In Case You Were Wondering

How can I contain it?!  I've not been THIS excited for so long.  I'm amazed and humbled and overwhelmed with "WHOO HOOO!!!!!" and I want to just blurt it all out and share it right-this-very-moment.

Instead of blabbering, I'm going to lay out the pieces of this awesomeness.

Finding the corners first and turning each one over to show the top side, and then I'll piece together a small portion of a small picture inside one small speck.

Last night (February 01, 2011) I was able to get a glimpse of the complexity and the perfection of the unique "jigsaw puzzle" that God purposefully created for me.  I am so amazed by what He chose to reveal to me.


Here are a few pieces that fit together to make one perfectly gorgeous picture:


My husband is an avid collector of coats.  He has too many.  It annoys me.

His defense is this:
 "Well? I need a work coat for the winter but sometimes it's not as cold, so I need a lighter coat, too.  Sometimes I need to layer... sometimes it's raining... so I need a lighter coat and a waterproof jacket.
Well? This coat is for church.  This one is casual.....
NO! Don't get rid of that coat- it's my working-on-the-car coat... I know it's stained and gross and has a gaping hole in it- but- okay fine, you're right.... I'll just use my other coat for the working on the car coat, and I'll look for a new one to replace the other one and..... "

Seriously.  He's like a girl.
(A studly, manly, masculine, mans-man girl....)

We are also super thrifty- (read: poor) so most of these coats come from  our thrift shops.

Last year, my husband forked out a whopping $10 on the purchase of  not one, but TWO (like NEW) Burton coats.  


I wasn't as annoyed.
(Ok fine- I was freaked out excited. Between the two coats, their worth was over $600.)

These are awesome coats; we'd have never been able to afford them retail, outlet, or even on ebay!!
He gave one to his brother-in-law, and kept the other for himself.

It's because he has SO many coats, however,  that our closet and our coat racks are full!!
I'm the clutter-police 'round these parts......  and my husband breaks the law daily.

He tossed the Burton onto the banister on his way inside the door this day; and  HE LEFT IT THERE?!

Annoyance upon annoyance.


A few months ago I was at a gas station and locked my keys in the car.  Sadly- I had also planned on being at my daughter's class party 30 minutes after I slammed the door shut (literally) on those plans..... and my keys.

Minutes before locking my keys in my car,  I had confirmed my presence and willingness to help in the classroom with her teacher.  I didn't have a way to contact the teacher to let her know I wouldn't be there.  I visualized another strike going on my "She's a Flake" chart.

(Murphy's Law... aka Amber's Law).

I hate making plans.  It seems as if I'm always breaking them.  I feel like a fruit-cake; and know that there isn't a person on the planet that should put stock in depending on me to show up on time, at the right place, with the right things, for the right event.


Something seems to happen ALL the time.  "If it can go wrong, it usually does" when I try to put a plan in stone.

I was annoyed.  And irritated.  (With myself).
My brother (who "happened") to be working at the restaraunt above the convenient store came to my rescue donning a hugenormous screw driver and a coat hanger.

He tried and tried and tried to get that coat hanger to push down on my door locks; but he wasn't able to.  My sister came to my rescue and drove me to my house so that I could (search frantically) find my spare key. Which I did, but certainly not in time to get to school.

And I was annoyed about it.  And irritated that I had to cancel yet again on plans that I had made. 



Since I've had my van, the thingy that holds up the hood (you know what I'm talking about? The metal rod thingy?)- anyway- that thingy has been detached from my van.  You have to red-neck it and prop the hood up on it, never knowing if the rod is going to slip and cause the hood to fall on top of your head- killing you instantly!!!_ just cause you wanted to be smart and check your oil.

I've been so irritated with that stupid-rod-thingy; wondering why I always had to have red-neck things go wrong with my car.

Why!? Why can't the rod-thingy be attached like it's s'pose to?
Why does my van suddenly want to be leaking water from underneath the carpet?
Why does the van door handle get stuck if you try to open it from the inside, causing me to have to pry it open with a quarter, or a knife, or (if  and when) those don't work I have to pound on it with the side of my fist to get the handle button thing to pop out!!  One time I had to pick my kids up late for school because nothing worked, and with out the handle button popped out- the van door wouldn't close.  Sigh.
Why can't I have a spare tire like a normal person. Instead of having to drive on my spare tire because the other tire's rim got bent when I hit a pothole, and we can't afford a new rim?!?!
Why do I have 3 different tire brands on my car, causing the van to scare-the-poodle out of me when I drive in the rain?
I don't know why.... but after last night- I kind of got a glimpse.

