Wonderful News!!

My kids and I sponsor two children through World Vision.  We sponsor a boy, Bassirou in Senegal.  He was born the exact same day as Jon-Paul.  We also sponsor a girl, Brenda in Brazil.  She was born the exact same day as Madison.  We are able to send small boxes to Brenda, but Senegal does not allow boxes to come in through World Vision.  We are limited to a 6x9 envelope.  We have been sponsoring these kids for years and Bassirou has always been wearing the same shoes in every picture we get.  As you can see they are broken and have not fit on his feet for a long time.  

I contacted World Vision to see what I could do about helping him with shoes.  They said that I could send a special gift to Bassirou's family.  The money that I send to World Vision every month allows Bassirou to be a part of the school and medical clinics that World Vision has in his village.  100% of the special gift, however, goes to Bassirou and his family.  The family can then spend the money on what they need most.  So I decided to do that and I sent that money in September.  Today I got this picture of him.  Look new shoes!!!  He got a shoes, clothes, rice and a sheep for breeding.  His father is a shepherd and he wants to be a shepherd too so this is a great start to a living for him!  It's so exciting to see that we are making a difference in his life. 

Here are some clips from the letter that he sent about the money we sent.  

"It is great for me to be your child here in Senegal.  I am glad to receive this gift which help me to buy many things like: a sheep, clothes, and rice.  This sheep will help me to be a very shepherd and that justify my feeling of animals.  These clothes will take part in my way of wearing.  All my friends and my neighbor talk about your generosity and your kindness.  They wish that God bless and help you all your life.  The rice have a big importance in our life.  That means we use it everyday.  I haven't the best word to express my happiness about your generosity and your kindness."

"Above all, receive my parents greetings and thanks.  They are also glad about this gift.  They know that you consider me like your own child.  That's justified by what you send to me.  All the people in the village who are at the same age came to see what I buy with the gift.  They thank you very much and they wish you log life with much peace.  Everywhere in the village people talk about this gift.  My parents haven't the best word to express their happiness about your generosity and your kindness.  They haven't also the best expression to thank you.  That's why the reason they stay everyday by praying for your and your family member good health, long life, and much peace everywhere."  

I love the way his letters are translated!  It's never quite right, but it's close enough that we understand what he means and it's so cute!

Another day, still not another dollar.

There is a running theme in my life this past year.  God has been removing things from my life.  This past February my ex-husband got fired from his job and stopped paying child support.  Around that same time I was really feeling like God wanted me to quite my job.  If I quite my job I would then have zero income.  That sounds crazy, but I knew that is what God wanted for me and that He would take care of us.  I did quite my job and that was a great decision because my kids are so much happier since I've been home.  I still have not received any child support and I did go to zero income, but God has put people in my life to take care of my children and me in ways I never thought possible.

This past June my camera broke.  A camera that I used all the time.  I loved my camera!  My son loved that camera too.  He loves to take videos, and make stop motion movies with tons of pictures.  That camera was used often!  In the same week that my camera broke, several other things broke.  I can't even remember what they were now, but I had quite a string of broken items that week. 

In August I was in a major car accident where I rolled my car into a ravine.  It completely totaled my car.  That's now gone.  Not having full coverage insurance I am now out of a vehicle.  For a month I tried parting out the car, but I had no one come to buy anything.  So it was scrapped.  I got a little money from the scrap yard, but not much.  I am going to be getting some grant money left over from my college expenses from this semester, but that's not much either.  I was hoping that if I put that all together and sold some things that I would have enough money to buy a new car.  All together though I would have only been able to come up with about $1200.  That's not much for a car.  Even if it was enough owning a vehicle at this point wont work.  Let me tell you why.

A few weeks after I wrecked my car I was informed that we were no longer going to be receiving food stamps.  We had been receiving $526 a month.  Removing over five hundred dollars from my income was pretty devastating.  My parent's and I ended up both putting in more money for food, but our food budget is no where near what it was.  I have discovered couponing and price matching though so that is working out for the most part, but that is a topic for another blog post.  The point of that story is that since I'm putting more money in the food budget I no longer have money for insurance and vehicle expenses.

