tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50427829178008287122024-03-03T16:26:47.284-08:00Footprints In The MudTake a journey with me of laughter, love and learning as I tell you tales of life as a Christian wife and mother!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger451125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-6680746469192279912023-07-07T06:31:00.001-07:002023-07-10T08:11:08.617-07:00The Holy Trinity of Updates- Part Three: Blessings Through Hardship<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Blessings are only sometimes seen once you've been through the rough stuff. It's like a geode; You don't see the good until you crack them open to see what wonders are in store.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgKWhOzfrtGpqB_9ONEjymu4zm0TfuTeBoYYD_MVb5XA39LbWojlDo28-e_9ZAqHJdBTEjAcWKmBW-f-jIktq_NOA3wNtFNe3z2xV1gOIqjYhs7QbDu2av9Ohd8iSLY8OKC1tzNa5yU5_7epoch8gsS1feU8dHyKLO_KuXRiAr-D6DfRecNLfQXq4cZ8/s1280/geode-gd14e701bd_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgKWhOzfrtGpqB_9ONEjymu4zm0TfuTeBoYYD_MVb5XA39LbWojlDo28-e_9ZAqHJdBTEjAcWKmBW-f-jIktq_NOA3wNtFNe3z2xV1gOIqjYhs7QbDu2av9Ohd8iSLY8OKC1tzNa5yU5_7epoch8gsS1feU8dHyKLO_KuXRiAr-D6DfRecNLfQXq4cZ8/s320/geode-gd14e701bd_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">God was readying my wings for flight, but I wasn't ready to fly yet. Just a month before my raise and benefits would come, maybe wait until the end of the year, after the holidays, or even Spring, when the farmers markets would open. I could then quit and help with the bakery as I established myself as a fabric artist...</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God had other ideas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was let go last week. I was shell-shocked. Within fifteen minutes, my life plans changed, and I was driving home in tears.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When bad things happen, I tend to spiral down into a depressive misery that takes weeks to recover from. I was finding it hard to breathe as I drove home, but the Spirit in me started to speak, and I decided to listen this time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>You were already thinking of quitting. You wanted to establish the bakery and work from home as a sewist. Isn't this an opportunity in disguise?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I realized with surprise that it was. So why was I crying to the point of not breathing?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Because someone else decided when I would stop working. I was not given time to adjust. I was my family's primary source of income and had yet to establish my business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was still trying to control my environment instead of letting God handle things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I pulled over, calmed myself, and started talking to God. Not a prayer per see, but telling Him I would let go and trust Him in all things, including being newly unemployed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He provided before. He could provide again. Duh. Why do I keep forgetting that? And I thought the Israelites were forgetful...sheesh!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I still had bouts of tears on the way home, but there was also relief. I could spend time with my family again. I could start sewing what I wanted and write what I wanted. When I returned to blogging, I realized I was a week shy of a year since my last post. Yikes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But what about the money? Yes, we would need it, and I still don't know where it will come from. I got my last paycheck today, but beyond that, I have no idea. Usually, I start obsessing immediately about money when hardship happens. This time it took almost a week before I began to spiral, but instead of remaining in silent misery as usual, I decided to call a family meeting and share what was happening in my head. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I needed prayer and reassurance to keep me from shutting down into a depressive state.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I confessed my worries, they assured me this was a blessing in disguise and things would be okay. I was encouraged to continue sewing, and we'd pray and let God tell us what to do concerning the bakery.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then my husband started playing on his phone, or so I thought.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At first, I was annoyed (no phones during discussions, please!), but he showed me a listing for a home-based double oven. And after asking about it, they offered a flat-top stovetop as well. We rushed all over the house, gathering all the loose change, raiding our wallets and the donation jar for baked goods he's been testing on the locals for the past few weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After counting up everything, we not only had enough, we had three dollars left over without touching the bank account. (I traded the coins at the local store for bills- I wasn't paying them with all that change and singles!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">They were ninety minutes away, and we zipped off in the truck to bring home our bakery booty. We told them about our bakery, and they were happy to hear their renovation benefited us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Something weird happened next.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did something I never did. I moved my husbands' hand truck out of the way. He did something he never does. He forgot to put it in the truck. In fact, he felt God prompting him to get out of there as fast as possible. So we did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were almost all the way home before he realized he left the hand truck behind. I confessed to moving it, and when we had a signal (there's no internet in the mountains), we found the family had tried to contact us in every way possible to tell us about the forgotten hand truck.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But something else was weird. The time stamp on the messages was only minutes after we left their house. We had an internet connection for forty-five minutes before we lost signal. So why didn't anything get through?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We arranged a time for me to go get it on the fifth since the next day was the fourth of July (my daughter and husband were working the fifth), so I made the solo drive, mad at myself for moving the darn thing in the first place, but glad to be able to bring them a sample of our baking as a thank-you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I pulled up, I was greeted by the kids, that squealed with delight as I brought out the cake box. Before I could hand it off to the mom, she stuffed something in my hand before I could let go of the box, telling me it was for the cake.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The cake she didn't know I was bringing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was money. She said she was refunding me for the stovetop because they wanted to support us in our bakery adventure. Before I could reply, she also asked if I was interested in a venting hood for the stovetop.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gobsmacked, I blurted out that yes, I'd be interested. She told me they ordered a new one, but it arrived dented, and the company told her to keep it- they'll send a replacement. So she offered it to me. I accepted and offered to give her back the refunded money for it. She refused.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was expecting their old one (since they were renovating), but when she mentioned the new one with a dent, I said the thing could look like Quasimodo for all I cared, as long as it worked! We both laughed, and she brought it out so I could put it in my trunk.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's a good thing that one of the kids remembered to bring out the hand truck- I'd almost forgotten it again!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After loading up and waving to Mom and the kiddos, I drove home, resisting the urge to call my husband at work to tell him the great news. I started singing hymns all the way back home. Let him open the trunk when I arrive and be surprised!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now we know why God told my husband to leave right away! It also explains why we could only communicate with them once we got home. Isn't God amazing?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm still not sure how long it will be until we can work as a cottage bakery, but we're definitely on our blessed way!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How has God worked in your life that seemed terrible initially but became a blessing? Tell me about it in the comments!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-14836053170810175802023-07-07T04:59:00.001-07:002023-07-10T07:52:45.226-07:00The Holy Trinity of Updates- Part Two: Open, Closed, and Hidden Doors<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's hard to know which doors are opportunities and which doors should be shut, locked, and have a HAZMAT label. That's why we need to trust God in all things.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKQsHznzqn7Wce7kppMDJ0P8PDXvGy0wRXP9FiH_BzxAPa2NUS9JsjRqeQozdOZzJJsS8qRIE1kvIQ4_aQH0vCU092NlGEH2koF_yTuKq6iNgRAmDd7v7ZKiEUtK2AFJOALgKSRw_5cf58n3rOU33cvS_RIU1lY2JlcSLw9ZQgp6kej9Pkey_nUOVgZE/s1280/apartment-gb3e277973_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKQsHznzqn7Wce7kppMDJ0P8PDXvGy0wRXP9FiH_BzxAPa2NUS9JsjRqeQozdOZzJJsS8qRIE1kvIQ4_aQH0vCU092NlGEH2koF_yTuKq6iNgRAmDd7v7ZKiEUtK2AFJOALgKSRw_5cf58n3rOU33cvS_RIU1lY2JlcSLw9ZQgp6kej9Pkey_nUOVgZE/s320/apartment-gb3e277973_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In my last post, it seemed like life was kicking me to the curb. But there were blessings between all the bad stuff; this post will reveal them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were sixteen weeks without internet. If we were any younger, this would've been a disaster, but it was more of an inconvenience- like losing our favorite tool. We could deal without it if we had to, and sometimes we had a lot of fun!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was no TV, so we watched DVDs and played card and board games instead. We talked with neighbors and got to know them. We had a landline, so if people needed to speak to us, they could. Once a day, we'd drive a few miles to find a connection and text our correspondence, and once a week, we'd go into town with our laptops to access things not on our phones.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wound up closing my Etsy store almost immediately after opening it, simply because I couldn't fill orders daily. I didn't want my customers to wait a week or more for me to respond to their requests.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So I found a job.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">During the job search, we started having engine issues with the van. We discovered a recall on our van engine,</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">but they refused to replace it, stating we were the second owners, not the original buyers. We only had the 2016 Kia Sedona for a year and a half, but they wouldn't budge.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then my husband hit a deer, and though there was a lot of body damage, we could still drive it. We put in an insurance claim and asked about the recall issue. They would get back to us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A week before my new job started, the van engine died. Little did I know this was a blessing in disguise!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Local friends helped me to get back on the road via borrowed vehicles, and I was able to get to and from work for the first few weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We could not afford another vehicle and ran out of cars to borrow. We made a request to our internet friends, and one of my writing buddies had a 2000 Toyota Camry she was willing to give us if we wanted it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Woohoo! We went on a two-day trip and came home with a great car. We returned the borrowed vehicle with many thanks and some home-baked goodies. We gave everyone who helped us home-baked goodies. That's how we roll!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the meantime, the insurance company sent an inspector for the dead van, and they decided to total the vehicle. When we came home, there was a surprise check in the mailbox! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We got my husband a 2000 Chevy Silverado truck with the money. We not only had two vehicles now, but because they are older models, he can do all the basic repairs and care for them!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And because we have two vehicles, he found a local job that desperately needed his skills. God provided! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why am I always surprised about that?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With both jobs, we could stay current with the bills and get what we needed to do some much-needed test baking. Unfortunately, I had to put my sewing business aside, but I was steadfast in my prayers for a way to work from home via the bakery and my side hustles of sewing and writing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Honestly, I was still going back and forth between writing or sewing as my primary business, and I believe He used the job to help me figure things out.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hoped for a regular forty-hour week, but the hours were so irregular I had no idea when I'd be home. I could leave anywhere from two hours early to two hours late, making it hard on the family since I was still trying to intermittent fast and eat dinner with them. But when the hours started going into the fifties and sixties, I gave up fasting because I was getting dizzy and would often wake up on the other side of the road on the way home from work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I stopped losing weight but managed to maintain most of my loss. But that's for a different post on my weight loss blog.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The job was also a time of tempering. I hadn't worked a full-time job since starting my family over twenty years ago, and though I did work, it mainly was self-employment as a contractor (Uber, Lyft, Medical delivery, etc.). This was a new ball of wax, and I had trouble adjusting initially.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a fantastic boss. She was patient and willing to answer any questions and talk to me about work etiquette. She was bilingual and would teach me Spanish, while I would teach her a bit more English than she already knew. The workers would let me practice talking with them and correct me if I got something wrong. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It also tempered my muscles. Sewing twelve hours a day on a fifty-five-year-old body takes its toll, and I went through several packs of Bio-Freeze pads before I stopped aching. My sewing skills also improved, as well as my speed. Though I admit, those industrial machines did spoil me. I </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">especially</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> loved the auto thread-cutting feature!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eventually, I got into the swing of things and adjusted to the feast-or-famine hours, though I started feeling like God was trying to strengthen my flight muscles for my fledgling leap into the world of self-employment. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was faster and better than I used to be, and I was confident I could sew for twelve hours at a time if I had to. I also learned to be flexible with my time and adjust to interruptions- two things I've always struggled with.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But where did God want me? What was He setting me up to do?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That and more in the next post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope this encourages you that He has a plan no matter your struggles, even if we don't know His end game. Keep praying without ceasing- He hears you!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-45062396133921224502023-07-07T03:44:00.001-07:002023-07-10T07:43:52.394-07:00The Holy Trinity of Updates- Part One: When the Devil Wears Cleats<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You know you're going in the right direction when Satan jumps on you with both feet- in cleats.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-e_nM8t8-kW5rRAa34hHmyfJN8C3phsPgZTkmgnQyzHq6iAMSsF_F_Sg-jq7boaMhRefJVA4B2jURLkGNOj27zeoA6KZpDKTqbqM-tpuAQ8jJqU0ejfnNdCH5qj9J5nRwcPSZNSBMaMQbZBBdizhOib0rWUd6aR9Y9XDzHhvGuEZRhppv1qBfCO6cpo/s640/football-1568401_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-e_nM8t8-kW5rRAa34hHmyfJN8C3phsPgZTkmgnQyzHq6iAMSsF_F_Sg-jq7boaMhRefJVA4B2jURLkGNOj27zeoA6KZpDKTqbqM-tpuAQ8jJqU0ejfnNdCH5qj9J5nRwcPSZNSBMaMQbZBBdizhOib0rWUd6aR9Y9XDzHhvGuEZRhppv1qBfCO6cpo/s320/football-1568401_640.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In our case, it started with an involuntary sixteen weeks off-grid. Yes, you read that correctly. <i>Sixteen weeks</i> without internet. There's only one provider here (so far), and they decided they didn't need to fix or provide services until we called the FCC.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was starting an online business. <i>Was</i>. With no internet, I couldn't maintain a store on Etsy, so I had to look for work. I found a job as a sewing machine operator. Little did I know this job would become my life for nearly a year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A week before the job started, our only vehicle died.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Local friends helped me to get back on the road via borrowed vehicles, and I was able to get to and from work for the first few weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The job itself had its shortcomings, including irregular hours. I was either asked to sacrifice hours and have very short weeks, and other times I was working so much overtime all I could do was wake up, go to work, come home, eat, and sleep. Some days my family only saw me for fifteen minutes before I had to fall into bed, sore and exhausted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The drive was an hour and ten minutes one way, so at the end of the week, I spent nearly twelve hours on the road. When you add fifty to sixty-hour work weeks, that time adds up! I often had to call friends for as long as the signal lasted to stay awake on the road home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We finally entered the slow season two weeks ago, where we were asked to sacrifice hours again. I was glad because the busy season lasted a whopping five months, and I was ready for a break. Next month would be a year at the job, and I would qualify for a raise and benefits, including vacation pay.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last week, they called me into the office and let me go.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I left it at that, you'd think I'd be depressed. I'm not. I just told you all the bad stuff because these things happen for a reason, and though we don't always know what that reason is (in fact, God can be pretty tight-lipped most of the time), we need to remain faithful because His plans aren't ours. In my case, I need tempering before I can be the sword He wants me to be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He is preparing me for greatness. He's preparing you too. