Today is Avry's FIRST "day of school." She begins EFC's childcare ministry/preschool and she's gloating with a sense of being a big girl! What an exciting year for us! God is amazing and I sing praises to Him today. Renay and I are gonna exercise together sometime this morning after I drop her off! Hooray!!!!
Okay...so I had my first real breakdown last night over the whole septic system issue. We are still praying, don't have the money to fix it and have no clue what God is going to do. Last night, I visited my mom for a bit and she began to question what was going on with our septic problem. Everything she said was like a knife in my faith. Comments like "You better get that taken care of before you have raw sewage in your house...my goodness, Kara, it could flood your house!"
caused me to panic and picture us desperate and infested with raw sewage! Yikes!!! ahhhhhh!!!
I drove home with that horrible lump in my throat and tears streaming down my face. All I could do is cry out to God to PLEASE, PLEASE provide our needs for this. When I got home, I marched to the back yard and began praying over those stinkin' plugged up leech beds (no pun intended :) and claimed in Jesus' name that the pipes would become unplugged and a miracle would occur!!! I came inside and choked out a few words to John about how I was feeling. I could tell that it made him a bit defensive and he wanted me to know that everything was going to be fine.. How? How??? I keep wondering what on earth God's gonna do to solve this problem?
Then, I'm reminded that He is God...CREATOR....MASTER....GOOD...PERFECT...PROVIDER...LOVER OR OUR SOULS!
I must choose to believe that He has a plan to fix our septic dilema. I'm not even going to attempt to list the possible ways in which this could occur.....why? Because HE is God and God alone!!! So, this is where I am- left desperate and helpless-but full of hope in HIM. I am nothing and HE is everything. Please pray that HIS will is done in this situation.
Love you all!
K
Life is Good because of God! Thumbs up!!!
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ahhhhh (a sigh of relief)....
Hallalujah.....the angels of Heaven are singing praises....I'm floating on a cloud of joy......life is wonderful and peaceful....... What on earth is she talking about you might be thinking????
5 Children got on the bus this morning in front of our home. All 5 were dressed to a tee and absolutely adorable. Anna and Abby got up early as to have enough time to do their "hair" ( Oh my, is this ever bringing back memories!!!!) I woke up at 6:15 and started a fabulous hot breakfast. First, the buttermilk bisquits went in the oven (no, not homemade..but boy are the Walmart's store brand bisquits good!!) Then Evan helped me scramble 12 eggs and I put a pkg. of lil' smokies sausages in a skillet to simmer and get nice and hot! MMMMMMM...good!
I served 6 paperplates of scrumptious dee licious food (I'm getting smart and actually butter and jelly the bisquits before the kids even get em! 6 Kids and a jar of jam is not a pretty site!)
I even went all out and put some chocolate syrup in their milk! What a delight it was to see all of them eating peacefully, go freshen up for school, get dressed and then head out the door with lunch boxes in hand. John got up shortly after breakfast was served and got the camera shooting some cute shots (I'll try to post them soon) The bus arrived at 7:52 a.m. and John and I waived good bye. No, I didn't cry...it didn't even cross my mind actually. That may seem a bit heartless, but I've learned something in a few years of parenting- letting my children experience something new, difficult and even challenging (such as Emma getting to her classroom off the bus) is a good thing and I just have to let go and trust God. Will the day be perfect? I'm sure not. Will each of them be nervous and make mistakes? Sure.
Last night, my mom helped me take Abby, Evan and Emma to their openhouse event at the elementary school. By the time we left, I could tell that her nerves were shot :) She was feeling a lot of anxiety about Emma getting off the bus and to her class. She was actually trying to convince me to take her to school the first day and I said nope! :) They have lots of parents to help them get to where they are going and it will be more difficult for her to let go of me if I'm right there. She did get nervous last night going into her new classroom and really clung to me, but you know..this morning she was absolutely fine and excited. I didn't sense one bit of nervousness from her. She proudly hiked those little legs onto the bus steps and went with the flow.
Emma's prayer over breakfast was this "Dear Lord, please help us all have a good day at school and please help me not get sent to the principal's office. Amen" I was laughing so hard under my breath becausee none of the other kids have ever mentioned "the principal's office" yet Emma has this keen awareness of the level of trouble that is possible at school. PLEASE, oh PLEASE God, don't let her get too big for her britches at school and end up there!!!
Avry has enjoyed the quiet time home with mommy and daddy. Within about 2 hours, she had already painted a masterpiece, colored several pages with rainbow colors and has watched some cartoons. Oh, and I can't forget about her wonderful new obsession- she' LOVES to fold rags, washcloths, handtowels and such. I can barely sit a laundry basket down without her little hands reaching in for one of these items! So cute!!!
I've logged on my weight watchers this morning and don't have many points left for the day...not going to mention what I ate that took about 3/4 of my entire day's points. Okay, okay, you twisted my arm..... a honkin' bowl of vanilla icecream drenched in hershey's chocolate syrup with a banana sliced on top. Now, if I was out in public, I would NEVER order a choc. sundae because nothing can touch my homemade treat. I have a whole system in which I eat this mound of joy. It's quite pathetic now that I think about it...... Anyhow, I've also drank some water and have a chicken breast already at work that was supposed to be eaten yesterday but was vetoed for a horribly, horribly fattening lunch choice of McD's!! How stupid, I know, I know!!!! Here i am trying to save money on my poor kid's school lunch and I'm off inhaling a fish fil-o-let and fries.
