Little Man Monday

Off-Line

Not that a lot of people actually read this but I will be going off-line for a few days.  Don't know exactly how long yet but I'm going to spend the time in the Word :-)

Little Man Monday

Yep this was taken in the middle of summer.

God of food

Our Father in Heaven is the Lord of all.  He created everything and it all belongs to Him.

Even our food :-)

I've seen God a lot when it comes to our food.

In a previous post, I said we are no longer getting help with food from the government.  God would provide though and He has been!

Anyone that really knows me can tell you I drink a lot of milk.  I'm talking like a gallon every two days!  So I was a little concerned about how I would be able to cut that cost a bit.

One great thing about the store we shop at is the price matching!  I just have to look up ads and see who is having the sale and for how much.  

So I was getting my milk for decently priced for a few weeks until I was told nope sorry we don't price match that place (the same one I"d been using for a few weeks, silly I know).  BUT the cashier only charged us for two gallons instead of three!  Woohoo!!!

Just last week when little man and I were at the store we told the cashier about another sale but she rang up the milk at a much cheaper price!  

Now try and tell me He isn't in control!!!!! :-D  

Also my parents got me a new oven.  Now we can actually use the oven part of the stove!  This is money saving because we can make the big family meals in the oven (they wouldn't fit in the microwave) and have the meal for a few days as left overs!

To top it all off, my neighbor needed to clear out some room in her freezer for the half a cow her husband got :-)  So I got a few meals from her.  AND she gave me a pound of ground black angus beef!

God is sooooooooo good!

love

anc

Pressure

It is hard to live in America and be a follower of Christ.  While mowing the other day I had the thought that it would be better to be where I faced persecution not just pressure from the world.

But then I know God placed me where I am for a reason.  If I cannot keep my faith during pressure how could I ever serve Him in persecution?

I'm sure I have the wrong attitude about it.  I need Him to break down my walls and work on me.  The only way this can happen is if I let Him . . . I know He has left me plenty of messages already.  It is called the Bible.

There is so much here in our lovely U.S. of A. to get in the way of our relationship with Christ.  It is very easy to make something an idol.  Anything we look towards more than our God and Savior is an idol.

I have made things idols.  It is hard to admit but even the internet is an idol for me.  I let it control most of my time.  I could be spending all the time I just sit looking at random things of no importance in the word of God.

It is something I've been wanting to do.  I try to fast from my computer a few days a week.  I haven't been succeeding much lately :-(

Having so much stuff is hard on me as of late.  I cringe when I think about all the excess I have.  God has blessed me with living in America for a reason and I believe part of it is so that I will grow more in Him and depend on His righteousness.  And not depend on the so called American Dream.

love

anc

Nothing is ours

I own nothing.  It is all His.

We think we are a rich nation but we have never been more wrong.

I am straight up greedy.

America loves her wealth and goods.

God calls us to give to those in need.  If we do not we become the goats on the Lord's left (Matthew 25:33).

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Matthew 25:45

 If I compare myself to those who have more than I do, I'm not living as Christ.  I need to look to the least.  Those who do not have a single thing.

God has placed others suffering and needs on my heart.  Before buying anything He makes me think about those who have not.

It is straight up hard, not gonna lie.  Getting the new shoes would be great.  I really "need" them, I tell myself.  How many are doing without food or water?  These are the BASIC human needs.

I'm working on processing all that my heart is feeling.

I know I cannot change others but it burns me inside to see people buying useless items.  I'm not sure what I need to do about it but its something I'm definitely praying about.

love
anc

Little Man Monday

Starting a new thing for my good ol' blog.

Little Man Monday will have a picture of my LM that I think is adorable.

:-) Enjoy!

Something Else

I've been struggling in my walk the past few weeks.  Ever since returning from the mission trip I've been lost.  I haven't been in the word like I should be.  It's my own fault.  I just feel like typing out all the thoughts going through my head.

Today I bought car insurance.  I was on my parents' but found it cheaper to get my own.  Well what I ended up getting is NOT cheaper.  In fact it is a bit more but it has better coverage.  One major issue I thought of while mowing after already purchasing it . . . I did not seek the Lord while getting the insurance.  Christians are to give up their life, to die to self, and let God handle everything.  Besides it is all His to begin with anyway!  I don't own a bit of it.

Even the very breath I breathe is not mine to keep.  It is a gift from the Lord.

So I'm going to be praying about my insurance to see if He has other plans.

School starts at the end of the month.  I'm very nervous.  Not sure if God has called me to other plans or not.  So I'm going with what I already had set up.  My mom feels it would be great for me but I'm not as convinced.

I just feel that maybe God has called me to something else.  Just not sure what that something else may be.

love
anc

Falling Whistles

I was very excited to finally receive my whistle in the mail!

You may be thinking, "its just a whistle."  But you are incorrect!  It is a symbol of justice.

Young boys in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being put on the front lines of war with only a whistle.

