February 2

I bought three cakes of a beautiful purple variegated yarn on clearance a month or so ago. I'm not generally one who does much with multicolored yarns but as soon as I saw these, I thought "pullover sweater." So they came home with me and sat on my dresser until I finished the mint green baby blanket a few days ago, which gave me the go-ahead to start something new.

(This strange puke-like shade is a terrible representation of the actual color. It's much prettier than this. Promise.)

Anyway, I finished with the front and back panels over the weekend. Today, I seamed the shoulders, completed one sleeve, and began the second. 

This kind of project is very fulfilling for me. It's rewarding to feel like I'm creating something useful, and as I've said before, I am thankful to God for the gift of being able to crochet. The act of exercising creativity is like unlocking a new level of life enjoyment for me.

February 1

After the church service this morning, Adam, Isaac, and Brady suddenly noticed they were all wearing plaid with shades of brown and gray.

I sensed an unexpected moment of male bonding taking place, so naturally I whipped out my phone and had them pose for a photo. My guys. (Well, three of them. Logan is there too, in his way, but it's always weird for me to reference the men in our family without giving him a nod, too.)

They're all Wight men so they share lots of common traits, but they're also as different as the patterns of their respective shirts suggest. Fortunately for me, all of those differing traits and tendencies (usually) work together to create a beautiful harmony

. They're all wonderful people, and I am very (very) blessed and humbled to be able to call myself their wife and mother. 

January 31

It was nice (albeit hazy) out today, so Adam and I embraced the opportunity to take an afternoon walk.

As always, it was a blessing to be out and about getting some exercise with my main squeeze. He agreed with me that with Isaac's three-for-three college acceptances and Abby passing her CSETs (which was yesterday's big news) and all three getting straight A's last semester, it's been a good season for our kiddos.

So today, I'm thankful for time with my hunny that gave us the chance to reflect on and discuss some of our many blessings. It is, after all, very easy to forget to be grateful to God when things are going well. And I never want to fall into that trap, because without His grace, I would have nothing at all.

January 30

When the boys got home from school today, Isaac popped into my room --where I was busily working on a baby blanket-- and announced that he was happy. I asked why, and he shared that one of his good friends had approached him this morning and asked Isaac what he would think if he (the friend) converted to Christianity.

Isaac does a good job of living out his faith, especially given that he's still just 17. He goes to Young Life events and invites his friends --regardless of whether or not they identify as Christian-- to come along. And a number of them do. If they need a ride, he picks them up and takes them home. He volunteers with on AWANA night at church and with the kids on Sundays. He knows that knowing Jesus --and having a relationship with Him-- is important, and he acts on his faith.

The revelation about his friend's comment --and Isaac's genuinely joyful reaction to it-- did my heart so much good. He asked me to pray for his pal so I did and will continue to do so, but for now, I am thankful for my kiddo's sweet heart and for his willingness to share. I may be a 48-year old woman, but I could still learn a lot from him in this particular area.

January 29

I'm really enjoying my crochet projects these days. 

I'm currently alternating between two of them --a baby blanket (shown here) and a shawl-- and since they're two different patterns and two different yarns, they're holding my interest well. I may even finish both, and in relatively quick fashion, too.

I am thankful for how crocheting helps me to relax and focus, both on the work itself and on God. It sounds a little hokey as I write it, but "pray" and "crochet" go together like peanut butter and jelly. And it's definitely good for me to pray more.

January 28

After dinner tonight, Brady disappeared into the kitchen and I heard the fridge open. A moment later, I heard a thunk followed by an explanation from the previously-mentioned snack seeker: a cup of yogurt fell out. So he proceeded to put the non-spilled yogurt in a bowl along with a different kind of yogurt.

He came back to the family room, sat down, and then sprang back up again a moment later and exclaimed "I thought I saw some bacon in there." The fridge opened yet again, and he returned a minute later with his yogurt and bacon combo.

And he ate the whole bowl.

I could just be grossed out (and I still am, at least a little bit), but I'm more amused by his creativity. And I'm also oddly pleased that he was willing to consume such a strange dish, because he's always had a rather picky palate. So today, I'm thankful that he's willing to try new things, because being adaptable is a blessing.

January 27

This is --literally-- the decaf mocha that I enjoyed after dinner this evening. I sipped it slowly, taking more than a few moments to appreciate how the sprinkle of cinnamon that topped its foamy cap mingled with the sweetness of chocolate and coffee.

And as I drank my sweet concoction, I reflected on the truth that our family is in the midst of a sweet season: School is going well for the kiddos, work isn't noxious for Adam, and I'm happily crocheting again. There are big changes ahead, particularly for our two to-be graduates, but each of them have great options available to pursue. And both of them have been gifted with so much potential.

So today, I'm grateful to God for those mocha-sweet seasons of life when, despite the troubles of this world, the power of hope in Christ stands extra tall.