Simply Thursday

My 7 year old son's snowman.  It's been decorating our yard since the beginning of January,

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #17

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 26

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

I can picture her in my mind.  The trusted friend that you seek out for
encouragement, support, ideas, hope.

The reason this image is so clear is because I have friends who are wise and who consistently speak truth and love into my life.





Friends who successfully manage their finances and businesses.

Friends who have just the right touch when it comes to decorating.

Friends who seem to work magic when cooking or baking.

Friends who research every available piece of information before deciding on an opinion.

Friends who refuse to settle for the mundane.

Friends who have experienced hard situations and have come through them stronger and with more joy than is humanly possible.

Friends who spend their days balancing being mothers, employees, and wives while trying not to loose themselves in the midst of all the roles they play.


Yes, I am blessed to be surrounded by all these beautiful people I call friends.


May my life experiences allow me to speak with wisdom and offer faithful instruction to those who ask, just like Mrs. Proverbs.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my go to recipe when the kids want a tasty snack.  It's very easy to make and much healthier than any box muffin mix you'll find at your local grocery store.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your mini-muffin tin or your muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper liners.

In a Small Bowl, Mix Together the Following Dry Ingredients and Set Aside:

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a Large Bowl, Mix Together the Following Ingredients:

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups of sugar

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin

1 cup of vegetable oil

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.  Add chocolate chips

.

Spoon batter into the muffin tins.  Each tin should be 2/3 full.  (I use the Pamered Chef Small Scoop for the mini-muffin pan and their Large Scoop for the regular sized muffin pan.)

For the mini-muffin pan, bake for 14 min.

For the regular sized muffin pan, bake for 20 min.

The tops will spring back when lightly touched.

Cool for 5 min. in the pan and then remove to wire racks to complete the cooling process.

This recipe makes 6 dozen mini muffins or 3 dozen regular sized muffins.

This recipe is easy to double and the muffins freeze well.

The original recipe was create by Tammy Clifford of Sabattus, Maine and can be found at

Very Best Baking.

A Season of Personal Reflection

A tangled mess of knots.  Twists, turns, loops all contributed to the chaos that was my skein of yarn.  It decreased my productivity and my enjoyment in the project.  What should have taken me three hours ended up taking me twenty.

I assured myself that I had just grabbed the wrong end.  Next time I would be more careful and avoid that mistake.

Yet, it kept happening.  With a majority of the skeins.

Frustrated with my lack of ability to choose the right end, I decided to undertake the tedious task of untangling the labyrinth of yarn that was beginning to cause me to loose interest in a hobby.

Rolling the yarn into a ball took a couple of hours but when I was done, I had a tidy little ball of yarn that unrolled without causing chaos and delay.

It's a lot like life.

I go through my day attempting to be productive and joyful but the knots, twists, turns and loops inevitably get in my way.  I stop and do a quick fix because frankly, that's all I have time for.  Those quick fixes don't last very long and again I get flustered, overwhelmed and stand on the edge of giving up.  I blame myself for not being smart enough to make the right choices.

I can't control everything that life throws at me but I can control my reaction to life by being at peace with myself.

I am taking the time to slow down, smooth things out, and focus on every knot that rears it's ugly head.

A season of personal reflection, nurturing relationships and organizing our home renews my spirit, allowing for more productivity and joy.  It's just what I needed.

Skein, noun: a long piece of yarn or thread that is loosely wound.
Merriam Webster Dictionary

January 2014 Goals- 1/26/14

I prayed about the goals I should set in honor of the new year. 

   

2014 Goals

In order to work toward the 2014 goals, here are my goals for month of January.

A LOVING FAMILY

Love notes to Chuck.

Have daily screen free periods of time.

Specifically pray for peace, gratitude and contentment in our home.

A PEACEFUL HOME

Organize the boy's room, our bedroom and the van.

Implement clean up before moving on rule.

A HEALTHIER PERSON

Memorize Isaiah 41:10

Drink 8 glasses of water daily.

Substitute a minimum of 4 lunches with a salad.