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I divided this blog post into three parts, so you didn't have to read a novel-worth of text (a blog-vel?...Nah). Keep reading- it gets better!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-71004158181958810302022-07-14T08:41:00.001-07:002022-07-14T08:41:38.088-07:00 The Holy Trinity, Explained<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For years I had trouble with the concept of God being three separate beings, yet one being. It just never made sense!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm an out-of-the-box thinker (possibly autistic), so I put my brain to work to understand this nearly unfathomable concept. Then, a few years ago, it hit me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Water. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FvZumS3O26iBxNLHnB71_BFKAKTefFj_ibbthf5CG3vcP_cOjMrFdlraQUQh3gtpKucpEfItnG0iqkeeIfSFHWgQuWPMsMolv9i4p9-eaRArs62qf4pVUruxjv_1yrTbWvfIoEJf3XFOF_VI6ecBesni-n-Nq3SwwzGXsA69btY0FPq4_wtzopfy/s4688/pexels-tobias-bj%C3%B8rkli-2104137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3793" data-original-width="4688" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FvZumS3O26iBxNLHnB71_BFKAKTefFj_ibbthf5CG3vcP_cOjMrFdlraQUQh3gtpKucpEfItnG0iqkeeIfSFHWgQuWPMsMolv9i4p9-eaRArs62qf4pVUruxjv_1yrTbWvfIoEJf3XFOF_VI6ecBesni-n-Nq3SwwzGXsA69btY0FPq4_wtzopfy/s320/pexels-tobias-bj%C3%B8rkli-2104137.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="Photo by Tobias Bjørkli: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-clouds-over-snow-covered-rock-hill-peaks-2104137/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photo by Tobias Bjørkli</a><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Wait a second</i>, I hear you say. W<i>hat does water have to do with the Three-in-One?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Good question. And now, I can hopefully define the answer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Water can be broken down into three separate entities yet still be what it is-water. So you have water, ice, and vapor. God is the water, Jesus is the ice, and the Holy Spirit is the vapor.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's break this down a bit further.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He is everywhere and in everything. Too much water and we're overwhelmed; too little and we're thirsty. No water at all, and we're dead. We need water to survive, just as we need God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Jesus:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He is the physical manifestation of water-ice. It can be seen, touched, and has a presence you can feel. Ice can also be broken and crushed by us. Once shattered, it melts, goes back into its natural state (water), and can be remade into ice.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Holy Spirit:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is vapor. It protects us from the sun (so we don't burn up), and when breathed in, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">it's absorbed by the body, making us a part of everything around us. Once condensed, it returns to its natural state (water, in the form of rain).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God is there whether we want Him there or not. He's all around us. First, however, we must actively breathe Him in to make Him a part of our lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope this post helps you understand God a little better. I know it helped me a great deal when He showed me this concept a few years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So breathe deeply, my friends. He is there. Always!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-72393354317445208762022-06-01T04:37:00.002-07:002022-06-01T04:37:43.875-07:00Saving Snakes and Pear Trees<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's not easy being a hero.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When our pear tree lost a primary branch, our family gathered cuttings, and I'm trying to bring all nineteen of them back to life. Spiders were caught and released into the wild. The same goes for mice (if the cats failed to do their jobs), flies, ladybugs, and even stinkbugs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But the other day was the most interesting save yet.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My daughter called out that there was a black snake ever-so-slowly crossing the road in front of our house. It came from somewhere under our house, so I have no idea where the thing was sleeping, but the weather warmed enough that it awoke and was looking for a place to warm in the sun.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy4oAw1Yb24ytOvhliy_OsOGVFSSPyMcDDmQP61-KrSFDlxwEzHOdH5rQT1k70ZqfXivaoyyZkt-aqguHRnYVgMWEF9PM_J9p6dvFjCnXWtbAcQN6sSd9ltkffxpKElo-R-8isWHI2MWKFwGkP1kfQC-RoxQ5XlrmvLKRwy6ry-lg3-ueZ1usCMNo/s1280/red-bellied-black-snake-g669b330e6_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy4oAw1Yb24ytOvhliy_OsOGVFSSPyMcDDmQP61-KrSFDlxwEzHOdH5rQT1k70ZqfXivaoyyZkt-aqguHRnYVgMWEF9PM_J9p6dvFjCnXWtbAcQN6sSd9ltkffxpKElo-R-8isWHI2MWKFwGkP1kfQC-RoxQ5XlrmvLKRwy6ry-lg3-ueZ1usCMNo/s320/red-bellied-black-snake-g669b330e6_1280.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: initial; padding: initial;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/storme22k-4337202/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=6749361" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Storme22k</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=6749361" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The middle of the road isn't the best choice, snake-dude.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Traffic here in the boonies is sparse but not so light that a snake can sunbathe without getting hit. So my daughter, terrified of touching it, was trying to coax it across the road with a stick.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The snake wasn't having it and stayed put. It was still a bit torpid and didn't lash out, but it didn't move across the road either. So I told my daughter to just pick it up by the back of the head and near the end of the tail and carry it over before someone came down the road.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">She looked at me as if I lost my snake-pickin' mind.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, this is a young lady that can make a bucking, twelve-hundred-pound horse follow her like a puppy in less than ten minutes (truth- I saw her do this!), but she squealed when she was required to pick up a three-foot black snake this is neither poisonous nor venomous.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the tender age of five, this same child dropped a little white mouse into the tank of a friends' boa constrictor and<i> giggled </i>when the snake got the mouse. Did it matter that she was playing with the feeder mice before this? No, of course not. But sixteen years later, she decided snakes were off her 'cool and touchable' list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mom to the rescue!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">She backed away as I approached, picked up the snack gently by the back of its head and near the end of its tail, and carried said rabid python of doom to the other side of the road.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The snake barely even reacted to me, and I forgot that snakes are all muscle. It was weird holding its body as I felt muscles flex under its leathery skin. I let it go on the other side of a small ditch next to the road, far enough away from the asphalt in hopes of deterring it from the street. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just in time too, because a car was coming.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I came back across the street, my daughter, dumbfounded, gave me a high-five and exclaimed how impressed she was at my snake-handling talents. It felt so good I thought about sewing myself a little cape and playing the <i>Superman</i> theme.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Okay, maybe not, but it still felt pretty awesome.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Spring in the boonies has been an adventure so far. I wonder what the summer will bring?</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-35186712945869968982022-03-22T07:50:00.000-07:002022-03-22T07:50:09.907-07:00In-Deedy-Do!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes you need to pursue what you want in life. In this case, it was the deed to our home and store.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVWJOhqrZvupn7ixSmj3-VmzdjwL17IXFWkkoLykT_12tBlvpNnMQQTJwfSg1T25kC72DYkpsY30iDmH-H7gSUpDZhMRIshpz0-uuOibvTwNZf36y-_EPCkbk4hkpJ98c5he9uM9us-QSfEWD7jKGPff_jxP96eqVmiaV91A_iqvBa3SxY0_5UwM1/s1280/realtor-ga7d8e163d_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1280" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVWJOhqrZvupn7ixSmj3-VmzdjwL17IXFWkkoLykT_12tBlvpNnMQQTJwfSg1T25kC72DYkpsY30iDmH-H7gSUpDZhMRIshpz0-uuOibvTwNZf36y-_EPCkbk4hkpJ98c5he9uM9us-QSfEWD7jKGPff_jxP96eqVmiaV91A_iqvBa3SxY0_5UwM1/s320/realtor-ga7d8e163d_1280.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In October of last year, we were supposed to sign the papers for the property and move in. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up, so the document signing was postponed until November.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, we'd already made plans to move on October 9th, and we couldn't get out of it because the day we were moving out, the new owners of our old home were moving in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily, our property owner said we could move in for a security deposit that would be taken off the total purchase amount of the house and store. So we agreed and moved in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The following month, we signed the documents, and the attorney said we'd be mailed the deed as soon as it was surveyed and registered with the county.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We waited and waited. The locals warned us to not call the county because that would delay things further. So we bided our time and wondered if we would ever get our bakery up and running.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Finally! The surveyor showed up in January. Excited, I went out to speak with him. Unfortunately, the news wasn't good. He told us they were backlogged, and we wouldn't see our deed for another six to nine months.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Months. Not weeks. Not days. <i>Months</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had to come up with a new plan. Repairs and a few renovations were made to the home, but we had to have the deed to get the grants and loans needed to make any profound changes. The sale of our old home allowed us to pay off all debt and avoid a mortgage on the new place but didn't leave much left once the necessities were purchased. Nearly three months after the move, the money was running thin.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our daughter got a job. However, during our employment search, we got The Virus, and after recovering, my husband badly sprained his foot. That double blow knocked us out for over two months. During that time, we did a lot of searching for ways to get the bakery started. But it all fell on the premise that we have a deed first.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband is a patient man, but this delay was even wearing his patience thin. My patience was almost non-existent from the start, so I kept looking for loopholes. I wanted to call the county, but my husband discouraged me due to the advice of the locals. They know how things work here, and we don't. I complied.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For about two weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband found a job two weeks ago. Last week, they were both working. </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being unsupervised</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">, I decided God gifted me with a big mouth and tenacious nature for a reason, and I would call the county while they were at work, thanks to a neighbor who gave me a name and number to speak to at the courthouse. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm also gifted with being polite and tactful (she said humbly), so I knew better than to get on the phone and yell. All I wanted to know was how much longer we needed to wait, so I could make plans to have all our ducks in a row as soon as the ink was dry.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unexpectedly, the county clerks were super friendly and really helpful! A fifteen-minute phone call clarified everything, and there was some surprising news. Our deed was already registered. It was recorded in early December.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0jnE-MCChrJ1CmC2zzOFKuMca6He0reQwYW1aQOrqihzoPDuMjgO7TjcaXL8WyBwQEXUj1AtnSMc8OPKKPMNZnitEz32gm9EqSmzIPDNnU1wKcwHvm1vleVXhnOsChfhUSJyjliqQn0xMYbGjGNiP6FSL3yCu85kjGUAjLiUCNXkRP04CDXHE6jK/s1280/frustrated-gd419039f0_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0jnE-MCChrJ1CmC2zzOFKuMca6He0reQwYW1aQOrqihzoPDuMjgO7TjcaXL8WyBwQEXUj1AtnSMc8OPKKPMNZnitEz32gm9EqSmzIPDNnU1wKcwHvm1vleVXhnOsChfhUSJyjliqQn0xMYbGjGNiP6FSL3yCu85kjGUAjLiUCNXkRP04CDXHE6jK/w320-h230/frustrated-gd419039f0_1280.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">What?</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Apparently, the real estate attorney in charge of sending us the deed dropped the ball. Had they sent it in December like they should have, we could've gotten a three-month jump in getting the bakery started (despite covid and his sprain).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Deep breaths, people. Deep breaths.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sure, we could get mad and badmouth the attorney that made the error, but to be honest, we'd rather put that energy into getting the business started. Much more positive and productive!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last week when my husband came home from work, I told him the good news and why there was a delay. The next day he stopped by the courthouse on his way home and got our deed. </span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">WOOHOO!</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes being a big mouth pays off. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have a lot of work ahead because our ducks <i>aren't</i> in a row yet. We got distracted with things like jobs because we needed heat and food and other stuff not bakery-related, trying to keep ourselves afloat. Sigh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The good news is we just got a mentor two weeks ago from SCORE (retired business people mentoring new business owners) who is helping organize our ducks. So now we finally can apply for the funds needed to rebuild the store into our dream bakery cafe and an advisor to help us avoid making dumb mistakes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don't know about you, but I can't wait to start!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-70019848506108021182022-03-22T06:05:00.000-07:002022-03-22T06:05:04.366-07:00Hoofin' It<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some say living in the country is boring. I disagree. In fact, a lot more goes on around here than you think; but unlike the city, these adventures often include our four-footed friends with hooves.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-avmNU8W37PX0Lj-j5Kpf2FNYedMGZ4WcpiZ2vhggjJVMxcv8BACZ-bl9O1g9vdvnU99XQ-puuwJF-VEl8kakNReIpaaBLnnxL7euWFbwqTIpb2vsSly41YM6odudXchDGN3IjoWOW39Td89o9Rn008cqvfcHKb9aWwGmUA2NpG65N1RYwBv2a59s/s1280/deer-ga480f807a_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="853" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-avmNU8W37PX0Lj-j5Kpf2FNYedMGZ4WcpiZ2vhggjJVMxcv8BACZ-bl9O1g9vdvnU99XQ-puuwJF-VEl8kakNReIpaaBLnnxL7euWFbwqTIpb2vsSly41YM6odudXchDGN3IjoWOW39Td89o9Rn008cqvfcHKb9aWwGmUA2NpG65N1RYwBv2a59s/s320/deer-ga480f807a_1280.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who...me?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Deer run rampant in the mountains and sometimes wind up on the roads. Unfortunately, many get hit, especially around dusk and dawn. That's usually when people are traveling to and from work. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not good for the deer, but a mixed blessing for the driver.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You see, out here in the sticks, if you hit a deer, you can take it home for meat. The upside is that you get enough meat to last a few months; however, the downside is that deer can damage your vehicle when you hit one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our neighbor hit a deer on the way home, tossed the five-point buck in his truck, and drove another thirty minutes to get home. He put the deer in his shed and went inside to eat dinner.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After dinner, he and his wife went into the shed to butcher the deer (yes, many people around here are farmers and butcher their own animals for food.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">No deer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">They looked down the road, and their dinner was making a run for it. Talk about fast food!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Apparently, the buck was stunned unless we have zombie deer out here. They let him go without a fuss. If he could walk away, he earned a second chance. Just stay off the roads, buddy!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few weeks back, I missed an incident with cows, even though it happened right across the street. A cow decided to play freedom fighter and managed to escape the fence by opening the gate. No one knows if the cow unlocked it or if the gate was accidentally left unlocked, but the heifer and a few others made a break for it and took off down the road.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Luckily, they got them back before they got too far. I still can't believe I missed that!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Spring is springing, and as the weather warms, we hear new sounds all around us. Unfamiliar birds chirping, the cries of hawks and eagles, and the occasional farm animal letting farmers know they're hungry.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The other day, I was at my desk and kept hearing my phone go off. I had the phone muted, but the vibrations were on, and every few minutes, I would hear my phone vibrate. But there weren't any messages or notifications.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Frustrated, I restarted my goofy phone. Again, those low, rumbling vibration sounds, but the phone was in my hand, restarting this time. It wasn't vibrating. What gives?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It took me a minute, but then it dawned on me. That sound wasn't my phone. It was a <i>cow</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQBB2cbEs1djE8cSHP6Wyw7sN5rKDfoBD4sf-Hf-S0Z_HWFvxGvevCerBIHqc2Hk8saTiEvqmQvJZRsfbTeGalDS_IpAefgTWRHZdpLHtIs_YtSe-CyBVXu4EcN94Nx5-n4Bkp4zWN59fTsAxA1TeKRMMg3a38ICVS2GzDj254Yqxk_nhMQO3jvAq/s1280/cow-ga8d182271_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQBB2cbEs1djE8cSHP6Wyw7sN5rKDfoBD4sf-Hf-S0Z_HWFvxGvevCerBIHqc2Hk8saTiEvqmQvJZRsfbTeGalDS_IpAefgTWRHZdpLHtIs_YtSe-CyBVXu4EcN94Nx5-n4Bkp4zWN59fTsAxA1TeKRMMg3a38ICVS2GzDj254Yqxk_nhMQO3jvAq/s320/cow-ga8d182271_1280.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was a low, soft <i>moo</i> that sounded exactly like my muted cell phone! I called my daughter downstairs to tell her the story and listen out the window; we both had a good laugh.