Thankful Thursday supplemental by: The Thankful Husband

I am hacking JA's account to let everyone know why her family is thankful for her.

First, a passage that describes her worth to me:
Proverbs 31:10-12 and 25-31
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate



Why I am thankful for Jane Anne:
- Her gentle spirit
- Her deep and dedicated love of the Lord
- Her desire to know me deeper
- Her dissatisfaction with the status quo
- Her love for our children
- Her tender hugs
- Her contagious smile
- Her laugh that brightens my day
- She never complains
- She forgives my (many) faults
- She is patient with me
- She is incredibly wise
- She loves me and our children more than we could ever deserve

Thursday Thanks Tank #50

This morning as I was starting to make a mental list of my blessings, I realized that I needed to start my thankful exercise in a different place. I read several Psalms and focused on Psalms 31 and 62. I made a list of God’s greatness. After focusing on God and his amazing love, my heart is full of thankfulness and gratitude.

Before I share my list, here’s a quote from Jerry Bridges that I read this morning after my reading in Psalms:
“ I believe God also takes note of the sincerity and depth of meaning we put into giving thanks to Him. Being healed of leprosy—or cancer in our time—is vastly less significant than having eternal life. If we had to choose between being healed of cancer and receiving eternal life, the decision for any Christian would be easy. Yet how often do we express our thanksgiving to God for the gift of eternal life with as much depth of feeling as the one leper who “came back, praising God in a loud voice” and who “threw himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him?”

My Thankful List:
God Provides my soul rest – gives me contentment (Psalm 62:1,5)
God Grants me salvation – saves me from what I deserve (Psalm 62:1)
God Gives me hope (Psalm 62:5)
God is a Great Listener – I can pour out my heart to Him (Psalm 62:8)
God is my Protector – He is my fortress and I will never be shaken (Psalm 62:6)
God is my Refuge – I can come to him when I am troubled (Psalm 31:1,4,14; Psalm 62:7, 8)
God is Strong – more powerful than I can imagine (Psalm 31:2, Psalm 62:11)
God is Loving – his love is unfailing and wonderful (Psalm 31:16, 21)
God is True (Psalm 31: 5)
God Stores up Goodness for me (Psalm 31: 19)

I encourage you to take time to be thankful today.

Tasty Tuesday: Blueberry Coffee Cake

I got a bunch (almost 3 lbs) of blueberries from Costco this past weekend. My family has been in blueberry heaven. Yesterday I tried out this blueberry coffee cake. It is wonderful- very, very moist.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

CAKE INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 375. Grease a 13x9 inch pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in butter. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Stir well. Pour 3/4 batter into greased pan.
Top with blueberries. Spoon remaining batter over blueberries. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Blend icing ingredients. Drizzle over cake.

Icing:
Melt 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of butter in a saucepan or microwave.
Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a medium size bowl.
Add the melted butter to the powdered sugar.
Add 2 tablespoons of milk.
If desired, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla for flavor.
Beat until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk if necessary.
Drizzle over a cooled cake.

Our Not-So-Fresh Air

This was the scene on Friday and again this afternoon.
On Friday the question I got from my kids was:
"Momma, what's wrong with the sun?"
Today's question was:
"What is all the white stuff failing from the sky?"

I am not loving the "open field burning" season in the grass seed capital of the world.