52|12 :: Nature

52|12

I see grace in:

nature

"The Heavens declare the 

glory of God, and the sky 

above proclaims His handiwork."

That verse is found in Psalm 19.1 and I love it! Sometimes the glory of God is so obvious in His creation. It is easy for me to see and feel the presence of God by looking at the sky. There's something about it that opens my eyes and I can experience Him there. 

52|11 :: My Son

52|11

I see grace in:

my son

I can never be too 

thankful for my son who 

is a huge gift from God.

This week as I was watching Aiden play I was struck with thoughts of all the parents I know who have lost a young child. I was immediately so heart broken for them and prayed because I can't imagine that feeling. Then of course my mind starts a cycle I've had before. Starting with fear of that happening to Aiden, if you stay there as a mom it is just terrible, so I force myself to move on and focus on the sovereignty and intimate love of God. I can trust Him with the lives of those I love so dearly. Then the cycle ends with being so thankful for Aiden and all those in my life and I am pushed to make the most of the moments. Life is such a gift!

52|10 :: Sisterly Friendship

52|10

I see grace in:

sisterly friendship

We've been in each other's lives from 

the start and I look forward to the future 

with hope of growing closer and deeper.

This past week my youngest sister and her boyfriend came to visit us! I'm blessed to have three amazing sisters in my life and I love it when we see each other! I'm so thankful for the time we had with Jocelyn and Kevin and the growth that was experienced. :) Love you!

52|09 :: Rest

52|09

I see grace in:

rest

Even in the most craziest of

weeks, there must be time taken 

for rest so I can make it through.

It has definitely been one of those weeks, where there is something everyday. I was very thankful for yesterday where I got to just sit for a little while. Spend time with God and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. It's absolutely necessary for all of us. Otherwise life can take us over and I get overwhelmed and stressed. I encourage you, today or this weekend, take some time to rest and to do something you love. For your soul.

52|08 :: Intentional Living

52|08

I see grace in:

intentional living

Deciding to purposefully involve our 
child in day to day life is a practical way 
to live as the family we want to be.

Recently I have discovered that being a mom to a toddler is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. More on that in Monday's post, but in the meantime, this week I had a "light bulb click". I simply took Aiden down with me to do laundry and involved him in the thing I needed to do. He loves moving things around the house so I thought he would love putting his dirty clothes in the washer. He did! It opened my eyes to start seeing ways to involve him instead of "play with Aiden time" and "Mommy needs to get things done time". I know he is still young, but I think it's good to start now and will help us become a close knit family who are involved in each others lives. We did it again yesterday, and I think he especially likes sitting on the dryer. :)

52|07 :: Three

52|07

I see grace in:

three

A daddy, a mommy & a son. 

Three people who will forever 

share a special connection.

This picture may not mean much to you, but it means a lot to me. The other day as I was picking up, these three pairs of shoes were thrown together on our rug in the kitchen. I lined them up like I usually do and couldn't help but smile as I walked away. I just love it, I love who we are and these are our shoes. I love that thrown into the pile of big people shoes are those little ones. It just makes me happy. I am thankful for how God blesses.

52|06 :: Friends, Food & Football

52|06

I see grace in:

friends, food & football

Those three things added

together plus a happy kid

makes for one fun night.

This past Sunday we had a great time hanging out with some friends, eating awesome food and watching the Superbowl. Of course I had to buy Aiden a special shirt for the occasion, it's not every year a team from your state makes it to the Superbowl. And he did awesome that night, all the way till after 10pm when we left! I credit it to his amazing naps that day and all the food, including the best chocolate chip cookies ever! Also you can't go wrong with our state bringing home the win, there were some very happy people in that room! :) Hope you all had a good night too, whether you watched the game or not!

52|05 :: Sunshine & Warmth

52|05

I see grace in:

sunshine & warmth

Enjoying this strange but awesome 

warm winter and looking forward to

the days of Spring and Summer.

This winter has been the best of my life. We've had like two real snows and uncommonly warm days! This past Tuesday, it was like 50 degrees so Aiden and I definitely took advantage! We went to the rail trail, which if you aren't from this area it is a two mile paved trail for people to walk, run, ride..etc. I went with the goal of just letting Aiden play and explore and basically call the shots. It was for him to be outside and enjoy himself! He played mostly around this house at the start and we walked a little ways, waving to everyone who walked by and stopping to pet every dog (and there were a lot), then turn to follow them. HaHa. It was a lot of fun and can I just say how cute is he in that Wii hat and sunglasses! 

I couldn't help but add captions to these following pictures because this is what I really feel he is saying. :)

"I'd like to come in and explore this building."

"Excuse me, could you please come back with your dogs?
I wasn't finished with them yet."

Aiden: "Can I climb over this into the mud?"
Mommy: "No Aiden, you have to stay on the ramp." 

