3 years old. THREE YEARS OLD. And he says “My name is not Ry-Ry anymore; that’s a baby name. My name is Ryan.” *Boo-hoo!!!*
Although this did delight me:
Upon jabbering away for 20 minutes straight to seemingly no one, he comes down the stairs and says “I was talking to God. About everything. He listens to me.” (The faith of a child! How cool is that?!)
Has anyone looked at the 10 day forecast for Maine? Rain, Rain, GO BLASTED AWAY!!!!
Off to the house! Thanks for all of your encouragement…I can’t wait to sit down and actually have the time to respond to everyone!
Alrighty! Prayers that everything comes together this morning; faxes sent and gathered and calculations (gulp) totaled…
This could very well be our last day as non-homeowners! And to celebrate, mom and I are gonna go a travelin’. Go rest. Relax. Or try to, anyway.
Hopefully I shall have some good news to report tonight. In the meantime, go check out *this* post from my dear blog friend Amanda. It’s such good news. Combined with such amazing art. Although I know the truth of it, it makes me happy to repeatedly read it over and over again.
I’m just tired. It’s been a weepy kind of day, and weepy days always make me sleepy. However, with the weepy-ness comes a peacefulness, because God has never let us down. Even through trials, He has always revealed His glory. This house or no, it’s gonna be ok.
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On a completely different note, here are a few new goodies I worked on this weekend:
These are actually mini canvases on mini easels. I love the mini factor!
Had this paper lying around for awhile, and decided to turn it into magnets…
And my first dishtowel attempt! I’ve wanted to make one for a long time, so I hemmed up some fabric, added a ribbon to hang, and appliquéd the fabric.
Well, off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and it will be a good one!
We saw the latest house, and we loved it. We’ll be filling out all of the paperwork and making an offer on Wednesday evening…
Prayers appreciated! My stomach is doing excited/nervous flip flops! Not that I’m dead set on this place; I fully realize it might not be for us, even though it would be great if it was. But the whole process is just…new.
Time to get the boys to bed and then internet-window shop for appliances. Dreaming is always fun!
In case you don’t have toddlers, the title is part of the theme song from Super Why! on PBS, and it’s been running through my head all morning long. But it is incredibly APT for my blog today, which is dedicated to my beloved.
Yesterday was SUCH a good day. It was fantastic from top to bottom, the best part being that it was Erick’s 28th birthday. Our church service was spirit-filled. One of those inspiring, goose-bump mornings. Our pastor started out by showing us the video below, and even though I know you are busy and 5 minutes seems like an eternity, you won’t regret watching this! The boys and I have watched it 3 times today, and they clap and clap and smile and it melts my heart!
After church, I asked Erick what his heart’s desire was for the Big Day. He thought and pondered and said “I want to see my kids have fun”. What he said next struck fear in my heart. Struck FEAR! “Let’s go to Chuck E. Cheese!” He exclaims.
I reluctantly gave in. (It was his birthday, after all).
CC is in Portland, so we drove to the big city (I will go any chance I get-one reason I was willing to go along with this insane plan). We walked in the doors, and after 30 seconds I looked at Erick and told him this would only, from here on out, be a ONCE a year thing. The boys were momentarily stunned with wide-eyed wonder then hit the ground running. It was all we could do to keep up with them. Jack wanted a piece of it all. Once Ry discovered Skeeball he was in love, although standing next to him while he tried to launch the ball was a mite dangerous. I was worn out, I was ragged, I was frazzled…
I had a BLAST!
My parents came along for the fun, and it truly was wonderful. We took this picture in one of the little booths at the end of our time there, and even though it’s goofy, I’ll treasure it forever.
What kind of husband would wish for a birthday celebrated at Chuck E Cheese? All in the name of it would be fun for the kids? My Erick, that’s who! I love him so!
After CC’s, we went to the mall, and I was blown away with the new look at Pottery Barn. PB sometimes delights me, sometimes lets me down, but it’s all good this time around. I think I’m going to try my hand at Polyvore and come up with some inspiration boards. Because I was inspired from my head to my toes yesterday.
We made a stop at Whole Foods and grabbed a chocolate cake, which we dug into on the ride home. YUM. As soon as we walked in the door E and I had to hand the kids off to Nonnie and Papa so we could scoot across the street to our Alpha Course. Perfect end to a perfect day.
And perfect end to this blog because I have things to do. A million things on my plate, and as soon as Erick gets home we get to go see a house! Wahoo! I’ll report our findings tomorrow…
That is very much an Erick phrase. He likes his “conclusions”. And so do I, honey.
Truly, another realization hit this week. (Haven’t you loved my realizations? Heh.) I’m pretty frugal, I like to budget…see it all “layed out”. Plan for the future and all that. Therefore, the house hunting thing has had me all in a dither. I’m over analyzing everything. Thinking up financial obstacles that might not even happen. Or might…in a few years.
I mentioned a house a blog or two back that seemed great, except for the fact that the driveway was a mile long, necessitating a plow truck (which we don’t have). I brought up that fact to a dear friend yesterday who instantly replied “Plow truck? We have one that has been sitting unused in our yard for years. Let me talk to my husband about it.”
Obviously, it could be a non-option for us. (The plow truck AND the house). But that One statement was such a tremendous faith boost for me. I have got to quit sweating the small stuff. God isn’t going to leave us hanging. He provides, and has provided, time and time again.
