791 to 800

791. Sam asking Patrick to feed his happy-face balloon.
792. A quick, quiet drive all alone; time to pause and pray and grow.
793. Sam & Vava chasing each other around the house with balloons.
794. Taking a big nap all afternoon.
795. Not cooking supper.
796. Having a fantastic supper out instead!
797. And a decadent dessert.
798. Prepared by loving friends.
799. Who made us all feel so welcome.
800. And Vava didn't break the glass I let her hold. : D

781 to 790

781. Sam and Vava playing timeout, giggling together like best friends.
782. Going for a walk with just our boots and jackets! No snowpants, mittens, hats, or second jackets, and the wrestling they entail ;).
783. No hair-dryer blasting on my drain, because it wasn't frozen this morning.
784. A really great Skype date. ♥
785. Vava tenderly hugging Sam after a true timeout.
786. A cute Facebook announcement about my new niece or nephew!
787. Both kids gobbling their stirfry at supper.
788. Love notes on the bathroom mirror.
789. Prayer.
790. Soul sisters and deep-dish nourishing goodness.

771 to 780

771. Sam being gentle to Vava, and her offering of a bottle to him in return ♥.
772.Vava dressing up as Rainbow Bear at playgroup.
773. Vava clapping for me and bringing me a toy because I "pee poy!"
774. Sam's beautiful face flushed and happy as he played in the snow.
775. Normal winter temperatures today, instead of the -40 we've been hiding from.
776. Sam discovering we all have belly buttons and exclaiming "wow cool huh?!"
778. The kids' excitement that Christmas decorations were still up at Victoriaville mall.
779. Vava and I being pulled down the sidewalk on the sled by the two best reindeer ever.
780. Peperoncinis stuffed with cream cheese.

761 to 770

761. Tucked into bed for the night, Vava wakes up and cries. Sam talks to her gently, calms her, and they jabber happily back and forth ♥.
762. Sunshine filling up the rooms, making them warm and golden.
763. Yop on sale!
764. Sam & Vava sharing crackers. She eats half of each one and replaces them in the bowl; he gobbles the remains.
765. Vava joyfully brushing her tiny wisps of hair.
766. Wonderfully simple homemade wraps, stuffed with chicken, cilantro, and salsa.
767. Help from the Maker of heaven and earth.
768. New jeans.
769. Vava cleaning up Sam's spill; her precious helpful self melting my heart.
770. Finding tons of jewellery I'd forgotten I owned.

751 to 760

751. The way that holding hands to pray for breakfast makes everyone family in a heartbeat.
752. Sam's magnificent bedhead.
753. Patrick's selflessness.
754. The wonderful ordinariness of lying on the floor reading to my kids while they play.
755. Making silky smoothies with our new blender.
756. Showing Vava how to write her name.
757. The sheer pleasure of reading fun and well-written poetry aloud.
758. Sam's absorption with sunlight reflecting from utensils, chasing the gleams like a cat on a laser.
759. Pork chops with cream cheese and tart sliced apples.
760. Vava deliberately being naughty to go in timeout like Sam.

Hope

Pulling down my old calendar and putting up the new one came with no small sense of relief.  Ahh.  It's over.
2013 feels a bit like a pile of rubble.
Just ... junk.  Useless.  Dust.
But - hope for 2014?
Hope?
Yes.
Oh yes!

Heart of fear, take courage in grace, take hope in thankfulness.

I know Someone who takes dust into His good hands and makes beautiful things.
He took dust and made humanity.
He took a valley of dry bones and made them live.
He took a barren womb and filled it with a baby.
He took a little boy's lunch and turned it into a feast.
He took a bloody cross and turned it into the door of Heaven.

He restores.
He renews.
He exchanges death for life.

He makes beautiful things out of the dust.

Go forward with hope, friends.
xo.

741 to 750

741. Comfortable friends who come and play.
742. Sam & Vava's serendipitous symbiosis: he pours water on the floor, she gleefully wipes it up.
743. Having a dad who regularly calls to see how I'm doing.
744. Having a mom who looks for something to love in any situation.
745. Seeing Grammy Swan when I look in the mirror.
746. Cuddles with my sleepy Vava.
747. Reading blessings You pour into my friend's life.
748. The gorgeous sound of a South African accent, right in my own house.
749. Smoothtastic raspberry cheesecake.
750. Sam asking for kisses before bed.

731 to 740

731. Sleeping in and waking up to find the kids fed and dressed for church by my amazing husband.
732. Reading tear-jerkers to the kids.
733. Sam and Vava painting cards ... and themselves.
734. Having the clothes closet all to myself!
735. Sam saying "so fun!" when we went to fill the car up with gas.
736. Vava wearing red&yellow striped pyjamas under a pink&purple jacket ... and still being irresistibly gorgeous.
737. Listening to kids in Sunday School recite verses.
738. White smoke against a darkening sky.
739. Making cheesecake cups with my OTL.
740. Putting on warm jams after freezing outside.

721 to 730

721. Lunch with a friend.
722. Well-loved loaner books.
723. Free stuff at Superstore.
724. Flaxseed-crust pizza.
725. Vava standing on her head, saying "side down!"
726. Sorting through my clothes and discovering tons of closet space.
727. Sam asking for Monkey and heading upstairs to bed on his own.
728. Yummy new lemon&echinacea tea. (in my giant mug, whee!)
729. Monkey and Zebra getting through baths they've been avoiding for weeks :S.
730. It's noticeably lighter later in the evening ... yaaaaaaay!

711 to 720

711. Sam deliberately spraying his face with water, laughing.
712. Vava carrying Patrick's lunchbox, proud to be helping.
713. Friends ♥.
714. Hfxtraffic's hilarious blizzard tweet.
715. Sam and Vava sharing ice cream.
716. It's Friday!
717. Receiving love and photos in the mail.
718. Sam (naughty) getting the markers from on top of the fridge and (wonderfully) only colouring where he's allowed.
719. Getting to talk with my sister because she got a snow day :).
720. Vava's adorable food-belly after supper.

701 to 710

701. Our garbage men, who work so hard in the freezing cold and still take time to wave to the kids.
702. Vava saying "no thank you," when I offered her a bite.
703. The kids playing together while I took down the tree.
704. My super-handy basement shelves.
705. The slow-cooker and its daily magic.
706. Audio Bible.
707. Practical parenting advice.
708. Four cute kids kicking Patrick's butt bowling tonight (although to be fair, he can probably take credit for some of their points too hehe).
709. Sam losing his mind with excitement when we told him we were going bowling.
710. Sam finding the dainty crescent moon and waving hello :).

691 to 700

691. Vava escaping mid-diaper change, running and shrieking with glee.
692. Patrick playing with both kids.
693. Vava clinging to her bodywash and insisting "mine!" long after her bath.
694. Hugging in the sunshine.
695. Damp-sanding the drywall in the bathroom; no dust!
696. Using my giant owl mug twice today ♥.
697. Sitting with Patrick.
698. Realizing how much growing up I have to do.
699. Choosing a watch-word for the year (hope; the surprise gift hidden inside a big stack of thankfulness).
700. Writing happy plans on my calendar.