The past week has been filled to the brim with blessings for our family!
Last week our neighbors sent us an email explaining that her brother had gotten a job and would be unable to care for their 9 year old son after school. They asked me if I would watch him for a few hours after school until either of them got home from work. Best of all, they offered to pay us for watching him. I had been praying for an opportunity to make a few extra dollars and the Lord set it right before me.
The very next day, I had the opportunity to drive to my grandparents house (about 2 1/2 hours away) to visit with them and my uncle and 3 cousins whom I dont get to see often. It was a blessing to spend that time with them and visit together.
Saturday we had another opportunity to fellowship with some wonderful christian young adults. We all met at Don Pablos to celebrate Daniel becoming an RN. It was a great time of fellowship and the food was fantastic!
Sunday we visited the Prince William Campus of McLean Bible Church. Unfortunately it wasnt a good fit for us, but we did enjoy the message given. Jonathan surprised me by taking me to Checkers for lunch. We then had over my mom, her fiance and my cousin to eat Ropa Vieja and fellowship.
Yesterday we had Emily's ears pierced. My husbands family is very big on this being done when they're babies. She looks so cute with her new earrings! We then received a phone call from my husband's boss. He wanted to meet with him. We were a little nervous but come to find out they had gift cards for us to say thank you for all of my husband's hard work. Needless to say it was much needed!
God is soo good!
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philipians 4:19)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
God's Amazing Work!
I'm always amazed when I sit and think of all the wonderful things God does for us. I cant tell you how many times I've seen things that seem nearly impossible happen with such ease and I know all the credit is to the Lord.
The most amazing thing I've seen recently is God giving me the courage to talk to others about Christ. I've been pretty shy about it and really talked about it with "safe" people, meaning people who share my beliefs. I was also a little weary to bring it up with my husband when I had convictions on things that he may not. I was always afraid of what people may think or that they may treat me differently because of my beliefs/convictions.
I was able to share a conversation with my Aunt on Saturday about how God was working in my heart on several issues. These are things I usually keep to myself but I thought to myself, Why should I keep God's wonderful work quiet? Recently my Aunt, who is also a Christian, has been struggling with some health issues and as I found out on Saturday, she had been also struggling with some of the same spiritual convictions that I had been struggling with. We were able to share our testimonies with each other and encourage each other to keep praying and working on our issues. I was also able to pray with her about her health issues and to encourage her to look to God for guidance and comfort during this difficult time for her. After our conversation, my aunt seemed much happier, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with our family.
I was also able to share God's word with a friend of mine who belongs to the Mormon church. She has been one of my friends for about 6 years now and I've never gone down the path of sharing God's word with her because I didnt want to offend her and her religion. She brought us The Book of Mormon today and asked us to read it. I graciously accepted the book although in my heart I dont believe its teachings. She said she knew I wasnt going to convert to Mormonism, but she wanted me to understand her religion a little better. It was her way of sharing the word with me. I took the opportunity to share the word with her. We talked about the differences in our beliefs. She does read the bible and the Mormon church uses the KJV, but they also believe in the Book of Mormon. I gave her a track which I keep carefully tucked in my bible case. I asked her if she would read it and give it some thought. I invited her family to attend church with our family in hopes that she may allow God to change her heart in the future. I will continue to pray for her family's salvation and that she may move to know God's word as the only true word.
I'm so thankful to God that he works in my heart and allows me to be a witness to people and bring His word to their attention. I'm also thankful that He has allowed me to be an encouragement to those around me who are struggling and that He is helping them to be an encouragement to me at the same time.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
The most amazing thing I've seen recently is God giving me the courage to talk to others about Christ. I've been pretty shy about it and really talked about it with "safe" people, meaning people who share my beliefs. I was also a little weary to bring it up with my husband when I had convictions on things that he may not. I was always afraid of what people may think or that they may treat me differently because of my beliefs/convictions.
