Just celebrating a small little victory here!

Just celebrating a small little victory here... :)

This morning, Mke called, and he said the truck is getting better fuel mileage. Yea!! That's awesome news, especially with the price of fuel increasing.

That one little change has the potential to save us a whole lot of money.

It's a small thing, but I have to praise God for it and give Him the glory!!

So... for those who are keeping up with our situation, please keep praying! We're still a bit behind on our house & van payments. We need a pretty good chunk to get those caught up, but I have faith that God will provide!!

Delaney & the Hand Sanitizer

A few days ago, Delaney, Jenna and I were in Wal-Mart buying some snacks and drinks for our trip to the zoo with our Brownie troop.

We happened over to the samples to look for a small tube of sunscreen, and Delaney spotted the small bottles of hand sanitizer. She has caught this hand-sanitizing "germ-a-phobia" from her Granny and myself. Yes, it's a terrible trait we have passed down to her.

She asked if she could have a bottle, and I said that she could.

She picked up a bottle, and started toward the cart with it... and then something caught her eye. She put back the little bottle, and picked up a smaller, shinier bottle which was in the next bin. She said, "Mom I want this one because it's prettier." I asked her to see it, and she handed me a tiny bottle of KY warming massage oil.

I almost laughed out loud! I told her she can't have that kind because it's not hand sanitizer, and it's a lot more expensive than the kind she had before. I could see why she picked it, though, as it had an orange cap and an iridencent label... that's enough to catch any child's eye.

Thank goodness she didn't argue that time. She put it back, and picked up one of the little bottles of Germ-X that she had asked for. I figured we needed to get out of there before she asked what that other stuff was... and she has become quite an excellent reader, so she would have probably asked me about it by name if I'd given her a chance to check it out any longer. So we promptly headed for the checkout lanes!

The Blessing~God is so good!

I'm posting this here now because I have not yet posted it here... This is something that happened to us at the end of February, and I feel that I'm supposed to share it with everyone I know--and even those I don't know. I am called to be a witness for Christ. I am called to testify to His faithfulness to me!!

From Feb 23rd:

Let me start by saying.... God is good ~ All the time! And all the time, God is good! He is so faithful to those who believe in Him. I know this first-hand.

There are some people who just have a giving heart.

There are some people who are faithful to listen to what the Holy Spirit tells them to do.

There are some people who do both.

With that said, let me share something that has happened to me this week...
This morning, our pastor's wife called me and asked if I could come up and talk to her for a few minutes. I said, "of course! I'll be right there."

She and I talked for a few minutes, and then she pulled an envelope out of her drawer. She handed it to me and said, "You can open it now or later. It's up to you." She had a big smile on her face. Then she handed me a kleenex.

I looked at the envelope for a minute, then at the kleenex. Then I said, "Well, I suppose we should see what's in it." So I slowly opened the envelope. It was money. So much that I was afraid to count it. I bawled. So did she. Then I told her that I was afraid to count it... she told me to go ahead. There was a thousand dollars in that envelope. I couldn't even believe what I was seeing! I think I'm still in a bit of shock.

I have no idea where this money came from. She told me that the person who gave her the envelope just wanted to tell me that they felt led to do so, that someone had blessed them once in much the same way... and that when the time was right that we could bless someone else, that they wanted us to pass along a blessing (to someone else) as well. Wow. You aren't going to believe this, but this is the second time this week that something like this has happened to me. But this time it's ten times as much.

I am so amazed. It's almost enough to make our house payment. There aren't very many people who know how we're struggling right now. Our pastor and his wife, and a few of the ladies at church who are in my Wednesday night class... and a few of my friends outside of our church... they're the only ones I've told. And of course God knows.

The Lord will make a way. If you trust Him, He will always make a way.

I hope that my story will bless your heart today... may God lead your steps. Follow Him and be faithful to Him. There's no telling who you might be able to bless, or in what way--even if only with a kind word or a prayer.

Does it really matter?

I sometimes wonder if what I’m doing today really makes any difference. I mean… will it matter when I’m gone? Will I have made a difference to someone? Is what I’m doing today going to make any difference in eternity?

To be quite honest, I sometimes find myself doing things for the sole purpose of pleasing another person (or people). I like to make people happy. I suppose that makes me a people-pleaser. But I’m not always all about making people happy.

Occasionally, I hear words come out of my mouth that surprise me. Like when I have to get onto a child who does not belong to me, which happens pretty much every Tuesday night at our Brownie meetings. I try to love them, and to be very loving when I have to discipline.

There are times that it is hard for me to really respect my husband. I have to stop and remember that God calls me to do so whether I feel he deserves it or not! When he’s been out on the truck for a couple of weeks, I have so many little chores I need done around the house! I try not to bombard him with them. I try not to whine about how the kids dumped out all the puzzles, and then cried because I told them to pick them up. I want him to feel like his home is a refuge, a place to relax. I want him to want to come home to his family.

When I’m having a difficult time loving my husband and my children because they have made me so furious that I can finally take no more (okay, so I obviously lack patience!), I find myself calling out to God for help. I depend on Him. He always listens. He promised to be there for me always. So I tell Him all my troubles, and I believe that He hears me.

I have started to try and view things from an eternal perspective. I may not remember my deeds (good or bad) once I get to the pearly gates, but I am sure they must be written down in a book somewhere. Will they matter in eternity? Will they be remembered when I pass from this life to the next?

A couple of times, my pastor’s wife has told me, smiling, “I see one more jewel in your crown!” when I’m trying to soothe a fussy toddler in the nursery or helping serve dinner after a funeral to a grieving family. I love to help whenever I can. It’s just who I am. I don’t expect a reward for it! But I do admith that just the thought of someday wearing a crown in heaven with big, beautiful jewels in it makes me smile (hey, what girl doesn't love jewelry!)! I told her once that I’d like emeralds and rubies, please! She laughed and said, “He knows the desires of your heart, and He wants to give them all to you!”

Wow. How amazing is that. Someone wants to give me everything I have ever wanted, and more! It’s truly incredible to me.

Wow. I'm a minivan-driving soccer mom

Yesterday, I came to a realization. It was like it suddenly occurred to me that I've turned into someone I never really thought I'd be.

I guess I never thought I'd drive a minivan or have a child playing soccer. I remember thinking that I'd never be anything but skinny. I thought my hair would always be strawberry blonde, and I'd never get those little lines around my eyes. I guess I must have thought I'd be (or look like I was) seventeen forever.

But here I am!! And I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life.
I do still miss that old Camaro (my first car) sometimes though... I remember feeling like I could turn the boys' heads...

My oh my, how the times have changed. Sometimes I wonder if I'd ever turn another head (not that I really want to turn any except my hubby's!). I wonder if I'll ever get back into a size seven. I wonder if there's a hair color in a bottle that matches the color I used to have.

Oh, to be a teenager again!! :)

To make it even funnier... Mike said the other day that he wants to buy me a Camaro 'cause he thinks I'd be cute driving one. Sometimes I just wanna squeeze that man... :)