As I was checking out my hit counter I noticed my Christmas countdown. Only 170 days left until Christmas!
Being without income we didn't do gifts last Christmas; I made pajamas for everyone though. We had a lot of fun even without presents! Maybe I'll skip the Christmas shopping this year too! At least it will be a choice and not because I have to.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
It's Been So Long...
It's been a very long time since I've posted here, and I don't really know why I haven't written. So, here I am. I guess I left off with the great plumbing leak of '09, that was all resolved.
The big exciting news today is that my dear hubby's first paycheck in over NINE MONTHS just went into the bank tonight. I did not think it would be a big deal but it was an emotional moment for me to see that deposit in the account history. I can't believe I sat in front of my computer monitor and CRIED! Silly me.
I am grateful for the grace of God who gave us peace through this scary time. We learned we can say "if the Lord intends for us to lose everything, so be it" and we can really mean it.
That's all I'm going to say for tonight, it's way past time for sleep!
The big exciting news today is that my dear hubby's first paycheck in over NINE MONTHS just went into the bank tonight. I did not think it would be a big deal but it was an emotional moment for me to see that deposit in the account history. I can't believe I sat in front of my computer monitor and CRIED! Silly me.
I am grateful for the grace of God who gave us peace through this scary time. We learned we can say "if the Lord intends for us to lose everything, so be it" and we can really mean it.
That's all I'm going to say for tonight, it's way past time for sleep!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Collateral Thinking
An amazing thing happened this morning. Most of the world would probably laugh derisively that I assign any importance to this, but to me it is an almost imperceptible sign that in the midst of our struggle to make wise decisions as our financial security wanes, (among other issues!)the Lord is at work keeping His promise to meet our needs.
Around mid-morning I busied myself in the kitchen wiping crumbs, stacking dirty dishes in anticipation of later having 20 minutes of running water, and making a fluffy pureé out of canned cat food. No, we have not been reduced to eating cat food; I do this for our dear little cat whose teeth no longer allow her to chew.
As I worked, I was thinking about the problems we are working, and acknowledging that our struggles are nowhere near the struggles of others. The thought also came to me that there is nothing I could suffer that is in any way as awful as what our Savior went through just before He went to the cross; in my minds eye I pictured Him kneeling in Gethsemane praying to the Father..."And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will'."
Close to noon my husband broke away from the computer where he had spent the morning searching and applying for jobs. We assembled a small lunch and sat down at the table to eat. Before turning off the television news, he watched tape of the morning's opening at the stock market accompanied by discussion of the current economic crises. He turned to me and said (I kid you not) "I just had an interesting thought this morning...I was thinking about whether there was anyone in the world I'd trade places with right now, and there really isn't anyone. All of our struggles could be lifted in a moment. There are so many people whose pain can't be fixed in this world; there are so many people suffering so much worse than we are...then I thought about Jesus in the garden praying... we aren't facing anything like that."
Let the world laugh, between the two of us we had a misty-eyed moment and felt the comfort of the Lord being nearby. I need nothing more than that for this day!
Around mid-morning I busied myself in the kitchen wiping crumbs, stacking dirty dishes in anticipation of later having 20 minutes of running water, and making a fluffy pureé out of canned cat food. No, we have not been reduced to eating cat food; I do this for our dear little cat whose teeth no longer allow her to chew.
As I worked, I was thinking about the problems we are working, and acknowledging that our struggles are nowhere near the struggles of others. The thought also came to me that there is nothing I could suffer that is in any way as awful as what our Savior went through just before He went to the cross; in my minds eye I pictured Him kneeling in Gethsemane praying to the Father..."And he said,
Close to noon my husband broke away from the computer where he had spent the morning searching and applying for jobs. We assembled a small lunch and sat down at the table to eat. Before turning off the television news, he watched tape of the morning's opening at the stock market accompanied by discussion of the current economic crises. He turned to me and said (I kid you not) "I just had an interesting thought this morning...I was thinking about whether there was anyone in the world I'd trade places with right now, and there really isn't anyone. All of our struggles could be lifted in a moment. There are so many people whose pain can't be fixed in this world; there are so many people suffering so much worse than we are...then I thought about Jesus in the garden praying... we aren't facing anything like that."
