New for us

Good Morning! Or should I say, as I'm typing this it is morning. A couple more cups of coffee and it will be better. I have done a load of laundry, swept the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher and have it running, cooking chicken leftovers in the crockpot to make some chicken broth, and just got finished eating a bowl of cream of wheat. Now it's time to go to my real paying job.
But, I just wanted to share that Jeff and I got a new used car. We traded in the van...which was on it's last leg and got a Hyundai Santa Fe (used of course). It was a turned in lease...it is a 2009 and is still under warranty!! The cool part is we got it for just a little over what we were paying for our van. We got a better interest rate for less years than the van. Wow! I was freaking out because I knew the van was getting ready to "go" in several areas...and I was adding up all the repairs in my mind and then this fell into our laps. It was MORE than I had hoped for in a used car...more than I expected. I feel so blessed and I thank God for sending this our way. So, now we continue to plug away at kicking all this debt out of our lives with a car still under warranty that is dependable. Wow! That's really a piece of mind for me!

This and that...

As usual I start this post out with an apology for not posting in a while. I must confess that I have become quite addicted to facebook. The time I would usually spend updating my blog, I now spend on facebook. I hope to change all of that. Less time on facebook and more time to blog. But, I won't increase the time that I spend on the computer, so if I slip up and spend more time on facebook, then no updating blog. I refuse to increase my time on computer to do both. It's a personal decision that I had to make. I do not want my time with the Lord or with my family to suffer.
Now, with all that said...this morning I made my menu plan for dinners. I have went online to find different ideas. I tend to get stuck in a rut when cooking dinners. At the end of the day the last thing I want to do is think too hard about dinner. I like to pre-plan and have everything together where it's a no brainer. The dinners need to be cheap but healthy...hmmm, that's not always easy. But, I am very excited with garden season coming up! The down side is I only have room for a small garden, the good news is...fresh fruits and veggies are a lot cheaper during this time! I am on the lookout for meatless recipes where I can utitlize all those veggies!
This year I would also like to learn how to can. I have wanted to do this for a couple of years now...maybe this is the year! Fingers crossed! But, of course I will be freezing some fresh fruits and veggies, starting with strawberries! They are in season now....but keeping my family from devouring them before I can freeze them is a different story! Lol!
My stockpiling of food is going pretty well. I still have a long way to go, but I am doing a lot better than I used to. My goal of having 3 to 6 months of food on hand is still not met...I guess I have maybe 3 weeks worth stockpiled. But, I am still plugging away at it...slowly!
This weekend I was able to go to GW boutique (GoodWill)and find some great things. I found Autumn 2 shirts(one from Izod and the other from Children's Place)and a pair of jeans and capris from Old Navy. I even found Trent 2 pairs of shorts and a pair of jeans...I can't remember the brand of those. And lastly, I found Jeff a pair of Lee brand shorts. All of this for $24!! Love GW!!
Little things like this make a huge impact on your budget. If I was to go to a store and buy this...could you imagine how much I would spend?!
So, there you go a quick update. Hopefully I will stay on top of my blogging!! Until next time.....

What was I thinking?!?!

Let me start this post as...if there was any doubt that I loved my family and would do anything for them...this should end all speculation. My family has wanted a dog for quite a while now...I kept saying "no". Well, I finally said "yes". And instead of one...we got two! TWO!! Now I must admit while I was in a full blown panic attack walking out of the shelter...everyone kept reassuring me that two are easier than one.
Night one: three potty accidents! Two on the hard wood floors and one on the carpet! Ugh! But, when they went in the crate together for the night, not a whine or whimper! Yes!
Morning one: She (Ella) peed on him (Nikko)! After walking both of them outside at 5:30 a.m. Both got baths!! Then two potty accidents both on hard wood floors!
Day one: The leash is still tricky, but they are starting to get the hang of it. They were walked 3 times already and it's barely noon. One potty accident on the hard wood floor. Honestly, Ella is the potty bandit! Nikko has done really well. Now they are both asleep in their crate!
Now, I must admit...two are easier than one. They play together and keep each other out of trouble...except when Ella pulled the phone cord off the table! Nikko made sure I was aware it was all her! Lol!
I just keep reminding myself of Trent and Autumn's faces as I clean up each potty accident. Now, I need to keep all my OCD impulses down to a manageable level. How many times do you think a "normal" person would mop the floor?