They are not yet strong enough to carry guns so they become a temporary human barricade.

from the journal entry:

THEIR SOLE DUTY IS TO MAKE ENOUGH 

NOISE TO SCARE THE ENEMY AND THEN TO 

RECEIVE – WITH THEIR BODIES – THE FIRST 

ROUND OF BULLETS. 

Lines of boys fall as nothing more than a temporary barricade. 

Those who try to fl ee are shot at from behind.  The soldiers call it 

“encouragement” to be brave.  Without a gun to protect themselves, the 

smallest boys are placed between the crossfi re of two armies – forces 

fi ghting for reasons far beyond their ability to understand.  

WITH FALLING WHISTLES, THEIR ONLY 

CHOICE IS TO FEIGN DEATH OR FACE IT.

The whistle sales fund a rehabilitation program for these young boys.

I'm happy to be a whistle blower!

Are we just?

Before you go any further in this post you must know I'm NOT passing judgement on anyone.  I'm saying this because Erica's post spoke to me and I know I'm convicted of such.  Use this post as a means of learning about our lives and rethinking them.

We are a society obsessed with stuff.  We think we have a right to own more and more yet other's have so very little.  Erica shares my love of facts!  Here is some facts about our "American spending"-

American spending for 2009

$45 BILLION on their pets yearly. 

$14 BILLION on pornography a year. ($56 BILLION worldwide) 

$345 BILLION on clothes and shoes. Yes CLOTHES! 

Coffee is a $12 BILLION dollar a year industry! 

$15 BILLION a year on bottled water! 

$13 BILLION a year on plastic surgery.

Is anyone else picking their jaw up off of the floor?

I sit here and don't know what to say after looking over these statistics.  I believe they could be a post all by themselves.  Think about how much money a BILLION is.  We spend 15 BILLION dollars on bottled water.  BOTTLED WATER?!!!  Seriously?!  It is something that is basically free for us out of our taps.  We could be sending all that bottled water to those who do NOT have access to clean drinking water!  This makes me just want to go up to America and shake her silly!!!

More than half of our world lives on less than TWO dollars a day. 

Yes you read that correctly, less than 2 dollars.  

How many of us have that much or more in change in our cars?  We spend more on our pets than most have to even eat.  It's not like these people want an extra pair of underwear or that new pair of jeans.  They want to feed their children the one meal the will might get for the day.  

I am so convicted of this very thing.  It is extremely hard for me to look at my wants vs. needs the way American culture wants me to.  How is buying another toy for my son who has a room full or pair of flip flops to add to the collection a need when people across the world are hungry starving?

I am going to copy this straight from Erica.  I couldn't say it any better.

"Put yourself in another mothers place, imagine having to choose not between what cereal you'll feed your child but choosing WHICH of your children gets to eat today."

You go anywhere outside of the U.S. or even in some of the inner cities here IN America and you will see.

We need to help those who have none.  Jesus calls us to it.

"You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22

Social Justice.

rethink your needs . . . I know I am

love

anc

Breathtaking

Mission Trip July 2010

I love these people so much!

I've been meaning to post since getting back from the trip but just haven't known what to say.  To say the trip was amazing would be an understatement.  Serving God like that was breathtaking.  It was nice to focus on Him without the distractions of the world for a week.  Although I missed little man something fierce, I enjoyed the time away to get myself back together.  

Going on the trip made me rethink my calling in this world.  I'm not sure if accounting is where I am meant to be . . . but I'm going to stay with it for this semester at the very least.  Doing so gives me a chance to see if it IS what He wants of me and it makes my family happy.  I know you can serve in any job but I think I see myself in more of a actually service ministry role.  I could be wrong.  Only He knows what I'm called to do!  Maybe, just maybe, I'm talking myself out of accounting because I'm looking for an "easy" out.  

We do not have to go to Africa or South America to do God's work.  But sometimes I feel it would be easier to go there and do it.  Living in America as a Christ follower is straight up difficult.  We are a crazy culture to but it mildly.

Took this picture of little man yesterday.  He is growing up so much.

love
anc

Mowing the Lawn

This evening around six-thirty, I did what people with a yard do~mowed the grass.

Photo taken by my beautiful best friend Abby

This may seem unrelated to anything but it has great significance to me.  I get great time with God when I mow.  I have at least an hour to speak with Him and have no real distractions!  I pray for whoever I think of and whatever comes to mind.  It is a terrific time.  It makes mowing much more entertaining.  Plus it gives me good God time :-)  Next time you mow think about having a conversation with your Heavenly Father, the Lord of all, and the only guarantee in life!  Also I am so thankful for my yard.  Yes it can be a pain to have to go out and mow but I am so blessed for the property I'm on and the wonderful house God has provided for little man and me.

School starts at the end of August.  I have found peace with the decision and it's all through Him!  Accounting still seems scary but I know He will lead me.  I can't just sit around and wait for something to fall into my lap.  It doesn't work that way.  Plus with not being able to find a job, attending school is really my only other option!

