Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Dirt Bike








Today our church had a yard sale.

However, this wasn't your average, run-of-the-mill yard sale.
No, my friends, this was an outreach; a ministry opportunity; a venue in which the love of Jesus could be shown to our community freely.

And by freely, I really mean freely because, well, everything was given away for free!

What a fantastic idea!

I didn't make it, but from what my husband tells me, it was a great success! People were blown away and more than a little surprised to see that our church was literally giving things like GPS systems, treadmills, furniture, picture frames and clothing away for free.

Last week, my husband drove a truck and trailer over to a members house to pick up several items that they would be donating for the yard sale. Later, my 4 year old joined him and happened to notice that one of those items was a dirt-bike just his size.

Well, you can be sure that he asked Daddy about it and my husband told him that while he couldn't have it (because it was for the yard sale) they could certainly pray that maybe no one else would want it and then maybe he could have it. (All left over items were donated to Goodwill and, well, up for grabs.)

Needless to say, our little guy has been praying that he might be able to have the dirt bike and several times today while home with me (while Daddy was at the yard sale) he would ask me to call my husband to check on the status.

When my husband got home he told my son that "it was there for a while and the next thing I knew, it was gone!"


Someone else had been blessed by it.


I could tell that he was a little bummed and this became even more clear when the two of us were sitting together at the dinner table tonight. Our conversation went something like this:

M: "Mommy, I'm sad"
Me: "Why buddy?"
M: "I'm sad because I didn't get the dirt bike"
Me: (wanting to somehow make a life lesson out of the situation): "I know honey, but it's okay...someone else was blessed with it."
M: "But I wanted the dirt bike!"
Me: "Well, guess what buddy..."
M: "What?"
Me: "Our church was actually giving away all of the stuff at the yard sale for free!!"
M: "They were?(eyes wide) Why?"
Me: "Well, buddy, because we wanted to use today as an opportunity to reach out to people in our community. We were giving things away to show people the love of Jesus and to use this as an opportunity to invite them to our church where maybe, just maybe, they might hear about Jesus for the very.first.time.ever!!"
M: "And bring the dirt bike back?!?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahh....we have a long way to go folks. :-)


Be blessed,

~Jenn~

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Q-U-O-T-E of the Day








Recently we've taken great delight in the fact that M is showing an increased interest in reading and spelling out words.

This is great, of course, except my husband and I are realizing that our days of spelling out things to each other like "Do you think we should go "s-w-i-m-m-i-n-g"? or "How about a trip for "I-c-e-C-r-e-a-m" after dinner"? without getting a reaction out of him are quickly coming to a close.  

It won't be long before we say something like "I really think he should go to 'b-e-d' soon!" to which he'll aptly reply, "But I don't wanna go to bed!" :-)

Well!

This increased interest in spelling took a funny turn while at the dinner table this afternoon.  Here's a brief transcript of how the conversation went:

M:  "Daddy, can we go to blah, blah, blah....?"  (Well, he didn't really say that, but we couldn't understand what he was saying except that he was trying to spell something out.) 
Jeff:  "What did you ask buddy?"

M(more determined): "Can we go to "V-E-E-T-V-Y-P-E-L?" (slight snickers and smiles from us at this point)

Me: "Well, buddy, can you just use the word to ask us where you want to go?"

M: "Yeah! Can we go to the 'Circus'?!?" 
***********************************************
Kids are sooo funny!!!

Be blessed,
~Jenn~ 

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Joy







Early morning snuggles & giggles
Taking my oldest on a yard-sale "adventure"
Blueberry muffins and iced cold lattes
Finding treasures just for us in the rain
Watching his heart buying gifts for others
Joy in being a family
A hot tub big enough for all of us and our memories
Putting off busyness to simply play
An easy lunch of grilled cheese & diet cokes
Naptimes...oh, glorious naptimes! :-)
Heart to heart talks with the love of my life
Thunder and lightning between the clouds and sun
Lazy Saturday afternoons at home
The pitter-patter of little feet down the hall
Binkys and tickles
Bath time and bubbles; jammies and bedtime stories
Food and shelter and love and blessings

The nudging from the Holy Spirit to drink it all in today
and to treasure these moments
of JOY.