Unity

In my prayer time this morning I found myself crying out to the Lord for unity in my church body. I must admit that I have neglected praying for my church as a whole. I pray for the leaders...but that is it. I never seem to take the time or effort to pray for the church.
I found myself overwhelmed with grief that we have allowed strife and division to creep into our body. Now, I do want to state that I am involved with a great church! But, what I see is people pushing their own agenda, or trying to be the pastor's "number one" go to person while trashing other ministries and their leaders. I understand we are all human, we all have faults...after all that is exactly why Christ Jesus came to this earth is to save us from our sins. So, my prayers have become focused and specific. No, I'm not praying these people out of our church! I'm praying that my Lord God will change their heart, He will convict them and that they turn from what they are doing and as a last resort remove them if they ignore His instructions. Then I focused on myself....let ME not be part of that problem! Let ME not fall into the gossip mill or judge others. I don't want to trash others to cover my own insecurities. I don't want to belittle other leaders or their ministries because I would do things differently. I must trust that My Lord God is directing my leaders footsteps and I must continue to pray that my leaders will follow my Lord's instructions in all matters. My deepest desire for my church is unity. I have a vision for my church that is earth shattering! A rock your world vision!
My vision is to make a impact on our community. I want to reach out to the homeless by giving out blankets and food, help the elderly with home repairs and yard work, visit nursing homes and hospitals just to encourage, visit prisons to share the gospel and hope, to reach out and help those in financial need by giving them groceries, paying electric bills or giving them gas cards, go to the schools and give out school supplies, jackets and give them a place to go to hang out. Volunteering at animal rescues, homeless shelters or at a home for children. I want my church to be known as the most loving and caring church in Western North Carolina and beyond! I want our church to stop being it's own worst enemy and become one! Think of all the possibilities!
I resolve to pray for my church, the leadership and the whole body that we can become one...united in one accord with "Exalting Christ and Sharing His love!"

Wow! It's been a long time!

I must confess that I have dropped the ball on my blog. I have went to facebook where I kept it short and simple. Now the blog is calling me back. I look forward to posting more often. So, this new year...I want to start fresh with my blog. Even if no one ever reads this...I do. I have seen the changes, I have went back and read and been amazed that I felt certain ways. I laugh, I cry and I celebrate that I came through things that I couldn't see myself ever conquering.
I can't wait to see where this year takes me and I am trusting my Heavenly Father with every step I take. May He be glorified in all that I do!

Autumn's first day in Kindergarten!!

Okay, I am typing through my tears! My Baby is in Kindergarten today! I have prayed and cried...cried and prayed! My kids are going up so fast! Trent is a Junior! Autumn in Kindergarten! Where is the time going?!
But, this starts a new chapter in both of our lives. Autumn is making new friends, learning new things and going to different places. She is excited and nervous at the same time. She will be great though, of this I have no doubts. When I dropped her off, she was fine. Ready to conquer...me on the other hand....I walked out in tears trying to make it to the car before I totally let loose. I cried all the way home...praying through the tears for my babies to be safe and make wise decisions. Then I reminded myself that God loves them so much more than I. He knows the number of hairs on their head, He knows their heart and He is their Father who let me be blessed with them here on earth. I put my trust in Him!

Vacation

Well, our vacation was a success! We stayed in our local area and had a blast!! Everyone agreed that while we loved the beach, this vacation was just as fun! We went hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway, played in rivers, and enjoyed all the fun that the mountains has to offer. The only expensive thing that we did was go to Dollywood in Tennessee. We went after 3 p.m. to get our tickets. We didn't have to stand in any lines to ride the rides and the best part was because we got there after 3, the next day we got in for free!!! So, we got a day and a half out of a one day ticket! Believe me when I say...that's plenty! We were all exhausted!!!
I was not looking forward to this vacation, I was upset we weren't able to go to the beach. But, I can honestly say this was one of the best vacations that our family has had in a long time. We enjoyed each other and we enjoyed nature. God is Good!!!