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Spring is coming. The crocuses are popping up, as are the daffodils. The sun is out, and on warm days, I sit outside and read a book, enjoying the fresh air and gentle breezes. Sometimes I stop reading just to listen to the birds, chickens, and the occasional <i>moo</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know it was a cow this time because I'd left my phone inside the house!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-30954585082762665442022-03-12T07:47:00.001-08:002022-03-12T07:47:31.270-08:00Changing Gears (Temporarily)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYg9BxiJReiM30zsUj0W8OFPZc5RWEwDkQo4knHs8r3Rk-PH_vrHtRlK0r58UT0hKwgYUSgCGZ0DqSWMkOmNBXH7aKe2bSV-_xtFir9PNfkeqvG8aNht8feLq_lCfFZVoLRNFvCFKHXlwbW7Pnh80FLd8U_56yO-r88onQVaDnkRxdYIRLpqWs2TYt=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1280" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYg9BxiJReiM30zsUj0W8OFPZc5RWEwDkQo4knHs8r3Rk-PH_vrHtRlK0r58UT0hKwgYUSgCGZ0DqSWMkOmNBXH7aKe2bSV-_xtFir9PNfkeqvG8aNht8feLq_lCfFZVoLRNFvCFKHXlwbW7Pnh80FLd8U_56yO-r88onQVaDnkRxdYIRLpqWs2TYt=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh, Time, you manipulative beast. How you toy with us! Then, just</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> when you think you've got a plan, Time comes along and pees on your shoe.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The weather up here is much like our lives, all over the place. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday it was almost sixty degrees, sunny and warm. Today we're in the middle of a blizzard, expecting seven inches of the fluffy white stuff- and I don't mean bunnies.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unfortunately, the same thing is happening concerning the bakery. Red tape is sticky stuff and can clog up the works under normal circumstances, but throw in a pandemic and things get downright entrenched.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have the business registered. We also have the bakery name registered (I'll announce the name when we get the logo trademarked). However, we need the deed to the house and store to move forward. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I know what you're thinking. Yes, we should've gotten it when we officially bought the place. However, the surveyor still hadn't redefined the property lines (they had to separate our property from the parcel of land of the previous owner), so until they surveyed, the deed was in limbo. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So we made repairs on the house, excited that it should be only a few weeks before we could start applying for grants and loans.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The surveyor came in February. Yes! We could finally move forward! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But wait. He told us it would take more than a few weeks. It would take at least six to nine <i>months</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Uh oh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We paid off everything- including the new place when we moved- so we had zero debt. However, the repairs had cost more than expected (especially when a thousand dollars in building material went from a full skid to barely one-fourth of a skid), and the reserves were running out. Fast.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Time to change gears. We had to start looking for work. In the boonies. Even the locals said, 'Good luck with that!'</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our daughter found a job with a local egg-producing plant. God blessed us unexpectedly because the plant allows us to take home free eggs (as long as it was for home consumption). My husband found a job that was twice the distance, but it paid well. All he had to do was take the safety classes, and he was good to go.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then things got weird. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On day two of the mandatory classes, we got The Virus. All three of us. He lost the job because he didn't show up to the second safety class. He was viral. Oh sure, he could've shown up for the class with a 102-degree fever, but the safety class he studied for said not to go to work if you're sick because they work in the food industry. So he was let go for obeying the rules.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Gotta love the irony.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He could reapply, but only after two weeks in seclusion. It was a significant bump in the road, but our daughter said she would do what it took to keep us afloat. I'm thankful that God blessed us with great kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He also blessed us with a great church. They didn't know us from Adam (a little Biblical humor there), but they still wanted to help and donated a few gas cards and some food items to keep us going. I can't tell you what a blessing they are!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Almost three weeks later, my husband was in the process of reapplying for the job when he had to fetch our daughter from work. Unfortunately, he severely sprained his ankle on some black ice walking to the van. He was down for the count for at least six weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Honestly, We felt like the Hebrews in Egypt. You need to listen to what God tells you! The first time, he got sick for two weeks; the second time, he was hurt for <i>six</i> weeks. We are not stupid people, and we took the hint that God just didn't want him to work at that job. We weren't willing to see what 'third times the charm' would do! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The last time he didn't listen, he was in the hospital for eighteen days with third-degree burns. Thanks, but no thanks. We'll listen to the Big Guy from now on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We found out later that the job required a five-year contract. Yikes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So now we were back to square one. Should we keep looking for work, or did God have something else planned? We delved deep into business regulations to see if there was an answer. There was, but it wasn't clear what we should do about it. So we prayed. a <i>lot</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Several things happened this week that both clarified and muddied the business waters. When we first moved here, we asked for a mentor from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) but were told they were fresh out due to the pandemic. However, this week we were contacted by a mentor willing to talk with us!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mentors help new business owners sort out what they need to start their businesses. His advice was constructive; we're considering changing the dynamics of our original bakery cafe. He also suggested we start out in the cottage industry until we get our business legs under us. He helped clarify a lot.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But we still needed income, and we knew God wasn't thrilled with the last prospect, so being more than a bit trepidacious, we looked for employment elsewhere. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband starts his new job next week, and because we only have one vehicle, I'll be working out of the home, making things to sell at local fairs and online. In addition, I'll be going through what we don't need from the move to sell via a giant yard sale.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It won't be easy, but we <i>will</i> get this bakery off the ground! It might take a year longer than expected, but we know God put us here to feed people both physically and spiritually.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And when that happens, it's going to be <i>awesome</i>.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-3234483540995860962022-02-07T13:36:00.000-08:002022-02-07T13:36:11.114-08:00The Calm Before the Store<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3f9FqAoRbhMgv85lqiJWVTcp-M5Eevd9Y-luAM1bzHGzwaIvRhs2KSLVn6Ezz29UTQh5gQPRxvxGDTQDwZ7IFCxlyJMAAW5ish6iK66nRas7BaALq_L8Sztsbm2RYsrK289x7xi9atFl3kgt_bqetdXNHK3MW8RuL9-tb8lnxWozrzXMfwMdDAWMZ=s192" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="192" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3f9FqAoRbhMgv85lqiJWVTcp-M5Eevd9Y-luAM1bzHGzwaIvRhs2KSLVn6Ezz29UTQh5gQPRxvxGDTQDwZ7IFCxlyJMAAW5ish6iK66nRas7BaALq_L8Sztsbm2RYsrK289x7xi9atFl3kgt_bqetdXNHK3MW8RuL9-tb8lnxWozrzXMfwMdDAWMZ=w295-h221" width="295" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">(yes- this is part of the actual store!)</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wow- has it been two months already?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How can time pass so fast when the outside world is so quiet?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maybe it's because of the icy weather we've been having. It's been in the single digits for a few weeks. I didn't even know the van thermometer could go into negative numbers. So glad my husband was able to clear out the garage in time to avoid the snow- the entire yard is a sheet of ice. Yikes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Much has happened lately, including all of us getting that lovely little virus that shut down the world. My homemade remedy helped a great deal, and though the actual virus couldn't be avoided, the symptoms were significantly less severe after drinking my special blend of tea.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're over it now, though my husband is still coughing a lot. It aggravated his Irritated Bronchial Syndrome, but he's getting better each day. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And speaking of my husband...remember that ice I mentioned? Well, Mountain Man decided to take the shortcut up the icy hill to the garage and sprained his ankle. Bad. I had no clue until he came in the door limping. He was surprised he could walk, no less walk back to the house. So he's been down and out for the past three weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My daughter and I have been playing nurse, and he's recovering nicely.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As for the bakery, the paperwork is slow going, like molasses in...er...February. We have the LLC and the business name, but not much else- I won't go into details, but God let us know that him getting a job was out of the question (the ankle was the 'icing' on the cake- forgive the pun- but we got the point, Lord!), so our focus has been getting the business up and running.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So much paperwork! And of course, the papers we have aren't the right ones. And the mentors for the Small Business Association (SBA) and few and far between, so we're basically doing this blind. But I'm glad God is leading us!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We just have to be patient.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Patience is a virtue I barely have, but God makes me practice it- All. The. Time.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ugh.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're still getting to know the natives, but they are hermits and hibernate during the winter months, at least until the weather warms. It was a balmy 35 degrees this morning, and I greeted a few heads that popped out of their hidey-holes as they grabbed firewood or went to their day jobs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We hear spring is where the action is. Not only is spring when fishing season opens, but flea markets, fairs, and farmers' markets start to pop up everywhere. In fact, we were told to have our yard sale at the first inkling of springtime. So hopefully, we'll have everything sorted by then!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The church folks are warming up to us, and we will start taking new member classes in March. I'm not sure if we'll be involved in any ministries yet, though we'd like to; we just don't want to commit too soon because we have no idea what the bakery will require of our physical and mental strength.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Community meetings are every second Wednesday, so Mr. Gimpy and I will be attending this week. We're curious to see differences from those in Philly, and we need to ask if we should present ourselves as a new business in the near future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the meantime, we'll bundle up and take a quick peek at the stars- because winter skies are crystal clear at night, and the view is spectacular.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And we get to go inside and warm ourselves by the propane fireplace when we're done!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Would you like to see a new blog depicting our journey into becoming business owners? I'd love to hear from you in the comments! </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-74410356304815279382021-12-03T07:55:00.002-08:002021-12-03T07:55:47.994-08:00Good Things Come to Those Who Wait<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1lEf0HJ_WxDGfXKWsJ2y-iAMZgcSqJGHD-Ii2qpc41vlpoqLaDMpT6Kg-WsCwVqQilfy451BgFu8dFd7AlZXFMkJ-NsaWfVpBbNyvIIQj9_oWkhh-iIQ8t5POz6pQ9rdRV5G2EK1OZI/s1280/waiting-g5f3fc9c8b_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1lEf0HJ_WxDGfXKWsJ2y-iAMZgcSqJGHD-Ii2qpc41vlpoqLaDMpT6Kg-WsCwVqQilfy451BgFu8dFd7AlZXFMkJ-NsaWfVpBbNyvIIQj9_oWkhh-iIQ8t5POz6pQ9rdRV5G2EK1OZI/s320/waiting-g5f3fc9c8b_1280.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The wait is over, and I have so much to share with you!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We've finally got an internet connection, and I can stop inundating you with multiple postdated posts! Not only can we upload and download everything we need to do, but our daughter can also talk on Zoom, which means she can do her spring semester classes online. No eleven-hour drive to New Hampshire, just to have her secluded in her dorm room!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Can I get a WOOHOO?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Renovations are going well for the sewing room. We've painted it, and the color came out so pretty! It really brightened up the room. My husband also decided to take out the carpet and replace the flooring- and I got to choose the color! We also bought a ceiling fan to match the floor. Not everything is finished yet, but here are a couple of pictures of the walls and floor (and the beautiful new air vents too!)</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkvkzwR6XARIg8rsIsDr7xTnX5BhBi_MWcS7pSauXQHjF1XouvLAdAXwuupStL57Md23oe54s6NXfoChCSJSj3cw2lY1ly3ybtnQItUzk8t_h0mGJXV1sBAR4DL_7DgBsaeYrF3bVO9M/s2048/20211203_094707%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimkvkzwR6XARIg8rsIsDr7xTnX5BhBi_MWcS7pSauXQHjF1XouvLAdAXwuupStL57Md23oe54s6NXfoChCSJSj3cw2lY1ly3ybtnQItUzk8t_h0mGJXV1sBAR4DL_7DgBsaeYrF3bVO9M/s320/20211203_094707%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkNSO-x4mJYTQMb-DNgP2YuTty7iqn_o-ZbAB05jlYL0JLmq5-AoyhpNckkRphfVeaZBsFUq6Y3pTCZm0-4nR8HEeVaLpxFxg9DP70wxaw0IHaokv1zXsyijKR9gqzPfAusaxdMGXuPM/s2048/20211203_094658%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkNSO-x4mJYTQMb-DNgP2YuTty7iqn_o-ZbAB05jlYL0JLmq5-AoyhpNckkRphfVeaZBsFUq6Y3pTCZm0-4nR8HEeVaLpxFxg9DP70wxaw0IHaokv1zXsyijKR9gqzPfAusaxdMGXuPM/s320/20211203_094658%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Next up is new baseboards with a fresh coat of white paint. After that is the ceiling fan install and an area rug (for the rolling desk chairs), and we're done! </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, almost. My husband wants to build a few more bookshelves before moving <i>everything</i> in, but I can start creating and writing before those are installed. We plan to turn a small part of the space into a reading nook for the three of us since we became avid readers during our disconnection to the Web.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not having internet has its benefits!</span></div><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As for the propane issue, the guy never showed for the appointment. Again. After a very heated phone call (from my husband, whose fuse usually wraps the equator several times), we finally got propane the day before Thanksgiving. We were very thankful for fresh-baked bread and turkey!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We learned an important lesson concerning certain gas stations. Some fuel might be cheaper, but not good if it has enough water in it to freeze in the lines overnight. We also learned that the locals sometimes know better than the mechanics when figuring out what's wrong. Leaving the van in the garage and storing a few bottles of dry gas makes for better winter driving.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And speaking of driving, we had a sprinkling of snow the morning we went to pick up our son for the holiday week. And I get to try out the camera on my new phone!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwGB1s_2xMNhH52eMYKs-Ji6dEvs_qHOMarrp6Q8f-AVgFQHzPkxotUy-7eYwG7_vXZBZDsbvsaXotbfwlAPIpDpz580tyI3SxBbpZ_t0JeUQ5lpighpQd-cO7OCR_08aYm3wFwjxfFg/s2048/20211128_080633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwGB1s_2xMNhH52eMYKs-Ji6dEvs_qHOMarrp6Q8f-AVgFQHzPkxotUy-7eYwG7_vXZBZDsbvsaXotbfwlAPIpDpz580tyI3SxBbpZ_t0JeUQ5lpighpQd-cO7OCR_08aYm3wFwjxfFg/w239-h319/20211128_080633.jpg" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VHNwGZA9PRspXXU_1yuDzn3QXUYbFk38T5RxCbQliBNTJ4ZNMDIWASprgoEqsVs71ZPVlNHopeEXxrrSKcZA_5f2e5AkplU7S5wwnKzsxekJn8kcvfn2OgEjEKqHcBVLG9m9VHKrKTU/s2048/20211128_080648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VHNwGZA9PRspXXU_1yuDzn3QXUYbFk38T5RxCbQliBNTJ4ZNMDIWASprgoEqsVs71ZPVlNHopeEXxrrSKcZA_5f2e5AkplU7S5wwnKzsxekJn8kcvfn2OgEjEKqHcBVLG9m9VHKrKTU/w239-h319/20211128_080648.jpg" width="239" /></a></span></div></div></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwGB1s_2xMNhH52eMYKs-Ji6dEvs_qHOMarrp6Q8f-AVgFQHzPkxotUy-7eYwG7_vXZBZDsbvsaXotbfwlAPIpDpz580tyI3SxBbpZ_t0JeUQ5lpighpQd-cO7OCR_08aYm3wFwjxfFg/s2048/20211128_080633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZs7u9KF8-3tHJFGUZdgBNow59zY5WxvKd_R96Ap9PdmbTzfRX3lAidCv2OeprfuQJAoal_JXBeVfeq7bsq3cwQpbkNIbaHeqN9wCjv3qRllHJp5XTtPUqhUF4NWlfE6INp2P40FFkmA/s2048/20211128_080652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZs7u9KF8-3tHJFGUZdgBNow59zY5WxvKd_R96Ap9PdmbTzfRX3lAidCv2OeprfuQJAoal_JXBeVfeq7bsq3cwQpbkNIbaHeqN9wCjv3qRllHJp5XTtPUqhUF4NWlfE6INp2P40FFkmA/s320/20211128_080652.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWk9Q3g4j9j2ss-m4Yn7vNgUH0G71Kc0_RfnkAX2SEf2dM9hVC0cvJZ-ehXH2q9VXd_L_phvwV4Gs32VrY7tcc4tI1lxqZwe3LPUbZSKLet7GSlwzAHooPRvttyI0AAsXcfOjImur5uc/s2048/20211128_080703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXWk9Q3g4j9j2ss-m4Yn7vNgUH0G71Kc0_RfnkAX2SEf2dM9hVC0cvJZ-ehXH2q9VXd_L_phvwV4Gs32VrY7tcc4tI1lxqZwe3LPUbZSKLet7GSlwzAHooPRvttyI0AAsXcfOjImur5uc/s320/20211128_080703.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CCnpY916UFtkj4Yt_CTw6oUXZb1_96nWaH79SVYxvbHyM3FkZT0u9zGgulRdv08VQhg2-dMaYpI43_oVxqwctaKagKdMLVWKMO70JlWRjzfEpQtPLJpnCS7f59sM_ZYEOC9LAxy0U0E/s2048/20211128_083005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CCnpY916UFtkj4Yt_CTw6oUXZb1_96nWaH79SVYxvbHyM3FkZT0u9zGgulRdv08VQhg2-dMaYpI43_oVxqwctaKagKdMLVWKMO70JlWRjzfEpQtPLJpnCS7f59sM_ZYEOC9LAxy0U0E/s320/20211128_083005.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVXNOxK6jstuVkNtQa5qjUy1L5dJhtBNPB57pKL9-77RFCVVxIEVt6Dol1NBaECEUd6cKZDZomhiOTG21SL7r69-6EkhnUTHosS6xfdb7mXJC6WsopzeUEV-pH-f-Xi_rE8eR0cRDMbY/s2048/20211128_084136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVXNOxK6jstuVkNtQa5qjUy1L5dJhtBNPB57pKL9-77RFCVVxIEVt6Dol1NBaECEUd6cKZDZomhiOTG21SL7r69-6EkhnUTHosS6xfdb7mXJC6WsopzeUEV-pH-f-Xi_rE8eR0cRDMbY/s320/20211128_084136.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN7O0y4-UPXA_Lt7NKrvVto8Ld0SMYcsr36LhTczbYheTN_gZxdd4WYlnPDlepjUPxz3s-_YfPGMHg9lx0XjmcrpXQB-3Erhn4uvTjtU6byeYwdDtuB_OHQCQ2Zhx3tsOxLT6iGFlYTE/s2048/20211128_082727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN7O0y4-UPXA_Lt7NKrvVto8Ld0SMYcsr36LhTczbYheTN_gZxdd4WYlnPDlepjUPxz3s-_YfPGMHg9lx0XjmcrpXQB-3Erhn4uvTjtU6byeYwdDtuB_OHQCQ2Zhx3tsOxLT6iGFlYTE/s320/20211128_082727.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHK13b4Tz4rJ1tHtfTN4GPCHOxWdkbICcP9czk7XqjDKqnV4lac3vkzBHQi33hmVZL-P41asOwImUnxV55My9s_NBgDDC7E2qBTvXrKlFdOMGHEf7R5CseIYqfvWJV_ESdvYWCtAjiNA0/s2048/20211128_084353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHK13b4Tz4rJ1tHtfTN4GPCHOxWdkbICcP9czk7XqjDKqnV4lac3vkzBHQi33hmVZL-P41asOwImUnxV55My9s_NBgDDC7E2qBTvXrKlFdOMGHEf7R5CseIYqfvWJV_ESdvYWCtAjiNA0/s320/20211128_084353.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was the perfect snow- just enough to coat the grass and trees, but not the roads. So pretty!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last but not least, we are now officially a company! We have our EIN number and can finally start becoming business owners. Grants, schematics, trademarking, and copyrighting- and that's <i>before</i> we do any renovations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So many more changes happening; my head is spinning. In a good way!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God has taken us a mighty long way into a whole new world of business we only dreamed was possible. I can't wait to see what He does next!</span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-12616030281023851442021-12-03T06:40:00.001-08:002021-12-03T06:40:21.217-08:00I Reckon We're Wreckin'<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">(postdated</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday, November 16th</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">,</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
