Sunday, June 3, 2012
What's it Really like?
Erin is hilarious. She is one of a kind. You cannot leave her alone because she will find trouble in the most funniest and cute way. She was sharing a room with little 10 month old. But I kept finding her in the crib. With the baby. The baby who was sleeping before Erin decided to have a party in her crib! She got in trouble for that... so then Erin would get right up to the baby BUT stay on the outside of the crib. Still waking the baby up of course. Be it nap time or 6am ~ Erin is oblivious to the need for sleep. If there is another person to be found ~she will find them and proceed to throw a party!
Erin got evicted form the baby's room.
We put her on the bottom bunk in Conor's room. She likes being in with Conor and two year old. But she would get out of her bed and climb into their beds and just chat. The girl loves to chat. She cannot chat from her bed because she feels the need to be very close to people.
Erin got evicted from the boy's room and her toddler bed is now in my room where I can keep my eyes on her. I have seen toddler beds in the master bedroom before and thought that was very weird. I'll admit it. I judged. Well, now that we have four kids and one of them being Erin. I fully understand toddler beds in the master bedroom. She wakes up and climbs into my bed early. My bed is alot better than waking up the children. We have to keep an eye on her because she tries to sneak out and wake the kids up. I'm telling ya~ Erin is a party animal. I don't think she is trying to be bad. She is drawn to the kids. She's like a magnet!
I found this post in my drafts and had to share it bc Erin is wild i tell ya ;) hope it made you smile like it did me ;0)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Something Sad
I have to tell you this. You know the way our church youth group goes to the Baptist Community Center every wed and help the kids with their homework and play with them? Well, James got a call from the director Thursday night. She said DSS had come to a house in the neighborhood and took some precious children into care. Pat said she would call James and ask if those precious children could be placed in a family in our church. Pat said "are there any more families in your church that I can give DSS their phone number and send the kids to their house?" Pat really wanted these children to be able to stay together. She didn't want them to be put in different homes and add to their trauma. Sadly, we didn't have anyone to tell her about. It is humbling to receive a phone call from the community asking for help and have to say no... sometimes you have to say no. But I don't think so in this case. Helping the orphans? I don't think so...
Pat's phone call came on the heels of an e mail the church received asking for help with foster respite care. It seems like God is doing something in our midst. I am excited to see what God is going to do. I love love love being a part of a church that is growing and listening to the Spirit of God. It is a wonderful thing! I was sad this week that would couldn't help this family and community center but I am excited about what God is preparing us for. Mercy should Triumph within ourselves, our family and our Church.
Africa this summer? a helpful tool to get there!
I was praying about going to Africa this summer with James and the youth group. If you read my account of the Mexico trip you may be laughing at me. I am a spoiled brat. I do have a very easy life. But - since I was a child I have dreamed about Afica. So, my heart is drawn to this trip (even thouh my food preferences and my pale skin are a little worried!).
The cost is the big factor. Do we take a time out from the dave ramsey plan? Is it worth it? ...
James and I decided I should go to Africa! There is alot to be said in the book of James about not scurrying around being worried about money. That being said - someone has got to make the green stuff to make life run smoothly.
I was readng moneysaving mom's blog and just so happened to be on there the day she was giving away her new audio book to bloggers - God blessed me with a free copy! Her book was very helpful in giving me ideas to save money for my upcoming missions trip.
I have read Dave Ramsey Books and have listened to his radio show. He helped our family realize that we wanted to "live like no one else now so eventually we could live like no one else!" We will forever be thankful to him for helping us climb out of debt. What I loved about moneysaving mom's book is that... well, she's a mom! She thinks and talks like a mom. Dave does not talk that way :0)So - if you want to sit down and hear from a sweet friend, this lady is the one to shed some light on your finances. She starts out having you dream up some goals. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years? Break your goals down into bite size pieces. She talks about you cleaning your house so you can think straight! Some of you may not like that but it is a proven fact that if your house is messy then inside your pretty little head is messy ;) After those two things she has you tackle your food budget and so on.
Another thing I appreciate about her is she mentions a few times that you are going to mess up. Give yourself three months to conquer a certain area. Ahhh, that is so freeing to me. I have three months to get it right! Thank you! That's what gets me about coupons. I want to have it all figured out in the first shopping trip. That wasnt happening and it was bugging me. I will sort some other areas out but when the time is right, i just may give the coupon thing a try again... and hang on for three months. Another freeing thing she says in her book is to allow 40 dollars per person in your family for your grocery bill,toiletries etc. I don't know about you but that is way more than I spend a week. She is not saying you can only spend 50 dollars a week. Mind you - before children, 50 dollars was our budget. Kids are expensive!
So what have I learned in this book and how will it help me get to Africa?
1. Set a goal - Africa
2. Bite size pieces - figure out how much money I need per month to get there. (done that!)
3. Come up with ideas to make the money. (yep!) shave off money from the grocery bill, make short term sacrifices.
Listening to her book was a blessing and helped me remember that I can reach pretty amazing goals if I work at it.
If you are struggling financially or if your a mom and would like some positive reinforcement into your budget, then this is the book for you. I looove Dave Ramsey but I have to say Moneysaving mom says the same stuff in a nice kind friend to friend way. I have never met her but after listening to her audio book a few times, i consider her a friend :0) ... and thanks for the free audio book!
