Thankful...

I want to instill a heart of gratitude in the girls so each year I force encourage them to hand write cards to those who they are thankful for.  They would prefer to send a text or email, but I want them to understand that it is always more personal to hand write a card.

Now it seems like I am cheating, but I thought I'd make a list of what I am thankful for this year.  (if I can keep it at 10!)

1.  I am thankful that Jesus Christ would choose to die for ME, a sinner who has nothing to offer HIM that will guarantee my eternity with Him in heaven.
2.  I am thankful for the PROVISION and PROTECTION He has given to our family. 
3.  I am thankful for the storms and trials of the past year...actually of my entire life...as those storms and trials have brought me in a deep and intimate relationship with Him.  When I think of those who encounter trials without a relationship with Him, it makes my heart sad to think that they have no hope to rest in.
4.  I am thankful for the person He is molding me to be.  A LOT less selfish and self centered.  A LOT more sincere and loving.  I don't always realize these things until a situation comes and my response will shock me...I will think...wow that's not how I used to respond!
5.  I am thankful for my amazing husband.  Meeting the love of your life at 17 years old has its pros and cons.  Looking back to see our marriage today, I would not trade ONE bit of it.  The good, bad and ugly has made us closer and stronger today.  I cannot imagine my life without him.  I cannot wait to grow old and be Grandpa and Grandma Baker with him either.
6.  I am thankful for Alex Baker.  What an awesome gift.  She brightens my day.  She challenges my own walk with Jesus as I see her walk being so much farther than where I was with Him at such a young age.  She is not only beautiful on the inside but on the outside as well.  Where did I ever deserve such a girl?
7.  I am thankful for my sweet and funny youngest daughter.  She brings a ton of fun and laughter to our home and is very sensitive to her Mama's needs.  She loves to have a blast at whatever she does.  She has a very giving heart and loves to tell her friends about Jesus.  One of the blessings given to us after enduring one of life's storms.
8.  I am thankful for all 4 of us praying to receive Christ and living a life seeking after His heart.  It has been beautiful to see both girls and Tommy getting saved and being baptized.  Most of all, the growth that has happened as a result of allowing Him to lead and direct our family.  This is a daily work in progress, but we are convinced that there is NO OTHER WAY! 
The verse for our girls~
2 Timothy 4:12
"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love and faith and in purity."
9.  I am thankful for my parents and step parents.  They raised me through very tough times being so young.  I cannot imagine what it was like to raise a child with age, finances, divorce, etc. being huge factors.  The course of my life could have been much different if they had not endured this huge task.  I am thankful that our relationship has grown closer as I have become a mother. 

10.  I am thankful for our church.  I am thankful for our Pastor who leads with such honest integrity.  I am thankful for his obedience to God for delivering challenging messages week after week to make us disciplined disciples of Christ.  I am thankful for our Sunday School teachers who do the same as well.  I appreciate their honesty and dedication to lead our class for so many years.  Tommy and I have grown and been challenged greatly and are grateful for their friendship.  I am also thankful for the ministries He has called me to be a part of.  All Grace Abound, IllumiNation, WeeSchool and our Sunday School class.  Serving Him in these areas have opened many doors to my heart.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

This year for Thanksgiving we stayed home and had my mom, sister and new brother in law over for a nice feast.  We had a lot of fun all pitching in to make the meal and prepare for our guests.

Alex made the pumpkin gooey butter cake, Pioneer Woman's chocolate pie and sweet potato casserole.

Tommy made the mashed potatoes and homemade stuffing.

Faith made chocolate chip cookies. 

I supervised and made the rest.  :)

It was great to have everyone helping and working together and I think that was the best part of it all!  The food turned out delicious!  We ate at noon and then went for leftovers about 9pm that night.  We tried watching a late night family movie, but I do believe there is a secret drug in the food that knocks you out!  Faith and I did not stay awake for long.

See What I Mean?

