Good morning! It is cooooold out there today! -10, I think. One of the great ways (I'm being sarcastic!) that we are saving money is to turn our heat way down at night or whenever we are away from the house even for just a couple of hours. Because we are in an old farm house, it is already hard to keep it warm, but alas, I do think this is making a big difference. It is funny to see the kids comment, when we go to someone else's house, on how warm their house is!
I was thinking I didn't have too much to say this morning, but as I lay in bed, I realized once again how God continues to show me I'm under his special banner and that really, his banner over me is love.
A few more examples of this in my latest Top Ten Ways I See His Banner Over Me Is Love:
1. The same friend who sent me the beautiful necklace called because I had called her to thank her, but kept missing her. In her phone call reply to me, she specifically mentioned that though we are not in regular communication and that though we rarely see each other, she appreciated our friendship and wanted me to know she loved me. The spoken word, love. It rarely gets communicated, am I right? We're so afraid to be vulnerable. Her words to me lifted my spirits once again as I knew I was loved by God through her.
2. Another friend, from the far south in the US, was also in contact with me this week via email. This friend, too, was in contact after months of not being in contact (I have a number of friends who I lived with from university or other connections who all moved to the States!) and also made me realize how God has put so many great friendships into my life that I cannot take for granted. He's used these women to mold me into the person I am today and I'm so grateful he used such cool ladies!
3. I met a mom of 9 whose youngest daughter is now 17. The other children have all left the nest and are on their own or married with children. As soon as I saw her, I wanted to start crying. She doesn't even know who I am! But seeing her, meeting her, was such a blessing to me - she made it! She survived! She had a large number of children who are all grown up and though, I'm sure, there were trials along the way, she made it. I could have sat and listened to her talk for hours, but I literally got just a few sentences out and then she had to go. I felt God gave me a glimpse into the future of hope.
4. I shopped this weekend at the thrift store again, looking for a pair of skates. As I went there, I realized this is my new normal! The thrift store is my new department store! And, what I love most about this, is that I always get just what I need! I found a basically new pair of men's skates for my growing boy for $4. Not bad. One of my daughters also needs new boots as she's grown out of her's already this year. Her words to me, "Mom, can we go to BFM (the thrift store's name) tomorrow and get me "new boots"?" That's what my kids say all the time. They want "new boots" from the thrift store. I love it. "Sure." How can you say no to that????
5. The kids skated allllll weekend. Ice, made by God, is free. Thank you, Lord! Our pond is frozen and big enough for a bunch of kids to skate on. I love it! The rink that my husband attempted to make has not been as successful, but the pond is filling in just fine.
6. It snowed! A lot! Snow, made by God, is free. Yeah!! Another free gift from God. What always stresses me out when there are some kids who can skate and others who can't, is that I'll have to go out there and teach a whole whack of little people while I'm supposed to be inside making dinner......what to do?! But with the snow, the little people were all content to just play in the snowdrifts or on the toboggans! Another yeah! I am not too excited about going outside with the youngest guy, so it's WONDERFUL that the 3 and 5 year olds are content on their own. It's the little things like this that make me sooooo happy! The whole gang is getting exercise, having fun together, and staying outside (not messing up inside!!!)
7. Ok, this one will really make you laugh. I've been reading a lot on home remedies because I'm literally sick and tired of being sick! In this one book, it talks about everything from flu tonics you can make to dealing with bumps and bruises. So, I made my first Super Duper Tonic (seriously, that's the name). My husband loves it! It is a mix of garlic, ginger, onion, cayenne, and horseradish! Then, I mixed it with hot water, lemon and honey and voila - super duper tonic! He is already feeling better!
8. More laughs - my 3 year old took quite a fall on Friday night - head first on the wood floor. He had quite the goose egg and wouldn't let me put ice on it. So I went to my home remedies and it suggested I put a piece of onion on the bump to stop bruising and even help with the swelling - not joking. I thought, why not? So, I sliced a piece of onion, pounded it to get the juices out a bit and literally taped a hunk of onion to his head. Hilarious for so many reasons. First he smelled like soup. Secondly, he looked like salad. Thirdly, he let me do it, and asked no questions. Within seconds, he stopped crying, maybe because he was so distracted by onions on his head, who knows? Perhaps it actually took some of the pain away? About 20 minutes later it was time for bed, but I couldn't find him. Believe it or not, he'd taken himself to bed. Sure enough, there he was, lying in bed with a piece of onion taped to his forehead! He was still dozy so I asked him if he wanted me to take it off - "NO!" He apparently liked his new onion smelling forehead! But then, eventually he did give it to me as his brother was sleeping beside him and I'm not sure he would appreciate the gourmet smells coming from his brother. Get this - the next day....not exaggerating.......nothing, no swelling, no bruising, no discoloration of ANY kind. Is that coincidence? Can't say, but I'll take it! So now, I'm all about home remedies! They are WAAAAAAY cheaper, let me tell ya!
9. We had a wonderful church Christmas potluck yesterday. I made a potato dish for about $2 - pretty inexpensive way to contribute! I really am grateful for my church in so many ways. We live soooo ridiculously close - I think we go through 2 lights to get there - that saves on gas! We have a wonderful community of friends there. Even though there are a small number of families, there are always at least 5 women pregnant at any given time. Literally, in the last week, two babies were born. In the last year, we've had 6 baby girls born! That's amazing! We're in competition with another much larger church to see who has the most babies each year and we are definitely winning and we're a fraction of the size. It is amazing to be in a church that embraces children like this one. The average family size has to be at least 4, but there are families there with 9, 8, 7, 5 - soooo great.
10. My daughters and I got to go to a Christmas cookie exchange on the weekend. That's pretty cheap entertainment, too! It's a very fun, festive way to spend a Saturday afternoon. The boys stayed home to skate with friends - also fun for them, and cheap! We left for the cookie exchange right after my oldest finished a photoshoot for a newborn from our church. My daughter's photography skills were part of the group gift at this new mom's shower (i.e. the mom was given a photography gift card, cool idea, eh?) That is always so amazing for me to watch. The first few times I saw her take photos, I would cry - how did this little baby girl grow up so fast that she is now old enough to know how to use a camera?????? How is this possible??????? She somehow has acquired these skills in the last four or five years and is now being paid to do this! She's already adopting a waaaaay better philosophy on money than I ever had. Get this - she's saving it. No way. Yup, she's got a plan. I always pray that my children will make better financial decisions and they are already showing me that they are!
So, there's my Top Ten sum up of the last few days. It is clear, especially upon reflection, that God is keeping us under his protection, blessing us on our journey, and showering us with his love all along the way. To top it off, there are laughs to boot! So keep your onions handy (and tissues to keep the onion juice tears off your face)!!!! Have a great day!
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