In All My Imperfections

Here I sit another day passed, another day of mistakes and another day of forgiveness. Here I sit with my heart hurt, the way I tick, the way I fail you and you still love me! Thank You for loving me, Thank you for not giving up on me, Thank you for encouraging, forgiving and never leaving me!!!

And you show me all these things, things to praise you for...


83. their whispers from the couch
84. fall decorations
85. potatoes the size of small melons
86. 5 senses in which to take it all in
87. the blue/gray sky at dusk
88. clean skin after long dirty day
89. chlorine bleached finger nails
90. the contrast of hair and personalities
91. completed school days
92. smores from the oven, made by little hands
93. endless giggles
94. responsibility
95. the quiet at bedtime
96. clean sink when dinners done
97. the shine of his freshly shaven head
98. the smile in his eyes
99. stillness in the pond
100. brisk morning walks
101. blankets of vines covered with bright purple trumpet flowers
102. surprise visits from friends
103. handmade bag
104. the "playing" of school even after school is done
105. dirty little fingers
106. lots of laughs and joy
107. chicken on the bone
108. hungry bellies
109. hugs for a friend
110. the season that brings us bounty
111. celebrations for those i love
112. daddy spending time with his son
113. electricity
114. garage door openers
115. alarm clocks

Now I look in awe at your creation and take it all in, yes every little thing...

Cash Flow Planning...Oh My!

"Money flows from those who don't manage it
and to those who do."

A little late on my Thursday post, here it is...

Ok, so just being honest here, I am totally stoked about all the forms and getting things organized. If you know me, you know what it is to be/have "a little" OCD! This part excites me a little, ok a lot, I know my inner "Nerd" is showing...I'm good with it.

The idea here is to create a zero based budget using the income you'll have. Spend every dollar on paper before the month begins...being sure to secure your "4 walls" first. Paying for necessities before creditors ie.

1)food

2)shelter including utilities

3)clothing and

4)transportation

Then continue allocating all income until you reach a zero balance. You have now told it where to go. Next step follow your plan...

I am not excited about the reality of this...We had our Budget Committee Meeting and there is definitely to much month left at the end of the money, it is scary to lay it all out and really look at what a monster you've created. I cried and he used a few choice words then we realized how bad we need to do this! We did not get in a big fight with one another just emotional about the reality of the situation.

I made a Family Budget Binder w/ a FPU cover sheet to keep things organized and accessible. I plan to work on more forms today and use our Budget Binder when planning for and when paying bills ect. The categories that recommend using cash for we are committed to use "cash only". Our plan says we will be out of consumer debt by July/Aug of 2012...not to far away! Come on cleaning jobs for me and a little overtime for him, then maybe we can do this thing sooner!

Wish us commitment and diligence!

"Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to you herds" Proverbs 27:23

Dig deep

As Summer fades and Autumn falls, we must remain willing. Continue or simply begin loosening up the soil with in us, so that it is ready for the planting, so that it is ready for the harvest.

Should we neglect to dig deep, to break up our hard places through vulnerable time with the Savior, we may miss the Summer of our lives. We may miss the abundant harvest He wishes to plant in the soil of our soul.

As this weather season changed let our hearts change too! Let us turn from selfishness to selflessness, let us turn from pride to humility and Lord let us see the crops you've planted this season be harvested the next. Nurture our soil. Help us dig deep, down to the rich fertile goodness.

May your Autumn bring willingness to loosen up the soil within you and break up the hard places so He has a place to plant. nurture. grow. and produce a harvest that will glorify Him.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of

righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

It is hard to get up early. It is hard to throw back the warm blankets and reveal the cold air. It is not pleasant for me to get up and stumble to the coffee pot but the harvest that it will bring will be worth so much more than those extra few minutes under the cozy covers.

Wow!

Today the gratitude is endless...

restful sleep
warm sheets
waking up on time
bible reading by lantern light
sunrising across the trees
prayers that connect
curriculum schedules
our willingness to comprimise
life lessons
christian artists on xm radio
crock pots
meal planning
coupons
opportunities to contribute
the overcoming of fear
happy little guy coming home from school
ginger ale
chicken soup
reenacted bible stories totally impromptu- peter walks on water and Pharaoh/plagues
being on time

#62-81
I could go on today but I'll save some for next week!

Kindergarden Rocks! Especially PE...

There he is to the far right of the pic, lookin' good for Patriot's Day at

Samsula Academy. What a handsome boy...I'm not partial or anything.