It actually makes me want to puke just typing that...ooooooohhhh gross! So, that's my confession. I hate my flesh.. i really do. But, I do love God and will not give up.
I just told Avry to get her shoes on..we are going on a walk! And I'm gonna burn some calories tonight at work as I zoom around to help customers- which I absolutely LOVE doing. I have a whole new love for older folks too. They are just too darn cute and lovable! Except that grumpy ole man yesterday that smarted off to me about us being out of things in our add. Hey, pops, I'm really sorry about that but we can't help what the truck didn't bring us..we're doing our very best!
Gotta run!!! Love you all and off I shall go..... ( I will weigh in tomorrow)
k
5 Children got on the bus this morning in front of our home. All 5 were dressed to a tee and absolutely adorable. Anna and Abby got up early as to have enough time to do their "hair" ( Oh my, is this ever bringing back memories!!!!) I woke up at 6:15 and started a fabulous hot breakfast. First, the buttermilk bisquits went in the oven (no, not homemade..but boy are the Walmart's store brand bisquits good!!) Then Evan helped me scramble 12 eggs and I put a pkg. of lil' smokies sausages in a skillet to simmer and get nice and hot! MMMMMMM...good!
I served 6 paperplates of scrumptious dee licious food (I'm getting smart and actually butter and jelly the bisquits before the kids even get em! 6 Kids and a jar of jam is not a pretty site!)
I even went all out and put some chocolate syrup in their milk! What a delight it was to see all of them eating peacefully, go freshen up for school, get dressed and then head out the door with lunch boxes in hand. John got up shortly after breakfast was served and got the camera shooting some cute shots (I'll try to post them soon) The bus arrived at 7:52 a.m. and John and I waived good bye. No, I didn't cry...it didn't even cross my mind actually. That may seem a bit heartless, but I've learned something in a few years of parenting- letting my children experience something new, difficult and even challenging (such as Emma getting to her classroom off the bus) is a good thing and I just have to let go and trust God. Will the day be perfect? I'm sure not. Will each of them be nervous and make mistakes? Sure.
Last night, my mom helped me take Abby, Evan and Emma to their openhouse event at the elementary school. By the time we left, I could tell that her nerves were shot :) She was feeling a lot of anxiety about Emma getting off the bus and to her class. She was actually trying to convince me to take her to school the first day and I said nope! :) They have lots of parents to help them get to where they are going and it will be more difficult for her to let go of me if I'm right there. She did get nervous last night going into her new classroom and really clung to me, but you know..this morning she was absolutely fine and excited. I didn't sense one bit of nervousness from her. She proudly hiked those little legs onto the bus steps and went with the flow.
Emma's prayer over breakfast was this "Dear Lord, please help us all have a good day at school and please help me not get sent to the principal's office. Amen" I was laughing so hard under my breath becausee none of the other kids have ever mentioned "the principal's office" yet Emma has this keen awareness of the level of trouble that is possible at school. PLEASE, oh PLEASE God, don't let her get too big for her britches at school and end up there!!!
Avry has enjoyed the quiet time home with mommy and daddy. Within about 2 hours, she had already painted a masterpiece, colored several pages with rainbow colors and has watched some cartoons. Oh, and I can't forget about her wonderful new obsession- she' LOVES to fold rags, washcloths, handtowels and such. I can barely sit a laundry basket down without her little hands reaching in for one of these items! So cute!!!
I've logged on my weight watchers this morning and don't have many points left for the day...not going to mention what I ate that took about 3/4 of my entire day's points. Okay, okay, you twisted my arm..... a honkin' bowl of vanilla icecream drenched in hershey's chocolate syrup with a banana sliced on top. Now, if I was out in public, I would NEVER order a choc. sundae because nothing can touch my homemade treat. I have a whole system in which I eat this mound of joy. It's quite pathetic now that I think about it...... Anyhow, I've also drank some water and have a chicken breast already at work that was supposed to be eaten yesterday but was vetoed for a horribly, horribly fattening lunch choice of McD's!! How stupid, I know, I know!!!! Here i am trying to save money on my poor kid's school lunch and I'm off inhaling a fish fil-o-let and fries.
It actually makes me want to puke just typing that...ooooooohhhh gross! So, that's my confession. I hate my flesh.. i really do. But, I do love God and will not give up.
I just told Avry to get her shoes on..we are going on a walk! And I'm gonna burn some calories tonight at work as I zoom around to help customers- which I absolutely LOVE doing. I have a whole new love for older folks too. They are just too darn cute and lovable! Except that grumpy ole man yesterday that smarted off to me about us being out of things in our add. Hey, pops, I'm really sorry about that but we can't help what the truck didn't bring us..we're doing our very best!
Gotta run!!! Love you all and off I shall go..... ( I will weigh in tomorrow)
k
Thursday, August 7, 2008
School Prep
What a week..it's all been good. I'm counting my blessings as the following are going on:
HUGE prayer request- we need a new septic system put in. We've had one estimate given by Hack Excavating and I about fell over when I read it. Now, keep in mind that when he was here in person NO numbers of this calibar were discussed. John was under the impression that we'd be looking at about $2,000-$3,000. So, needless to say, when I saw the number $7,500 on the formal estimate, I about croaked! Who on earth has $7,500 to put in a new poop system!????
Now, we're calling Gary Cheeseman for an estimate. Do any of you have other suggestions?
Onto the "School Preparation Marathon in the Townsend Household..."
On Tuesday, school registration opened at 9 a.m. and I was the first in line at 8:45 baby! Oh yah!