Let the world laugh, between the two of us we had a misty-eyed moment and felt the comfort of the Lord being nearby. I need nothing more than that for this day!
The End Of The Internet
This morning I sat down at the computer. Newly poured cup of steaming, aromatic coffee at my elbow and tiny space heater at my feet, I settled in and prepared to surf.
Clicking to my first stop, I caught up on the latest news in the post-post-evangelical world. I moved on to some wonderfully inspirational blogs, checked out what's new in Indian cooking, then went into the job-seeking routine. Craigslist, newspaper want-ads, local employer websites and the state unemployment department yielded nothing today so I wondered what to look at next.
I could think of nothing else I wanted to read. Did you ever feel that strange sense of realization that there might actually be an end to the Internet? That, considering the endless supply of websites out there, it might actually be possible to run out of things to read?
Maybe it's just my frame of mind this morning. Maybe it's spring fever. The rare-for-Oregon stretch of dry days we have right now are turning my mind to the garden. I think I have time to go outdoors and prune roses, grapes, apple and pear trees.
I'm on my way!
Clicking to my first stop, I caught up on the latest news in the post-post-evangelical world. I moved on to some wonderfully inspirational blogs, checked out what's new in Indian cooking, then went into the job-seeking routine. Craigslist, newspaper want-ads, local employer websites and the state unemployment department yielded nothing today so I wondered what to look at next.
I could think of nothing else I wanted to read. Did you ever feel that strange sense of realization that there might actually be an end to the Internet? That, considering the endless supply of websites out there, it might actually be possible to run out of things to read?
Maybe it's just my frame of mind this morning. Maybe it's spring fever. The rare-for-Oregon stretch of dry days we have right now are turning my mind to the garden. I think I have time to go outdoors and prune roses, grapes, apple and pear trees.
I'm on my way!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Descent of Man and Boy...
Today the men in my life braved the dark, cramped space under our house in search of the elusive water leak. It took them some time but they finally found it. They tried to close the hole with solder but couldn't do it so we still do not have running water. My son says the space is to cramped for my husband to get to, so we're not quite sure what we're going to do now.
We cannot afford the hundreds of dollars it would take to have a professional make repairs, so it looks like we're going to have at least another week of water rationing.
Situations like this sure make one appreciate the simple pleasure of brushing teeth or washing hands thoroughly. The same for laundry and dishes.
And I am starting to feel like some unseen, sinister force is working to make my life increasingly uncomfortable. I have hurt myself in the most unimaginably strange ways this last week or so! I want to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers till the siege is over.
I still say, "Be Ye Glad!" Here are the lyrics I promised (and another link to the video in case you didn't catch my post from yesterday):
Be Ye Glad
We cannot afford the hundreds of dollars it would take to have a professional make repairs, so it looks like we're going to have at least another week of water rationing.
Situations like this sure make one appreciate the simple pleasure of brushing teeth or washing hands thoroughly. The same for laundry and dishes.
And I am starting to feel like some unseen, sinister force is working to make my life increasingly uncomfortable. I have hurt myself in the most unimaginably strange ways this last week or so! I want to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers till the siege is over.
I still say, "Be Ye Glad!" Here are the lyrics I promised (and another link to the video in case you didn't catch my post from yesterday):
Be Ye Glad
Words and Music by M.K.Blanchard
© Gotz Music/Benson
(860) 673-5100
In these days of confused situations.
In these nights of a restless remorse,
When the heart and the soul of the nation,
lay wounded and cold as a corpse.
From the grave of the innocent Adam,
comes a song bringing joy to the sad.
Oh your cry has been heard and the ransom,
has been paid up in full, Be Ye Glad.
(Chorus)
Oh, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad,
Every debt that you ever had
Has been paid up in full by the grace of the Lord,
Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad, Be Ye Glad.
From the dungeon a rumor is stirring.
You have heard it again and again.
But this time the cell keys are turning,
and outside there are faces of friends.
And though your body lay weary from wasting,
and your eyes show the sorrow they've had.
Oh the love that your heart is now tasting
has opened the gate, Be Ye Glad.
(Chorus)
So be like lights on the rim of the water,
giving hope in a storm sea of night.
