As I said in my last post, I had lost my peace.
A friend gave me some books that are bible studies. I started on the one that is about spiritual warfare. This has done so much for me. I have seen where I was letting satan get the upper hand on me. I was willing to compromise what thus says the Lord. There are questions and situations that I do not have answers for but I have faith that what God says is true.
I have faith that He will see us through anything and everything. I know that for a fact. He walked us through Johnny's illness and we never wanted for a thing. So there is no arguing there I know what I have lived through.
Too many times people get so hung up on doctrines or legalisms. The bottom line is that if you have turned your life over to Christ you will change. I know that. I did, Johnny did many people we have known have. Whether you wear a dress, cut your hair, wear jewelry or what ever denomination you are does not matter. Your relationship with Jesus Christ is what will get you into heaven. That is what matters. You have to know Him as your Savior, believe He lived and died, was raised again and now sits at the right hand of the Father. He is God. I believe that the bible is the true word of God. Man may have been used to write it but the Holy Spirit used them to do so. Therefore I do not believe that the writers put their opinions in or that there are writings that have been left out. God would not let that happen.
You have to live what the word of God says. You can't be saved once and live any old way. You have to continually live for Him and repent when or if you sin.
1John 2:3-6
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says I know him and keeps not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him But whoso keeps his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked.
I know some will think me preachy. I just know that I have gotten away from where I was and where I should be. My life should give God glory at all times. That has not been happening. I have been bitter, angry, discouraged, disappointed and wrong. Those things are not of God they are of satan. So no more. This next scripture talks about where I had gone but now am returning to where I need to be.
James 1:19-27
My dear brothers take note of this everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that Good desires. Therefore get rid of the moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this not forgetting what he has heard but doing it he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself form being polluted by the world.
I will leave you with that for now. I have much more I want to talk about. I will get on Proverbs 31 and some other scripture about home and family later.
I will also share where God is taking this family and all that is going on here. Should have some pictures.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
I've Been Away For A While
There has been a lot going on here. I have been doing a lot of praying and soul searching. You see I had lost my peace. I was getting to involved with worldly things and beliefs. I have gotten back into the word and we are drawing closer as a family by praying together. Our marriage is getting better and our relationships with the kids is better.
For those who do not know we are now keeping the kids from Sat. evening to Fri. evening and Steph is getting them for one night. She is trying so hard to work and go to school. She has no one where she is at to keep them so we are doing it so she can work and study. This has been an adjustment to all of us here but we are finally getting into a routine. I am trying to work with Isaiah and Katie on preschool stuff. This is quite an adventure for me working with the two of them.
I will try to post more but I can't promise since I never know what I might be into.
There is so much I want to share. There have been many changes going on with me and all the farm stuff here. I will try to get some pictures and get them up tonight or tomorrow.
Let me leave you with this.
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
That means anything no matter how hard. Just believe.
For those who do not know we are now keeping the kids from Sat. evening to Fri. evening and Steph is getting them for one night. She is trying so hard to work and go to school. She has no one where she is at to keep them so we are doing it so she can work and study. This has been an adjustment to all of us here but we are finally getting into a routine. I am trying to work with Isaiah and Katie on preschool stuff. This is quite an adventure for me working with the two of them.
I will try to post more but I can't promise since I never know what I might be into.
There is so much I want to share. There have been many changes going on with me and all the farm stuff here. I will try to get some pictures and get them up tonight or tomorrow.
Let me leave you with this.
Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
That means anything no matter how hard. Just believe.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Thoughts, Ramblings, Prayers and Convictions
Ever since Johnny was diagnosed with cancer last year I have gone through a lot of changes emotionally, physically and spiritually.
I have not shared a lot of what we have been through. Some things I have just never felt the need to share and others I just wasn't comfortable about sharing. I was embarassed and felt like we might be looked down upon. The choices that we have made have not all been the right choices or the best choices.
You see Johnny and I got into church after my Mamaw died. That was a time in my life that I felt great conviction and had to get things right. I was raised in a Baptist church but we visited pentecostal churches. I had family that went to Dante Church of God and that was the only church I could think of to go to when I could find no peace. I was not sure how Johnny would react but I had to make things right for me first, then I would worry about how he would react.
He was as ready as me, I think so there was really nothing to worry about. That was in 2002. We have been in church ever since.
We have walked through trials that I was not sure we would make it through but God's grace, mercy and strength always got us through.
Money was one of our biggest problems. Bad choices on both our parts created a huge financial mess. We reached the point that the only way we could see out was bankruptcy. I know there will be people who criticize that decision. We have a peace about it, we fought filing for a long time. If we had filed sooner instead of fighting it things would have actually been better. We owned 2 properties. The one we lived in and one that Johnny had from his first marriage. Let me say that had I not been so stubborn about moving into his place we would have been a lot better off. I just couldn't stand the thought of living in the middle of what I considered no where. We are at least 10 miles from any type town like place. That is the best way I know to explain it.
The family living in his place was renting to own from us. We had problems from the beginning with him not paying like he should. So as the years passed and we made financial decisions things got worse. I prayed and prayed but I didn't make changes that I should have made. I was not in the least bit frugal. I bought what I wanted when I wanted it. We had so much debt. Our mortgage was one of those fixed rate for 2 years then became adjustable. Well, when the 2 years was up we were ruined. We could not refinance so our mortgage kept going up. The place was not worth hardly anything, it needed so much work we could not get it done. It needed a lot of work when we moved in and we were never able to get it all done. One thing after another went wrong.
