My daughter has been wanting a cell phone for some time now. Ross and I are not feeling it. We don't believe that she needs one until she is driving. Nevertheless, she asked me if it would be okay for her to pray for a cell phone. I told her that she certainly could, as God tells us to come to Him with our desires so that He can answer us.
Every time she prays she asks for God to get her a cell phone and more recently the request has become more specific in asking for an iphone. Yesterday, Morgan and I had time alone together for lunch and some shopping. I shared with her a few verses including Matthew 7:9-11 and James 1:17 which both talk about our Father giving "good gifts". I shared with her that although she wants and is praying for an iphone, she may not receive it from God if it is not a "good gift" for Morgan. She understood, but is continuing to pray, now asking that she would receive it for her birthday which is next month.
Last week, I was out and about at the Salvation Army store and saw these beautiful vases that would be just perfect for my dining room corner cabinet. I didn't have the money to get them at the time, so I moved them around away from each other so that no one else would come along, realize how well they go together, and pick them up before I was able to come back for them! Today I had some time to kill in the morning and thought about taking a little money from here and a little money from there to pay for them. Then guess what came into my mind? "Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." (James 1:17) I thought, 'No, Lord! I don't want to hear that now! I want to get my vases!' But He was clear. I need to wait and put it in the May budget. Yes, even second-hand decor goes into the budget. It sounds trite, but if I splurge on this, I'll splurge on a dress and a pair of shoes, too. Today God took the teacher and made her the student.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
The Chance--Update
People have been asking me about the writing contest for which I submitted an entry. Well, I knew before this but received the official letter in the mail yesterday saying that I did not win. Nevertheless I am still thankful that I tried. The good news is that I also received a 30 dollar check in the mail. Isn't it just like God to provide an anesthetic for our hurts?
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Spring Break?
For the past 6 days (4 of which were school days) our kids have been off for Spring Break. This has been the first time in a long while that they have had the entire break, because snow make-up days would always eat away at the time they were scheduled to have off. But because we've had such a mild winter, they were able to have almost a whole week of time at home.
What I came to realize over those 6 days was that their Spring Break was not a break for me. I thought it would be. I imagined our happy family nestled inside our happy home having a happy time together. But it was quite the opposite. The first few days we all had to adjust to each other being home at the same time for such a long period of time. Then, intermingled with this, were multiple activities and errands which required racing from here to there. Normally I love running errands because I love the thrill of coordinating where to go, the best route to take to get there, and all of the other things I can get accomplished while I am out. However, when you have three children to consider as you move about, those "extra" stops become negotiable. It's just too much for them to handle.
It's funny because when people ask me why I stopped working, I tell them "to be home for my kids". Initially I believed this to be the whole truth. Being a homemaker allows me to be in their schools, be there to see them onto and off of the bus, pick them up when they are sick, etc. But the bigger reason that I am home is because of me. It is because I am ineffective at working a 9-5 job and a 24-hour job at the same time. The Spring Break proved this to me loud and clear. I love my kids, but I also love my time at home without them. There, I said it...is that so wrong? The "job" that I do here while they are in school frees me up to give them time and attention when they are at home.
Yesterday was the last day at home for the kids. Today my Spring Break starts up again...
What I came to realize over those 6 days was that their Spring Break was not a break for me. I thought it would be. I imagined our happy family nestled inside our happy home having a happy time together. But it was quite the opposite. The first few days we all had to adjust to each other being home at the same time for such a long period of time. Then, intermingled with this, were multiple activities and errands which required racing from here to there. Normally I love running errands because I love the thrill of coordinating where to go, the best route to take to get there, and all of the other things I can get accomplished while I am out. However, when you have three children to consider as you move about, those "extra" stops become negotiable. It's just too much for them to handle.
It's funny because when people ask me why I stopped working, I tell them "to be home for my kids". Initially I believed this to be the whole truth. Being a homemaker allows me to be in their schools, be there to see them onto and off of the bus, pick them up when they are sick, etc. But the bigger reason that I am home is because of me. It is because I am ineffective at working a 9-5 job and a 24-hour job at the same time. The Spring Break proved this to me loud and clear. I love my kids, but I also love my time at home without them. There, I said it...is that so wrong? The "job" that I do here while they are in school frees me up to give them time and attention when they are at home.
Yesterday was the last day at home for the kids. Today my Spring Break starts up again...