I was going to take five classes but decided against it since I'm just getting back into the grove of things.  I will be taking accounting, math, speech, and a general business class that is a prerequisite for everything.  I'm so thankful to be able to get just Tuesday/Thursday classes.  It makes life much easier.

Little man was going to go to the sitter he was at while I had a job but sadly she does not have an opening once school begins.  She was awesome too!  And only a block away :-)  I have found someone who can watch him though and I couldn't be more happy about it!  It is a little out of the way but I know LM will be loved on so much and learn.  The greatest thing about this new sitter is she is such a strong Christian.  I know LM will learn good values while he is there.  She has a daughter that is about four and a son that is two; so LM will have playmates his age!  Not sure the ages of the other children she watches but I'm excited!

Speaking of LM, can I just say he is growing up so much!  He is so handsome and I love being his mommy.

I will be away from him for ten days!  I know it will be very difficult but the reason behind the absence is wonderful.

As I mentioned in my short post, I will be going on a mission trip.  My first ever!  With a group of about fifteen twenty-somethings, I'm going to Antioch, TN to help with flood disaster relief.  Click here to see.  We will be leaving this Sunday after a lunch at church and be gone until Sunday the 18th.  I will post more about it once I've actually experienced it!  Me being able to go is such a God move!

Also in my short post I talked about a bible study.  I'm involved in a Beth Moore study called Breaking Free with college-aged twenty-somethings.  It is a wonderful time to fellowship and know there are others out there my age who believe in our Savior Jesus Christ!  We are on week four and it is such a great study!  Because of this study I already know where some books of the bible are better!  It has been a great way to get me in the habit of having quiet time with God.  

Prayer request!!!!  The single moms group starts on Sunday!  I'm nervous but I know He will be the leader not me!

Here is a picture of my family from our family camping trip

Papa, LM, Mom-mommy, Mommy, Aunt Woo

The shirts were made by my lovely grandma grandma!

They are birds and each has a different theme.

love

anc

short

Going on a mission trip.

Involved in a bible study.

Loving the Lord and leaning on Him more than I ever thought I could.

Life is in His hands.

He will provide

This week has been a good week.

One of my bestest friends told me some very exciting news.  I am not going to say what it is just yet.  Plus I got to hang out with her quite a bit this week.  We went on some nice long walks.

My little sister got her hair cut.  How is that a good thing you might ask?  Well she donated it to Locks of Love.  It looks so cute and the cut off hair went to a great cause.

Little man can now say please :-)

A friend from elementary school is getting married next month and she had a bridal shower today.  It was so great to see her.  I went to school with her soon to be husband :-)  We actually dated for a bit haha!  But I love that we are still friends.  They are so cute together!  I couldn't be happier for them!

This weekend is what we call "family camping".  The majority of my momma's family gets together for a big camping trip.  LM and I will be going up there tomorrow morning.  We opted to sleep in our own beds tonight since we had the shower to go to until late tonight.  

Currently it is raining and thundering very hard.  :-)  I like summer storms such as these.  It is quite peaceful and gives my plants a good watering!  

In other not so great news (depending on how one looks at it), we were denied public assistance.  No food stamps for us.  When I first opened the letter it upset me a bit because we really could use the help but there is someone who is bigger than all of it.  God is in control.  There is a reason for not being able to get it.  Someone else who is far worse off will be able to use it more.  Even though I am without a job, I still have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food to eat.  When I told my mom about it she said something along the lines of "just keep living frugal like you already are but maybe reconsider the money you have going overseas."  My response is God will provide.  He called me to care for Filemon and that is what I'm going to do.  If it means no more eating out, fine.  No more movies, fine. No more random trips to the gas station, fine.  :-)  When I am saying "fine" I am not saying it in a negative tone; it's more "no problem!"  I mean it as He has total control and I am trusting Him! :-D  

Speaking of trusting Him, I continually have to take this back to the alter and give it back to God to handle.  I want a relationship badly.  I want a husband very much so.  BUT I know God has it all worked out already and is just waiting on me to "grow up".  Not in the literal sense, at least I don't think so, but in the spiritual sense.  I once heard, from I believe Danny on a sermon podcast I was listening to, that "If you think you have to have somebody to be somebody, you aren't ready for anybody."  Isn't that so true?  Just because we think it would change us to be married or have a child or whatever, one thing like that is not going to make that much difference.  We have to change on our own.  Marriage doesn't solve everything.  Nor does money, fame, schooling, relationships in general, etc.  

Next Thursday is a big day for me.  It is the day of my birth.  Twenty-three years ago at 7:15 pm my momma brought me into this world.  :-)

All next week my little sister will be gone at church camp.  I hope she has a great time.  I always did.  She goes to the same camp I went to when I was her age.  They now have air conditioned cabins.  She said last year some girls had to sleep in the "old" cabins that didn't have air.  I just laughed because when I went that is all we had!  There was no air conditioning!  I pray she will grow stronger in her faith and be more prepared to be an arrow for God!  Last year at camp is when she decided to be baptized!  