I was nervous about putting anything about my health goals on my blog.  Fear of failing myself and an even bigger fear of failing in front of others.  What I've been doing seems to be working so far and I even lost weight in the month of December.  I drink a nutrition drink every day, make sure to drink 8 glasses of water.  Eat a salad for most of my lunches and try to be intentional about what I eat and how much I eat.  I've also started a bible study through the Proverbs 31 ministry.  The book we are reading is called "Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst and it is teaching us to be able to tell when we are hungry and when  our cravings are really for God.

http://lysaterkeurst.com/made-to-crave/

ON TRACK WITH FINANCES

Pay bills on time.

Get certified for Simply Fun's MOPS Presentation

Make new business contacts weekly.  Minimum of 2.

Plan a GAME NIGHT EVENT.

Simply Thursday

I'm excited about all 3 Bible Studies I am participating in.  This time around I am making time to do my assignments!

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #16

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 25

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at days to come."

What does it look like to be clothed in strength and dignity?

What does it feel like to release ALL your fears to God and laugh at days to come?

Let's get real here.  If Mrs. Proverbs was a real person, she made mistakes.  Bad things happened to her because life just works that way sometimes and because sometimes, a person makes the wrong choices.

Yet, it doesn't say anything about her life's rough patches in this chapter.

This leads me to wonder who our friend Mrs. Proverbs really is...

1) Mrs. Proverbs was a model and guide to be used as inspiration, growth and personal reflection.

or

2) Mrs. Proverbs was a real person and they just didn't tell the whole story.

or

3) Proverbs 31 is based off the characteristics of several women who each had areas of strength.


We read Proverbs 31 and it shines a spot light on this woman.  This seemingly awesome, great at everything she does, perfect person-- yet we must remember, we are not perfect. I can only think of one person who was.

We can each learn from the truths and the just plain good advice found in Proverbs 31.  It can encourage us.  It can challenge us.  It can create a deeper connection to God.  It can help change us to be the women God wants us to be.

Do I see myself clothed in strength and dignity?  Nope.  I see myself as a stumbling mess who can be strong or who can be found curled up on the kitchen floor, crying because I feel so overwhelmed.  Not very dignified.

On this journey we call life, I will use this verse to aspire to trust God more.

Maybe the next time I am feeling overwhelmed, I will remember this verse.  I will pick myself up spiritually by praying and then literally so I can go about my tasks.

Believing that God is in control and that He loves me because I am his child will help me laugh at the days to come...

I'll start small and remember our friend, Mrs. Proverbs.

Pizza Crust

PIZZA CRUST

A friend of mine passed along a great bread machine pizza crust recipe but sometimes waiting for the machine doesn't work out for my schedule.  I have successfully made this dough in my kitchen aid which makes it my go-to pizza recipe.  You can make the dough a day before and put it in the fridge or a week or two before and stick it in the freezer.  For frozen dough, defrost in the fridge and then leave it out (in a covered bowl) until it is room temperature.  For dough that's been in the fridge, take it out about an hour before you need to make the pizza so it can get to room temperature.

Ingredients

1 cup of luke warm water
1/4 cup of oil (I use olive oil)
3 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast



Kitchen Aid Directions

Put sugar and water in bowl.  Add yeast.  Leave this mixture alone for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.  Add oil, flour, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.  Mix on low until combined.  Knead on setting 2, for 3 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size.

If you are using a bread machine, follow your specific machine instructions for making a dough.

Making Your Pizza

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Roll dough onto pan.  My family likes a thinner crust, so we can get two pizzas from this dough recipe.

Top with your favorite toppings and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is browned nicely.

Let the pizza set for 5 minutes and it will be easier to cut.



Link to More Recipes

The Little Gray Hair

It popped up on top of my head, the one single short gray hair.  I had met it before, and colored my hair.  The gray hair began to mock me.  You're getting old.  There's more of us coming.  You can't avoid this reality.

Then, I had a thought.  It was quiet at first but became louder until it completely drowned out the gray hair on my head.

You are getting older... you are blessed to be getting older.

You could have died... you did die.

When I was seventeen years old, I was in a near fatal car accident.  I don't remember anything at all and a lot of my memories from childhood are gone.   I was given medication that placed me in a coma for three days and wiped out that traumatizing morning, plus more.

