All of It

So much to be thankful for.
So much that can be taken for granted.
So much to slow down and consider.

God's Grace.
God's Mercy.
God's Blessings.

All from HIS hand.
What we call *good*
and what we might even call *bad*.

But God's Word calls
everything HE does in our lives
for our Good.
All of it.

Thankfulness.
It comes from HIM.
Recognizing HIS hand in it all.
It comes from HIM.

All of HIM!

The last time I counted
here on this blog was about
three months ago!
I have logged 75 (this marks 76)
posts numbering my thanks.
I have not forgotten what a blessing
it has been.
I purpose to continue.

By HIS Grace.
For HIS Glory.

For ALL that HE has done!

1516. Walk at the beach ~
Just me and my girl!

1517. The way she chatters on and on

1518. Impromptu game of chess between two
of our children

1519. Christmas decorations

1520. A freshly cleaned yard and lights in the trees

1521. Visible reminders that our Precious Saviour
is the LIGHT of the World!

1522. Hand-me-downs for ME!

1523. That they co-ordinate with my wardrobe

1524. The LORD is in the details!

1525. Emma just after opening her
main gift from us ~
Two homemade robes...one for Emma
and the other for her doll.
(Completed *just in time* the night before ~
I certainly did not plan it that way!)

~ Photo by Calvin ~

1526. Celebrating Advent as a family ~
A wonderful tradition!

~ Photo by Calvin ~

1527. More traditions

1528. Memories and making new ones

1529. Old Betsy (blue) and her
10 years of service (she is now 17!!) ~
WONDERFUL
for our children to learn on!


1530. God's provision of a
*new to us* five year old van
imported from California.

1531. Hard times that drive us to the LORD

1532. That the LORD is IN the hard times

1533. That HE never leaves us nor forsakes us

1534. Precious Promises

1535. The lessons we learn through our struggles

1536. The lessons the children learn through theirs

1537. The steadying knowledge that our Great God
is absolutely Sovereign and does ALL things well

1538. Blood for our child

1539. The donors who gave it

1540. Prednisone

1541. A reprieve from this disease over Christmas

1542. A conservative and open-minded GP

1543. A conservative and open-minded Naturopathic Physican

1544. Leftovers and meals in the freezer

1545. God's People and their prayers

1546. Blogging friends and their prayers ~
Thank you SO much!

1547. Friendships through this means

1548. God's Goodness to us over and over and over again!

1549. That HE knows how much we can handle ~
And NEVER burdens us with more!

1550. That my lost ring was found! :)

My journal sits on my counter.

I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Sweet and Salty

My friend Trisha shared this
recipe on her blog recently.

Oh YUM!

And Oh SO easy!
Too easy, actually ~
I've made it LOTS!

~ Homemade Kettle Corn ~

1/3 Oil (I use Coconut Oil)
1/2 Cup Sugar (I use Organic, unrefined)
1/2 Cup Popcorn (unpopped)
Sea Salt to taste

Melt oil and sugar in pot
over medium heat on the stove.
Add popcorn.
Cover with a tight fitting lid.
Shake the pot over medium-high
heat until popping slows right down.
You will need oven mitts for this step.
Do not keep on the heat too long
as it will burn...not good!

Immediately pour out onto foil.
Salt to taste.
Allow to cool slightly
and call all your loved ones to share.
It makes a generous amount...
but it doesn't last long.

We LOVE it!
Thank you Trisha for sharing
and for allowing me to re-share here. :)

Happy Popping!
Camille

Sliding Back to *Normal*

For the six days
right over Christmas
it was a flurry of activity around here.
Family coming and going.

And with all that coming
and going, we sought to
remember the REAL Reason for it all.

God is Good.
We are thankful that HE came!

The first day of our *six days of Christmas*
was my Dad's birthday.
On the 22nd.
Roast Beef,
Yorkshire Pudding
and Chocolate Log Roll
for dessert were on the menu.

A Tradition.

My sister and her family and my brother
came by after dinner for a visit.
Complete with an open fire.

W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L.

What can beat a REAL fire?
I'm so glad we didn't close it in
years ago like we were tempted to.

Then we had our Christmas Eve
a day early (the 23rd).
And celebrated Christmas as a
family on the 24th.

Christmas Day we went to church
and then spent the afternoon
with Howie's parents.
They are unable to make the trek
out to our home for Christmas Eve Dinner by the Fire,
so we took it to them...on Christmas Day.
SO thankful that we still can.

On Boxing Day (26th) my Mom and
Sister and her family came to our
home for Turkey and all the Trimmings.

That night our niece stayed for
a sleep-over with Emma.
F.U.N. Times!

The 27th we spent the day
with Howie's family at his
brother's home.
Turkey with all the Trimmings
once again.

How blessed we are!
How thankful!

As wonderful as it was
to have had all those precious
family times...
As wonderful as it was
to have made some precious
memories...

We must slide back
into *normal* living.
It's where the daily
grace for life and living are.
Here's to *Normal*...
whatever THAT may be! :)

As you slide back into
your *normal*,
may the LORD give you daily
HIS grace and bless you with HIS peace.

In HIS Love,
Camille

Lesson Learned

My Engagement Ring.

I have had it for over 21 years.
In all that time I have only lost it once.

A few weeks ago.
For a whole week.
I, however, didn't know it was missing
until after six days.
(I wear my gold wedding band
all the time...it's the diamond ring
that I often go without.)