Mom and I will be painting her room lots of cool colors while she is gone!

I cannot recall what convicted me of this but I know why God has me where I am.  I am not needed halfway across the world like I think I should be.  I am needed here.  Right here in my little house in this little town with only one gas station and one flashing red stop light.  People need to hear the Word here.  God placed me here for a reason.  I'm unsure about how He wants me to go about it all but I know I am in the right place.  Kids walk down my road several times a day and maybe I can be a light for them.  Anything can happen with the Lord of Heaven and Earth in charge!

If you are reading this, I congratulate you!  This is a mighty long post :-)

love

anc

Bookmarks

I've been working on getting the clutter out of my life.  It is actually a great feeling!  We are picking up toys as we go along and the house is staying decently clean.  Makes me feel good.  Dishes are still not my favorite thing to keep up on but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  I'm so thankful to even have a sink to wash my dishes in!

I am trying something new with my hair.  :-)  It seems to be working great so far!  

Wanna know?  

I'm not using shampoo.  

At all.  

:-D  

Baking soda and apple cider vinegar are it for me!  In just the few short days I've been using this "no shampoo" method, my hair is less frizzy and my curls look tons better!  I'm still in the adjustment period.  When we use shampoo, it takes all the essential oils out of our hair.  The more you shampoo the more this happens.  That is why your hair looks so greasy so quickly.  Your hair thinks it needs to produce lots of oil because the shampoo took it all away.  Using baking soda helps to keep the natural oils in your hair and still cleans it!  The vinegar is like a conditioner.  

Also I no longer use a brush on my hair or a towel.  I comb it with my fingers or a comb (depending on how tangled it is).  Using a t-shirt is supposed to be good for drying curly hair.  Instead of using a t-shirt, I've found a pillow case works great!  I just put my hair in and wrap it up lightly!  It is still the cotton material so it helps with frizzy and such.

I'll be posting pictures of my hair sometime soon.  Have to upload the pictures!

Little man used to go to bed around 7:30 or so but with it being so light out until 9 or later, it has made his bed time be pushed back a bit.  He is so cute!  He can say please now and it is the most adorable thing ever!  Also I painted "As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord Joshua 24:15" on a wall in the living room and he just loves for me to read it!  He enjoys reading in general but he really likes to look through his bible!  God has great plans for him!

I received the book One Million Arrows, and so far it is a very good book.  I'll do a little review of it when I finish it.

Lately I've been reading Acts.  Also reading Exodus, Job, and Luke :-)  Well I have bookmarks in all those spots.  Depending on the day and what God is pulling me toward determines what I read.  

This weekend my family is going camping.  It is my mom's side and we do this every year.  It should be lots of fun, as it always has been.

"Do you dress to show off your body? Or do you dress to please the Lord?"  A question to consider in today's culture.  We are called to higher standards as Christians.  Please the Lord in all you do!  Do not lead another astray by your actions!  

I am officially enrolled in classes for the fall.  God has given me such peace about it all!  I know that no matter what path I go down He can use me for His glory!  He needs all kinds of people!  Pastors, teachers, mechanics, small businesses, and even accountants!  I've always been good with numbers so hopefully this is the path that will bring Him the most glory and honor and help with the harvest!

love

anc

headache and MOPS

This will be a short post I'm sure . . . since I have a headache and need to get to bed.

I was able to attend moms night out for MOPS tonight.  It was great to see some of my MOPS sisters.  I wasn't able to stay the whole time because little man was at my parents and I had to get him before it got to late.

Have I said how much I love MOPS recently?!  God is so good!  I need mommy friends and He provided! I look forward to anything having to do with MOPS.  I highly recommend it for any mother of preschoolers.

The one fall back for me is I feel so . . . well I'm not sure how to put this in words but I guess its I sometimes feel out of place.  Like maybe I'm too young to be there or something.  BUT don't get me wrong!  I love MOPS!!!!  I guess maybe its because I wasn't quite ready for a child when I had LM.  God used LM to bring me closer to Him though!

LM and I go on walks now :-)  Well he actually rides but minor detail.  I'm trying to do it every day.  We walked about forty minutes today around town.  It was nice.  I'm hoping it will help me to shed some extra baggage I have around my middle and such.

I'm going to be trying something new with my hair.  Don't want to go into details on it just yet but I think it will be awesome.

Okay this headache is starting to get on the verge of migraine :-(  time to lay down and see if it will go away.

TTFN
anc

What's your mission?

Little man is such a good boy.  We go on walks and he just enjoys the ride.  Although, he doesn't enjoy when we get home.  He always says "more, more, byebye, byebye."

I've decided to try out a menu plan for a few weeks.  I'm hoping it will help lower the grocery bill and keep down my trips to the store.  Also I'm going to keep track of all expenses this month so I can make a budget.

