A quilt of gratitude...

A stack of homemade quilts sits atop the armoire in our bedroom.  Some were made by my Mama, some by my Nana, some by my husband's grandma.  They are made of memories stitched together,   scraps of fabric that were leftover from making this dress or that shirt that was worn out long before  the quilt showed signs of its age. On cold winter nights, wrapping up in one of these old quilts is like wrapping up in the warmth of memories.  

As I put ink to paper, writing down some of the everyday blessings I've noticed that day, it reminds me of those quilts.  Rereading my gratitude journal is like wrapping up in the warmth of memories, memories of God's faithfulness in my life.

Today I'll be posting three weeks of gratitude journal entries.  I didn't try to keep up with blogging while we were on vacation, instead I just relaxed and enjoyed each day.  And at the end of the day, I sat down and put ink to paper, and counted my blessings.

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Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#8823-#8918

8-22-16-

-God's provision

-God's protection

-God's conviction

8-23-16-

-Hebrews 12

-God is perfect in His parenting of us

-baking goodies for our family vacation

8-24-16-

-a safe drive for us and all of our children and grandchildren to the house on Clark Island 

for our family getaway

-kayaking with our grandchildren

-our youngest daughter and her husband making a delicious dinner for us

-this beautiful day with our whole family

(terrible shots, but I'd rather have poor quality photos of all of us than no photos!)

8-25-16-

-Papa, our oldest daughter and oldest granddaughter making breakfast together

-playing in and on the lake together on this beautiful day

-our youngest granddaughter helping me make homemade bread and meatballs

 for our spaghetti and meatball dinner

-"thanks Nana for the good dinner!"

-sitting out on the deck together 'til way past dark visiting and laughing together 

8-26-16-

-waking up early and seeing the sunrise

-a sweet devotional time

-the whole family going into town together to the bakery, shops and waterfront

-another fun afternoon swimming and kayaking

-playing cards together out on the deck

-a campfire and s'mores

8-27-16-

-my oldest sister and my two older brothers coming to see us at the house on the island

-playing Rummikub, my son-in-law always wins!

-our silly youngest grandson

8-28-16-

-saying goodbye to our kids and grandkids and the house on the island 

and heading up to Victoria, B.C., just the two of us

-"fallish" weather on beautiful Victoria

-taking a nap to the sound of the gulls and the rain on the roof 

with the fresh sea air coming in the open window

-dinner at one of our favorite Victoria restaurants

-texts with our girls about how much we loved our family time together

8-29-16-

-9 hours of sleep!

-tea and scones at Murchies

-red Hunter rainboots, my size, for 75% off!

-a big pink jellyfish floating near the dock

-fish tacos at Red Fish, Blue Fish-worth the long wait in line!

-a sweet evening relaxing together

-the indulgence of eating ice cream in bed

8-30-16-

-a pedicure with fall colored polish

-the sound of bagpipes 

-parliament all lit up at blue hour

-street performers

-watching the movie, "The Queen" together

8-31-16-

-walking to town in the rain

-finding a needed rain jacket on clearance for my husband

-good books to read

-finding money in a little used compartment in my wallet 

-dressing up and going to a fabulous dinner out

-good news from our oldest daughter about their home purchase

-and she's ok after a fender bender 

9-1-16-

-Hebrews 11

-September 1st!

-the sounds of Victoria-ferry horns, seagulls, the clip clop of horses pulling carriages

-the view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Beacon Hill Park

9-2-16-

-back in the U.S., heading to stop number three on our vacation

-the view from our room

-texts from our girls, I think they miss us

9-3-16-

-opening game for the University of Washington Huskies-

our two youngest daughters meeting dad to go to the game together

-a fun time shopping while they were at the game

-relaxing in our room and watching "You've Got Mail" together

9-4-16-

-forty years!

-brunch at Anthony's on the water

-a beautiful drive to Ocean Shores

-a cute little beach cottage to stay in

-making a nice dinner for two together

9-5-16-

-sipping coffee on the porch of the cottage in the morning quiet 

-perfect crispy bacon, runny yoked soft-boiled eggs and toast for breakfast

-a long walk by the sea

-Pizza! (My weakness food, so I rarely indulge.  It was so, so good!)

-a rainy afternoon/evening-perfect for napping, Downton Abbey reruns and reading

9-6-16

-overnight rain that gave way to a beautiful day

-beach walks-I never tire of walking by the sea

-enjoying a movie together

-sitting and eating sandwiches and watching the sun start to go down over the ocean

9-7-16-

-my husband taking me out of the way to an antique store I saw online

-an evening walk on the beach

-salad, corn on the cob and grilled steak for our last dinner at the beach cottage

9-8-17-

-a safe trip home

-nesting after two weeks away

-happy texts from our kids, glad that we're home

-oldest grandson coming over to mow our lawn

-kisses from my youngest grandson, so happy to see his "Nan",

(his name for me at any given time is Nana, Nonnie or Nan)

-dinner with our youngest daughter, son-in-law, and his parents before the kids leave for a trip to Europe

-good news on what God has been doing at church while we were gone

9-9-16-

-waking up at home in our own bed

-making autumn touches around the house

-going for dinner to our oldest daughter's new to them beautiful old farmhouse

9-10-16-

-my youngest grandson spending the day with me

-walking around Fort Vancouver and throwing rocks in the river with him

-a good nap, (him), and lots of snuggles when he woke up

-God's help in getting things done after he left that I didn't do while I enjoyed being with him

9-11-16-

-our youngest grandson so proud of his new Washington Huskies shirt that Papa bought him

-new faces at church

-the message from Isaiah 61

-lunch with my nephew and his wife and kids

-my friend stopping by for a heart talk

-a relaxing evening

still following,