I was still hoping that I could work out the insurance side of things and get a car with whatever money I could come up with.  Then we needed things.  My son had two pairs of long pants and he grew out of those so he took over a pair of his sisters.  (They were the same as his just a bigger size)  Madi really needed those pants though because she only had three pairs of long pants herself.  One of her pairs of jeans got a hole in the inside of the leg.  So she was down to a pair she really didn't like and then the pair that Jon-Paul overtook.  Well that wasn't going to work so I used some of the money from the car to buy them some new clothes.  Luckily I was able to find some really good deals.  Life was happening around my plans.  Things kept coming up that I needed money for and my car money kept being spent on those things.  Now I'm to the point where I need some serious dental work done that I can't afford, even with the money for the car.  Anyway, I slowly had to accept the fact that I think God doesn't want me to have a car.  I don't know why.  The same reason He doesn't want me to have a camera, or a house, or new clothes, or straight teeth, or, or, or, or.  It's not like we're destitute.  We do have a great place to live and we are managing to get enough food on the table, but we don't have much more than that.  I'm sure this is just a small chapter in my life.  This too shall pass, right? 

After Erik left I wanted nothing more than for him to come back.  I prayed and prayed that he would.  Now I am so happy that God didn't answer that prayer.  That reminds me of that Garth Brooks song, "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers."  This life I have is so, way, totally, incredibly better than that old life with Erik.  I always knew that God knew what He was doing, but to see it so clearly like that was very enlightening.  It really taught me not to pray for specific things to happen, like for Erik to come back, or for a camera, or a car, but to just pray for God's will.  Having close to nothing right now is not really what I would choose for my life, but having Erik leave wasn't what I chose either.  There is something much better for me through this time.  Knowing that makes living through this time easier, but not pleasant.  I could really use prayers for peace and contentment, and patience to wait on God's plan.

I will end with lyrics to a couple more songs.  Great songs to live by!


Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name


And of course I have to include my very favorite song of all time!  "It is Well"

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.



I pray you will all have peace and contentment through whatever you are going through as well.  Believe today is a good day!

Answered prayers

In my last blog I told you about my crazy dream with Eden and how I had been praying for her.  Well she blogged today and said that she went back to church this past Sunday for the first time in a long time.  Yeah Eden!  :)  Eden's blog  She could still use our prayers to keep moving closer to God.

It is official.  The holiday's have begun.  Jackie had her pumpkin party this past Saturday.  It was great.  We all dressed up.  Well Jackie and I dressed up, and most of the kids.  I created this evil queen costume with some chicken wire and a dress-up cape.  lol  Notice in the picture that I have my hand in a pumpkin.  I didn't have a pumpkin.  That's Jon-Paul's.  That's always the way. He starts it then I end up cleaning it out for him.  I cleaned out Madison's too.  It's ok though, they had a great time carving them.  :)  Hey I just remembered that I left those pumpkins at Jackie's house.  Rats.  I think I left a bunch of other stuff over there too.  I'll have to get over there and pick it up someday soon, when I have a spare second.  lol  Actually today was not too stressed.  I read 2 chapters in my e-business textbook and started the next group project on the discussion board.  I also went over the last 4 lessons in my business math class because I have a big test on Wednesday.  It's a test that I have to go into the campus to take.  I love math and I'm sure the test will be fine.  The only problem about taking the test at the campus is that I have to be quiet.  I usually talk myself through the problems.  lol  I'll have to just talk in my head.  :)

I need to go get a Sunday paper tomorrow.  I forgot to do that on Sunday.  Luckily this little gas station by my house usually has Sunday papers until Wednesday.  Maybe I'll go out and get groceries tomorrow.  No on second thought I'll get them while I'm out on Wednesday.  That starts next week's ads anyway.  Well I did want to get another pineapple while they are on sale this week.  They're only .99 each!  That's crazy cheap!  Plus I just got my pineapple corer, peeler, slicer thing in the mail today and I want to try it out.

Since I had some extra time today I got caught up on watching the Amazing Race.  I love that show.  It's time to apply again.  Jackie and I really are going to do it this time!  We have until November 30th to get our applications and video sent in.  That means we need to get on it!  I can't wait to travel the world and win a million dollars!  :)

Jon-Paul is asleep with George on his bed.  How sweet is that?!  George is the kitty, by the way.  Jon-Paul absolutely loves that cat!  He brings George to me several times a day to show me how cute he is.  George is such a spoiled cat.  We all just love him!  As soon as we walk in the house all three of us go looking for him to see what cute thing he's doing and give him a big hug!

Wow it really is harder than you would think to take a picture of a feisty kitty.  There are the best I could
get.  Isn't he just darling?!  He is completely white.  I had to take him off Jon-Paul's bed since he woke him up.  He really is a sweet kitty.  He is 14 weeks and 1 day old today.  He has gotten so big.  Look at how tiny he used to be!  We have had him since the day he was born so he was a lot smaller when we got him than he was in that picture.  He used to fit in the palm of my hand!  I love that kitty!