My mother told me that my employer had called because I wasn't at work yet.  Then, she heard sirens.  She got dressed and waited by the phone for the call.

I remember her telling me they had told her to hurry.  Hurry to the local hospital where she kissed me on the forehead before they air lifted me to a bigger hospital.  Hurry to the next hospital because they didn't expect me to make it.

I don't know if I coded just once or if it was more than that.

Members of our family, friends and our church were praying.



Obviously, since I am writing this blog post, I didn't die.

I did break my left ankle, both my legs, both my arms, my left shoulder and collar bone.  Included in the list was a closed head injury.

Months were spent in hospitals and in therapy and years went by before a full recovery was made. An almost full recovery.

My family would say that the closed head injury altered my personality, making me sarcastic and weird.  Just like them.  Personally, I think it was genetics finally catching up to me.

I lived.  I am living.  I am getting older and yes, I am old enough to have a pesky gray hair on my head.

God bless that little fella for helping me put things into perspective.  I'm sure he'll peer his mocking self often in my life and he will be joined by family and friends who will move in completely uninvited... until my next hair appointment.

January 2014 Goals- 1/19/14

I prayed about the goals I should set in honor of the new year. 

   

2014 Goals

In order to work toward the 2014 goals, here are my goals for month of January.

A LOVING FAMILY

Love notes to Chuck.

Have daily screen free periods of time.

Specifically pray for peace, gratitude and contentment in our home.


Sometimes I work on so may aspects of my life and I forget my marriage.  My husband is great and our marriage is stronger than it has ever been... but our relationship still needs nurturing.  This week I was intentional in sending him text messages saying that I loved him or thanking him for the work he does.

A PEACEFUL HOME

Organize the boy's room, our bedroom and the van.

Implement clean up before moving on rule.

A HEALTHIER PERSON

Memorize Isaiah 41:10

Drink 8 glasses of water daily.

Substitute a minimum of 4 lunches with a salad.

ON TRACK WITH FINANCES

Pay bills on time.

Get certified for Simply Fun's MOPS Presentation

Make new business contacts weekly.  Minimum of 2.

Plan a GAME NIGHT EVENT.

Several things have happened as I try to grow my business.  First, I realized that I was trying to earn God's okay by my works.  If I can just keep the kitchen clean, the boys heading in the right direction, a home cooked meal on the table and our home running like a well oiled machine, surely God will see that the home is the place I need to be.  Then, when business ended up not starting out as busy as I hoped, I tried harder.  I can not "earn" God's permission.  If it's what He wants, it will be.  As long as I do my best, He will help me through whatever lies ahead.

Second, I got the recall letter from my seasonal full time job.  I'm signing it to return and trying to trust God through it all.

Third, the Pastor at our church preached on Ecclesiastes 9.  Although I had memorized verse 10 with my oldest last year (and repeat it often), it was I needed to hear as I struggle with wanting a more flexible work schedule so I can be more available to my family.  The pastor's words presented a message I needed to hear.

GIVING OF OURSELVES

Send a card to two friends that I don't see very often.

Invite a family to join us for a meal.

Remembering Baby Will

Tomorrow is the 9th anniversary of my son, William's death.  As you read my story, please don't question me, yourself or others.  Losing a child is the most unnatural thing that can happen.  Everyone processes death differently, creating a grief that can feel all consuming.

This is my story...

I laid him down, all swaddled and cozy, stuck a pacifier in his mouth and thought, he's going to be up in the next 30 minutes wanting to nurse.

Hours later, I awoke to find my son blue.

I cried out to my husband, handed him the phone and told him to call 911.  I began infant CPR as we waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The EMT swished Will away, commenting that he was warm and that was a good sign.

I ran after her and climbed in the front seat as we sped off to the emergency room.

I was praying.  It seemed surreal.

I was sure God was going to give him back to me.

About halfway to the hospital, the EMT told me she was sorry, but he was gone.

Gut wrenching, chest aching pain swelled up inside me and I cried.


The rest of the day was a blur.

I remember holding him and crying.

It hurt so bad, yet, it didn't feel real.

They couldn't find a reason for why Will had died and so, they told us it was SIDS.


