1 Thessalonians 5… “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant […]
The Young Family Farm »
Author Archives: admin I’m still reflecting on that adoption post I told you guys I’ve been thinking about. And in the mean time–God continues to put so much on my heart…He continues to burden my heart for orphans…for the poor…for the widows…even for children in our own community who aren’t technically orphans but miss the guidance and love […] Adorable shirt.. just bought one for a Christmas present. Hoping my husband knows how much I like it and will buy me one for Christmas, too;0) love that shirt..will have to grab me one 🙂 kj I can’t wait to find out more about Sixty Feet. I am trying to highlight some organizations in my blog world this month. Great shirt! I read below where you feel a “storm-brewing” in your heart concerning orphan care & adoption. Girl. If I could reach across my computer screen & grab your hands and hug you, I would. I found your site youtubing “gotcha days” for Ethiopia. There are no words for the storm brewing in my own heart, but I know you know, and I know God’s heart for these little ones is love…and a home… Just thought I’d drop a line of encouragement. Your video brought me to tears. I’m so thankful for you stepping out in obedience. Oh girl … I know all about that storm brewing feeling. You are incredible woman!!! Always speaking exactly what I’m thinking. I’ve been lurking and haven’t left you, but here to say I love you and all those things you feel stirred to do, are my desires too. But I wait for His will. Quite frankly, my husband thinks living in Ethiopia isn’t an option. But I’m sure if God saw fit to put us there, He would make it known to the leader of our family. And those home school dreams….. yep, been there done that. Oh how I have considered home schooling. And yes, people had thought I’d lost my mind. But I’m sold out for HIM and whatever HIS will is for our lives and those thoughts aren’t placed in our hearts and minds by accident girlfriend! Thanks for the links to help support another adoptive family! Off to buy a new shirt to add to my collection! Much love, xoxox I love your heart and all the information you share. Not a ton of people in my neck of the country share this same passion and it is so wonderful to grow with others through blogs etc.. Thanks! Love this post — and your heart! 🙂 (ps – I have some book recommendations on my blog I think you might enjoy!) 🙂  My heart overflows with thanksgiving today…for so many reasons…so it was fitting to make a Thankful Tree—which is our family’s tradition to do every year. Last year, we painted our tree on kraft paper so it could be displayed and then thrown away later. You can see it here. I bought a little die cut […] Tonight, I am thankful that HIS mercies are new every morning and for HIS grace. As a homeschooling mom with an emotionally fragile toddler, some days are hard and this was one of them. But tonight, as I reflect on my day, I am not walking in condemnation. I am walking in His grace, and knowing that tomorrow is a new day with new promise….and feeling very thankful. And, sort of wishing that I was not so tired and could be creative and make a super cute ‘thankful tree!’ Thanks for sharing that!! What a cute idea! I love the tree. Today I’m thankful for all the encouraging friends I’ve met in the adoption community! I am thankful for so many things, but to choose just one – it would have to be Jesus Christ and His unfailing love. Oh how cute!!! I just may have to copy this if it’s ok. 😉 Right now we are clipping up leaves each day with tiny clothespins to a ribbon going across my drapes. This is way nicer! 🙂 I am thankful for YOU and others who are so real and honest in sharing the emotional ups and downs of following Christ and reminding everyone that it is worth it all and brings joy unspeakable! THANK YOU! Awesome idea! We might have do this every day of the year. I am so thankful that God has been showing me that He is totally involved in every single detail of our lives. I am at peace more now that I have realized that. I am thankful that despite all my stressing and worrying about sending my firstborn to kindergarten, she loves it. She wishes it was 7 days a week. And today, she gets to try riding the bus for the first time. I was thinking of changing my mind but when I opened her door this morning she said, “Today’s the day I get to ride the bus!” I’m thankful for her joy and boldness in the face of my mommy worry. Andrea, this is AWESOME!!! We have done one in the past, too, but not this awesome!! 🙂 Thank you for encouraging me to get it back out! I kinda forgot! 🙂 Oh…and I am thankful for refinement…I know that sounds crazy, but that is what the Lord has laid on my heart today. …that God loves me so much to not let me stay where I am…and He is faithful! It is my tendency to feel insecure in refining things (like I don’t “measure up”…ha! as if I ever could!), but today, I am THANKFUL. Change me, Lord! (Heb. 12:5) Seriously, you and your crafty-ness! 