See what I mean?  This was from this summer and my oldest has already changed so much!  It is so hard being a Mama and watching them grow so quickly.  I know God has a HUGE plan for her but makes me all the more nervous of her upcoming independance away from home.  I love you sweet girl!!

Where did this girl go??

This is a sweet memory that I found where I videoed Faith on my phone reciting the books of the New Testament.  She was so proud to have memorized them all in about 2 days.  I love to see the girls have a heart to know more about the Bible.  I do miss this sweet girl who seems to be growing up by the second and becoming more and more independent. At least I can remember through video!

We survived!

I lost my blog focus again and forgot to post that we survived (for 2 hours) in the cold snowy mountains!  What a story to share...

My sweet husband really wanted to take his girls on a fun camping experience in the beautiful North Georgia mountains.  We should have known when the deer hit the side door of our van that it was not the right time to go camping.  :(

So, after the deer accident we decided to truck along up the mountain to the GPS coordinate that we had saved for our prime camping spot.  Along the way, we noted the dark clouds that hovered over the upcoming mountain.  The GPS took us on quite the scenic route where I do believe we went to Tennessee and North Carolina and then back around until we realized that we were pretty lost.  All the while, it was SNOWING, SLEETING AND RAINING.  The snow was accumulating and I just kept remembering that God was with us and if we got stuck at least we had a van full of warm sleeping bags and plenty of food!

At about 9:30PM, we arrived at our destination.  :)  Now, the Lord was really testing my ability to submit to my head of household.  Where my old Mandy self would have really given him a real hard time (or ran home on my own) I was in good spirits even though I had a pretty good feeling it was not going to work out.

When we arrived,  it was of course pitch black...remember we are in primitive BEAR country.  So with the help of our headlights and lanterns, we all 4 worked together and pitched a tent, got a fire going, peeled potatoes, cut up onions and cooked dinner on a small gas stove IN THE SLEET AND SNOW.  Yes, at this point the girls thought this was awesome.  Can you picture me...scarf around my head and many layers of clothes sitting at a table peeling potatoes all the while sleet is covering the table??  A sight to see! 

After Tommy finished frying up our dinner, I went into the tent and attempted to lay down.  It was so cold!  Maybe with living in Georgia for the past 10 years has really changed what I define as cold.  It was about 30 degrees and wet even though I grew up with temps getting down into the teens and single digits.  I couldn't do it.  I didn't want to say it, but I knew I couldn't sleep on the ground.  I made my mind up that I'd just sleep in the van.  Then Faith started...very dramatic...I can't do it Mama...its too cold.  Party over.  When Faith starts the whining it is sometimes a point of no return.  Poor Alex.  She was so disappointed.  She really wanted to tough it out with her Daddy and have something cool to tell her friends at school.  :)

So, while I sat in the warm van with my little cold daughter...Alex and Tommy broke down the campsite and loaded up the van and we headed home.  I drove home and of course our reliable GPS took us the wrong way home where we went through more unnecessary mountains and finally reached my warm house at 4am. 

Now, some might say this was a dumb idea.  I say that it is a memory that my girls will probably tell their grandchildren!  *With more exaggeration of course*  The BEST memory I will have from this event is hearing my non planning husband say...Next time I think we should make a plan!

I.am.scared.

I'm scared.  My sweet hubby has decided to take us girls up to the North Georgia mountains for a PRIMITIVE CAMPING TRIP.  Nope, the Bakers have NEVER been camping.  We will not sleep on something soft.  Nope, the ground...in a tent.  No potties.  No showers.  No people.  Just us and the mountains and the animals.  And to make it all the more exciting, there is a chance of SNOW flurries THIS weekend!  I just hope we don't end up as a story on Animal Planet!

I will update you all with our journey when we return home.  I am calling for intercessory prayer for us that we do NOT see any wildlife that is much cuter behind glass at the zoo and that I have a lot of unusual hot flashes to keep me warm!!  LOL

I love my husband.  He is so excited.  So are the girls.  Mama is scared excited too.  :)