The Ring lives in a special
hiding place.
If it's not on my finger,
it's there.

Always.

Except for that time mid-December.
It wasn't.
When I discovered that it was missing
I prayed.

And then...
I had Howie take apart the plumbing
under the kitchen sink.
I sorted through six days' worth of garbage.
I sifted through a full vacuum bag.
I cleaned behind the fridge and stove.
Thoroughly.

Nothing.

We went to church on Sunday morning.
We listened to a wonderful sermon.
And I was distracted.
I tried not to be.

And then the Pastor had us
turn to Genesis 3:15.
Like he had the week before.

And there. was. my. RING!


Laying there.
Right where I had put it.
The week before.
Oh. My. Heart.

Yes, I did read my Bible that week.
In Isaiah.
In the New Testament.
But not in Genesis.

Moral of the story?
Do not play with your ring
in church.
Keep it on your finger.
And pay attention to the sermon!

Blessings,
Camille

Challenge 1 - Recycling

Welcome to 2012!  I can't beleve it - a whole new year and we have a year full of wonderful challenges and fabulous prizes ahead.  You'll see a lot of our regular sponsors but we always have room to welcome a few new ones too.  Whether old or new, we appreciate all our sponsors and followers.  Here's to a great year!

Our theme for this challenge is 'Recycling' and you'll see from our samples that we have included projects as well as cards.  Please bear in mind that any entries should be geared towards a boy or a man.  To sponsor this challenge we have one of our regular sponsors, One Stop Card Crafts and the prize is £10 gift voucher.

At One Stop Card Crafts we have a big range of ever changing discount card making and cardmaking craft supplies.We are always adding to our range of craft supplies which are ideal for making handmade greeting cards, do-it-yourself invitations scrapbook pages, altered items and much more.

Our card making craft supplies include free UK postage* and our popular discount scheme and quick service means our customers keep coming back for more.

Our prices are very competitive and this makes us an ideal place to buy your cardmaking supplies online.

So let's see what we've come up with to help you along with inspiration:

Michelle

Tracy

Shirley

Sandra - mine takes no introduction lol used toilet rolls

Jen - Using Quality Street Wrapper

Donna -  I used ribbon band from Christmas Cake and image/sentiment from 2010 Christmas Cards.

  

Patricia - I made these for my son. I will fill them with different kinds of candy. His birthday is not til January 9th - did not want to fill them to soon.

I hope that's given you a few ideas.  Now for some rules:

1. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.

2. There must be a link in your post back to Cards for Men.

3. Your card must be for a boy/man.

The challenge will run from now until midnight GMT on 15th January 2012.  Leave a link to your card (not just your blog) in the link list below. If the link list is not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll add you in before the draw.  Good luck.

"CHEER-ios!" Classroom Cheers for Super Smarties!

CHEER-ios!  Classroom cheers printed on cheerios, get it?!  HA!  I have wanted to make this project for awhile now--it has been in my idea book for at least a year--and I am so happy I finally found the time to make it!  This past year, I have added classroom cheers to my daily routine--and it has been the single BEST thing I have done to encourage participation, build classroom community, and create a room full of ENERGIZED and eager learners! {Seriously...no "sleepy time" in my classroom with cheers!} I use cheers ALL the TIME. When doing SmartBoard lessons, and I call on a student to come to the board to help complete a task or find the correct answer, I call out the name of a cheer, and the rest of the class will encourage their little friend by doing one of the cheers in my "Cheerios" book! It may be a dance--like my personal favorite--The Sprinkler Dance! Or it can be something like The Cowboy, "YEE-HAW!" I started out by teaching my students five or six cheers, then added more each week. They caught on so quickly!  The kids love encouraging one another, and it is so neat to just call out the name of a cheer and see everyone do it!  

I printed these out on card stock, cut out the circles (and I cut out the middle--but you don't have to), laminated the set, and put them on a metal ring so I can flip through them easily, and have all of my cheers right in front of me, so I won't have to come up with them on the spot!

Teacher friends, go here to get CHEERios for your class!  (I have made 20 of my absolute personal FAVES!)  I hope you will love doing cheers as much as we do!!!  

P.S.  To show my appreciation to all of my ROCKIN' Readers, I am giving away TWO of these guys to the first TWO to comment under this post!  As always, I appreciate all of you for reading my little blog!  It has been so wonderful to share ideas with so many incredible teachers and parents out there! Thanks for all of your encouraging comments, uplifting emails, and inspiration.  I am so very grateful!

Nothing to Fear

On the Eve of a New Year,
we pause to reflect.
We remember the Goodness of
our Great God.
We look back on *good* days
and *bad*.

And through it all...
we know the Hand of the
LORD is upon us.
Guiding our moments.
Guiding our days.
Leading us ever to Himself.

Where will HE take us
in 2012?

Nothing to fear.
Only hope.

We fix our eyes on HIM!

Whether this coming year
holds joys or sorrows,
we trust.
The LORD truly
does ALL things well!

May the LORD bless each
one of you in the coming year
with HIS peace and presence.
May you know HIS hand upon you.
And HIS joy within.

"The LORD bless thee,
and keep thee:
The LORD make his face
shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his
countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace."
~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

In HIS Love,
Camille

**Photo courtesy of Emma ~
Thank you my little love! xo