We are put on this earth to accomplish a mission.  Many make their mission to live a "good" life and enjoy as much as they can.  Others make their mission to work hard and earn lots of money.  I believe our mission as Christians is to bring in the harvest.  We still have to live in this world and survive but we need to reexamine what it takes to survive.

I'm working on letting go of self and living all for Him.  Not an easy thing and it will never be complete.

This is all for now
love anc

Giveaways

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Beautiful jewelry!

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Amazing Simply Love shirts!

a break

Not that many read this blog but I wanted to state for the eyes of the world to see that I am taking a break from most technology. I say most because my phone is a must since I do not have a land line.

No more facebook checking every hour.

No more reading countless blogs all day long.

No more constantly refreshing the email.

God is calling me...and I'm not wanting to listen because of these things. They occupy my time WAY more than they should. I need to get closer to Him. I need to give myself completely to Him.

I may still blog, we shall see.

It will not be easy, this I am sure. But I know it will be worth it.

love

anc

just have faith

God says for us to simply have faith in Him. Not money, not stuff, nothing but faith in Him.

That is not an easy thing. We are to be disciples and help to bring in the harvest! There will be persecution for us along the way as followers of Christ Jesus. Family, friends, the church . . . they may not understand. But we have a job to do while we are on this earth for this short time. Our treasure is in Heaven. Earth is just a pit stop or a camping ground along the way.

With HIS strength and HIS love we can pick up the cross and go to the lost, poor, and sick.

That is what God calls us to do as Christians. We are to go to the lost, the ones who do not know Christ. We are to help the poor, he gave us the resources so we need to use them to better HIS kingdom. NOT use them for more stuff! We need to help the sick, thousands die from malnutrition and PREVENTABLE diseases every day! So not cool.

It will seem like we have dove off the deep end to this secular world but God has plans for us. We love Him supremely and it will all work out.

Who did Jesus hang out with during His time on earth? The rich, religious pharisees? NO!!!!! He was with the prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners.

We need to live like Jesus.

Are we going to choose comfort or a cross? It is easy to choose comfort. We can turn the channel on our big screens so we don't have to see the suffering. We can simply not drive to that part of town that has poverty. We go on about our lives with stuff, stuff, and more stuff. A cross will not be easy. A cross will lead to persecution from the ones we love. It could even led to death. BUT we are already dead to this world if we are doing the will of Christ! Our treasure is not here! We are here only a short time.

I know I would much rather live for God for all its worth here and bring people to Him now than to sit back and enjoy the pleasures of this world and spend an eternity in damnation. Yes the road won't be painless but it is worth it when you look at the big picture.

If God is in your heart it won't feel like sacrificing or giving up the extra things in life, all the stuff we have. It will be giving to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in great need.

It is easy to go to God and ask, "Why all the suffering in this world? Why do You allow so much poverty, unfairness, hurt, and inequality?" I bet He would ask us the same thing.

give me Your eyes

If you only have one dollar to your name and are starving and standing outside McDonald's praying to God to take your starvation away, open your eyes! God gave you that dollar so go eat!

Heard this from a very good friend. Although God does have the power to heal, move, and fix us, sometimes He provides in other ways. So we need to open our eyes a little bit more.

Danny, our pastor at church, described our viewpoint verses God's viewpoint very well. You can check out the sermon here. Take a look through a paper towel roll. You can't really see much at all. That is how we see the world around us without prayer and without God in our life. Now imagine a fifty gallon container with the bottom cut out. Put that up to your eyes. You can see a LOT more! This is what happens for those who pray for God's view. It is like God's view of the world (His is unlimited of course but this is a good way to actually picture the difference). God can see the big picture. We may be asking for a snake and not even know it, but God does know. ~Luke 11:11-13~ This is why he doesn't give us everything. He knows the egg we are praying for and demanding is really a scorpion. Danny spoke on this as well, just click here.

It is so amazing how much you can see and hear God when you simply listen and be still, taking the time to look. He has really shown Himself to me the past few days. But I can also see the devil trying to tear us apart. Bad news mister devil, you ain't breaking us up! I love the Lord!

My little sister is amazing, as I've said before. She feels God moving her but she isn't sure how He is going to use her for this awesome thing she knows is gonna happen. She is twelve! Her faith is such an inspiration. After church on Sunday we stopped in to talk to the middle school minister, Kenny. He is so cool! He helped her out a lot and even helped me! He wasn't speaking "to" me but God sure was :-)

God's will and the will of the world are a hard thing to mix together. It is a constant battle to figure out. We can't sit on our behinds and wait for jobs or schooling or spouses. God gave us choices. We have to start down a path, any path and He will help us along. Maybe you are unsure of a choice (I know I sure am) but sitting around waiting for something to drop from the sky isn't an option.

So having had that in my mind, I am going back to school in the fall or maybe even this summer! I've been praying A LOT about what God's will is for my life. I know I am meant to be a mom but since I am single, it is not possible to sit at home all the time with little man. We need income to support us.