Phone calls, visits, cards, and gifts all pored in.

"You are handling it so well." It is what people told me.

"God would never give you more than you can handle."  was another thing that was often said.


Life went on.  

Those who had felt the loss of this little one, tried to get used to the new normal that became life.

I wanted to die.

Now, I wasn't suicidal.  I just wanted to be with Will.

I questioned the point of life.

How can anything be worth it if I feel this much pain?


Depression set in.

With my mother's ever watchful eye and prodding hand, I sought help and was given anti-depressants.

The medicine helped but I'll tell you what has helped the most.

TIME.

Time to hope.  Time to experience joy.  Time to trust that I can love.  Time to breathe the air, feel the sunshine and thank God for everything He has given me.  Even Will.

My sweet baby Will, who at 6 days looked at the towel I had on my head and then looked at my eyes again to make sure it was me.

Simply Thursday

Sometimes being a mom can be pretty thankless.

No one to give me a performance appraisal.

No one to give me a raise.

No staff meetings where you get to problem solve.


Days go by and there are many times when no one notices the things you do.

Yea! You just wiped that snotty nose for the 100th time today!

Good for you!  You didn't scream when you found marker all over the wall.

Awesome!  You made it to the grocery store and returned not only with groceries, but your children!!

Simply Thursday.

Each Thursday I will simply post a picture of something I feel like I did good on this week along with a one or two sentence description.

All those simple things add up to those big things and those big things can be really awesome.

So, give yourself a pat on the back for the simple thing that you did today.  We could all use a bit more encouragement on this journey we call motherhood.

We saved money by eating a packed lunch after a fun morning with friends and bouncy houses.

Even with Chipotle and Panera calling my name...

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #15

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 24

"She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes."

Before my study of Proverbs 31, I had never paid attention to the business knowledge this woman had.





Her business skills are mentioned throughout the chapter.

The woman who fears the Lord is business smart.

Am I business smart?

Can I be business smart?

What does it take to be business smart?

Phew!  Those are important questions for this wanna be successful business woman.

Let's look at this verse and the other verses and see if we can make an outline of Mrs. Proverb's business skills.

• She is selective about her products and materials.                     (Verses 13 and 16)
• She is a hard worker.  (Verses 13 and 17)
• She will go the extra mile to take care of business.  (Verse 14)
• She works the hours needed to get the job done.  (Verse 15)
• *Her employees have great pay and benefits.  (Verse 15)
• She invests her money wisely.  (Verse 16)
• She is a highly motivated business woman.  (Verse 18)
• Her skills and products are in high demand.  (Verses 19 and 24)
• People come to her for business advice.  (Verse 26)
• She is a skilled business manager.  (Verse 27)

* We don't have servants and so I translated verse 15 to the 21st century.
Sometimes, I wish I had servants...

Wow, Mrs. Proverbs!

These characteristics describe a business woman but most importantly, they describe a woman who fears the Lord.

May I fear the Lord and allow Him to shape me into a successful woman.

Just like our dear friend, Mrs. Proverbs.

My study on Proverbs 31

Cinnamon and Sugar Cake

I love to share recipes that I have successfully made.

This Cinnamon and Sugar Cake Recipe is very tasty and was hit with family and friends.

CINNAMON & SUGAR CAKE

Ingredients For the Cake

  1 Pkg. of white cake mix
  1 cup of milk
  1/2 cup of sour cream
  6 Tbl. butter, melted
  3 eggs
  2 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Frosting

  1/2 cup butter, softened
  2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  2 Tbl. milk
  1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  1 tsp. vanilla extract
  1 Tbl. cinnamon-sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a bundt pan and set aside.

For the cake---

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Transfer cake batter into greased and floured pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Note-  I used a Pampered Chef Stoneware Bundt Pan and had to bake it for 35 minutes.  If you use a metal pan, you will have to adjust the time.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.


For the frosting---

In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add the powdered sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla.  Whip until smooth.

After your cake has cooled, spread the frosting on it and then sprinkle it with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Note- I had to add a little extra milk to get my frosting to the consistency I liked.  Play around with it!



Link to Original Recipe from Taste of Home

Not Living In the Moment

Did I get your attention?