2021)</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzLvtPlVM1C5vXhW8JqDUFRKNmQVkcYre-3FVlt2js7Cr7-lF0Yk1vqrWjazR2zBN86Jg46EbRxcldg5yQ7n41ED_BYagpLwX8kdRK-zKB6ixJFoi7rovmcND8EcV3N3Gs8fiH3YYSIU/s1280/nails-gbc86eea30_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzLvtPlVM1C5vXhW8JqDUFRKNmQVkcYre-3FVlt2js7Cr7-lF0Yk1vqrWjazR2zBN86Jg46EbRxcldg5yQ7n41ED_BYagpLwX8kdRK-zKB6ixJFoi7rovmcND8EcV3N3Gs8fiH3YYSIU/s320/nails-gbc86eea30_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Oh, so many changes
since my last post!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First, we bought new
phones instead of waiting for the chips that never came (and are probably still
in the depths of Tennessee). The switch to the new phone service allowed us to
drive two to three miles from home instead of seven to twelve.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Believe me, it makes a
difference!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Second, I've finally
broken my plateau in my weight loss journey! My body decided to clean house due
to what we thought was me getting used to the water. After three days of
sheer bliss, I realized I was probably still overeating during my eating
windows and that smaller portions are warranted for further breakthroughs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Third, we'll finally be
able to cook and bake again! The old electric stove had an
unusable oven, and though the burners worked, they were all tilted inward towards
the center. We think the previous owner used all four burners for a giant
canning pot that weighed a ton and bent the burners. My husband refused to cook
anything but breakfast on it until the new propane range came in.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It came, but the
propane to run it wasn't installed yet, due to a hiccup via the service order. So we were without any way to cook in the house for almost a week. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But we are now sturdy
country folk, so my husband decided to make a few breakfasts and a giant pan of
pepperoni cheesesteaks on the propane camping stove when we got tired of the pre-prepped fridge and freezer food.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The propane for the
range comes in today- I hope!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Four, my sewing
room/reading nook is getting renovated, so I can start sewing and writing again
until the bakery is up and running. There <i>was</i> a makeshift wooden cabinet
in the corner of the room, and let's just say we had a big fire last
night that kept us warm outside, despite freezing temperatures. Next is
spackling and painting from that insanely bright blue to a more calming
periwinkle.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is what it looked like when we first moved in:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFgbzIjkAYxPpeuc0y27uhykkD64XjJGd9qSlkEBYeUUo6hOHbLtNepqKxY-g7-3g2RAMnLQ8DEU-Ez90mW7Jitkdfej6OFuZ0QZ1YxQvW-RWvKoj0JuyjJNENLMsvwCqPUcWbHxqXOA/s2048/20211116_105754%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFgbzIjkAYxPpeuc0y27uhykkD64XjJGd9qSlkEBYeUUo6hOHbLtNepqKxY-g7-3g2RAMnLQ8DEU-Ez90mW7Jitkdfej6OFuZ0QZ1YxQvW-RWvKoj0JuyjJNENLMsvwCqPUcWbHxqXOA/s320/20211116_105754%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">And now:</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg_pCOqy8rDeTVwOPKRoEqgAug_FFRI5PBdED36GyZOXNWxCgDgMAD10Vf43Mb2WAqCGMz-qaiSz86bLppHNu_nWAVf4dl-Cdgwoy2bzUSip4l81Q3W_vrCI3ZyaripohNMCHPsZZuGk/s2048/20211116_105746%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg_pCOqy8rDeTVwOPKRoEqgAug_FFRI5PBdED36GyZOXNWxCgDgMAD10Vf43Mb2WAqCGMz-qaiSz86bLppHNu_nWAVf4dl-Cdgwoy2bzUSip4l81Q3W_vrCI3ZyaripohNMCHPsZZuGk/s320/20211116_105746%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2IQSzUmBJ5T7zPb1cYPALkFiPvquW9VP45Y1t6zRfJ0xbsNWFquE9i1XdyDXvCODBQSVBiJt3ilT4fV0A6G2_AiyPCnezn8_1qtJ0P1o2vrBWjO4d9WUfcZEuWYvQHmVVtVWnqEOeDE/s2048/20211119_083339%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2IQSzUmBJ5T7zPb1cYPALkFiPvquW9VP45Y1t6zRfJ0xbsNWFquE9i1XdyDXvCODBQSVBiJt3ilT4fV0A6G2_AiyPCnezn8_1qtJ0P1o2vrBWjO4d9WUfcZEuWYvQHmVVtVWnqEOeDE/s320/20211119_083339%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After a fresh coat of
paint, new flooring, and a few more bookshelves, we can finally move everything into the
space, and I can begin working and creating! I miss making things so much, and
I bought the supplies to make my first project- a giant Christmas wreath
for our front door.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No, we still don't have
internet, and according to the service, we won't have it until the end of <i>this</i>
month. Apparently, they scheduled it for November 29th instead of October 29th by mistake. Thanks a lot,
Service-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We're not even sure if
the signal will be strong enough to do essential things like uploading videos
and Zoom calls. We need both to promote the bakery and allow our daughter
to do college from home. At least we'll be able to make phone calls.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We've not even touched the stuff left in the store- including our moving boxes!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We learned more about starting this business. We registered, but it might take a few
weeks before we get the tax number. We can't
move forward with trademarking and copyrighting our business name without the tax number. We also
can't apply for grants until we have our EIN number.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>And</i> we can't have the
FDA in before everything is built. We must have them in after everything is
renovated. If we decide to change anything after inspection (from a
bakery to a bakery café, like we originally planned), we must have the FDA in
all over again. So we get two inspections before they start charging big bucks.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That changes
everything. We can't start as small as we intended. A lot more reckoning than
we thought and a lot more wreckin' than we planned.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">God got us here. He'll
get us up and running. We're sowing the fields, expecting God to bring the
rain. And as we wait, I'm going to be letting my muse off the leash and run
free in my sewing/writing space.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Step
back and watch the awesomeness!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-90539644217559714062021-11-10T11:19:00.001-08:002021-11-10T11:19:06.582-08:00Country Roads, Take Me Home<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So much to do...and see!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When we weren't fixing up the house or unpacking (which we are still doing, by the way), we went sightseeing and checked out the local scenery. Some of the views were spectacular! Unfortunately, I can't share some sights because stopping on a two-lane mountain road to take pictures when everyone is doing seventy is a big no-no.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Please forgive the windshield.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSUdjnEIy4amcBZ3LLDa04HWAb2x8r6uQCKSty_uPNnxYQ0-uVXcv9fMQV42qgMPWzq956atAfS0ZAI7g-kMZcg0ErSU1U2T9aYZwBG-zeSWjRoUOf0NdO_H_zi6OIg7vPzWsPZfaaWg/s2048/20211017_123023%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSUdjnEIy4amcBZ3LLDa04HWAb2x8r6uQCKSty_uPNnxYQ0-uVXcv9fMQV42qgMPWzq956atAfS0ZAI7g-kMZcg0ErSU1U2T9aYZwBG-zeSWjRoUOf0NdO_H_zi6OIg7vPzWsPZfaaWg/w321-h241/20211017_123023%255B1%255D.jpg" width="321" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2TzJ-5N-N4rM3SRoUjnmavAOdVFDrzHF3mKCn02yHiKveH_qsd3GhHhc4ZeJfkE4wFBnd5mjU-f8gm1Ywverm1D6P-v-zsHa1LiFpWN7N3JaAPswSy3HVcl_R19iEWb8jB8QBWDJ8Lo/s2048/20211017_123303%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2TzJ-5N-N4rM3SRoUjnmavAOdVFDrzHF3mKCn02yHiKveH_qsd3GhHhc4ZeJfkE4wFBnd5mjU-f8gm1Ywverm1D6P-v-zsHa1LiFpWN7N3JaAPswSy3HVcl_R19iEWb8jB8QBWDJ8Lo/s320/20211017_123303%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0CypiVlVkujGRC7XU67_bBgvzpKwGtGP39accNWpkQi85u7oGaR_vAGwqh3j9jxxXytRxdqdylzrjKAgSiIYrQNQb5CvfIFvZxGcTLw69GpIuu9zCLuLypV0odABsF2dJPf05XfhEIk/s2048/20211017_123127%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0CypiVlVkujGRC7XU67_bBgvzpKwGtGP39accNWpkQi85u7oGaR_vAGwqh3j9jxxXytRxdqdylzrjKAgSiIYrQNQb5CvfIFvZxGcTLw69GpIuu9zCLuLypV0odABsF2dJPf05XfhEIk/s320/20211017_123127%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Though sometimes, the traffic was sparse, and we could.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzdmGLyjVjgJnyw3btyEH34ZKC2NqlCNh2opB6qMlZBStpW4SxN396Tm58WQ4thjDOyNWSjME3sisn8eRr9eJODkgv8G93-GEasuWTpLElOKuyEt-ItboqhT8ifMwiD0CRIt2mnsHojI/s2048/20211017_123014%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzdmGLyjVjgJnyw3btyEH34ZKC2NqlCNh2opB6qMlZBStpW4SxN396Tm58WQ4thjDOyNWSjME3sisn8eRr9eJODkgv8G93-GEasuWTpLElOKuyEt-ItboqhT8ifMwiD0CRIt2mnsHojI/s320/20211017_123014%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That was the first two weeks. Then things started to get <i>colorful</i>. Unfortunately, our cameras don't capture the depth of the colors- but they were so pretty!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZiLJzHNkxZZXpjBYvrTpmp4bx7AhvaTZoVIV3os0bk8R6qzgXiQMMAP3GmBS1OMgD4uYX9zZGhcyO6iKGlNIeZTunCX6jeZWIgDItyQI9HjVOVm-0vvQAuXi9Kf9bTvxnM0LTxTMGIE/s2048/20211101_092016%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZiLJzHNkxZZXpjBYvrTpmp4bx7AhvaTZoVIV3os0bk8R6qzgXiQMMAP3GmBS1OMgD4uYX9zZGhcyO6iKGlNIeZTunCX6jeZWIgDItyQI9HjVOVm-0vvQAuXi9Kf9bTvxnM0LTxTMGIE/s320/20211101_092016%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKK-0AZLqIUUlm_Am44oIT4mxDa4VjuC_elGJU_IuiVJNjU99Tesi3EOaKdFTCGqWwyUKJ75sfOJ1o-nl5mgaVLirmmMEEOvlOZCRN7WiLjH_oyKt0bPemg8dBmUBOyNdd52CoYnKV0Q/s2048/20211101_092310%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKK-0AZLqIUUlm_Am44oIT4mxDa4VjuC_elGJU_IuiVJNjU99Tesi3EOaKdFTCGqWwyUKJ75sfOJ1o-nl5mgaVLirmmMEEOvlOZCRN7WiLjH_oyKt0bPemg8dBmUBOyNdd52CoYnKV0Q/s320/20211101_092310%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXIOgJX4_ojPIownwW0fw2H2jNf2v5kWLHPvFnXrFm6hWZnBd5VCekANIhLHigqowcDWcDZPfaZvFGwKbmvGGjdeCMMupRbb2GL83NL7nfinp680OVTNHP6v_21OMCtI2BYPto4s5X04/s2048/20211101_092358%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXIOgJX4_ojPIownwW0fw2H2jNf2v5kWLHPvFnXrFm6hWZnBd5VCekANIhLHigqowcDWcDZPfaZvFGwKbmvGGjdeCMMupRbb2GL83NL7nfinp680OVTNHP6v_21OMCtI2BYPto4s5X04/s320/20211101_092358%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCvg_UTnSlTsfpGaiF15lNEPVmRvY5QAgZQEdmfnA-1BgN8mE6Fh1FMDC0mbhSt8En4Jo4-6LG24cDiFmj9L0vEPOMqg5d0iXUBc2lxuIR2vhU95Ppe9wyIziv3Fuf_k8d-4ftEBnKWM/s2048/20211101_094729%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCvg_UTnSlTsfpGaiF15lNEPVmRvY5QAgZQEdmfnA-1BgN8mE6Fh1FMDC0mbhSt8En4Jo4-6LG24cDiFmj9L0vEPOMqg5d0iXUBc2lxuIR2vhU95Ppe9wyIziv3Fuf_k8d-4ftEBnKWM/s320/20211101_094729%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFs9Re3Cb7ZjmPVgQd4voxUOaUPEXH1VI2eHAxqh9bdwoMXne87Bv0UBB0TM2Yab7XG0JuTCCiChpYb6WTDhqg39MzJrbeA4QlfGWnP2rcz8bmfZnYzjkpnnKmqGWLDm8y0ROsQa2A8Y/s2048/20211101_094607%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFs9Re3Cb7ZjmPVgQd4voxUOaUPEXH1VI2eHAxqh9bdwoMXne87Bv0UBB0TM2Yab7XG0JuTCCiChpYb6WTDhqg39MzJrbeA4QlfGWnP2rcz8bmfZnYzjkpnnKmqGWLDm8y0ROsQa2A8Y/s320/20211101_094607%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Oq0cAsOBs7Fd6KuaLAehUSqun3oAfv4d2ADe2mnyZs4SIDGjzB63PlBlfmHcMajMyEjH0lWTFczQ03JZwosxlm5wQaLb622vaqljUjW9Xhy5zCoQ2UnQTDCd2TnIe9wOSyiKRHdNpo/s2048/20211102_122232%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-Oq0cAsOBs7Fd6KuaLAehUSqun3oAfv4d2ADe2mnyZs4SIDGjzB63PlBlfmHcMajMyEjH0lWTFczQ03JZwosxlm5wQaLb622vaqljUjW9Xhy5zCoQ2UnQTDCd2TnIe9wOSyiKRHdNpo/s320/20211102_122232%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF89H4lXEkbPjBuAttQT8FxYhB2znsEqQaA293OlBSwHV_UFQSNT7hneighnewe4TJANLiWn7wapn-ph-9UVy9lTDphqzf8-51b2awzvBh0Qhw1eHAR7-31Whyw7hVgXs4CWrtE2IAjEE/s960/255271667_859443681405885_1735010719267577535_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF89H4lXEkbPjBuAttQT8FxYhB2znsEqQaA293OlBSwHV_UFQSNT7hneighnewe4TJANLiWn7wapn-ph-9UVy9lTDphqzf8-51b2awzvBh0Qhw1eHAR7-31Whyw7hVgXs4CWrtE2IAjEE/s320/255271667_859443681405885_1735010719267577535_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The sunsets were pretty too...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhXflvWRR-JJS-wJGOaenHW1zgtnbCv8Ht_KqAYet-c_HU_fa9op5xeqbcQxYhfD2h3_uP3KJUTMkab7d4KdGtmITbHW4WvemEHGtgBYHPRxdM9IU3UG3nIQ0_3-GLt30buMg0uCrYl0/s2048/20211014_182048%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhXflvWRR-JJS-wJGOaenHW1zgtnbCv8Ht_KqAYet-c_HU_fa9op5xeqbcQxYhfD2h3_uP3KJUTMkab7d4KdGtmITbHW4WvemEHGtgBYHPRxdM9IU3UG3nIQ0_3-GLt30buMg0uCrYl0/s320/20211014_182048%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTA94T-3FYt4_mheFkfC-qUCW1CwK0SZXjwnnfu30TOpuZRtzkiPxRNHTdv-VAGYmdelC8nhTpgAjjUDutF1RNJN-hGQBnangiCOYluyEZZwWnP3Ev2IBJEse_e9nHp82K3ZAGbKWPsQ/s2048/20211102_175844%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTA94T-3FYt4_mheFkfC-qUCW1CwK0SZXjwnnfu30TOpuZRtzkiPxRNHTdv-VAGYmdelC8nhTpgAjjUDutF1RNJN-hGQBnangiCOYluyEZZwWnP3Ev2IBJEse_e9nHp82K3ZAGbKWPsQ/s320/20211102_175844%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And then we had our first frost. As the sun rose, the trees protected some of the crystals- this was across our street...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVttRXJMT2lp9LODWiBOWeYvUuTbOaEs572ObjOmva56G9rk_L-Tlyj1cxczW7xNTEkfVva47hyphenhyphenyy_SyjwoJOSKvzLi66OM6czPtrGiuN9-IyW6mg6MGMFBMvkocTRp7CRAurZLw3GfL4/s2048/20211104_101802%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVttRXJMT2lp9LODWiBOWeYvUuTbOaEs572ObjOmva56G9rk_L-Tlyj1cxczW7xNTEkfVva47hyphenhyphenyy_SyjwoJOSKvzLi66OM6czPtrGiuN9-IyW6mg6MGMFBMvkocTRp7CRAurZLw3GfL4/s320/20211104_101802%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It gets below freezing at night now, yet the days are surprisingly warm- in the sixties. </span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Neighbors are already asking what we're doing with the store, and after we tell them, they ask when we plan to open the bakery cafe. Yikes-We haven't finished unpacking yet!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We still don't have internet or phone service. It's a blessing, not a hindrance, because we have more house repairs to do than expected. But, if we don't get connected soon, our daughter won't be able to do her college classes online come the spring semester, and we can't get our cooking videos out like we'd planned.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're still hopeful and optimistic, though! God is good, and this could be just another lull before the last big push to get the store up and running. Whatever He has planned, we'll do. All we ask is that you keep us in prayer. If two or three pray, it's a powerful thing, so imagine if everyone who reads this prays- that's super powerful!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hope you enjoyed some of our country roads!</span><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-39061639325762255102021-11-01T10:48:00.000-07:002021-11-01T10:48:14.940-07:00City House, Country House<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(post-dated on 10/21/21)</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewTno_rXP-6nkgI0eTlmObXCeYeR1gSwrIRa1Dm0h5WRqNJjZbuFbEVP257QDopeqelW0HdTtWcP5bcf59YcHoklKkTH52j0ooHQXIxkWJ8VOknUkg06lYmFX_v1t365Lpp3NAPf-c3o/s1435/Our+house.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1435" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewTno_rXP-6nkgI0eTlmObXCeYeR1gSwrIRa1Dm0h5WRqNJjZbuFbEVP257QDopeqelW0HdTtWcP5bcf59YcHoklKkTH52j0ooHQXIxkWJ8VOknUkg06lYmFX_v1t365Lpp3NAPf-c3o/s320/Our+house.gif" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I knew life in the
country would be different, but I didn't think the changes would be so
drastic. I'm sure the lack of internet and phone connections (due to postal and
service screw-ups) has a lot to do with it.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the biggest
hardships so far is getting signals so we can communicate with the world. That's
one of the reasons this blog post is post-dated. I had to write it minus the
internet and insert it into my blog when we finally had a connection.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We got frustrated enough that we drove over an hour away to a Starbucks so we'd have wifi and could communicate with the world (this sentence was written today, 11/1/21.)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As for the phone? Until
we get our new service, we have to drive a minimum of seven miles to the
nearest business that offers a connective hot spot. We do this every day, so my
husband can get his messages and do correspondence. It takes about an hour or
so, sitting in the business's parking lot before opening hours (it doesn't
open until the afternoon three days a week, another quirk which is common here), so we aren't
taking up valuable money-earning space.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Imagine, if you will, a
family of three huddled in their van, raptly transfixed on their mobile devices,
sitting in an empty parking lot almost every day. Why? Just to make phone calls, connect to games, and update their downloadable library because their hard copy books are still packed.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yep. That's us.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
entire week we've been living it, Country Life has been one challenge after another, most of
them good, and some of them interesting. But, I still don't consider myself a
homesteader. Still, as I write this, I'm making two enormous kettles of homemade
tomato sauce because the farmers practically gave the last of their tomato
crops away. And I still have more to make tomorrow.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Don't look at me like
that. Tomatoes were on sale, and we had an empty trunk!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Update: We wound up with five and a half gallons of tomato base!)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ahem. Back to the
comparisons.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The water here is from
