Murphy's Knocking!!

Well, Dave said this would happen. (It's so funny how many times we have said that phrase recently--"Dave says...") And yes, he's right again. We have gone through the whole year with very little unexpected expenses and have squeezed our monthly budget each month and achieved our goal of 3-6 months living expenses in savings. Now, essetially we are our own "bank". Well, wouldn't you know...December comes and everything starts falling apart: the furnace, the water heater, some sort of pump on the Jeep, toilets running, pipes dripping, it really is almost comical. Praise God that we have been able to save and have the money for these repairs, but it still hurts knowing how many months it took to get there :-). Next year after the savings is built back up we will begin to put specific money away for household repairs. It is so fun to see those accounts grow each month they are not needed and then be there when you DO need them! And like Dave says, Murphy WILL come, just don't let him in!! :-)

What!? Pay for Christmas Presents with Cash?!!

O.K. I would normally NEVER recommend something from Saturday Night Live, but this one skit is so perfect for what we've been learning at our Financial Peace Class.



It really is so sad how true this little skit is. We have bought into this concept that "things" are so important and we need to buy them whether we have the money or not. Which brings me to my title -- how does that fit into our thinking of Christmas? What does giving extremely expensive gifts to our children even have to do with Christmas? What are we celebrating, what message are we sending our kids and what are we setting ourselves up for next year when everything is more expensive and our children are one year older wanting bigger and better things. These are just a few things that have been rattling around my head for awhile and I will continue with thoughts along these lines. Any ideas would be wonderful and I would appreciate any and all advice in this area!

Dopamine or a Taste of Heaven??

This morning was a rough morning. First day of school after an amazingly fun, busy week of family, food, and fellowship. I made sure everyone was clean and in bed by 8 thinking that would help the morning go better. Nope...So on the way to school I asked - not to anyone in particular - why this always happens after we have spent time with "cousins". Praetoria, without missing a beat replies, "Dopamine". Going on to explain that it is a chemical in the brain that is released in moments of joy. The kids had used all of theirs up and now it was needing to be replenished and so they would be grumpy until that happened. *grin* I have to admit that some of that is indeed true. After having an enjoyable time with the ones we love it seems hard to get back in the swing of things and deal with the pressures of life. Then it hit me while I was washing my hair. I also think that we get a little taste of heaven at those times. Not only are we "family" in the natural sense, but we are more than that. We are bound together by Christ and will be spending eternity together - enjoying food and fellowship in the presence of God Almighty. I think we would all agree that the greatest time together was when we filled the basement on Sunday and lifted up our voices in song and listened to God's Word being preached. What wonderful worship together and THAT is what we will do for enternity!! So whether Dopamine comes into all of that, or not, I am living today with "One Foot Raised" and anxiously await the day when Christ calls us to our true Home that we will never have to leave and where the word "Good-bye" will not exist.

Why I Kissed Facebook Good-bye

I promised I would write why I got off FB, so here it is:

Really a number of reasons went into it, but the main reason was time. I found that I was spending WAY too much time on Facebook. The reality become very clear when everytime I helped Savannah get on-line for something I had to first check FB and Savannah would say, "Not FB again, Mom!!" The funny thing is, I was spending so much time trying to keep up with people I really don't even know that well, but are my "friend". I would even find myself looking through pictures of people I didn't even know only because it was linked on another friend's page. I WILL miss the pictures, but I figure the people I am really good friends with will continue to send me pictures other ways. A verse from II Thes. 3 really hit me one Sunday. It is talking about an undisciplined life and warns about those going around as busybodies. I felt like a busybody. There are so many needs right here in my neighborhood that I should be attending to. People I need to be having face-to-face conversations with. Not to mention my own family! So, I've been trying to play more games with Savannah, check in with more neighbors, and write more hand-written letters. The funny thing is, I don't think most of my "friends" from FB even know I'm gone! As personal as it feels at times, it still falls short of true fellowship. So, I guess that is it in a nut shell. I really don't miss it. One day will I be back? Maybe...but for now I'm enjoying the freedom from my little addiction. :)

And I get paid for this!?

