Well, the New Year is almost upon us so it is that time again... to make goals that we HOPE to stick with (at least until the end of January :) Seriously though, we always do try to take this time to make a fresh start and evaluate our finances, family life, spiritual life, etc. One of the aspects of our family life that needs to change is the pace. It seems like we are always on the go and in a hurry. Something happened recently that made me realize that instant results are something that I have come to expect...
I purchased some of those energy saving LED light bulbs (you know the more expensive, curly ones). Well, I just replaced the bulb in the laundry room with the new one and for some reason, there is a second delay between flipping the switch and the light coming on... literally one second. I flip the switch, count "1, 1 thousand" and the light comes one. And do you know that one second drives me crazy? I growl, complain and whine in that one second. I threaten to leave the crazy light on all the time so I don't have to wait the one second (now isn't that an intelligent, energy-saving solution?) Now patience has never been one of my better traits but ONE SECOND????
So after about the 50th time of this happening, it occurred to me that I may need to slow things down just a bit. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye since I became a mother. We are getting ready to welcome a new addition in about 13 1/2 weeks. So as we begin this new decade, I am committing to focus most of my time on what is important and eternal. God has entrusted us with a certain amount of time. Let's not spend it turning our wheels keeping up with things that will not last.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
As helpless babe...
We welcomed a new member to our family yesterday... my sweet nephew, Ashley Hunter Boone. He surprised us by coming a few days early (was due 1/1/10). I guess he wanted to be kind and give Debbie & Josh that awesome tax credit and deduction for all of 2009!! :) He is so precious and tiny weighing in at only 6 lbs, 12 oz.As I was thinking about him this morning, I was sobered to think that our Savior was just that helpless as He came to earth. Maybe I made such a comparison because we are in the Christmas season but to have a real, tangible visible of what God Himself, the Savior of the world humbled Himself to become really touched me in a way that it never has before. Christmas carols and nativity scenes have a tendency to glorify the birth of Christ. Live nativity scenes usually have either a doll or a baby around 7-8 months old but in reality, God Himself was a helpless baby probably weighing around 7 lbs or less, completely and totally dependent upon Mary and Joseph for warmth, nourishment and safety.
As my 10 year old and 8 year old held their new cousin, we were constantly saying "Be careful", "Hold his head"... They, of course, washed up with soap and water before coming near him. Yet Jesus was born in a barn and placed in a feeding trough for animals! Any mother today would gasp at such a thought.
And to think that Jesus, as He lay there helpless, dependent, possibly crying or suckling as He searched His mother for nourishment was being worshipped and adored by shepherds who heard the Angel of God and followed the Savior.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Give Thanks!
My last blog told of our endless car troubles. Well, not much has improved in that area. We had the head gasket and the coolant system repaired in the van and it worked great for a few weeks. Then on Monday, it would not crank at all! Well, I was beginning to find myself in a cloud of sort because it seemed like so many little things were happening the past few years that I began to feel like I was carrying a load that I couldn't bear anymore.
November 2007 found Charles laid off due to his company closing down completely. Then in March 2009, he was laid off from his new job due to the economy and lack of work. So basically, we used our great Dave Ramsey emergency fund, began to rebuild it with the new job... only to be jobless in less than a year and a half. God blessed him with a job that he absolutely loves in April and we again tried to catch up and save a little only to have car troubles and "life" happen in what seemed like record speed!
Needless to say, my prayers have consisted of requests, petitions, pleas, etc, etc. On Monday of this week... after dropping cupcakes all over the floor on the way to take them to Andrew's school for his birthday AND finding out that my van was not going to start, I felt like sitting in the parking lot next to my van and crying. I got home and went into my office to pray and bring my requests once again to what seemed like a silent God. Instead, I started to list all that was good and all that I had for which to be thankful. I started with the usual of salvation, family, health... then I began to think about how grateful I really am for those things/people that I take for granted. Not only has God blessed me with a husband who is a perfect example of what God meant when He said to "love your wife even as God loved the church", he is strong and healthy and employed :) The same goes for my children who are loving, giving, obedient (most of the time), healthy... As I began to really thank him for the health, closeness and love of all of my family and friends, tears began to stream. Then I thought of things that I rarely think of - like eyes to see His creation, breath to praise Him, hands to serve Him. I was so amazed at how many things kept coming to my mind like a home that gives us shelter, the fact that my mom has a spare car that we've been able to use, my awesome parents who live next to us, my incredible sister who has been closer than any friend could be... The list goes on... so, yes. we still have car troubles. We still don't have the money to fix them but God is God. He may seem silent but in His times of silence, I ask and pray that He reveals what it is that I need to learn and how I can grow during this time as I wait on Him.