Be a refuge amidst the slaughter,
for these fugitives in their flight.
For you are timeless and part of a puzzle.
You are winsome and young as a lad.
And there is no disease or no struggle,
that can pull you from God, Be Ye Glad.
(Chorus)
Waterless Woes
My house is a mess. My halls are lined with 5-gallon water jugs, storage boxes and other assorted debris. Everywhere we go we trip over something. What happened?
I opened my water bill the other day and was unpleasantly surprised by the balance owing. Why had my winter usage increased significantly from summer? We are not maintaining a garden, we are taking fewer showers, our household has decreased by one member. It doesn't make sense!
Not long after viewing the bill, dear offspring number 4 reported that she heard noise in the walls as if someone had left a hose on. Granted, I sometimes do leave the hose running after filling my chicken waterers, but after examining the faucets we determined there were none open. "There's a leak somewhere" said my husband. "The water meter is spinning like crazy and there are no water outlets turned on."
We scoured the house searching for puddles or stains but found nothing. We did discovered a "rushing" sound emanating from the floor vent in our kitchen. "Got to be a pipe under the house" said my husband. "I'm going down to look." To reach the access door we had to empty our bedroom's walk-in closet of storage boxes, bags of clothing, piles of shoes, old kids' toys, a stack of unframed posters, stuffed animals, the huge box containing my wedding dress. That done, Les went into the abyss.
Thirty minutes later his dust-covered body emerged, grunting, from the crawl-space. He said he saw nothing but that he did not get as far as the kitchen. The crawl-space access is at the opposite end of the house from the kitchen and the space under our house is very confining. We would need to send our wraith-like son down there if we wanted to see more. Dear son no longer lives with us and we would have to wait a couple of days till it was convenient for him to get here.
Recalling a leak outside near the water meter several years ago that cost us plenty, Les decided to dig a trench and check the repair. After opening a 4-foot deep by 4-foot long trench he found the old repair holding but a root had punctured another section of pipe. We turned off the water at the street and shlepped over to the local home improvement emporium for a couple of parts. At 6:30 PM the store was devoid of customers, but we encountered sales people at every turn asking "Can I help you?" I sized them up one after the other...too big, too young, too old. "Nope," I think to myself, "you can't get under my house." It was dark by the time we got home; the leak could not be fixed till the next day, but we figured we could do without water for one night.
Next morning my dear husband went out and battled stiff and uncooperative pipes. "I hate plumbing!" he declared, repeating a mantra developed over 32 years of home ownership. Despite the negative sentiments he persevered to completion. We confidently turned the water back on at the meter and watched. The repair was holding! We looked at the meter and saw it spinning; we returned to the kitchen floor vent where the sound of rushing water met our anxious ears.
Suspicion turned to the valves under the kitchen sink and pipes feeding the dishwasher. We've had mysterious water there before. Investigation proved the 20-year old dishwasher to be leaking badly, and the wood underneath it beginning to rot. We decided the dishwasher was not worth repairing and yanked it out.
We are on our third day with no running water, we can only turn it on at the meter long enough to fill jugs; then off it goes again. In our fourth month of unemployment we have no money for plumbers, no idea where the leak is, and now a gaping hole where my dishwasher used to be.
I am reminded that I am to be thankful in all things. If we look for them, we can find things for which we ought to be thankful in spite of difficult circumstances. I have much for which I can give thanks.
I have a song ringing in my head right now; it is another song from that wonderful ensemble, Glad. The title of the song is "Be Ye Glad".
I'll post the words in another blogpost but here is a link to the Youtube video:
I opened my water bill the other day and was unpleasantly surprised by the balance owing. Why had my winter usage increased significantly from summer? We are not maintaining a garden, we are taking fewer showers, our household has decreased by one member. It doesn't make sense!
Not long after viewing the bill, dear offspring number 4 reported that she heard noise in the walls as if someone had left a hose on. Granted, I sometimes do leave the hose running after filling my chicken waterers, but after examining the faucets we determined there were none open. "There's a leak somewhere" said my husband. "The water meter is spinning like crazy and there are no water outlets turned on."
