God is good---All the time

Yes, God is good. I know that in my head but if I am being honest, I don't always live like that. When things are not so good, I complain and I gripe and I forget to look at what I do have.

Now, though, things are going well - and I am practicing what I know to be right. I am not going recognize that He has sent good and not just think that it was "about time" or "I deserved it" I am concentrating on really giving him the glory for all the things - especially the good that is going on right now.

So what is the good right now? Let me tell you what God is doing in my life!

A friend of ours saw that they needed a new sales man in his company. He recommended Tom for the position. Just yesterday we found out that Tom got the new job. It has the real possibility of doubling or tripling (or even more) our income! It would be so nice to get out of the poverty zone! There was only one real concern about taking the job. We have only owned one car for over a decade - my van. Tom always had a demo from whatever dealership at which he was working.

That brings me to the next thing that I have to praise - I did the taxes yesterday. We are getting enough to get a car (Not a new one certainly but one that will run til we have the money to get a better one) for Tom.

There are several other things going on as well that have an effect on my life - for the good - but as they are not directly connected to me, I am not going to write about them. But rest assured that I am going to give thanks for them as well. Right now all things in that all things verse are working together for good - and I am seeing it live and every day. And I am going to give praise and thanks to Him who made it possible.

Valentine's Day Cards

Tom's Card:

Eva's Card

Timothy's Card

Emily's Card

This year I challenged myself to make cards for every member of my family for Valentine's Day. I am glad to say that even though cardmaking is not where my passion is, I am very happy with the results. Here they are

a new home

One of the first churches we looked at, Tom and I liked, but they really did not have anything for the older kids. So that one went off the list right off the the list. However, in November they started a Saturday evening service.



We decided to attend that, and I am so glad that we have. As you might expect, it is fairly small - but then again it is a small church. They have a class for Emily too so she comes with us. It is really a winning situation all along. Tom and I get to go to church and have made some new friends. Emily gets to go to Sunday school, and The other 2 can just be teens.



Tonight, being Valentine's Day they had a movie - Fireproof -after the service. We had heard alot about the movie but had not seen it yet so we made it a date night for Tom and I. Knowing that it was going to be a late night we left Emily home.

It was during the evening that I really began to realize how comfortable we have become there. At this point everyone knows who we are and it dawned on me that for the first time since I began this process of looking for a new church, I have found someplace where I feel comfortable and even somewhat "home" and that is a GREAT feeling.

Football is EVIL!

Ok, I am going on the record to say I HATE football. I have a number of reasons and I intend to vent and lay them out here, so strap on your seat belts and get ready to go...

First of all I grew up in a house where football was a sacred event. No one ever bothered to explained how the game worked and if I would try to ask I was neatly and clearly put in my place and told to be quiet they were watching the game - and we all know that the football game is more important than I was.

When I arrived in high school I was in the marching band. I didn't particularly want to be in the marching band, but if you wanted to play in the concert season, you had to play in the marching season as well. This meant that I was at every football game every Friday night for 3 years. I was bored to tears as I either fried or froze in my band uniform sitting on the sidelines. The one advantage of my experience is that I was finally around people who were willing to answer my questions about how the game was played and didn't just tell me to be quiet.

So as the years pass, living in Cleveland, I came to the sad conclusion that football would always be a part of living here. After all, although we never had a winning team, routing for the Browns was an experience akin to nirvana here for most people. Then there was a glorious day! Art Modell moved the Browns out of Cleveland to Baltimore. I have rarely experienced such bliss! I remember the day well. It was the same day that Yitzak Rabbine was assassinated, but you barely heard that on the news here because everyone here thought that football was much more important than the assassination of a major political player who was in the leadership of one of the most important countries of the world - but who wants to know about that?

Alas for me we got the team back. Cleveland has one of the worst school systems in the country. It is one of the poorest cities with some of the highest national foreclosure and unemployment rates. So everyone can see that we should ignore the failing school system, and pretend that the temporary jobs that were created to build the new stadium (because of course we couldn't use the old one) would fix the job problems. So the new Browns arrived in town a few years back.

Over the years I have learned that I am just about alone in my viewpoint. But that doesn't mean I have to like it or that I have to be quiet about it. Neither of which I am going to do.

Church is VERY important to me. I really wish that the superbowl was not on Sunday. It ruins the day - that is all anyone talks about. If however having a superbowl party is more important to you than being in church then, STAY HOME! I was just appalled as a couple in our church was whispering in a very loud whisper during communion as well as the sermon of everything that they had to do for their party. I do not doubt the faith of this couple but I see the poison that this obsession when chips and dip become more important than worshiping and communing with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Not much has changed over the years. I still feel like Jeremiah - a lone voice calling in the wilderness. This year one of the churches where Emily goes to Awana the commander is one of the Browns. He is the first person I have ever met that seems to have put football in the correct perspective - behind God. I really look up to him for what he is trying to do. However I also see him failing at it. I used to look forward to going to Awana on Wednesday nights. I had met and become friends with other moms there and we would talk and chat during the meeting.

Now everything has changed. It is no longer the moms who bring the kids but rather the dads. I don't pretend that they are the least bit interested in Awana or even what their kids are doing. The only reason that they are there is because the commander is a football player. It is funny and sad to see a bunch of middle aged men following the poor commander around like puppies. The commander seems almost as annoyed with it as I am.

