Sat 26 Dec 2009
We had a good Christmas here, even though money was tight. The amount of money we had to spend on the children was nearly half what it normally was, but it all worked out great, and the girls were exceedingly grateful for their gifts. We had some Christmas surprises, including a laundry basket of groceries being delivered anonymously to our door. We were really shocked, although we think we know where it came from. I was given a new camera, even though I didn’t want any money spent on me. I hope to be able to use it to make money. I am really loving it!
I had wanted to post many times about how we spend Christmas, but time has been short. Although I said no to everything I could, it was still a very busy time. The children had a lot of ministry opportunities at church. It helped tremendously this year that my oldest is driving and could take her sisters and herself back and forth. Also, for the first time in many years, the girls got to spend time with their father, which I’m glad of. Although it has left me with some mixed feelings and different situations to face, I know that God is doing something wonderful in all their lives, and I can rest in that, if I will but trust Him.
Christmas has been a hard holiday season for me over the years, and I’ve not enjoyed it the way I wanted. I remember my very first Christmas alone. I had been single for about 2 months, and hid tears as best I could from the children, as I attempted to put together their toys on Christmas morning. I felt so stupid and lost, because I didn’t know how to easily put together things. I also felt in the core of my being that it just wasn’t right that a mother had to do all that. I remember one year not even having a tree until about a week before Christmas, because I just didn’t want to face what Christmas meant alone. Last year, the girls did all the decorating. This year, I felt a bit of a rebirth of some of the joy of Christmas. Although I’m so glad for the hustle and bustle to be ended, there are parts of Christmas that I don’t want to give up yet. I am enjoying still looking at our beautiful, but broken tree.:) (The stand broke, so the tree was just placed into a sturdy magazine rack and covered with beautiful fabric.)
I try to buy the girls an ornament every year. I want to give the ornaments to them whenever they are on their own and have their own tree. I try to buy quality ornaments that will last over the years. I found out quick that the cheap ones are just that–cheap! I love Hallmark ornaments, especially the ones by Marjolein Bastin, because I love nature and birds. I have learned to put the girls’ initials on them, but now realize I should have been putting the year on them all these years! Ugh!
Here are some pictures of the ornaments on our tree.
The girls’ made my mom and me quite a few of these ornaments made with old CDs and old Christmas cards. They are beautiful with the lights on them. I love them!
My 2 oldest girls each chose a solid wood owl this year. These large birds carefully watch over everybody on the tree.:)
For my youngest, who loves Club Penguin.:)
I’ve had this Raggedy Ann, along with others, for years.
A little chickadee nibbling on a pine cone. My oldest and I have one just alike. These are teensy!
This birdhouse belongs to my youngest.
I just love this very large snowflake.
This busy feeder belongs to my middle daughter.
This silver teapot was on our tree when I was a little girl.
This ornament was for my daughter whose name I could not find already imprinted on these angel ornaments.
My Marjolein Bastin ornament this year.
 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Sat 19 Dec 2009
“What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home.
“Whether you live alone or with a spouse, parents, and ten children, it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can be anywhere else.”
—Cheryl Mendelson, Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House
I found the above quote at Morning Cuppas With Glenys. Glenys is a Titus 2 woman who truly understand the biblical calling of women to their families and homes. I always find encouragement, refreshment, and grounding when I visit her blog. I have very frustrated lately with trying to balance homemaking and a home business. Even though I’m a single mother, I feel very strongly that my first obligation is to my girls and my home as a homemaker. A homemaker is just that—she makes a home for her family. She is not a maid or a slave to her family. But she serves her family with love and attends to their needs selflessly. She is there for whatever they need.
