Happy New Year!!! ...Reflecting on 2013 and Counting My Blessings. :)

Hi everyone,

I wasn't planning to post today but if I learned anything last year it's that plans change. ;) Last year at this time we didn't have any idea how the year would unfold and I really didn't think life would change all that much for us. I'm a creature of habit and so I was more than happy to "keep on keeping on" as usual. :)

In late spring my husband had the opportunity to interview for a station manager position within the company he works for. There was one particular station he had his eye on and I knew that if he got the position it would be so good for him (and as a result good for our whole family). It was a couple of long months before we found out he got the job but in the meantime we had already decided to move to the community where the job was. We bought our dream home before our house was even ready to sell. With an unconditional offer on the table we worked like crazy to get our place ready to list. Two weeks after we had our house listed (and there was an offer put on it) we discovered we had a leak in the lower level. We fixed the problem and the offer went through. Two weeks later we moved! During this whole time we were also looking into getting a new family doctor as ours (who we loved greatly) had suddenly died. I struggle with anxiety over anything health related and so in many ways I think this change was actually the more stressful one for me. Yet, as I look back over this past year I see how God's hand worked through all these changes and how He guided us through every step. Along the way, and with every new challenge, I felt Him asking "Do you trust me with this?" He has shown Himself to be faithful every step of the way. Even so, the stresses of this past year have caught up with me and taken their toll both physically and emotionally. I'm not sure what to expect this new year but I do know that God is faithful and unchanging and will continue to lead me.

As I was talking to my mom about my worries she mentioned she was planning on starting a blessings jar. The idea behind it is that every day for a year you write down one way God has blessed you that day and put it in the jar. At the end of year you open the jar and go through your blessings, remembering God's goodness.

I loved the idea and got to work right away getting my jar ready. I die cut a circle from my favorite patterned paper ever: Basic Grey's Piccadilly 6x6 paper pad and stamped a great sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Blessed Stamp Set on it before adhering it the the lid of my jar. I decided to write my blessings on the white side of some of the same Basic Grey 6x6 patterned paper (I'm starting with the reds) so that when they're folded up the pretty patterns will show on the outside.

 I'm looking forward to working on this little project and to focusing more on the goodness of God this year.

Supplies (I've included Simon Says Stamp's Holiday Hellos stamp set because it also has a great 'blessed' sentiment on it that I was considering using for my lid):


Thanks so much for stopping by this past year and for letting me ramble and reflect today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Sarah