Bed + Blankets = God Provides!

While we certainly only need food and clothing to "be content," in order to run a functional home, a few other things are very useful. Jay and I--who have next to no money (can you say, "College students"?)--have to begin accumulating various things before the wedding day: dishes, furniture, kitchen tools, towels...the list (of even just the basics) is pretty hefty. Luckily, we serve a God who knows what His children need (Matthew 6:8).

And He provides...
...a beautiful bed for $99 plus tax. Yay for Black Friday specials. Plus Jay and I had a blast and made a whole day of it: we got up early and drove two hours to IKEA (luckily driving is one of our favorite things to do together), got our voucher and wandered the store, drove two more hours back to his house, had fun assembling the bed, and then showed off the fruits of our labor to his family.

Once we put his pillowtop mattress (because I can't yet say our) on, we all tried it out and found it to be really comfortable. Praise the Lord!

Then we started looking for a beautiful comforter that would look nice against the black-brown wood. Oh how we looked and looked for something affordable that was also attractive. Just the other night, I found this

and Jay told me to order it! Beautiful and in our price range!

Then there's one last thing that is not a necessity but was on my list of "wants" that is hiding in Jay's mom's closet that I'm not supposed to know about...

My mother and mother-in-law-to-be really wanted to buy this because they knew how much I wanted it. Jay only told me because I was bawling after a really, really bad day...and he's not very good at keeping secrets! Actually, neither of us are: we're so excited when giving the other a gift (or just knowing about one) that we can't keep our little mouths shut! But this is very sweet of those lovely ladies and I have to remember to act surprised...

While I don't want to focus on the things that I have as being extremely important, I do want to focus on how gracious my God is to provide them, especially that He provides them in ways and at times that puzzle me, astound me, and make me praise Him. But after all, isn't that my job as a Christian? To be astounded by my Father who gives wonderful gifts, like grace, salvation, and even earthly things?

What possessions are you thankful for?