There is a reception area with a couch in that church. It is where my friends and I used to sit and chat. This week the commander was not there so all the football dads ended up there. Unlike the welcoming women I knew for years the guys sat and talked about football.

All of my life I have hated the game. I see how it has destroyed a family, a city and a church. So I can not help but believe that football is EVIL!

Making a gift box

This tutorial was made for Jean's Art Dolls. Please check out this site and all the talent and wonderful ideas there!

The first step is to choose the paper. I have used both cardstock weight and lighter. I use these boxes most for candy etc. and I like the heavier weight better. It will work with just about any paper though.

Once you have the paper you will want to determine the size you want. I usually use a 12x6 size but any paper with a 2:1 ratio (8x4, 10x5 etc) will work. Obviously the bigger the paper, the bigger the finished box


Once your paper is cut you will want to mark the half way points on each side. Your first fold will be in half legenth wise.

You will then fold from the center mark on the width to the center fold of the paper. It is not a tricky fold but sometimes the paper will tear a little of your are too rough. Note that happened on mine but it is not really noticeable on the finished product.

If you wish to decorate the box, now is the time to do it. You can see where all the folds are and can embellish the box accordingly. Things like doodles or stamps can be put right over the seams and folds but thing like flowers or bling would be better on one of the flat surfaces.

Now the sides will overlap and you can use a hole punch at the center to punch a hole for the thread or ribbon to go through. I have done this both with and without using eyelets in the hole. If you choose to use eyelets, make sure that they are big enough for you to get the ribbon through. Also you do not want to seal the sides with eyelets as then you will not be able to put the items in the box.

Now and open the box and put your contents in. You will then string your ribbon through and tie it in a bow.

Store up Treasures in Heaven

It seems as if there is no in between for me. Either everything is right or everything is wrong.

Tom got up and was on his way out to work. He opened the door and just stood there. This did not make me happy as it was COLD out there and as he stood there with the door open it was getting cold inside too.

Then after a second he said,"Where's my car?"

Needless to say, I forgot about the heat at that point too. Sure enough the only thing left in our drive was the freshly fallen snow. There was no car - not even any tire tracks just a vast expanse of white.

We have two cars - mine and his. Mine is just that mine. Literally it is all paid for and everything. I have the title and it is all mine. Tom's car technically isn't his. He gets a demo from the dealership and that was the car that was stolen. Yes, I felt very bad that it was gone, but at the same time I was also rejoicing in the fact that it was not OUR insurance that needed to foot the bill or that we would be without a car for long. So although it was not a good situation, I could easily see the good side of it. First blessing.

The car that was stolen was a Dodge Charger. With that kind of car if you are lucky you find the remains of the frame and everything else stripped. Tom was most concerned about the contents of the car - which were not much but they were ours. There was a car seat for Emily and a few music cd's and it was the latter that most upset him.

I came across a few extra bucks in my Christmas shopping money. Though we had agreed not to exchange gifts, I thought it would be a nice treat to get him a Michael W. Smith disc that I knew that he wanted. I searched long and hard for that disc - literally calling every store I could think of that might have it and until the last one, came up empty handed. Finally, I was able to find it. Tom got it for Christmas.

When all was said and done and the police had finally got here and made there report it was then that Tom realized, "My disc is gone!"

It is with that somewhat forlorn note that I dropped him off at work. On my way home I realized that even if we didn't' get the disc back that I could get another and I even know where not to look for it. We usually listen to books on tape/cd in the car. We don't buy them but get them from the library. I was so thankful that if a disc had to be lost that it was one of ours and not one from the library that we would have to pay to replace. Next Blessing.

Life settled down to normal and Tom called this afternoon. The car had been found! But how was just want made me see God's fingerprints all over it.

One of Tom's customers called him and asked, "Why is your car parked in front of my house?"

What are the odds that someone would leave the car somewhere where it would be recognized. Also it wasn't actually the car that was recognized, but Tom's dealer plates. What are the odds that even recognizing the dealer plates and know who to call? Think the blessings are working over time today!

They are going to tow the car into the dealership and it doesn't look like there is too much damage. The front grill is missing, the back bumper has some marks on it, and the spare tire is on it but that is all the physical damage that is apparent. The steering column wasn't even stripped! The car is going back to the dealership so they will not have to worry about dealing with the police impound either. More blessings!

After all the excitement I was thinking and that was when I realized all the blessings that had come our way today. It was also a valuable lesson ( and as lessons go a fairly painless one ) on looking at where my heart is. AND I passed the test! I was not concerned about the car and I could clearly see God's handiwork all over the day.

So in reality, I am wrong it was not a bad day after all.

Happy New Year

It is a new year and I can't help thinking what does it mean...Yes we have a new month on the calendar and I need to pay attention to write 2009 on my checks but in reality what other difference is there?

I have heard of it referred to as a new start but is it really? I was overweight in 2008 and you know when that calendar page moved, the pounds sure didn't. You know all those lovely bills that I owed in 2008...yup you guessed it they are still due now.

I guess is what I am trying to say is that the turn of the page may give me a new perspective but in reality nothing much has changed. And I know that the biggest changes in my life came not at the turn of a calendar but at other unscheduled personal turning points. (none of which were at the start of a new year or in fact, even a new month) They were a time when I met the Lord in a new and different way and that was more than a new year, it was the birth of a totally new me.