The very best day of my life occurred over 14 years ago. That was my wedding day. August 23, 1997 was absolutely the most perfect day in my life. A little over 2 years later the second best day of my life happened. The birth of my son, my first child, was one I’ll never forget. You can read more about the circumstances surrounding his birth here.

When the doctor told us that we were having a boy, I was a little scared and unsure. I grew up as an only child, so I had no experience with boys. I seemed to forget that my husband had been a boy at one time and could probably help out a lot! I envisioned chasing after a wild, hyper little boy who was rough and tumble and liked to play in the dirt. Well, God had a different plan. He obviously knew I could not handle anything like that and blessed me with a quiet, thoughtful boy who was calm in his demeanor.

This boy child of mine is now 12 and will turn 13 later this year. He is growing into a wise and mature young man who loves God and surprises me all the time with his understanding of life. He is an avid tennis player and is enjoying to learn to play the saxophone. He is the exact opposite of what I thought he would be before he was born.

I am thankful for the blessing he is to our family. He provides us with lots of laughter and joy even in these tween and early teen years. I am proud to his mom.

I have tried for months, really years, to get my schedule under control. I’m wired to run on an organized schedule. Being a stay-at-home mom and part time writer usually means I have to just go with the flow. Ideally, I would be able to set a schedule for several months at a time where I could devote the same day each week to the same task.

I’ve come to find out that a set schedule is just not possible for me right now. There are too many variables in my life that I can’t always account for in a set schedule. So, I’ve had to settle for planning my schedule a week at a time. Sure, there are times that I block out to accommodate commitments I’ve made for a certain length of time. And, I am able to guard the time I have set aside for exercise and Bible study. But, everything else just has to happen when I can fit it in. Is it ideal? No, but it’s where I am in my life right now. I know one day my kids won’t need me as much one day, and I’ll have the time I’ve desired to plan my schedule like I want. I think instead of stressing over the fact that I can only plan one week at a time, I’ll just enjoy this season of life. One day I’ll wake up and my kids will be grown and gone. Then I’ll be asking myself, “Where did the time go?”

Wow! I can’t believe it’s Monday already! Where did the weekend go? I hope you had an enjoyable weekend and are ready to tackle another week. I think this week will be much less busy for me, and for that I am grateful!

141. I am thankful for my kids getting a day off from school last week. We enjoyed our time together by eating lunch at Senior Tequila and chowing down on chips and salsa.

142. I’ve been trying my best to catch up on my scrapbooks. I am so glad that the scrapbook from our trip to Disney last year came in the mail this week. We have been enjoying recalling fun memories of that trip.

143. Friday night I received the gift of laughter. Our family went to a show benefiting our school that featured comedian Tim Hawkins. I have not laughed that hard in a long time.

144. I am glad I convinced myself to clean the house on Friday. Made for a nice weekend!

145. Elizabeth and I are reading Wonder Struck together. She has told me how fun it is for us to read together. I’m glad she wants to read with me.

146. Harrison finished the last of a series of physical therapy treatments last week. I’m grateful his back is feeling better and am praying he can get back to playing tennis soon.

147. I have had a lot to do in the last week. I’ve been looking for a certain book at the church library and have not been able to find it. I am grateful for whoever has it checked out because not having it to read has kept me on task. I’m sure if I was able to check the book out, all of my other work would have been pushed to the side.

148. I am thankful that someone cares about my opinion.

149. I am grateful that I sometimes get paid to write.

150. Two new writing related opportunities were given to me last week. I am thankful for assignments that stretch my mind and ability.

Join me each Monday as I share One Thousand Gifts that I’ve been given by God. Enter in the conversation and share gifts you’ve been given.

Since I am taking one picture a day this year, I thought I’d share one each week that represents something or someone special to me. This will be my “Photo Friday” post.

This is my husband Steven. Doesn’t he look so handsome? I chose to focus on him this Friday because he is absolutely the most important person in my life. I don’t normally share my feelings in public, so I hope he’s not too embarrassed by this!