The cost is the big factor. Do we take a time out from the dave ramsey plan? Is it worth it? ...
James and I decided I should go to Africa! There is alot to be said in the book of James about not scurrying around being worried about money. That being said - someone has got to make the green stuff to make life run smoothly.
I was readng moneysaving mom's blog and just so happened to be on there the day she was giving away her new audio book to bloggers - God blessed me with a free copy! Her book was very helpful in giving me ideas to save money for my upcoming missions trip.
I have read Dave Ramsey Books and have listened to his radio show. He helped our family realize that we wanted to "live like no one else now so eventually we could live like no one else!" We will forever be thankful to him for helping us climb out of debt. What I loved about moneysaving mom's book is that... well, she's a mom! She thinks and talks like a mom. Dave does not talk that way :0)So - if you want to sit down and hear from a sweet friend, this lady is the one to shed some light on your finances. She starts out having you dream up some goals. Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years? Break your goals down into bite size pieces. She talks about you cleaning your house so you can think straight! Some of you may not like that but it is a proven fact that if your house is messy then inside your pretty little head is messy ;) After those two things she has you tackle your food budget and so on.
Another thing I appreciate about her is she mentions a few times that you are going to mess up. Give yourself three months to conquer a certain area. Ahhh, that is so freeing to me. I have three months to get it right! Thank you! That's what gets me about coupons. I want to have it all figured out in the first shopping trip. That wasnt happening and it was bugging me. I will sort some other areas out but when the time is right, i just may give the coupon thing a try again... and hang on for three months. Another freeing thing she says in her book is to allow 40 dollars per person in your family for your grocery bill,toiletries etc. I don't know about you but that is way more than I spend a week. She is not saying you can only spend 50 dollars a week. Mind you - before children, 50 dollars was our budget. Kids are expensive!
So what have I learned in this book and how will it help me get to Africa?
1. Set a goal - Africa
2. Bite size pieces - figure out how much money I need per month to get there. (done that!)
3. Come up with ideas to make the money. (yep!) shave off money from the grocery bill, make short term sacrifices.
Listening to her book was a blessing and helped me remember that I can reach pretty amazing goals if I work at it.
If you are struggling financially or if your a mom and would like some positive reinforcement into your budget, then this is the book for you. I looove Dave Ramsey but I have to say Moneysaving mom says the same stuff in a nice kind friend to friend way. I have never met her but after listening to her audio book a few times, i consider her a friend :0) ... and thanks for the free audio book!
Best Easter gift!
What to say what to say...
First of all the blog world looks different. I am so behind the times! I wrote a post about a great book Money Saving Mom wrote and I cannot find it. She gave it to me for free and I didnt even post about it. I will. I promise. I keep thinking I need James to help me on here and then I forget to ask him.
We have added two blessings to our family. I am not talking about pets either. I know some people are into pets but not me. Or James. We got lucky and Conor is allergic to dogs so we have an awesome excuse. Anyway, what I was saying was, God has allowed us to have a wonderful little boy and girl come stay with us.
They are gorgeous!! They are brother and sister and I love the fact they get to stay together.
Let me back track. On Easter Day I got my first ever foster child. How special. God allowed me to celebrate new life in so many ways that day. I got to watch a 4 month old little boy for a week and he was precious! Well, except for the whole not sleeping through the night business! ;) While he was here, was when my other two blessings came. So, if you are counting that means we had 5 children 4 years old and younger and two of them were little babies. It was busy. But I am not going to lie, I had help! A big shout out to Emily McBride who came over and rocked babies, fed babies, Changed babies and had the magic touch at putting them to sleep. Busy times are wonderful bonding times with whoever will step into your crazy. After all, it is not their crazy. They can stay home and do their own thing. But those who joined me in those few days of crazy ~ Thank you! One friend brought me a meal. I didnt need a meal. BUT I felt verrrry loved by her that she would take the time to do that for me.
So now we have two boys and two girls and they are enjoying each other very much. I am giving myself six weeks to get used to a new normal. I have three weeks left. The cutest thing is seeing Conor draw six people in his family. Another adorable thing is watching them all sleep so sweetly. This week James came in with a card from the mail. The card was so pretty. There was 60 dollars in the card and no name! Praise God for His many blessings. What I love about serving God and extending mercy is ~ I have a front row seat in watching God do pretty cool things. I am not doing it. He is! He blesses when we do what He has called us to. So~ how are we doing? Everyone is doing well and James and I feel humbled that God would allow us to love these children on His behalf.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Mercy?
So I renamed the blog today. From Solarek Family to Mercy Triumphs. I have been studying the book of James with Beth Moore and have learned so much. James 2:13 says " Mercy triumphs over judgment". That is what I would like our family motto to be. We are far from perfect but we want to serve God with all of our heart. He has blessed us so very much and I want to share those things with my children. Beth says the theme verse for James is 2:8,9. "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."
That's our family goal.
We are in the middle of our Foster Parent class ~ things are going well and we feel blessed to be in the class and to be a part of the community in this wonderful way. We pray for our children that God is going to bless us with. We want to love these little ones and show them the Love of God. Be praying for us to love unconditionally and maybe God would like your family to love some more children? I asked the social worker if she was happy with the amount of foster parents she had. She looked at me like I was crazy and said "No~ we need many more families!". Maybe, there are some Christ followers who can bless these children with a home and a family? Mercy Triumphs...
