"Leaving on a Jet Plane"

This time 17 years ago, I was trying to figure out how I was going to survive the heat of the coming summer while pregnant.  I was awaiting the birth of a baby that I had longed for and thought I would never have.  I had already buried two babies and could not wrap my head around the fact that everything seemed to be going well this time.  I had no idea if we would be the parents of a son or daughter.  I was struggling with my blood pressure but was willing to do whatever I had to do to bring this baby home from the hospital.  In September, I gave birth to a beautiful blue-eyed, blond-haired, and precious baby boy.  We named him Austin and I fell immediately in love.  My heart was as full of love as it had ever been.  I decided to make Austin my career...literally.  2½ years later we had our daughter.  They have been what I have wrapped my life around ever since.

A few minutes ago, I hugged that sweet boy as he got in the car with his best friend and his best friend's mom to head out on a 10 day trip to the other side of the country.  I am thrilled that he has the opportunity and I look forward to hearing all about the trip, but that is my baby (even if he is 16).  I miss him already.  He can make me laugh more than anyone else.  He has been my buddy for all these years and I wish we were making this trip together.  He has never been away from home for this long.  He has never flown anywhere on a jet.  He has never been more than 400 miles from home.  He is going to have a lot of "firsts" in the next ten days.

As I sit here with all these mixed emotions, I realize that a day is coming when he will not live here and will have his own life elsewhere.  I am not certain that I am ready for that day.  Today has been hard enough.  I also know that this has been my job description all along...raising them to be independent.  As much as I miss him, this is a process.  This is God's way to prepare me for the day when he leaves home.  My prayer is that he has a great time on his trip, but for now, I am glad this is where he will return to.  I am enjoying every single day with my children at home because the day is coming when they will not be.

The Finish Line

I realized that I do my best when I have a goal.  I think we all do.  In fact, I think what keeps people strong when they are going through the hardest of times is when they think "Heaven is my goal".  Keeping our eyes on the prize is something I have heard my entire life but what is the prize?  As I sit here, in my "place", Starbucks, I have been thinking about goals and the ones I have made for myself.  I am actually researching how to go from an okay walker to a finisher of a half marathon in 193 days.  I am not certain how it is going to happen or how I am going to train for it but I already see myself crossing the finish line.  I have pictured it all as I have thought about it and I know it is a real place.  I am fully aware that other people have been there.  I have read about what it is like and I can feel it in my soul as I think about it.  The reality, I have never crossed the finish line of a half marathon.  I know that to get there, I am going to have to make a daily choice to think about it and to act as if I am going to cross that finish line.  I don't need to say I am a runner, I need to become one.  I will have to push myself to be more than I ever thought possible.  I am going to get blisters, bruises, and burns as I train, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will cross that finish line on October 29, 2011.

What about my spiritual finish line?  What do I choose to do each day that causes me to focus on that finish line?  Do I think that I can live as a lazy Christian and feel like I have run the race that was set before me?  Will I train daily regardless of how I feel?  Will I act Christlike or will I be Christlike?

Funny, I have volunteered for many athletic events and I have watched as many people cross the finish line.  Many of them have a look of thankfulness, others have a look of exhaustion, and some have a look of surprise that they made it.  At these events I help, I watch, and I encourage, but I am not a participant.  I leave the events tired and with a t-shirt that says I was there.  I do not leave the event as a successful participant though.  People who see me wearing my t-shirts would assume that I participated.  I do not want my Christian life to be this way.  I don't want to look like a Christian and not participate in all that the Lord has for me to do here in the race of life.  I want to cross that glorious finish line with total thankfulness and even exhaustion but not surprise.  I want to hear "Well done Jamie!"  

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"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us"

Hebrews 12:1

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Hearing Him

Last night was the first night for our Tuesday Night Bible Study Group to meet for this session.  We are working through "Discerning the Voice of God" by Priscilla Shirer.  The DVD we watched last night REALLY spoke to me.  One thing that she she said that keeps playing over and over in my head is that we have to be prepared to hear Him in order to know when we hear Him.  