We scoured the house searching for puddles or stains but found nothing. We did discovered a "rushing" sound emanating from the floor vent in our kitchen. "Got to be a pipe under the house" said my husband. "I'm going down to look." To reach the access door we had to empty our bedroom's walk-in closet of storage boxes, bags of clothing, piles of shoes, old kids' toys, a stack of unframed posters, stuffed animals, the huge box containing my wedding dress. That done, Les went into the abyss.
Thirty minutes later his dust-covered body emerged, grunting, from the crawl-space. He said he saw nothing but that he did not get as far as the kitchen. The crawl-space access is at the opposite end of the house from the kitchen and the space under our house is very confining. We would need to send our wraith-like son down there if we wanted to see more. Dear son no longer lives with us and we would have to wait a couple of days till it was convenient for him to get here.
Recalling a leak outside near the water meter several years ago that cost us plenty, Les decided to dig a trench and check the repair. After opening a 4-foot deep by 4-foot long trench he found the old repair holding but a root had punctured another section of pipe. We turned off the water at the street and shlepped over to the local home improvement emporium for a couple of parts. At 6:30 PM the store was devoid of customers, but we encountered sales people at every turn asking "Can I help you?" I sized them up one after the other...too big, too young, too old. "Nope," I think to myself, "you can't get under my house." It was dark by the time we got home; the leak could not be fixed till the next day, but we figured we could do without water for one night.
Next morning my dear husband went out and battled stiff and uncooperative pipes. "I hate plumbing!" he declared, repeating a mantra developed over 32 years of home ownership. Despite the negative sentiments he persevered to completion. We confidently turned the water back on at the meter and watched. The repair was holding! We looked at the meter and saw it spinning; we returned to the kitchen floor vent where the sound of rushing water met our anxious ears.
Suspicion turned to the valves under the kitchen sink and pipes feeding the dishwasher. We've had mysterious water there before. Investigation proved the 20-year old dishwasher to be leaking badly, and the wood underneath it beginning to rot. We decided the dishwasher was not worth repairing and yanked it out.
We are on our third day with no running water, we can only turn it on at the meter long enough to fill jugs; then off it goes again. In our fourth month of unemployment we have no money for plumbers, no idea where the leak is, and now a gaping hole where my dishwasher used to be.
I am reminded that I am to be thankful in all things. If we look for them, we can find things for which we ought to be thankful in spite of difficult circumstances. I have much for which I can give thanks.
I have a song ringing in my head right now; it is another song from that wonderful ensemble, Glad. The title of the song is "Be Ye Glad".
I'll post the words in another blogpost but here is a link to the Youtube video:
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Here is one of my other favorite songs from the Glad "A Capella Christmas" album. Follow along and enjoy this one too! Glory to God in the Highest!
GLORY TO GOD
by Bob Kauflin
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God! Glory to God!
Glory to God in the highest!
Peace on the earth to men.
With whom He is pleased.
With whom He is pleased.
Glory to God in the highest!
For unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
GLORY TO GOD
by Bob Kauflin
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God! Glory to God!
Glory to God in the highest!
Peace on the earth to men.
With whom He is pleased.
With whom He is pleased.
Glory to God in the highest!
For unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Unto you is born this day
A Savior who is Christ the Lord.
Here is a great one for Christmas from my favorite group called Glad. Enjoy! Follow along with the lyrics, published below the video link. Awesome.