Well it's 1:20 a.m. and I'm sleepy.  I think I'll get in bed, listen to my book, and play solitaire on my phone for a little bit.  Same ol' same ol'.  :)  Good night everyone!

Welcome to my new blog

Well here it is.  I've started a blog.  I have no real theme for this blog and I don't really have anything specific that I want to blog about.  I just thought it might be fun to write about my days and how I fill them.  :)  I am pretty busy in my life right now with my school work, and schooling my kids... and getting groceries, and doing the laundry, and ......  You get the idea.  Anyway I posted on Facebook a couple of days ago that I would like to write a blog, but that I'm too busy right now.  Well my sister, Renee, replied to that comment and said I should just do it.  I decided she was right.  There's no time like the present, right?  So here it is.  :)  I don't think I'll put a lot of background information here, I think I would rather just start with today and go from there.

Today I did a trailer check for the Three Musketeers.  It was showing in two auditoriums so I missed about 20 minutes in the middle which was, apparently, a fairly crucial part.  I was a little bit lost when I got back, but all in all it was a pretty good movie.  It followed the story-line we all know and love, but it added some new twists and characters.  I liked it.  Now I need to take my kids to see it.  They will love it!  They love most movies though.  My daughter's favorite movie is whatever movie she just watched.  lol  We watch a lot of movies, so her favorite changes quite often.

I've been working on a new crochet pattern and I'm a little bit stuck.  I found instructions on how to create a spiral with multiple colors.  It sounds cool.  It looks cool, but nowhere in the instructions does it say how to finish the spiral.  I decided to make a spiral beanie, but check out this picture and see if you can see the problem.  lol

That's going to be a little noticeable on someone's head.  The only thing I could come up with is to make the last row multicolored.  I'm not sure that's going to work either though and I don't think I would like the look.  Any suggestions?

I have so many pictures of things I've made and projects that I'm going to be starting, but I can't post any of them here because they're Christmas presents.  Maybe I'll post a bunch of pictures after everyone opens their presents.  :)

I think I'm finally back ahead of the game in my school work.  I got a little behind when I got my teeth pulled a few weeks ago.  Well not really behind, but not as ahead as I like to be.  Staying ahead of my due dates is a lot less stressful.

I have been having a re-occurring dream lately.  Not really the same dream just a re-occurring theme.  There is always someone coming to get me and whoever is with me in the dream.  We are constantly trying to find a way out of somewhere, and we know the guys are close behind so we have to hurry.  Hmm, I just noticed another re-occurring part.  No one else is in a hurry.  I know the guys are coming to get us and we need to move quickly to get away, but the other people I'm with don't seem to get it.  This last dream was the same theme, but it was pretty funny.  Eden, a girl I met while I was camping in line for Harry Potter, was with me. We needed to get away from some guys that were coming to get us.  Eden had left to get supplies so we could escape.  While she was gone I was watching clips from Twilight movies.  Then I was in the clips..  I was pretty excited because Robert Pattinson ran by me, but I knew that we were running out of time to get out and I wished Eden would hurry up.  When she did get back she told me that she had gotten an invisibility cloak for us.  Score!  I thought that was awesome until she showed it to me.  It wasn't an invisibility cloak at all.  It was a wool blanket that happened to have the same striped pattern as the wall.  I tried to tell her that was dumb and we didn't have time for that, but she kept wanting to show me how it worked.  She was walking around all hunched over with that wool blanket over her.  I can see how funny it was now, but in  my dream I was getting pretty upset that she was taking so much time showing me that stupid blanket!  lol  The whole thing actually makes sense.... sort of.  The guys coming to get us is just all the stuff I have to do.  I feel like I'm constantly rushed.  I'm not sure why no one else is ever in as much of a hurry as I am.  I'll have to think about that one.  The Twilight clips makes sense though because I am super excited to see Breaking Dawn!  Eden being in the dream this time makes sense because I have been praying for her recently.  The invisibility cloak makes sense because that's from Harry Potter and that's where Eden and I met.  The wool blanket even makes sense because my mom was just talking about that blanket the other day.  lol  I wonder what the dream will be like tonight.  I'll have to let you know.

Well I think that's all for my first blog post.  I've never had a blog before and I don't read blogs, so I have no idea what they're supposed to be like.  I hope this is close.  ;o)