a well and tastes fantastic! The city water always tasted like chlorine and
rust- so much so that we had to filter it to make it taste right. The well
water is pumped directly into the plumbing and is the best I've ever tasted,
straight from the rocks. The locals even know where the spring origin is and
are willing to show us once we get settled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The water is free, but
the electricity is expensive. So is the propane. And Kerosene. And oil. Choose your
fuels wisely, folks. You can't keep this stuff in the garage because there's no
natural gas in the boonies.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At least
for the older folks, the internet isn't essential; many don't have or use it. Although
it's still a bit funny to hear the Mennonite lady who runs a fabric store out
of her home yell to us, "Check us out on Facebook!"</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">People 'make do,' and
often, most of their repairs are DIY projects with some interesting results. Our
house is full of them, and my husband puts a lot of effort into making the
'make do's' into 'fixed properlies.' <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's just say that,
around here, you don't need an electricians' degree to rewire your house.
However, most people feel one outlet per room is enough. It isn't.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Carpeting is an option,
but only downstairs. It's a must upstairs. Curtains are also optional and
don't have to cover the entire window. Want a half-curtain? Just use scissors.
It's one of them 'make-do' thangs.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Insect life teems here;
if you don't like bugs, don't live here. Seriously. The good part is most of
the bugs here are harmless and non-aggressive except for these little orangy-yellow
school bus-colored ladybug-like beetles. They may be cute, but they <i>bite</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We haven't seen a
roach/waterbug yet, but there are enough of those tiny school bus beetles to
choke a goat- or clog up every light fixture in the house. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And spiders. One visited our kitchen and did a DIY project overnight, using our ceiling fan chain.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIH3mRc-HXsYe8-UfKceHVde4ehfhx6peYkVkzcbsL7LPWFcwIPQ7ey839B4MDYz_J14CoA0HV6OqLcHK-QUIxTAgLzxdJIpkgZeMFj19BhMNVXXfNmKqjtM7-0AJjurSXOSlw-Xx6oQ/s2048/20211024_132943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIH3mRc-HXsYe8-UfKceHVde4ehfhx6peYkVkzcbsL7LPWFcwIPQ7ey839B4MDYz_J14CoA0HV6OqLcHK-QUIxTAgLzxdJIpkgZeMFj19BhMNVXXfNmKqjtM7-0AJjurSXOSlw-Xx6oQ/s320/20211024_132943.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Stinkbugs don't do much
else other than scare the crap out of you as they buzz about the house like
mini helicopters, but once they've landed, they will happily climb onto any
spare paper you have so you can give them a nice whirlpool funeral. Just don't
squish them, and you're good to go. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even the bees are
friendly here- they just give you a little once-over (as long as you don't
scream and flail about like those attention-getting air-blown tube people) and
fly off once they realize you're not some weirdly shaped flower.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You can burn paper
trash in your yard- in fact, they encourage it. Why? Because the only way
you'll get trash collection is to buy specially colored contractor bags at the
local grocery store at five bucks a pop- then you have to have to pay the
service to haul the bags away, and you can only have four bags at most a week. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, once a week, we
cook over a nice, big fire. Frugality is critical here.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzbYGH1V1gUfpjQRIvvi2dfqrTHT_TXc61gdnarEERwOt4vhw9U-gVokGERpkxjFsHAoNrgdR_C_aSXD5ue7zMsx8PbRL9u_7tGZHWcNqeV5FU0z-HSY0TtOMv9PtTcdaZpe80cpFqsU/s960/Backyard+fire+pit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzbYGH1V1gUfpjQRIvvi2dfqrTHT_TXc61gdnarEERwOt4vhw9U-gVokGERpkxjFsHAoNrgdR_C_aSXD5ue7zMsx8PbRL9u_7tGZHWcNqeV5FU0z-HSY0TtOMv9PtTcdaZpe80cpFqsU/s320/Backyard+fire+pit.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><p></p>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(That's the garage in the background, not the house. <br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband built the fire pit. I love it!)</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nearly everyone here is
75% or more self-reliant. Anything growing on their land, be it plant or
animal, is considered a chance for profit or sustainability. Our property has a
few chestnut trees, a cedar tree, a pear tree, and a small grape arbor.
They are pretty to see, but now that we live here, we realize that what we used
to see as decorative can also be used for profit. So now our thoughts are, what can we do to make
something from the fruit and nuts they bear? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our neighbors hammered
home this point when they came over, five-gallon bucket in hand, asking if they
could pick some pears for canning. They do this each year, and since we just
moved, we didn't have an issue- so we gave them permission, thinking they were
taking <i>all</i> of the pears. Nope, they only wanted enough to fill up their
bucket; but I heard my husband say he wanted to see what he could use them for
next year. Like we need more to do!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Speaking of neighbors,
most were friendly, and some (including the pear-canning people) offered us
some of their homemade goods- including a few dozen fresh eggs and a jar of
apple butter. Others have yet to introduce themselves, and some were a bit
wary, asking what we planned to do with the store, then promptly telling us
'Well, that won't work here,' when we mentioned our plans. But most people are glad to see we're doing something useful with the building.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just wait until they
see what's coming to their old general store!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here are a few other things
we learned this week about country life:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Cows wake up at 4 am.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">'Down the road a bit'
could mean a mile or ten miles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Directions are given by
'So-and-so's house' if you know the area or 'That house with the white sign and
brown horse in the field' if you don't.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are no franchises
anywhere for at least a fifty-mile radius.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Major cable and
internet companies don't build here- yet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Conservatives are
plentiful, and they love God, America, and Trump deeply- and they aren't afraid
to speak their minds!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">People here are patient
and will wait in line without a fuss. But get them on the roads and watch
a good ol' boy nearly run you over with his truck as he passes you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Speed limits are
optional.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">People are more sociable, and everyone
waves back, even if they don't know you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sit out on your porch,
and the local dogs will come over for a visit. One is named Benny. He's the mayor of our four-tenths-of-a-mile village, and he arrives daily for a pet and a cuddle when we're outside. He even smiles!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;">Chickens, oddly enough, won't cross when they see a car coming. So I guess that answers </span><i style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;">that</i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px;"> old joke- He crossed the road because there wasn't any traffic!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ducks, however, don't
give a crap what speed you're going and will cross the road to either be run
over or glare at you indignantly if you stop and yell at them.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The sun rises late and sets early due to the mountains. And nighttime is <i>dark, </i>like black-hole dark. It's pretty common to hit deer and other smaller mammals out here because there aren't many street lights if any.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The stars are like glitter on black velvet when the sky is clear. I had no idea there were that many stars in the sky! It really does look like those space scenes in <i>Star Trek</i>! </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It still feels a bit surreal
to us, like we're here on a working vacation and will have to go back to Philly
soon. Actually, we have to go back, but it's only because we have to
get the rest of our stuff out of storage. So after this weekend, we'll be at the new place for
two straight weeks. Sometimes it feels like we just got here, but most times, it
feels like we've been here for years.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maybe it just took time
for our bodies to catch up with our hearts.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(Update: we moved the rest of our things last weekend. So now we just have to find spots for most of it. We're planning a huge yard sale when we're done because all of our stuff just isn't going to fit!)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The sun and birds greet
us every morning. Sometimes the cows do too. Even on cloudy days, it's bright
outside, and the air is crisp and fresh with a touch of winters' chill. The
trees are just turning to flame colors, and migrating birds point
the way south.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnV8KQRfKugdWpOArvXvjQuuejVT3x0zijfZ0iXqEI3aXBdVa_TnHfgQcz_eRC1Aur7UxIbGgMn-mrCw31M5dW6jcHBXUn60IFQl6nd-KI48nvs57Xz_3YyfPqB1BqFwk6vadtW_H5dE/s2048/20211020_181933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnV8KQRfKugdWpOArvXvjQuuejVT3x0zijfZ0iXqEI3aXBdVa_TnHfgQcz_eRC1Aur7UxIbGgMn-mrCw31M5dW6jcHBXUn60IFQl6nd-KI48nvs57Xz_3YyfPqB1BqFwk6vadtW_H5dE/s320/20211020_181933.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">(the backyard)</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's peaceful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's comforting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's <i>home</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-24369151863523223652021-09-20T07:44:00.002-07:002021-09-20T07:44:59.851-07:00Lifes' Roller Coaster- The Uphill Climb<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyf1o9z9nuzNvPy0Irn7wgfmypqOnbtaRqJ-v11a9Lu-sCNfIYLKGrQkhdDRbaD9Nl1fl_acAFVtI12cNFLEn94CsivPUuyTsT7Uf2iaNLE_x9b-qHM7BTF9O7OAUJXbRcaX6dlfl0zzw/s1280/roller-coaster-1209490_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1280" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyf1o9z9nuzNvPy0Irn7wgfmypqOnbtaRqJ-v11a9Lu-sCNfIYLKGrQkhdDRbaD9Nl1fl_acAFVtI12cNFLEn94CsivPUuyTsT7Uf2iaNLE_x9b-qHM7BTF9O7OAUJXbRcaX6dlfl0zzw/s320/roller-coaster-1209490_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: initial; padding: initial; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1209490" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Free-Photos</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1209490" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Starting a Bakery Cafe has been a dream twenty years in the making. If you asked us several weeks ago if we'd ever be where we are now, we might've said in a few years at the minimum, but not anytime soon. But here I sit, in a nearly empty room, hearing the echo of each tap on my keyboard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's actually happening!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It all started in July. First, we had a woman renting a room. The original plan was to help her get back on her feet and teach her what she needed to know to be independent within two years. But, instead, she's been with us for almost a year when she announced she'd found an apartment and would move out in a few weeks. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first pebble in the avalanche of blessings. We just didn't know it yet!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband and I were surprised but delighted to see she was ready to live on her own. But that left us with a few problems. First, we counted on the rent to pay down debts faster, and now we had an empty room. It was time to think seriously about what we wanted to do because she was our only obligation concerning leaving the city.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God had been nudging us to leave Philadelphia for at least two years. We've lived here our entire lives- in fact, in nearly the same area, spanning Olney and all around Northeast Philadelphia.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At first, we started looking in areas outside the city, but close enough that my husband could still work at the mill. Would we sell this house? Would we rent it out? If we did rent, would we rent rooms or the entire house? What would we do concerning the kids? It was a conundrum we were having trouble deciphering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One bright morning, I was sitting where I am now and decided to have a heart-to-heart with the Big Guy. I'd been holding back, not giving everything up to Him completely. I knew it, and so did He. So I sat back, closed my eyes, spread my arms, and repeated over and over, "I give everything to You, Lord. I'm tired of figuring out what to do. Anything You say, I will follow. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. Give me the strength to do it, and I'll do whatever You want."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I said it over and over until I was smiling. Then, I felt a massive weight off my soul- I knew He heard me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I swear I felt God sigh with relief and say to Himself,<i> Finally</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's one small thing I'd forgotten about when you give God the reins. When He wants to move, He <i>moves</i>. We were about to take the roller coaster ride of our lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Within the first few days, my husband found a house in the mountains with a store attached. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two days later, we got a call from a family friend, pastor, and real estate agent asking us if we were interested in selling our house. He had no idea we were looking.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband told him about the house we were looking at, and we went to see it that week. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We bid on the house and got it, but the sale depended on us selling ours.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few weeks later, we were mostly packed, made renovations, and we were ready to have buyers see the house. It wasn't even on the market, and he had four families lined up!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We went from this:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_YUoRVLjQn1KKPEPqn-NFQ0KBHI-tAzwOrTPLjlvzG9uF3iAxYnma_aKgTgnSxvhgrxZb0jWGJjegjsMm8COuUuKPAQ3fTZbPuVEXzJ07lJCW_kMTHXs6EfAyEJV8Pt1PkLAdPcIByg/s2048/20210825_170555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_YUoRVLjQn1KKPEPqn-NFQ0KBHI-tAzwOrTPLjlvzG9uF3iAxYnma_aKgTgnSxvhgrxZb0jWGJjegjsMm8COuUuKPAQ3fTZbPuVEXzJ07lJCW_kMTHXs6EfAyEJV8Pt1PkLAdPcIByg/s320/20210825_170555.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To this:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rZJ1AsgG7VMD1HC600HraQWS4DCkcjkQcFVg05WaFv8G-OBYVAGRhShKiIahknm10Dee1uW51zE5HCKn2qB4HeLNAxyh14PLhWmLEYO4I-6BnuLQamigb6wQLmN7-t_5fV1x8LcrSGw/s2048/20210909_130924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8rZJ1AsgG7VMD1HC600HraQWS4DCkcjkQcFVg05WaFv8G-OBYVAGRhShKiIahknm10Dee1uW51zE5HCKn2qB4HeLNAxyh14PLhWmLEYO4I-6BnuLQamigb6wQLmN7-t_5fV1x8LcrSGw/s320/20210909_130924.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">...in three weeks. Not just this room- the entire <i>house</i>. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One family came in, loved it, and bid. We happily accepted. The settlement should be within two weeks. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, we wait. When we settle, and the money is deposited, we'll go up and settle on the new place.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And then, the move begins. The tentative moving date is October 9th.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some of you who know us are celebrating with us. Others are worried. How can we do this so fast? Are we making sound decisions?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We're doing this at Godspeed. As for the decisions, we feel God is putting us right where He wants us. So allow me to alleviate your fears and share the wonderfulness that is God.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The air is clean and fresh. Whenever we've camped near here, my husbands' hacking cough stops. It's a debilitating cough caused by the chemicals he works with at his job- he can't laugh too hard, or he has trouble breathing. But not up there. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's no bread bakery in a fifty-mile radius. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are surrounded by farms (potential suppliers), campgrounds (potential customers), and a few stores and small diners (potential commercial customers). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>But wait</i>, I hear you say. <i>There are diners near you. Aren't they competition?</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">'Near' means twelve miles away, in each direction. The campgrounds are about three miles away. The house is on the main thoroughfare between two larger towns and gets traffic from construction workers, truckers, campers, hunters, and fishermen when their seasons start. So naturally, the diners want fresh bread, and most of their menus differ significantly from what's on ours.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And no one there makes good coffee or bakes fresh bread. Any bread is store-bought, including bagels.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Have you ever eaten a toasted bagel breakfast sandwich with a fresh cup of steaming hot coffee while watching the trees change color on a cool, misty morning in a campground? Don't you want to?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's where we come in. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There's even a community meeting place right down the road. We've been involved in our community meetings for years and did many things to help support the neighborhood. And now, God put us right where we need to be to do it again.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The store even has a second floor with one room perfect for a video studio test kitchen. Everything we've ever talked about doing is coming to fruition on a one-third acre patch in the mountains of East Waterford, PA. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And we couldn't be happier.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, we know things will get more challenging, especially concerning licenses, inspections, permits, and zone changes. There's a lot to do, and we plan to be up and running the actual bakery by spring. In the meantime, we'll be making videos, taking pictures, and blogging about our journey into a small business. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I promise to keep you posted!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-78084624424594848302021-08-23T06:07:00.000-07:002021-08-23T06:07:18.040-07:00Mountain Moving<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just when you think God is content with you where you are, He decides to move you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this case, literally.