Anyway we kept putting off filing for bankruptcy. We tried to find part time jobs to help make extra income to start paying off debt. There was so much I still did not know. My mind set was still not what it should have been. One thing was I hated the place we lived. I also had never had any real financial training. Sometimes we have to walk through things so we can grow and change. We finally decided we could put it off no longer this was in December 2006. We filed and started making changes. The man renting from us was way behind. We decided we were going to have to make him catch up or move out. Johnny was very nice and let our needs go to help them out. He had to realize he could no longer do that. We decided to let the property that we lived in go back and move into the other one. So we started the processes. We started moving on January 15, 2007. There was so much work that needed to be done. They had not taken care of the place. Johnny kept working and I started trying to get the place ready. We started living here in February. I was still slowly trying to get rid of things because this place was smaller. Then Johnny got his diagnoses at the end of the month. He took his vacation and we got everything moved. It was a mess. I had to buy a tent to put everything in so we could get it out here while he could help me.
My point in saying all this is that God knew what we were fixing to walk through. We have pretty much lost everything. The tent blew up during a storm about 6 to 8 weeks after we bought it. Everything had to be gone through again. Most of it was ruined and had to be hauled off. Johnny was in the middle of treatments so that was hard.
We still have stuff sitting in the backyard under tarps because we can not afford to buy a building. We slowly keep getting rid of stuff because it keeps getting wet under the tarps.
What has happened to me is where all this is going. I have gone from being materialistic to being frugal. I still have a ways to go and get very discouraged sometimes. There are still things I must do and I still fight God on them. I have come to realize that I need to learn how to say no and that I can't do everything. We are so involved in things at church that my family suffers. God is helping me realize that outreach ministry starts at home. You can not neglect your family and save the world. As a wife and mother my first ministry should be my home. How can you be a Proverbs 31 woman and never be home.
Now I have to make the changes to get where I need to be. I home school and we are very involved with 4H. We love 4H. It is helping me to realize where I am needed most. We are depending on God but not sitting idly waiting for him to drop blessings from heaven. We are trying to be good stewards with what we have. When we learn that then God can expand our borders.
I am still not sure I have really gotten my point across the way I wanted to.
**foot note**
We filed chapter 13 bankruptcy which means we pay on it every month.
I know this is long but I needed to post it. I will be trying to post honestly about all that we are walking through and doing. Part of walking through all this is also sharing our testimony. I will have more along the lines in the future.
I have not shared a lot of what we have been through. Some things I have just never felt the need to share and others I just wasn't comfortable about sharing. I was embarassed and felt like we might be looked down upon. The choices that we have made have not all been the right choices or the best choices.
You see Johnny and I got into church after my Mamaw died. That was a time in my life that I felt great conviction and had to get things right. I was raised in a Baptist church but we visited pentecostal churches. I had family that went to Dante Church of God and that was the only church I could think of to go to when I could find no peace. I was not sure how Johnny would react but I had to make things right for me first, then I would worry about how he would react.
He was as ready as me, I think so there was really nothing to worry about. That was in 2002. We have been in church ever since.
We have walked through trials that I was not sure we would make it through but God's grace, mercy and strength always got us through.
Money was one of our biggest problems. Bad choices on both our parts created a huge financial mess. We reached the point that the only way we could see out was bankruptcy. I know there will be people who criticize that decision. We have a peace about it, we fought filing for a long time. If we had filed sooner instead of fighting it things would have actually been better. We owned 2 properties. The one we lived in and one that Johnny had from his first marriage. Let me say that had I not been so stubborn about moving into his place we would have been a lot better off. I just couldn't stand the thought of living in the middle of what I considered no where. We are at least 10 miles from any type town like place. That is the best way I know to explain it.
The family living in his place was renting to own from us. We had problems from the beginning with him not paying like he should. So as the years passed and we made financial decisions things got worse. I prayed and prayed but I didn't make changes that I should have made. I was not in the least bit frugal. I bought what I wanted when I wanted it. We had so much debt. Our mortgage was one of those fixed rate for 2 years then became adjustable. Well, when the 2 years was up we were ruined. We could not refinance so our mortgage kept going up. The place was not worth hardly anything, it needed so much work we could not get it done. It needed a lot of work when we moved in and we were never able to get it all done. One thing after another went wrong.
Anyway we kept putting off filing for bankruptcy. We tried to find part time jobs to help make extra income to start paying off debt. There was so much I still did not know. My mind set was still not what it should have been. One thing was I hated the place we lived. I also had never had any real financial training. Sometimes we have to walk through things so we can grow and change. We finally decided we could put it off no longer this was in December 2006. We filed and started making changes. The man renting from us was way behind. We decided we were going to have to make him catch up or move out. Johnny was very nice and let our needs go to help them out. He had to realize he could no longer do that. We decided to let the property that we lived in go back and move into the other one. So we started the processes. We started moving on January 15, 2007. There was so much work that needed to be done. They had not taken care of the place. Johnny kept working and I started trying to get the place ready. We started living here in February. I was still slowly trying to get rid of things because this place was smaller. Then Johnny got his diagnoses at the end of the month. He took his vacation and we got everything moved. It was a mess. I had to buy a tent to put everything in so we could get it out here while he could help me.
My point in saying all this is that God knew what we were fixing to walk through. We have pretty much lost everything. The tent blew up during a storm about 6 to 8 weeks after we bought it. Everything had to be gone through again. Most of it was ruined and had to be hauled off. Johnny was in the middle of treatments so that was hard.