I've always been good in math and science, it's how my brian is wired. Therefore I am going to be going to school for accounting! I feel at peace with the decision and know God is all I need to get through this! Plus my mom is happy I'm getting my behind in gear again.

Little man has NOT had a fever again! I am so thankful for all the prayers! He is almost eighteen months old! AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Where has the last year and a half gone?! He amazes me more and more everyday. I am so thankful to God for the blessing He gave me in little man. Here are some pictures :-)

He is so handsome.

He looks great in hats!

Most recent of us.

Although I was caught up in the problems life has been giving, the ball is in motion to get the moms group set up! Thanks to a great friend for being there to remind me about it! Hopefully we can start in June.

Putting your faith and trust in God seems easy enough but it is not so easy in this messed up world we live in. We have to be in constant communication with the Lord so that we can stay in His will.

I just love Him so much! He blesses us in so many ways!

Love through Christ,

anc

Baseball Gloves

My little man is doing better. I was very glad to have him home and I know he was happy to have momma. He wouldn't let me put him down for a second.

Life is going alright. God is in control so I don't have to worry much. I am going to be helping my sister finish up the school year. Sort of like a tutor. Works for me because mom and dad are paying me in rent :-) woot woot for parents as landlords.

The single moms group is almost a go! Have to talk to Dean and work out details and then we are good to go.

Tomorrow is the last MOPS of the year :-( It has been such a huge blessing in my life! I am going to miss all the friends I have made. BUT at least I will get to see them at church and such! Just won't see them on Wednesday mornings so much.

My neck is a little burnt. After picking up little man from the sitter (which he only has a week and a half left of) we go for a walk around town and to the park. It is a lot of fun. He enjoys being outside and I get some exercise. He is such an outdoors boy. The crazy thing is though he doesn't get dirty like most kids. For example, when I picked him up from the sitter today he was playing in the rocks . . . BUT he was not sitting on the ground like a normal kid. He was sitting on a baseball glove :-) He is so cute! I need to post some new pictures. He is actually getting hair!

I am off to try and go to bed.

God Bless!

love

anc

Motherhood is . . .

Kristen of We Are THAT Family asked what motherhood means to each one of us and to find a picture of just that.

Well I didn't have to think too hard about what picture I would choose.

This picture is of the very first time I got to hold my little man.

No matter the struggle or the hard times, motherhood is always worth it.

Breathing

First off, my little man is sick :-(

He has had a fever on and off for a couple of months now.

This episode has gone on since Tuesday.

It is his dad's weekend for visitation.

Little man is not with his momma.

He went to the hospital last night.

Had a fever of 103.4 . . . got up to 104.5 while he was there.

They think its just a mouth virus.

I wanted to be there so badly.

God was there. He always is. He is making sure little man is cared for when he is away from me. The doctors said not to worry. Yeah easy for them to say. But I am leaning on God for all I've got because I know He can handle it.

Little man may "just" have a fever and I know there are children far worse off than him but this is my baby boy. I can't help but be a nervous wreck about him not feeling well. Hopefully his fever broke by now. His dad is at work (he is with his great grandparents) so I'll have to wait for an update.

*deep breathing*

Now that I have that off my chest, lets move on to other news.

With the Lord's blessing we are moving forward to do a single moms study! It is going to be for seven weeks, the first week being introductions, focusing on adventures in mothering. I'm super excited for it. It is going to be great to connect with other moms who are in this same season of singleness.

I am so thankful for my little sister. She truly is amazing. :-) We are ten years apart. We hang out quite a bit. As far as sisters go I think we rock! She is so understanding for only being twelve years old. Love you Woo!!!

With little man being so sick, I no longer have a job. Part of being the only parent at home. My church has a position open for a ministry assistant. It is right up my alley! I applied. If it is God's Will then great! If not then I'm still super happy about seeing the job! Why you may ask . . . because it opens my eyes to different jobs that I could do. Ones that are glorifying to God!!!

Thanks to my beautiful MOPS sister for posting about my need of a lawn mower, I can mow my own yard! That is on the agenda for this weekend!!

To any mom out there that doesn't have time to get into the Word, I would highly recommend the Busy Mom's Bible. I got mine from Walmart and I love the way it is set up.

This is all for now. God Bless!!!!

love

anc

What's on the Heart

As I type this little man is screaming and crying. :-( He does not want to go to bed. He wants his momma. I don't mind holding him until he is almost asleep but this screaming is so hard to deal with. I want to hold him but I know he needs to learn to go to sleep on his own :-(

I'm trying to figure out what God is calling me to do and it's not easy. I don't expect it to be because the devil likes to knock us off the narrow path. Prayer and time in the Word will be the only way to figure it all out. As of right now the plan is to go back to school in the fall for something that I know is not what I want to do for the rest of my life and isn't my true calling. A post in the church bulletin spoke to me but I need to get more information on it. Not sure if I meet the qualifications.