That's our family goal.
We are in the middle of our Foster Parent class ~ things are going well and we feel blessed to be in the class and to be a part of the community in this wonderful way. We pray for our children that God is going to bless us with. We want to love these little ones and show them the Love of God. Be praying for us to love unconditionally and maybe God would like your family to love some more children? I asked the social worker if she was happy with the amount of foster parents she had. She looked at me like I was crazy and said "No~ we need many more families!". Maybe, there are some Christ followers who can bless these children with a home and a family? Mercy Triumphs...
Friday, February 10, 2012
Hiking - a cold day sandwhiched between two beautiful days - go figure!
So it wasnt just cold - it snowed. It was very pretty on the way up but the whole way down... was freezing! I think I am starting to warm up days later! ;)
Conor made this craft in church a few months ago. It was so precious I had to frame it! The first thing he was thankful for was papa and grandma.
Conor made this craft in church a few months ago. It was so precious I had to frame it! The first thing he was thankful for was papa and grandma.
Baking with Grandma
FYI If Erin makes you cookies... just know that she has probably licked the knife of the icing and then used it on your cookie. She is three but still a wild child :0)
Birthday Celebrations Continued...
Erin's 3rd birthday was on monday and James' 30th birthday is Saturday. It was so fun to have papa and grandma here to party with us.
My baby is three years old xoxox
Papa and Grandma came to suprise James and Erin for their birthday. We went to chick fil a for lunch. Then we went to Build a Bear with Addison and Skylar. We had a fun birthday celebration. Chloe Beth came over for cake and ice cream after dinner. The people at chick fil a sang to erin and she loved it but was shy at the same time. When we sang to her with her princess cake, she just laughed and giggled with glee the whole time. It was precious. She enjoyed her day and loved all the parties! :)
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Under the Bridge
I have seen some cool 'God' things lately. I have been blessed to hand out food to the homeless. What strikes me each time is how big and scary those men look... But the light and softeness in thier eyes when we reach out. When we say "would you like a sandwhich?". I got to pray for William and ask God to bless him with a job. I got to talk to a lady who has had two children and they have been placed for adoption, living in two different states. I got to talk to a man who fled his home because he is wanted for arrest up there and has three children that he does not see or take care of. God, show these people your love through your Word and please use me in the process.
I saw God work Tuesday morning as we passed out some food and Bible verses. That night we went back to the Rescue Mission. I sat by Davea. She moved here from South Carolina. One of her four children is in Melisa's class. Wow - God. Thank you! Melisa teaches in the inner city school to be love and a light to the children. How awesome you are to lead us to people who desparetley need you. May they be comforted by you, Jesus!
Donita gave a Bible to a man she met in the morning time. He just got out of prision in California and is going through the program at the Mission. He wants to get his GED. He was blessed by Donita's kindness and knows God is blessing him. We are blessed to be a blessing. Let us never forget that.
A man said to me "did I see you in the park on Sunday? you gave me a sandwhich". He said "please remember to pray for me". I was moved that he remembered that small act.
People around us are hurting. People around us do not know the kindness and goodness of the mighty Saviour. Please share the good news of Christ this week.
I was moved to see the activity on facebook from people in our church sunday night. God is getting a hold of hearts. Last night, I saw that a cashier recieved three tracts and an invitation to a movie being shown at our church this saturday. That is so awesome!!! We are listening to the Bible and applying what we know. Yay!
For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son. That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE. John 3:16
I am blessed to Know God and His Word. If you know God and His Word, pass it on friends. Pass it on.
I saw God work Tuesday morning as we passed out some food and Bible verses. That night we went back to the Rescue Mission. I sat by Davea. She moved here from South Carolina. One of her four children is in Melisa's class. Wow - God. Thank you! Melisa teaches in the inner city school to be love and a light to the children. How awesome you are to lead us to people who desparetley need you. May they be comforted by you, Jesus!
Donita gave a Bible to a man she met in the morning time. He just got out of prision in California and is going through the program at the Mission. He wants to get his GED. He was blessed by Donita's kindness and knows God is blessing him. We are blessed to be a blessing. Let us never forget that.
A man said to me "did I see you in the park on Sunday? you gave me a sandwhich". He said "please remember to pray for me". I was moved that he remembered that small act.
People around us are hurting. People around us do not know the kindness and goodness of the mighty Saviour. Please share the good news of Christ this week.
I was moved to see the activity on facebook from people in our church sunday night. God is getting a hold of hearts. Last night, I saw that a cashier recieved three tracts and an invitation to a movie being shown at our church this saturday. That is so awesome!!! We are listening to the Bible and applying what we know. Yay!
For God so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son. That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE. John 3:16
I am blessed to Know God and His Word. If you know God and His Word, pass it on friends. Pass it on.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Erin
Something that I have noticed lately is bedtime routines. The kids love for me to come into their rooms and pray with them and say goodnight. This is after daddy has already been in to them. Erin prays forever (it feels like it!) she goes on and on about everything that has happened that day. I bought her a new night light becasue her other one was way too bright. Erin does not need as much sleep as the rest of us think we need! She wakes up as happy as can be and cant wait for breakfast :) One night the power went out. None of us noticed because we were sleeping... that is until erin started to cry becasue her night light went out and she woke from her sleep knowing her room was too dark! That is how light of a sleeper she is. She hates the dark. We pray for angels to protect her while she is sleeping because she thinks monsters live in her room. She is two folks.
