Shades of Gray and Many Thanks

...whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. 

Proverbs 11:25

Kind friends, I can't thank you enough for your encouraging words and emails. What a blessing you are! How you have refreshed my heart. You, your words and prayers, are a mercy from Him indeed. God is so good. Long list of mercies to follow below!

Today I'll share my latest Project 52 photo. Their theme this week was Shades of Gray. You can see that Short and Stout has made another appearance. I have a theme of my own, you see. I'm going to attempt to incorporate the teapot into each week's challenge. I find my shot below a bit boring, but I couldn't keep playing with it forever, so this was my final choice. Needs a human element. Given more time, I would've tried this with one of my children holding the pot or cup or something like that.

636 connections of kindness and edification from others through comments and emails and prayers...the enormous grace of learning that God encouraged others through me! Soli Deo Gloria, again!

637 time to make muffins the other morning

638 a  date!

639 Starbucks with J, someone who's been through an amazingly similar valley in the recent past

640 Starbucks with Mrs. M

641 homegroup with church family...great food, a true potluck, lots of happy kids and adults catching up, sharing

642 whirling a certain little girl who woke up on the wrong side of the bed after nap

643 the big gap where the top tooth is missing in LC's mouth

644 sneaking a few chocolate chips here and there, now and then

645 late night cleaning accomplished

646 a few stories read at lunch, for a discouraged 4th grade mathemetician

647 errands with only two of the girls = special time with them

648 CA's happy sideways skip

649 the sight of their made beds (oh, we're working on habits...)

650 soft lamplight in the bedrooms at night

651 the moon in the wee hours today...grayblue light on the ground

652 fresh kitchen rugs and hand towels - a nice bright green and brown, replacing the red

653 cleaned out silverware drawer

654 growing pile of "get rid of" stuff = simplified home life

655 bits of good news

656 CA: found munching peanuts from a Costco sized jar, happily perched in the big brown chair (also caught her with an upturned milk carton this morning - those adventurous fourth children!)

657 CJ seems to be healing up from her ear infections without a trip to the doctor or meds

658 two braids for CA

659 one braid for EG - I must do this more often...stop and bless them when they make such requests... 

660 CA to the big girls when they run ahead of her: Wait ON! And, when she's dizzy: I'm bizzy!

661 that LC ran to find my "missing" shoes when I couldn't find them...she is very thoughtful like this...and she found them - I had not looked very carefully!
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The view from my schooldesk the other day....

And, the color version of Short and Stout...