Saturday, March 31, 2012
The Sky's the Limit--Hunter's thoughts
HI! :-)
This is Hunter, and I want to tell you about a special treat we got. We went to Costco, and were able to pick what we wanted to have for dinner. Also,it was great, because no matter the price, no matter what it was, (except some things mom mentioned earlier) we could choose-well,anything! (I said I wanted a flat-screen TV,but you can't eat that) When mom & dad told us at lunchtime,I already knew what I wanted. When I was sick about two weeks ago, mom got the mail and I saw a coupon magazine for Costco products. I saw a coupon that showed a big jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans, and I was like,"I want those," so today I took advantage of that, and got the Jelly beans I longed for. The whole family (even mom [cough,cough]) enjoyed them. It had 49 flavors, including: Dr.Pepper, A&W Root Beer & Cream Soda, and Sunkist flavors too, like orange, tangerine, pink grapefruit, lemon, and lime. The yuckiest one is Cappuccino (Yucchy). I am just happy to have what I got this evening.
This is Hunter, and I want to tell you about a special treat we got. We went to Costco, and were able to pick what we wanted to have for dinner. Also,it was great, because no matter the price, no matter what it was, (except some things mom mentioned earlier) we could choose-well,anything! (I said I wanted a flat-screen TV,but you can't eat that) When mom & dad told us at lunchtime,I already knew what I wanted. When I was sick about two weeks ago, mom got the mail and I saw a coupon magazine for Costco products. I saw a coupon that showed a big jar of Jelly Belly jelly beans, and I was like,"I want those," so today I took advantage of that, and got the Jelly beans I longed for. The whole family (even mom [cough,cough]) enjoyed them. It had 49 flavors, including: Dr.Pepper, A&W Root Beer & Cream Soda, and Sunkist flavors too, like orange, tangerine, pink grapefruit, lemon, and lime. The yuckiest one is Cappuccino (Yucchy). I am just happy to have what I got this evening.
The Sky's the Limit--Morgan's thoughts
Hello world!!!!! I feel famous being the daughter of someone with a blog, that numerous people read. I'm so excited 4 the world 2 meet meeeee!!!! (Morgan <3 ).
Anywayyys, (I try 2 stay focused but, it usually doesn't work. Oh, well....) my selection was quesadillas.or quesadillaaaaaas,as my dad calls them. My mom (Chanty) picked breaded tilapia but, at the last minute decided 2 get red velvet cake with cream cheese icing (there's only 1 thing left 2 do..... Reeeeed Robin,Yuuuuuuuum!!!) L8r, she's like,"Aaaaah, I'll stick with my fish."(I'm still mad at her 4 that "stunt" she pulled)
Weeeell, it was nice 2 have free realm 4 once. I luuuuuuuved it!!!!!!! (just like the night we could have any sweet we wanted, but that's a whoooole nother story)
I'll let Hunter post his experience next.
Stay tuned 4 the next episode of "The Sky's the Limit - Part 3" Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyye!!!!!
Anywayyys, (I try 2 stay focused but, it usually doesn't work. Oh, well....) my selection was quesadillas.or quesadillaaaaaas,as my dad calls them. My mom (Chanty) picked breaded tilapia but, at the last minute decided 2 get red velvet cake with cream cheese icing (there's only 1 thing left 2 do..... Reeeeed Robin,Yuuuuuuuum!!!) L8r, she's like,"Aaaaah, I'll stick with my fish."(I'm still mad at her 4 that "stunt" she pulled)
Weeeell, it was nice 2 have free realm 4 once. I luuuuuuuved it!!!!!!! (just like the night we could have any sweet we wanted, but that's a whoooole nother story)
I'll let Hunter post his experience next.
Stay tuned 4 the next episode of "The Sky's the Limit - Part 3" Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyye!!!!!
The Sky's the Limit
After getting our income tax refund, one of the things that Ross and I decided to do was to give the kids a "no limits" day at Costco. Usually when we shop at Costco, it is for a few choice things:
1. Soy milk (our youngest has a milk allergy)
2. Allergy medicine
3. Gas
4. Free samples :-)
Our desire was to show them a lesson in how generous God is with His children by being generous to them. Of course we had to set some rules, but a limit on how much they could spend was not one of them. We decided that they could pick whatever food item that they wanted in order to make a meal for this evening. They could not pick caffeinated beverages and each of them got to choose one item. If they knew ahead of time what they wanted to pick out, they could not tell each other what they were picking so as not to influence each other. We just wanted them to get what their hearts desired without having someone else's selection influence them.