Her friend Ella gave her some princess clothes. Erin loves dressing up and she adored the new dresses, necklaces and purse. So - that night she refused to wear a pull up to bed. She said princess do not wear pull ups to bed. Needless to say we put one on her but at two in the morning we hear her crying. She had taken off her pullup and wet her bed. It wasnt funny at the time but it makes me smile. She really believed wearing that dress to bed would make her wake up dry. Oh Erin - we love you so much and you make us smile with all your craziness. You can spell your name now. I love how you say orange. You love baby kendra and addison coming over to play with you. You are so excited for your birthday in Feb so you can make a bear (build a bear). Every day you say 'I love you. Is it MY birthday? I hope you read this someday erin and know how very funny you were from such an early age. May you never loose your easy going, fun loving, crazy persoanlity! You are so very sweet. I love you baby girl!
Her friend Ella gave her some princess clothes. Erin loves dressing up and she adored the new dresses, necklaces and purse. So - that night she refused to wear a pull up to bed. She said princess do not wear pull ups to bed. Needless to say we put one on her but at two in the morning we hear her crying. She had taken off her pullup and wet her bed. It wasnt funny at the time but it makes me smile. She really believed wearing that dress to bed would make her wake up dry. Oh Erin - we love you so much and you make us smile with all your craziness. You can spell your name now. I love how you say orange. You love baby kendra and addison coming over to play with you. You are so excited for your birthday in Feb so you can make a bear (build a bear). Every day you say 'I love you. Is it MY birthday? I hope you read this someday erin and know how very funny you were from such an early age. May you never loose your easy going, fun loving, crazy persoanlity! You are so very sweet. I love you baby girl!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tammy Bennett - personality plus (her thoughts!)
I heard this lady speak and I enjoyed hearing about the different personalities! So fun to pick out your personality and your hubby's personality :)
Sanguine - have fun
Choleric - take control (me ahem)
Phlegmatic - find peace, avoid conflict (james ahem)
Melancholy - perfection
Okay - so I was going to write my notes out for you... but you could probablly google those four words and find out which describes you the most.
Interesting. What I love is that God gave me my personality and even though I am the bossy one... I get alot done! :) There are wonderful traits to my personality and some that are on the ugly side. I can surrender the good, bad and ugly to God and He makes beauty out of ashes. Lord, thank you for my personality. Please take me and mold me into your masterpiece. Amen
Sanguine - have fun
Choleric - take control (me ahem)
Phlegmatic - find peace, avoid conflict (james ahem)
Melancholy - perfection
Okay - so I was going to write my notes out for you... but you could probablly google those four words and find out which describes you the most.
Interesting. What I love is that God gave me my personality and even though I am the bossy one... I get alot done! :) There are wonderful traits to my personality and some that are on the ugly side. I can surrender the good, bad and ugly to God and He makes beauty out of ashes. Lord, thank you for my personality. Please take me and mold me into your masterpiece. Amen
Thoughts from Linda Mintle on Relationships
I attended a cenference a while back and thought I would share the information I learned from Linda Mintle.
If you have a problem with a difficult person- don't cut them off. It makes you a better person to figure it out. God puts us in relationship. How i love is how i show Christ's love to others.
Here is a simple belief that creates relationship problems... we try to change others!
Year 2, 7 and 15 are tricky years in a relationship. Truth - I cannot change anyone.
Relationship dance steps:
Discuss- Avoid
Demand - Refuse
Criticize - defend (avoid)
Accuse - deny
Pursue - distance
Attach - withdraw
Attack - attack
withdraw - withdraw
We need to change your step in the dance and the relationship dance changes.
The Change Process:
Surrender.
1 peter 5:6
"humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
Accept the need for change
psalm 139:1
Confess your behavior (couples pray together) you will be A M A Z E D what praying together can do. Please - try it... please.
james 5:16
Take responsibility
galations 6:5
Forgive (forgiveness takes one - ouch!)
matthew 6:14
Be Transformed
2 corinthians 3:18
Persevere
2 peter 1:5
No relationship is beyond repare if you are willing to reconcile. Forgiveness takes 1 - reconciliation takes 2.
Pray, Forgive, Do things together, Control your tongue (james 3) Deal with conflict and focus on the positivies.
This may be vague but the information really helped me so I wanted to write it down on here. Thanks! :)
If you have a problem with a difficult person- don't cut them off. It makes you a better person to figure it out. God puts us in relationship. How i love is how i show Christ's love to others.
Here is a simple belief that creates relationship problems... we try to change others!
Year 2, 7 and 15 are tricky years in a relationship. Truth - I cannot change anyone.
Relationship dance steps:
Discuss- Avoid
Demand - Refuse
Criticize - defend (avoid)
Accuse - deny
Pursue - distance
Attach - withdraw
Attack - attack
withdraw - withdraw
We need to change your step in the dance and the relationship dance changes.
The Change Process:
Surrender.
1 peter 5:6
"humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.
Accept the need for change
psalm 139:1
Confess your behavior (couples pray together) you will be A M A Z E D what praying together can do. Please - try it... please.
james 5:16
Take responsibility
galations 6:5
Forgive (forgiveness takes one - ouch!)
matthew 6:14
Be Transformed
2 corinthians 3:18
Persevere
2 peter 1:5
No relationship is beyond repare if you are willing to reconcile. Forgiveness takes 1 - reconciliation takes 2.