Raising children has taught me so much about the Lord.  Most of the time, whatever I say to my children in a moment of discipline or correction, I hear the Lord say, "You too, Jamie."  Listening and really hearing what I say is something we have worked on since my children were really small.  My son is 16 and his mind is always on music, songs, lyrics, or computers.  He is super talented but not always fully attentive to what I am saying.  He likes to hangout in the kitchen with me and talk while I am getting things done.  A lot of those times, I use him to put things up or hand me things from either the pantry or refrigerator.  Recently, I was making sandwiches and I handed him the mayonnaise and sandwich meat and said, "Put this all back in the refrigerator".  He never skipped a beat in his sentences as he chattered right through my instructions.  I later went to the pantry to get something and there sat my quart of mayonnaise and a package of sandwich meat.  My first thought was, "He never heard me because he was so busy talking about what was on his mind.  In his distraction he just put it in the pantry and not the refrigerator.  He needs to really listen when I speak and things like this would not happen."  Well, you probably know what happened next.  I hear in my heart that I am no different. OUCH!  I know that God must be thinking those same exact things about me.  He wants me to stop talking about what is on my mind long enough to hear Him and know what to do.  I have been guilty of doing things that I am certain are the opposite of what God has tried to tell me.  I have been guilty of standing up after some time with Him and never really waiting to hear what He was saying.

I am really looking forward to this study.  Those that know me, know that I love to talk.  Nobody knows that better than God!  I am going to take the time to listen so that I do not miss a thing!

Time Away

Sometimes we just need time away.  I took some time away from my blog and now I am back.  I needed to regroup in several areas of my life so I took the time to.  I am so glad that I did.  I feel better and I feel more capable of keeping up with a blog...or two.  I guess my year in pictures (other blog) will be missing several weeks but that is okay.  So here we go...back on the blogging bandwagon!

Don't Forget Who You Are

How many times in 16+ years have I said something to my children to correct or guide them and I suddenly have heard the Lord saying the same thing to me???  MANY MANY MANY TIMES!

This happened just recently as I was talking to my son (16) about why we put him on restriction.  Restriction for this long has NEVER happened before and I am not really certain who it has upset more.  I had talked to my sister who has three grown boys in order to get some perspective.  She shared with me that there was an incidence when they had to confront one of their sons and his answer was "Mom, I just forgot who I was".  WOW!  That hit me like a rock. I thought about that for a while and decided to talk to my son again about some poor choices that he had made which led him to being on restriction.  I told him that I wanted to remind him of who he is and who he belongs to. This is not only true about teenagers but it is VERY true about adults.

I have decided, based on this very principle, that I will surround myself with people who remind me who I am and who I belong to.  I am a Christian which means that I belong to God.  If I surround myself with people who do not care about that or who pull me away from that, I am only going to make more mistakes in judgement.  If Christians treat each other as we should, we will encourage righteousness and spur each other on in our walk with the Lord.  I am grateful when people care enough about me and my relationship with the Lord to hold me accountable to what He desires for my life.

Correcting and disciplining my children is my job but it is not always easy.  The blessing that I see that reaches beyond them is that I learn in the process.  As I remind them who they are I am reminded to not forget who I am and who I belong to.

Fresh Start

I am not certain how many times I have journaled, blogged, or thought about this concept.  I seem to always be longing for a fresh start.  I am glad that I serve a God that gives those freely and without holding my failures against me.  

Tomorrow, some things HAVE TO change for me.  I have to get back to exercising every single day.  I have to get back to eating healthier.  I have no choice!  Well, I do have a choice.  I guess it would be better said that I am not giving myself a choice.  I am planning to bundle up and go walk first thing in the morning.  

Tomorrow, I plan to get back to waking up early.  The holidays and the lazy days we were in with snow on the ground have really spoiled me.  Tomorrow, the alarm will be set.  I will rise early and get a good start on my day and the week.

Tomorrow, I will have my quiet time as soon as I get home from my walk.  I will not let anything take priority over that time with my Lord.

So, I have all these plans, but what about today?  What am I going to do with today?  I have already had my quiet time where I spent the time catching up on my Bible study homework.  I did not go walk this morning.  Today, I will get ready and go to the church house.  What will I do with my time there?  Will I exercise my faith?  Will I eat the "meat" of the word or need milk?  Will I quiet myself before the Lord while I am there or will I think about everything that has me stressed?  I have today and I am not guaranteed tomorrow.  Each day is a fresh start.