After many years of experiencing the excitement of registering the kids, I've finally learned to NOT take any of them with me!!!! Don't worry, they still get to go and put their supplies away and meet the teacher on a different evening. For once, I just floated through all of the various "tables" and wrote checks like a mad woman. Can you believe that I had to pay $21 for Emma's annual "snack fee". They don't have kindergartners rotate and bring snacks any longer..now, they just have you pay a fee and the kids go to the cafeteria for snack and milk time. I'm actually happy about the whole milk thing....it worries me a bit that kids nowadays don't have enough calcium each day and since my kids are not going to be drinking milk with lunch (since we are sending their lunch this year). Okay, enough moo moo juice talk! Thank the good Lord that he provided extra work for John this summer through the fair and "project hours" at work, cause
I spent $800 in about 1 hour between all 5 kids. This did include a school spirit t shirt for each of them and the $70 Golden Nuggest Pass which pays for all of Anna and Johnathan's sports fees, gets our family into all games, band and choir concerts for free. It was such a feeling of accomplishment to leave the school and know that we are all set to go!! I say this VERY humbly in case you are all wondering how on earth we can afford school supplies and school clothes, underwear, socks, shoes, etc......our families are very supportive and I keep totes of hand- me -downs. I do have a funny "God-sighting" to share. Last summer, before I even knew that Johnathan would become a part of our immediate family, I was shopping at Dollar General. They had some really nice boys jean shorts on clearance for $1 per pair, but the size closest to Evan's size was a youth 10. I knew Evan wouldn't need them for a few years, but I couldn't pass up this bargain. Thus, I bought 2 pairs of size 10 jean shorts and put them up in the closet. Low and behold, sure enough I have a son now who will be wearing those size 10 shorts to school this fall...isn't God amazing!!!!!!!! Also, last year, I accepted a bunch of awesome size 10-12 clothes from the Gaskin family that Mason had outgrown...and yep...Johnathan will be wearing those too!!!
Let's talk a minute about school lunches. Price for elementary is $1.70 and price for middle school is $1.90. Last year, that didn't seem like to bad of deal since we only had Anna and Abby who ate lunch at school. But, then this year is a totally different ball game!! Now, all 5 kids will need to eat lunch at school. (Emma is in full day kindergarten and Evan was not last year)
Let's do the math , 3 kids in elementary= $5.10 per day or $25.50/wk PLUS 2 kids in middle school= $3.80/day or $19/wk for a grand total of = $44.50 per week on school lunches! That just seemed absurd!!! So, I've been on a mission called "Mission Possible." How do I make each child's lunch for $1 or less per day? For a grand total of just $25/week instead of $44.50.
Here are my requirements: Each meal will contain a main dish item, a side item, a fruit, a dessert and a drink. Thus, each "item" needed to be $.20 or less per serving. At first, this seemed a bit daunting and like too much work...but then, I became obsessed with it and have found much joy in it!!! So, I've made a master list of "ideas" and each idea is catorgized under one of the 5 food item categories. Here are some examples that are broken down into appropriate portion sizes: (Keep in mind that these prices come from either Sam's club, Aldi's or Walgreen's where I get my discount)
Under "Main Dish":
2 pieces of bread-$ .11, but it'll be cheaper when I go to bread store!!!!
Peanut butter- $.05
Grape jelly- $.02
Equals a $.18 sandwich.
Ham or turkey sand= $.27
Tuna salad sandwich= $.25
Sides:
Cracker pkgs from Sam's= .14
Baked Lays= $.20
Animal Crackers= $.07
Granola Bar= .16
Goldfish= .12
Cheerio's Baked Snack mix= .21
Party Mix= .14
Cheese and cracker packets= .20
Fresh carrots, sliced- .06
Fruits:
Raisins- .20
Mand. oranges- .23
Dried apricots-.18
Dried Cranberries=.18
Apples- .15
Applesauce- .20
Desserts:
Gummi Bears- .09 (yes, 14 bears!!!)
Mini fruit snack packs- .11
Lunch time gummy candies- .12 (for 2 of em..those cute little "food" looking gummies)
Nutty Bars-.17
Fudge Striped Cookies- .09
Choc Chip cookies- .09
Oreo off brand- .18
Fudge brownie- .09
Mr. Pudding pre packgd.- .22
Marshmallows- .07
Drinks- ( I bought each one of them a water bottle, so we'll be filling them each time)
Sugar free lemonade mix- .05
Capri Sun's - .19 (can you believe that?)
Apple juice- .33
The above list is just a portion of what I've recorded.)
Now, here's the kicker..trying to keep 6 kids out of special lunch food. I'm going to get a tote
and keep it on the highest possible shelf in our panty and use the fridge in the laundry room.
Anna and Abby's job will be to make all the lunches the night before and put in the fridge.
In the morning, we'll add the ice pack.
Oh my, oh my, what a new schedule we will all be on!!!!
I need to jump off here and make dinner.....farewell friends!!!
love ya,
k
HUGE prayer request- we need a new septic system put in. We've had one estimate given by Hack Excavating and I about fell over when I read it. Now, keep in mind that when he was here in person NO numbers of this calibar were discussed. John was under the impression that we'd be looking at about $2,000-$3,000. So, needless to say, when I saw the number $7,500 on the formal estimate, I about croaked! Who on earth has $7,500 to put in a new poop system!????
Now, we're calling Gary Cheeseman for an estimate. Do any of you have other suggestions?
Onto the "School Preparation Marathon in the Townsend Household..."
