What a Week

Little did I know as I wrote my last blog post that I would have the week that I have had.  I use to long to know what was to come and with a week like this, I am glad that I  don't have the ability to know the future.

Last Saturday evening, my daughter and I were home alone.  Somehow we inadvertently left our door unlocked.  Shortly after 9pm, I sent my daughter to our front room to see why our little dog was barking like crazy.  This is not an unusual event, because our little dog barks at his own shadow.  Shortly after sending her to check on him, I hear him get worse and my daughter starts screaming in terror.  I left my kitchen and ran to the hallway.  I see a strange man standing inside our front door with the door shut behind him.  He was in the same room as my daughter and our dog.  Without hesitation, I ran toward him screaming for him to leave.  I did all I knew to do and shoved and pushed on him until he was out of the door and the door was locked.  He remained on our porch as we raced upstairs to call 911.  He was found, arrested and taken to jail.  It was the scariest moment of my life and I am grateful that God protected us.
The next evening, I was with my small group and we prayed for a lady that is a part of the group because she was having a colonoscopy the following morning.  She is in her early 40's so we were not anticipating anything bad.  The next morning I received a phone call from her that left me stunned and in tears.  My life lifelong friend and my sister in Christ had cancer.  We have since heard the news that it is Stage 2 Colorectal cancer.  The doctor's are VERY optimistic.
That same day I saw a post of Facebook that said that my brother-in-law's mom's cancer had returned and is in her lungs.  I do not remember her not being a part of my life.  My sister and her husband have been married since I was 9 and our families have been friends my entire life.
Later that evening, I led the first session of the Fall Ladies Bible Study.  I have never led this particular group and felt very weakened by the previous few days.  I felt as if Satan had literally been beating me up. I left there, encouraged, renewed, and refreshed.
Life can be surprising, disappointing, and discouraging, but God is still in control.  I have to remind myself of this pretty often during the day as I think about what could have happened to us when the intruder came in, as I think about somebody my age having cancer, and think about a lady I have known my entire life dealing with a return of cancer.

Sisters

An email from my sister prompted this post.  We are almost exactly 10 years apart in age.  I was brought home from the hospital on her 10th birthday.  She has never made me feel as if she was older and I was a baby.  We shared a room until she left home.  She has always been an encouragement to me and when I received her email this morning, it only served to confirm the fact that I am so grateful to not only call her sister, but to call her my friend.  I love her more every single day and am so proud that I am her "little" sister.

She told me in her email that she had heard this song on Pandora and it made her think of me:

Sister by: Sarah Bettens

Sister I know there’ve been times when you didn't think 

I was a very good friend

Sister you must think I'm out of my mind

It's a struggle sometimes to pretend

But I know what I'm doing 

I know who I am

I know how it works and I'll see where it ends

Sister I need you more now than I ever did

I've been thinking again

I've been thinking again

Life can be tricky and sneak up on you like a tiger looking for

prey

And we've had our share of surprises, 

There must be a good one coming our way

Because we're really all looking, we're really all lost

The less we expect, the smaller the costs

Sister I miss you more now then I ever did

I've been thinking again

I've been thinking again

Things that aren't funny, are funny with you

So I'm better when you are around

And I might say I don't need any advice

But I wear the clothes that I found

In the back of your closet, wherever you hide

Secrets that nobody ever will find

Sister I love you more, then I ever did

I've been thinking again

I've been thinking again

Sister I love you more, then I ever did

I've been thinking again

I've been thinking again

Windows Open and Breezes Coming In

Nothing like having the windows open for the first time.  I love the way the house feels when they are open and even better...I love the way the air smells.  It is a clean and crisp feel and smell that makes me want to bake apple pies and pumpkin bread.  I am planning to decorate for fall tomorrow.  My rule is that until I can leave the windows open all day, I do not decorate for fall.  It just does not seem right to have a 102 degree weather and pumpkins on the table.  I have to wait each year.

One of my favorite fall recipes is pumpkin bread.  Here is my favorite recipe:

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, lightly bean
• 16 ounces canned unsweetened pumpkin
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 9 by 5 loaf pans. Stir together sugar and oil. Stir in eggs andpumpkin. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients and water into wet mixture, alternating. Divide batter between two loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool.