We still have stuff sitting in the backyard under tarps because we can not afford to buy a building. We slowly keep getting rid of stuff because it keeps getting wet under the tarps.
What has happened to me is where all this is going. I have gone from being materialistic to being frugal. I still have a ways to go and get very discouraged sometimes. There are still things I must do and I still fight God on them. I have come to realize that I need to learn how to say no and that I can't do everything. We are so involved in things at church that my family suffers. God is helping me realize that outreach ministry starts at home. You can not neglect your family and save the world. As a wife and mother my first ministry should be my home. How can you be a Proverbs 31 woman and never be home.
Now I have to make the changes to get where I need to be. I home school and we are very involved with 4H. We love 4H. It is helping me to realize where I am needed most. We are depending on God but not sitting idly waiting for him to drop blessings from heaven. We are trying to be good stewards with what we have. When we learn that then God can expand our borders.
I am still not sure I have really gotten my point across the way I wanted to.
**foot note**
We filed chapter 13 bankruptcy which means we pay on it every month.
I know this is long but I needed to post it. I will be trying to post honestly about all that we are walking through and doing. Part of walking through all this is also sharing our testimony. I will have more along the lines in the future.
What is this flower?
I got these as seeds. I got a bunch of different seeds and have no clue what these are. Could someone please help. I really like these and would like to get them again.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Hurricane
In light of the recent hurricane I thought I would share with you what we saw after Katrina.
In 2005 we spent Thanksgiving in Mississippi giving out much needed items. The aftermath of Katrina still very real. We went down into Waveland and Bay St. Louis. I am going to post a pic that touched me so greatly. This family lost everything but notice the scripture int he corner. Job 1:21
and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
This is the NIV translation. I can not imagine me having that kind of outlook. The book you see laying in front of the sign is a Bible we found laying right on the side of the road. We thought is would be very appropriate to put it in front of the sign. This is on the Waveland side of the beach. I have often wondered if that family is rebuilding there or have they moved somewhere else.
We took clothes, housewares, baby formula, hygiene kits, food I can't remember everything we took. We handed it out all weekend. I will have to tell you more about it and show you some more pictures.
I know I have not been here.
I know I have not been here in a while. We have been so busy that I have not gotten near the things done that I should. I would like to start posting more often but quite frankly when I get to running so much I don't even think of blogging.
I have some ideas of things to post just to have on record. I am trying different things in the garden that I have never planted before. We are also looking at getting 2 pigs to raise to slaughter. That is a 4-H project. We are very involved in 4-H now. There are many things that we may be trying just to see what works best with us. You all know we have the chickens. We want to get more and even do some breeding. We have really enjoyed having chickens. They are very interesting birds and do have personalities.
I am going to be trying some raised beds with different plants in them. We have got to make an onion bed because we have Egyptian Walking onions. They reproduce themselves so they need more room than what I have given them. I am also looking at doing a carrot bed. The ground is just not soft enough to raise carrots in. I am trying turnips in one of the garden spots, I am not sure how well they will do. The ground in hard and I am not sure we got it worked up deep enough for the turnips. If not we will probably still have greens.
I will have to put some pictures up of all the things we have canned. We have a freezer full of things too. I will try to start writing on all these things. I am very excited about growing our own food and preserving it.
Hope to write soon and put up some pics.
I have some ideas of things to post just to have on record. I am trying different things in the garden that I have never planted before. We are also looking at getting 2 pigs to raise to slaughter. That is a 4-H project. We are very involved in 4-H now. There are many things that we may be trying just to see what works best with us. You all know we have the chickens. We want to get more and even do some breeding. We have really enjoyed having chickens. They are very interesting birds and do have personalities.
I am going to be trying some raised beds with different plants in them. We have got to make an onion bed because we have Egyptian Walking onions. They reproduce themselves so they need more room than what I have given them. I am also looking at doing a carrot bed. The ground is just not soft enough to raise carrots in. I am trying turnips in one of the garden spots, I am not sure how well they will do. The ground in hard and I am not sure we got it worked up deep enough for the turnips. If not we will probably still have greens.
I will have to put some pictures up of all the things we have canned. We have a freezer full of things too. I will try to start writing on all these things. I am very excited about growing our own food and preserving it.
Hope to write soon and put up some pics.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Chickens at fair
These are our girls. They are now someone elses girls :( Ross sold the ones we took to the fair. The money he made off them will go back into buying more this next spring. Johnny's goal is one hundred. We'll see. I think we will grow slowly.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Anderson County Fair
This is how Ross did with his 4-H entries at the Anderson County fair. We have never done the fair before so this has all been a learning experience.We also put our chickens in. I will put up a post on that next.
Hummingbird pics
Our hummers are hard to see here but we have 3 that we have counted. I will try to get some better pics up soon. I have to slow down some first.
Friday, May 30, 2008
This is our garden and flower beds.
The first pic is of our new bed in the front yard. That is a whole like and we decided to make it a flower bed.
Second we kept mowing those down so I cleaned out all around them so we could see them. The previous tenants planted them.
Third is our 2 biggest garden spots.
Fourth is our container garden.
Fifth is our smallest plot.
We have a variety of veggies and think we might make another plot.
My goal is to at least have enough food for half the winter is not all. That way we will save alot on groceries.
What we are doing on the land.
The first picture is where Johnny has been cleaning off the land. This was all vines and blackberry bushes with walnut trees mixed in. The second picture is down through the back part of our property. Our riding mower died so we can not mow this. The deer are enjoying though.