Just had an awesome time at my very,very part-time job. I am blessed to be able to go to these amazing parties and get paid for it at the same time. Granted, I work my tail off most of the time, but it is FUN work! Most of the time I see many people that I know and get to chat with them. But it is also fun just knowing I'm helping people have an enjoyable evening out with great food, good drink, and that it's all presented in a beautiful way. It really is right up my alley and I LOVE it! Tonight was no exception. A beautiful party at an attorney's office. For a thank-you we were each given a bottle of wine - how cool is that!? So instead of that greasy burger I was going to pick up, I decided to go to the store and get the things that we served at this wonderful party to have with my wine when I got home. I should have taken a picture. We had our wine, green and red grapes, specialty sharp white cheddar cheese, rolled salami, fresh bakery bread, and to top it all off -- dark chocolate. I put it all out on a fancy long plate that I have. The kids thought it was great fun and then were soon sent downstairs so Eli and I could enjoy this royal meal :-). What a life God has blessed me with!
P.S. The night could have ended up much differently -- Eli and the kids got hit by a drunk driver while I was gone. Thankfully it was only in a parking lot so they were all fine and the Jeep didn't even sustain any damage, but the guy hit them twice!! They were pretty shaken up, but we are all praising the Lord for His protection!

The Simple Things of Life

As some of you know, we are in the middle of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course. Eli and I are loving it and we feel it has really put us on a great path and has given us some great ideas to implement. But with everything there needs to be a balance. And with all of the talk recently about money, budgets, and wealth building I have also started to see even more clearly what money CAN'T buy. So tonight while I was taking an extremely long bath I started thinking up my list. Here are a few to start with:

1.) Having all of my dishes washed, dryed AND put away -- something that doesn't always get done around here.

2.) The grin on Silas' face when he told me about the "A" he got on his test we studied for last night.

3.) The little finger-wave Savannah gave me on her way to P.E. while I was volunteering at her school.

4.) The twinkle in Prae's eyes as she took the fresh, hot cinnamon rolls we made to her Bible Study class this morning.

5.) The warmth of snuggling up to Eli while the wind is blowing so terribly outside.

6.) The little jars of apple butter on the counter.

7.) Getting to talk to my sister on the phone uninterupted.

8.) Praying with Savannah that she won't have the same nightmare as last night and seeing the peace wash over her face.

9.) Going to bed knowing my Sovereign God is watching over us, protecting us, does not sleep, and will wake me up with the strength I need to face tomorrow.

Those are the things life is made of!!

Harmony

Yesterday I was trying to take my Sunday afternoon nap and this word picture popped into my head. I was thinking about unity with Believers and the image that came to mind was a string on a harp or guitar. When that one string is played it is hard to tell if it is in tune or not - just playing by itself. But add another string (person) to that and you will be able to tell if they are in tune to each other. BUT there is a possibility that BOTH are out of tune even if they are tuned together. So there has to be something to be tuned to - a pitch pipe, for example. Well, the Bible should be a Christian's pitch pipe. The more each string is tuned to the Word the more harmony we will share. God has made us to interact with each other - to strum our strings. The question is are we playing in harmony or discord? I am afraid that there are many Christians strumming along thinking they are in key because they are all sounding o.k. together, but suddenly the pitch pipe is blown and it is obvious the whole group is off -- they aren't listening to the true pitch -God's Word. I think there are many different ways to look at this analogy, but you get the idea. Today as we go about our lives rubbing shoulders with fellow "strings" let's make sure we are all tuning our lives to the only absolute -- the Bible, and together make sweet music that will glorify our God!!

When Dad's Away the Mice Will...Paint!! :-)

I love to paint when Eli goes out-of-town. This time we decided to paint Si's room because he had border up from when he was a toddler. We went to Menard's and he helped me pick out two really cool colors -- we took his comforter and got the idea from that. Burnt orange and dk. brown. It looks SO cool. He has been a trooper and we are almost done! Eli comes home tomorrow night from Aberdeen. I asked him before he left if we could, he just doesn't know what color yet. I really like the brown and would like to use it for our living room upstairs. We'll see...

Being a Christian

The longer I am a Christian the more I am aware of God as a Person rather than a cosmic Genie in the sky. How many times have I flippantly prayed (demanded) for something like a spoiled child. The more I study Scripture the more I realize that God is more concerned with my heart for Him than He is for my physical well-being. In fact He will use everything -- things that look bad and things that look good to me -- in order to draw me closer to Him. I am asking myself this question more and more: "Do I love God for what He has done for me or for WHO He is?" Jesus wanted nothing to do with the people in John who were just following Him for his bread. I want to follow Christ not because He is the bread-giver but because He IS my bread -- in Him I am completely satisfied no matter what comes my way in this life.