I was able to share a conversation with my Aunt on Saturday about how God was working in my heart on several issues. These are things I usually keep to myself but I thought to myself, Why should I keep God's wonderful work quiet? Recently my Aunt, who is also a Christian, has been struggling with some health issues and as I found out on Saturday, she had been also struggling with some of the same spiritual convictions that I had been struggling with. We were able to share our testimonies with each other and encourage each other to keep praying and working on our issues. I was also able to pray with her about her health issues and to encourage her to look to God for guidance and comfort during this difficult time for her. After our conversation, my aunt seemed much happier, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with our family.
I was also able to share God's word with a friend of mine who belongs to the Mormon church. She has been one of my friends for about 6 years now and I've never gone down the path of sharing God's word with her because I didnt want to offend her and her religion. She brought us The Book of Mormon today and asked us to read it. I graciously accepted the book although in my heart I dont believe its teachings. She said she knew I wasnt going to convert to Mormonism, but she wanted me to understand her religion a little better. It was her way of sharing the word with me. I took the opportunity to share the word with her. We talked about the differences in our beliefs. She does read the bible and the Mormon church uses the KJV, but they also believe in the Book of Mormon. I gave her a track which I keep carefully tucked in my bible case. I asked her if she would read it and give it some thought. I invited her family to attend church with our family in hopes that she may allow God to change her heart in the future. I will continue to pray for her family's salvation and that she may move to know God's word as the only true word.
I'm so thankful to God that he works in my heart and allows me to be a witness to people and bring His word to their attention. I'm also thankful that He has allowed me to be an encouragement to those around me who are struggling and that He is helping them to be an encouragement to me at the same time.
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Back to the daily grind...
All of the family has left and it is back to business as usual around the Clark household. Shadow is going to daycare on his normal days and he no longer has 2 playmates. I am alone watching Emily so I have to be very aware of her sleeping/eating schedule, and there is no help making dinner or getting everything cleaned up after a meal. I have to say that I miss having a full house. There is nothing like having loved ones here to help you out when you need it most.
With all of that said... We're starting to fall into quite a nice schedule. Emily is consistently getting up around 7am so that means I'm up at 7am. We're still doing feedings every 2-3 hours depending on how long she is up after her feedings or how cranky she is when she gets up. She has gone as long as 4 hours if she's in a really good mood. I'm thankful that I have the 2 hour stretches to eat breakfast/lunch and to keep my house in order.
I'm still trying to tackle taking Emily with me when I go to the grocery store. She really isnt a big fan of being in the car seat for long periods of time. I know once she's able to sit up on her own she'll be doing a lot better... until then, I have to keep her in the car seat. I will attempt to tackle grocery shopping this Wednesday. I'm thinking about tackling Walmart on Monday and Giant and Shoppers on Wednesday. Its double ad Wednesday at Shoppers meaning their ads overlap by one day so for one day you can shop sales from 2 different ads, plus they double coupons up to 99 cents. Giant is offering a doubler coupon so if I use my coupons that I've carefully collected along with the sale ad, I can potentially save a ton of money. We'll see how that pans out.
We've been looking for a new church home. We visited Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sunday and we agreed that it wasnt a good fit for us due to the fact that the pastor was a little too casual and the service seemed to lack reverence and it almost seemed like we were in a concert and not a church service. I did appreciate the testimony a gentleman gave at the end of the service during the invitation. It was very moving. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Prince William Campus of McLean Bible Church. I know several people who have been to McLean Bible and left after many years of worship there due to convictions. From what I know of the church, I cant say that it will end up being out permanent church home, but I've asked the Lord to open our hearts to be willing to accept wherever the Lord wants us to be. I know that God has a plan for us to find a church home, and whether we find it tomorrow or weeks down the road, every church we visit and form convictions about, is helping us grow stronger and more solid in our beliefs. Visiting churches has also allowed my husband and I to communicate more about religion and values.
We shall see the work that God is going to do in our hearts tomorrow. We'll see whether or not God has a plan for us to stay at MBC-PW or to move on to another church.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
With all of that said... We're starting to fall into quite a nice schedule. Emily is consistently getting up around 7am so that means I'm up at 7am. We're still doing feedings every 2-3 hours depending on how long she is up after her feedings or how cranky she is when she gets up. She has gone as long as 4 hours if she's in a really good mood. I'm thankful that I have the 2 hour stretches to eat breakfast/lunch and to keep my house in order.
