an offering

Too many of "those days" are occurring recently. You know, the ones that leave you down and in a bad mood.

Two job interviews today. One turned out to be not what I thought, like at all. And even though I was offered the job on the spot, I had zero peace about it. The other interview, well lets just say the recruiter had a communication fail and told me a different time than what she told the employer.

So driving home I was pretty bummed. Started thinking yet again about how much I regret not taking that job at Teen Mania. All because of stinkin' greed and thinking it wasn't enough money.

Then I walked in the door, Josiah saw me and gave me THE biggest grin, like the best thing in the world just happened to him. And it made my whole day better.

And as I sat there feeding him, I cried and prayed that God would use our pain, our experience, our testimony, everything that we've been through, for His glory. That this [seemingly never-ending] season of our lives will not be wasted. Let our lives be an offering that God multiplies for His kingdom.

The Best Saturday

A little over a week ago my husband made me clear this Saturday and said he had big plans. I simply couldn't imagine what he had planned.

I was to be ready at 10 am, be cute but comfy. 10 am rolls around and he sends me out the door to get a pedicure. He could have won me over with just that!

After I arrived back home from my relaxing time alone the whole family, Boss included, were ready to go! I was blindfolded and told not to ask questions. I couldn't figure out why in the world the dog was coming! Groomer, dog park, what?!

After a long while of driving we drove over some grooves in the road, grooves I knew quite well. And it hit me, east Texas! Oh my husband knows me so well.

East Texas is a place that refreshes my heart. And it's definitely needed some refreshing. We spent the day with brad and brittney. Burgers, fries, hot dogs, corn on the cob, a trip to Andy's custard. Cooked fried pickles with Brit (her pregnancy craving (-:). And then as we left I gazed up at the stars and listened to the cold quiet night.

I spent so much time sitting under the stars on chilly nights when I lived here. I miss the quiet. I miss the stars. I miss the peacefulness of the "boondocks". I have the best husband ever. He is so thoughtful and knew exactly what my heart needed. I am so blessed.

Its A Leap Day!

Really it's a big deal. Why? Because SO much happens in four years!

Josiah will be four years old the next time we have a leap day. Maybe even a little brother or sister?!

There will be a different president.

Stronger faith. Different person than I am today. Better season of life. Oh I do hope so!

More in love with my husband than I can possibly imagine (5 years of marriage!)

Rob doing what God has called him to do school and career wise.

I think leap day causes more reflection and thoughtfulness than new years or my birthday. It's exciting to dream!

It was a most beautiful day. Went to a lovely little park with Josiah and the dog, had a picnic, basked in the 75 degree breezy sunshine, and spent the rest of the day simply relaxing. These kinds of days are my favorite :-)

Happy leap day friends!

Home Alone

It's not often I get time to myself these days. But today I have, and ohhhh what a wonderful day it's been! I love my husband a ton, but we all need time to ourselves, right? Rob is at a men's conference through tomorrow afternoon, so it's just me and the little guy. So far today we:

Were visited by "Aunt Em" who treated us to Mocha Frappe's at McDonalds (shhh don't tell Starbucks I did that!)

Little man fell asleep in the carrier on the walk back home.

I've had some time during naps to spend some much needed time in the Bible.

Made roasted red peppers, cous cous, and italian sausages for dinner, all while keeping Josiah entertained. [yay multitasking momma! I always have Rob around, so I'm pretty proud of myself!]

After I got him all lotioned up, changed, and ready for bed, I turned away for two seconds and little man peed all over himself. Cue quick bathtime!

After some crankiness and crying, he agreed that 8 pm was a good bedtime [we're trying to start being more consistent on a bedtime, and he's at a point now where it seems to be working out, and he'll sleep until about 30 minutes before my alarm goes off for work...of course]

And now, glass of wine, and a classic childhood favorite movie on Netflix...Baby's Day Out [anyone remember that movie?! still love it!]

Cheers to perfect, quiet little evenings.

Overwhelmed - the Good Kind

Seriously. He gets cuter every.single.day.

God has really been blowing us away with His provision in our lives recently.

Last payday, we deposited the check into our account, went home and paid the tithe the very next morning. After paying the tithe I went to check our account to see if it had shown up yet, and there was a deposit INTO our account for more than 10 times the tithe! We definitely didn't deposit it! I look at the deposit slip and it was anonymous and simply read "God is faithful." WOW! We are able to pay all our bills, rent, everything, with some left over this month.

I also had a job interview today for a very well paying part time job that would allow me to stay at starbucks, be home in the evening, and pay our bills. There was only one other person interviewing for the job, so be praying I get this!

This past weekend at church, what I really got from the message is to continue believing. God really blessed us big time, but it would be so easy to start to worry again about the next month. God's blessings and provision don't ever run out, and we must continue believing.

To the 3 people that read this blog, I pray that you are encouraged, your faith is strengthened, and that God would shower you with His richest blessings upon your lives!

One Year Ago...

I cried myself to sleep.

I wondered why God had done this. Didn't he know Rob had JUST lost his job, I was in Canada with no access to health care, we wanted to wait several years and just enjoy life with the two of us. In my minds eye it was the worst possible timing.

Those little pink lines changed everything in my life that night one year ago.

I remember those first few days and weeks, saying the word pregnant over and over and over. It just didn't seem right.

Oh but now, now when I look back on this day, I PRAISE GOD for His plan. I can't believe we wanted to wait so long for kids! My heart is more full that I ever could have imagined, and I am blessed beyond belief. I simply cannot imagine life without my little Josiah.

Double Shot, Extra Hot, 2 Splenda Faith, Well Stirred

[like my coffee themed title?]

I was going to start this post boasting in the silence of my apartment, with baby asleep and husband out. Then he showed back up. Hey don't get me wrong, I love my husband! But I was really enjoying the dead silence that I NEVER experience anymore. Anyways... :-)

Before I dive into my thoughts, just wanted to brag that I totally won a chili cook off contest at a super bowl party last night! I wasn't going to enter because I was intimidated, but Rob really encouraged me to do it. So glad!

Oh, and look at the cuteness of my boy in his little football jersey!

Since about two months old Josiah has had a bad rash. It started on his face, then it spread on his head, then basically all over his body. We used creams and lotions and soaps that the pediatrician said to used, we tried all kinds of things to help it, but nothing has been working. This past week, however, we started praying. Like really, faith filled praying over him. And now there are only very small remnants left of the rash!

Through God answering our prayers to heal Josiah's rash, my faith has really been built up. I have questioned God a lot recently if He's even hearing our prayers since our situation isn't getting any better. But this has shown me that God IS listening, He DOES hear our prayers, and He hasn't forgotten about us.

And so, I'll keep praying.

God WILL give us vision for the future.

God WILL guide our steps.

God WILL provide all our needs according to His great, glorious, and unimaginable riches!