There's a whole lot of Gratitude up in here...

****Please note the edit below****

Ok. So here's the deal. 

I've been doing my Everyday Gratitude pics..everyday...since January.

I've been posting them on Facebook. (My personal fb page..not The Honey Pot page)

Ok.  Anyways, I keep up with them on there. Every ding dang day (holla hannah).

But ummm....I kinda got behind with my monthly postings on here.

Aaaand... normally I wouldn't care that much but I've been influenced (in a good way) by a certain group of ladies of late and some of them are a little OCD and I think sadly, they are rubbing off on me.... just a touch.  

Like... I've made my bed 5 days in a row now....and I'm hanging up my clothes as I take them off, like immediately  instead of letting them  pile up into a massive mountain.  Now they even have me contemplating taking my makeup off every night before I go to bed! (not really on that one.)

Anyway...I wasn't gonna even post these pics cuz 

1.  There are so many of them.

2. They go all the way back to the mid April.

But the little 2% of OCDness that is inside of me is pretty bossy and I just couldn't let it go.

SO this post is probably more for my enjoyment than yours.

But I will say, as I revisited all these pics and read the things I have been grateful for these past few months,

I couldn't help but thank Jesus....again.

His extravagant love for me is overwhelming.

He lavishes me with such goodness that I can't help but praise Him.

I look at these pics and remember the roller coaster my emotions had been on during most of these as  SOO much change was taking place in our family right and left.

And I know that it is His grace that has sustained me.

My normal self would have caved in to self-pity and probably a little depression  as the kids were flying out the nest right and left...but y'all...

I have experienced (and still am experiencing) a peace that truly surpasses all understanding.

"Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to a rock that is higher than I."

Psalm 61:1-2

He's got me up on a rock.  Dancing.

What a great God we serve!

I hope you know Him personally.  

If you don't, email me and I'll be so happy to tell you about Him.

Really.  I'm not kidding.

****I just took for granted that everyone reading this knows about all  the change I'm talking about that would cause me to wallow in self-pity..cuz if I didn't know me and just saw all these pics,I would be like,"Wha??  This chic is crazy..look at all her blessings!!"  So true...and that is why I started Everyday Gratitude in the beginning of the year....to keep me focused with my eye on the Prize. To focus on the blessings not the change. The change I'm talking about in a nutshell is this.. Within 6 weeks of each other my youngest graduated, my middle got married and my oldest along with her hubs and my three grandchildren moved 11 hours away.  I kinda like my little nest and all my chicks close by so this was/is hard for me.

Here's a whole lot of gratitude.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

I am overwhelmingly grateful.....

Day 111:  for getting to hug my momma and giggle with her....in person.
Day 112:  for all the ladies who showered Lydia with gifts to equip her for a lifetime of cooking.
Day 113:  for unexpected moments that are full of delight.
Day 114:  for watching Little Women with all my little women.

Day 115:  for curly headed grand daughters
Day 116:  for the parents of these two who share them with us grandparents.
Day 117:  for exciting milestones (trying it on to see how it fits)
Day 118:  for this timely reminder today.

Day 119:  for unexpected happy mail. (Love you Jessie and Hannah)
Day 120:  for two beautiful June Brides (aww...they are both married women now!)
Day 121:  for more unexpected happy mail that blessed my socks off! ( holla Jayme-Lee and Laura)
Day 122:  for this here "liquid candy" that Nick shared with me.

Day 123:  for getting to be their Honey.
Day 124:  for lots of orders heading out. (can't wait to get that going again!  Lord willing)
Day 125:  for a weekend with this bunch...and midnight movies together!  #theavengers
Day 126:  for all the places these feet have taken us this weekend! :)

Day 127:  for these three youngns of mine.
Day 128:  for getting a few of these knocked out tonight.  (SO thankful the wedding projects are over!)
Day 129:  for coming home to a clean house with mopped floors compliments of Lauren.
Day 130:  for this good looking man I get to spend every day of my life with.

Day 131:  for fat straws to drink thick smoothies with.
Day 132:  for hearing this little booger say "Honey"...it makes me melt every time.
Day 133:  for hanging twinkle lights at midnight with these girls.
Day 134:  for laurens graduation and all of our family and friends who came out in the rain to celebrate!

Day 135:  for this lady being my Momma.
Day 136:  for pedis from sweet daughters!  ( oh wow....I miss those!.....and her!)
Day 137:  for new seasons with my girls
Day 138:  for this cute new favorite purse compliments of Ladeea.