The people who lived here before did not take care of this place so we have had to clean up trash and bush. They had let it grow up so bad. I will try to get out and take some more pictures of the flower beds and garden spots to show you.
I hope my regular readers are happy. I am bored and restless so I am doing this to entertain myself.
Our Ladies Today
Ross was feeding them cicadas. They love those things. We are so enjoying these chickens.
Peanut Butter Pie
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar, sugar or splenda (only use one not all 3)
1 8 oz. pkg Cream Cheese
Mix together above with mixer. Fold in 16 oz. cool whip (lite if making sugar free)
Put in a large graham cracker crust. Put in refrigerator overnight or until cool.
I use 2 9 inch pans so you get 2 pies out of it.
I also use what ever type peanut butter I have on hand. 1/3 less fat cream cheese works good too.
My family loves this.
1 cup powdered sugar, sugar or splenda (only use one not all 3)
1 8 oz. pkg Cream Cheese
Mix together above with mixer. Fold in 16 oz. cool whip (lite if making sugar free)
Put in a large graham cracker crust. Put in refrigerator overnight or until cool.
I use 2 9 inch pans so you get 2 pies out of it.
I also use what ever type peanut butter I have on hand. 1/3 less fat cream cheese works good too.
My family loves this.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Riches, Contentment, Stewardship
You may ask what kind of title is that. Well, they are really tied together. God has really worked on me about these things for over a year now. I wasn't getting it at first. Then Johnny got sick and I got it but really couldn't do a whole lot. Now I am feeling those tugs in this direction again. They are stronger and more urgent than before.
While reading and praying this morning God gave me some scriptures I want to share with you. They are on riches, contentment and stewardship. I am not going to share today on all that has happened to get us to this point, I will do that in another post soon.
In the last 2 years we have lost much. I am talking material, emotional, financial and even spiritual.
We are now getting very close to barebone. That is ok though. We need to be here and need to learn from this place.
We once had quite a bit. We were not good stewards, we were not content and we strove to have more. Well, we are now stripped of all these things and we are better people for it.
Proverbs 23: 4 & 5
Labor not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
What I have learned is just what this scripture says. I no longer work to be rich in money, I work to be rich in Him. They do take wings. God does not and His wisdom is greater than any riches. I have learned that God knows what I have need of. All I have to do is let Him have control and my needs will be met. I said needs not wants. Everything we say we need is not really a need.
If you let God have control you can learn to be content.
Philippians 4:11 -13
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Oh how true. We have to be content with where we are and what we have. No feeling sorry for yourself, no holding pity parties. Be thankful for what you have. I am thankful for what I have. I want to show God how thankful I am. I do not have riches here, but I have riches in heaven. That is where my heart is because what I love is there. This is only my temporary home, I will not live here forever. My home is in heaven with my Father and my Savior.
Be content with what you have.
Luke 16:10-13
He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth who will entrust the true riches to you?
And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
We have to be good stewards of what has been given to us. Not just in money, but in all we have.
Land, home, time, food all these things can be wasted. I am sure we could think of even more things but you get my point. We have to take care of what we have, be good stewards of it and be content with it.
If we are wasteful and do not take care we will be in need. How can God help us if we are no true to His word. How can God help us if we do not take care of what we have and love what we have.
Too many times we say we are content but if we had this or that would be better. If you say that you are not content. You can dream, I am not saying that is wrong. I am saying that things are tough but THANK YOU GOD FOR ALL THAT I HAVE AND DON'T HAVE. I am happy in you and my family.
I will take care of what you have given me and encourage others to do the same.
I hope this makes sense and you understand what I am saying. I have been wasteful in the past and wanted more. Now I have little and love what I have. I want to take the best care of what I have so God can use me for His glory.
God Bless You All , Have A Glorious Day.
While reading and praying this morning God gave me some scriptures I want to share with you. They are on riches, contentment and stewardship. I am not going to share today on all that has happened to get us to this point, I will do that in another post soon.
In the last 2 years we have lost much. I am talking material, emotional, financial and even spiritual.
We are now getting very close to barebone. That is ok though. We need to be here and need to learn from this place.
We once had quite a bit. We were not good stewards, we were not content and we strove to have more. Well, we are now stripped of all these things and we are better people for it.
Proverbs 23: 4 & 5
Labor not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
What I have learned is just what this scripture says. I no longer work to be rich in money, I work to be rich in Him. They do take wings. God does not and His wisdom is greater than any riches. I have learned that God knows what I have need of. All I have to do is let Him have control and my needs will be met. I said needs not wants. Everything we say we need is not really a need.
If you let God have control you can learn to be content.
Philippians 4:11 -13
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Oh how true. We have to be content with where we are and what we have. No feeling sorry for yourself, no holding pity parties. Be thankful for what you have. I am thankful for what I have. I want to show God how thankful I am. I do not have riches here, but I have riches in heaven. That is where my heart is because what I love is there. This is only my temporary home, I will not live here forever. My home is in heaven with my Father and my Savior.
Be content with what you have.
Luke 16:10-13
He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth who will entrust the true riches to you?
And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
We have to be good stewards of what has been given to us. Not just in money, but in all we have.
Land, home, time, food all these things can be wasted. I am sure we could think of even more things but you get my point. We have to take care of what we have, be good stewards of it and be content with it.
If we are wasteful and do not take care we will be in need. How can God help us if we are no true to His word. How can God help us if we do not take care of what we have and love what we have.
Too many times we say we are content but if we had this or that would be better. If you say that you are not content. You can dream, I am not saying that is wrong. I am saying that things are tough but THANK YOU GOD FOR ALL THAT I HAVE AND DON'T HAVE. I am happy in you and my family.
