God Provides for the Need

Our former preacher once told us God always provides for the need before we even know the need. When he first said that I truly doubted it but over the last few years I have come to believe it and even count on it!

You know you get a rebate check or your insurance goes down and you get excited, who doesn't like extra money? Then a few weeks later your cars needs a new battery. Your upset and wondering why God is not providing; well he did a few weeks back when you got the rebate check. One that we often have is I get lots of sewing orders but then work slows down for Scott. My extra orders even out his missed work or I find lots of great deals on groceries and toiletries allowing us to reduce or grocery bill or stock up for the leaner times. The week before Christmas Scott got overtime that covered the two days he did not work over the holiday. God is always watching out for us!

Well a few weeks back our kitten jumped over a candle and singed some of her leg fur. It did not do any skin damage, not even any redness so I did not worry about it. Then over the last few days we have noticed more and more fur falling off. I got worried because she goes outside thinking that maybe she had picked something up, my biggest fear was mange! Of course I knew that was unlikely because she still has no redness and no sores, just hair loss but who wants to take chances like that?

So I went to bed praying last night that she would be ok and asking God to provide for the cost of the vet and that it would be nothing serious. Around 3:00 this morning God answered part of my prayer, I woke up and remembered that I had seen this free pet exam offer. I instantly started thanking God; you see he had me stumble across that knowing Izzy would need to go to the vet today. He met a very real and serious need before I even knew it existed! Then when we took her to the vet she told us that Izzy was just stressing out over the incident and her licking the area is what was causing the hair to fall out. She gave her some medication to help calm her and keep her from licking and wants to see her back in 2 weeks just to make sure the fur is growing back. There was the rest of my prayer, she was fine just a little stressed! I know to some a sick pet is nothing but our pets are part of our family and God knows my love for them and need to take care of them.

You see God is a God that delights in meeting our genuine needs and answering our prayers. He loves his children and wants to provide for them! One thing that helped me see this in a very real way over the last year is a blessings journal, I kept a little notebook and every time I saw God provide for a need I tried to write it down. It gave me a real and tangible way to see how he met our needs. Without writing them down it is easy, at least for me, to forget all the great things he does on a daily basis for us.

My goal this year is to keep the notebook out and on my desk and try to write in it daily. How do you keep track of all the great things God has done for you?

New Blog, New Challenge

Well.... I was going to wait until the first of the year to tell you about my other blog but I signed up for a pantry challenge and wanted to keep track of it on my other blog. So head on over there and check it out.

It is new and has very little up but I am excited about all that I have planned for it and the changes that will be happening here on this one!

Last Week of the Year

Can you believe this is the last week of the month and of the year? Where did 2009 go?

I hope each of you had a great Christmas, I know we did. I got to talk to Sydney late that night and had to cut it short because of phone issues but I got to talk to her and that was wonderful. The boys liked everything they got, we had a yummy dinner and enjoyed watching some new movies that Ray got Scott for Christmas. I even got to spend several hours with mom!

So.... any plans yet for the new year? I have some exciting things coming up that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks that I hope you will all enjoy.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from The Smith Family

My Grandma

This spring my grandmother passed away and my mom mentioned she did not have any pictures of her mom other than snap shots. While we were in Ohio for the funeral I got to make a collage for the memorial service. We pulled out lots of photos from a trunk and as we did I took pictures of them.

When I got home I decided to work on some for my mom. I got some lace from some things of my grandmas and a silk scarf of her to use for the mat. I cropped the picture and tried my best to get rid of some stains that were on it, all in all I think it came out great and I am sure my mom will love it.


I did not get a picture of it once it was mounted on the scarf and framed before wrapping it but I think you can get an idea from the above picture. If I think about it tomorrow I will take a picture of it when she opens it.

Have a safe and happy Christmas Eve.

We Have Snow

I am so very excited, this afternoon it started snowing and it is actually sticking. The boys went out in it for a few minutes as did the dog. Izzy our cat stayed far from the door!

I ran to the grocery store this morning for some last minute items and then this afternoon before it got icky we went to Whataburger and enjoyed using our free whataburger coupons.

I finish up my last two gifts today and am ready for a break from sewing and crafting.

Christmas Tree

A Christmas Tree

One little star at the top of the tree
Two little presents underneath for me
Three silver ropes twisted around the tree
Four colored lights shining prettily
Five shining lights flowing silvery
Oh, what a sight for us to see!

Moms Are Heroes

My daughter shared this with me this morning. I have tried several time to get the video to show up but I not working so you will need to either click the link or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CeEEMRQjW8


I will warn you it is very touching and with my daughter just leaving for college it made me cry!

Great Works

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.

Quote by Samule Johnson 1709-1784

Work Hard Play Hard

We had a great week-end and got lots done!