Day 139:  for days when things just go your way :)
Day 140:  for Nick's gray beard.  I love it.   And him.   A lot.
Day 141:  for all four of us in the same car on a road trip.  Doesn't happen much anymore.
Day 142:  for how happy she is that this will soon be her new name :)  ( and now is!!)

Day 143:  for these finally getting put in the mail. (wedding invitations were almost the death of us.)
Day 144:  for this timely reminder.
Day 145:  for capturing this sweet moment.  The celebratory hug of a State Champion!
Day 146:  for this fine thing being all mine. #stud

Day 147:  for the two mommas the Lord blessed me with in this life.
Day 148:  for coffee in the morning with my momma...my fave.
Day 149:  for celebrating my "new birth" day.  It was 15 years ago today the Lord redeemed and transformed  my life!
Day 150:  for getting a "biggie" scratched of the list today!

Day 151: for our awesome post master who hand cancelled over 200 wedding invites so the cameo wouldn't get damaged in the machine.

Day 152:  for rubber boots and bandanas on a very rainy church night.

Day 153:  for priceless masterpieces.

Day 154: for not having too long of a wait at the DMV.

Day 155:  for reminders like these.  (streams in the desert)
Day 156:  for getting packages from grandkids :)
Day 157:  for love notes from my man...even if he did write on my dirty foot  :)
Day 158:  for a fun day with Lydia soaking up all we can of her before we had to turn her over to Mr. Linton.   (sigh...that was tough y'all...the handing her over part.)

Day 159:  for the fact my momma has walked with Jesus for 41 years today!
Day 160:  for Facetiming with Lauren while she's at youth camp. (making Nacho faces)
Day 161:  for  new adventures :)
Day 162:  for double grandma time.

Day 163:  for getting it all packed up and ready to go and grateful we could be there to help.
Day 164:  for a wild house full of giggles.
Day 165:  for beautiful masterpieces. This one is entitled "Paw Paw Nick" ~drawn by Rosalyn Sirven
Day 166:  for having fun even without electricity.

Day 167:  for hearing "hold me Honey" all week long.
Day 168:  for this man being the daddy of my girls and that he lives his life according to this verse.
Day 169:  for our sweet church family who gathered around and prayed over Lydia on her last Sunday with us before she gets married.  So blessed.
Day 170:   for this sweet girl in my back seat. (we were headn to the court house to sign the marriage license)

Day 171:  for her knowing she should thank God for her food.
Day 172:  for waterproof mascara
Day 173:  for having the entire bag to herself.
Day 174:  for a beautiful place for a certain wedding reception.

Day 175:  for the body of Christ at work...so thankful for the ladies of Bethany Baptist Church who  provided food the entire weekend for our massive family as we worked on decorating a wedding stuff.
Day 176:  for these two and their beautifully blessed day.
Day 177:  for the cutest flower girls ever.
Day 178:  for how our family grows with each wedding.  I love that.

Day 179:  for the sweetness in this picture..  they were mesmerized.
Day 180:  for rides in the country with my man.
Day 181:  for making the last trip hauling wedding stuff home! Woo Hoo!!
Day 182:  for being able to help my other favorite June bride decorate for her big day.

Day 183:  for Miss Julia Rose turning 2 today!
Day 184:  for getting to sit next to Mrs. Linton today... just two married women. No big deal ;)
Day 185:  for being able to sit at our table again now that all the wedding projects have been packed away!
Day 186:  for getting a three hour nap today!

Day 187:  for getting to spend the day with my sweet friend Calah.
Day 188:  for time spent with this sweet lady...the best mom-in-law ever.
Day 189:  for getting to move into Lydia's old closet!  FOr three years Nick and I have shared a closet that is half this size.  This is  like closet heaven for me.
Day 190:  for happy hour with my sis-n-law.  Thankful for time together.

Well there ya have it.

What have you been grateful for?

Besides the fact that I am finally through with this post and there are no more pictures...

Stephanie :)

Everyday Gratitude ~ the extra gooey kind!

Momma Mia!  Where did the time go?!

I promised y'all I wouldn't dump 4 weeks worth of pics on you all at once again

but here I am doing that very thing!!

I promise it wasn't intentional!

I just can't keep up with how fast time is flying by in our family at the moment.

What is faster than warp speed?  

Superman flying faster than a speeding bullet?