In the first light of a new day
No one knew He had arrived
Things continued as they had been
While a newborn softly cried
But the heavens wrapped in wonder
Knew the meaning of His birth
In the weakness of a baby
They knew God had come to earth
As His mother held Him closely
It was hard to understand
That her baby not yet speaking
Was the Word of God to man
He would tell them of His Kingdom
But their hearts would not believe
They would hate Him and in anger
They would nail Him to a Tree
But the sadness would be broken
As the Song of Life arose
And the Firstborn of Creation
Would ascend and take His Throne
He had left it to redeem us
But before His life began
He knew He'd come back
Not as a baby but as
The Lord of every man
Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again, when He comes again
Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again to Earth
When He comes, When He comes
When He comes to rule the earth
When He comes back
When He comes back
To Rule the earth
In the first light of a new day
No one knew He had arrived
Things continued as they had been
While a newborn softly cried
But the heavens wrapped in wonder
Knew the meaning of His birth
In the weakness of a baby
They knew God had come to earth
As His mother held Him closely
It was hard to understand
That her baby not yet speaking
Was the Word of God to man
He would tell them of His Kingdom
But their hearts would not believe
They would hate Him and in anger
They would nail Him to a Tree
But the sadness would be broken
As the Song of Life arose
And the Firstborn of Creation
Would ascend and take His Throne
He had left it to redeem us
But before His life began
He knew He'd come back
Not as a baby but as
The Lord of every man
Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again, when He comes again
Hear the Angels as they're singing
On the morning of His birth
But how much greater will their song be
When He comes again to Earth
When He comes, When He comes
When He comes to rule the earth
When He comes back
When He comes back
To Rule the earth
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Still Looking...
We are still looking, striking out everywhere we go. This is a bad time for the rebellion.
Honestly, there are a lot of people out of work right now and the competition is quite fierce. I am thankful that though we live in very humble circumstances, we don't owe anyone except our mortgagor.
Wishing anyone who reads here today a very warm and peaceful Thanksgiving time. Though times are tough, we have so much for which to be thankful!
I thank God for my loving family, a roof over my head, and food on the table. Even if it's beans and rice, every vegetarian knows that combination offers all the essential amino acids! I am also thankful to be part of the family of God. In the end, that is all that really matters.
Honestly, there are a lot of people out of work right now and the competition is quite fierce. I am thankful that though we live in very humble circumstances, we don't owe anyone except our mortgagor.
Wishing anyone who reads here today a very warm and peaceful Thanksgiving time. Though times are tough, we have so much for which to be thankful!
I thank God for my loving family, a roof over my head, and food on the table. Even if it's beans and rice, every vegetarian knows that combination offers all the essential amino acids! I am also thankful to be part of the family of God. In the end, that is all that really matters.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Job-Hunting
Well, if anyone is reading here and knows of anyone looking for a broken-down old home school mom who is good on the computer and has a smattering of bookkeeping knowledge, please let me know!
We became totally unemployed in September and the entire family is now looking for work to keep the bills paid and the youngest in college.
Say a prayer for us, please!
We became totally unemployed in September and the entire family is now looking for work to keep the bills paid and the youngest in college.
Say a prayer for us, please!
Monday, October 13, 2008
How Many Sleeps Till Christmas...
I was poking around the Internet tonight looking for inspiring ideas for the holidays when I came across several websites featuring widgets that count the days, hours and minutes until Christmas.
I was distressed to see there are, at this writing, only 72 days left until Christmas. I am not ready for this. This year has been somewhat chaotic in my life. I thought 2007 was bad, 2008 is worse! Sickness, lots of travel, kids moving out, husband leaving job. I'm just not ready for Christmas!
I am, however, ready to annoy all my friends and family with it by placing countdown widgets on my blog. Not that the world will notice; in over a year I've had only 239 visitors and most of those views were probably generated by my incessant previewing after placing new items in the sidebar.
That's about all I have to say for now. I'm tired and ready for sleep. I have a big day tomorrow, getting the house ready for a sitter and getting ready for my big airplane trip.
Good-night everyone!
Good night
Sleep Tight
Don't let the
Bed bugs bite
And if they do
Take your Shoe
Beat 'em till
They're black and blue.
I was distressed to see there are, at this writing, only 72 days left until Christmas. I am not ready for this. This year has been somewhat chaotic in my life. I thought 2007 was bad, 2008 is worse! Sickness, lots of travel, kids moving out, husband leaving job. I'm just not ready for Christmas!
I am, however, ready to annoy all my friends and family with it by placing countdown widgets on my blog. Not that the world will notice; in over a year I've had only 239 visitors and most of those views were probably generated by my incessant previewing after placing new items in the sidebar.
That's about all I have to say for now. I'm tired and ready for sleep. I have a big day tomorrow, getting the house ready for a sitter and getting ready for my big airplane trip.
Good-night everyone!
Good night
Sleep Tight
Don't let the
Bed bugs bite
And if they do
Take your Shoe
Beat 'em till
They're black and blue.
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