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Within two weeks, God has merrily turned our entire world upside down. The person we were helping get back on her feet found an apartment. We thought she was going to be with us for another year. That was the pebble that released the avalanche. I believe all my husband had to do was decide what he really wanted out of life, and when we started talking about the possibilities, God chose to take over.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You don't want to get in Gods' way when He has a plan in mind!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The house would be too big for the two of us once our son moved out and our daughter returned to college. So we talked about the possibility of renting out the rooms or renting the house entirely. Should we start that dream business of a cafe bakery? Where would we start the business if that was what God wanted? Would we keep the house and rent it out or sell it? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The possibilities were unfathomable. There were too many choices to make.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then we gave it to God. I think He breathed a sigh of relief. <i>Finally</i>, these people were giving Him complete control over their lives. It was about time!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Brace yourself when God takes the wheel.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband not only found a house, but it also had a storefront attached. It had a four-car garage and a giant cedar open-air workshop on a third-acre plot of land, right between two mountain ranges, near the top of a vast hill. However, the store had been shut down five years ago, and the owner retired. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But was it for us?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few days later, a realtor friend called (without knowing we were looking for a place) and asked if we were interested in selling our home. After talking to him about the possibility, we took a day trip to see the mountain property, and though there's a lot of clearing out and renovating to do, it would serve our needs perfectly. It even had an arbor loaded with grapes for making jams and jellies, a pear tree, and a chestnut tree. Roasting over an open fire, anyone?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The store used to sell gas, but they removed the tanks and pumps and dug a new well before putting the property up for sale. Farmers were all around us. One farmer has beef cattle, another has milk, cream, and cream cheese, and there's corn everywhere you look. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And right smack in the middle of the property was a newly refurbished outhouse. We had a good laugh over that, and we're glad the house itself had two bathrooms. We figured the outhouse was for customers and would be a novelty for tourists. And there would be tourists. The town has a whopping population of twenty residents, and the house/store was on the main thoroughfare between two more prominent cities. We'd be the only rest stop for fifteen to thirty miles in any direction. The only places nearby were RV parks and campgrounds- perfect for our business- with a few tweaks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Was there a catch? A little one. We'd have to sell our house because we had too much tied into debt and the remaining mortgage. However, if we sold our house, we could buy the new property outright and be out of debt completely, with no mortgage. We'd have to sell, buy and move within a few weeks.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yikes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The paperwork had been signed, sealed, and almost delivered. Unfortunately, the purchase of that property is contingent on selling our house. We need to fix this place up a bit to make it ready for sale, and I'm packing like a madwoman so we can move as much as possible into temporary storage so the handyman can pretty up the place. It's all for looks because the main repairs were done years ago- Thank God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We've had this dream for decades. And now it's coming true.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Instead of us moving mountains, God's moving us <i>to</i> the mountains!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa7Yqdibm1DL6ej3A6xuvwHmpmEKVcbaCfTzI6UhsJbGOB8ZGTadgT_GJTNdMGiwTm9pMLNFUqbbWNRV73ZpfD_uBiUnn11KDcq3U4W_yv5Rn7M1s99jCvnm4Qhlam9UO_sc6HLiXMck/s1280/cliff-1822484_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa7Yqdibm1DL6ej3A6xuvwHmpmEKVcbaCfTzI6UhsJbGOB8ZGTadgT_GJTNdMGiwTm9pMLNFUqbbWNRV73ZpfD_uBiUnn11KDcq3U4W_yv5Rn7M1s99jCvnm4Qhlam9UO_sc6HLiXMck/s320/cliff-1822484_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: initial; padding: initial; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/sasint-3639875/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1822484" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Sasin Tipchai</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1822484" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What are those tweaks, you ask?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We talked with a few locals, and they told us the old store was the hub for the locals who needed basic supplies. It was a variety store that sold gas. However, we planned a bakery cafe and decided to have a section for basic needs for the locals. We don't have everything worked out yet, but I take notes when the ideas hit me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To be honest, this was all going to be my husbands' baby. I was there to work the store and do what I could to get it going. God wants me to be a writer, and that won't change. He also made me creative, and after talking with the locals and the owners' son, I realized God also wanted me to be an integral part of this business. Fishing season is in the spring, and hunting season is in the fall. I can create items to sell in the store for the locals, sportsmen, and campers alike.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Above the store is a second floor, with a small room and a large one. Both are filled with natural light. We're considering using the small space to build a mini test kitchen and create an online TV cooking show. The big room might be used for my sewing and writing space and store storage- we'll know better when we move there.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can't tell you how excited we are!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We've lived in the city our entire lives. We'll miss everyone terribly, but God has been weaning us away from here for a while now, and we both realize God wants us to move on. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You'd think I'd be panicking. I thought I would be! But the second we both saw that house and store, we knew it was for us. God is paving the way, and as the handyman finishes, there's a line of buyers waiting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband will finally be able to breathe the fresh air his lungs crave. My body and brain will be getting a lot of exercise. We even have friends close by if you consider forty-plus miles close. I guess, when you think of mountain roads, that <i>is</i> close!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God is amazingly good!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-1835172872562011062021-08-12T05:13:00.000-07:002021-08-12T05:13:08.026-07:00Through Me<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">People do it all the time. I know I've done it. We claim aspects of God without claiming the power behind those aspects.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All. The. Time.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I guess I don't know my own strength.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've gotten through this before; I can do it again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I can do it, you can too!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">People marvel at our triumphs from adversity, but we often forget to give the Big Guy credit. Maybe we're too afraid to sound 'religious.' Maybe the person we're talking to is a known atheist or unbeliever. Perhaps we're scared of persecution in the middle of being praised.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maybe it's a mix of all of those things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I inwardly cringe when I find myself doing it. I cringe after I've done it. I had an opportunity to praise God, and I dropped the ball. It's so easy to drop it. Persecution is prevalent nowadays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But when I ask for spiritual, physical, or mental strength, He still gives it when I genuinely need it. All things go through Him. All things. Nothing comes from me; everything comes from God. Believers often forget that. I should know- I've probably done it more than most. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpxeJynveUC5F1uWJ_UMOw878WA3W9DaHoGhtzynxeN4VPXkdchpaSKDbMriaJs4V-SPHepCyhgo773UaHL3eooFrajJcYxLCQkehbt0Hwl0mzaw8bH2XR0rd03thf3-Wy7kPukB0CTs/s1280/light-bulb-3104355_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOpxeJynveUC5F1uWJ_UMOw878WA3W9DaHoGhtzynxeN4VPXkdchpaSKDbMriaJs4V-SPHepCyhgo773UaHL3eooFrajJcYxLCQkehbt0Hwl0mzaw8bH2XR0rd03thf3-Wy7kPukB0CTs/s320/light-bulb-3104355_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: initial; padding: initial; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/colin00b-346653/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3104355" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Colin Behrens</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3104355" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: initial; outline: none !important; padding: initial;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Through</i> Him.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are His light bulbs. We shine, but only when we plug into Him. We might think we shine when we aren't- we're a bulb with no power to make us glow. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We need power from an outside resource. Oh sure, we can hook up to a car battery, but we might explode. We can wire ourselves to a 9-volt battery, but the glow would be dim and not last very long. We were meant to shine with the power of God, the everlasting source of steady, reliable energy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not only does He make us shine, but we also illuminate others through Him. And the more we praise Him, the more we shine. Isn't that fantastic?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I love that song. Hmm...I wonder if God sings that about us?</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-943140063432687542021-06-14T12:08:00.003-07:002021-06-14T12:10:20.881-07:00What Forgiveness Really Is<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a big issue with forgiveness, mainly because of the phrase 'forgive and forget.' Was I supposed to forget everything that was done to me by this person and just let them hurt me repeatedly? If that was forgiveness, then I wanted none of it!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Years ago, I met a woman at a writers' conference that changed my perspective on forgiveness. I can't tell you exactly what she said (my memory fails me), but the heart of the lesson went deep into my soul. I was so angry at someone that it was blackening the spirit within me, and this womans' words made me decide it was time to forgive.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not going to lie. I cried—a lot. The person I needed to forgive was toxic. They were mentally abusive. They tore holes in my heart with every guilt-ridden, angry word spoken. But I needed to forgive them; otherwise, I'd never grow in God's love.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So what <i>is</i> forgiveness? Forgiveness is letting go of your anger towards the person you need to forgive. You try to see the heart behind the behavior and find compassion for them. You try to understand why they act the way they do and give your anger to God- He'll be happy to take it off your hands.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Does that mean you forget everything they did? Absolutely not! Once the anger is gone, you need to decide for yourself if you want to reconcile with this person or not. Even if they are your best friend. Even if they are family. Even if they are your spouse.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Reconciliation is <i>not </i>forgiveness. Reconciliation means you decide if and how often this person is going to be in your life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You also don't forget what has happened. Letting go of the anger blunts the pain of the memory, but you don't let go of the memory itself. Our brains won't let us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forgive, yes. Forget? No. You learn best from past experiences, and sometimes the best thing is to let those people go.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even if they were your best friend, family, or spouse.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But what if, once you forgive them, you're unable to let them go entirely? Most times, you can. Best friends aren't 'best' friends if they're constantly causing you grief. Spouses can be divorced. You can distance yourself from family members- even toxic ones. It stinks, but the truth of the matter is, forgiveness doesn't make you a doormat. Instead, forgiveness means you move forward over the bridge to a more peaceful life. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UdFx6yq6QluHN_9anSGuLX3g24lrDrpn5F1xd8uni6hug7rutSimb18EoxVYxT7DqW4Zg9x9DiWVSnFDkBe0A-FaDCtNi_JuOh1mwaQ87HoQWgpcqi9RJT9mKjOTWm7Qe6SOlDM15bw/s1280/bridge-77159_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UdFx6yq6QluHN_9anSGuLX3g24lrDrpn5F1xd8uni6hug7rutSimb18EoxVYxT7DqW4Zg9x9DiWVSnFDkBe0A-FaDCtNi_JuOh1mwaQ87HoQWgpcqi9RJT9mKjOTWm7Qe6SOlDM15bw/s320/bridge-77159_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/no-longer-here-19203/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=77159" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none;">No-longer-here</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=77159" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">You get to decide who goes over that bridge with you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I forgave several people. Most wanted reconciliation, and one didn't. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The person that didn't forgive me was indignant because I forgave</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">them.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">How dare I forgive them when </span><i style="font-family: verdana;">I</i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> was the one clearly in the wrong? So I gently asked for their forgiveness again, and they refused. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I moved on. Guess which one of us had a lighter heart afterward? </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to know something else? One person I reconciled with was toxic. But I had to have a relationship with them. They were close family, and I was all they had at the time. So I distanced myself, did what I could for them with love, and refused to get into any toxic arguments. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That person passed away a few years later, and I'm so glad I forgave them. I'm so glad I had that conversation with my writer friend. I never realized how burdened my heart was until I released all that negativity through forgiveness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Forgiveness is remembering without hatred.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Free your heart of anger, hate, and fear. Forgive that person. Even if that person has passed on, you can still forgive them- and yourself- and move forward with a happier heart. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Talk with the person you want to forgive. If that isn't possible (even dangerous), God understands. So tell God that you forgive them. And if you're the one that needs forgiving, go to the person and ask for forgiveness. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Your spirit will thank you for it.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-20855860375977479342021-05-17T10:07:00.000-07:002021-05-17T10:07:16.726-07:00God, Me, and Limbo<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's not easy waiting for God to tell you what to do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Years ago, I asked God where He wanted me. I felt lead in doing creative things, but I wasn't sure which one I was supposed to follow. So I fasted and prayed, listening for His word to come to me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Three days into the fast, I cried out to Him. I'm such a weenieburger of a Christian. Three days isn't much from a biblical standpoint, but I'm human, impatient, and at the time, famished.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Please, Lord!</i> I cried, throwing myself face-first into my pillow. <i>Just tell me what You want me to do!</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I took a calming (if muffled) breath, and to my surprise, I heard Him. <i>Write books</i>, He gently replied.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, being the excellent weenieburger Christian that I am, did I thank Him? Did I praise Him for answering so promptly?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nope. I actually turned my head to the side and blurted, <i>All for them?!?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">His voice was commanding but also slightly amused. <i>Yes, all of them.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And then, silence.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBYzbVD0OhU1e5aEjPw4rxRzsxVU0fayGrzbEAS2GVoxb81_FebOVsakkPPT9CXURWoezgj8mLZSo9nAxuhLlezruz9V3ixUNgnGkUr6qoTFWd2Fv0xGkfZJ9-3zNz44RxPN2GAfiIP0/s1280/question-2519654_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBYzbVD0OhU1e5aEjPw4rxRzsxVU0fayGrzbEAS2GVoxb81_FebOVsakkPPT9CXURWoezgj8mLZSo9nAxuhLlezruz9V3ixUNgnGkUr6qoTFWd2Fv0xGkfZJ9-3zNz44RxPN2GAfiIP0/s320/question-2519654_1280.png" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;">Image by </span><a href="https://pixabay.com/users/jambulboy-4860762/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2519654" style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; white-space: nowrap;">nugroho dwi hartawan</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;"> from </span><a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2519654" style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: none !important; white-space: nowrap;">Pixabay</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Did He have any idea just how many books I had in my head? Not to mention the notes, folders, and files I had that were only partially filled? The children's books, the stories, the how-tos, and the puzzle book series I'd just begun to fathom?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, He did. He's God. Duh.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So what did I do? Procrastinate. I got a job. I did other things and barely wrote at all. I cringe now when I think of it. I know what He wants me to do, but I still feel unqualified- though more qualified than I did when we had our little God-talk.