Pray, Forgive, Do things together, Control your tongue (james 3) Deal with conflict and focus on the positivies.
This may be vague but the information really helped me so I wanted to write it down on here. Thanks! :)
Thursday, December 29, 2011
the Solarek's Sweet Christmas 2011
It has been a wonderful celebration of Christmas this year. December started off beautifully! We went to see the play "Scroodge" Dec 1st. Our friend gave us wonderful seats up front and we had a blast. By the end Erin was playing James' i phone, and Conor was saying "this was way too scary for me. You should not have brought me here" :0) All in all, it really was a great night and I loved going as a family. Dec 2 brought the lighting of the Christmas tree in down town Roanoke. I felt like I was in a cartoon when the Mayor of Roanoke told Santa his number one wish for christmas was snow... we went down town with Elijah's family (one of conor's best friends) and then we came back to our house and built ginger bread houses - What a wonderful start to the holidays! Oh - I don't remember if I mentioned on here that our christmas tree fell down in the middle of the night and scared the life out of me?! The kids didnt hear a thing and james didnt even want to go down and check what the huge crash sound was??!! My tree sat naked for two days - it was naked while we had friends over to decorate the gingerbread houses... it bugged me but not enough to stress out. If you know me and james by now - it is our motto to enjoy life and not stress out about silly things like undecorated christmas trees.
A fun thing I like to do during the sundays of Decemebr is entertain the teen girl's sunday school classes (i did make sure the tree was re decorated for them!) It is special to have them into our home and hear from each one of them about their lives.
One of our teens organized a teddy drop off - the teddys would go to children who lost everything in a house fire or natural disaster. This was a wonderful thing for us to do with our children bc they have so much. It was special to collect some of their teddys and send them to children who really need them.
We went christmas carolling a few times which is always fun to see people smile at our small gesture. Singing at the old folks home was awesome and the macdonalds on 460 :)
James and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We went to Olive Garden, came home and watched our wedding with the children. It was precious. This kids thought we were the prince and princess... We (thank you Ashley and Kathy!)painted the basement and hung a world map, map of ireland and map of america - that was our gift to one another and we are delighted with how that room turned out! When we were in mexico the leaders talked about putting maps up in your home and teaching your children there is more to life than their neighborhood!
Now to the good stuff - Christmas Eve. We went to our friend's house and baked some cookies and they made a feast for us! I love being around people so for friends to have us over on christmas eve meant so much to me. We did leave earlier than expected bc our kids were whiny and we put them straight to bed when we came home! :) Christmas Eve we went to the Baptist Community Center to watch the children perform a play for us. James, along with the youth group and Smith family go to the BCC each wednesday so it was special for James to come and watch their play. When we arrived, James did not see (i did - ahem!) a concrete ditch between the road and the curb. He popped the tire good let me tell ya! Well, being the stress free people that we strive to be (it is a decision/choice people) we went in and enjoyed the play and said we would worry about it after. For those of you who know where the BCC is located you may be smiling! The Smith family gave many hours on christmas eve to help the children prepare for the play and helped serve the food and clean up. This family is a wonderful example to me and I love their heart for God and people! Mr Smith helped James after the play and God blessed us fix the car for 15 dollars. Being at the BCC was precious. The children did a great job sharing the message of Christ. Their parents came to watch them and I pray that someone came to Christ through their efforts and the Truth they spoke of.
We ended the night at i hop with more friends who ministered over at the resuce mission. I love all of these people and I love being around like minded believers. We are blessed. We came home, put the kids to bed and prepared the dinner for the next day.
Erin woke us up Christmas morning and she got to look at the goodies in her stocking. Then she woke Conor up saying "it's christmas conor!". He came in to our room with his stocking and dumped it out to see his treasure. We came down stairs, read luke 2 and prayed to God, thanking Him for His gift to us. Conor took this seriousally because he realizes what this day is really about. We skyped my family and they got to see the kids open their gifts. Conor got a remote control dinasour from our neighbor. Her boys were finished playing with it and she thought of us. How sweet of her! That was conor's favorite gift! They each got a new Bible, dress up clothes and a pillow pet. They had a lot of fun!
We got to go to church which was so special to me bc we do that in Ireland and I love it! The kids sat in with us and were far from angles but it was special for james and i to share this with our children. Conor was wearing a tie that sang jingle bells when you pressed the button... bad judgment on my part haha. Erin has learned that we will take her out if she says "i gotta go potty" so she uses that to her advantage ;0) life with a 2 and 4 year old - gotta love it! I really enjoyed singing with the kids and letting them be apart of the worship service in that way.
We had a feast of a christmas dinner and were joined by two sweet families. I felt blessed to the top of my soul being with these people. Our turkey looked (and tasted) so good and very pretty if i do say so myself! it was one of those turkeys that deserved a spot on the table for all to admire :) last years thanksgiving turkey tasted great but didnt earn a spot on the table. So where are my pictures? my camera is broke (note to self - dont let the children use the camera in the future)... sorry folks! James took some christmas pics with his phone so i will put them up soon. After dinner three familes visited friendship manor and sang christmas carols to the elderly. It. was. priceless.