Speedy Gonzales running around yelling "Arriba! Arriba!  Andale!  Andale!"

Whatever it is...it is happening in our neck of the woods.

For reals.

As I uploaded these pics and was looking over them,  my heart was so full...overflowing! 

 Like the kind of overflowing that takes place when you microwave too much oatmeal in a bowl that's too small...It just kind of explodes and then oozes out everywhere.

Well that's me at the moment... with all that's going on with weddings and graduations, I've had a few emotional moments of boiling over and exploding...some out of stress, some out of momma emotions of all the change that is taking place.  But somehow the Lord has always managed to speak to my heart and help me focus on all the good stuff He is doing in the midst of the chaos.  I'm pretty sure people are praying for me!  Otherwise, my faithful friend named Mrs. Fever Blister would have already popped in for a visit like she always does when things get this stressful  busy in my life.  

So, I m basking in all that He is doing for me lately...and it's a lot.

Like the gooey overflowed oatmeal that gets on everything and doesn't wipe off easily...

that's what I hope my gratitude looks like to the Lord.

Gooey goodness that sticks to everything.

Weeks 13-16

 Day 85: for sunny Sundays and fresh cut grass.

 Day 86: for afternoon rides on the four wheeler.

 Day 87: for fancy new fonts.

Day 88:  for having my favorite Christian singer/songwriter of all times "like" one of my hymn necklaces in my shop.  This blessed my socks off :)

Day 89: for sweet buttons in my mailbox.
Day 90: for a few moments on my back porch swing listening to the rain.
Day 91: for getting to hang out with my sis-n-law :)
Day 92: for cute shoes from a sweet daughter.

Day 93: for happy mail full of Easter goodies from my momma. :)
Day 94:  for vintage finds that are EXACTLY what you were looking  for!  Woo too!
Day 95: for my church family...grateful indeed for the group of folks the Lord has connected us to.
Day 96: for discovering pleasant surprises while working on my taxes.

Day 97: for being ridiculously happy and relieved that I'm finished with my taxes!
Day 98: for finally being able to sit at my table again.
Day 99: for God's grace in my family.
Day 100: for reading stories about Jesus to my grandchildren.

Day 101: for backyard shenanigans with this girl.

Day 102:  for having all three of my girls together this week and the giggling that has taken place.
Day 103:  for a visit from the girls adopted grandparents who got to meet their "great grandkids" today.
Day 104:  for a lovely shower for a certain bride I happen to be very fond of!

Day 105:  for this moment.

Day 106: for the privilege of getting to serve the Lord along side this man.
Day 107: for walking into church and finding this  sitting on the pew.

Day 108: for getting to know this special family this week during the revival and seeing how they are cultivating a genuine heart of worship in their children.

Day 109:  for Blake and Lauren getting to join us in revival tonight.  I miss the days of all three girls traveling with us in our ministry but I am so blessed when they do get to come.
Day 110:  for amazing friend who are willing to do what it takes even 1 1/2 hours away to help me find the "perfect" mother of the bride dress!  I texted with the size and style (cuz they didn't have it where I lived) and she texted me this pic 10 minutes later!!!  There ain't no mission impossible for this woman!!

And guess what?!....I'm gonna tell you in advance what I'm thankful for today...

My momma is coming!  I get to see her today and hug her and take in her wonderful smell that I miss so much.  I anticipate lots of gut busting laughter tonight...cuz that is what always happens when she's around! I can hardly wait!

Stephanie :)

Everyday Gratitude Week 12

 Week 12!

Can you believe we are already finished with twelve weeks of 2012!!

I anticipated that it was gonna fly by for me because I am so task/event oriented.

Does time fly for y'all too when you have something you're anticipating and looking forward too?

....You can't wait for it to get here and then..wham!  It's here.

Then it's on to the next thing ...

 

These last two months brought several out of town revivals to plan, pack and prepare for.

We still have a few more coming up that we are excited about.

We have graduation events, graduation parties, graduation,  several wedding showers mixed in there and then the wedding. I feel if I'm not careful, life is just gonna zing by me in a blur with all the activity.

I'm trying y'all....really trying to slow down and breathe and not look so much at the calendar.

I want to enjoy each event... each moment...and take it all in and live there as if it's the only day I have left.

Blocking out the next thing I have to do (in a responsible kind of way)  is hard for me but I'm asking the Prince of Peace to help me with this.  You can pray for me too if you think about it.  I'd be so grateful!