This year has been one of the worst years for our finances and for my business. Medical bills and the economic situation have taken a toll. When the recession began, I chuckled at folks who were upset that they couldn’t eat out or have the luxuries that they were accustomed to, because I’ve lived like this my whole life. It is nothing new to me! (Like my aunt says, we don’t have far to fall!  ) I honestly didn’t think that the recession could touch us, because we were used to doing without what everyone else considered necessary. I also thought that a website designing business would still profit, since we are living in the technology age, and having a website is extremely important for businesses. But the requests did not come, even though my prices are much more moderate than other designers. There have been quite a few inquiries lately, but so many business owners are saying they don’t have the money right now. That is quite frightening to me! I’ve had the temptation to pour hours into my business in an effort to provide for my family, but I got off balance. I was extremely unhappy, and my efforts did nothing. I’ve had to step back and go back to the beginning, to the Bible, to see what God says. God still says my priority is to be a keeper at home. God still says for me to trust in Him to provide. He still says “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). I want to be like the Proverbs 31 lady who had a home business, but spent most of her time on her family and home. That’s where her focus was.
Because I also must work, I’ve developed a strategy to help me wear all my hats. I get extremely frustrated that I can’t be just a mom and homemaker. I’m afraid I’ve spun my wheels so many times over the years and didn’t accomplish as much as I needed to. I’ve had to find a way to allow me to mentally and peacefully handle everything. I find I have to focus on one thing at a time or I just go crazy. I conduct our homeschooling in the mornings, where all my attention is on the girls and their schooling. In the afternoons is time for my housework, rest, exercise, preparing supper, etc., while the girls complete any schoolwork they need to do on their own. If they need help, I give it, but if it’s an extended problem, it has to wait until the next morning. After supper is my business time, where I devote all my attention to my clients. Sometimes I get frustrated that I can’t just watch TV in the evenings like most people do, but I do work better in the evenings, and I’ve given myself permission to do it occasionally. I don’t usually attend events at night during the week. I am trying to have a specific cut off time to shower, relax, and read until bedtime, but sometimes I don’t get nothing but the shower.:)
I need a lot of motivation. To motivate me for homeschooling, I enjoy reading homeschooling websites. To motivate me for work, I like to read computer blogs and newsletters. After work, I like to read homemaking websites and blogs that help me resettle into my job as mother, and motivate me to get up the next day to tackle it all again.:) Cooking shows on the Food Network really help me get excited about cooking when I lose interest.
My daughters help me tremendously. They have a lot of chores to do each day. They are surprised when they hear of kids who don’t know how to work. (We find our days go better when chores are done before homeschooling starts.) I do not allow my girls to do everything here, because I don’t want them to resent me or the housework. I still feel the house is my responsibility. But since I have so much on me, I have determined the following are the most important for me to handle, while the girls fill in much of the rest: good, nutritious meals, quality homeschooling, and my website designing work. I do keep my own room and bathroom clean, and supervise the girls with all their chores. I organize things that need it, and help my 2 oldest keep the yards mowed during the growing season. I also spend a good bit of time preparing my coupons and grocery shopping weekly. The girls help me by cutting out the coupons. The girls do cook a lot, but I try not to ask them to do it unless I really need their help.
I must admit, I still flounder and fail, and stay exhausted. I really struggle getting everything done everyday. I’m still trying to keep everything balanced. Financially we are struggling hard, but it has been worse. If it was not for my sweetheart Tim and my father helping us with finances and needs, and multiple car repairs, I don’t know where we’d be! Hopefully, 2010 will be a much better year for everyone. I keep praying that God will allow His people to prosper in a special way as a testimony to the world, just as He allowed the Israelites to flourish even while captive in Egypt.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Mon 30 Nov 2009
If any of you are shopping online this Cyber Monday or during the rest of the month, would you consider using the following links to Amazon.com or Christianbook.com? When you click on these links, they will take you directly to the websites for you to do your shopping. When you make a purchase, we will receive a fee for being an affiliate. Those little bits of cash add up and greatly bless us. This has been a hard year financially for us due to a lot of medical bills and a significant slowdown in my business. I’ve had several inquiries, but folks keep saying they are strapped for cash, even though my prices are significantly lower than other designers local or online. If you need a website or blog created or just updated, please remember that I can do that for you. Thank you so much!
