Hearts in Service

Sandy is winding her way north and we survived the storm without losing power, which always makes me happy!  The nice thing about this storm is that we knew days in advance.  There was time to fill our cars, stock up on water & food, fill the tub with water for flushing and time for all sorts of other preparations. Life isn't always like that.  Sometimes we don't have advance notice when a storm is about to hit.  One  minute we are merrily skipping along and the next, we are plunged in darkness. Raising children is a lot like this.  Sometimes we see the storm coming and have time to mentally prepare.  Other times, there is no warning.  With my own children, there have been times that I see warning signs that I need to prepare and plan for, and then there have been other times that I've been blindsided by a monster of a storm. The thing that is true in every case is that God has been with me in the midst of it.  He is never taken unawares.  He knows exactly what

The Eastern seaboard of New York is getting hit with a hurricane and we are supposed to feel the effects of it the next few days.  High winds, torrential rain, and flooding are all predicted.  I'm posting this tonight in case I have no electricity the next few days.   My tub is filled with water, my laundry is done, my house is clean, we have drinking water and canned goods and prepared foods to get us through a few days should we need it.  It's good to focus on our blessings in the midst of uncertainty! This week I'm thankful for blessings #1276-12 90 . ♥ Electricity at the touch of a switch. ♥ A husband with a passion for teaching God's word. ♥ Fall pleasures. ♥ A church full of people who hang around on Sunday afternoons, enjoying one another's company. ♥ Stephen who has a compassionate heart. ♥ A daughter who reminds me of myself, growing up with a love of reading. ♥ A fun afternoon with a friend. ♥ Nathan, who is growing into a responsib

I'm not sure what is happening in my life this past year but it looks like the Lord is forcing me into a period of inactivity and reflection.   I am usually pretty overextended and though it can be stressful, I like it.  But I have been feeling a bit unsettled for quite a few months.  Like I should just stay quiet.  But to be honest, I don't know how.  To me inactivity feels like laziness.  Not moving from thing to thing seems like stagnation. Yet, in this case, too many things have happened in a row that makes me think the Lord is behind all of this.  ► I planned on starting a twice a week preschool enrichment program through the church.  I made flyers, advertised everywhere, and scheduled two separate open houses.  One student showed up! ► This summer I tutored a little girl and her mom asked if I would be willing to get her and her brother off the bus each day during the school year, help with homework, and cook dinner.  I had major second thoughts about that one

A few weeks ago I posted that I wanted to get some things organized around here.   I'm making some good progress and finished one room so far. My living room is a fairly large room and is long.  I had the furniture around the perimeter of the room but I wasn't really satisfied with how it looked.  So after fiddling around with things the past week, I came up with an arrangement that makes me happy.  It also feels cozier. Here is one end of the room. The other. Yep, I have to put that laundry away!  The white basket by the window is full of magazines that I still have to go through and then it will be moved under the end table. The set up is great for watching movies or entertaining guests. The piano used to be under the blue clock and moving it to the other end of the room helped free up some space to put the easy chair and bookcase there. I'm almost done with my dining room and I'll post some pictures when it's finished. What do you think so far?

Emily put together her Chr istmas list ALREADY and of course, there are quite a few things on there that just are not going to happen.  ;-)  I mean, we are not about to give up our bedroom and our vanity mirror to move to a much smaller room.  (LOL)!  A dog or puppy?  I don't think so , especially as she is struggling with her allergies as it is! However, one of the items on her list was to spend more time as a close knit family who d oes fun stuff together.  Now, to be honest, I think we are pretty close as a family but I would agree with her that it hasn't been much fun around here t he past year or so .  Every sugge stion is usually met with , "We don't have the money for that."  And we really don't.  We make enough to just pay our bills and eat.  There is nothing left over.   I do und erstand though that this can be hard for a 13 year old who has friends that are constantly going to the movies or shopping or to amusement parks.  Because we do

Mopey Mondays.  That what we call them around here.  Nerves are stretched tight.  There is a feeling of exhaustion both physically and mentally and we are worn out from the busy weekend. Sunday is not a day of rest for the pastor and his family.  Typically, Monday would be the day off but in our case, since Dan is working a full-time job on top of being in the pastorate, it's just another day of work.  I usually find the same scenario happening every Monday.  I wake at 2 or 3 in the morning and start reliving conversations and problems and being unable to go to back to sleep. I feel the same old anxiety raising it's ugly head and the nervous knots in my stomach.  So here I sit at 3:25 a.m. and typing this.  Counting my blessings is the one thing that helps to push my worries and fears to the side.  Numbering the good things.  Putting words to the numerous ways I do see God's hand on our lives. This week I'm thankful for blessings #1261-1275. ♥ Leaves going o

I've been thinking about expectations and dreams the past few days.  Ever since I was a young girl, I've had expectations and dreams for my life.  Dreams of doing something important in the world. Not dreams of being important, but dreams of making a difference.  Dreams of having my life mean something.  The only problem with that is that most of the world is small.  I think that many people fall into the trap of being content with the status quo. I don't want to lose my excitement and enthusiasm for life.  I don't want to ever get to the point where I become content with being stagnant!  I think when that happens, people can become apathetic. Some of my expectations: ♥ I expect to see my children succeed and live productive lives.  I want them to trust in God and do something meaningful. ♥ I expect to see our church grow.  It concerns me when I hear people say they love a small church because to me that means we are not reaching our community.  We've go

I've had a busy few days, getting ready for a Fall Festival at the local assisted living facility.  I had high hopes for this to be successful.  This place is like the Hilton of facilities.  It was going to be a gorgeous day.  And we were set up on the main thoroughfare. Alas, it was not to be.  I ended up making a grand total of $40, after paying for the space.  Given the time I spent baking and sitting there, I made nothing!  I don't know why I keep participating in these things.  The only positive was that it was a good experience for Emily in helping me bake and learning how NOT to make money! lol I did put together a few more craft items this week, but other than one tea tote, none of the craft items sold.  I did manage to sell 6 loaves of bread, and 10 mini-loaves of sweet bread. I made something new this week - 2 tote bags for shopping.  I thought they turned out so cute, though on the small side.  I certainly would need something bigger for my family! This

I have to admit that as much as I want to, I struggle to loosen up in the kitchen.  I don't always have the most patience and it's hard sharing the kitchen with the children. However, I do realize that if they are going to learn to make it on their own, they do have to learn some level of cooking.  I'm trying to do better job in consistently allowing the kids to cook.  I decided that one way to do this is to make cooking part of our daily curriculum.  So yesterday, with some guidance, I allowed Emily to take over the kitchen. She made chicken soup for dinner and it was delicious. She also made a pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting and most of the cake was gone last night.  She did a wonderful job and even though I had to bite my tongue a time or two, it was nice to have her working in there with me. And the best part was that she was as happy as can be! Today, I will be spending a good chunk of my day making and baking bread for a market on Wednes

Yesterday, I watched my daughter go through a struggle and deal with learning to be joyful in the midst of disappointment.  It was hard. We want to keep your children from disappointments and it is especially difficult, when their disappointment is a result of your life and career choices. What was supposed to be a special outing had to be canceled for various, unforeseen reasons. There were tears and she was disappointed.  Dan & I took her to the local park. We walked. We talked.   "You have a choice."  " A choice to let this ruin your day or enjoy a different activity."  "You can choose joy or you can choose dissatisfaction and unhappiness."  That is a choice we all have. A choice to deliberately walk in the way of thanksgiving or to decide to be in constant war with your circumstances. Much of the time she walked ahead, struggling with herself. This life of choosing is not easy.  Many times I don't set the best example.  S