November 2007 found Charles laid off due to his company closing down completely. Then in March 2009, he was laid off from his new job due to the economy and lack of work. So basically, we used our great Dave Ramsey emergency fund, began to rebuild it with the new job... only to be jobless in less than a year and a half. God blessed him with a job that he absolutely loves in April and we again tried to catch up and save a little only to have car troubles and "life" happen in what seemed like record speed!
Needless to say, my prayers have consisted of requests, petitions, pleas, etc, etc. On Monday of this week... after dropping cupcakes all over the floor on the way to take them to Andrew's school for his birthday AND finding out that my van was not going to start, I felt like sitting in the parking lot next to my van and crying. I got home and went into my office to pray and bring my requests once again to what seemed like a silent God. Instead, I started to list all that was good and all that I had for which to be thankful. I started with the usual of salvation, family, health... then I began to think about how grateful I really am for those things/people that I take for granted. Not only has God blessed me with a husband who is a perfect example of what God meant when He said to "love your wife even as God loved the church", he is strong and healthy and employed :) The same goes for my children who are loving, giving, obedient (most of the time), healthy... As I began to really thank him for the health, closeness and love of all of my family and friends, tears began to stream. Then I thought of things that I rarely think of - like eyes to see His creation, breath to praise Him, hands to serve Him. I was so amazed at how many things kept coming to my mind like a home that gives us shelter, the fact that my mom has a spare car that we've been able to use, my awesome parents who live next to us, my incredible sister who has been closer than any friend could be... The list goes on... so, yes. we still have car troubles. We still don't have the money to fix them but God is God. He may seem silent but in His times of silence, I ask and pray that He reveals what it is that I need to learn and how I can grow during this time as I wait on Him.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Car Trouble to the Extreme
To say that we've had car trouble lately would be quite the understatement. About 2 months ago, my van started overheating. Charles replaced the thermostat in it and that was a success. On the way to church the next day, he rolled the window down, only to discover that it would not go back up! Well, we had to park it for the weekend and cover the window because, of course... it rained that entire weekend. Well, Charles decides to drive the van to the body shop on Monday to check on the window; however, the van will not crank at all! Well, thankfully, Charles has the use of a company truck so I began to drive his Jeep.
Everything was going smooth for the next month or so and with the exception of sharing a vehicle on the weekends, our situation was working out quite nice. Well, on a nice Sunday drive to the park one afternoon, the Jeep begins to sound funny. It had the sound of driving a standard shift vehicle in 1st gear so we were pretty sure it was a transmission thing causing it not to automatically shift gears as it should. Our suspicions were confirmed when I took it to the shop and was told that it needed a new transmission at the bargain price of $2000! Well, we decided that getting whatever was wrong with the van repaired would be cheaper than that so we started working on that.
We were so grateful to learn that a $70 battery and a $140 switch would make it crank and make the window work properly! Our happiness came to a screeching halt this past Thursday when the crazy van started to overheat again and NOTHING would get it to cool down. I was running errands and pulled into the school because of red lights flashing in the vehicle, only to find smoke pouring out of the hood and a terrible smell. Now, I don't know much about cars, but I'm sure that neither of those things are good. My brother in law and Charles worked on it all weekend and have discovered that it is a hose that shouldn't cost too much but is not something they can get to - so it is being towed tomorrow.
In the meantime, we had just Charles' work truck AND he locked the keys in it on Friday. No, I am not kidding. To make matters worse, his cell phone was locked in there with his boss's phone number in it who just happens to keep the spare key. Our incredible friends, the Schwartz, took pity upon us and loaned us one of the vehicles over the weekend. So, he was able to drive to his boss's house on Saturday and get the keys! I am now driving a spare car of my mom's that we lovingly call the granny mobile.... 1991 Chevrolet Lumina with 19000 ACTUAL miles on it. Yes, my mom bought it from an old lady (her aunt) who apparently didn't drive very much! Well, just so it would not be outdone in the car issues, Charles left for work this morning with the ONLY known set of keys to the granny mobile in his pocket. I realized it at 7:45 (the kids have to be at school at 8:00). He flew back home, gave me the keys and we both rushed off to begin our day.
