’t 10. my grandparents: Granny and Grandpa, Mamo and Papa

11. my cousins: Kylie, Isaac, Jayden, and Tanner 12. my aunts and uncles: Shannon and Derek, Noelle and Doug 13. Betsy, Tim, and Josie 14. Jon, Lisa, Kelsey, and Nick 15. Hannah L 16. Hannah S 17. Becca T 18. Cross of Glory 19. the fall colors on a cool day 20. books by Joan Bauer to make me laugh 21. the food I am blessed with every day 22. cell phone 23. a computer that works 24. homemade apple crisp

25. hot chocolate 26. the kitchen table- where I don’t have to eat on the floor 27. being home schooled 28. the birds that sing outside our windows even on mornings where it is cold and rainy 29. Jesus Christ coming to the world 30. the locks on our front doors 31. talking to our mailman, Steve 32. watching my siblings romp in the leaves on a gorgeous day 33. my brother in his blue hat with the pom-pom on top 34. books that teach me about those in the past 35. frozen Milky Way Midnights 36. Christmas Eve with my family 37. It’s a Wonderful Life 38. dancing in the living room with my family 39. our dog Kira in her orange bandana 40. doctors and nurses who are ready to help us when we are sick 41. camping out in the woods with my dad 42. going to coffee shops and bookstores with my mom 43. staying up late reading and discussing deep topics with Lily 44. Pastor Justin 45. Pastor Jon 46. being bilingual- English and Spanish 47. driving Papa’s F-250 on the back roads 48. listening to R sing “Jesus Loves Me” at the top of his lungs while wearing L's cowboy hat 49. watching my two talented sisters perform dances in church 50. seeing God move in my friend’s lives on a mission trip to Philadelphia 51. to see history in the making all the time 52. M doing stand-up comedy in our kitchen 53. hangers to hang my clothes on 54. a rake to clean up my yard 55. R sitting at the table, and when asked his name proclaiming for the first time 56. bookshelves to hold my favorite treasures 57. a mini van that fits our whole family 58. sisters to be my best friends for life 59. a printer to make my thoughts come to life 60. warm winter clothes 61. that my family loves me no matter what 62. pens to do my school with 63. fuzzy socks on cold days 64. car road-mats to entertain my siblings with 65. a chair to sit on 66. school 67. a fireplace in the basement 68. hayrides with the youth group 69. s’mores

I will be posting more as they come to me...

Blessings in Christ!

Kaye Ann