The Good List 2-16-11

10. Crock pots. Seriously brilliant invention.

9. Strawberries. If I could afford to serve them with every single meal, I totally would.

8. This picture. I can't fully describe why I love it so much, but I do. Something about the simplicity and the light.

7. Bruce Matthews named Titans offensive line coach. Yeah buddy! I love that guy! He's a class act, that one.

6. Grace's weird addiction to The Price is Right. She can't walk away from it when it's on. Makes me giggle. I finally told her I would set the DVR to record it, and you would have thought I gave her free lifetime passes to Disneyworld. ;-)

5. Ray Allen breaks the NBA record for 3-pointers while his cute little Mom watches with tears in her eyes. Great moment.

4. BOTH of the Mandie movies that Nana sent the girls for Valentine's Day. We watched the first one Monday and the second one Tuesday. I love that I grew up reading these books and now Macy and Grace love them too. (And the movies are really sweet.)

3. George Beverly Shea, Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, and The Ramones all get Lifetime Achievement Awards on the same night. Really wish they could have come up with a more diverse group, though. ;-)

2. No school this week! Which means the girls and I got to spend Valentine's Day together. I love that!

1. The sound of my children's voices reading or reciting scripture. Best sound ever.

Moment by Moment

A rare quiet morning. A good cup of coffee. Some time with the apostle Paul. And this view out my window--

If there is a contest going on for the perfect THANK YOU JESUS moment, I nominate this one for consideration. ;-) Hope you have a similar moment today.

The Good List 2-9-11

10. VRBO. Lots of good deals to be found using this service.

9. Packers win! YAY! Ok, I confess I wasn't really that emotionally invested in either of the Superbowl teams this year, but I was happy to see the Packers win. And I was happy that both teams made it a pretty fun game to watch. Ready for August!!! ;-)

8. Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate granola bars and the coupons that allowed me to get a box for $.59 last week.

7. The Phantom Tollbooth DVD that my Mom included in Macy and Grace's Valentine box of goodies. Such a great movie, but I've looked for it on DVD for years and never found it until recently. Score!

6. Topher Grace. I hear he's working on a new movie set in the 80's. This could either be a huge disaster or an adventure in adorable hilariousness. I'm hoping for the latter.

5. Ginger Shrimp Soup. My favorite new recipe. YUM!

4. My fabulous friends Tiffany Lechinger and Ryan Westbrooks who have given me SO MUCH great advice for helping plan my upcoming trip to NYC! Can't wait!!!

3. Driving along on winding mountain roads while listening to The Eagles, Van Morrison and CCR. If I were a therapist, this would be my prescription for pretty much everything.

2. Macy's drawings, which she does completely freehand just by looking at a picture. She is so much more talented than her mother will ever be in so many areas. (And that makes me happy.) These were done for her Dad, because they love watching Phineas and Ferb together.

1. Finding this page in Gracie's "doodle pad."

Prayer Time 2-8-11

It's snowing again. As beautifully as ever.

Macy is home not feeling well and wanting to lay around and snuggle and rest most of the day.

It's a good day to pray. Let me know if you have requests you'd like me to lift up on your behalf by leaving them in the comments section of this post. As always, these will not be published publicly for the sake of those concerned about privacy.

Blessings in the Gospel today.

Congratulations, Texas!

You've had your practice. Next time you'll be ready for THIS!

And it's been here for WEEKS!

Is there something wrong with me if this makes me really happy?

There is? Oh well. :-D

The Good List 2-1-11

10. Making cappuccinos at home. You don't need a fancy machine. An immersion blender works just fine.

9. The word "splendid." It's quite splendid, don't you think? I challenge you to incorporate it into at least one conversation a day and see how people respond. :-D

8. The super cute little reusable snack bags that JoJo put in Macy and Grace's Christmas stockings. Brilliant idea!

7. The loooooong list of super fun things my Mom and sister and niece and I are trying to whittle down for our trip to NYC this summer. So much to do and see! I can't wait!

6. Finding skirt steak at a Price Chopper in Manchester, VT! (of all places!) This is REAL fajita meat. The other stuff is just sliced beef. Jared is very happy.

5. My new favorite hobby. This helps me justify my "need" to constantly pursue the perfect picture.

4. SNOW DAYS!!! Ok, so I'm not crazy about the idea of having to make them up at the end of the year, but there's something uncomparably sweet about a snuggly day at home watching the snow together. (It's really blustery out there. I love it!)

3. Watching my husband shrink. Not because I care what size he is, but because I'm happy that he wants to be healthier so I can keep him for a long time.

2. Macy and Grace's imaginations. Currently, our kitchen has been transformed into an airport (complete with security check-in area), and half of our living room is an airplane. Grace is on her way to Washington, D. C. What an adventure!

1. Hearing from my sweet friend Michael at LifeWay about how excited he is to promote Gospel Wakefulness when it releases later this year. Go visit a LifeWay store on Oct. 31!

Prayer Time 2-1-11

Happy February! It's ANOTHER snowy day here in the 802! And I am one of the only weird ones on the planet who absolutely LOVES it, I think! It's a good day to hibernate and pray. :-D Tell me what you want to add to my list by posting your requests in the comments field. These will not be published publicly for those concerned about privacy.

Hoping you will feel God's pleasure today.