52|04 :: Our Family

52|04

I see grace in:

our family

Some of the best times are

the three of us together

just being ourselves.

To say we have been busy these past couple months would be an understatement. Things have been insane! So it has been great to have a week where we have been home most nights. My greatest memories since Aiden has been born are times that the three of us are together. Not doing anything special, but playing, laughing and experiencing the moments. We are also in the process of making exciting changes to allow for more of this time together. Pouring into your children and your marriage is too important to let it slip by. 

52|03 :: A Life Lived for Christ

52|03

I see grace in:

a life lived for Christ

"We are confident, yes, well pleased 
rather to be absent from the body 
and to be present with the Lord."
2 Corinthians 5:8

I have changed my title of "Small Graces" to just "Grace" because both big and small graces happen in our lives and I want to share both, this story is a big grace. 

A few weeks ago Aunt Marg left this earth after battling cancer to be with Jesus. She was an amazing woman of God who was so good at loving people! I met her almost ten years ago when my family moved to Ohio. I don't have too many specific memories, but what I do remember is simply that she was there, interested in our lives, excited to see us when we came to visit and wanting to be involved. She was a joy. There are three things that are special memories to me... 

When Dan and I were in high school I would sometimes take Dan to Aunt Marg's to get his hair cut and then before we were married and were going to move she taught me how to do it myself. I remember how nervous I was, but each time she would have me do a little more until I got it. I think about her almost every time I cut Dan's hair (which is very often). She would always say "the difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is two weeks". 

Second, she invested in Dan as he went to college and after; which was a blessing to us in many ways. And when it came time for Dan to graduate she came all the way out for his graduation. It was very special to us that she would make the trip and we are thankful we got to share that time with her.

Third, this summer after James & Erica's wedding in West Virginia Aiden & I rode to Ohio with Janie and Marg. Those seven hours or so was just fun to be with them. You wouldn't know Aunt Marg was weak by how talkative she was and how she would hold Aiden and play with him when we stopped. She was such a blessing to be around.

I have such confidence that she is in Heaven in the presence of God and that is such an encouragement to me. When someone leaves this earth we all tend to look at life a little differently for a while, and through her I am encouraged to continue strong in my walk with the Lord. Having known Aunt Marg personally, I will be inspired when I remember how I saw her walk with God to the end. She will be greatly missed, but Dan and I will see her again when we get to the streets of gold!

I want to end with a challenge to all who are reading this and I encourage you to please read this last part even if you know what I am going to say. This life is not all there is. There is a heaven and hell and we exist on this earth to have the chance to become a child of God so we can be with Him in the next. It is not about being a good person or trying your hardest. It is about accepting the GRACE of Jesus alone. This is the most important choice you will make in this life and you won't have the choice in the next, if you get there it's too late. If you have questions, please talk to me and I would love to tell you more!

52|02 :: Memories

52|02

I see small graces in:

memories

A recipe, a photo, a smell. 
So many things that trigger special 
feelings from my childhood.

I am so blessed to have had the childhood I did. I grew up close to a lot of people from both sides of the family and I am so glad for that! I have so many memories of days at Grandma & Grandpa Andersen's riding the snowmobiles, picking up sticks, Grandpa grilling hot dogs, homemade ice cream, laughter, eating! And at Grandma & Grandpa Peterson's going to the Bakery and Golden Corral, spending the night, playing on the water beds, Grandma's rolls, playing Mario and getting all the cards on the special because my Grandpa wrote them all down! And I could go on and on! I have multiple of both my Grandma's recipes and if there is anything they have made that I want to try I just email them and they send me the recipe. And I love doing it because it just brings me back to their kitchen and I feel the love. I will only ever make my Grandma Peterson's zucchini bread and yesterday I made my Grandma Andersen's Oatmeal Bars. I used to look forward to her making these, big time! There is just something about them that makes me really happy. Mine are a little lacking compared to hers and it took me three tries to make the frosting, but they still are yummy. I love you family and I miss you like crazy!!

52|01 :: Progress

52|01

I see small graces in:

progress

Because little steps at a time are how

we reach the big goal at the end.

Project 52

Welcome to 2012

In the year of 2012 I want to do something called "Project 52". I will take a picture once a week relating to a theme and write a little something about it. My goal is to have something meaningful and cool enough to make into a coffee table book. I am really excited about this!! 

My topic is...."Small Graces"

Dan came up with the topic awhile ago and it is perfect!! I am the type of person who looks to the big events in life as the exciting or fulfilling times. But really I think that if I can see God in the everyday and enjoy these small moments that my life will be full. So I am hoping this project will grow me more in that direction as I purposefully am looking for the small graces. 

I will be posting each week on Saturday, please join me and 

we can walk through this new year together!  

I would love it if you would leave a comment about a 

small grace you experienced in any given week!