With all that said..... 

Here is this past weeks little things that made me choose gratitude.

Day 78: This kiss.

Day 79: These four people.

Day 80: This flower picked by {this big brother}

Day 81: The man who plays with this hair! Yikes.

Day 82: Getting to see {this movie} with these people.

Day 83: Getting handed this sample in SAM's .

Day 84: Getting to visit and catch up with these people.

So how about you?

 "Are you humbly grateful or grumbly hateful?  What's your attitude?

Do you grumble and groan, mumble and moan or are ya grateful for what God's done for you?"

(does anybody know that song?!)

Stephanie :)

Everyday Gratitude.... 4 weeks worth!

OK. I apologize in advance for the huge photo dump you are about to witness.

Even though I keep up with  posting these everyday on my personal Facebook page,

I have not caught up with posting it weekly on here. Ughhh.

So I'm sorry for the bombard.

For those of you who are my newest followers you can read about why

 I felt compelled to do this every day {here} and {here}.

In a nutshell it's this:

To choose gratitude.

And being the picture freak that I am, I thought to myself...why not remind yourself with a picture... 

Be intentional and find something to be thankful for each and every day this year. 

 No matter what.

So here is week 8, 9, 10 and 11!!

Buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Day 50: for FaceTime dates like this one.
Day 51: for the fact my girls and their boyfriends are all best friends.
Day 52:  for good old fashioned fun
Day 53: for lunch dates with my niece.
Day 54: for visits with best friends you never see enough.
Day 55: for the hospitality of my sis and bro-n-law.
Day 56: for my church family and their love for us.
Day 57: for Mama Rob who took care of this little guy while we were gone.
Day 58: for Spring
Day 59: for seeing these two June brides giddy with happiness.
Day 60: for big fat straws to drink strawberry smoothies with.
Day 61: for this hat I "borrowed" from Nick many many years ago.
Day 62: for Miss Julia Rose and her funny little self.
Day 63: for being here to see these two head out to their Spring Formal.
Day 64: for  the impromptu men's ensemble at church.
Day 65: for getting something finished on my list today!

 Day 66:  for my new favorite necklace...vintage 1971!

Day 67: for getting to see these three boogers live and in person.

Day 68: for the two Goldilocks in our family.

Day 69: for getting to have out with these two.

Day 70: for this man being home again.
Day 71: for the sweet lady who gave me these flowers.
Day 72: for a lunch date with my husband.
Day 73: for these lovely ladies and the big plans I have for them.

Day 74: for the view I enjoyed and I walked to church.
Day 75: for these two studying the bible together.
Day 76: for making memories with my grand daughter.
Day 77:  for getting to hang out with my firstborn.

Whew! 

Well there ya have it folks.

Some of the things that I am grateful for.

If you hung in there til the end, I am SUPER grateful for you!

Email me...you deserve a prize or something! lol!

And now that I'm caught up,

 I promise to never again make you suffer in such a away!

Stephanie :)

ps. Have you signed up for my giveaway yet?  

If you are a Hunger Games fan, you will really want to. I'm not kidding. Today is the last day so hurry up girl!  You can find it {here}

Linking up today with a new friend!

Everyday Gratitude: Week 6 & 7

Wow.  Time is flying by! Whoosh...week 6.  Zing....week 7! 

By the time I post this week 8 will almost be done!! Yowza!

I've found myself  very busy these past few weeks. 

 So much planning and so many projects going on at the Holden's... with two major milestones happening in a few months..a high school graduation and a wedding...well let's just say my "to do" list is ever before me.

Nevertheless, it's all good. I'm good. and more importantly...He's good!

So here's me continuing to be intentional and finding something to be thankful for each and every day this year...no matter what ...

36.  for getting to hear what God is doing all the way in Africa through His servant who He gave a burden to for orphans. She was obedient to the call to GO and many were blessed because of it.  Can't wait to see what else He has in store for Miss Kaley.

37.  for not taking normal everyday moments for granted.

38.  for blankets from a friend because my part polar bear husband keeps our house like an ice box!!

39.  for Aunt Nellie and her pickled beets that makes my salads taste amazing!

40.  for wedding project supplies arriving from Hong Kong and it not being what you expected....instead it's a thousand times better! Yes!

41.  for getting to spend the afternoon together with my girls at the show.

42.  for this man coming home to me.  Even one night away is too long.

