Category: Finding Grace Weekly Recap

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #157

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was a banner week in many exciting ways! God answered a prayer that I first mentioned five years ago. I met Huldah Buntain, a missionary to Calcutta, at church; it was a dream come true for me!

My mom sent Lydia the original Mary Poppins movie (on DVD), and it arrived this week. It is one of my mom’s favorites and I’m grateful she wanted to share it with Lydia. We watched it on Tuesday after school, and Lydia loved it! Soon we will watch Mary Poppins Returns, but I wanted Lydia to see the original first so she would understand the context. Thanks, Mom!! 

Lydia also received her new fitness device this week. It works well and has already out-performed the old, faulty one. She walked 10,000 steps two days in a row! I’m grateful we finally got a satisfactory resolution.

Yesterday, I had my three month (post-Lasik) eye checkup. My eyes look like they should and my vision is good. I still have some healing to do, but that is normal and to be expected. I’m grateful I took step of faith and underwent surgery in December!

Today, we have had another winter storm. But that gave us a good opportunity to stay in and relax. Lydia and I played games, read books, researched black holes, exercised, and watched videos. Tonight, at bedtime we were snuggling, and she said, “Mom, I wish we could stay like this forever!” It melted my heart. So sweet. 🙂

Finally, I set my clocks one hour forward for Daylight Savings Time! I always miss that hour of sleep, but I am glad for the upcoming spring and summer! Woohoo!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #156

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This was another grace-filled week! I finished many small tasks and made progress on larger ones. God stretched my time and helped me accomplish what I needed to do.

Nothing super eventful happened, but our routine activities went smoothly. I enjoyed catching up with family over the phone and had several good conversations.

Yesterday morning, my neighbor surprised me by leaving monster cookies on my front step. Yum! I tried one and saved the rest. Sooo good. (Thanks!!)

Then, after school, Lydia joined the same neighbor’s family out our back door to try snowboarding for the first time. She had fun and came inside with a few new words in her vocabulary (ex. wipeout!). I’m grateful they included her and showed her some new tricks.

Last night, a friend came over for dinner, chatting, and Netflix. She also brought some snacks. It’s always nice to spend time together!

Today, we went to a birthday party for one of Lydia’s friends. I helped out with the party, and then afterward we stay to visit/play. They also fed us a yummy taco dinner!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #155

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

I saw God working in several areas this week.

On Monday, we had a quiet President’s day. We enjoyed time at home. Lydia played outside and read. I was able to get ahead for the week, without rushing!

We received more snow this week, and I used my snowblower twice. I also shoveled, but enjoyed the slightly warmer (10-20 degrees F) weather! Three different times neighbors helped clear the snow for me, which I greatly appreciated. (Thank you!!)

Last night, a friend came over for dinner. We had tacos and watched Netflix. It was a great way to relax after a busy week. We had a fun girls night!

Today, Lydia and I took another friend and her mom (visiting from another country) to the local home and garden show. It was at the Fargodome and we spent several hours walking around and seeing the sights. Then, we went to my friend’s apartment for lunch. She made salmon, rice pilaf with vegetables, and fried plantains. It was a real treat!

Lydia has been adjusting well to her braces. She has only had one or two times where she needed some pain medication. Overall, she’s very pleased to have them on. We can already see her teeth improving! Praise God!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Life is Short, Miscellaneous, Parenting

Finding Grace #154

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was full of cool surprises! I love when that happens!

On Monday, I noticed it was snowing just like a snow globe. There was no wind and the snow fell gently for hours! It was so pretty and completely different than the wild blizzards we’ve had lately. God is so creative!

A couple months ago, I bought an online voucher to swim at a local hotel. On Monday, I was able to use it one more time before it expired this week. I went while Lydia was in  school and had a wonderful time. It was so peaceful!

This week I ran into two old friends and had good conversations with them. I also met a new friend for coffee, talked online with other friends, and chatted with family throughout the week. It’s great to feel connected!

On Thursday, Lydia lost her ninth tooth; got her expander removed at the orthodontist; and received braces (top front teeth only). She was really excited and seems to be doing well. She didn’t even mind skipping most of her Valentine’s candy from school!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #153

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was fairly quiet! We had more cold and snowy weather, which is normal for winter in Fargo. I read an article about how it feels like we’ve had a long winter, but that the snow we’ve had this year does not even rank in the top ten!

This week, I was thankful for my flexible work schedule. I didn’t have to miss any work when Lydia was home for another snow day due to a blizzard. We had a fun and relaxing time together. We canceled our evening plans and just took it all in stride.

With all the blowing snow, I had 34″ snow drifts in my driveway! The snow went above the shaft of my snowblower, making it impossible to clear. Thankfully, my neighbors were great to help! We’re at that point in the season where it is becoming more difficult to find places to put all the snow! 🙂

Since this is good weather to stay inside, I have been trying new recipes. I’ve made a warm soup with lots of vegetables. I’ve also made steel cut oats, pancakes, veggie burgers, and some tasty salads. Of course, I often freeze extra portions for later!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #152

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week an unusual week, due to the extreme cold! Most of the Midwest was affected by the Polar Vortex, which meant school closings, delays, and businesses shutting early. We made the best of having a break in the middle of the week. Read more here!

In some ways, the extreme weather has forced me to slow down and spend more time with the Lord. Indeed, Monday felt like a spiritual retreat day. I accomplished quite a lot while Lydia was at school, even though I didn’t have anything pressing in my schedule. I simply sat with God for a while (reading and praying) and kept Him close as I went about my day. I felt Him lead me as I did chores and prepared for the week. Somehow, He helped me be more productive than usual, even though I spent “extra” time with Him! 🙂

Because I was more in-tune with Jesus, I also was able to face some fears and took several steps of faith. I’ve been working on a project for quite awhile and am entering a new phase. It’s good but a little scary. All month, I stalled and made little progress—but on Monday, with God’s strength, I pushed forward. And, I had several encouraging conversations as a result!