On Tuesday, school registration opened at 9 a.m. and I was the first in line at 8:45 baby! Oh yah!
After many years of experiencing the excitement of registering the kids, I've finally learned to NOT take any of them with me!!!! Don't worry, they still get to go and put their supplies away and meet the teacher on a different evening. For once, I just floated through all of the various "tables" and wrote checks like a mad woman. Can you believe that I had to pay $21 for Emma's annual "snack fee". They don't have kindergartners rotate and bring snacks any longer..now, they just have you pay a fee and the kids go to the cafeteria for snack and milk time. I'm actually happy about the whole milk thing....it worries me a bit that kids nowadays don't have enough calcium each day and since my kids are not going to be drinking milk with lunch (since we are sending their lunch this year). Okay, enough moo moo juice talk! Thank the good Lord that he provided extra work for John this summer through the fair and "project hours" at work, cause
I spent $800 in about 1 hour between all 5 kids. This did include a school spirit t shirt for each of them and the $70 Golden Nuggest Pass which pays for all of Anna and Johnathan's sports fees, gets our family into all games, band and choir concerts for free. It was such a feeling of accomplishment to leave the school and know that we are all set to go!! I say this VERY humbly in case you are all wondering how on earth we can afford school supplies and school clothes, underwear, socks, shoes, etc......our families are very supportive and I keep totes of hand- me -downs. I do have a funny "God-sighting" to share. Last summer, before I even knew that Johnathan would become a part of our immediate family, I was shopping at Dollar General. They had some really nice boys jean shorts on clearance for $1 per pair, but the size closest to Evan's size was a youth 10. I knew Evan wouldn't need them for a few years, but I couldn't pass up this bargain. Thus, I bought 2 pairs of size 10 jean shorts and put them up in the closet. Low and behold, sure enough I have a son now who will be wearing those size 10 shorts to school this fall...isn't God amazing!!!!!!!! Also, last year, I accepted a bunch of awesome size 10-12 clothes from the Gaskin family that Mason had outgrown...and yep...Johnathan will be wearing those too!!!
Let's talk a minute about school lunches. Price for elementary is $1.70 and price for middle school is $1.90. Last year, that didn't seem like to bad of deal since we only had Anna and Abby who ate lunch at school. But, then this year is a totally different ball game!! Now, all 5 kids will need to eat lunch at school. (Emma is in full day kindergarten and Evan was not last year)
Let's do the math , 3 kids in elementary= $5.10 per day or $25.50/wk PLUS 2 kids in middle school= $3.80/day or $19/wk for a grand total of = $44.50 per week on school lunches! That just seemed absurd!!! So, I've been on a mission called "Mission Possible." How do I make each child's lunch for $1 or less per day? For a grand total of just $25/week instead of $44.50.
Here are my requirements: Each meal will contain a main dish item, a side item, a fruit, a dessert and a drink. Thus, each "item" needed to be $.20 or less per serving. At first, this seemed a bit daunting and like too much work...but then, I became obsessed with it and have found much joy in it!!! So, I've made a master list of "ideas" and each idea is catorgized under one of the 5 food item categories. Here are some examples that are broken down into appropriate portion sizes: (Keep in mind that these prices come from either Sam's club, Aldi's or Walgreen's where I get my discount)
Under "Main Dish":
2 pieces of bread-$ .11, but it'll be cheaper when I go to bread store!!!!
Peanut butter- $.05
Grape jelly- $.02
Equals a $.18 sandwich.
Ham or turkey sand= $.27
Tuna salad sandwich= $.25
Sides:
Cracker pkgs from Sam's= .14
Baked Lays= $.20
Animal Crackers= $.07
Granola Bar= .16
Goldfish= .12
Cheerio's Baked Snack mix= .21
Party Mix= .14
Cheese and cracker packets= .20
Fresh carrots, sliced- .06
Fruits:
Raisins- .20
Mand. oranges- .23
Dried apricots-.18
Dried Cranberries=.18
Apples- .15
Applesauce- .20
Desserts:
Gummi Bears- .09 (yes, 14 bears!!!)
Mini fruit snack packs- .11
Lunch time gummy candies- .12 (for 2 of em..those cute little "food" looking gummies)
Nutty Bars-.17
Fudge Striped Cookies- .09
Choc Chip cookies- .09
Oreo off brand- .18
Fudge brownie- .09
Mr. Pudding pre packgd.- .22
Marshmallows- .07
Drinks- ( I bought each one of them a water bottle, so we'll be filling them each time)
Sugar free lemonade mix- .05
Capri Sun's - .19 (can you believe that?)
Apple juice- .33
The above list is just a portion of what I've recorded.)
Now, here's the kicker..trying to keep 6 kids out of special lunch food. I'm going to get a tote
and keep it on the highest possible shelf in our panty and use the fridge in the laundry room.
Anna and Abby's job will be to make all the lunches the night before and put in the fridge.
In the morning, we'll add the ice pack.
Oh my, oh my, what a new schedule we will all be on!!!!
I need to jump off here and make dinner.....farewell friends!!!
love ya,
k
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Shock Factor
Hey all!
Good news on the weight. I officially weighed in this morning at 244.0! God has given me much grace these past few days. I'm well on my way back DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!! Please don't let up on the prayer- I need it badly!!