Saturday Savings Summary

Each Saturday, I plan to post a summary from my coupon/store sales.  I like to save 50-100% off of original prices for groceries, household items, and toiletries. It requires strategy, planning, and patience.  

Here is the summary from this year so far:

Original Price:  $308.88

Store Sales Savings:  $75.33

Coupon Savings:  $85.74

Total Savings:  $161.07

Final Price:  $147.81

Savings percentage:  52%

Not a bad start to 2011. I hope to blog the first of the week about my coupon binder and my coupon strategy.  I  think of it as part of "my job" and I have figured out a quick and simple way to clip, organize and use coupons.  Everybody has a different way to handle their coupons but I have found after YEARS of using them that the way that I currently handle them is what is best for me.

Coupons, Coffee, and C-group

The title of this post pretty much sums up my day yesterday.  

Wednesdays is when the new sales start at my favorite place to shop with coupons, Bi-Lo.  I usually sit down with the flyer and my coupons and make a list of what I am going to stock-up on.  I usually find other deals once I am at the store.  Last night my total was $116.44 prior to coupons and my total after sales and coupons was $41.17.  I saved 65%.  I like to save at least that much each time I shop.  

Wednesdays are also afternoons when I have time to go by and spend time at Starbucks.  My husband and daughter were with me yesterday so we enjoyed our coffee and conversation before heading to our church activities.  It was nice to spend time with them.

Finally, Wednesday evenings is C-group time at church.  It is our small group and last night we had a great crowd.  It was good to spend time with new and old friends there.  We laughed, prayed, talked, and cried.  It is a great group of people that all have something to add to the conversation.

It was a great day and I look forward to each and every Wednesday so I can save money, sip coffee, and see my friends.

The Homekeeper's Journal

This week’s Journal is all about HOME

In my homey kitchen …..

is where I enjoy preparing meals for my family.  I did not know how to do much more than boil water prior to getting married nearly 19 years ago.  Learning to cook has been such a pleasure.  I love being in my kitchen if I am cooking, baking, washing dishes, cleaning, making coffee, or making hot tea.  It is a place of peace, tranquility, and joy

My thoughts on being at home ……
Deciding to stay home was an easy decision for me.  I had always wanted to be a mom and wife.  The thought of somebody else taking care of my home or children, breaks my heart.  I love being here to take care of my home and family.  I truly believe that it is my job.  I always say that my husband makes the money and I do my best to make the most of it.  

A constant habit I have of making my home comfortable is ….

I am in constant "pick up and straighten up" mode.  I am always looking for things that can be straightened, put away, wiped down, picked up, or thrown away.  When I walk through a room, I try to see it from the viewpoint of a visitor.  I want my family to feel like I treat them as being just as important as company....because they are!

If I could change the decor of my home ….

I would start with painting and would enjoy or more contemporary country style than I have now.

What I want my children/spouse/other family to remember about my home is …

The word "welcome" is the word that comes to mind.  I want it to feel warm, loving and welcome.  I want people to feel at ease when they are here.  I want there to be a sense of calmness and joy.

Home … 

is certainly where my heart is!

The Homekeeper's Journal

In My Winter Kitchen its time to ……….
Clean the cabinet doors and straighten the cabinet that holds all the cups and glasses.  
My biggest Time-Waster seems to be ……..
These days?  Sleeping in.  I actually love mornings and the earlier the better.  I seem to accomplish so much in the early hours of the day.  Sleeping in makes me feel as if I am wasting precious time.
I do/do not view Time as a gift from God and here is why……
I view every second that I am alive as a gift from God.  I have been made painfully aware in the last ten years just how short life is.  Time is a precious commodity and should be treated as such.

When others are slow or dawdle I ………
I get impatient.  I want to be patient with others, but people being  poky drives me NUTS.  I am working on this one area of my life.  If people do not do things at the speed I want them to do it or at the speed I would do something...IT IS OKAY.  Now I just need to repeat that to myself every 30 minutes of each day.  

One way that I make good use of time in my household is ….. 

I try to make every action count.  If I leave a room I take anything with me that belongs somewhere in the direction I am headed.  I also use the time that appliances are working to do things.  If I start the dishwasher I find a chore that I can do in the time it takes for it to wash the dishes.