I'm still trying to tackle taking Emily with me when I go to the grocery store. She really isnt a big fan of being in the car seat for long periods of time. I know once she's able to sit up on her own she'll be doing a lot better... until then, I have to keep her in the car seat. I will attempt to tackle grocery shopping this Wednesday. I'm thinking about tackling Walmart on Monday and Giant and Shoppers on Wednesday. Its double ad Wednesday at Shoppers meaning their ads overlap by one day so for one day you can shop sales from 2 different ads, plus they double coupons up to 99 cents. Giant is offering a doubler coupon so if I use my coupons that I've carefully collected along with the sale ad, I can potentially save a ton of money. We'll see how that pans out.
We've been looking for a new church home. We visited Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sunday and we agreed that it wasnt a good fit for us due to the fact that the pastor was a little too casual and the service seemed to lack reverence and it almost seemed like we were in a concert and not a church service. I did appreciate the testimony a gentleman gave at the end of the service during the invitation. It was very moving. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Prince William Campus of McLean Bible Church. I know several people who have been to McLean Bible and left after many years of worship there due to convictions. From what I know of the church, I cant say that it will end up being out permanent church home, but I've asked the Lord to open our hearts to be willing to accept wherever the Lord wants us to be. I know that God has a plan for us to find a church home, and whether we find it tomorrow or weeks down the road, every church we visit and form convictions about, is helping us grow stronger and more solid in our beliefs. Visiting churches has also allowed my husband and I to communicate more about religion and values.
We shall see the work that God is going to do in our hearts tomorrow. We'll see whether or not God has a plan for us to stay at MBC-PW or to move on to another church.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Good Deals!
I went to Shoppers today armed with lots of coupons and a copy of their in-store specials flyer. While it took me a while to find exactly what I was looking for, I ended up with some awesome savings.
This is what I got:
This is what I got:
Grand total before coupons = $157.45
Total after coupons = $84.93
Savings = $72.52 (46%)
My favorite deals:
5 tubes of crest toothpaste for $1 (they were $1 each and I had 4 coupons for $1 off so effectively I got 4 for free!)
Pork Loins were Buy One get one Free (they are $25 each!)
2 Boxes of Lucky Charms for $1 each!
Total after coupons = $84.93
Savings = $72.52 (46%)
My favorite deals:
5 tubes of crest toothpaste for $1 (they were $1 each and I had 4 coupons for $1 off so effectively I got 4 for free!)
Pork Loins were Buy One get one Free (they are $25 each!)
2 Boxes of Lucky Charms for $1 each!
I will be doing another grocery run with coupons on Thursday and hope to scoop up some more fabulous deals!
"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever." (Philippians 4:18-20)
"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever." (Philippians 4:18-20)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Cleaning, Organization and Whatnot...
With my in-laws in town, it means that several little projects are getting done. I'm so thankful for their helping hands and willingness to encourage us to get the work done. They've even watched the baby so we could go on a "date" to Walmart and Lowes for necessary supplies.
In the basement my husband and his father cleaned out a bathroom rough-in that housed all of our leftover home renovation tools. They rifled through all the stuff and saved a minimal amount. We donated anything we could to the habitat for humanity re-store so that someone else may be able to use it. The little rough in didnt have a light but did have the wiring for a light fixture so my father in law hung an inexpensive fixture in there so we can see the whole room.
Also in the basement my husband cleaned out the laundry room so that the laundry sorter could actually go in the laundry room. He also organized the laundry room so that I could have a small shelf for any laundry supplies (delicate bags, home dry cleaning kits, stain treatments, etc.). We also still had room to store extra laundry hampers for moving laundry from the basement to our room on the top level.
I had been looking forward to eventually having adequate lighting in our kitchen. We had an old light fixture that provided light but did not provide as much light as we really needed. A couple of years ago I suggested a ceiling fan due to how hot the kitchen often gets when we do any sort of cooking. Yesterday I finally got my ceiling fan with an awesome light fixture. I can finally see what I'm doing in the kitchen!! My father in law and husband hung it up yesterday and it is amazing.