These are the things that I complain and whine about.
This is my heart condition. Bratty.  Whiney. Unthankful.

Last night changed a lot of that.
Next blog I'm going to piece together this (whiney) puzzle, and explain why it is that I feel a new hope toward being changed forever.

I am truly thankful for a redneck car, and a husband that leaves his coat on the banister, I'm thankful that my keys got locked in my car, and that I'm a flakey flake that seems to fall under Murphy's Law more often than I'd ever choose to.

In case you were wondering:

I. Am. So. EXCITED!

Average. But not.

So I'm scrolling through other people's blogs.  (While my husband watches a show about a fisherman.)

This family travels out of the country on vacation... twice... over the summer (once for a few weeks, the other just for a week.)

I whine and complain in my head that we didn't get a vacation out of state.. out of the city.. out of our HOUSE all year.

And there are pictures.  And he's pretty and she's pretty and their little kid is pretty, too.
And they look perfect.  And I feel sad. (Even though my kids are like- super duper pretty- but that's not even the point)

And I whine in my head about the bajillion pounds I need to lose (or 30, whatever), and the early-gray-headed-ness on my hair (and I'm not EVEN 30, but whatever)....and I feel frumpy and ugly, and ( I'm on my period.) and we don't do fun adventurous things because we can't afford to, and we are average and we're boring and we don't even have, and I really wish, and I'm so jealous.... if we just had more money, if I just lost a few more pounds-

And then I'm reading about the mom of 3 that is pregnant with her number 4 that is dying in utero, and I'm thankful that our girls are healthy and wild and silly and LIVING, and not breaking our hearts like this mom has had her heart broken.

And then I'm reading about the guy that has an arm load full of responsibilities as his parents retire into an Assisted Living Facility due to dementia/alzheimers....

And then a wife that is hurting because her husband is an scumbag idiot and left her for a whore 'nother woman.....

And I'm liking average.
And I'm wishing it didn't take one-single-solitary  perspective of *"perfect" to create a jealous, ungrateful brat whiney heart in me.

More so- I wish it didn't take devastation and hardship to make me realize just how sweet and *"perfect" our life is.

*relatively speaking- we all know that perfect is a mythical thing-a-muh-jig

We're living in simplicity.  Our family. We're simple folk. (Dear GOD please let me keep my teeth.)
JUST like I asked and hoped and prayed for.  Truly and all silly-ness aside.  I begged the Lord to let us fallin love with Simple.  Simple. Simplicity.  To give us simplicity.  And He did.  We are.  But not really.
We're average, but we're not even CLOSE to average.

And I want to learn to STAY content in it (simplicity) sans the sad news, and even among the good-fun-cute-clearn-water-beach-swimming-with-dolphins-snorkeling-spa-enjoying-skinny-person-news.

"Don't want whatchur neighbors got.  That's real bad."
Redneck Literal Translation

Just had to share.  God is sooooo COOOL!!!!  I went to my sister's house this morning (to remove myself from being pitiful about dropping the girls' off for their first day of school).  My sis- she's got some incredible things happening in her life.  God is moving.  I love it.  The last part of our conversation was based on the fact that her son was in need of some clothes (summer growth spurt).  She's recently unemployed (another cool "God story" for another blog) and just asked me to keep an eye out.

After leaving her house- I stopped at our local thrift shop.  The guy there knows us (we're frequent shoppers) and knows that I'm often followed my 3 adorable little girls.  But he asked "Hey.  You don't have a boy, do you?"

"No.  I have a nephew, though."

Guy: "OH!  Well? This lady called us a while back, and asked us to save boys clothes for her.  I've called her and called her, but she won't come get these clothes." (and he points to a large garbage back).

"Wow.  My nephew is in need!!  That'd be great."

So he pulled out the sizes I requested, and bagged them up.  I thanked him (profusely!) and he said "Don't thank me.  It's Jesus.  I normally wouldn't have even asked.  I guess the Holy Spirit just prompted me to."

And I told him how AWESOME it is that we just left my sister's house having discussed this very need for her son to get some clothes.

Now? Don't get me wrong.  They are NOT impoverished by any means.  They are just having to be extremely careful in their finances right now.  My  nephew grew completely OUT of all of the clothes he owned- and his new school clothes will "do" for now, but he is in need of an entire wardrobe.  Summer, Fall, and Winter.  That's a LOT to take on.