BOOK SNEEZE BOOK REVIEW "Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God" By: Sheila Walsh

I read this book a while back and thought that I had posted a review of it for Book Sneeze.  Since I had not, I thought I would do so today.  

Sheila Walsh is a gifted writer that literally draws you in with the first few words of this book.  I read this book not long before a very devastating betrayal of a friend.  I think the lessons that I learned about trusting God in this book helped me get through it.  Trust is something that the world has devalued in the last few generations.  For society, a handshake was enough and for God, His word has always been enough.  Now, society does not have much integrity, but God's consistency has lasted forever.  Sheila uses her own insecurities and trust issues to offer a real account of what happens when I woman allows herself to trust God with the unknown and unseen.

This book was a easy read and quick read but I found that she skipped around a lot in the "story".  There would be times that, as I read, I would have to re-read the previous pages to realize where she was on the current page.  Even with that, the book was interesting and insightful.  Sheila uses her own personal life and lives of David and others to make her point that you can trust God with EVERYTHING.  I have referred back to her words over the past year as I have been faced with a situation that required me to completely trust God to handle it.

Front Porch Ramblings

Holidays are not always the same for us as they are for other families.  My husband swings shifts on a 7 day rotation and has to work most holidays.  Today is no different.  I am spending time on my front porch with the temperatures lower, overcast skies, and a light drizzle of rain.  It is pleasant and peaceful.  As I sit here, I have several thoughts running through my head so I will share them:

*I recently starting leading a women's small group on Sunday evenings.  It becomes more and more obvious each week that God has brought this group together.  It is amazing to feel and know that we are together for a reason.  I love these ladies and am so blessed to have each of them in my life.

*As I start to prepare to lead a women's Bible study which starts next week, I am humbled.  The study is by James MacDonald and is entitled "Lord, Change My Attitude (Before it is too late)".  It has humbled me in so many ways.  The first week is about complaining.  As I have been studying, I have thought that I really needed this YEARS ago.  Maybe my complaining would have stopped by now had I heard these lessons before now.  ;)  If you struggle with negative attitudes, I would like to recommend this study.  

*I found a little devotional book from 1978 to put next to my chair where I usually sit to read, have my coffee, or have my quiet time.  I picked it up this morning and the very first devotional had something to do with dealing with people.  Funny, the Bible study is about complaining and this little book was about dealing with people.  I picked up my Journey devotional to read today's devotional and it was about something very similar.  I think God is trying to tell me something!

*I knew that I would be gone all day yesterday, so I planned ahead.  I got the house completely straightened and all of my chores finished Saturday evening before going to bed.  I packed a change of clothes, the things I needed for Sunday morning at church, the things I needed for my small group Sunday evening, and things my daughter would need for the day.  She and I were singing in the Worship Choir yesterday morning and the sound check was at 8:30am.  We live 15 minutes away from our church.  I decided to spend the afternoon with my mama while in town.  Last night, my daughter (14 years old) was asked by several college girls and older high school girls to go see "The Help".  I decided to let her go even though I was EXHAUSTED.  The wonderful influence that these girls are for my daughter far outweighed me being tired.  So she and I left here at 8am and got home a little after 10pm.  It was a good day!

I am so blessed to be sitting here in the quietness of my porch.  There are sounds but they consist of birds, wind, a drizzle of rain, and passing cars.  I am not laboring...that is for certain.  A great way to spend the holiday.

Yard Sale Fun

Yesterday, my mom, daughter, and I went to a yard sale that my church was having.  I went with the thought that I would not find anything and really did not need anything.  As usual, I was sucked in and found several things.  One was something I have wanted for a while, one was something I could not leave there, another was something I collect, and the rest was free.  