A very dear friend of mine, basically a sister, is unsure of things as well. It is always nice to know someone is in the same boat and we can be in prayer for each other.

more to come later

not much

It has been a long while since I have had a chance to get my thoughts typed out. Little man and I have both had our share of sickness. Thursday evening he threw up all over me and the chair. It was not a fun time. But I will say it is quite amazing what a mom can withstand. In the past I have not been able to tolerate my own throw up but when it is your child, it is a different story. The chair still smells :-( Hopefully with a few more cleanings it will get better.

Seeing God in everyday things is becoming easier. Being in His Word (which I need to do more of) and being in constant communication with Him through prayer does that.

The church I attend had an amazing parent/infant dedication a few Sundays ago. I dedicated myself to raise little man to love the Lord. I have a long road ahead of me but I know all things are possible with God. My parents were able to attend and got to hear The Crossings pastor, Danny, so hopefully that planted a seed to get them to come to church!

God has placed on my heart a group for moms who happen to be single. I've talked with a few of my MOPS sisters about it and am figuring out what all it would take. To start we will probably end up doing a short six week study on Sunday mornings to get a feel for the need. I know for me it would be amazing to be able to talk to other moms in this season of singleness.

I thought I had a lot to get out for this post but apparently my mind doesn't think so.

love~anc

What a Week

This past week I worked hard for the first time in a long while. I work in a refrigerator basically. It's about 38 degrees and we repackage products. It was cold and the work was, well factory work. Standing on your feet all day in steel-toe boots. But at least it will bring in a paycheck.

I've been struggling this week in getting life and work to fit together. I slept A LOT this week. Working a new shift will do that to ya. Because of this new work schedule I have to miss the single mom small group I was a part of. That isn't so great.

The language at work is hard to deal with. I know I will never be able to escape it but man its hard! When hearing the words all day (well really afternoon/evening since its second shift), its easy to use them when you drop something or whatnot. One thing that has been really helping is watching what I put into my head.

I listen to christian music again and that's all I listen to. It helps to have those songs about grace and God's love running through my head. They make it easier to ignore the bad language.

Little man was sick pretty much all week. His fever started on Tuesday evening. Friday morning I was to take him to the doctor for an appointment and we ended up calling 911 on the way there because his hands were turning purple as were his lips. It was very scary. So Friday morning brought us to the ER, where they did a chest x-ray and said he has pneumonia. So he has to take medicine for ten days and hopefully that will take care of it. I was not looking forward to going in to work at three on Friday because I didn't want to leave my baby. He stays with my mom while I'm at work but still I miss him. Work let me go home early when they found out about the rough day I had. That was really nice. This weekend has consisted of catching up on sleep and cuddling my baby boy. He is doing a bit better but still has had a little fever today.

Can't forget to change my clocks for the daylight savings switch.

This week I also followed the Kenya bloggers through Compassion International. Wow. What an experience these people had. Being able to see and read about their journey was incredible. A little back story: Back in high school I decided I needed to sponsor a child. I had no idea what it meant to sponsor a child. I ended up not doing it for very long (I am truly sorry for the little girl I let down) because I was a poor high school student who wanted to spend her money on things she felt she "needed"...

A must read post

Having the love of God in my heart once again, I realize how truly blessed I am. I may not have a lot and money may be tight but He, the One who died on the cross for me, He gives me what I need. We are going to be sponsoring and loving a little boy from Kenya. I decided on Kenya because it had the most need for children being sponsored. At first I wanted to have a child with the same birth date as mine but then felt called to go a different route. Filemon Omondi is now a part of my heart and family! He has the biggest smile on his face and I love that! I can't wait to receive my sponsorship packet and have his picture and get to send him letters!

God is so good. Even when times are rough we can always lean on Him.

I have been limiting my facebook time here lately. It is not a good thing to be in allllll the time. I enjoy seeing my friend's pictures and updates but the negativity on there is outrageous. Call me what you like but I am working on getting to the spot God wants me to be.

Today little man and I watched LarryBoy and the Bad Apple. It was about temptation. They portrayed it so well. Temptation gets the best of everyone. You cannot go a day without encountering it. With God's strength we can overcome it though! I am striving to be more Godly. I know it is a difficult path to go down and the devil will be throwing things my way like crazy to try to knock me off but I have my mind set.

The devil can leave me and my son alone. We know the truth and strive to follow God!

Prayer requests:

-Little man's health

-Being strong in the Lord, even at work

-my sister

-mom and dad's Walk

Praises:

~I have a job!

~MOPS

~support of my family

~God's love

jobs

Changes are everywhere. Some are little and some are big.

I have another job. It is much better days and stability. They won't be changing my schedule every other week like the other. Its shift work and in a factory but it is full time and decent money. It works better for my family and everyone.

I can still attend church every Sunday which makes me happy! But sadly I have to miss my single mom's small group. MOPS is in the morning so I can still do that too!

I believe God helped out in this part of my life greatly. Without Him I'd be in an awful spot I'm sure! He is amazing.

I'm not feeling the writing bug right now so I will come back later and write more about this.