I'm now looking forward to finally getting a freezer in the basement to store all of our frozen food. I buy in bulk and really dont have the space to store all the food properly. My grandmother is looking forward to getting rid of a freezer and Jonathan and I are more than happy to take it from her. I also am looking at getting a cabinet for extra pantry items. I'm not sure if we're going to store it in the basement or if we're going to keep it in the kitchen until we're able to withstand a full kitchen remodel and fix up our cabinet space issue. For now, I try and utilize what we have in the basement for storage for overflow kitchen items.
A while back, our dining room furniture (which we acquired from friends), had finally seen its last meal. The table was fine and I was even thinking about hanging on to it but all the chairs were pretty much broken. After much prayer about how we were going to afford a dining room table that would be able to accommodate our family as it grows, my father called and asked if we wanted my grandmother's dining room table and 6 chairs. So that is in our dining room now, but I had the dilemma of where I was going to put all of our china, crystal, and trinkets. My dad asked me about a month ago if we wanted the china hutch that matches the dining room table. Of course I'm happy to have it in the house. Its a very nice piece of furniture and it will free up a lot of storage space in my basement that is being used to house my china. I'm not sure when we'll actually bring it in the house, but hopefully while my in-laws are here so they can help me set it up :).
Upcoming projects are going to include a storage overhaul in the linen closet upstairs, a re-vamp in kitchen cabinet storage, a re-vamp on our bathroom storage in both bathrooms upstairs, and a thorough cleaning out of the coat closet on the main level. With me being home every day I should be able to work on these things while my husband works on the bigger stuff on the weekends such as the basement storage over-haul and setting up the guestroom to actually accommodate guests.
"The desire of the slothful kills him; for his hands refuse to labor." (Proverbs 21:25)
In the basement my husband and his father cleaned out a bathroom rough-in that housed all of our leftover home renovation tools. They rifled through all the stuff and saved a minimal amount. We donated anything we could to the habitat for humanity re-store so that someone else may be able to use it. The little rough in didnt have a light but did have the wiring for a light fixture so my father in law hung an inexpensive fixture in there so we can see the whole room.
Also in the basement my husband cleaned out the laundry room so that the laundry sorter could actually go in the laundry room. He also organized the laundry room so that I could have a small shelf for any laundry supplies (delicate bags, home dry cleaning kits, stain treatments, etc.). We also still had room to store extra laundry hampers for moving laundry from the basement to our room on the top level.
I had been looking forward to eventually having adequate lighting in our kitchen. We had an old light fixture that provided light but did not provide as much light as we really needed. A couple of years ago I suggested a ceiling fan due to how hot the kitchen often gets when we do any sort of cooking. Yesterday I finally got my ceiling fan with an awesome light fixture. I can finally see what I'm doing in the kitchen!! My father in law and husband hung it up yesterday and it is amazing.
I'm now looking forward to finally getting a freezer in the basement to store all of our frozen food. I buy in bulk and really dont have the space to store all the food properly. My grandmother is looking forward to getting rid of a freezer and Jonathan and I are more than happy to take it from her. I also am looking at getting a cabinet for extra pantry items. I'm not sure if we're going to store it in the basement or if we're going to keep it in the kitchen until we're able to withstand a full kitchen remodel and fix up our cabinet space issue. For now, I try and utilize what we have in the basement for storage for overflow kitchen items.
A while back, our dining room furniture (which we acquired from friends), had finally seen its last meal. The table was fine and I was even thinking about hanging on to it but all the chairs were pretty much broken. After much prayer about how we were going to afford a dining room table that would be able to accommodate our family as it grows, my father called and asked if we wanted my grandmother's dining room table and 6 chairs. So that is in our dining room now, but I had the dilemma of where I was going to put all of our china, crystal, and trinkets. My dad asked me about a month ago if we wanted the china hutch that matches the dining room table. Of course I'm happy to have it in the house. Its a very nice piece of furniture and it will free up a lot of storage space in my basement that is being used to house my china. I'm not sure when we'll actually bring it in the house, but hopefully while my in-laws are here so they can help me set it up :).