Well my fears are gone! Ty is having a blast in kindergarden...he loves PE the most. "It's awesome to do laps around the track, Mom! I think I'm the fastest in the whole school...well except for the 5th graders." He's had great first few weeks...Teacher say's he's one of the "good" boys, go figure! He is reading well and loves to learn...a kid after my own heart. I pray that he continues to want to please and strives to do the best he can in all he does. I hope to have him home in the future to love that learning with us!

Oh, and he got Terrific Kid this week, so cute!

Relating with Money

"Accountability and support are the ladders that lift us up from life's pits."

One step closer to getting somewhere, Bill and I went to class last night and laughed our butts off! This week Dave talked about nerds and free spirits uniting, basically how very different men and women are, in every way you can think of. The fact that: The #1 thing that ends marriages in America is money fights, Wow! He made it clear both should be making the financial decisions, then we are accountable to someone and that we should be teaching our kids about money. Prov 22:6-7. Lots to think about this week...

We made commitments to...save something in an emergency fund, even if it's only $4 bucks and to come to class.

This weeks homework:

• Read ch.14-18
• We are going to begin collecting credit card offers from the mail and at the end of class total them up to see how much debt we've avoided.

We have defiantly taken the first few steps needed to shift our thinking and begin taking control. We have a little tiny emergency fund started exactly 7.50% of our goal, Yay! We are on our way! I love the member resource website... very easy to use and lots of helpful tools. I feel like we already have a better handle on things, although It doesn't seem possible in just over a week but when your only spending what comes in, that's a heck of allot better than borrowing.

"The rich rules over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender." Prov 22:7

the silent...quiet ones

...these are the prayers that mean so much, when you know He knows and you meet, completely understood. It's hard to break away, they all need so much...I think I need something else, do I? Not hardly, Him, in the quiet...me silent, is all that can fix everything!

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, Oh Lord. Ps 139:4

When I awake,
I am still
with you. v.18

Loss of life and injuries

About a week after my last poultry post, Faith went out to feed that Wednesday morning and counted only five chickens. She came in quickly and made the announcement "mommy, there's only five, I counted only five!" We walked out together to make sure and sure enough one had completely vanished, no signs of a struggle, no clumps of feathers...just gone.

As we watched and tried to figure it out we noticed that the one we call "little sis" the sort of runt was injured. It appeared her left wing was completely detached from her body and just kinda hanging on by a ... well you can imagine! We quickly removed her from the coop and placed her in a box, beginning to evaluate her injury and mental state. I asked around on a chicken forum and it was suggested to remove the wing if it was possible. "Great, one chicken gone and now we need to do surgery on another" Her injury was not life threatening, so we didn't want to just put her out of her misery. We tried to remove it with scissors but it proved to be too painful for her and us. White as ghosts and felling a little flush, I called up a friend and we did surgery together. Some meds to numb the area and a sharp razor blade to do the cutting. Little sis took it well, she sat calmly with love for us in her eyes...I really didn't think chickens had personalities but oh they do.

We kept her separated for a few more days and while hanging' in the garage in a box she gained strength trying to fly, one winged out of the box. We decided, so she wouldn't hurt herself while healing, to lay the box on it's side and let her have free range of the garage. This is when we began to see all that personality... anytime we open the laundry room door to the garage she would come chirping and running to the door, walk right in to the kitchen and look for us...amazing!

Now about 3 weeks later she is back to normal, just missing a wing, with her family in the coop. I told the kids, " We have a one legged daddy, why can't we have a one winged chicken!"

Words on the Page

Today, she writes, final draft of weeks work...thoughts dreamed in the depths of herself.

"Mommy, when you write it's like a mystery! All you see is a blank page with all the thoughts in your mind. Then when the pencil connects with the page it seems like magic! You start to uncover the hidden text. As you write, the words you've dreamed come to life on that blank page and it is like magic!"

Oh, how I love to hear her heart...this moment of many...the reason we have hearts for schooling at home!

Super Saving

"You can get anywhere if you simply go one step at a time"

Well, tonight was the first of a 13 wk class put on by Financial Peace University. Hubby and I decided to sign up for this one as we have a record of making what we "think" to be good decisions. However, our current state proves otherwise.

With that said I am excited to be part of this class although Bill won't be able to attend every wk I'll be there to take it all in. The video sessions taught by Dave Ramsey are hilarious and he really seems like he is legit, ya know not just a millionaire trying to make more, from telling you how to do things their way. Nope, not him at all, this is totally Gods way and Dave's just relaying the info.