I just contradicted what we are told to do and I meant it.

I'm talking about motherhood and the fear that comes with it.

Fear that my child will need therapy because I yelled on Christmas morning.

Fear that my child won't be able to function as an adult because I didn't give him enough responsibility.

Fear that I only have a certain amount of time to spend with them before they are grown and leave our home.

I should live in the moment and I should make every moment last.

You just never know when your last moment with your child may be.

We lost our first born child, William, to SIDS.

He was only eight days old when it happened.

I have been blessed with two more children.  Happy, healthy and energetic boys.

I want to live in the moment!  I want to make every moment beautiful!

I am so very thankful for our children and I should show my gratitude by

LIVING IN THE MOMENT.


Then, reality hits.

The double ear infection, bronchitis and croup hits.

The million times of explaining why he can't watch Mine Craft videos without direct supervision hits.

The bills hit.

The dirty dishes hit.

The, if I don't get this load of laundry done I will have to go naked, hits.

The long line at the grocery store hits.


Reality comes along with mass amounts of mom guilt.




Here is what I am going to challenge myself to do this month.

I am going to let go of living in the moment.

Instead, I am going to be GRATEFUL for every moment.

Grateful for the opportunity to explain to my son that I love him and I don't want him listening to videos that have bad words in them.

I will be grateful for the time out I give my three year old for hitting his brother and refusing to apologize for it.

I am going to thank God that I had a chance to apologize to my children for yelling at them.




I don't need to be super mom to share my love, my passion, my wisdom, my faith and my experience with them.

I just need to be grateful for every moment I get to.

January 2014 Goals- 1/12/14

I prayed about the goals I should set in honor of the new year. 

   

2014 Goals

In order to work toward the 2014 goals, here are my goals for the month of January.

A LOVING FAMILY

Love notes to Chuck.

Have daily screen free periods of time.

Specifically pray for peace, gratitude and contentment in our home.

A PEACEFUL HOME

Organize the boy's room, our bedroom and the van.

Implement clean up before moving on rule.

A HEALTHIER PERSON

Memorize Isaiah 41:10

Drink 8 glasses of water daily.

Substitute a minimum of 4 lunches with a salad.

I went ahead and printed out the verse I'm trying to memorize and put it in the two spots where I will stand still the longest and the most frequently.

The Kitchen

The Bathroom

ON TRACK WITH FINANCES

Pay bills on time.

Get certified for Simply Fun's MOPS Presentation

Make new business contacts weekly.  Minimum of 2.

Plan a GAME NIGHT EVENT.

GIVING OF OURSELVES

Send a card to two friends that I don't see very often.

Invite a family to join us for a meal.

Under the heading "A Peaceful Home", you will find the goal of the clean it up before you move on rule.  My desire is to not be constantly tripping on toys and in a constant state of frenzy.  When things are a disaster (as they often are with two young boys), I feel the need to clean.  I WOULD BE CLEANING ALL DAY!  But, here's something unexpected that happened with this new rule.  My house stayed clean enough to have people over and not be embarrassed.  I was not running around (like a chicken with her head cut off) cleaning until our friends arrived.  I even sat down and crocheted while we waited.

Another unexpected thing came from opening our home and sharing the experience with the boys.  Matthew, who is 7 1/2, really got into the hosting aspect.  He wanted to use the good dishes and help with things.  He specifically chose things to make our guests feel special.

Matthew helping to set the table.

The cake I made for our guests.  Again, something my mother would have done.

I think that hostessing is a dying art.  I wonder if we have all gotten too busy or if we care too much what others think to open our homes and our lives to others.


I want to open up our home and share the gift of friendship, comfort, and food.  Kind of like my mom used to do.  :-)

January 2014 Goals

I prayed about the goals I should set in honor of the new year. 

   

2014 Goals

In order to work toward the 2014 goals, here are my goals for the month of January.

A LOVING FAMILY

Love notes to Chuck.

Have daily screen free periods of time.

Specifically pray for peace, gratitude and contentment in our home.

A PEACEFUL HOME

Organize the boy's room, our bedroom and the van.

Implement clean up before moving on rule.