You know my kids by now... far from little angels. All the children were marvelous but since this is my blog I will brag on conor and erin. Erin was as sweet as can be and sang all the words and the people loved watching her precious 2 year old self. Conor was a gentlman. He handed out lots of candy canes and made sure he gave them all big hugs. As a parent, I was soooo very proud of them and how kind they were. All of the children knew the candy canes were for the elderly and didnt moan about it. They loved singing and blessing others - so precious! At the end conor said we didnt tell them about Jesus and we didnt share the story of the candy cane. I told him we would do that next time and that we told them about Jesus through our songs. To say we were blessed would be an understatement. Then we went to our friends house and watched a movie while the kids played :) We have a lot of friends whose families are not in the area so our kids are like cousins. God always blesses!
We had a great christmas! I loved being at home and getting to celebrate the way James and I prefer.
Some blessings that happened for our family were 1) we recieved a christmas card with 100 dollar bill. We wanted to buy a cow from the compassion book to give to a neady family in Africa and God blessed us with that 100 dollar bill - He provided for us! :) 2) James recieved some gift cards to restuarants from some friends in the church. if you know james - he loves eating out (no wise cracks about my cooking) so that was God's gift to him!
3) we got some precious cards from people sharing how much they love us and how thankful they are for us. Being in the ministry, those cards always mean so much. Thank you! James got a plaque for his office from one of the guys he is mentoring with the sweetest note.
That was our christmas. Beautiful. Filled with Christ. Filled with family and friends. Thank you God for your gift of Jesus Christ and thank you for the gift of knowing you now and forever more. I love you!
I am just like my mother and i will go out this Christmas Season singing 'oh i wish it could be christmas every day!' :0)
A fun thing I like to do during the sundays of Decemebr is entertain the teen girl's sunday school classes (i did make sure the tree was re decorated for them!) It is special to have them into our home and hear from each one of them about their lives.
One of our teens organized a teddy drop off - the teddys would go to children who lost everything in a house fire or natural disaster. This was a wonderful thing for us to do with our children bc they have so much. It was special to collect some of their teddys and send them to children who really need them.
We went christmas carolling a few times which is always fun to see people smile at our small gesture. Singing at the old folks home was awesome and the macdonalds on 460 :)
James and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. We went to Olive Garden, came home and watched our wedding with the children. It was precious. This kids thought we were the prince and princess... We (thank you Ashley and Kathy!)painted the basement and hung a world map, map of ireland and map of america - that was our gift to one another and we are delighted with how that room turned out! When we were in mexico the leaders talked about putting maps up in your home and teaching your children there is more to life than their neighborhood!
Now to the good stuff - Christmas Eve. We went to our friend's house and baked some cookies and they made a feast for us! I love being around people so for friends to have us over on christmas eve meant so much to me. We did leave earlier than expected bc our kids were whiny and we put them straight to bed when we came home! :) Christmas Eve we went to the Baptist Community Center to watch the children perform a play for us. James, along with the youth group and Smith family go to the BCC each wednesday so it was special for James to come and watch their play. When we arrived, James did not see (i did - ahem!) a concrete ditch between the road and the curb. He popped the tire good let me tell ya! Well, being the stress free people that we strive to be (it is a decision/choice people) we went in and enjoyed the play and said we would worry about it after. For those of you who know where the BCC is located you may be smiling! The Smith family gave many hours on christmas eve to help the children prepare for the play and helped serve the food and clean up. This family is a wonderful example to me and I love their heart for God and people! Mr Smith helped James after the play and God blessed us fix the car for 15 dollars. Being at the BCC was precious. The children did a great job sharing the message of Christ. Their parents came to watch them and I pray that someone came to Christ through their efforts and the Truth they spoke of.
We ended the night at i hop with more friends who ministered over at the resuce mission. I love all of these people and I love being around like minded believers. We are blessed. We came home, put the kids to bed and prepared the dinner for the next day.
Erin woke us up Christmas morning and she got to look at the goodies in her stocking. Then she woke Conor up saying "it's christmas conor!". He came in to our room with his stocking and dumped it out to see his treasure. We came down stairs, read luke 2 and prayed to God, thanking Him for His gift to us. Conor took this seriousally because he realizes what this day is really about. We skyped my family and they got to see the kids open their gifts. Conor got a remote control dinasour from our neighbor. Her boys were finished playing with it and she thought of us. How sweet of her! That was conor's favorite gift! They each got a new Bible, dress up clothes and a pillow pet. They had a lot of fun!
We got to go to church which was so special to me bc we do that in Ireland and I love it! The kids sat in with us and were far from angles but it was special for james and i to share this with our children. Conor was wearing a tie that sang jingle bells when you pressed the button... bad judgment on my part haha. Erin has learned that we will take her out if she says "i gotta go potty" so she uses that to her advantage ;0) life with a 2 and 4 year old - gotta love it! I really enjoyed singing with the kids and letting them be apart of the worship service in that way.
We had a feast of a christmas dinner and were joined by two sweet families. I felt blessed to the top of my soul being with these people. Our turkey looked (and tasted) so good and very pretty if i do say so myself! it was one of those turkeys that deserved a spot on the table for all to admire :) last years thanksgiving turkey tasted great but didnt earn a spot on the table. So where are my pictures? my camera is broke (note to self - dont let the children use the camera in the future)... sorry folks! James took some christmas pics with his phone so i will put them up soon. After dinner three familes visited friendship manor and sang christmas carols to the elderly. It. was. priceless.
