so much to be thankful for...

I know I never mentioned it on this blog, but we were looking at possibly buying one of our neighbor's houses. We've always said that we wouldn't switch neighborhoods unless it was to live on some acreage with the horses, but sometimes a little more room does sound nice.

The house we looked at was just a few doors places down from where we are, and we really thought that some doors might be opening. We just found out, however, that it's looking like we'll stay put. God is always good and his timing and plans are absolutely perfect. Looking at the bigger picture now, I'm so very thankful! Trying to pack up this house, sell it, move, clean, paint, and the list goes on - while I'm due in less than three weeks - sounds like an anxiety attack waiting to happen!

And living in this little house (which is huge by the standards of most of the world) has taught us so much:
*We don't need all the things we think we do sometimes. When we moved from the place we rented, I could not believe how much we'd accumulated before even having kids; we had a basement full of 'stuff' as well as a main floor and upstairs that were nowhere near empty.
*I'm a terrible organizer but have learned to use what space we have.
*Kids love a smaller house... there's never a shortage of little people running around here and I love how they are so comfortable they seem to be!
*I can hear most everything that's going on, no matter what room they're in... and with three 2 to 3-year-olds running around sometimes, is that ever a good thing!
*It doesn't take very long to clean or do yard work... therefore, we're not terribly tied down and can enjoy more frequent trail rides!:)
*And we are so very blessed... God has taught/is teaching us much about contentment and finding that in Him.

I was reading a devotional just yesterday and the verse was from Psalm 37:4:"Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." If we delight ourselves in Him, our desires are not going to be for such earthly things. Do I struggle to delight myself in God first and not in the things I can see or touch? Do I ever! But it is such a comfort to know that His spiritual blessings are always available for His people at any time. And there is nothing more important than that. The little quote that Charles Stanley wrote at the bottom of the devotional goes as follows: "Taking matters into our own hands doesn't "help Him out." God wants to give us our heart's desires in His time, when we're aligned with His will. As we learn to enjoy Him for who He is, our self-focused wants are replaced by His perfect will and purpose for us."

my favorite things... in the kitchen

Lets just start this post by saying that I am NOT a kitchen gadget person... my kitchen is tiny and I have no room for extras.



Except, that is, coffee pots! Oh how I love coffee, coffee cake, coffee company, coffee pots! I have a little Cuisinart with a cone filter, a Bunn coffee maker, a stovetop percolating coffee pot, a stovetop expresso maker, and several french presses which I've broken... I know, maybe just a little excessive... I promise I truly do use them! But what I've really been wanting is one of these drip coffee makers where you pour boiling water in the top chamber, it filters through where you put the grounds in the middle and then pour it out of the bottom when it's finished brewing. It's some of the very best, freshest tasting coffee I've EVER had! One thing that has not slowed down in the least during this pregnancy is my coffee intake... I crave it as much or more (due to lack of sleep) than ever! I've been wanting one of these drip coffee makers for the longest time but haven't wanted to pay the "brand new" price for it. Well, my very sweet and amazingly thrifty mother-in-law and I were talking about these particular coffee pots ages ago, and here's what she left in my car yesterday!



SO EXCITED! Not only does it make an awesome cup of coffee, you don't have any of those plastic parts that most all coffee pots have. I find sometimes coffee can leave a funny taste in your mouth, and I really think it's the plastic. (Like drinking from a travel mug with a plastic lid... it changes the coffee flavor entirely and it just isn't right!) The coffee pot is in mint condition and she found it at no other place than the Goodwill!

Another thing which she's gotten me started on is her Slow Cookers... she is a fabulous cook, but her roasts are truly superior to all others and actually melt in your mouth, if meat can do that...



Seriously, I couldn't make a decent roast until she gave me one of these... which she also picks up at the Goodwill (for $5) instead of paying $70-$80 for a new one! This is the latest one she found for my mom... so thoughtful! Anyway, these slow cookers cook NOTHING like the modern day crock pot and I rarely use my 'regular' crock pot for anything except spiced cider. You can make casseroles, roasts, ANY and every meat, potatoes, WHATEVER! The heat is super easy-to-control and adjust. I truly don't think you can mess up a meal in one of these things. I would dare say you could even pull off dessert! Maybe I'll try that tonight...

Yes, I will... with a delicious cup of black coffee!

Anyway... thank you, Mom, for sharing your secrets and for finding me such great kitchen gadgets!