And the bag of items he was given were good, nice, clothes.

This is basically a testimony to how miraculous God is in providing- but not JUST in providing- but in being so forward in telling us (so directly) that HE Will supply ALL. OF. OUR. NEEDS.

As a bonus, while in there I was looking for a little purse to throw my basics in (now that I don't HAVE to have my 'mom bag' anymore.)  Look what God blessed me with (for $2).

Ya.  My God is awesome.  And He's sweet.  And He gives us MORE than we need, too!!

So thankful.

Worry Not....

Every morning, at o'dark thirty.... sometime in between 5:00 and 6:00 AM, my husband comes into our room to tell me goodbye. Some of the time, he lays down beside me and snuggles with me for a few minutes, or he'll sit on the side of the bed, patiently amused while I try to wake up enough to mutter "Hey sweetie.....bye....... honey...... I love you.......mmmm.... Be........ careful."

A sinking, sad feeling usually rises up when I hear the front door close. I start praying that he'll be safe... that God will keep His hand on him, and supernaturally protect him. I try not to worry, but it's so hard not to think about the numerous unsafe circumstances he will be in, or could get in.

Aside from the fact that my husband's drive into "the office" is unsafe due to bald tires and windy mountain roads- he also makes his way from 'the office' to the big city of Atlanta via Ga. 400 at 7:00 AM, and 5:00 PM..... it's like russian roulette- you're either going to make it home with out a wreck, or you're NOT. (He has had several- SEVERAL- fender benders in the past few months. "The Other Guy" runs into his (massive) truck, he sees no damage, and worries not about the technical need for the 911 call.)

Once in the designated area for work- whether it be a residential house in the luxury of a gated community or a commercial building in the depth of the Atlanta "Hood", the real danger becomes present.

He runs up and down ladders carrying heavy material on his shoulder. He walks, crawls, and sits on roofs rising from a simple 1 story flat roof to a terribly steep 3 story, and UP.

Once- he fell OFF a roof straight onto his back, and recently- his helper fell from a 2 story roof. Neither were hurt (badly)- but it makes it clear that this career that my husband is in, it is NOT safe at ALL.

I have found myself in a panic here and there- after a long 'discussion' the night before, and poor use of my vocabulary (saying words I didn't mean)- and having too much pride to apologize before he went off to work the following morning. "What if something happens to him? I didn't tell him I loved him. I didn't hug him.....What if will I do if I don't have him here to take care of us?"

I try not to worry so much- and usually- I can contain it.

But- the other day-one of the things I had feared the most occurred. On the way into work, on a windy mountain road, with wet pavement and a dark sky, he had a front tire blow out. My husband was driving our old truck, "Blue". A a '77 Ford 4wd, 4-speed that needs so much work- including a new steering mechanism. (No power steering, and a LOT of 'give' in the steering wheel.)

What a terrible situation. OH!!!! It's dark. It's rainy. It's DAHLONEGA- the town that recently found itself minus one "Good Samaritan".  (a citizen had had stopped to help a motorist, and was hit by a car)

But the Lord had His hand on my man.  It could have been terrible.  The FRONT tire of a big, blue truck with  terrible steering blows... in the RAIN.... in the dark.... IN THE MOUNTAINs of Dahlonega.  

"Worry Not my child.  I will take care of you.  I will provide for you.  I will protect you."   -God

He was talking to me.  Not Joshua.  Taking care of me equals taking care of my husband.  Protecting me means protecting my husband.

Joshua did not wreck.  He moved over to the side of the road- where there 'just happened' to be a little 'side road' for him to park Blue on.  Out of the way of the crazy drivers.  Out of the way.  Safe.

Thanks, Lord.  You love me sooo much.

"Focus on....Hearts at Home"

I have been researching information on "how to be a mom". Well... I'm already a mom, but not the kind of mom that I want to be.

If the details of parenting are my clothes, and consistent information on being a 'mom' is a map, then oh my goodness!, I'm running around naked and completely lost in the middle of 5:00 Atlanta traffic! Tonight, I came across 2 very important resources to aide me in my quest to "Be a Mom" (the kind that doesn't suck).