God is taking me to a new level of boldness. Yesterday, there were 2 young teen girls shopping in the "condom/personal pleasure" (Kara's terminology, not the store's) section of the store. So, at first I was a bit dismayed as I thought of their youthfulness. Then, the Lord prompted me to boldly approach them and ask with a smile on my face, "May I help you find anything?" One of the girls looked directly in my eyes with a smart allic smirk and said, "Yes! We are looking for things to help with lesbian sex!" What???? What???? Did I just hear her correctly? Right in front of God and all of the store she asked me for help with lesbian sex?????What??????? Thank goodness that the Lord allows me to be quick and witty at times and not stumble over my words at a moment like this! Before I could blurt out anything, the other girl that she was with started laughing and playfully pushed at her friend and said "Oh stop it!"
A brief sigh of relief came over me as I realized that the one girl was just being a brat to me and wanted to say something off the wall and crazy. Thus, I looked right into her lovely little blue eyes and said "I could tell you were just saying that to me for the shock factor right?" She smirked at me and then didn't say anything. I kindly added, "When you are done shopping, I'd be glad to ring you up at this register, " and I pointed to my coz register!
Moments that seemed like an eternity went by as they continued to review this "area" of product. I waited and waited, praying for wisdom as to what to say when they checked out.
Finally, they came bee bopping over to my register with a packet of 3 condoms and 2 cokes.
I asked, " So, are you girls getting ready to go back to school?" They answered, "Not really, I'm not ready at all." I found out that they both knew John through security at the schools which lightened the conversation. I asked, "So, what do you all do for fun?" as i prayed that they would NOT mention anything else about lesbo sex and try to get a rise out of me! They said, "Blow up condoms and put them in people's mailboxes." Holy smokeroos, did I have a couple of rebels on hand or what? But I stayed cool and acted like that didn't phase me...bring it on!
Before I knew it, I blurted out "Well, my church has a great youth group program that I think you'd love! It's fun and contemporary with great music." Our eyes locked as I was not going to give up on these girls that have probably been labeled by society as rebels, naughty, trouble makers, and bad girls. Now, talk about shock factor???Hmmmm?? I had em!!!
The Holy Spirit began to sweep through and one girl pulled out a piece of paper and asked me for the church's name and info? Whoa!!
Was this really happening? So, i gave her the name and Jeremy's number and my phone number to call for more info. Please pray HARD for girl A and girl B- I do believe that God will bring them to MP3. You just never know do you????
That's really all I've got right now! Love you all,
off to work I go.....
K
Good news on the weight. I officially weighed in this morning at 244.0! God has given me much grace these past few days. I'm well on my way back DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!! Please don't let up on the prayer- I need it badly!!
God is taking me to a new level of boldness. Yesterday, there were 2 young teen girls shopping in the "condom/personal pleasure" (Kara's terminology, not the store's) section of the store. So, at first I was a bit dismayed as I thought of their youthfulness. Then, the Lord prompted me to boldly approach them and ask with a smile on my face, "May I help you find anything?" One of the girls looked directly in my eyes with a smart allic smirk and said, "Yes! We are looking for things to help with lesbian sex!" What???? What???? Did I just hear her correctly? Right in front of God and all of the store she asked me for help with lesbian sex?????What??????? Thank goodness that the Lord allows me to be quick and witty at times and not stumble over my words at a moment like this! Before I could blurt out anything, the other girl that she was with started laughing and playfully pushed at her friend and said "Oh stop it!"
A brief sigh of relief came over me as I realized that the one girl was just being a brat to me and wanted to say something off the wall and crazy. Thus, I looked right into her lovely little blue eyes and said "I could tell you were just saying that to me for the shock factor right?" She smirked at me and then didn't say anything. I kindly added, "When you are done shopping, I'd be glad to ring you up at this register, " and I pointed to my coz register!
Moments that seemed like an eternity went by as they continued to review this "area" of product. I waited and waited, praying for wisdom as to what to say when they checked out.
Finally, they came bee bopping over to my register with a packet of 3 condoms and 2 cokes.
I asked, " So, are you girls getting ready to go back to school?" They answered, "Not really, I'm not ready at all." I found out that they both knew John through security at the schools which lightened the conversation. I asked, "So, what do you all do for fun?" as i prayed that they would NOT mention anything else about lesbo sex and try to get a rise out of me! They said, "Blow up condoms and put them in people's mailboxes." Holy smokeroos, did I have a couple of rebels on hand or what? But I stayed cool and acted like that didn't phase me...bring it on!
Before I knew it, I blurted out "Well, my church has a great youth group program that I think you'd love! It's fun and contemporary with great music." Our eyes locked as I was not going to give up on these girls that have probably been labeled by society as rebels, naughty, trouble makers, and bad girls. Now, talk about shock factor???Hmmmm?? I had em!!!
The Holy Spirit began to sweep through and one girl pulled out a piece of paper and asked me for the church's name and info? Whoa!!
Was this really happening? So, i gave her the name and Jeremy's number and my phone number to call for more info. Please pray HARD for girl A and girl B- I do believe that God will bring them to MP3. You just never know do you????
That's really all I've got right now! Love you all,
off to work I go.....
K
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
NEWNESS of LIFE
Howdy gals!
Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted-but when you are at the bottom of the barrel, you don't feel like saying much of anything. You don't want to bore people with your pointless talk or you feel like a hypocrite who preaches a healthy lifestyle but is eating fattening french fries.
You all know that I've been coveting your prayers for me to get back on track. Today is a new day and God reminded me that there is no tomorrow and no turning back. I'm such a screw up...yes, really! I'm such a loser at heart and a pig in the flesh! Oh, Jesus... I KNOW and believe you died for all of my sins- my disgusting gluttony, my selfish behaviors, my wicked heart, my horrid thought process- PLEASE let me walk in the light! I have been bought with a price by you, Oh God!!!! Why do I want to steal from you, God? And try to steal my life back and live it recklessly????? I hate it!!!!