I’ll never forget; we were given a hand-me-down mattress when we were married. OH. MY. GOSH. We were grateful! But it was decades old. After a few months, we had to wedge ourselves in one particular position to avoid springs poking into our backs. AWFUL, people! It was awful! We were laughing about it with some church friends one evening, and it turns out they spread the word (without us knowing). A couple that we didn’t know at all ended up giving us their year old mattress and boxspring for FREE.
I can still picture our giddy selves sitting on that new mattress. We never wanted to leave. Just wanted to enjoy the bounciness of it all. What a provision! If God cares enough to give us a comfortable mattress (which is really a minor detail) then I think He’ll provide that house. Despite this little ol’ human me.
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I’ve finished some bottles! Just uploaded them to my store. Yay! I’m having so much fun! I tweaked my tree then went from there. It’s a delicious project.
I’m reading a book by Nicky Gumbel called Questions of Life, which goes along with an Alpha course Erick and I are taking through our church. It’s basically geared towards those who are curious about Christianity, but are not quite sure about the whole thing. It’s so excellent! Very thought provoking but not preachy-I really enjoy it (we are taking it because, well, just about everyone in our church has taken the course through the years. It’s a great refresher for those who aren’t new to the faith). Anyway. Not my point. :) Last night I read this paragraph:
About sixteen years ago I was on vacation with my family in central Asia, in part of the former USSR. At that time Bibles were strictly illegal there, but I took some Christian literature, including some Russian Bibles. While I was there, I went to churches and looked for people who seemed from their faces to be genuine Christians. (At that time the meetings were usually infiltrated by the KBG.) On one occasion I followed a man, who was probably in his sixties, down the street after a service. I went up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. There was nobody around. I took out one of my Bibles and handed it to him. For a moment he had an expression of almost disbelief. Then he took from his pocket a New Testament, which was probably a hundred years old. The pages were so threadbare they were virtually transparent. When he realized that he had received a whole Bible, he was elated. He didn’t speak any English and I didn’t speak any Russian. We hugged each other and he started to run down the street jumping for joy, because he knew that the Bible was the most precious thing in the world.
I couldn’t wait to dig back into my Bible after reading that paragraph. Who am I to let it sit by my bed, for the most part going unread in the name of “busy-ness?” I prayed for fresh eyes and a hunger for the Word, and I got it. Mighty fine feeling.
Confession Time. (Haven’t I done that quite a bit lately?)
I’ve always been inclined to give. Or to want to give. That’s the stickler.
I was raised from an early age to give to my church, which I have done willingly so. One aspect of Dave Ramsey’s financial system is giving, which I love! When I think about what our needs/wants are, they are so…almost ridiculous in comparison to what half the world is experiencing. Thinking about our situation:
We want a house of our own! (At least we have shelter, and are blessed to live with incredible parents, and can tuck in to a warm bed at night)
We would love a bit of a boost in salary (At least we currently have a regular income, unlike so many)
Blasted Car Repairs…again?! (At least we have transportation, while many have never ridden in a vehicle before)
Peanut Butter and Jelly for the upteenth time? (Feeds our bellies! Quit complaining!)
I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
On top of our tithing, I’ve always wanted to give more, and have a few times…but not every time the mood has really struck; not every time I feel that God Whisper. When budgeting, I tithe and then make room for the bills…and there is rarely anything left over. However, 5 bucks, taken right out at the top of the budget, isn’t going to make or break us. I often forget that!
Therefore, I have made a vow, and challenge you to do the same. When talking to God about having a shop of my own, I fantasized about giving part of my earnings to some worthy cause. (And then thought that maybe I’d begin when I actually started making a profit…then kicked myself for even thinking that thought).
I am going to start giving 10% of my earnings (at first, and I hope to grow that percentage!) to a cause that is very near and dear to my heart. It can be found at www.childshopeinternational.org. Brother Jeremiah has a heart and passion for Kenyan refugees and orphans. They have tugged at my heart for a long while, so I’m excited to begin this little giving adventure.
donating to local organizations that are collecting money for heating oil (So many families are having a hard time staying warm this winter!)
Anyone else have some causes they are passionate about giving towards? Comment away! Get the word out! If not, consider researching a cause and giving. Either money or time. Working at a soup kitchen is a pretty unforgettable experience.
(I am not trying to “toot my own horn”, here…it’s more of a “let me tell you how I’ve failed and what I’m going to do about it”, keep-me-accountable post!)
Some situations are pretty small. Things you can easily handle yourself (or rather…you think you can; we should go to God with everything though!) Other situations, however, you realize right off the bat that there is nothing you in your “humanly” power can do, so the whole she-bang must be turned over, in it’s entirety, at once! And it never, ever hurts to have prayer. Ever. From as many people as possible. (Hence this post.)
Firstly, please pray for R.H. God worked a mighty miracle last night in this person’s life, and although they probably don’t realize it, I’m sure that this particular drama could be turned into an incredible testimony one day. Please pray for R.H.’s broken heart and dear family. This desperate situation will hopefully be turned into a really, really good thing.
Secondly, although I don’t feel free as a bird to really discuss our particular circumstance right this minute, we (and other involved parties) would greatly covet your prayers for God’s wisdom, guidance, and peace in a sticky situation. While we hope for a certain outcome, sometimes God has something even better waiting for us than what we think is the best! I’ll let you know once it is all resolved. In His timing, of course!
Dreaming is always fun!