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Mon 30 Nov 2009
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
It’s my final day of A Month of Thanksgiving posts. I can’t believe I didn’t miss a day!
I am so grateful that heaven awaits for those saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. In heaven we will be with our Lord and all our brothers and sisters in Christ. There are so many joys there that we cannot even imagine.
There are a lot of things that will not exist any more. I will list some things that directly relate to single mothers, of which I have experienced much.
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No more single mothers, overwhelmed and trying to make it on their own
No more divorce
No more divorced people being judged and misunderstood by others
No more children abandoned by fathers
No more poverty
No more sickness or disease
No more problems with no solutions
No more dying
No more disappointment and/or depression
No more loneliness
No more tears
No more goodbyes.
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Perhaps one reason God allows us all our struggles is to make us long for home more. “Heaven is not here, it’s There. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next. God is forever luring us up and away from this one, wooing us to Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we so keenly long for.”
—Elisabeth Elliot
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Sun 29 Nov 2009
“God knows that you can stand that trial; He would not give it to you if you could not. It is His trust in you that explains the trials of life, however bitter they may be. God knows our strength, and He measures it to the last inch; and a trial was never given to any man that was greater than that man’s strength, through God, to bear it.”
—Streams in the Desert
I am so thankful to be better after having a cold and spending most of the last couple of days in the bed! I’m looking forward to catching up on some things around the house. This is the second cold I’ve had in a month; all of us were sick last month, but now it’s mainly my oldest and I. I hope that God sees fit for us to remain well for a good while now, especially through Christmas.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Sat 28 Nov 2009
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48b).
I am so thankful for my Bibles. They are precious to me, and, with all the notes in them, are just like a journal chronicling my struggles, triumphs, and thoughts. Last week my Sunday School teacher told us when her son went off to military training, he wanted one of his mother’s well-marked Bibles to carry with him. He carried it proudly in front of the other men. I hope that my girls will always treasure the Bibles I leave behind.
I am also grateful for all the devotionals, spiritual books, CDs, radio, Internet websites, and other resources that we are able to freely access here in America. We are truly blessed and have no excuse not to be growing in our Christian lives daily.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Fri 27 Nov 2009
I’m thankful that
Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.
—Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Thu 26 Nov 2009
So once in every year we throng
Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.
—Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving
We had such a wonderful time gathered with our family today. A couple of years ago, all of us could not be together when my sister-in-love was in the hospital because her water broke at 24 weeks. Praise God that this year we could all be together, happy and healthy.
I am so thankful for memories of past Thanksgivings with family who are gone to heaven now. How I wish I could visit with them now and have my children know them.
Holidays are very hard for single mothers, with the memories of the past and painful reality that you sit alone amongst the couples. Please remember them this holiday season.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Wed 25 Nov 2009
“[I am] grateful to live in a country where living below the poverty level of income can still mean having enough.”
— Lisa B.
I am so thankful for our country. She has her flaws, but she’s still the greatest country on earth. I am so thankful that we have a day set aside for Thanksgiving. America is one of only 2 countries to celebrate the holiday (Canada is the other). Just being born in this country, no matter how great or terrible your life has been, is one of the biggest blessings a person could ever have. There is true hope, potential, and a future for anyone willing to work for it.
As Christians, we need to pray for our country more than ever. Nothing will move things more than Christians truly obeying the Word and praying.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
Tue 24 Nov 2009
“A dog wags its tail with its heart.”
—Martin Buxbaum
I am so thankful for our pets, Autumn the cat, Missy the puppy, and Teddy the neighbor’s dog. Each one of them bring such joy and fun to our lives. How good God was to give mankind the special joy of pets!
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. ~Psalms 19:14
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