Many of you have been praying for me and I appreciate it-truly!!! The tide is turning at last. Today, I logged back on to Weight Watchers and am recommitting myself to it. It actually felt freeing to type in what I've eaten today, including 8 little M and M's! By the grace of God- I went to Walmart and bought some things to get us through the week and I've got a plan!!!
It felt good to spend money on fresh blueberries, fresh bananas (what other kind are there, right?), garlic, lowfat cottage cheese, etc! So, I came home and chugged some water. Then decided to make my dinner for tonight at work- it took a whopping 8 minutes to prepare a 4 oz. piece of frozen salmon and garlic stir fryed frozen green beans. I put a mini bag of lite popcorn in my sack, a Clif Bar (i'll tell you more in a minute about those!!), and the container of fresh blueberries! YUMMMMMMMY! I'm also taking a new fiber one yogurt- YUMMMYYY!
Okay- the Clif bars- I bought the ones for "Kids" that are organic and come as 24 individually wrapped bars from Sam's Club- for a little over $10- that's .40 per bar!!! This came as a variety pack of double chocolate brownie, chocolate chip or peanut butter- I love them!!!!!! Anna got me hooked on them as her teacher brought them to Health class towards the end of the school year.
Now, about the yogurt- these come as a little bit smaller containers as a traditional individual yogurt, but they are to die for and high in fiber. Sometimes I open the other kinds of yogurt and feel like it's just too much to eat at one sitting, so I actually like these smaller ones. Plus, mentally, it fools me into thinking I'm having a s'morgesboard of food at meal time if I eat a variety of things, but good portions!
So, I'm joyfully announcing that WE are back on track. You may say, "Who's WE?" Well, the WE is all of you who would like to jump back on with me right now!!! None of us ever said this would be easy or a joy- but we have to stick together for our health. I don't know about you, but I hate fat- like, literall fat rolls. Be prepared for some TMI here..... I sat down to go potty the other day and felt that the roll in front was protruding a bit more than it had been- OOOOOHHHHH GROSSS!!! I hate that feeling. So, I'm back on track- because HE lives and loves my nasty self! Thank you GOD for a bazillion chances to take my health seriously!
I love you God and I love you dear friends!
K
Yes, it's been far too long since I've posted-but when you are at the bottom of the barrel, you don't feel like saying much of anything. You don't want to bore people with your pointless talk or you feel like a hypocrite who preaches a healthy lifestyle but is eating fattening french fries.
You all know that I've been coveting your prayers for me to get back on track. Today is a new day and God reminded me that there is no tomorrow and no turning back. I'm such a screw up...yes, really! I'm such a loser at heart and a pig in the flesh! Oh, Jesus... I KNOW and believe you died for all of my sins- my disgusting gluttony, my selfish behaviors, my wicked heart, my horrid thought process- PLEASE let me walk in the light! I have been bought with a price by you, Oh God!!!! Why do I want to steal from you, God? And try to steal my life back and live it recklessly????? I hate it!!!!
Many of you have been praying for me and I appreciate it-truly!!! The tide is turning at last. Today, I logged back on to Weight Watchers and am recommitting myself to it. It actually felt freeing to type in what I've eaten today, including 8 little M and M's! By the grace of God- I went to Walmart and bought some things to get us through the week and I've got a plan!!!
It felt good to spend money on fresh blueberries, fresh bananas (what other kind are there, right?), garlic, lowfat cottage cheese, etc! So, I came home and chugged some water. Then decided to make my dinner for tonight at work- it took a whopping 8 minutes to prepare a 4 oz. piece of frozen salmon and garlic stir fryed frozen green beans. I put a mini bag of lite popcorn in my sack, a Clif Bar (i'll tell you more in a minute about those!!), and the container of fresh blueberries! YUMMMMMMMY! I'm also taking a new fiber one yogurt- YUMMMYYY!
Okay- the Clif bars- I bought the ones for "Kids" that are organic and come as 24 individually wrapped bars from Sam's Club- for a little over $10- that's .40 per bar!!! This came as a variety pack of double chocolate brownie, chocolate chip or peanut butter- I love them!!!!!! Anna got me hooked on them as her teacher brought them to Health class towards the end of the school year.
Now, about the yogurt- these come as a little bit smaller containers as a traditional individual yogurt, but they are to die for and high in fiber. Sometimes I open the other kinds of yogurt and feel like it's just too much to eat at one sitting, so I actually like these smaller ones. Plus, mentally, it fools me into thinking I'm having a s'morgesboard of food at meal time if I eat a variety of things, but good portions!
So, I'm joyfully announcing that WE are back on track. You may say, "Who's WE?" Well, the WE is all of you who would like to jump back on with me right now!!! None of us ever said this would be easy or a joy- but we have to stick together for our health. I don't know about you, but I hate fat- like, literall fat rolls. Be prepared for some TMI here..... I sat down to go potty the other day and felt that the roll in front was protruding a bit more than it had been- OOOOOHHHHH GROSSS!!! I hate that feeling. So, I'm back on track- because HE lives and loves my nasty self! Thank you GOD for a bazillion chances to take my health seriously!
I love you God and I love you dear friends!
K
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The 3 P's
Where is the time going? Can anyone believe that we are just 21 days away from TSC starting.