I will take care of what you have given me and encourage others to do the same.
I hope this makes sense and you understand what I am saying. I have been wasteful in the past and wanted more. Now I have little and love what I have. I want to take the best care of what I have so God can use me for His glory.
God Bless You All , Have A Glorious Day.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Cleaning Kitchen
I got the books that were offered over at Crystal's Blog. We are cleaning out our kitchen to make it more user friendly. We are also getting rid of alot of things. There is no point in having all the stuff that we own.
We are trying to live a much more frugal life style. We can not compete with the Joneses and have no desire to do so.
We want to live a simple, pleasureable life with out all the gadgets that drain your bank account. We have tried all that and failed now it is time to lean on God. We need to be the stewards that God wants us to be.
You will be seeing more on this subject. I will be posting recipes that I try and tips for living more frugally.
Now I have to get back to the kitchen so we eat tonight.
We are trying to live a much more frugal life style. We can not compete with the Joneses and have no desire to do so.
We want to live a simple, pleasureable life with out all the gadgets that drain your bank account. We have tried all that and failed now it is time to lean on God. We need to be the stewards that God wants us to be.
You will be seeing more on this subject. I will be posting recipes that I try and tips for living more frugally.
Now I have to get back to the kitchen so we eat tonight.
Homeless Foot Fashing
The first picture is the dining room where they served dinner after the foot washing.
The next picture shows the shoes that were given to them after having their feet washed, treated by a nurse and messaged with lotion.
The next one is of the girls messaging their feet with lotion.
The last one is of the washing, if you look toward the back of the photo you can see where the nurses are treating their feet.
So many people seemed to be grossed out by us doing this. All I have to say is that if Jesus Christ washed his disciples feet I am no better than Him. We were showing these people the love of Christ.
I was very blessed to have had the opportunity to go. I would go again in a heart beat.
This was in Ashville, NC. They do this every year. You never know this might just catch on in other shelters.
Hillbilly Chicken Coop
This is our chicken coop. First let me say we are not carpenters. lol Like you couldn't tell. :P All the black plastic is to keep the chicks warm. Johnny made the inside a little smaller for right now so that we could keep the chicks warmer. We moved them out there today. They have been in a spare room in the house. They are getting so big they needed more room . We hare really hoping they will be warm tonight.
We have 12 Rhode Island Reds and 12 Barred Rock. We should have eggs by August. Yay!!!
This is Ross' 4-H project. Johnny and I are excited about it though. Ross is ok withit I guess. But he is only 10 so how excited should he be. lol
We will try to improve the look as we go. We are going to paint it. Later we will probably add windows too. I will show you the pics as we go.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sorry I have been gone.
I am sorry I have been gone. Things have been crazy here. I am finally starting to feel like my old self. I am not as depressed and lazy. I still have days that I struggle but I am getting better.
There is so much going on. We have had to make some decisions about how we spend our time. I am cutting down on some of the extra stuff. We are involved in so much.
So here is what I have done.
My church work is very important to me but you can burn out. So, I am concentrating on my main ministry and just a few other things where I fill in when needed.
I am spending more time on schooling Ross. We have joined 4-H and that takes some time. I will be taking over that group in the fall. He is really enjoying it so we will be sticking with it. He is also getting into the higher grades and needs more attention in some of his work.
I work 1 to 3 days a week sometimes more in the busy season.
Then there is taking care of our home and land. I have been getting Johnny to do more cooking. He really can cook. He acts like he can't but he can.
So I am having to learn to say no. Which is hard for me (believe it or not). I like helping others. But I also see where when you are pulled in too many directions you are not effective in any of them.
Hopefully I will be posting a little more. I want to tell you all about our chickens and other things we have going on. We are going to be making some more changes in our lives a little at a time. I want to start sharing these things with you.
There is so much going on. We have had to make some decisions about how we spend our time. I am cutting down on some of the extra stuff. We are involved in so much.
So here is what I have done.
My church work is very important to me but you can burn out. So, I am concentrating on my main ministry and just a few other things where I fill in when needed.
I am spending more time on schooling Ross. We have joined 4-H and that takes some time. I will be taking over that group in the fall. He is really enjoying it so we will be sticking with it. He is also getting into the higher grades and needs more attention in some of his work.
I work 1 to 3 days a week sometimes more in the busy season.
Then there is taking care of our home and land. I have been getting Johnny to do more cooking. He really can cook. He acts like he can't but he can.
So I am having to learn to say no. Which is hard for me (believe it or not). I like helping others. But I also see where when you are pulled in too many directions you are not effective in any of them.
Hopefully I will be posting a little more. I want to tell you all about our chickens and other things we have going on. We are going to be making some more changes in our lives a little at a time. I want to start sharing these things with you.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Marriage Retreat
Johnny and I are going on a marriage retreat with our church this weekend. We have done this for 2 years now. We enjoy getting away for a night. We also get great information and good fellowship with other couples.
This is a wonderful thing our church does to help build stronger families in our church.
We are really looking forward to it this year. Thankful that we can go again together. It was about this time last year that Johnny was diagnosed with cancer.
So we are very thankful. It has been are hard, stressful year. It has taken a toll on this family. We are now trying to over come the division that it made in our relationships.
Working on our marriage is a good start. If our relationship is strong then we can be better parents and grandparents.
We are looking to God for the answers and the strength to go forward.
This is a wonderful thing our church does to help build stronger families in our church.