Friday, August 21, 2009

~ A Little Linky Love~

Recently my heart has been encouraged by several different (some of them VASTLY different) people and their blogs. My husband would say that I've been obsessed with my reading, and in reality, he's probably a bit right.
A writer I am not.
However, I do LOVE to get lost in good writing and I love to be surprised by humor. I love to hear stories from other moms that remind me instantly of something I've either recently experienced, or at least can empathize with. Most of the women whose blogs I follow would probably *gasp* at my use grammar, spelling and prose. But I digress.....
Mainly, I wanted to introduce you to several people that I, myself, have never met.
Some of their stories are beautiful; some tragic; some hilarious, but all are heart-warming and worthy of reading.

Today I wanted to list two of my favorites:

My Charming Kids is the blog of "MckMama." She's probably just as commonly known (worldwide I tell ya!) as mama to sweet baby Stellan. I first heard of this miraculous little boy when I noticed another friend was "Praying for Stellan" on Facebook. I clicked on the link and instantly fell in love with this sweet-cheeked cutie and the amazing story of his life! I've followed along as this little guy has quite literally fought for his life on several occasions, defied all the odds, baffled the medical community and proven that God is ultimately in control and truly does answer prayers! His mama blogs about the journey God has them on, as well as the crazy, hectic life they live with three other little ones running around. Her stories will have you laughing out loud! Check it out.

Through MckMama's blog, I've also had the privelege of being introduced to Angie of Bring The Rain.
Oh.My.Goodness. This gal is the real deal. Angie created Bring The Rain as a way to chronicle her family's journey on a road of love and loss; heartbreak, triumph and healing. She is quite possibly one of the most beautiful writers I've come across in the "blog world" and is just lovely inside and out. She also happens to be married to Todd Smith of the Contemporary Christian Recording group Selah. Together they have 4 little girls~three on this earth, and one who dances in the arms of Jesus~
You won't want to miss the privilege of reading their story...just have a box of tissues handy!!

Oh, and there are so much more! For now, though, I hope you'll enjoy getting to know these gals as much as I have.
What are some of your favorite blogs??

Be blessed,
~~Jenn~~

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Meet the Objects of My Obsession, er, Affection...

The Journey Begins...

My first post on my new blog!

Now some of you (or maybe none of you) may be wondering, "What in the world was wrong with your OLD blog? You know, the one you haven't updated in nearly a year?!?"
Touche'
Well... yeah. You're right.

However, because sooo much has changed in my life since my last post on my old blog, that THIS blog and title seemed so much more appropriate!
Because, you see, I am a woman on a MISSION!

****I am COMMITTED to doing everything possible to become what I know God is calling me to be...a STAY-AT-HOME MOMMY!!!***

There, I said it.
Out loud.
For all the world to see.
Somehow, it makes it feel more attainable....or at least, it makes me feel more accountable. And believe me, I can use all of the accountability I can get! I hope to use this blog as a way of keeping track of my failures, my successes, the tips and tricks I'm learning as I go along, the encouragement I gain from other mommies out there who have walked this road before me and as a way of journaling my hopes, dreams and prayers along the way.

Wanna come along for the ride? :-)

Now, a little about myself and WHY I want so badly to be home....
My husband and I have been married for 7 1/2 years now, and he is the BEST thing that's ever happened to me! Of course, we've had our fair share of ups and downs, but now, the downs just make the ups that much sweeter! We are continually growing and learining how to love each other better and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! He also happens to be the Worship Director at our church. You can check out our AWESOME church here.
The two of us met while working for the missions organization WorldHelp in Forest, VA where we toured and traveled with the now-disbanned vocal group MISSION. It was, in a word, suh-weet!! We got to see so much of the country, meet many, many wonderful people, record an album, take showers at truck stops...Oh yeah...awesome. We have loved being in ministry for most of our married life and it is still such a privilege to use the gifts God has given us.

