God's Provision

Given that Colorado winters aren't exactly ideal for RVing, we knew that things would likely be a bit lean since my husband does mobile RV service. But he's been fairly busy and things were still going okay until the past few weeks when the income began to significantly slip. However, we know that God is faithful and He will provide for us. He always has.

I need to transfer money to another account today to cover our life and auto insurance payments. The only problem is that we don't really have enough to accommodate those withdrawals and we thought we may have to get a cash advance on the credit card. An option we didn't want to have to utilize. Although a less than stellar choice, it's still better than bounced payments and canceled insurance.

So he calls me a few minutes ago to let me know that he got the second check for a job that he did awhile back. We thought he wouldn't receive this payment until next month!


Insurance payments? $292.00

Today's check? $350-something

Fill hubby's truck with gas, so he can work? $50-ish

Seeing God's hand in our lives? Priceless.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:31-34

Bliss in a Kiss

You can see a couple more here.

Wordless Wednesday - Big Clips

For more wordlessness, go to the WW hub, Gabriel's, or 5 Minutes for Mom (assuming everyone is up and running this Thanksgiving week).

Awesome Dance Moves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

He Knows

It's one of those days. One son alternates between obnoxious provocation and angry tantrums. Somewhere in the midst is the place of cooperation and motivation, though he's seen it only once today. At least to the best of my recollection.

I read a new cookbook while eating lunch. The boys are rude, dishonoring, and inappropriate. It's enough. I grab my meal and my drink and retreat to the studio. I will not spend my lunch with these unruly juveniles. They know clearly why I've left. I told them. Apologies are offered, yet it continues once I'm gone.

Lord, will these boys ever mature? Ever be friends? Ever make the right choices? Myopic vision keeps me in the here and now, unable to see a day when they'll grow beyond this childish nonsense.

Holy Experience has arrived in my inbox. I read the title of Ann's current post - When Life Heats Up and know that God sent this. He knew I would need this. Right now.

He always knows, doesn't He? He's omniscient, after all. He's GOD. There's nothing He doesn't know.

But I forget. I need reminders. I'm ever grateful that God is such a faithful reminder - through His word, His Spirit, His people, the internet, and so much more. He uses any and everything He chooses.

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect timing as You brought me to my desk and to this post. I am, yet again, humbled and reminded that I need to let the pressure do its work. Give me the patience, the mental time-out, and the grace to stay the course.

Wordless Wednesday - Elixir

For more wordlessness, go the Gabriel's place or the Wordless Wednesday hub.

Maintenance

I'm so tired of living in Camp Procrastination. What is it about maintaining that is so simple yet so hard?

If I load the dishwasher each night after dinner, I can use the delay set so that it runs during the night while we're all sleeping peacefully. In the morning, voila! We have clean dishes. My son puts away the clean dishes and we are ready to receive the dirty dishes of a new day.

My husband completes approximately 5-6 ROs (repair orders) per day in his business. It takes no more than 15-20 minutes - at the most - to enter those into QuickBooks per week. Add on the handful of receipts for parts and supplies that he purchases, and his books can be maintained in no more than an hour per week.

Homeschool records require a little more time on my part this year. Entering their completed work and time, jotting down some thoughts in the journal, and printing the next day's sheets (I use Homeschool Tracker) takes about 30 minutes per day. Planning a week's worth of assignments? About an hour (plus) on the weekend.

But what happens when I don't enter this week's ROs? Or I don't update the homeschool records today? Or tomorrow? Or this month? It multiplies and grows exponentially, becoming an enormous burden, which continually taps me on the shoulder. I am aware of this phenomenon. I am also acutely aware of the simplicity of maintaining something. I'm not an entirely unintelligent woman. Although my actions may prove me otherwise.

main⋅tain –verb (used with object)

1. to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain: to maintain good relations with neighboring countries


2. to keep in an appropriate condition, operation, or force; keep unimpaired: to maintain order; to maintain public highways


3. to keep in a specified state, position, etc.: to maintain a correct posture; to maintain good health