Scott and the boys played on their pc's together and then went out and started cutting down a big tree in the back yard. They worked hard for several hours and that area looks much better now. I think it will open up lots of sunshine for the grass and for my clothesline.

I finished up all but three orders that have to go out by 5:00 pm tomorrow so I will be up late tonight and early tomorrow. I have taken lots of pictures of my work lately and hope to make time to get them off the camera this week and on here.

Church was great and when I got home Sydney called me!

The dog got a bath and I made a big batch of soup that despite how it looked was very yummy.

I could not have asked for a better week-end; well having my girl home would have just made it perfect but I will see her this spring and till then I have to be content.

Virus

So much for my grand plans for the December daily. My computer had been acting weird but neither Norton or spybot found anything so I figured it was a hardware issue and kept using it. Then on Wednesday morning while using it my screen turned bright lime green and flashed I had a virus in purple lettering. Instead of running Norton I unplugged my network cable and restarted it. Much to my dismay every time I entered my log in info it would act like it was going to load and then take me back to the screen to enter my log in name and password again. I tied for hours to get into it but nothing worked.

After much frustration and even a little crying I called my husband to hear what I knew was the only option: FORMAT. I hated the thought because despite having a server I am very bad about backing my stuff up and I lost a lot! Pictures, tax files, my website, legal documents, scrapbook stuff, e-books the list goes on and on. My biggest fear was I had lost my photos from our recent trip to Ohio and the ones I took of Syd and the boys right before she left. I had scanned a bunch of photos from my grandmas childhood and my moms and the thought of loosing those made me sick. I debated on rather or not to even go to church that night. I just wanted to be alone to sulk. The boys came in and knew how upset I was, they instantly went to work making me laugh and trying not to think about my loss.

When Scott came home he got to work on my pc and we headed to church. He stayed home from church because he had gone into work at 4:45 am and worked until 3:00 pm. He set the OS to install and then went to bed; by the time the boys and I got home he had it formatted and almost everything reinstalled.

I went to bed that night still upset over the loss of so much but in the middle of the night I remembered making a cd of my grandmas pictures and of the ones with Syd and the boys. I was so excited I could hardly wait to jump out of bed and make sure. When I did get up I got the disc loaded it onto my pc and then the server. Seriously, I have backed up to the server nightly what ever I have worked on that day. I still have a lot more to go and do not even want to think about reentering all the receipts and business stuff for taxes but a little at at a time and it will get caught back up.

Ready For 2010

I went to Office Max today and picked up my 2010 day planner. Normally I get refills for my Day Timmer but this year I wanted to go with something that was thinner, would fit in my purse but still have nice big squares to write in and look cute.


I probably spent 30 minutes looking through the different styles but I kept coming back to this one. I love the black and white design; feminine but not flashy.

It opens flat and has nice easy to flip pages, a notes section, contacts and dates to remember.







The other must I had decided on was that I wanted monthly and weekly calendars. It is nice at the start of the month to glance ahead and have an idea of what is coming up including birthday's and such.





My favorite part is each days squares are 2" X 4". Plenty of room for lots of details and to accommodate my big messy handwriting!

I have already started filling in appointments, birthdays and craft shows! I think this is the most excited I have been about my calendar in a long time. Weird what age will do to ya.



As for my schedule I got my coupons done, bills sorted, and invoices started. I am pretty behind in logging receipts into my spreadsheet for taxes but once I get going it will go pretty fast. I also managed to finish an order, grade some school work, pot some plants, straighthen up my bedroom and give the dog and cat their flea treatment. They were none too pleased.

Tommorow I am going to work on grading more school work, take the boys to the library and work on receipts a little more.

The Secret Of Getting Ahead

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret to getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming task into small manageable task, and then starting the first one

Mark Twain

Getting Myself In Order

I thought I was getting caught up on sewing orders but I got a few more yesterday. I enjoy sewing and seeing my shop grow but I do wish I had a little more time to make some things for my family. I got a couple of cute skirt patterns a few months ago and some fabric but still have not found time to even cut out the pattern. I had also wanted to make bean bags for the boys before Christmas and finish up Sydney's quilt but I do not see it happening unless I figure out how to clone myself.

I just can not get it all done with the way I have things set up right now.
Over the past few months I have misplaced some of the same items multiple times, forgot appointments or gotten myself so over committed I could barely keep up. I kept telling myself next week, next month then finally it was at the start of the new year I would do something about it but it has become painfully clear that the time is NOW.

After I got home from a meeting this afternoon I spent most of the day cleaning my sewing/craft room and getting it organized. Tomorrow after church I plan of working on bills and invoices and then Monday I am going to get my planner cleaned up and set goals and a schedule for myself.