First- Focus on the Family has a "Family Media Link" that will allow people (like me) to queue many different podcast and listen in order of selected titles while we busy ourselves with other task. This is extremely important, because I get sidetracked- almost instantly. Just having something queued up, ready to play back to back like an ipod song list is a miracle for me! (Currently, every podcast available about Parenting, Motherhood, Homeschool, and Marriage is queued. I may very well have 317 hours of listening to do. This is an awesome thing to add my 43 page "To-Do List")

I also discovered the Hearts at Home website. The title alone gives me so much hope! I'm a stay at home mom of 3 girls! My HEARTS desire is to enjoy and savor my 3-hearts- at home. I love Dr. James Dobson. I love Focus on the Family. I love the fact that I can LISTEN to the podcast about being a stay at home mom while I search the Hearts at Home website. (Hello! 3 girls. I'm busy. I have to be super duper productive during my "break time".) I'm so excited to have 2 incredible resources available and so easily accessible.

This year I am extra desperate to get myself a PhD... or at the very least, a DEGREE in motherhood. This year I will be a full time, hard core, no-turning-back-now- Homeschool Mom.

My oldest daughter has recently turned 6, and my middle daughter will be 4 next week, and in less than 3 months, the 'baby' will be 2. Ya. I'm seriously in need of MUCHO Crammo (cramming), because this year, I'll be taking the EXAM of my life in our venture of homeschooling-

AND the fun-emotionally-exhausting-I'm not a baby any more, but I'm still too young 4 year old stage,

on TOP OF the lovely, adventurous, my hands have to be touching everything, and pulling anything not nailed down off and out of it's place -2 year old stage (terrible 2's would have been a shorter version... but it's not the terrible-two's... they lied... it's the terrible 3's. I have one more year. Thanks)

I'm excited to have found HAH, well, relieved to the point of being giddy actually! I discovered their name via a plug on The Focus on the Family podcast about Stay At Home Moms. After using my handy-dandy Google Chrome, I discovered that Hearts at Home holds conferences, will soon have mom tips, resources, tools, etc.... BUT what caught my eye was that one of the speakers at one of the conferences happened to have been Julie Ann Barnhill.

I bought 2 books by Julie Ann Barnhill around a year ago called "She's Gonna Blow" and "Motherhood: The Guilt that Keeps on Giving" , and instantly fell in love with her methods of explaining the challenges and joys of motherhood. This lady was WRITING a book about ME. I'm pretty sure she was just spying on me, and using my life experience to inspire her to write a few books! But- you know- there's no way to prove that, so.... eh, whatever

Through these books I felt like I KNEW for sure that I wasn't alone in the exhaustion and frustration of motherhood, and felt overwhelmed with a sense of "WHOO HOOO!" because I related to her so well in the first chapters of each book, that I felt confident that the advice she offered would be feasible in my walk-down-mommy-hood.

And, too, I so desire that loving, affectionate relationship with my daughters. I have a sincere longing to actually focus on spending genuine quality time with these 3 precious gifts. But- I am "that" mom that we hear about so much. "The Mom that's too busy." "The Mom that's toooo stressed out." "The Mom that stays awake until 4 AM in order to wind down from an incredibly long day, and then finds herself too tired to get up the next morning, and irritable, and..... " Ahem. Moving on.

Hearts at Home is one of the few bookmarks that I've put as my "favorites", right alongside Facebook, Focus on the Family, The Fertitlity Wizard, Youtube, My Blogspot, and my email! I am anxious to spend time exploring the site, reading blogs that have been posted by 'other' mom's, and seeing if there is a glimmer of hope that one of the conferences they offer will be coming to Atlanta this coming fall!!

Seriously, though, what absolutely amazes me about HAH, is that God had already given me a vision 2 days ago about the importance of Moms joining together in such a variety of ways-- through offering one another tips about meal preparation and organization, or maybe offering suggestions on resources, favorite authors, activities, discounts, coupons sources, and so on. But really for Moms to come together and simply SHARE with one another- in a sort of marriage-vow-esk way... in times of sickness with puke stained clothes and in health.... in the rich times and in severe debt times, in joy and in sorrow....! Helping one another, loving one another, encouraging one another--- (maybe cleaning each other's houses?!?) ;-)

Tonight, I'm praising God for the incredible love that He has for me, and for my girls. He is providing me with the tools I need to survive my journey, but oh-so much more importantly, He is giving my daughters the opportunity to survive the crazy world we live in, by enabling their Mom to educate herself on "How to be a Mom" (the kind that doesn't suck).

Thankful for........

Weird:
n. of strange or extraordinary character



1. Jesus. Because he was the best weirdo that ever walked on our Earth. The world hated Him because he was weird. He died for being weird. And the weirdest thing of all.... He lead a life with out sin, and rose from the dead just like He promised he would!