We are really looking forward to it this year. Thankful that we can go again together. It was about this time last year that Johnny was diagnosed with cancer.
So we are very thankful. It has been are hard, stressful year. It has taken a toll on this family. We are now trying to over come the division that it made in our relationships.
Working on our marriage is a good start. If our relationship is strong then we can be better parents and grandparents.
We are looking to God for the answers and the strength to go forward.
Sickness!!!!!
Here in the great state of Tennessee we are experiencing alot of sickness. Counties all around Knox have been closing school due to sickness for more than a week now. Knox county has now joined them, our schools are closed the rest of the week.
We have had sickness here. Johnny had it last Thurs. and Fri. I got it Sat. night thru Mon. It was horrible. I have not been that sick in years. I felt near death or hoped for it anyway. My teeth even hurt. Thank God we are better and Ross has not taken it.
Our prayers go out to all who are sick. We hope and pray the sickness ends soon.
We have many in our church that are sick too. Everyone needs to remember to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. If you have a fever or think you are contagious please stay home. That would go along way in stopping the spread of the illnesses.
I guess that is the mom in me sorry.
We have had sickness here. Johnny had it last Thurs. and Fri. I got it Sat. night thru Mon. It was horrible. I have not been that sick in years. I felt near death or hoped for it anyway. My teeth even hurt. Thank God we are better and Ross has not taken it.
Our prayers go out to all who are sick. We hope and pray the sickness ends soon.
We have many in our church that are sick too. Everyone needs to remember to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. If you have a fever or think you are contagious please stay home. That would go along way in stopping the spread of the illnesses.
I guess that is the mom in me sorry.
Friday, February 8, 2008
TIme Management
I have been reading Crystal's Biblical Womanhood Blog this morning. I found her series on time management and it really struck a cord with me.
I can't get anything done because of all that I need to do. Johnny and I have made some changes in our home this week. We are getting on a schedule. You see that WE, not me. Which means that it is more likely to work that when just me tries it.
I know everything that I talk about always goes back to the year we have had. I know you all probably get tired of hearing it but this year is what is changing this family.
I am tired. I do not want to do anything. I just want to sit and do something that does not require me to use my brain or back. Call that lazy, I don't know. My husband is a truck driver and for as long as we have been together I have taken care of everything. He made the moneyand mowed the grass when time allowed. Everything else was up to me. This past year on top of all that, we moved and he was diagnosed with cancer. So I took care of everthing else, him and worked parttime. I did it because God was my strength. Sadly I did not put time for prayer and bible reading in my schedule as I should have. Now I am at a point of emptiness. I need to be filled and my family needs to learn how to do things for themselves. Oh My did I say that?
I admit I am a control freak. There I said it. I am losing that. I don't want to control right now as much as I want to be controlled. Someone needs to tell mewhat to do or it won't get done. After weeks of telling my DH that I am struggling and need help he is finally coming out of his shell. He needs to lead this family as God's word says he should. I am so thankful to reach this point. I have to say we started this this and we have been fought all week. We are all three fighting some sort of illness, Ross had a huge nose bleed, other things have been happening to distract from what we are trying to do. We are going to make it though.
I go through all this to say we are going to have to cut things out of our schedule so that the most important stuff always get done.
I hardly ever tell people no, but I am going to have to start. Ross needs more time and attention with his school work. You see we homeschool and this last yeart has taken a toll on that too.
Our marriage is not as strong as it was. Circumstances and outside forces have really tried to destroy our family. I am slowly starting to make a recovery from this fog I am in.
We are going to make sure Ross gets schooled and this family gets back to the relationship we had with God before all the distractions.
Which means not answering or talking on the phone when I need to be working with him.
I will get up in time to have my quiet time before we start school work.
We will be having family prayer time.
We will be having family exercise time.
We will be telling others that we cannot do things that interfer with any of the above.
I will be posting more later. I need to get my thoughts more together.
I can't get anything done because of all that I need to do. Johnny and I have made some changes in our home this week. We are getting on a schedule. You see that WE, not me. Which means that it is more likely to work that when just me tries it.
I know everything that I talk about always goes back to the year we have had. I know you all probably get tired of hearing it but this year is what is changing this family.
I am tired. I do not want to do anything. I just want to sit and do something that does not require me to use my brain or back. Call that lazy, I don't know. My husband is a truck driver and for as long as we have been together I have taken care of everything. He made the moneyand mowed the grass when time allowed. Everything else was up to me. This past year on top of all that, we moved and he was diagnosed with cancer. So I took care of everthing else, him and worked parttime. I did it because God was my strength. Sadly I did not put time for prayer and bible reading in my schedule as I should have. Now I am at a point of emptiness. I need to be filled and my family needs to learn how to do things for themselves. Oh My did I say that?
I admit I am a control freak. There I said it. I am losing that. I don't want to control right now as much as I want to be controlled. Someone needs to tell mewhat to do or it won't get done. After weeks of telling my DH that I am struggling and need help he is finally coming out of his shell. He needs to lead this family as God's word says he should. I am so thankful to reach this point. I have to say we started this this and we have been fought all week. We are all three fighting some sort of illness, Ross had a huge nose bleed, other things have been happening to distract from what we are trying to do. We are going to make it though.
I go through all this to say we are going to have to cut things out of our schedule so that the most important stuff always get done.
I hardly ever tell people no, but I am going to have to start. Ross needs more time and attention with his school work. You see we homeschool and this last yeart has taken a toll on that too.