🙂 Love the tree! And it’s a good thing you don’t live too close or I’d be convincing you to make one of those for me. What a precious keepsake for your family! I am thankful for you and the ways your blog reaches so many and brings Him glory. And I’m continually thankful for the ways God brings Himself glory through circumstances in my life that I would have never humanly chosen, but have refined me in more ways than I can count! I’m thankful that my nephew survived emergency surgery last week, and is healing! I am thankful I am a child of the King… AND for people like you who inspire me to be crafty:) Stealing this great idea! I love this idea – I had seen in on your list of crafts from last year (just in the past week or so) and thought it truly rocks. Even though my son is only two, I think I will start this attitude of gratitude around our house. I am thankful for an awesome adoption community where ideas are shared. I am thankful for THIS post today because it really lifted my spirit! On another note, I would love to have a version of this craft for the non-crafty moms out there….Maybe one that didn’t require drawing and painting a tree! i love this post, i love that you reminded us that He knows the end of our stories and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that tree! I am thankful for Isaac (my Isaac) being in our family and being our son and all glory goes to God for that. I look forward to our first thanksgiving and Christmas together as a family of three! Love this!! So thankful for great friends with great ideas:) Thanks so much for sharing this. My kids are 2 1/2 and 1 and I’m looking for things like this to help make this time of year more meaningful for them as they grow! I’m heading to the craft store this afternoon so we can make our own thankful tree! I can’t wait! I am thankful that this month marks the one year anniversary of God calling us me to adoption!! And I am thankful that there are super creative, cragty mommas out there that can give the rest of us good ideas! 🙂 And I am thankful that I just looked back at that comment and realized I mispelled “crafty!” 🙂 I am thankful for this family of faith. Even though I don’t know you and may never meet you on this side of Heaven, I have benefited from your writings. I appreciate your willingness to be real and teachable – in that, you teach all of us! I’m thankful for your blog. You are such an inspiration, not to mention great crafty ideas. I hope you don’t mind if I copy your thankful tree idea. P.S. AND OF COURSE copy away the rest of you!!! This is SUCH a sweet tradition!!! I caught myself saying to my kids, “Ok guys–only 1 leave today…no, only pick ONE…” And then some days they’d beg for THREE..and they’d keep on going after 3 and I’d say “Okay, okay…that’s enough being thankful!” Seriously—isn’t that something crazy to say to your kids!!! This activity is so cool like that!!!! I’m thankful that i just saw your post sharing a non-crafty alternative for those of us who would need a week to pull off something as creative as your painted tree! 🙂 Definitely going to do the sticks in a vase with paper leaves. Thanks for sharing your heart and encouraging others through your blog… I always enjoy your posts! I am thankful for my only sibling, my sister, who came through hip replacement surgery yesterday with no complications. It was pretty amazing to feel God’s presence with her. I am also thankful that God will also be holding my hand as I experience the same surgery in a couple of weeks. GREAT idea… we are going to make one too… went to the store today with the boys and found silk leaves to uses instead but couldnt bring myself to buy the canvas this year (but ill be keeping an eye out for a sale). off to trace my tree and paint it while the boys are sleeping! so excited! cant wait to see yalls finished product and ours. so thankful for you 🙂 I like this tree! This might be something I can do to pass the time. Great idea! I am thankful our son has been home with us for 8 weeks now! We are blessed. I am thankful God knows our whole story and has since the beginning of time. Praise the Lord. I am so thankful that our Abby is finally home from India to celebrate Thanksgiving with her FAMILY this year!!!! I am thankful too for a wonderful hubby who has the same passion to follow God just as I do!! So very thankful for finding the right agency that has not only been a blessing but so have those using AGCI!!! I have so much to be thankful for!! I am thankful for my wonderful husband and five great kids. I love the fact that I get to share life with them! I am sooo thankful that God didn’t give up on me! 