2. R & K, the two most amazing friends and mentors... the weirdest people I've ever met.

3. Joshua. I fell in love with him because he was over the top weird. There is no other man in the world that could complete me. God created Joshua specifically for me. A weird marriage, and a weird friendship.

4. My girls. I pray that they stay weird forever. Because if they are "normal" by the world's standards, it will mean that they've abandoned the Truth that they are growing up to know.

5. I'm thankful that Jesus Loves Weirdos. I'm thankful that He called us all to be weird.....
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world....." Romans 12:2 (Be a Weirdo)

Again With The Flake

I have to be honest. It's tough to think of a bunch of "thanks" right now. I'm sitting in a house that is crazy-messy, and looked out the back door and realized some critter tore up our trash. The slew of trash coupled with the random mess the backyard aquires with each out door play time is making me tremble. I can't stand a trashy yard. It's about 12 degrees outside right now, and I feel on edge. I cannot just leave the mess! I have to clean it.
And the conversation with myself begins.

-It's soo cold, I'll just wait til it warms up-
-Ya, but it looks terrible! I have to atleast pick up the trash before it blows all over the place -
-I know! But it's cold. You'll FREEZE! -
-I won't be able to relax thinking our back yard looks like "Crack Head John's" yard.
Suck it up. I won't get frost bite. -
Ugh!!!!

Yes. I was talking to myself. And answering. Not good.

I know. I'm a total flake. It's ridiculous! Here are my thanks.

*Hilarious Zoe. Her faces, her comments. I need to attach a tape recorder to her body and journal all the crazy things that girl says. I could write a book and get rich.

*Birthday Wishes and the Guy that Granted Them. Joshua. He totally rocks. I'm still in shock that he made my day so awesome. I'll have to post a separate blog on how amazing my day was.

*Nap Time. Hallelujua! Thank Ya JESUS! I need my kids to nap, and I love it that Leah is still a Twice a Day napper. PHEW!

*Weight Loss. I have no right to be losing weight right now. It's not much. Just a few pounds, but the fact that I'm losing it and not working at it is awesome. I'm eating what I want, when I want and not busting my tail at the gym. I hope the 10 pounds that I "should have" gained doesn't sneak up on me. I'm watching out, now.

*Did I mention NAP TIME.??? It deserves a double thanks. ahhhhhh.

Consistency

I have been busy, but I would like to try to be consistent in the " thanks" journal.

So, I'm just going to go through a list of things that I am thankful for from Fri-Sun.

1. The opportunity to go out for an entire afternoon with my husband.
2. The fact that God provided us with a financial ability to attend a somewhat pricey one day marriage conference with Dr. Gary Chapman
3. Leah sings.
4. Quick Shine
5. The fact that my husband applied Quick Shine to my living/dining room floors for me.
6. Coffee from Starbucks. I haven't had it in so long, it made me happy.
7. My sisters compliments and the fact that she shares the positive things other people say about me. It's always so nice to know when someone is talking good stuff about me "behind my back">
8. Compliments from my husband. ("I really enjoy the way you write")
9. Learning how to be a better mommy through Christ-Centered books and biblical principles.
10. So very thankful for another "pregnant-free" month.

it's those little things

I saw this thing on this show about keeping a Journal of Thanks. And the author suggest that a person keep a journal, and through out the day, they MUST find 5 things with in that particular day to be thankful for. For example, you can't say "I'm thankful I have a house, a job, blah blah blah". It's about being thankful and pointing out the positive aspects of each day.

And, so... here I am. I have to log on to this blogger thing daily and name my 5 thanks for the day, but I added an extra bonus to this task, and I also have to name 5 reasons I am thankful for my husband each day. Here we go:

My day:
Leah helped me take the laundry out of the dryer and put it in the laundry basked. It was sweet, and adorable. She would pick up a sock, look at me, and then put it in the laundry basket, look back at me, and find something else to pick up. Once all the clothes were in the basket, she started pulling them OUT of the basket. Just one little piece at a time. I'm so thankful for the time I had to sit back and enjoy my 15 month old baby girl.