Steven is a wonderful husband, father, provider, and listener. He is the voice of reason in our home. He knows how to indulge my dreams, but he is also great at keeping me grounded in reality. We don’t always see eye to eye on everything, but I respect and value his opinion.

He is an audit partner with a local CPA firm. I am proud of his accomplishments over the years. I’ve seen him grow both personally and professionally. He continually amazes me by his desire to continue learning and striving to be the best he can be.

As a father, our kids could not ask for a better one! He is very involved in their lives, always interested in what’s going on with them. He’s changed his share of diapers, given many baths, and spent many hours snuggling with the kids.

I am proud to be Mrs. Steven Booth. I love him dearly and am so thankful that God brought us together.

Because of my involvement with Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), I have been exposed to numerous resources designed specifically to help end labor and sex trafficking. One of the most direct ways you can help someone who is caught in this bondage is through WMU’s WorldCrafts ministry.

WorldCrafts is a ministry that works with artisan groups in many countries to provide a living wage so that these people will not fall victim to human traffickers. Some families sell their daughters into sex trafficking in order to get money. By having a real job where they earn real money, these families do not have to make the tough decision to sell their daughters.

So, how do I get involved, you ask? Visit the WorldCrafts website to purchase products made by these artisan groups. Proceeds from the sale of these products go to pay the artisans. The site also has ideas to help you host your own WorldCrafts parties. Hosting a party is an excellent way to make a huge impact in the lives of these artisans. Not only do you help them, but you also help your friends become better educated on the subject of human exploitation.

Check out WorldCrafts. You’ll be glad you did!

I am still seeking ways to communicate better with my son. Now that he’s 12 and in middle school, it seems a bit harder for me to break into his world. However, I do try to make myself available, and I’ve encouraged him to open up when he feels sad or confused about things in his life.

My daughter is another story. She loves to talk and will tell me just about anything. A few weeks ago I found a resource on Pinterest  I’ve implemented with my daughter that I think is forming a strong foundation of communication between the two of us. It is a Mama & Me journal.

Our journal allows us to write “letters” to each other. When I first gave it to her, she was overcome with joy! The idea of writing me on occasion was so exciting to her. My hope is that we’ll keep this up through her teen years and that it will provide a way for us to work through some of the highs and lows of her middle school and high school days.

Since we’ve started exchanging letters, God has opened my eyes to see how He is maturing her in her faith. I’ve seen that in spite of my short comings as a mom, He is still at work in her life preparing her for what He is calling her to do with her life. I won’t share what she has written out of respect for her privacy. But, I have to say how proud I am of her for some of the topics she chooses to write me about. I’m excited to see how God will use this resource to deepen our relationship and to grow and mature both of us.

I would love to hear how you communicate with your child. Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

If you are interested in creating your own Mama & Me journal click here. There is also one for boys.

That product is the Arc Customizable Notebook System found at Staples. Here is a picture of my notebook:

Now, I don’t normally set out to do product endorsements. There are many other notebook systems out there that may work for you just as well as this one does for me. I’m sharing all of this because I know from talking to some of you, there is an issue when it comes to handling projects and tasks. Many of you are like me in that you’ve not found a digital solution that has worked for you.

I’ve used this notebook system to handle my weekly to-do lists. I also have pages where I’ve written out research for writing assignments. At Christmas, I kept a list of the people I needed to buy gifts for and what gifts I wanted to buy them. That came in very handy when I wanted to make sure my kids were getting equal treatment! Right now I am researching options for our family’s summer vacation. I’m keeping all the info I find in this notebook. As I’m striving to live a healthier lifestyle, I’ve created one section devoted to meals and meal planning.

Yes, I know I could do all of this fairly easily on my computer and/or iPad. But, as I mentioned earlier, I still like the feel of paper. I’m very thankful that I have found something that finally works for me.