On Thursday, my friends came over for Bible study. We enjoyed our conversation and discussed several pertinent mom issues. I’m grateful for godly friends!

Friday evening was spent volunteering with an organization called, Feed My Starving Children. We opened, filled, weighed, and sealed small bags of food. It was cool because Lydia was able to help and see the direct result of her effort. The event put our own eating habits into perspective, too.

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #151

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was cold and snowy, but still really good. It was rather lowkey, which was fine by me! Lydia was off for MLK day, and so we stayed home and relaxed. I enjoyed reading MLK, Jr. quotes and stories, and Lydia told me what she had learned at school.

Tuesday and Wednesday were work and school days. On Tuesday, my neighbor used my recently fixed snow blower and helped clear both our driveways. We also helped a couple other neighbors. On Wednesday evening, I was grateful ‘blizzard conditions’ held off until after our evening activities at church.

On Thursday, school started 2 hours late. Lydia was glad to sleep in! Thankfully, I wasn’t scheduled to work that day so didn’t miss anything important. It took me much longer to clear snow that day, because I had to inch through major drifts. Still, I was grateful for my snow blower and that I didn’t have to shovel afterall!

I spent a lot of time praying this week, for friends near and far. Some needed prayer for jobs, sick children, and other medical issues. I also spent a lot of time praying about the recent abortion law(s) that were passed. I want to be sensitive to differing views than my own. At the same time, I’ve been considering what to do to help. Lord, have mercy on us all.

On Friday my schedule opened up so I made a little progress on a project. Later, a friend came over to hang out and watch Netflix. This evening, we are having a girls night with Netflix and Chinese food. My friend also asked me to give her hair a trim (about 3″)! 🙂

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Food and Nutrition, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #150

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week flew by, but went well. Recently, I recorded a video about my story and grief for church. Lydia and I were there when the video was shown Monday evening. Now she thinks I’m famous (haha!). I love her current age and stage!

Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly normal. It’s been chilly all week, but it hasn’t snowed. I’m really glad I haven’t had to shovel or blow away snow lately!

This week, I caught up with people in four different states. On Thursday, I caught up with a dear friend, who moved away this summer. Then, on Friday, I talked with three other people!! I also invited a friend over for an impromtu dinner. It made me feel so good. What a blessing!

Today, Lydia and I hung out at home. Our neighbor boys came over to play for a few hours. We played, ate snacks, and watched the new Carmen Sandiego show on Netflix. I also made up a game called ‘Apple Zombie Tickle Monster’ which was a hit! Basically, it was me chasing and tickling all the kids much to their delight. 😉 Creativity for the win!

This evening, Lydia and I also caught up with my parents, and discussed tomorrow’s lunar eclipse (in addition to the super blood wolf moon)! We also ate leftover veggie enchilada bake and some cherry cobbler I made yesterday. A grand finale to an awesome week!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #149

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

This week was full of surprises and blessings. On Sunday, Lydia woke up not feeling well, so we stayed home from church. Thankfully, she felt better later in the day. I spent the “extra” time in the kitchen and prepared meals for the week. I also made some raspberry chia jam and chocolate banana bread! So yummy!

Monday was a little bittersweet because it was my 11th wedding anniversary. It was my sixth one without Dave. I spent the day running errands and thanking God for the time we had together. I also reposted this on my Facebook page (from a few years ago)!

On Thursday, I went downtown Fargo with a good friend. We both needed to run errands and decided to go to lunch together! Along the way, we went to a specialty shop so I could taste-test some flavored vinegars. I bought a fig-infused dark balsamic vinegar and a peach-infused white balsamic vinegar. I can’t wait to use them in creative ways!

On Friday, our friends gave us tickets for the Fargo Force hockey game (thank you!). Lydia and I had so much fun cheering on the team. We try to go every year, but now Lydia is able to follow the game better. Our team won in overtime!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!

Posted on in Finding Grace Weekly Recap, Miscellaneous

Finding Grace #148

I love giving God a shout out for what He has done. We don’t do that nearly enough!

You may have seen the acronym GRACE as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is also God’s unmerited favor, or God doing for us what we cannot.

I find grace overflowing with God’s love, joy, peace, blessings, mercy, power, provision, protection, and wisdom. Thank You, Jesus!

Where did I find God’s love and favor—His abundant grace—this week?

Happy New Year! 2019 is off to a good start! We rang in the new year at home. It was chilly and blizzardy, but we didn’t mind! My snowblower still isn’t working so the next day, I spent 2 hours in below zero temperatures shoveling snow. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, and later in the week I treated myself to a massage! 😉 

On Wednesday, we went back to school and work. Lydia was glad to see her friends. We also received a good report at the orthodontist. Lydia has had an expander for the last few weeks. Thankfully, it is doing its job and she will likely be getting braces next month.

Thursday was a busy day! After school and work, Lydia played with friends in the snow while I did things aroud the house. Lydia was invited to a neighbor’s house for dinner which was much appreciated.

Then, later on Thursday evening, I had some friends over for Bible study and to visit. We ladies meet regularly and it is always good to encourage each other!

I’m grateful for how God always directs our path and blesses us. He is so good!

**********

These are only a few examples, but God’s grace never runs out!

There’s grace in every situation—we just need to look for it. God promises if we seek Him, we will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13)!