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I became a better writer. I bought supportive software to improve my faulty writing habits. I even had a few illustrations done. But I still felt in limbo because it takes more than writing to create a book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I needed the means to <i>publish</i> a book. For me, that means illustrations, printing, and a way to sell the books. It also means I need the funds to pay for all that stuff. For you, the needs might be different, but the same rules apply to your calling. You need to do something to accomplish something else that you're called to by God.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At first, I thought my job would provide what I needed, but I soon realized that the costs of the job outweighed the benefits. So I gave notice and left. Then had to fathom what to do next, so I could accomplish what God wanted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This was when God granted me a bit of wisdom. Use the talents He gave me to support what He wanted me to do. Back then, I thought I had to choose one creative outlet, but God showed me that I can do more than one thing to further my calling. Hindsight is always 20/20, and when I look back, I regret all that wasted time floundering.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don't think I was in limbo, now that I look back; I think God was just waiting for my little lightbulb to activate. Now that it has, I have a better idea of how to accomplish what I'm called to do. It won't be easy, but it will be awesome!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The same goes for you. Feeling like you're in limbo? Ask yourself why. Pray on it. Try starting at the goal and work your way back to map out how you can accomplish what God wants. Maybe your little lightbulb will go off too! I hope it does. We need to shine bright in this world!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-27237938293131496132021-02-23T06:44:00.000-08:002021-02-23T06:44:06.979-08:00Discontent vs. Being Content<span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I'm going to be honest here...There are rare times I've ever been content with life. I'm not sure I know <i>how</i> to be content- I mean, what does 'being content' really <i>mean</i>?</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I used to think being content meant being happy, All. The. Time. Unicorn farts, rainbows, and all that cotton candy-type fluff. The good life I'd wanted, filled with no strife nor stress because all of my needs were met, and everything was running smoothly. </span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Hah! We all know how that turns out in our own lives, don't we? </span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">My friends would tell me the verse in Philippians 4:13- '<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.' That's a nice sentiment. </span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">It's taught over many pulpits and put onto a myriad of mugs, T-shirts, and plaques. But w</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">hat does that have to do with contentment, I wondered? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">So I decided to look it up. I wasn't familiar with the previous verses that put everything in context. So here's the gist of contentment, according to Paul...</span></span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i><span class="text Phil-4-11" id="en-NIV-29454" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29454A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29454A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> whatever the circumstances.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Phil-4-12" id="en-NIV-29455" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29455B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29455B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> whether living in plenty or in want.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29455C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29455C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text Phil-4-13" id="en-NIV-29456" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">13 </span>I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Interesting.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Paul's needs weren't met all of the time. In fact, his needs were not met a <i>lot</i>- and he was in trouble most of the time! So what was <i>he</i> doing that <i>I</i> needed to do? I thought Christians are automatically supposed to be content with life!</span></span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">But read verse eleven. He <i>learned</i> to be content. He wasn't given a free pass into the life of satisfaction; he had to learn, step-by-step. He felt the same whether he was living a rich life or not- 'No matter the circumstances.' He was satisfied that God would provide for him when he needed it, no matter what 'it' was.</span></span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">So contentment isn't the same as a provision. It's the feeling that God's got your back and will give you what you need when you need it- not necessarily when <i>you</i> think you need it.</span></span><br />
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<span class="text Phil-4-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><i>Big</i> difference. </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Being content is not where you are, what you have, or what you're doing. It's trusting who you're with. So if you're with God, He will give you what you need when you're ready for it. You don't need to worry about all that other stuff!</span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">And if you're doing what He wants you to do, He will also give you what you need to endure the trials and enjoy the blessings in between. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Energy. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Time. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Provision. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Strength.</span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Wow. Contentment is pretty powerful. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">We live in a world that teaches- no, <i>revels</i> in discontent. The world rolls in discontent like a pig in slop. The more discontent we are, the funnier we are, the more attention we get, the more clicks/likes/whatevers we collect on social media. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfECQMXvsFuKshCVotq9BT4rJSIRYy_8lr4PG4TnsCut-iRi09LgMgMhyphenhyphendJ08-0WJYYwFegpAqkpVPr_I_okYS7wGFNscv-iDCm4KaQebdU2OyE5lkE3kZsoqNyCKWgeJaLPxBnoSIB8/s1280/good-vs-bad-2389058_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfECQMXvsFuKshCVotq9BT4rJSIRYy_8lr4PG4TnsCut-iRi09LgMgMhyphenhyphendJ08-0WJYYwFegpAqkpVPr_I_okYS7wGFNscv-iDCm4KaQebdU2OyE5lkE3kZsoqNyCKWgeJaLPxBnoSIB8/s320/good-vs-bad-2389058_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/techexpert-5558321/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2389058" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Chetan Dhongade</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2389058" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">And when we <i>do</i> feel that contentment? Someone comes along and plants thorns in our heads about how rotten life is, and we shouldn't be content <i>at all</i>. Discontented is how the world wants everyone to be! No wonder we have such a hard time remaining content- it's a rare gift that is only seen in those that have practiced it for a long, long time. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Look at people who are contented (and I'm sure you know at least one person that's like this.) They aren't blasting their contentment from the rooftops. They are the ones working quietly, maybe with a smile of satisfaction on their face, exuding a peace about them that can be felt even in the worst of the chaos surrounding them. How do they do it?</span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><i>'Be still and know that I am God.' </i>(Psalm 46:10)</span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">They trust God with everything. God never said it would be easy. Just take a look at Paul's life. It took a lot for him to get to that level of contentment. But he did it one step at a time. </span><br />
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">So can we!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="text Phil-4-13" face=""Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px;">Being shaken from my contented treehouse happens more often than I'd like. I need a lot more practice. I'm glad God is a patient Dude willing to wait for me to learn all this. I'm like a toddler, taking one step at a time. But He's always there to catch me when I stumble!</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-59015674724929199762021-02-02T07:25:00.003-08:002021-02-02T07:25:51.438-08:00When God Speaks<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Almost every story in the Bible talks about how God spoke to them, and for the most part, they listened.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For the most part. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God talks to us each day. Sometimes we can hear Him, and sometimes we are deaf as a stump. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On occasion, He can be heard quite clearly. I had that happen a few years ago (if you read my other blog posts) when God told me to write <i>all</i> of the books. My reaction was less than stellar- and I'd <i>heard</i> the Big Dude Himself.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJZF2w1Q_MEOyVbrK6dI0N4huqaQ0XoyR5kdeJol1P0xYakC0mBh2oxBNPfhPHgBm-ufpsXNKG2ykWwDMcXlitgvmJGFnVEkJHqezUhHKVw6JGEd6lEHYjZ4FMqSxX-yvmPvSLH1XXiE/s1280/listening-3079065_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJZF2w1Q_MEOyVbrK6dI0N4huqaQ0XoyR5kdeJol1P0xYakC0mBh2oxBNPfhPHgBm-ufpsXNKG2ykWwDMcXlitgvmJGFnVEkJHqezUhHKVw6JGEd6lEHYjZ4FMqSxX-yvmPvSLH1XXiE/s320/listening-3079065_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #191b26; font-size: small; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/robinhiggins-1321953/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3079065" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Robin Higgins</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3079065" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-size: small; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I partially wrote some of the books. Partially. Some. I might have finished a story or two since He told me what to do. But it took me years of on-and-off obedience before I finally decided to truly listen.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At least I <i>thought</i> I was listening.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I tried to make time to write, but I kept getting distracted. It's so easy in this digital world we dive into each day. But in the end, I kept berating myself because I, once again, was caught up in the digital world, wasting the time God gave me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This past week I'd had an inkling. A feeling. A persistent need to make changes. But this wasn't the same voice I'd heard out loud years ago. This was <i>inside</i>. The little voice everyone thinks is their conscience. It's really the Holy Spirit. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It wanted me to give up something I loved. I was lead to give it up. I was <i>urged</i> to give it up. The Spirit wanted me to give up my phone games. However, I'm a game addict. I'd limited myself to a few games, but they still stole a lot of my attention, money, and time. That persistent little voice came when I wasn't ready to give them up. But I did. Well, I almost did.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I deleted all but one.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was actually willing to give it up, but I hesitated. I was a long-term player, I was in a group, I'd made friends (Christian ones!) and I'd gotten to a significant level that I was a great benefit to my group. They <i>needed</i> me. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But did they? Or did I need them more? Did I need them more than God's blessings?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ouch.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At first I decided to make myself dormant for gameplay. I wouldn't delete the game app, but I would just stop playing. That should be enough, right? Even I knew that wasn't the answer. I'd been playing this game twice a day for almost two years! I felt the Spirit nudge me again. I had to delete it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Holy Spirit wafted over me and I felt myself separate from my addiction. I didn't need these games to be happy. I'd be happier without them- especially this one. So I told my gaming buddies I would be leaving, and gave myself one last day for others to get on so I could say my gaming goodbyes. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I went out in a blaze of glory, fighting one last big battle, using all of my saved up items (read: hoarded items) to beat the bad guy and said my farewells to the other players. (I talk to a few of them on a different chat platform- we'll keep in touch and maybe even meet in real life.) And after everything was said and done...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I deleted the game.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It took three days from the initial urge until I'd finally obeyed everything the Spirit indicated. My obedience was delayed, but I still listened. I want to be able to listen better (and faster) in the future.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Two hours after I deleted the game, my husband called. We were immensely, unexpectedly blessed. I felt like my obedience was possibly the last pebble that needed to be removed to release the flood of blessings!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I still wonder what would have happened if I'd stayed stubborn and didn't delete that last game. Scary.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">There are still struggles and distractions to contend with. This laptop (the new one this time!) still needs files transferred, programs installed, and tweaks here and there. I won't be bored! I still have files that need to be sorted, but the writing ones are ready and waiting for me to work on them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And when I woke up this morning? <i>I didn't miss the game</i>. In fact, I was looking forward to using the 'extra' time to write this blog post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">God is good. The Spirit is good. Jesus is good. I'm part of the best team ever!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I'm <i>really</i> glad I listened.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-86525013002809666442021-01-04T07:14:00.000-08:002021-01-04T07:14:01.533-08:00A New Lap- and Laptop!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lots of new things this year!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've been intermittent fasting for nearly four months and have lost 25 pounds. I can now fit into leggings I had hoped to fit into when I initially bought them, but it was like trying to stick a bowling ball in a marble bag. My thighs and rear lost some serious inches, and now my leggings fit like a glove! My belly shrank too, so I can now see my lap- I thought I'd never see it again!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yesterday was my birthday and my husband and kids gifted me with something completely unexpected- a new laptop!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The laptop I have now (and that I'm currently typing on) is quite old (maybe 5-8 years?) and the memory is warning me it's full. Not with my writing per see, but with things that go along with my writing, including pictures and artwork I'm doing for my blogs and books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another friend gifted me her old digital art tablet, but I haven't been able to download any art programs to use it; my laptop takes forever to boot up. I don't want to risk losing data just so I can practice doodling!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So much to do, so little time. Ah, the things I want to do with this new laptop are going to be epic, if I can stay focused!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2brPaS9Hke_KLy0Vb4-DKhv3N_ZpAWb8-rGcgy7o6Ve3Y36uV0UNFQHk2KFeA_fuHEi_nfONMeTH2zGPolmJv6VTIw6ewKWzPe_x_MQQyTNxTi5iBUJmVCH7StGuzWrxLHqT6IdpbCQ/s1280/entrepreneur-593357_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2brPaS9Hke_KLy0Vb4-DKhv3N_ZpAWb8-rGcgy7o6Ve3Y36uV0UNFQHk2KFeA_fuHEi_nfONMeTH2zGPolmJv6VTIw6ewKWzPe_x_MQQyTNxTi5iBUJmVCH7StGuzWrxLHqT6IdpbCQ/s320/entrepreneur-593357_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="color: #191b26; font-size: small; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/startupstockphotos-690514/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=593357" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">StartupStockPhotos</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=593357" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-size: small; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The only resolution I'll make for the New Year is to try and stay focused. I need to write and want to learn computer art for both my books and my hobbies, which now includes cookie decorating. I've been talking about starting a business forever, but to be honest, we really need to concentrate on paying off debt and saving funds for a startup first. A business plan can be made as we pay things off.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the meantime, I'll be working, learning, and creating!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I don't know what surprises this year will hold, but I know with God watching over me, it's going to be stellar!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">May your New Year be filled with prospects, progress, and prosperity!</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-43072009995214398792020-12-23T09:53:00.000-08:002020-12-23T09:53:04.975-08:00Ooh- Shiny! - 'Tis Not the Season for Distractions!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've learned a lot this month. I learned how to fancy-frost cookies. I learned the processes to run a bakery-cafe. I even learned the steps needed to move in that direction. But the most important lesson I learned was to discern distractions from God's will.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband introduced me to a book and video series called </span><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal" href="https://www.amazon.com/X-Multiply-Your-God-Given-Potential/dp/1937558258/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=x&qid=1608740948&s=books&sr=1-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; outline: 0px;">X: Multiply Your God-Given Potential</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">. We'd only gotten through half the book and a handful of videos when things finally clicked; what I thought was God taking us in another direction was really a shiny distraction from God's true wishes- which He'd made known to us years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am to write books. All of them. Use my gifts to support my husband.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">He is to work in building Men's Ministries and being a Godly influence to those around him in the workplace.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My husband is meant to be where he is in his job <i>because that's where God wants him to be in this season</i>. I don't mean the Christmas season, but this season in our lives.