When I was working outside the house I kept a very detailed calendar and had everything planned out including laundry days. I know some may think that is crazy but it worked for me. Even when I first started working from home I used Flylady and kept things pretty structured and planned with a little wiggle room but not too much.

I honestly have no idea how or when I got so "fly by the seat of my pants" but I do not like it! I think when my back really started acting up the end of last year early this year was when my schedule went out the window. I mean really you do not have to plan out and schedule staying flat on your back. Then once it was healing after the surgery we had so many things take place that I did not feel like I could plan anything. Every time I turned around we were in the middle of something else. Anyways no matter how or why I let it get to this point I am done. I NEED STRUCTURE! I am not going to fight it or be embarrassed it is who I am and how God made me to function best.

I do feel very fortunate because the house is clean, the pantry and freezer are stocked and aside from a load of jeans laundry is caught up. The major thing for me will be setting some boundaries for work, reevaluating our daily schedule and then getting back into a daily routine.

To be honest I was feeling overwhelmed but as I typed this I began to get excited and am looking forward to not feeling frazzled! It can be very liberating to accept your limitations and work inside the boundaries so to speak that God gave YOU to function best in.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

Call a Doctor My PC is Sick

I am going to try to get this to post but who knows if it will.

My pc is sick and I have no idea what is wrong with it. I am lagging soo bad, nothing loads right, pages time out and overall I fear my pc is dying.

I have ran Norton, ran updates, made sure I have plenty of room on my hard drive other than throwing it out the front door I am not sure what I am going to do with it.

I need it for e-mail and website work and do not have time to be without one. I am backing up my files with a lot more regularity to our server and I even made Cd's of all my pictures and word type files. I can just see me loosing all our IRS stuff.; not a pretty thought.

A Christmas Poem: As a Baby Jesus Came

As A Baby Jesus Came

As a baby Jesus came

From His home above

He left His throne and who He was

To teach us how to love

As a baby Jesus came

Wrapped in swaddling cloth

Willingly took on humanity

Though He was one with God

As a baby Jesus came

To one day grow to be

The saviour of the human race

People like you and me

As a baby Jesus came

As God’s eternal light

That will never be extinguished

But forever shine out bright

As a baby Jesus came

The hope of eternal life

Reconciling us back to God

Giving meaning to our lives

As a man Jesus died

his blood poured out for all

Cleansing and forgiving us

For to this He was called

We thank Him that He came a babe

And grew to be a man

And for His sacrificial love

His nailed scarred feet and hands

Through it all we can live on

With Jesus Christ our Lord

The babe that came that first Christmas

Is what we thank Him for

© By M.S.Lowndes

Wrapping Gifts and Not Enjoying it!

I usually enjoy wrapping gifts but today as I wrapped up Sydney's and started putting them in her box I honestly felt sick. I love sending her boxes but the idea that these were her Christmas gifts and that I would not be able to see her open them made my heart sink. I am hoping that the friends she spends the day with will take some pictures so that I can see her open them.

I knew her going away for college was going to be hard but I had no idea how hard it would hit me at the most unexpected times.

I will say that despite how much I miss her I am very proud of her! I knew she would do good and that God would take care of her but watching it actually unfold is incredible. My mom used to say you will understand when you have kids all the time and she was right. The feelings that my children invoke are like no other. I feel so humbled that God let me to be their momma.

Silent Night

I had this set to post yesterday but for reason it did not work.

My brother was born totally deaf and the very first song I remember learning to sign was Silent Night. Our Sunday School class was going caroling so my mom taught everyone to sign Silent Night and Jesus Loves me so that Jon could sing along too. I can still see her signing with him snuggled up against her shyly.

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight

Glories stream from heaven afar

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ, the Saviour is born

Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Homemade Seasonings

I ran out of my taco seasoning mix tonight and thought there may be someone out there in the blogspehere who might like the recipe for it. I think this is better than the store packets and is much cheaper!

Taco Seasoning makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

12 teaspoons chili powder

10 teaspoons paprika

9 teaspoons ground cumin

6 teaspoons onion powder

5 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
In storage container with tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients; mix well. Seal tightly. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

Another easy mix to make is Italian seasoning

Italian Seasoning

Ingredients
6 tablespoons dried basil
6 tablespoons dried oregano
6 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions
1 Mix all ingredients in a spice grinder.
2 OR put in a small bowl and crush with the back of a spoon.
3 Store in an airtight jar for up to 6 months.

Freebies and Giveaways

Today the Internet is packed with lots of giveaways and freebies!

Add on I found: Gift tags. I plan to make mine this year with my Cricut but I may also print a few of these.


Money saving mom is one of my all time favorite websites and today she is giving away "stuff" all day!