What about you? Post a comment and let me know how you organized your projects and tasks.

Taking on this project fits well with my quest to list 1,000 gifts. I plan on incorporating the pages I make each week into my Monday blog post to help illustrate the gifts that I feel led to share.

Since I didn’t blog last week, here is my scrapbook page from the first week in January:

And, here is my scrapbook page from last week:

131. Even though the kids are back in school from the Christmas holiday break, I’m so glad for the time we had to spend together. In fact, they are out of school today for the MLK holiday. I’ve learned I need to enjoy my time with them because they will be grown and gone before I know it!

132. I am thankful that my husband, Steven, has a job he absolutely loves.

133. I am grateful for the gift of being able to be a stay-at-home mom thanks to my husband and his great job.

134. God has given me two bright and smart kids who try to do their best in school. They both made all A’s this last 9 weeks.

135. Harrison had the chance to participate in a student ministry retreat this weekend. 6th graders were allowed to come so they could start getting used to being with the youth group. I am glad he had a great weekend learning more about how to live a Christian lifestyle in this crazy world.

136. I’m thankful that Steven and I had a chance to spend some time together this weekend.

137. I am reading the Bible through again. This time I have chosen to read it in chronological order and am taking the whole year to read it. I am thankful for the reminders God is giving me to stand firm in my circumstances and to choose to praise Him no matter what is happening in my life.

138. I am thankful for connections I am making with other writers.

139. In November I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I actually wrote a 50,000 word novel. I am thankful that the experience has encouraged me to pursue writing another novel that I want to publish.

140. I am about to begin a new writing project that I feel God is telling me to pursue. I’m thankful that He has given me a vision to use my writing to encourage and inspire others.

If I want to continue to shape up physically by working out and eating healthier, then I must prepare myself every week by planning out my meals and workouts. If I want to save money while becoming more physically fit, I must prepare by making a shopping list and clipping coupons.

As I strive to grow spiritually, I must prepare myself for the challenges life will bring by having a consistent quiet time. If I want to go deeper with God, I must prepare by reading through the Bible, His Word.

I have many writing goals this year, but the only way they are going to get accomplished is if I prepare myself by writing every day and commit to reaching those goals.

It’s important to me to get a lot accomplished this year. I am known as a person who doesn’t always follow through on the goals I set. But, I feel confident that my goals can be reached if I only take the time to prepare.

121. Last week my kids got their report cards for the first nine weeks. Thankfully they made all A’s!!! I’m so proud of them because those A’s were not so easily earned. Many nights were spent reading, studying for spelling tests, and learning math facts. Hopefully they are encouraged to know that hard work really does pay off.

122. I’m grateful for time spent with my family at the state fair this weekend.

123. I lead a small group in Bible study. I’m grateful that the women in my group are feeling comfortable enough with each other where they are now opening up and sharing what is going on in their lives.

124. I am thankful for a pastor who is willing to admit when he is discouraged. He does not preach about something without revealing his struggle with that issue.

125. I had lunch with my friend Susan at Mimi’s today. I love that we finally had a chance to get together and share what is going on in our lives.

126. I had a scheduling conflict today. I needed to be in two places at once with each of my kids. This morning I prayed for God to take care of the details to make sure we ended up in the right places at the right times. An hour or so later I received an email that my daughter’s art class was cancelled. That freed me up to take my son where he needed to be. Thank you God for taking care of the details!

127. I completed Week 1 Day 1 of the Couch to 5K program. I ran and walked in intervals for 30 minutes. I’m thankful I’m still alive.

128. I have been trying to control my calorie intake to help me lose weight. I’m glad I’ve been able to write it down for over a week.

129. I love hearing my son play on his saxophone and hearing the improvement from week to week.

130. I’m thankful for fall and all that it means…pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins, did I mention pumpkins?

Join me each Monday as I share One Thousand Gifts that I’ve been given by God. Enter in the conversation and share gifts you’ve been given.