* On our white end table, to the left, there is a small black and white photo of Kyla at age 3 and Zoe age 1 framed in a square, cherry finished 8x8 frame, aside the frame, slightly centered on the table is a few long pieces of fresh eucalyptis in a slender vase that looks like a wine carafe, and on the right side of that is a tall, silver finished lamp with a bright satin white lamp shade. The table sits in front of a window that is treated with white wooden blinds and a plain white cotton tabbed curtain. The window sits on a smokey sort of charcoil blue wall, and it is framed with a bright white painted trim. For some reason, that table just looks so beautiful to me. Like it's a piece of art or something. I love it! I'm thankful that the Krogar floral department had that eucalyptis on sale for $2. Everything else on that table- we had already.

*On our kitchen table, in the center, there is a basket full of white napkins. Beside that basket, a large solid red cup, and in that cup, a bouquet of yellow and orange flowers. I am thankful that we have a big table to sit at when we eat dinner together as a family, and that today, that table looks so comfortable.

*After dinner this evening, Kyla began complaining. She continued to whine and complain when prompted to clean her mess from the table, saying that it wasn't fair that she had "chores" to do. (Cleaning her mess is a chore?) As a sort of reminder that she actually didn't have much to do, we told her she needed to clean up by herself. She walked away, sort of pouting, and started to look for the broom. Zoe followed Kyla and said "What's the matter, Kyla? Why are you sad?" Kyla responded with a grumpy "I have to clean the house", and Zoe said in a super cheery voice "Oh, OK, I - will - help - you- CLEAN -then!!!". I am so thankful that Zoe has a sweet love for her sister. It is actually often that Zoe is concerned for Kyla. Kyla refused Zoe's offer at first, because she thought she had to clean by herself, but we explained to Kyla that it was so sweet for her sister to want to help her, and that it would be perfectly fine. RIGHT after that, Kyla's demeanor changed. She was chipper, and thankful, and polite. I'm thankful that Kyla was able to see the importance of THANKS.

*The day was certainly long, and since I've been trying to get our house organized for the past few months, today was no exception. Actually, today was more of a "job" because I had to incorporate lots of cleaning to that organizing, since we'll be hosting our small group Bible Study this Sunday. All that to say- I was just ready for a break! I found a tanning salon close by that stayed open until 9:30pm, so I went for a 15 minute sunshine break, and it was awesome. I had my MP3 queued to some great worship music, and just soaked up some peace. I'm thankful for 15 minutes!

Basics

I lost my blogger info; so I haven't been keeping track. Very typical of me. I start something, with great intentions of making it fabulous; and then I get caught up in the everyday and forget about it.

It's 2009. What a crazy world we live in! The economy is compared often to that of The Great Depression in the 1930's. We are blessed, though, because we've been able to maintain a very comfortable life despite the economic blow. Our family is still making it. Joshua is working with his dad; he makes a varied paycheck per week, but it's always enough. (our Anderson's Roof Repair business was officially out of our hands in June 2008)

We still live in our comfortable 3 bedroom 1.5 bath 1100 sq ft. home. It's tiny, and it has it's quirks (such as no central heat or central air). I'm thankful for this house, though. As small, and cluttered as it is; this house has saved us from the bondage of renting and ultimately, this house will have been a great investment since we've already made $45k in equity. Not bad.. not bad at all.

Our vehicles are all 11 years old (a 98 Dodge Truck, 98 Toyota Camry, and a 98 Toyota Sienna) It's hilarious, the Camry was purchased while I was pregnant with Kyla, and it has over 200k miles on it. It is missing 3 of the 4 outer door handles, and comes complete with numerous "unique" qualities, but it's still going strong. WE called that car our gift from God car. It's been miraculously low maintenance. The Sienna is a good vehicle. Point A to Point B to transport this 5 member family, and I'm so thankful for it! Joshua's truck, it's basically a yard ornament right now. We need to sell it, because it was previously used for work, but haven't yet. What is the deal with 1998? Great year for car making because we've got some sturdy ones. The best thing about our hunks of metal is that they are paid for and have been for quite some time now.

God is taking care of us in such miraculous ways. He has allowed us to live a simple, minimum amount of financial obligations life, and has prepared us for these tough economic times by allowing us to go through periods of famin. During the times of famin, we learned that no matter what; God is going to provide. He will always show up. Always! There was never a time that our power was shut off, or that we were hungry. There were never times that we weren't able to pay our bills (eventually). We always had clothes to wear; God gave us this beautiful wisdom during those harsh times. Money is still a stressful thing. It's a vital part of our world. You have to have it! But God's grace has allowed us to be ok with the simple things. And, honestly, we're not JUST ok with simplicity- we love it!