S I M P L E

We moved. Again. This past October it was a local move to a bit larger home on 7.5 acres. We had relocated to this area as a transfer for employment. (We like to eat so we chose to move.) We were told, however, that it would be temporary. Since our move here had followed the flow of 75 other families to the area, the rentals were hard to come by. The one house we did find, we were thankful for: nice neighborhood, clean house. Small, but nice enough. After months of waiting to relocate, we decided to look locally for more a place with more space. We found it instantly and made the move that weekend.

Even though we have been here some months and the end-of-the-year holidays are past, I still don't feel settled into our new home. Being a Marine Wife for 20 years, I learned not to let the things I owned own me. I had to be able to let go of anything. Frequently. This really worked for my benefit to live a simple life. But here I am six years after retirement and the usual peace that comes with a move and settling in hasn't been present. Am I being owned by "things" we live with?

I found this project.



I am beginning next month with someone else leading the project. I pray that this nudge along with the cyber-company of others will help me get all settled in so I can focus on all the fun spring and summer projects our family has planned.

Amazon

There is a GIVEAWAY going on and you can enter to win! Check it out at Couponing for 4! $10 Amazon.com gift certificate! If I win, I am going to buy DIAPERS for my new GRANDBABY!

21 At Our House

Today marks the day
our youngest child
turns 21 months old.





















...and our oldest (at home) is 21 years old.

Use the Other Hand

~There was a poor boy who worked at a mill. He worked hard and long all day and most of the night to provide for his mother. One lady observed all of the strenuous work and in asking him further, "Don't you ever tire?," the poor young boy replied, "Oh, yes ma'am!" She then asked, "And what do you do when you get tired?" He energetically answered, "I switch to the other hand!" ~


WOW! When I get overly tired or just plain tired, I tend to stop. In hearing this short story, it has challenged me to continue........with the other hand! Praise the Lord for His continued mercy in teaching us how to go on for His glory and our good, even when we can't see the results right away! We need not to be persons of circumstance, we need to be visionaries..........................by using the other hand!

~Emily

Valentine's Day?

We enjoy celebrating in our home. We find all kinds of reasons to have a party! We, of course, have the traditional holidays that most American's acknowledge but we have "edited" them to our liking. We have also created our own reasons to throw a party. Do you remember Faith's Halfway Celebration? We have also celebrated things like new shoes with a song and dance and going out to dinner because of the blessing of a pay raise. We have a special day we remember each of our children in Heaven and we have a HUGE celebration when a child turns double digits, just to name a few! But it wasn't until we have had adult children in our home being "held against their will to the expectations of the world" that we changed the name of Valentine's Day to Single's Awareness Day! (I know the story of the roots of Saint Valentine but adding chocolate to the day was surely done by a woman, right?)

Now we use this opportunity to try to consider both the hearts of the young adults choosing to wait on the Lord's timing for their Covenant Keeper and their circumstances as well as others who are single again. We have pictured it as kind of how having a Mother/Daughter Banquet leaves out mommy's with sons or sadly, wives without earthly children of their own. I dislike when circumstances simply leave someone out! So, we take flowers to my aunt that isn't married and have added another aunt to our list since the death of her husband as well as others.

Isn't it suppose to be about showing LOVE? What ideas do you have to share love on or around that day that can be so difficult for others?