So here they are:

This is a large bowl and pitcher.  It has chips and other imperfections, but that is what made me like it.  It was well worth $2.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have wanted to find one of this thermal coffee servers.  My husband swings shifts so we do not always drink our coffee at the same time.  I also will drink coffee all throughout the day.  This is a way to save it without it having to be reheated.  This was $3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I collect Starbucks things with the old logo.  My daughter spotted this at the yard sale and it was only 25¢.  A great find at a great price!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As I was leaving the yard sale, I saw a friend that asked if I wanted some books.  These are all brand-new books that she had taken out of her Sunday school class.  I am excited to read each of them and use them to lead my small group.

Saving "Sense" (¢ents)

I shop at Bi-lo with coupons because they double the coupons that are valued up to 60¢.  That means that a 60¢ coupon is worth $1.20.  Bi-Lo is good about having BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deals.  If I watch the coupons and sales closely, I can get things for free or just pennies.  This is how I save the most.  The other way that we save money is by using the fuel perks that Bi-Lo offers.  For every $50.00 you spend you can save 5¢/gallon on gas up to 20 gallons.  If you let that accumulate over time, you can save a good bit off each gallon.  Since this credit is given based on your total before coupons, you can build it up quickly.

Last night, we needed a few things at the store so I went with my coupons.  I had seen online where they had McCormick Spices and Marinades on sale for BOGOF.  I knew that I had 50¢ coupons which were worth $1.00 when doubled.  They had also advertised that if you bought 4 of the McCormick products, you would earn an extra 10¢/gallon.  I had 6 of the coupons for the products.  Here is how I saved:

8 packets of McCormick Marinade Mix= $9.52 (Regular Price)

BOGOF= $4.76 (Sale Price)

Coupons= 50¢ each(doubled)=$1.00 x 6= $6.00

Final Price= -$1.24 (they paid me)

FUEL PERKS

I already had 25¢/gallon credit

I earned 20¢/gallon credit for purchasing the McCormick Marinade Mixes

Total:  45¢/gallon credit

I purchased 11.5 gallons of gas with credit

Saved: $5.18 

Total savings/earnings:  $6.42 + 8 McCormick seasonings FOR FREE

I hope that this makes sense.  This is just the savings on this one deal.  I got several other deals in my grocery order.  I try to not buy anything unless I have a coupon.  I save the most when there is a good sale and I have coupons.  

My philosophy is that my husband makes the money and I try to make the most of it!  I think it is a VERY biblical concept and I consider it my job since I am a homemaker.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household 

Proverbs 31:14-15

Working on my Nest

There is something about waking up to cooler temperatures that makes me start feeling like a mother bird working on her nest.  I have a need to clean, organize, plan, straighten, redecorate, etc.  I am not certain what brings these feelings on, but I am almost giddy about the fact that I will soon be able to open windows for fresh cool air.  I am looking forward to being able to enjoy my morning coffee, afternoon reading time, and evening tea on the front porch.  Although yesterdays post was about not longing for something different, I am preparing my home, mind, and heart for something different.  My "nest" will soon feel and look different because I have these needs to clean and rearrange.  My husband says he knows when I sense a change in seasons because when fall is approaching, I play lots of hammered dulcimer music in our home.  I am not certain that is always true, but our home does start smelling like nutmeg, cinnamon, apples, and pumpkin spice.  I will bring out the hot tea and cocoa.  However, before all of that, it is time to toss the things out of the nest that are not needed.  I have a plan in place for the next couple of weeks.  I am going to take one room at a time and clean every drawer and cabinet out.  I will post pictures of my progress and work as motivation for me to continue to strive toward a cleaner more organized nest.

Longing for Something Different

On my 2 mile walk with my neighbor this morning, I was thinking about how it was not as hot as a few weeks ago.  I thought about how thankful I will be when the weather cools off and how miserably hot the summer has been.  As this thought crossed my mind, I thought about how we are never satisfied.  We always want something different than what we have at the time.  Why do we long for something different?  I know that when we are walking one morning in January in three layers of clothes we will talk about how we cannot wait until it is no longer so cold.  We are always longing for something different.  We cannot be satisfied.