Our marriage is not as strong as it was. Circumstances and outside forces have really tried to destroy our family. I am slowly starting to make a recovery from this fog I am in.
We are going to make sure Ross gets schooled and this family gets back to the relationship we had with God before all the distractions.
Which means not answering or talking on the phone when I need to be working with him.
I will get up in time to have my quiet time before we start school work.
We will be having family prayer time.
We will be having family exercise time.
We will be telling others that we cannot do things that interfer with any of the above.
I will be posting more later. I need to get my thoughts more together.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Kroger's New Policy
I was shopping this last week and noticed that Kroger had a new sign up that says they will only double the first coupon on a product all others for the same product will not be doubled.
This week I tried out Ingles to see what kind of deals I could get there. I saved more there this week than I did Kroger. Ingles is a little strange on their coupon doubling policy so you have to watch that. Over all I will probably start shopping a little more at Ingles. They do have higher prices on some things.
I have always been loyal to Krogers but now I will be shopping where ever I get the best deals. I know that a while back they visited some blogs that I do. They found out how much everyone was saving in their stores and now a policy change. I think that is wrong. Groceries are going up so much that it is going to be hard on some people to eat. Changing policies so that it makes it harder for people to save on their groceries is just wrong.
I will be checking all my sale papers and when I am out and around that store that is where I will shop. Ingles has also started giving .10 cents off gas so that is appealing to our family.
Just my opinion on things. I am going to be changing some of the things we eat and making more from scratch. That way I can really cut back.
This week I tried out Ingles to see what kind of deals I could get there. I saved more there this week than I did Kroger. Ingles is a little strange on their coupon doubling policy so you have to watch that. Over all I will probably start shopping a little more at Ingles. They do have higher prices on some things.
I have always been loyal to Krogers but now I will be shopping where ever I get the best deals. I know that a while back they visited some blogs that I do. They found out how much everyone was saving in their stores and now a policy change. I think that is wrong. Groceries are going up so much that it is going to be hard on some people to eat. Changing policies so that it makes it harder for people to save on their groceries is just wrong.
I will be checking all my sale papers and when I am out and around that store that is where I will shop. Ingles has also started giving .10 cents off gas so that is appealing to our family.
Just my opinion on things. I am going to be changing some of the things we eat and making more from scratch. That way I can really cut back.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Kroger and Food City Savings
I realize this is a little hard to see. So I will break it down.
Food City:
6 boxes hamburger helper 1.00 ea
2 dozen eggs .99 ea.
-1.50 in coupons
spent 7.10 saved over 10.00
Kroger:
5 bags Lays potatoe chips
2 bags Starbucks coffee (birthday present for a friend)
coffee filters
12 cans soup
2 bags cheese
18 candy bars
12 pack cola
2 boxes popcorn
flour
2 liter pepsi
3 Purex detergents
1 soft soap
2 lipton to go
1 cereal
2 packs bacon
TOTAL $121.04
After coupons and kroger savings $66.47
We were very pleased with our savings this trip.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Homeschooling
We have been having real trouble homeschooling. Last year was so hard. We only did what needed to be done to get by. Ross did get behind. We have been trying to catch up and it has been a battle. I put my foot down this week and made some big changes. So far the last few days have been great. The hassle and stress has not been here. I think part of that is do to Ross knowing that we are serious about this and he has no choice.
These are the changes we made. The laws here says you need to school 4 hours a day. So we have set our schedule up this way.
Ross gets up and has breakfast.
We have not come up with a regualr time for getting up yet. This is something that I have started struggling with so mom has to work on this.
He starts his school work.
I have started having it all prepared and together. It is all written in a lesson plan book that he can mark off as he does it. He knows what he has to get done. We set a time that he has to be done.
We break for lunch. He is usually done between 3 and 4 o'clock.
I have never had it this structured so that is my fault. He is doing much better in just a few days. He is suppose to take an art class on Tuesdays but if I have to fight him to get the required work done then he does not get to do art.
We are pushing to get some serious catching up done and he is working harder now. So my goal is to have him at his grade level by fall. We will test in the spring of next year. I hope to have him ahead by then. I will keep posting how this is working.
These are the changes we made. The laws here says you need to school 4 hours a day. So we have set our schedule up this way.
Ross gets up and has breakfast.
We have not come up with a regualr time for getting up yet. This is something that I have started struggling with so mom has to work on this.
He starts his school work.
I have started having it all prepared and together. It is all written in a lesson plan book that he can mark off as he does it. He knows what he has to get done. We set a time that he has to be done.
We break for lunch. He is usually done between 3 and 4 o'clock.
I have never had it this structured so that is my fault. He is doing much better in just a few days. He is suppose to take an art class on Tuesdays but if I have to fight him to get the required work done then he does not get to do art.
We are pushing to get some serious catching up done and he is working harder now. So my goal is to have him at his grade level by fall. We will test in the spring of next year. I hope to have him ahead by then. I will keep posting how this is working.
Goal Not Met
I am already behind on goals. I have not posted here in a while again. This is a habit I need to get into. We are trying to make changes in our lives but it is not working that well.
I forget to come here and post. I have been trying to live a budget and we have already blown that. Gas is killing us. That is a budget buster. We have so much we have to do though. We are trying to get our son back on track with his karate. Which means going twice a week. Our van does not get good gas mileage. So we have really got to figure out how to work around this. Groceries are also going to be an issue. Because that is where I will take money from for gas.
All that being said we are trying to cut back when we can and look for ways to earn extra money.