Anna will be in 8th gr., Johnathan will be in 6th, Abby will be in 3rd, Evan will be in 1st and Emma will be full day kindergarten! Avry will be attending EFC Childcare/preschool. Yahoo!!! I don't wish away this precious time with the kids while they are still young. However, I am excited to see what God is doing in each of their lives as they grow older. Just a warning...next summer when I blog, it'll probably be an entire melt down as Anna will then be going into highschool!! No way!!!!!!!!
Onto another topic...prayer. I've come to realize that truly the only hope I have to regain consciousness from this toxic, selfish acoma that I've went into is to ask for prayer. What's on my prayer list specifically? A lot of yucky stuff to be honest. I have to take a deep breath to even bring myself to terms with where I am...I hate it and I'm going to fight until God's victory prevails over darkness.
1. Pray that my heart will be transformed by the renewing of my mind. (don't know where that scripture is..)
2. Pray that I'll have a hunger for God's Word like never before, that the gates of Heaven will be opened to me and the Spirit will pour down over me like a rushing river.
3. Pray that I continue to develop a servant's heart. It's so easy to slack in the comfort of your own home...i highly desire to be a woman of integrity whom my children look up to and see my servant's heart. Right now, it's much easier to beg them to watch t.v. so i can sleep in.
4. pray that I'll see clearly the enemy's schemes and realize ways that I can step into the armour of God to fight off the devil, world and flesh.
Let's talk a minute about "the flesh"- for such a simple word, it sure does encompass complex meaning. My flesh is beyond evil. It disgusts me. Every day, I must battle my own flesh. The Spirit is fighting against it..but so often I just want to live in the flesh. I get cozy, snuggle up with a warm furry blankie and suck my thumb as i waller in the flesh. I like to pout like a baby! I like to whine and complain, making a sound like a clanging symbol. Why??Why??? Why would anyone choose this horrid lifestyle..yet, even though I'm saved, I choose to walk in old wickedness, old thought processes of selfish gain and pride. Some of you are thinking "Oh, kara you aren't that bad or you are over exaggerating as we all struggle." Or you are thinking, "Glad you realize and admitt it." But let me tell you that when the Bible says our hearts our wicked and we are lost- oh yes..can i ever assure you that it's true. The good news is of course that Christ is my advocate and I've received His forgiveness... Something odd just happened as I was typing the word "forgiveness"... my fingers slowed down on the key board and I could barely type that word. I've accepted eternal like through Christ's forgiveness, yet i receive some sort of sickening comfort out of holding on to all the "ways that I'm bad."
I'm actually getting a headache thinking about all of this...i'm too complex, or do I just make it all too complex??hmmmmmm
Three words keep ringing loudly with me: Pride, Praise and Prayer. ( The 3 P's!)
God deserves far more praise than I give Him. My pride issue sucks and I must rely and have faith in the power of prayer!!!!
As a matter of fact..I'm gonna just head to bed right now and spend some time in prayer.
love you all!
k
Anna will be in 8th gr., Johnathan will be in 6th, Abby will be in 3rd, Evan will be in 1st and Emma will be full day kindergarten! Avry will be attending EFC Childcare/preschool. Yahoo!!! I don't wish away this precious time with the kids while they are still young. However, I am excited to see what God is doing in each of their lives as they grow older. Just a warning...next summer when I blog, it'll probably be an entire melt down as Anna will then be going into highschool!! No way!!!!!!!!
Onto another topic...prayer. I've come to realize that truly the only hope I have to regain consciousness from this toxic, selfish acoma that I've went into is to ask for prayer. What's on my prayer list specifically? A lot of yucky stuff to be honest. I have to take a deep breath to even bring myself to terms with where I am...I hate it and I'm going to fight until God's victory prevails over darkness.
1. Pray that my heart will be transformed by the renewing of my mind. (don't know where that scripture is..)
2. Pray that I'll have a hunger for God's Word like never before, that the gates of Heaven will be opened to me and the Spirit will pour down over me like a rushing river.
3. Pray that I continue to develop a servant's heart. It's so easy to slack in the comfort of your own home...i highly desire to be a woman of integrity whom my children look up to and see my servant's heart. Right now, it's much easier to beg them to watch t.v. so i can sleep in.
4. pray that I'll see clearly the enemy's schemes and realize ways that I can step into the armour of God to fight off the devil, world and flesh.
Let's talk a minute about "the flesh"- for such a simple word, it sure does encompass complex meaning. My flesh is beyond evil. It disgusts me. Every day, I must battle my own flesh. The Spirit is fighting against it..but so often I just want to live in the flesh. I get cozy, snuggle up with a warm furry blankie and suck my thumb as i waller in the flesh. I like to pout like a baby! I like to whine and complain, making a sound like a clanging symbol. Why??Why??? Why would anyone choose this horrid lifestyle..yet, even though I'm saved, I choose to walk in old wickedness, old thought processes of selfish gain and pride. Some of you are thinking "Oh, kara you aren't that bad or you are over exaggerating as we all struggle." Or you are thinking, "Glad you realize and admitt it." But let me tell you that when the Bible says our hearts our wicked and we are lost- oh yes..can i ever assure you that it's true. The good news is of course that Christ is my advocate and I've received His forgiveness... Something odd just happened as I was typing the word "forgiveness"... my fingers slowed down on the key board and I could barely type that word. I've accepted eternal like through Christ's forgiveness, yet i receive some sort of sickening comfort out of holding on to all the "ways that I'm bad."