Shake

Blah...

I'm in a bad spot. It doesn't have to do with the job, that is going alright. I'll touch more on the job in a sec. I can't shake this feeling I have. I am having so many doubts and when I try to find someone to talk to they were busy. I didn't make it to small group tonight which made me mad. I hate this. it just needs to go away and leave me alone. I want to be God's light and although I know times will be hard He can make them great.

The job is fine. Lots of drama and I'm over that already but its money coming in.

Someone please help

I'm making myself go to MOPS tomorrow. I know I need the fellowship. I just hope they will watch little man. I don't have anyone to watch him like I used to.

Is it okay to let go of a friendship for spiritual reasons?

light

We are the light of this world.

Stop looking back and take in the now.

God loves me and made me special.

My body is the temple for His greatness to shine through.

Thoughts

Note:

This post will be a "vent" of sorts. It will be random as I am just going to let me thoughts be typed as they come.

End of note.

Tomorrow is the big day, I have my first day at the job. I know I should be excited that God has a job for me but I feel uneasy to say the least. I'm not excited about this job. I have an interview for a different job tomorrow morning. It's with Hoosier Park which is also in Anderson. It would be graveyard shift...yay raaaa, NOT. This just bites.

The devil or something is pulling at me and I don't like it one bit. I can't seem to get into the Word any and praying is very difficult. I think that the devil has a hard hold of me because he knows the Lord is planning something big for me. I'm tired of being the devil's puppet. Church is doing the one month to live challenge and I feel it will be life changing. I'm in a small group of other single moms and its nice to have a group of others that are in the same stage of life I'm currently in.

In the introduction which is the first day, the book asks what are five things you'd change without thinking too long or hard if you knew you had a month to live. Mine were get into the Word and actually read it, spend more time playing with little man, changing my "thought" language, less time sleeping and eating and more time doing things, and living a life Christ would love.

I'm struggling with thoughts of the past like crazy. I don't want the past but the devil and my mind keep wanting me to think I do. So not cool.

With the job situation, I feel like maybe I should start a home daycare. It would be for second shift parents because there are very few of those available to the world. I feel at ease when I think about starting this, like maybe God has put this on my heart. I would get to be home with little man and make a difference in other children's lives. Be that positive influence they so need. Its something to think and pray about for sure.

Life. It is not easy. I know no one ever said it would be easy but wow.

I am going to limit my computer time so I can spend more time being productive and spending time with little man.

I have the interview tomorrow morning at seven. I have to be up early and get little man to my mom's so she can watch him. Bed here I come

J-O-B

I HAVE A JOB!!!!

God is so good :-) He always pulls through. It may not be the best job in the world but at least I will have some income coming in. And I feel very at ease about it all.

Thank you Lord!

Pickles & Grace

I'm in a pickle. Not a real pickle...those are just gross! I have an interview tomorrow for a job. I NEED a job very badly but this one is second shift and weekends. I have brought the matter to God and He did help me get to my first interview even when I was dragging. I will be taking the job if it is offered. Especially since it will be the first job I've been offered since I started looking. I need to just stop worrying about that and give it all to the big man upstairs.

On a much happier note, church on Sunday was INCREDIBLE!!! I honestly felt God for the first time in a long while. I know God wants me to be at Park Chapel and that is such a great feeling. I attended Starting Point, which is the getting to know PC class. It was great to hear all about what they believe and WHY! I like to know why so that was great. I believe with all my heart and soul God has put me there for a reason. Big things are gonna happen.

The message was the last of our Heart of God series. It had to do with the prodigal son story in Luke. Danny really hit us hard with a message from God about being prideful and acting like the "older brother." I cried because God had placed on my heart some things about my past. I know with His grace I will be able to overcome it but it is going to take time and healing.

My bestest friend, Abby, let me borrow some of her books. One was Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Honestly one of the most amazing books I've ever read in my life! I know God has someone out there for me who is going to love me unconditionally. I will be second to God of course! That is important.

You know how they (not sure who "they" are :-p) say a relationship is like a triangle...God at the top and the man and woman on the bottom ends. Well I never really fully grasped that until I read Francine's book. God is to be above all else, even a boyfriend or husband. I cannot wait to have that sort of relationship with a man where God makes us truly one. At MOPS I see women that have that kind of relationships with their husbands and it gives me hope :-)

At first the thought of being single for (at least) a year was daunting. I know God has put it on my heart to do so but still it felt hard and scary. Now I'm actually greatly looking forward to it! Don't get me wrong, I love to love with a man but if I ever want to have the relationship God has planned I need to get my life right with Him. He is the only one who completely understands everything I've gone through and been in. I know it will take great time and healing for me to get over my past but with His grace anything can happen!

I am struggling with getting into His Word. I don't know why its so hard. I love to read and I know there are incredible stories and lessons to learn from in the bible but I'm struggling with that. If you are reading this and know a good way to help get into the word, please share!

I am off to bed so I can get some rest before my interview tomorrow.

good night all