🙂 I am thankful for inspiring friends like you! We painted our own version of a thankful tree tonight and the whole family put on their first leaves. Thank YOU, Andrea, for this amazing gift! […] gotten pretty crafty too. I love this Thanksgiving tree- I saw it here on a favorite blog and made our own version this morning. Each day we will write what we are […] Every one remembers that humen’s life seems to be expensive, however we require money for various issues and not every one earns big sums money. So to receive quick loan and student loan should be a right solution. […] go around and say what we are thankful for and write it on the paper. Last year, I was inspired by this post to make a thankful tree on canvas that we can use every year and then we can keep our leaves from […]  Today was a very happy day in Frank’s life…and IMO–a sad one in mine! My baby boy turned TWO! UGH. That just sounds like a toddler and not a baby. I sure have enjoyed saying “I have two one-year-olds”…so today that changed and our sweet little man turned TWO! We kept it simple. VERY simple. […] OK my mom’s been making those sausage balls for years but the dip is new to me!! YUM! So doing that next time!! Happy birthday Frank! Happy Birthday, Frank!!! Looks like it was a super fun morning!! Those sausage balls look yummy and sound so easy to make. What temp. do you bake at? Happy Birthday Frank!!!! Our little boys are SOOO very close in age!! Looks like a very fun birthday…and YES his serious face makes me LAUGH so hard! What a cutie. Looks like you had an awesome time! happy b-day Frank! 🙂 Love Thomas the Train! LOVE the Thomas the Tank Engine favor bags…. ah yes, and where does one get creole mustard? Including the TEMP WOULD have been nice!! sorry!!! Bake it at 350 degrees!!! And creole mustard??? You can buy that at any old grocery store! I am coming up for air and trying to catch up on my friends in blog land. I have missed you! :o) Happy Birthday Frankie- LOVE your cake 🙂 and the dishes to go with it!!! YUMMY!!!! Happy Adoption Month! I’ve loved following your adoption story! I just wanted to let you know that I linked to your story today on my blog. My husband and I are living in Zambia (Lusaka, a few hours south of Ndola) and I am off to comment on the six seeds article! 🙂  SO…you’ve got the people who don’t do Halloween at all. Then you’ve got the people who go crazy with the scarey stuff. And then you’ve got the people who just aren’t right…who have a little too much fun with family themes…and have a little too much fun with role play. Um…ya think we fall into […] Too funny love it OK definitely tooo cute!!! Happy Birthday Frankie!!!!! 🙂 Everyone looks GREAT! Hope the evening was a BLAST for all of you! I was disappointed to read that the storm trooper was only part of the wallpaper. I thought for sure YOU had gone all out in full storm trooper gear! 😉 Look forward to enjoying more pics! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I LOVE IT!!! you guys are great! and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANKIE! I’ll have to post some pics with me in them later Staci! Don’t you worry…I was Boba Fett and I had the helmet that talks…metalic silver pants…I couldn’t wear the helmet though for most of the night b/c ITY didn’t like it! Love it! We love Star Wars and I love the whole family idea. We were toying with next year being a Napoleon Dynamite family, we’ll see! love it!! you rocked the star wars theme. the force was definitely with you. p.s. i’m lovin’ the agci calendar cover! This is too cute and we are Star Wars fans… Love it! Pop on over to our new fundraising blog, onelessbrokenheart.blogspot.com We’d love help getting the word out. This give away will benefit not only us, but the Young family too. They’ve had their dossier in Ethiopia for 5 months now. Blessings, Hahahaha!!! Oh my gosh, GREAT picture! Thanks for sharing! I love it. Really put a smile on my face. Blessings! |
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by admin
LOVE this and needed it today. I’ve had one of those days and lost my cool with the kids a few times:(
Love the scripture that states: Test everything. Hold onto the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
It’s a scripture that has led me to growth so much over the years.
Been thinking about and praying for you today!
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…whew did I need this today. I was wallowing in a pitty party as I nurse a husband who just had ankle surgery while managing a house that seems in complete chaos…need to spend some time with God and this verse…letting it sink into my heart…don’t think joy or thankfulness ever crossed my mind today. Thanks Andrea.
God wants us to focus on – HIM in prayer. thanksgiving, and joy because HE is our EVERYTHING!!!! RELEARNING THAT DAILY!
Thank you for this exhortation for all of your readers! Thank you for sharing your heart and honoring God’s faithfulness in the process… His love endures forever!!!