"Life is but a quick succession of busy nothings..." - Jane Austen

If I said "life is crazy" at this point, I think it would be an understatement. But, just so you know it's a *good* crazy (for the most part. ;)). Between juggling life, life's changes, cold weather, sick friends, Church events & various other activities one can almost forget to breath.

But I will say, I'm pretty thankful for this afternoon. Yes, if you think about it the day has been stressful (also known as, our well ran out of water *again*.) but it's been quiet as Melissa took the kids out for the day. I was sitting here thinking how thankful I was for the beauty of the day (in spite of the things that have gone wrong, it's been a great day - week & past few months.) and I wondered to myself - why not write a blog post? So anyway, here I am. :)

Do you ever wonder why God blesses us like he does? I don't know about y'all, but I find that my blessings usually come when I least expect them. I *try* to know what's going to happen. I guess, I imagine, I romanticize, but in the end, guess what? God ALWAYS surprises me! I love it, truly. Because, I can't *not* guess & imagine but I want to be surprised (fyi, I love surprises...most of the time. ;)) and God knows this, and he does it every time. :) I'm just so thankful for all the ways he's surprised me with blessings over the years. I certainly don't feel a bit worthy & yet the Lord made the decision to bless me. I praise Him. :)

So with Reformation Day around the corner and no new costumes to wear the future could look very bleak. ;) But with my imaginative mind (*coughcough*) & Melissa's practicality we'll figure SOMETHING out, I'm sure. So if you thought that because Tiff has moved out of the house that the McDonald family will no longer show up to historical events in costume - NEVER FEAR. Nothing could be further from the truth! Who says we can't RE-WEAR old costumes? ;) So, that's decided. Moving on...

Martha Washington has the cleverest quotes. Get this: "The greatest part of our happiness and misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." I love that. Right now, I have some things I'm struggling with - things that tempt me to be gloomy & worrisome, but that quote gave me such a good perspective on my struggles! I don't have to mope - what can I do to change circumstances? Nothing! So it's time to put a smile on my face and get out there and cheer myself up!! As I always tell my little siblings, "Don't cry over spilled milk!" It's time to trust God, understand that He's got everything under control, seek to learn from your struggles, see what the Lord is trying to teach you and LIVE JOYFULLY.

So yes, life is busy. Life is good. And blessed. And a little stressful. But I'm going to try and make it a point to turn that frown upside down.