43.  for the ladies of Oak Grove recommending  the Sugar Shack to Nick as the best place to get a king cake

44.  for having such crazy fun grand kids!! Rosalyn doing "the swim" and Jules doing  "the robot" 

45.  for my valentine

46.  for Calah coming to see me today and getting to spend time catching up over lunch....and a trip to Dirt      Cheap together too :)

47.  for slushy cold sweet treats.

48.  for winning The Newlywed Game at a church fellowship even against some who had been married over forty years!

49.  for being able to hit the bed early when you're feeling a little under the weather.

The last two pics are what we people from Louisiana call "lagniappe"... a little something extra.

And of course they're pics of my grand kids :)

This time Nate Man is the star...he's sitting up in the buggy now AND rolling over!

Way to go Nate the Great!!

So what you been thankful for lately?

You know, the alternative to gratitude is bitterness...

I don't recommend it.

For reals.  

Stephanie :)

Everyday Gratitude- week 4 and 5

Well can you believe we have already completed 5 weeks of 2012!

I'm telling you, time really does zip by these days!

If I am totally honest, there were are few days I did not have a grateful heart.  I had a day or two in there when emotions got out of hand.  A house full of females can get pretty crazy and one wrong thing said can cause an explosion and its like dominoes.....one gets knocked over and it sets em all off. Yeah, not proud of that..but it happens.  

It happened.  I didn't feel grateful.

But gratitude is a choice.

We can choose to be grateful even when our feelings say otherwise.

And that really was the entire reason for me doing "Everyday Thanks" anyways....

To help me embrace all the change this year is bringing.

In my own words from {week one}......

Embrace.

I don't want to just endure all the change.  

I want to embrace it with open arms knowing that a sovereign God ordained it.

I want to embrace all that He wants to teach me through this change so that I can be an example to others.  That if they follow what I do, they find Jesus.  One that can say as Paul said.."Imitate me as I imitate Christ". (1 Cor 11:1)

Yes, I want to embrace it...willingly not begrudgingly, anticipating God's goodness all the way.

You've heard me share this desire to embrace change here before...

I pray this is the year that I learn this lesson and learn it well.

I know from experience this won't be easy. 

In fact,  it's just down right hard.

One way that has always helped me embrace change is to focus on my blessings.

To choose gratitude.

And being the picture freak that I am, I thought to myself...why not remind yourself with a picture... 

Be intentional and find something to be thankful for each and every day this year. 

 No matter what.

So....Somewhere along the middle of these two weeks I had to make a choice.

I chose gratitude.

Day 22: for this awesome pin cushion ring my friend Marie made.

Day 23: for finally getting Lauren's room painted..

Day 24: for a day spent wedding shopping with Lydia.

Day 25: for actually exercising.

Day 26: for a thoughtful friend who dropped this off for us.

Day 27: for 5 years of Chuck and watching the ending with good friends.

Day 28: for my big brother

Day 29: for an occasional good book that is hard to put down.

Day 30: for the man who makes my coffee every morning.

Day 31: for having all my laundry done and put away.

Day 32: for getting a few things scratched off my wedding to do list.

Day 33: for getting to visit with one of my dearest friends and hold her brand new baby girl.

Day 34: for getting to hang out with 3 of my favorite guys.

Day 35: for technology so I don't have to miss out on any of my grand baby's milestones...new front tooth!

( I just threw the last two pics in there to fill in the spaces....

my grand babies for which I am forever, everyday, eternally grateful!)

How about you.

You gonna choose gratitude?

I hope so.

The alternative stinks.

Stephanie :)

Everyday Gratitude- week 3

This is how I'm embracing the change that this year holds....

Being intentional and finding something to be thankful for each and every day. 

 No matter what.

Day 15: for bedtime stories about saving your kiss for the man you will marry.

Day 16:  for iPads with PBS Kids app when you're babysitting all three grand babies by yourself.

Day 17: for this moment

Day 18:  for the honor of rubbing these feet for the past 23 years.

Day 19: for getting unexpected "happies" from both my girls for no reason... (i think they missed me)

Day 20: for getting some work done today.

Day 21: for this old car and all the memories made in it AND the fact that we found her a new home today!  Sold car = $ in the wedding fund!  Woo hoo!

What have you been thankful for this week?

You can link up anything to do with Project 365...whether you are taking pictures, writing posts, tweeting daily....whatever you are doing to be intentional about daily being thankful you can share it here.

#365thanks

Stephanie :)