You know my kids by now... far from little angels. All the children were marvelous but since this is my blog I will brag on conor and erin. Erin was as sweet as can be and sang all the words and the people loved watching her precious 2 year old self. Conor was a gentlman. He handed out lots of candy canes and made sure he gave them all big hugs. As a parent, I was soooo very proud of them and how kind they were. All of the children knew the candy canes were for the elderly and didnt moan about it. They loved singing and blessing others - so precious! At the end conor said we didnt tell them about Jesus and we didnt share the story of the candy cane. I told him we would do that next time and that we told them about Jesus through our songs. To say we were blessed would be an understatement. Then we went to our friends house and watched a movie while the kids played :) We have a lot of friends whose families are not in the area so our kids are like cousins. God always blesses!
We had a great christmas! I loved being at home and getting to celebrate the way James and I prefer.
Some blessings that happened for our family were 1) we recieved a christmas card with 100 dollar bill. We wanted to buy a cow from the compassion book to give to a neady family in Africa and God blessed us with that 100 dollar bill - He provided for us! :) 2) James recieved some gift cards to restuarants from some friends in the church. if you know james - he loves eating out (no wise cracks about my cooking) so that was God's gift to him!
3) we got some precious cards from people sharing how much they love us and how thankful they are for us. Being in the ministry, those cards always mean so much. Thank you! James got a plaque for his office from one of the guys he is mentoring with the sweetest note.
That was our christmas. Beautiful. Filled with Christ. Filled with family and friends. Thank you God for your gift of Jesus Christ and thank you for the gift of knowing you now and forever more. I love you!
I am just like my mother and i will go out this Christmas Season singing 'oh i wish it could be christmas every day!' :0)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday Morning Outreach
Today was the end of our first season of ladies' outreach. We went to the Mall to hand out candy and say thank you to the cashiers. I bought something in Old Navy and was not brave enough to hand the lady candy and a Bible tract. I was talking to her but was too nervous to do something out of the ordinary - I'm slow sometimes! I met my kids at the mall - their teacher was having them buy christmas presents for a child whose parents are in prision. What a great idea! (the angel trees by the train). I helped them shop for their gifts... I went into the dollar store to buy a big bag for the gifts and while I was there God made me brave. I was able to talk to the cashier about christmas and what his plans where. He said he will not get much time to shop because he is so busy working. I gave him some candy and a Bible tract, along with our christmas program invitation. I said you may not be able to come but maybe your children can. He said he was off sunday night and would like to bring his family to our church. I was delighted! I wont win any prizes for being the most out going christian in the mall today... but I am praying the little I was brave enough to do will be alot for the sake of the Gospel. Little is much when God is in it??
Be brave, friends and ask God how you can be a light in your ordinary activities.
Next season we are going to focus our efforts in three places. The first and fourth tuesdays will be spent at the Baptist Community Center. I will tell you all about that sometime. Our teens go there each wednesday and I am so very proud of them. The second tuesday will be spent at the rescue mission doing various ministries. Our church goes there tuesday nights so we love going and seeing the residents twice in the one day! The third tuesday will be spent at the Roanoke Child Development Center. We have gone there to read to the children and make a craft with them. Our time there was so very precious that we would like to invest into that ministry each month.
God has blessed us with alot of women who have a heart for reaching out. It has been an honor and a blessing to work alongside each of the ladies. May God bless you and if you would like to join us on tuesday mornings from 9 am to 11 am - let me know! We will be starting back Jan 10th :)
Be brave, friends and ask God how you can be a light in your ordinary activities.
Next season we are going to focus our efforts in three places. The first and fourth tuesdays will be spent at the Baptist Community Center. I will tell you all about that sometime. Our teens go there each wednesday and I am so very proud of them. The second tuesday will be spent at the rescue mission doing various ministries. Our church goes there tuesday nights so we love going and seeing the residents twice in the one day! The third tuesday will be spent at the Roanoke Child Development Center. We have gone there to read to the children and make a craft with them. Our time there was so very precious that we would like to invest into that ministry each month.
God has blessed us with alot of women who have a heart for reaching out. It has been an honor and a blessing to work alongside each of the ladies. May God bless you and if you would like to join us on tuesday mornings from 9 am to 11 am - let me know! We will be starting back Jan 10th :)
Monday, December 12, 2011
I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my Dreams...
Christmas is my mam's holiday. She LOVES Christmas. I know. Who doesn't? Last year I planned on going home for Christmas but Ireland had so much snow that my flight was cancelled for a week! Craziness! Needless to say I did not get to spend Christmas with my mam. This year James and I will spend Christmas in our home in Virginia. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year... It's a little sad for me too. I know so many who have burdens this time of the year. I feel for you. May we fellowship with Christ during HIS holiday. May we fellowship with each other and share each other's burdens.