I know that these things are so petty when compared to other things that could be happening and we actually started laughing like crazy when we realized that his keys were locked in our only mode of transportation. Our God is good and I know that He uses problems, big and small, to allow us to lean on Him. I am praying that these crazy months that we've had will teach me to lean on Him more and to be thankful for every blessing, regardless of the size!
Everything was going smooth for the next month or so and with the exception of sharing a vehicle on the weekends, our situation was working out quite nice. Well, on a nice Sunday drive to the park one afternoon, the Jeep begins to sound funny. It had the sound of driving a standard shift vehicle in 1st gear so we were pretty sure it was a transmission thing causing it not to automatically shift gears as it should. Our suspicions were confirmed when I took it to the shop and was told that it needed a new transmission at the bargain price of $2000! Well, we decided that getting whatever was wrong with the van repaired would be cheaper than that so we started working on that.
We were so grateful to learn that a $70 battery and a $140 switch would make it crank and make the window work properly! Our happiness came to a screeching halt this past Thursday when the crazy van started to overheat again and NOTHING would get it to cool down. I was running errands and pulled into the school because of red lights flashing in the vehicle, only to find smoke pouring out of the hood and a terrible smell. Now, I don't know much about cars, but I'm sure that neither of those things are good. My brother in law and Charles worked on it all weekend and have discovered that it is a hose that shouldn't cost too much but is not something they can get to - so it is being towed tomorrow.
In the meantime, we had just Charles' work truck AND he locked the keys in it on Friday. No, I am not kidding. To make matters worse, his cell phone was locked in there with his boss's phone number in it who just happens to keep the spare key. Our incredible friends, the Schwartz, took pity upon us and loaned us one of the vehicles over the weekend. So, he was able to drive to his boss's house on Saturday and get the keys! I am now driving a spare car of my mom's that we lovingly call the granny mobile.... 1991 Chevrolet Lumina with 19000 ACTUAL miles on it. Yes, my mom bought it from an old lady (her aunt) who apparently didn't drive very much! Well, just so it would not be outdone in the car issues, Charles left for work this morning with the ONLY known set of keys to the granny mobile in his pocket. I realized it at 7:45 (the kids have to be at school at 8:00). He flew back home, gave me the keys and we both rushed off to begin our day.
I know that these things are so petty when compared to other things that could be happening and we actually started laughing like crazy when we realized that his keys were locked in our only mode of transportation. Our God is good and I know that He uses problems, big and small, to allow us to lean on Him. I am praying that these crazy months that we've had will teach me to lean on Him more and to be thankful for every blessing, regardless of the size!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Starting Over...
Well, at 36, we find ourselves with a 10 year old girl, an almost 8 year old boy and now a new little one on the way, due to arrive around 4/5/10! The feelings that I'm having vary between excitement, fear and shock. I am so thankful that God is choosing to bless our famliy with another child; however, part of me feels like I did as a first time mom to be! (It could also be that we have NOTHING left for babies with the exception of an exersaucer and a pack/play that I have for my nephew.)
Pray for us as we begin this new and exciting season. Andrew is beyond excited and Rebecca is, well...she is getting there! :) She is sure that she could not endure life with another brother; however, she is aware that a little girl would mean sharing her room!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
We all fall short...
I would not have believed the story had the words not come directly from Governor Sanford's mouth. I sat as South Carolina and the nation heard him confess to being unfaithful to his wife. "NO"...I said outloud. He is one of the good guys, a family guy, a CHRISTIAN guy! It brought a true sadness to my heart. My first reaction was one similar to the ones I'm hearing in the media and seeing from my facebook friends. "How could he?", "What was he thinking?"... I stopped in my tracks when I felt God impress on my heart that He has commanded us to pray for our leaders. I thought back to my own prayers and tried to remember the last time that Mark Sanford and his family were even a passing thought. I'm sure he was mentioned as an umbrella prayer..."and bless our leaders, Lord"...but was I diligent in surrounding him and his famliy in my daily prayers? Did I pray that a hedge of protection would be around him, his family and his marriage? No...I don't think those words have ever been a part of my prayers.
I was then sobered to realize that my neglecting to pray for him was disobedience just as his infidelity was disobedience. YIKES...that is not a fun thought. You see, sins are judged differently on earth, as they should be, since earthly consequences vary; however, in God's eyes, sin is sin. period. We say that but do we really believe that? Do we believe that losing our temper, lack of faith or pride is the same in God's eyes as the child molester or rapist? Yes, consequences and punishments are different but they all have the same result: we fall short of the glory of God and must seek His forgiveness. Jesus' death on the cross paid for my sins along with the sins of the death row convict.