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All these plans for a cafe bakery, all the cookie frosting lessons, and business model studies were distracting us from what God wanted. I was too focused on the shiny stuff and not putting my full efforts into what God clearly told me to do- which had <i>nothing</i> to do with a cafe bakery.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVEhPNTLotKx8wQvwdg_NoivtKqpQeyAQ9AsfJqoUWnjEpNaVRs4jyNlcHpCpyQi6y6TKjjaDqTpnLCUiYoI0ff_CwzRphs5RIpw60Ne4cyHcAi1gp-r2gBT45mswvM8IxYNgWKl9mbA/s1280/background-22113_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVEhPNTLotKx8wQvwdg_NoivtKqpQeyAQ9AsfJqoUWnjEpNaVRs4jyNlcHpCpyQi6y6TKjjaDqTpnLCUiYoI0ff_CwzRphs5RIpw60Ne4cyHcAi1gp-r2gBT45mswvM8IxYNgWKl9mbA/s320/background-22113_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/publicdomainpictures-14/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=22113" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">PublicDomainPictures</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=22113" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Part of it was simply misunderstanding what He wanted. Part of it was me being lazy by ignoring what He wanted. Part of it- a big part- was rebellion. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wanted more than what God planned because my gifts had nothing to do with my husbands' ministry. Support my husband? The only way I could fathom 'support' was to go into business using my gifts, making enough so he could quit and start his ministry work full-time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not gonna lie- that was my focus for <i>years</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then...this video talked about using our gifts to help spread God's word. Would I better serve God through a cafe bakery or writing and supporting my husband? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We both know the answer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I work part-time to help pay down debt. Helping him at home right now is the best way to spend my time when the workday is done. And since I don't start until the early afternoon, that leaves even more time to do what God told me to do all those years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maybe one day we'll have that cafe bakery. Maybe it'll never happen. We both have come to the realization that God has us where we are for a reason. Actually, my husband accepted this from the beginning- <i>I</i> was the one that had issues with it! But now I see things a bit differently, and I hope the shiny stuff can be avoided in the future. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In this season, all those cookie decorating and bread baking gifts I have can bless my friends and family. The other talents like quilting and paper crafting can be done for pure pleasure and not profit. Who knows but God what will happen in the future?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's been a while since I set pen to paper (or fingers to keys?); God's been there the entire time waiting for me to get back to work. I'm so glad He's patient with me!</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-59925554112486055982020-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:002020-11-23T08:28:43.272-08:00Tough Cookies!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh, what a crazy few weeks I've had!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I've been taking classes for fancy cookie decorating (like I need another creative outlet in my life...sheesh). I've always loved making cookies, but cutouts were a pain- I'd always mess up the cookies by mangling them with the spatula- they were so hard to pick up, no less decorate! So I took this class, hoping to learn a few things and maybe spend a little creative time with my daughter when she came home from college for the holidays.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After finishing the online course, I was talking with my husband about some of my cookie ideas when running our errands one morning (he is encouraging me because this particular skill ties into<i> his </i>interests as a chef and baker), and one of the stops was a Jewish bakery we love. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are friendly with the baker, and when I showed him some of the cookie class pictures from other students, he was so impressed, he said if I could show him my work and he liked it, I could have a job as a decorator for his bakery. He needed a decorator, but would rather offer the job to someone he knew and could get along with. He didn't want fancy-schmancy stuff, just simple and pretty- right up my alley.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then my husband showed him a couple of cakes I'd made through the years for the kids' birthdays, and he added simple cake decorating to the job as well. He wanted to see some cookie work as soon as possible. I didn't even know my husband <i>had</i> those cake pictures on his phone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It didn't take long for my husband to make a small investment to fill in the gaps for the cookie baking equipment for the class- especially these things called silpats- small sheets of silicone that would help me not mangle my cutout cookie dough without using any additional flour!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Just a few short days later, I had everything I'd needed for making and decorating cookies. The class recipe for the cookies was awesome! It rolled out beautifully on the silpats, and came right off with no mangling; the cookies baked so nice with straight edges, and the frosting (for the most part) did what it was supposed to do. It took a lot longer for me to frost the entire batch (because I was making each one different and used way too many colors), but in the end, not bad for a first try. Here are some my first batch!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvJFWRSKQZvLAQf-z0S_cNHYxA7Ev9jYzkIERPIFzY5WyesyXxpJ8-mlLtX1vY5U2P3DxkMp97bWEjhTHKkcEztBNcYj1Z4JsJ0UBvaDkGa4r46ZQmSSbIHXqNpkO23AtEBFLhiExowE/s1587/Bet%2527s+cookies+first+try.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1587" data-original-width="1536" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvJFWRSKQZvLAQf-z0S_cNHYxA7Ev9jYzkIERPIFzY5WyesyXxpJ8-mlLtX1vY5U2P3DxkMp97bWEjhTHKkcEztBNcYj1Z4JsJ0UBvaDkGa4r46ZQmSSbIHXqNpkO23AtEBFLhiExowE/w313-h323/Bet%2527s+cookies+first+try.jpg" width="313" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My personal fave was the 'Snow' in the bottom right corner. My first try of that was the the one in the top row. Most weren't finished, but I took a picture anyway because I was seeing the baker the next day. I was so excited!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I went into the bakery and the staff surrounded me to see what I did. Each had their favorites, and the baker liked the snowflake the best. He knew I would improve with practice, so he said he would let me know in a few days because he had to confirm things with his financial advisor (they'd just renovated, and the mayor was threatening another Covid shutdown by the weeks end.)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was elated, and after the baker ate his favorite cookie (and the staff had theirs), I left with a lighter box and a lot of hope- and ideas for icing more cookies.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then the bottom dropped out. The mayor made good his threat to shut down food businesses and restrict limits on the ones that were open. Thanksgiving plans were to be cancelled and travel limited. The bakers' Thanksgiving orders were <i>five percent</i> of what they were last year, since most people decided to stay home, and the prospect of starting a new venue in decorated cookies didn't bode well for business. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So for now, the job is on hold until further notice. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop baking and decorating. In fact, this Christmas I can practice cut cookies with my daughter and her friends! They can take some home, and we can eat the evidence if some frosted ones aren't up to snuff. I'll make sure some of them get 'accidentally' smeared. Heh.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I still don't know why God gave me yet another creative outlet, since the job offer fizzled. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to turn this into a business, help my husband, or become an expert before the job is offered again. All I know is practice is going to be <i>fun</i>. And edible.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We picked up our daughter from the airport over the weekend, and went straight into Lancaster to pick up some much needed cookie supplies for our <i>regular</i> Christmas cookie baking. I found some mini candies, sugars, and jimmies that would look great on iced cookies, including some nonpareils that will put a little twinkle in the eyes of my cookie-characters.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I also created a binder filled with small sketch papers, markers, pens and a spiral book that will be my very own Creative Cookie Book- one I can record any time I create a new cookie design, and reference when I can't remember all of the details. So until that job (or some other cookie-related blessing) come along, I'll be sketching, writing, baking, and frosting!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-56720545117753285002020-10-13T07:22:00.003-07:002020-10-13T07:22:52.389-07:00Sparrow Blessings<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t5dLrVzUJpEIFF1o9BmyEUIRNDQ0cFa9rkXsOpCpZL0WARIesKZvQ2HUBFs2VkcOKO7_jlToF9HCmV8ica8xszG0uCOjIkXQR55JcJLYSuq0w3swGEwHtU_KODCG_SumScC24A0RzTM/s1280/bird-2309909_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t5dLrVzUJpEIFF1o9BmyEUIRNDQ0cFa9rkXsOpCpZL0WARIesKZvQ2HUBFs2VkcOKO7_jlToF9HCmV8ica8xszG0uCOjIkXQR55JcJLYSuq0w3swGEwHtU_KODCG_SumScC24A0RzTM/s320/bird-2309909_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/oldiefan-740865/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2309909" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Oldiefan</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2309909" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none !important;">Pixabay</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If God watches over the sparrows, He watches over us...right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So why, when asked about how God blessed me, I feel I can only tell others the big blessings, because the little ones are just too insignificant to be recognized? Why forget or ignore the hundreds of little sparrow blessings God has done for me every day?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The big blessings are so awesome a story to tell. It's mind-boggling the things God has done in my life in just the past few years, no less my lifetime. But those little blessings are what gets me through the day, and many times I forget to thank God for those too.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes they seem silly, sometimes sweet- thanks for that ice-cold raindrop in my armpit when I was overheated and ranting in the car- I stopped ranting and laughed! Thanks for waking me with a kitty pounce so I wouldn't be late for work. Thanks for cat snuggles just when I was feeling unloved. Thanks for the unexpected tip from a normally stingy customer. Thanks for a bright, sunny day when I needed a spiritual lift. A breeze at the right moment. The sink unclogged itself. The first taste of a freshly brewed iced tea. The smell of mown grass or just-baked bread. Moments of peace within the chaos.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I can close my eyes and smile at every one of those things and be thankful because God was a part of it all.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Don't forget to count your many sparrow blessings. They keep us sane through the mess that is our lives. They help us cope, smile, and sometimes laugh, but always lighten our spirit. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank You, God, for our little sparrow blessings!</span></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5042782917800828712.post-73089774583163995092020-09-14T07:29:00.000-07:002020-09-14T07:29:12.670-07:00Hope Uprising<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It wasn't long ago that I gave up on everything. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I gave up on being a wife and mom- cooking, cleaning, etc.- the family complained about what I cooked and just made the house messy again. My advice was no longer needed or wanted since the kids were grown now. Everything I knew was...useless.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I gave up dieting. Past attempts didn't work, and I was tired of gaining more weight after each try. I stopped writing humor because it seemed there wasn't anything left to laugh <i>about</i> without offending someone. I stopped watching online church services since it was just someone on a screen- I was being talked <i>at,</i> not talked<i> to</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I hadn't just given up on those around me, but I gave up on <i>myself</i> as well. Each day was filled with thoughts of <i>just do what you have to do to get by, bite down on the pain, and escape life through sleep.</i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I slept a <i>lot</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But God had other plans. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">No matter how deep the rut is, how vast the chasm, how high the climb, God is always there for me, whispering in my ear (and yours!), giving me hope when I least expect it. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0A_LIDgOcw0wR_qsXTQ45Pr-K5rXJ1QgiJ1l48UZ5oWW24AYDB-7IfNqvjnByZr1XVkTqOVNHBiF3_trAzNuDhyeDO-EKjaYeZDOv-OzCL0aKDMfu0MNjqEYq3hdtAQAAJ7oYsXptMo/s1280/sky-2667455_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0A_LIDgOcw0wR_qsXTQ45Pr-K5rXJ1QgiJ1l48UZ5oWW24AYDB-7IfNqvjnByZr1XVkTqOVNHBiF3_trAzNuDhyeDO-EKjaYeZDOv-OzCL0aKDMfu0MNjqEYq3hdtAQAAJ7oYsXptMo/s320/sky-2667455_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="color: #191b26; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap;">Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Fotorech-5554393/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2667455" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none;">Daniel Reche</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2667455" style="color: #191b26; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: none;">Pixabay</a></span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #191b26; white-space: nowrap;"> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It started with a surprise trip to Cape Cod after driving our daughter from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. I was overjoyed- it was the first time since our honeymoon twenty-three years ago that we were going on a bonafide vacation; no cooking, cleaning, or campfire building for the entire week! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But I started feeling anxious because my husband was talking about doing a lot of walking- something that I just wasn't able to do. The more he talked, the guiltier I felt- and there was no time to 'get into shape' to walk long distances either.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We enjoyed going to the beaches (I encouraged him to explore on his own while I waited by the exit and people-watched), read books, ate fantastic restaurant food, and had good conversations. He was still enjoying himself despite my hindrances, working around them so we could both have fun. God gave me an awesome man for a husband!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was still feeling guilty for not being more mobile. I wanted to walk on the beaches too! One time he decided to 'go for a short walk' before dinner, and next thing you know, he called me to come to pick him up, otherwise, we'd be late for dinner- he wasn't far, he said. Just three miles down the road.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Three</i> miles. A short walk, my fanny! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wanted to be so much more active for him. He deserved a wife that was better than the current model. My engine revved great, but the body was dented and the tires were overinflated. No MPG on <i>this</i> baby!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That night, I decided to put on the hotel TV. I flicked through the channels and found Shark Tank. We watched an episode before I decided to channel surf. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And that was when God whispered in my ear. <i>What will motivate you to change?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Well, I wanted to be an entrepreneur (hence <i>Shark Tank</i>), but I wasn't certain I was cut out for it. Then the remote clicked on a show that hit me like a ton of cookies. <i>My 600 Pound Life.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Wow. Both of us were shocked at some of the attitudes and occurrences we saw on the show. Some of them were <i>not</i> so surprising (but worrisome), and some attitudes were so downright familiar they were scary. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm going to backtrack a little here. Several years ago I was a borderline hoarder. I could never figure a way out of hoarding until I watched the show <i>Hoarders</i>. It shocked me into making major life changes. I've now gotten control of my hoarding tendencies, and decluttering is a regular part of my life. I don't even have a junk drawer!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And now I had to shock myself again but in a very different arena.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It only took a few episodes of <i>My 600 Pound Life</i> to realize I was headed that way, big time (excuse the pun.) Their excuses were <i>my</i> excuses, their diet fails were <i>my</i> diet fails, and though these people opted for surgery, I didn't want to go that route. Extreme dieting wasn't the answer either- not for long term weight loss. Been there, done that, never will do it again. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So how was I going to get where I wanted to be, and walk on the beaches with my husband? What was I going to do to consider a three-mile walk a 'short' walk?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I knew better than to run to the next new diet fad. 'Lose 85 pounds in a day' was just not a good thing, no matter how you looked at it. So I did a little research, bought a book called <i>Fast, Feast, Repeat</i>, and chose to start an eating lifestyle that was easier to stick to, and at a slow enough pace I wasn't crashing and burning like the Hindenburg.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">All because God whispered at the right time. He gave me hope that I can change for the better.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My lifestyle eating journey starts in a separate blog, <a href="https://imfightingfat.blogspot.com/2020/09/lifestyle-restart-same-body-different.html">here.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Less weight, more energy. More energy, better life. Less time in bed, more time <i>living</i>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And finally doing what God wants me to do. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm not going to lie- I'm still struggling. Those feelings of being incapable are still very prominent. It's hard to be hopeful when you have doubts about yourself and lack the hugs you need from friends and family during this COVID-19 pandemic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hope is hard to hold, but not impossible. Because God is still there, whispering. Hope rises from the ashes and lives another day. And another. And another. I'm so grateful for His whispers. I hope you hear His whispers too. Just take a deep breath and listen. His hope <i>will </i>come!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0