All of these thoughts brought to mind:

"...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Philippians 4:11

Contentment is completely possible regardless of our circumstances.  If I am walking in 105° weather or 25°, I can be content.  I can choose to be content.  How?  By learning to be content.  Contentment does not come easy.  It is something we have to learn to do.  I believe the way we learn contentment is to practice speaking in a positive way.  We have to learn to have a better attitude about things and to be appreciative of the present.  We get caught up sometimes in the complaining that we miss the blessings of the moment.  Our complaining, grumbling, and discontentment ruins our witness.  It all starts with our attitude.  I am going to appreciate each day and be grateful for my morning or evening walk....that is my new attitude.

Not Necessarily the Necessary

The last few months have been full to say the least.  Not necessarily full of the necessary...but full.  Instead of catching up on every boring and not so boring detail, I am going to share some lessons I have learned through that time:

1. I have been working on some extra weight that I put on through a very stressful 2010.  I have learned that the scale does not define me.  Now, we all know that, but this is a big deal because I learned a spiritual lesson.  If every time somebody says something about us (good or bad) we allow it to define us, we forget and disregard the fact that who we are in Christ defines us.  I wake up and face that scale first thing every single morning. We tend to like a scale when it gives us the numbers we want.  We are mad at the scale when it does not tell us what we want to hear.  We are the same person who is standing on the scale either way.  Life is that way too.  Whatever anyone says about us (good or bad) does not have to change or define who we are.  All we can do is keep doing the best we can and hope that others see Jesus in us.
2. I helped facilitate a Summer Bible Study this year.  Two other ladies and I sat down over lunch and decided what we thought was a random selection of who would lead each week.  I later realized that I was leading the VERY weeks that God had ordained.  We worked through Brave by: Angela Thomas .  I taught one week on being undisciplined and the other on fear.  Wow, it was not random which weeks we would teach.  I learned far more those two weeks as I studied than I would have if I had not been forced to dig deeper and lead it.  So when you start thinking something is random, remember that God is charge of EVERYTHING!
3. Late July I started experiencing some pain in my mouth.  I thought it was a tooth issue.  I have serious dentistry anxiety (remember....I had just taught on FEAR).  It finally got so intense that I had no other choice than to call my dentist.  As I sat in the chair waiting on him to come in, I had tears flowing.  It was not just the fear but the intense pain that seemed to consume me when it would hit.  He walked in and immediately put my mind at ease.  He checked my teeth and then checked my jaw.  Yep, it was a muscle problem in my jaw due to me clenching my teeth subconsciously during the day and in my sleep at night.  He fit me for a bite guard and I had to wait 2 weeks for it to come in.  By the time I got the bite guard it had been a month since I first started experiencing the pain.  I cannot describe this pain in words.  It was like these intense muscle spasms in my jaw that radiated all over the right side of my face and head.  My ear, my teeth, my lips, my jaw, my forehead, etc would all hurt so terribly.  Some spasms would last a couple of minutes and others would last over an hour. During this month, I learned several things but the biggest lesson....TRUST IN THE LORD!!!  We are all so quick to quote Proverbs 3:5-6 when we are talking to others about their struggles, but I had to quote it over and over to myself.  Fear would set in each time I would have a spasm.  Doubt and fear would take over.  The day that my dentist fit me for the bite guard he said for me to trust him and know that I would get pretty quick relief once it came in.  People would start questioning me and saying things to me that would scare me.  Finally, a very soft spoken lady at church came to me and said that she had suffered with the same thing and the bite guard worked.  So many people kept trying to convince me it was something far worse.  Well, 24 hours after getting my guard adjusted and wearing it for all but one hour, I felt like a new person.  I still have to be careful because it has been less than a week, BUT I am better.  
4. Finally, I could not attend a meeting about our Fall Bible Study and found out later that I will be facilitating that one.  It is going to be another one that God will use to teach me LOTS of lessons.  It is Lord, Change My Attitude:  Before it is Too Late by: James MacDonald.  Trust me, it is not a coincidence that I am leading this one!  There will probably be LOTS of blog posts on this one.

Bottom line is this, I thought I was just busy busy busy throughout the summer months with very unnecessary things or mundane things, but as I look back God had a lot to teach me through not necessarily the necessary.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all. 

Proverbs 3:5-7