Shop for freebies is a great site to sign up for because daily they send you a reminder to check out that days deals. The great thing about this site is the layout, on the side you can click choose categories for offers you would like.

Become a fan of International Delight coffee creamer on Facebook and they will give you a coupon for a free pint! We use lots of coffee creamer so I was very excited about this one.

Jessica Sprague has lots of digital scrap booking giveaways going including one free class. I have taken a few of her classes and they are very well laid out and easy to understand. Even if you are not a digital scrapbooker she has great ideas that you could use for cards, photo editing and crafts.

You can make this has lots of free patterns and craft ideas on their site as well as some very reasonably priced patterns.

Whataburger is hosting a 12 days of Christmas giveaway and are sending out e-mail coupons good for a free item every other day!

You can sign up here for a free Pillsbury 2010 calendar

Oriental Trading Co also has a free 2010 calendar you can sign up for here We received one from them last year and it was pretty cute.

December Daily Day 3

Catchy title huh? I am sorry not be more creative but right now all my creativity is going into craft stuff. Even my meals are a little boring right now; tonight is hot dogs and Fry's.

Today was another cold day. Tomorrow we have a chance of a light dusting of snow but this is Texas so who knows. The pipes are wrapped, plants brought in and everything is out of the garden for the most part.

For today post I thought I would share of my favorite craft & scrap booking sites and a few noteworthy projects I have found.

The first is one I am planning to make is with/for my Wed. night kids at church. It is a nativity scene from Denise's scrap booking room using Sure cuts a lot and the cricut expression. I plan to enlarge it and put it on one of the walls.

Next is from one of my favorite places for SVG's: SVG Cuts This year I am giving lots of gift cards for Christmas so this gift card holder is perfect!

Last but not least is Bella the pirate from My Scrap chick. Sydney is attending Park University and they are The Pirates so she and I thought this would make a cute dorm door decoration. When you buy a design from My Scrap Chick it comes in several forms so you can print it or cut it out with a variety of programs or on different cutting machines. She even has a Freebie Friday you can sign up for!

December Daily Day 2

This morning we woke up to big fluffy snow flakes. Of course this is Texas so they fell to the ground and melted but they were pretty coming down.

We spent the day hanging around the house until it was time for church. The boys played on their computers and did school while I sewed, trying to catch up on orders. Sometimes I think I will never catch up.

Tonight at church we only had three kids in our class but it was still lots of fun! We started our Jesse tree and the kids seemed to enjoy the idea of coloring it and then slowly decorating it each week.

Instead of using a regular Christmas tree we are using a three foot drawing that the kids colored in. The room I am in is used for other activities so I felt like a drawing would get the point across, give them something to color and of course not take up nearly as much room as a real tree would. The ornaments we are using are from here. If you are not familiar with the concept of a Jesse tree you can read more about it here or of course just google it! I forgot to take my camera with me to get pictures of it hanging but I will try to remember to get some next week to share with you all. Overall the concept is to hang an ornament daily or in our classes case seven each week to represent events leading up to the birth of Christ. Tonight we only hung two since today is the second of December. We hung a world representing creation and we hung a serpent with an apple to represent the fall of man.

Next week we are going to work on our tree some more and make hand prints in plaster for them to give their parents for Christmas. It is messy but the kids like it and it gives the parents something they can cherish for a long time.

December is Here!

I can hardly believe it is already December; this year has flown right by! I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving. Ours way different this year but still fun.

This was my first Thanksgiving with out my grandma and this was Sydney's first Thanksgiving away from home. I did much better than I thought I would, I woke up and cried some especially when it hit me I could not call my grandma like I do every year.

I talked to Sydney a couple of times, once in the morning and then again in the evening. She went to some friend’s house and for the first time in about 10 years she did not help cook on Thanksgiving Day. I am so thankful to all her friend's that so lovingly have her over to their homes and allow her to be part of their "family".

This year Ray cooked the pie and Vince and he helped with the side dishes making the day cooking much easier on me! Ray is really turning into a pretty good cook!

On Friday we went out to Brazos de Dios and spent the afternoon looking around and getting more ideas for our garden. The day was beautiful and it was fun just to walk around and see the crafts and sample the food. Ray did mention several times that we do or have done much of the stuff at our own home which made me laugh. I guess we are weird I really should have been born about 100 years ago. For instance, we home school, bake our bread, garden, collect rain water for the garden, have had chicks (for about a week or so), have dipped candles, ground wheat, made butter, tried to make cheese, make quilts or at least try to, sew clothing, dehydrate our herbs and can vegetableles, beans and soup. Of course we have never raised a barn or kept bees but who knows what the future holds :)


There my first post in the December daily! I hope to share our Jesse Tree with you tomorrow and a few of the things I have been working on. For now I need to go and clean up my sewing room and try to catch up on grading some school work