Happy Monday, friends. If anyone from Ireland wants to suprise me for Christmas - come on over! :)
Happy Monday, friends. If anyone from Ireland wants to suprise me for Christmas - come on over! :)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The happenings of November
What did November bring? Well, it brought our family car new tires. Then the very next day the transmission died while I was out with three teen girls with the under the bridge ministry. Made for a fun car ride! Anyways - it would have been easy to say goodbye to the dumb car if we hadnt payed 900 dollars the day before on the thing! We put a transmission in the car the week before Thanksgiving. The same week brought a hair cut to Erin (given by her four year old brother Conor) She brought the scissors to him and asked him to cut her hair... he said why not?! James had to take a trip to Georgia the same week, where someone backed into him and put a hole in the borrowed car he was driving. Friends of ours allowed us to borrow their car to visit James' family for Thanksgiving in Indy. Family gatherings are a sweet and precious time. James got to see his grandma on his mom's side and his grandma and grandpa on his dad's side. Special memories. We thought about cancelling our trip because of all the unexpected bills but we are very glad we got to visit with James' family.
We also got to visit people from our previous church and got to attend a Sunday service. It was a precious time! Hugging the older people brought a tear to my eye because some of their friends have passed away since we have been gone. What a blessing to hug Betty Hough, Aurand and Woods :)I was so proud of the teenagers and how much they have grown in the Lord. It was great to see David leading the music time and wonderful to hear of how well Ashley Bliss is doing and to hear of Brett's engagement. It was a shot in the arm to see teens as adults and know you had a small part in helping them be where they are today. We had a lovely visit with so many. We drove by our old house and it looked like she was away for the weekend. Yes, I would have knocked on the door and invited myself in :) you know that country song 'the house that built me'? i would sing that to her - ok, i wouldnt go that far but i would def knock on the door! :)
The week of thanksgiving brought special guests to our house. His Little Feet ministry had four of their orphan boys stay with us and two chaperones. Having them in my house kept me very thankful for all God has given me. In Christ I am very rich. In Christ, I am a part of the family of God. One of the chaperones is from Ethiopia and grew up in an orpahange. He told me he scribbled out the word 'complain' from his english dictionary. He said we have no reason to complain. So true!
I read the book 'Made to Crave' during the month of November. Very good book and it applies to all of us! Food may not be your issue but we all go to other things at times (most times) instead of crying out to God.
That was my November. It was a full month and it came with a few downs... but the thing I love about downs is the sweet fellowship with God. For some reason, downs help me focus on what it's all about.
We also got to visit people from our previous church and got to attend a Sunday service. It was a precious time! Hugging the older people brought a tear to my eye because some of their friends have passed away since we have been gone. What a blessing to hug Betty Hough, Aurand and Woods :)I was so proud of the teenagers and how much they have grown in the Lord. It was great to see David leading the music time and wonderful to hear of how well Ashley Bliss is doing and to hear of Brett's engagement. It was a shot in the arm to see teens as adults and know you had a small part in helping them be where they are today. We had a lovely visit with so many. We drove by our old house and it looked like she was away for the weekend. Yes, I would have knocked on the door and invited myself in :) you know that country song 'the house that built me'? i would sing that to her - ok, i wouldnt go that far but i would def knock on the door! :)
The week of thanksgiving brought special guests to our house. His Little Feet ministry had four of their orphan boys stay with us and two chaperones. Having them in my house kept me very thankful for all God has given me. In Christ I am very rich. In Christ, I am a part of the family of God. One of the chaperones is from Ethiopia and grew up in an orpahange. He told me he scribbled out the word 'complain' from his english dictionary. He said we have no reason to complain. So true!
I read the book 'Made to Crave' during the month of November. Very good book and it applies to all of us! Food may not be your issue but we all go to other things at times (most times) instead of crying out to God.
That was my November. It was a full month and it came with a few downs... but the thing I love about downs is the sweet fellowship with God. For some reason, downs help me focus on what it's all about.
Under the Bridge
We have had a few weeks of under the Bridge ministry since my last post. We have always been blessed by God as He uses us in this ministry. This past Sunday I told Rachel I felt led to go to Friendship Manor, which is a nursing home for the elderly. I told her I didnt feel comfortable going to the park today with out a man with us. To be honest, I was discouraged and tired. I believe God wants me to go out on Sundays to visit the homeless and I bleieve He wants more than me and two teen girls to go. So before we went into the nursing home, we prayed. I said 'Lord, I dont know what this is going to look like but lead us and guide us and we will see what you have for us.' (Those of you who know God - Know He showed up and blessed our hearts!) We walked in the door and there were these beautiful teenage girls there with christmas hats on. They were there to sing to the residents! I was blessed by that because God said 'you are not alone'. Then Rachel K saw someone she knew and that girl told her she was in Teen Challenge. Then Rachel K and Rachel B knew another girl that they had been in school with who was in the program. Rachel B had a picture of this girl on her phone as her screen saver and she had told this girl that her picture would remain on her phone for her nine months of treatment and Rachel would be praying for her all the time. You should have seen the sweet reunion of these friends! I was so blessed. God wanted us there and He wanted us to hug on these teenage girls and cheer them on in their journey of recovery. I walked in carrying a cup of tea because I needed a pick me up - let me tell you, friends, I left singing and praising God because He came and met us there!! It was so awesome! The girls had pictures and candles they had made as well as some jewlery. We got to buy some of their crafts and plan on putting the picture in our Sunday school class to remember to pray for these sweet girls. What did I learn today? Be obedient to God, even when you are unsure of what it is going to look like. Allow Him to lead and be ready to see His miracles. The girls in Teen Challenge are not allowed to talk to people from their past but because it was so random, the teacher allowed them to talk. Random? God!! :0)
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