Laundry Woes...sssssss

Ok, so I am trying to be thankful in everything, but I am having a bit of trouble with this one.

After a weekend away, hubster and I came home to find the timer on the washing machine had broken. Ok, no biggie, a bit inconvenient, but fixable. Hubster has spent the week looking for the best prices for a timer and last night hooked the broken timer back up so we can do a bit of laundry. We just set a timer to remind ourselves to go manually move the broken washer timer.

Today, after 2 days of doing no laundry, the boys and I get the laundry dumped and sorted and a load started. As I am waiting to turn the knob on the washer, I begin straightening the area around the washer and dryer. ( My "laundry room" is in our unfinished basement. )

As I was straightening the dryer, emptying the lint trap, etc. something above caught my eye. I like to call this a prompting from the Holy Spirit.

Look closely between the dryer vent and the cabinet.

And again extending over the top of the cabinet between the dryer vent and cabinet.

Yes, you are seeing correctly....it is a ginormous snake skin!!!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am out of here! No more laundry for me and I am very close to sticking a for sale sign in my front yard! Snakes terrify me. I don't have just a small fear of snakes, I am deathly afraid of them, so it is surprising I am even able to post this blog!

My day was all planned to catch up the laundry, and straighten the basement in the process. Well, not so much now!

Hubster and Ashton will be snake hunting tonight. Hopefully they find the monster that is evilly lurking in the dark recesses of my basement, or possibly curled up in all the dirty laundry.

Anyone have a great home remedy for catching snakes? Or want to volunteer their time to come on the Great Snake Hunt of 2012?

Pray we find the snake quickly and are able to extinguish the evil that is lurking in the house!

Today I am choosing to be thankful that I don't have to do any laundry! :) God must have a greater assignment for me.

Abundant August

August in our home is exhausting, but full of an abundance of blessings! 

 We have three birthdays, yes three!!! 

 The hubster's is first, 

followed by Chance who turned 17 this year... 

  

tucked in the middle of the birthdays, is our anniversary

                            

followed by Bryce who turned 15 (today)!

Football practice has started which keeps the boys busy four nights a week!

I coach the cheer leaders which is a huge blessing to me!
They are an absolute joy to work with!
We are busy working our routine for pep rally!
May I just say this is a wonderful group of ladies!  Their parents have done an amazing job raising them to be respectful, polite, hard working young gals!  I love each one of them!

Choir has started back and I am preparing for school to begin after Labor Day.
And all of this in the midst of life as usual...you know, the normal cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.
So between birthday pancakes and celebratory dinners, anniversary get a-ways, football and cheer practice, menus that utilize the crock pots, and every day living, August is abundantly exhausting: in a good way!

Life is good!  I am one blessed Momma! 

Gratefulness

Gratefulness-

adjective

1. Warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful.

2. expressing or actuated by gratitude

3. pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome; refreshing

Gratefulness is expressing sincere appreciation to God and to others for the ways they have benefited my life. 

Today I am feeling that gratefulness needs to be my motto.  I awakened in the night with thoughts of gratefulness for different people and things in my life.  For me, it is very easy to see the many things to complain about, especially with an insanely busy week ahead.  Yet, I have a peace because of the many blessings in my life!

So....I am grateful today for

 being allowed a weekend away with my husband;

healthy, happy, children;

sunshine and cool breezes;

fresh fruit;

friends who are "God with skin on" to me-you know who you are :);

the ability to stay at home with my children while my hubby slaves away;

my garden;

books;

not having to mow the yard (due to the drought which I am not thankful for but there is still a blessing in it);

friends, friends, friends;

music;

ice water;

Ok, this list could go on and on.  I know a lot of the things I listed seem trivial, yet I feel these are the things often taken for granted.  

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thes 5:18

This is a verse that God is continually teaching and working out in me.  It is very easy to give thanks when life is looking rosy, but not so much when you are on the down side of the mountaintop.  In everything...  This is my goal and a continual work in progress.  

Today....I choose gratefulness.