I know what some are thinking because I've seen the comments regarding his being in a public position causing him to be held to a higher standard. Well, he is being held to a higher standard; therefore, his fall from glory is a harder, longer fall than yours or mine would be. If you or I had an affair, we would suffer marital consequences and embarassment among our friends and family. Governor Sanford's marriage is being flashed across the television and is suffering embarrassment across the nation. So, yes is he held to a higher standard; but yes, he is also suffering more than the average person. We wonder why he thought he could get away with such an act; however, as we all know, Satan's biggest lie is that "no one will ever know" when he in fact, wants us to fall and then the fall be revealed to everyone. I also know that men in authority are HUGE targets for Satan and are under more attack that we could probably imagine.
I am disappointed in our governor; however, I support him, respect his authority and will be diligent in praying for him. This act does not make him a sleezy, lowlife as some have suggested. It proves he is human and not immune to the wiles of the tempter.
I was then sobered to realize that my neglecting to pray for him was disobedience just as his infidelity was disobedience. YIKES...that is not a fun thought. You see, sins are judged differently on earth, as they should be, since earthly consequences vary; however, in God's eyes, sin is sin. period. We say that but do we really believe that? Do we believe that losing our temper, lack of faith or pride is the same in God's eyes as the child molester or rapist? Yes, consequences and punishments are different but they all have the same result: we fall short of the glory of God and must seek His forgiveness. Jesus' death on the cross paid for my sins along with the sins of the death row convict.
I know what some are thinking because I've seen the comments regarding his being in a public position causing him to be held to a higher standard. Well, he is being held to a higher standard; therefore, his fall from glory is a harder, longer fall than yours or mine would be. If you or I had an affair, we would suffer marital consequences and embarassment among our friends and family. Governor Sanford's marriage is being flashed across the television and is suffering embarrassment across the nation. So, yes is he held to a higher standard; but yes, he is also suffering more than the average person. We wonder why he thought he could get away with such an act; however, as we all know, Satan's biggest lie is that "no one will ever know" when he in fact, wants us to fall and then the fall be revealed to everyone. I also know that men in authority are HUGE targets for Satan and are under more attack that we could probably imagine.
I am disappointed in our governor; however, I support him, respect his authority and will be diligent in praying for him. This act does not make him a sleezy, lowlife as some have suggested. It proves he is human and not immune to the wiles of the tempter.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Dad's Day
I wanted to use my blog to wish my two favorite men a Happy Father's Day.
Thirty-something years ago, Reggie Baxley became a dad to me! Then four years l
ater, my sister was born. Not having a son didn't slow him down. Oh no... his girls learned how to pitch a baseball, drive a stick shift, and I'm pretty sure my sister can change a tire! I've never given that a try! Yet he still was tender and seemed not to be bothered by the abundance of estrogen in our home. I've been told that I am like him...we're the only ones on time for any family function and I've been given the privilege of raising his clone! :) He still gets the oil changed in my vehicle, checks my tire pressure, knows what is wrong with my car when I describle the noises and even rides his riding lawn mower over my grass when our lives as young parents get too hectic. (That could also be because we're neighbors and my lawn is embarrassing but it is appreciated none the less!) I love you daddy and appreciate your strength and strong spiritual lead in my life.
ater, my sister was born. Not having a son didn't slow him down. Oh no... his girls learned how to pitch a baseball, drive a stick shift, and I'm pretty sure my sister can change a tire! I've never given that a try! Yet he still was tender and seemed not to be bothered by the abundance of estrogen in our home. I've been told that I am like him...we're the only ones on time for any family function and I've been given the privilege of raising his clone! :) He still gets the oil changed in my vehicle, checks my tire pressure, knows what is wrong with my car when I describle the noises and even rides his riding lawn mower over my grass when our lives as young parents get too hectic. (That could also be because we're neighbors and my lawn is embarrassing but it is appreciated none the less!) I love you daddy and appreciate your strength and strong spiritual lead in my life.
My sweet husband is the 2nd dad I want to honor. He is such an amazing dad. He gets on the floor and acts like a kid...his height is the only way I can tell the difference sometimes. He takes the kids to birthday parties and parks just to give me some time alone. He leads our home in love and strength. He tells Bible stories to the kids in such exciting ways that I find myself anticipating the ends to stories I've heard all my life! I love you babe and am looking forward to each season of the journey that God has in store for us!
Happy Father's Day... enjoy!
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