Upcoming projects are going to include a storage overhaul in the linen closet upstairs, a re-vamp in kitchen cabinet storage, a re-vamp on our bathroom storage in both bathrooms upstairs, and a thorough cleaning out of the coat closet on the main level. With me being home every day I should be able to work on these things while my husband works on the bigger stuff on the weekends such as the basement storage over-haul and setting up the guestroom to actually accommodate guests.
"The desire of the slothful kills him; for his hands refuse to labor." (Proverbs 21:25)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Helping Hands
Having my in-laws here is such a blessing. They have been helping us with some re-organization in our basement, my father in law has been lending his hand in some small projects around the house and my mother in law has been helping me with kitchen organization and teaching me how to make some yummy Cuban dishes that I've been wanting to make :). They have been such an encouragement to us by lending their expertise in different areas and keeping us on track in our projects.
Today we had a cookout at my grandmother's house and then ended up watching the fireworks at my dad's house. He has a wonderful view from his backyard and we didnt have to wade through the masses in order to see them. We were able to park in the driveway and just walk to the backyard. Emily enjoyed the lights and colors given off by the fireworks and the noise didnt seem to bother her too much.
Thankfully Jonathan is home tomorrow due to the holiday and I'm hoping that we can get a few more things done around the house. I'm hoping to make some sort of menu/plan for the next 2 weeks. My in-laws are leaving sometime this week and returning sometime next week with my sister in law and niece. I'm also turning the big 24 next Saturday so I'm sure I'll be planning for that as well. Trouble is at this point, we dont know when they're leaving or when they're returning which makes planning very difficult. We shall see how it goes.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23)
Today we had a cookout at my grandmother's house and then ended up watching the fireworks at my dad's house. He has a wonderful view from his backyard and we didnt have to wade through the masses in order to see them. We were able to park in the driveway and just walk to the backyard. Emily enjoyed the lights and colors given off by the fireworks and the noise didnt seem to bother her too much.
Thankfully Jonathan is home tomorrow due to the holiday and I'm hoping that we can get a few more things done around the house. I'm hoping to make some sort of menu/plan for the next 2 weeks. My in-laws are leaving sometime this week and returning sometime next week with my sister in law and niece. I'm also turning the big 24 next Saturday so I'm sure I'll be planning for that as well. Trouble is at this point, we dont know when they're leaving or when they're returning which makes planning very difficult. We shall see how it goes.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" (Colossians 3:23)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Homekeeper's Journal - Week of 6/29
I stumbled upon the website: Christian Homekeeper. They have a blog and weekly there is a homekeeper's journal which has a few phrases to complete. I just stumbled on it and plan to keep up with it as it seems like a lot of fun. I'll post them here to share :).
In my yard... I have lots of weeds. Since we live in a townhouse, our yard is rather small and therefore is primarily used by the dog. There is a concrete slab with a non-working grill. The yard is not our strongest point :).
On my grill... is nothing. Our grill doesnt work and we need to dispose of it. I dont know if we plan on getting another one right now. I do own a George Foreman grill and we use that sometimes.
With my child(ren)... I stay up all night. Our daughter is 5 weeks old and is having a hard time with sleeping this week.
On my mind... All the things left to complete to catch up on housework. It seems like the list is ever-growing and is never complete.
The book of the Bible I find myself turning to lately... Ephesians
I am reading... nothing at the moment. I have so many choices and I'm having a hard time deciding what I should go to next.
I am looking forward to... having Jonathan take the baby for a night this week so I can get some much needed sleep.
In my yard... I have lots of weeds. Since we live in a townhouse, our yard is rather small and therefore is primarily used by the dog. There is a concrete slab with a non-working grill. The yard is not our strongest point :).
On my grill... is nothing. Our grill doesnt work and we need to dispose of it. I dont know if we plan on getting another one right now. I do own a George Foreman grill and we use that sometimes.
With my child(ren)... I stay up all night. Our daughter is 5 weeks old and is having a hard time with sleeping this week.
On my mind... All the things left to complete to catch up on housework. It seems like the list is ever-growing and is never complete.
The book of the Bible I find myself turning to lately... Ephesians
I am reading... nothing at the moment. I have so many choices and I'm having a hard time deciding what I should go to next.
I am looking forward to... having Jonathan take the baby for a night this week so I can get some much needed sleep.
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