Together we have two of the sweetest little munckins that call me 'Mommy'.
My oldest, M, is 4 1/2 and daily brings to mind all of the many times my mother would say to me while growing up "I hope you have one just like you someday!!!!"
Now, somehow in my mind, I always pictured that IF this came to pass, it would most certainly come in the form of a petite, brunette, freckle-faced, tom-boy princess...but, apparently, in God's wonderful sense of humor, He chose to fulfill this "prophesy" by blessing me with the most energetic, baseball obsessed, stubborn/strong-willed, all-BOY you could imagine! :-) I love him to pieces and I know that God has big plans for his life, but BOY does he keep me on my toes AND on my knees daily!

My youngest, sweet baby H, is 15 months old today and goodness does he make us all laugh! He loves music (MUCH to my delight!) and his favorite, as of late has been to bob his head up and down with the beat of "Vertigo" by U2 blasting from our minivan's sound system. LOVE IT.
He has become quite the busy boy recently and I'm realizing very quickly how much still needs child-proofing in my house!! He adores his big brother, loves bath-time, HATES being on the changing table and has slept through the night since he was 9 weeks old. And he's going to be JUST. LIKE. HIS. BROTHER! :-) I think my Mom may have wished a little too hard for sweet justice to take place here on earth!

As for me, I have worked full-time in the medical field for the past 12 years as an Sonographer (fancy term for Ultrasound technician.) My first two years in the field were spent scanning babies and bellies but the past 10 years, I've mainly specialized in cardiovascular ultrasound, or hearts and blood vessels. As much as I love what I do and as thankful as I am~especially in today's economy~ to HAVE a career and a job, I sooo long to be home with my children!!! I know that there is so much that I am missing on a daily basis and so much that I could be pouring into their little lives! Although we have wonderful childcare for our boys, it's still childcare all the same and could never compare to being HOME with their mommy.

I'm not exactly sure what this journey will look like, or how long it will take us, but there are four things that give me hope that we will get there:
  1. We have a PLAN! Not too long ago we were introduced to Dave Ramsey and his Total Money Makeover book. If you haven't read it yet, Go.Get it. NOW!! It is absolutely a MUST read for anyone stuck in debt (which we are), those that want to improve their family's financial future (which we do) and want to live like no one else (which we will!!) We are using this wonderful tool to make a clear cut plan towards taking control of our finances. It's gonna take ALOT of hard work and probably even more sacrifice, but in the end we know that it will be worth it.
  2. I am realizing that there are sooo many others out there in this big crazy world who have the same hopes and struggles as I do! I would love to make this a place where other moms can connect to share tips, advice, or words of wisdom of how they ARE walking or HAVE walked this road before me.
  3. I have a vehicle. Well, actually, two that sit in my driveway. But what I mean is that I have a means. Even though I work full-time, I have started my own business that eventually I hope will replace my full-time income and allow me to transition **HOME**!! I am soooo excited! Is it going to be easy? No. Is it going to be a instant fix to our situation? Probably not. But I'm a hard worker and since I don't shy away from a challenge very easily, I am more than willing and able to put in the effort for the desired results. Not only that, but I feel soo good about what I'm doing. My business is actually HELPING others! Now, I know I had some of you up until #3, but let me assure you that I don't plan on using this blog solely as a means of promotion (although a little never hurt anyone, right?) :-) Suffice it to say that if you're a mom like me who's tired of the rat race and YOUR greatest desire is to be able to work from home and be with your children than go check out my website! You can find the link at the top left side of my blog. I'd love to have you join me!
  4. Lastly, but certainly not least is the fact that I serve a VERY Big God, who has VERY Big plans for me. Yep, in fact he promised!! Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my very favorite verses of all time. The reason for this is simple. He loves me. He has a plan for me. And HIS type of future is the ONLY kind I want! "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE." Can I get an Amen?!?! How awesome that God wants the very best for me? I can be confident of this AND in the fact that He has this same plan for my family and especially my children.
So, off we go! I am excited to start this journey and to "journal" as we go. My hope is that along the way I will be blessed to develop friendships with other moms who also have a "Heart for Home Sweet Home." Be Blessed!
~~Jenn~~