A HEALTHIER PERSON

Memorize Isaiah 41:10

Drink 8 glasses of water daily.

Substitute a minimum of 4 lunches with a salad.

ON TRACK WITH FINANCES

Pay bills on time.

Get certified for Simply Fun's MOPS Presentation

Make new business contacts weekly.  Minimum of 2.

Plan a GAME NIGHT EVENT.

GIVING OF OURSELVES

Send a card to two friends that I don't see very often.

Invite a family to join us for a meal.

Changing My Destiny

I had heard people talk about belief systems before, I even remember studying what a belief system was in college.


"A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. The beliefs of any such system can be classified as religious, philosophical, ideological, or a combination of these. Philosopher Jonathan Glover says that beliefs are always part of a belief system, and that belief systems are difficult to completely revise."


I've been seeing a counselor to help me work through the depression I often struggle with and she brought up the subject of belief systems at my last session. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be able to quote her word for word, but this is basically what she said.


Everyone has a belief system. Your belief's turn into your choices. Choices become your habits, habits become your character and your character becomes your destiny.


She was talking to me about the spending freeze my husband and I had done and how amazing it was that we had changed our habits and stuck with it.  The main point of the spending freeze was to fix my husbands credit so that we could get a mortgage for a home. We did. We made different choices and although the process is not complete yet, we hopefully changed our future.


I've spent the last month going over what she said about the belief system and how it becomes your destiny. I guess I had always thought that my belief system was about the bigger things. I hadn't realized that my belief system affects my every day choices.


But it does and so, I have been examining lots of things that I do and questioning why I do them.




With God leading me down the path, I can and will change my destiny.




One choice at a time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief_system

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #14

 The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 23

"Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land."

To put it into 21st century terms...

Mrs. Proverbs' hubby is a popular guy who hangs out with guys who are super smart and make decisions that effect the community.

Out of the twenty-one verses that describe our friend, Mrs. Proverbs, there are two that specifically mention her husband.
(The other one is Proverbs 31:11, "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.")

What we do as wives, directly affects the lives of our husbands.

Well, that seems pretty obvious but let's see if we can dig a little deeper.

Our roles as women, wives, mothers, employees, students, friends, daughters, etc. shape and change our husbands.

No pressure, ladies!

We can help make our husbands successful in life.

(Please, note that I wrote the word help and did not write that we are the deciding factor on whether or not our husband is successful.  We can only do our best with God has given us, spend time in prayer and search for opportunities to learn and grow as women.)

My husband recently interviewed for a different position at work.  It would have been better pay, better hours and less stress.  Dream job!

I prayed for him.  I prayed for the job.  I prayed that if it was where God wanted him, that he would get it and if it wasn't that we would be able to be at peace with that.

He didn't get the position and I am totally at peace with it.

I told him how proud I was that he put himself out there.  How I am thankful that he still has an awesome job that provides for us.  I talked about the doors that could open because he applied for the position and how much he learned from a difficult interview.

I was strong enough to set a peaceful, supportive and loving tone because of my relationship with God and what I have learned from scripture.

I think our friend Mrs. Proverbs would have been pleased.

A link to my study on Proverbs 31.

2013, A Year In Review

Here is my year in review...

I learned how to knit and crochet.

I sang multiple times on our Church's worship team.

I auditioned to sing the National Anthem at The Cove.

I went on a nine day trip to San Antonio for work.

I sang the National Anthem at The Cove.

I started a blog.

I made our own laundry soap and haven't had to buy pre-made laundry soap since February.

My husband and I celebrated being married twelve years.

I lead the worship service for our church twice.

I went back to work full time.

I auditioned for a local singing contest, and made it to the first round.

My husband and I tried purchasing a home.

I ended a

Our financing fell through three days before closing.

We looked long and hard at our financial choices and decided to go on a two month spending freeze.

I sought help for my depression.

We successfully completed the spending freeze.

We potty trained our youngest.

I started a photography business.

I joined Simply Fun as an Independent Consultant.

We reapplied for a mortgage and got the pre-approval.

I made new friends, re-connected with friends from my past and felt a sense of community within our church.

2013 has passed and I'm excited to see what 2014 has to bring.