Well, we are half well at the Jones’s house. Fortunately, I am the one feeling better. Everything just runs better when Mommy is well. My little Noah woke up this morning to come and find out if Mommy had a voice and if Daddy still had a fever. He told us that after we had tucked him in last night for bed that he prayed that Jesus would heal Mommy’s voice and heal Daddy. Of course, we just had to feel better after hearing that!! And I actually do feel like I am on the road to recovery. I had …
The Art of Worship
Last night I had the opportunity to attend a worship concert. My husband, Matt, was playing the bass for it and so I reserved one of my favorite babysitters (Thank You Mima) and got to go and be a participant worship. It is actually a rare moment for me right now because I usually have kids hanging on to me in worship. Interestingly, the worship concert was hosted by a Hispanic church. I knew no one, and very few of them had any idea what the words were to the songs. Nevertheless, as I stood there surrounded by a precious …
A Refuge in the Storm
So no blog today, just a word from my “quiet” time (quiet is relative in my home 🙂 ). Psalm 46 says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and the though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst …
A Wonderful Gift
I was given the most wonderful gift today. My darling Mom payed for me to have a house cleaning lady come and clean my home. So first thing this morning Matt and I loaded up the kids, the cleaners arrived and I left my home to be cleaned… by someone else!! But better than leaving was coming home. We arrived home before they were finished so we spent a little bit playing out in the front yard. At one point one of the ladies (there were three) came out to empty the trashes and this wonderful fragrance of clean filled …
Scared of the Cat
I wanted to share with you something my lovely friend Scarlet shared the other night at the Bible study group I attended. It is such a powerful picture, and it has just continued to resonate in my heart ever since. It’s not budgeting, but it’s good 🙂 When her daughter was little, she reached that stage between walking and crawling, but just refused to walk. She knew how to walk, but just preferred to crawl because she could get there faster. One day Scarlet was watching her daughter crawl in the grass down the side of their house. Well, coming …
Getting Started
I spent the evening last night helping a friend with their budget. It was definitely an evening well spent, but I didn’t get to do my “30 minute plan” for blogging. So this morning I thought I would give you an update on the progress on my book. I believe I have finished my first chapter! I still need to do a little more editing, but I feel like I have climbed a huge personal mountain. It was a little harder than I thought, but a large part of that was deciding how to begin the book. It is amazing …
Hard Labor (or Hard Labour for my SA friends)
Lately I have been thinking a lot about the concept of hard labor. I have always been a hard worker. I love the feeling of accomplishment from completing a project and I don’t shirk hard work. I think the hardest work I have ever done is being a Mom. My feet seem to ache at the end of everyday, because the only time I sit down is when I am driving somewhere. And yes, I wish so badly that this picture was a picture of my feet. My Mom actually bought me special shoes with support because she was so …
But With God…
I know I said I was going to focus on writing, but I AM writing and I just had to share this with you today. It’s funny because I wrote that blog yesterday, and I have had like a hundred ideas for blogs today! It’s funny how when you get out from obligation, creativity is released. It also feels like when you get your heart in a place of obedience, God just smiles all over you and its like standing under a fountain of life. Anyway, I have turned my focus toward my book, but this thought has been blessing …
Carrying Too Much
Three years ago, I started dreaming about writing a practical, “how to” book about budgeting. I have always loved finances and I really love helping other people with their finances, I love problem solving, and bringing God into the mix of everything. I feel like God has just given me this little niche where all these different elements of my interests converge and it just flows. I remember going to coffee with my Dad and telling him all about what God was stirring in my heart concerning writing a book. It felt like a huge dream, ridiculous with a one …
Books, Blogs, and Blessings
My husband and I actually got to go on a date on Friday night, and we had such a fun evening walking around a book store. Not super exciting to most people, but to us just being by ourselves together and getting to look at books was such a treat. I sat with a huge pile of finance books, and Matt had a huge stack of books of graphic design and other topics, researching and learning and having a wonderful time. And after a whole stack of books, I was just so struck at how complicated writers love to make …