4. to affirm; assert; declare: He maintained that the country was going downhill


5. to provide for the upkeep or support of; carry the expenses of: to maintain a family


6. to sustain or support: not enough water to maintain life

Origin:
1200–50; ME mainteinen < OF maintenir ≪ ML manūtenēre, L manū tenēre lit., to hold in hand, equiv. to manū, abl. of manus hand (see manual ) + tenēre to hold (see tenet )


So here I begin a new week, with a stack of paperwork and administrative responsibilities that makes me want to shirk, run away, and hide. Preferably on a sunny beach. With a good book. My challenge is to tackle this monster, piece by piece, day by day. I want to see at least some progress each day. Yes, we have homeschool. Yes, I have appointments and plans. But it's time to deal with this issue. And who knows? Perhaps one day, I'll move from Camp Procrastination to Camp Maintaining.

And there will be much rejoicing.

A Miracle

Their voices carry easily up the seven stairs to my room where I work on the laptop. I hear them discussing phylum Firmicutes, Gracilicutes, and Tenericutes. I hear spelling help - "How do you spell Scotobacteria?" I also hear burping. But that's beside the point.

My boys are working on their Biology TOGETHER! They're NOT fighting, bickering, or otherwise causing trouble. They're doing this entirely on their own! You must understand that in our homeschool, this is nothing short of a miracle!

I will stay up here in my room and remain very, very quiet so as not to disrupt this amazing moment in our homeschool. The laundry and dishes can wait. As can my errands.

Thank You, Lord, for bringing this little miracle moment into our day!


These two angels? Bicker and fight?



Nah, never. Maybe monkey around a bit, though.

Wordless Wednesday - Lone Leaf

To see my other WW post, go here. To see what others aren't saying, go here and here.

Day Late, Dollar Short

I'm sure you've heard the saying, I was a day late and a dollar short. Since I don't choose to do anything terribly normal or at least not normally cliche, I was EIGHT DAYS LATE and who knows how much money I'm short.

Late for what? Well, THE book signing in Denver at the Tattered Cover (which, btw, is a totally rocking bookstore!) by Ree Drummond, aka Pioneer Woman. I know, I know, many of you are thinking, "WHAT?!?! How could you NOT know? Don't you read her blog EVERY SINGLE DAY? Umm, no. I read it a lot of days. But clearly not on the day when she posted her nationwide booksigning tour itinerary. Cause I'm just not that together.

So instead of being a really cool blogger who gets to post pix of the trip to the Tattered Cover, shots of Ree, loads of excited women and babies, I just read about it at Ree's blog, Melissa's blog, and I'm sure plenty of other blogs.

Ironically, I was reading Melissa's blog this morning and thinking how great it was that she got to meet Ree and get her book signed. I was also thinking that it was because she lives in the south and Ree's a southern gal and chances of her making it to the beautiful state of Colorado would be somewhere between slim and none so don't even think about it. Wrong. Phooey.

So I leave you with dust.

Wordless Wednesday - Zombie Cats

For more wordlessness, go here and here.

Left Hanging?

I suppose I should answer the question from my last post. But first, a story.

Last Thursday, it was very cold and many of the roads were icy or snow packed. It was a great day to stay home. Until 7:30 at night. When you decide that you really don't want leftovers and you know that you have a free meal at Noodles. Which expires in one day and there will be no other opportunity to use the coupon. And it would be a travesty to allow an entire Noodles meal to go to waste. Right? So you call the restaurant to see if they're even open, which they are, although they're closing 2 hours early - at 8:00. So we hustled on out of here, picked up some dinner at Noodles, and popped in at Game Stop real quick across the street before heading home.

While sitting at Game Stop, you look at the tasty dinner in to-go dishes awaiting you on the dash and think, "Hmmm . . . interesting picture!" And it is.



To be more specific, there was a dish of macaroni & cheese, buttered, seasoned noodles, mushroom stroganoff, and pesto cavatapi. It was most delicious. And one of them was free. Bonus.