I have started selling on Ebay again. Click here to see my store. This is a great way to get rid of items that you no longer need. I am not sure what is going to happen now that we are in a recession.
I am also making hot tamales to sell. That always earns a good amount in the winter. I just can't seem to get as motivated as I have in the past.
I don't know if anyone reads this or not but I hope to at some point really have some good info on here. Please just stick with me.
I forget to come here and post. I have been trying to live a budget and we have already blown that. Gas is killing us. That is a budget buster. We have so much we have to do though. We are trying to get our son back on track with his karate. Which means going twice a week. Our van does not get good gas mileage. So we have really got to figure out how to work around this. Groceries are also going to be an issue. Because that is where I will take money from for gas.
All that being said we are trying to cut back when we can and look for ways to earn extra money.
I have started selling on Ebay again. Click here to see my store. This is a great way to get rid of items that you no longer need. I am not sure what is going to happen now that we are in a recession.
I am also making hot tamales to sell. That always earns a good amount in the winter. I just can't seem to get as motivated as I have in the past.
I don't know if anyone reads this or not but I hope to at some point really have some good info on here. Please just stick with me.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
What You Learn When Your World Falls Apart
I know I posted some on here about my husband having cancer and some of the things we have been through. I say we because the whole family goes through this not just the patient.
We have experienced times that I could have just walked away and said I can't take anymore. There have been times that my 9 yr. son was so frustrated and discouraged. We made it through only by the grace and mercy of God. Our home was turned upside down and shaken up. Every one of us have changed we are not the same people who started through this.
When my husband was on steroids was the worst time. I have great sympathy for anyone who has a loved one on them. He was so horrible. There was nothing he could do and nothing we could do.
Financially we were devistated. He was the bread winner and now we had nothing except what I made parttime. We had no savings due to having made very poor financial decisions in the past. We were in bankruptcy that we had to pay every week. I could not pay everything.
Then God took over and everything was fine. We had money come in that we never expected. People we had not heard from in years sent checks in the mail. People in our church would hand us money. We had gotten on SSI but that was not much, 623.00 a month doesn't pay much.
We had gotten on foodstamps and TennCare, but that was such a hassle. I was treated like dirt and degraded. I had no other choice but to go through it though. We had no insurance, we were hurting in a lot of ways.
He got approved for SSDI but that would not start for 6 months. You know though we never went hungry and the bills were always paid.
The couple I work for were wonderful, they worked with me around all the doctor appointments. That is also where I got to get away so I would not go crazy. We were in survival mode. Just one hour at a time. That is as good as it got. We never knew what was next but God always provided and gave us strength. We would never have gotten through this without Him.
In saying all this the point is you can survive anything as long as you lean on God. Have faith and know that you will make it through.
We have experienced times that I could have just walked away and said I can't take anymore. There have been times that my 9 yr. son was so frustrated and discouraged. We made it through only by the grace and mercy of God. Our home was turned upside down and shaken up. Every one of us have changed we are not the same people who started through this.
When my husband was on steroids was the worst time. I have great sympathy for anyone who has a loved one on them. He was so horrible. There was nothing he could do and nothing we could do.
Financially we were devistated. He was the bread winner and now we had nothing except what I made parttime. We had no savings due to having made very poor financial decisions in the past. We were in bankruptcy that we had to pay every week. I could not pay everything.
Then God took over and everything was fine. We had money come in that we never expected. People we had not heard from in years sent checks in the mail. People in our church would hand us money. We had gotten on SSI but that was not much, 623.00 a month doesn't pay much.
We had gotten on foodstamps and TennCare, but that was such a hassle. I was treated like dirt and degraded. I had no other choice but to go through it though. We had no insurance, we were hurting in a lot of ways.
He got approved for SSDI but that would not start for 6 months. You know though we never went hungry and the bills were always paid.
The couple I work for were wonderful, they worked with me around all the doctor appointments. That is also where I got to get away so I would not go crazy. We were in survival mode. Just one hour at a time. That is as good as it got. We never knew what was next but God always provided and gave us strength. We would never have gotten through this without Him.
In saying all this the point is you can survive anything as long as you lean on God. Have faith and know that you will make it through.
Goals, not resolutions
This year I am going to try something I have never really done. I am going to set goals. Nothing major, not even long term. Just small little things that I can actually do with little effort.
I know that sounds really lazy but I always make all kinds of plans for the new year, every year and I never get anywhere.
So, this year I am just setting a few small, reachable goals to start with. When these goals become habit then I will make a few more.
Goals to start with are:
Stretch 10 minutes a day.
Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Start journaling.
Post a least once a week on blog.
These can be vey reachable in a short period of time. Once these become habit I will set just a few more.
Just some food for thought. If you struggle with large NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS then just make a few goals.
I know that sounds really lazy but I always make all kinds of plans for the new year, every year and I never get anywhere.
So, this year I am just setting a few small, reachable goals to start with. When these goals become habit then I will make a few more.
Goals to start with are:
Stretch 10 minutes a day.
Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Start journaling.
Post a least once a week on blog.
These can be vey reachable in a short period of time. Once these become habit I will set just a few more.
Just some food for thought. If you struggle with large NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS then just make a few goals.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Starting New
I am going to try really hard to start posting more on here. I want to participate in the things going on on Crystals site . We are really going to crack down this year and get our finances in shape. I will also be sharing more of what we are going through and have in the past year.
We have been very blessed by God this year. I think it is only right that I tell all who will listen how much He has blessed us and how great He is.
We have been very blessed by God this year. I think it is only right that I tell all who will listen how much He has blessed us and how great He is.
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