My plan is to post what my thoughts are after each session and have some accountability to follow through with my weekly homework (which doesn't seem to heavy but this is only week 1)

• fill out the quickie budget, bring it next week
• log in to FPU member resources
• read ch.1, 2, 3 and 10
• begin saving my first 1,000.00 emergency fund

My hope is to have a better out look on how to handle our money. I also hope to walk away from this program with the tools to make wiser choices with how we spend our money. And hey, if we have managed to save a nice chunk for emergencies in the process, sweet!

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful, Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
Hebrews 12:11

For This I'm On My Knees

Lord, For this, I am on my knees

...your provision please.

I catch a glimpse here and there,

yet still I need to see you!

I pray for wisdom in these days,

and need your guidance each and every step of the way.

Lord, show me how to bow to you,

with heart wide open and less to prove.

Fill me with your gracious touch,

and help me keep my flesh shut up.

It gets away and can run quite wild,

But I know your guidance can calm this child.

Lord, For this, I am on my knees,

for you my God, to help me!

Ending this Season

With the change from one time to the next,

I can see Him all the more clearly.

As Summer comes to an end...

His majesty in the sweaty days of summer, the heat of the Florida sun, cold water to cool the steaming skin. I am amazed how he planned it to move through time, everything having it's season.



And as Autumn approaches...

the heat begins to fade, cool breezes blow through the air, blankets feel cozier than ever and the dieing begins. The time for Summer fun draws to an end, the time for windows to be open and comfort foods served, rises again.

This Summer season has proved to be a rocky one, many mountains and valleys. But just as there are seasons for this earth, there are seasons for this life. High and low, beautiful and ugly...all for the growing. Consider it pure joy (every season), ... knowing that the testing of your faith develops perseverance!

God as this season comes to a close and the next takes it's place:

Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

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Struggling? short & sweet

This life can be quite unpredictable!

One day is wonderful~quiet time first thing no doubt, house chores done like that, kids happy and just fine, school day completely sweet, dinner done even early, and just before bedtime treats.

The next~ it all seems to unravel...you didn't have/make time this morning...to tired's the excuse, laundry's fallen everywhere, sink is full, what where's the juice? forgot to plan for dinner, bills unpaid, and groceries needed, something spilled on the seat!!! Great I forgot the meeting!

I am reminded this early morning that this is not my struggle, the battle has been won! Besides my fleshly feelings Jesus is still Gods son. He came to bear my burdens and to Him today I ask, Please help me keep my earthly focus on things that surely last.

Our recipe for prayer

We read this morning in Matthew 6:9-13 the best way to pray, then we made our own recipe for prayer, literally.

Here's how we did it:
5 trail mix type ingredients (we just used what we had in the pantry and it worked out great)


Place a small hand full of each in a snack/sandwich bag and identify how each can remind you of the 5 ingredients in the Lord's Payer.

• Praise - honoring God (sm marshmallows-sinless/white, fluffy/happy praise)
• Purpose - wanting Gods will not our own (raisins-someone dried prunes for the purpose of creating raisins)
• Provision - trusting God to take care of us (graham cracker broken up like sm pieces of bread)
• Pardon - forgiveness from God and for others (plain chex cereal-jail cell bars ect)
• Protection - from temptation and evil (semi-sweet chocolate chips-tempting)

Our plan is to use them at snack time in our home and recall each ingredients meaning. We also want to make some for other family/friends and start kind of an "friendship bread" chain with Prayer Trail mixes!

Would you like to be one of the first to join our chain...?

Make enough trail mixes to give to all the members of the 2-3 families/friends of your choice...much like friendship bread.

Ex. We choose Sally Sue's family of 4, we will made 4 trail mixes for them and encourage them to read the passage in scripture, talk with their family about it and then keep the chain going by choosing a couple families to make the recipe for!

Include a post card size copy of this info in the baggies.

Write with sharpie on the outside of the baggie...

Matthew 6:9-13

"The Recipe for Prayer"

Have fun making and recalling Gods "Recipe for Prayer" this was an amazing teachable moment in our home!!! We will continue to make trail mix this way and encorage you to do it to.

FYI: The taste wasn't to shabby either!

Grace

I just have to say today that aside all my mistakes and impurities, I am so thankful for Gods grace(completely undeserved and unearned).

I am not unlike you during this time, I get angry and fume... I don't realize I'm somewhere else...somewhere I don't even want to be. Yet I defend the castle I've built, desperately wanting to be rescued. You are there just beyond where I think I can jump, it's only by my own faults, my own wall that I can't see you right now! I wait here until my mind is right, until the clouds drift away, until I can chip some small pebbles out and the light floods the space...Ah...now I see you, now I have the strength to come to you, now I remember!