I enjoyed the experience myself, in particular being able to browse through the high end foods and know that I could choose whatever I wanted to eat. I was even okay with the grand total, as it was actually under the budgeted amount that we had initially expected. However, my flesh did ache when I saw that we had a coupon for one of the items we purchased but didn't realize it until after we had bought it. I said something to Ross in the van. "I'm not even worried about it," he said. "We are under budget anyway." I really wanted to go and get my $1.50 back. Oh, well...
We ended up having a meal of breaded tilapia (my selection), italian sausage lasagna (Ross's choice), Dr. Pepper (Blaise our youngest's choice), and...for the older two, stay tuned as they will be blogging about their selections and thoughts.
1. Soy milk (our youngest has a milk allergy)
2. Allergy medicine
3. Gas
4. Free samples :-)
Our desire was to show them a lesson in how generous God is with His children by being generous to them. Of course we had to set some rules, but a limit on how much they could spend was not one of them. We decided that they could pick whatever food item that they wanted in order to make a meal for this evening. They could not pick caffeinated beverages and each of them got to choose one item. If they knew ahead of time what they wanted to pick out, they could not tell each other what they were picking so as not to influence each other. We just wanted them to get what their hearts desired without having someone else's selection influence them.
I enjoyed the experience myself, in particular being able to browse through the high end foods and know that I could choose whatever I wanted to eat. I was even okay with the grand total, as it was actually under the budgeted amount that we had initially expected. However, my flesh did ache when I saw that we had a coupon for one of the items we purchased but didn't realize it until after we had bought it. I said something to Ross in the van. "I'm not even worried about it," he said. "We are under budget anyway." I really wanted to go and get my $1.50 back. Oh, well...
We ended up having a meal of breaded tilapia (my selection), italian sausage lasagna (Ross's choice), Dr. Pepper (Blaise our youngest's choice), and...for the older two, stay tuned as they will be blogging about their selections and thoughts.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
I'm Expecting!!!
I thought that title would get you to read this entry :-) No, I'm not expecting a baby. I am expecting God to do a miracle. Let me explain.
Five years ago, I decided to start walking in my neighborhood for exercise. The path that I walk takes me past all of the houses in our development twice as I go in a loop down the hill, through a little plaza, and back up again. The end of the walk brings me back to the cul-de-sac in which we live. Instead of ending at my house, I felt that God wanted me to walk around the cul-de-sac seven times every time that I walk. In this way, I display the same faith that Joshua and the Israelites did when they trusted that marching around Jericho seven times on the seventh day would give them the city (Joshua 6:15).
So for the five years that I have been walking, I have ended my walk with circling the cul-de-sac seven times. Occasionally, I would pray for specific people in the neighborhood. But always I would do the seven circles. Not until recently have I thought about how God has been faithful to His promise to me. He has given me relationship after relationship in my neighborhood. Neighbors have entered my life without me even having to initiate. As we get to know each other, I have seen their attention and even their lives turned to the Lord because of what they see in me. One neighbor even remarked that he heard about me through his wife and regrets having lived in the neighborhood so long without getting to know me and my family.
The seven circles had become such a routine that I forgot what they were about. I forgot to expect God to keep His promise. No more. Every day I will make it a routine to expect God to do a miracle!
Five years ago, I decided to start walking in my neighborhood for exercise. The path that I walk takes me past all of the houses in our development twice as I go in a loop down the hill, through a little plaza, and back up again. The end of the walk brings me back to the cul-de-sac in which we live. Instead of ending at my house, I felt that God wanted me to walk around the cul-de-sac seven times every time that I walk. In this way, I display the same faith that Joshua and the Israelites did when they trusted that marching around Jericho seven times on the seventh day would give them the city (Joshua 6:15).
So for the five years that I have been walking, I have ended my walk with circling the cul-de-sac seven times. Occasionally, I would pray for specific people in the neighborhood. But always I would do the seven circles. Not until recently have I thought about how God has been faithful to His promise to me. He has given me relationship after relationship in my neighborhood. Neighbors have entered my life without me even having to initiate. As we get to know each other, I have seen their attention and even their lives turned to the Lord because of what they see in me. One neighbor even remarked that he heard about me through his wife and regrets having lived in the neighborhood so long without getting to know me and my family.
The seven circles had become such a routine that I forgot what they were about. I forgot to expect God to keep His promise. No more. Every day I will make it a routine to expect God to do a miracle!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)