I'm actually getting a headache thinking about all of this...i'm too complex, or do I just make it all too complex??hmmmmmm
Three words keep ringing loudly with me: Pride, Praise and Prayer. ( The 3 P's!)
God deserves far more praise than I give Him. My pride issue sucks and I must rely and have faith in the power of prayer!!!!
As a matter of fact..I'm gonna just head to bed right now and spend some time in prayer.
love you all!
k
Monday, July 14, 2008
Rambling
Oh my...where do i begin? I feel 100 million miles away from God right now and I'm begging and pleading with Him to get back to where I was. It's not just food, it's my heart right now that I'm most concerned by. I feel so wordly.... I realize that much of that is a result of me now battling the outside world in 8 hour increments at my job (which I still love). It's a whole new arena for me. Here's the prob: "Happy Hour" at Sonic is from 2-4 when you get 1/2 price on drinks and slushies...my new favorite is the Lemon Berry Slushy-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can't fathom how much sugar is in that bad boy. It can't be good! I did take my lunch today which was progress.
I know I've said this before but it is oh so true- the hardest thing about struggling in any area of your life is that you HATE to admit it! I'm biting my lip so hard and hate when someone points out that I've been struggling- it's NOT their fault for bringing it up, it's MY PRIDE problem! I can't stand judgment concerning what I'm eating- it's soooooo tough on me.
You all know that my goal in working for Walgreens is to become an Assistant Manager asap.
I have NO idea how far away that is and all that I must learn and prove to attain that position.
So, I've been carefully watching the other assistant managers and realize the thing they can do that I'm able to yet is : Climb like a monkey up on top of displays and ladders to hang things- I keep picturing my soon-to-be fit body jumping around the store like a circus performer. I want to look at any task and just say "I can do that no matter the physical labor involved!" I noticed
that the managers all work their tales off when it comes to truck day. What is truck day you might ask? Well, it's just as it sounds... the day when a large semi backs up to our stockroom doors and a roller style conveyer belt extends to the truck. Managers start stacking, piling, organizing all sorts of stuff that comes off the truck- and it's all done very fast. BUT I am capable of doing it too... I just know it! I'm building up my endurance by using a "2-wheeler" to transport boxes of stuff around the store :) Renay gets a kick out of my infatuation with the new lingo of the Walgreens world.
"Coz" is of course the Cosmetic Dept.
"2 Wheeler" is a dolly cart
"a plano" is the planogram- which is a print out of the product layout of each section of shelving
"on the wall" means on the cosmetic wall-
"in the back" means along the back wall of the store
"deep facing" is organizing and straightening the products behind what you see up front on the shelf.
"Facing" is straightening the products and pulling them all forward.
Have I told you all that my abosolute favorite product line to stock onto the shelves is deodorant.
Yes... it is rather funny but there are SO many different types and styles of cans, bottles, containers. Here's the one that I'm most fascinated by - a new type of "Old Spice" deodorant that comes in a burnt red colored aresol bottle. Oh my gosh! I love it!!!! Of course, it is a man's deodorant and I'm thinking of buying some for my gramps! (just kidding) Just promise me that the next time you come in to see me or you are in a Walgreens- just pick up this can and revel in its beauty, it's rustic smooth texture, observe the cool little spray top. Okay, okay, I'll stop going on and on about it!
My new favorite cologne is my Antonio Banderez called Blue Seduction for women. I've realized that some of the names for various products aren't necessarily godly... but I don't think that really matters does it? It's all about the heart issue behind the item. For example, if I was to wear "Blue Seduction" parfume and then begin seducing men other than my hubby, then I've got a major problem. Now, if I wear it and become a bit frisky with john -then yahoo- the parfume did it's job of seduction in the right manner :)
I'm a bit wild tonight! It's a good thing because when I first starting posting all of this, I felt rather down and sad.
I miss you all! I miss Heart 2 Heart but I know that we'll be restarting soon.
love you,
k
I know I've said this before but it is oh so true- the hardest thing about struggling in any area of your life is that you HATE to admit it! I'm biting my lip so hard and hate when someone points out that I've been struggling- it's NOT their fault for bringing it up, it's MY PRIDE problem! I can't stand judgment concerning what I'm eating- it's soooooo tough on me.
You all know that my goal in working for Walgreens is to become an Assistant Manager asap.
I have NO idea how far away that is and all that I must learn and prove to attain that position.
So, I've been carefully watching the other assistant managers and realize the thing they can do that I'm able to yet is : Climb like a monkey up on top of displays and ladders to hang things- I keep picturing my soon-to-be fit body jumping around the store like a circus performer. I want to look at any task and just say "I can do that no matter the physical labor involved!" I noticed
that the managers all work their tales off when it comes to truck day. What is truck day you might ask? Well, it's just as it sounds... the day when a large semi backs up to our stockroom doors and a roller style conveyer belt extends to the truck. Managers start stacking, piling, organizing all sorts of stuff that comes off the truck- and it's all done very fast. BUT I am capable of doing it too... I just know it! I'm building up my endurance by using a "2-wheeler" to transport boxes of stuff around the store :) Renay gets a kick out of my infatuation with the new lingo of the Walgreens world.
"Coz" is of course the Cosmetic Dept.
"2 Wheeler" is a dolly cart
"a plano" is the planogram- which is a print out of the product layout of each section of shelving
"on the wall" means on the cosmetic wall-
"in the back" means along the back wall of the store
"deep facing" is organizing and straightening the products behind what you see up front on the shelf.
"Facing" is straightening the products and pulling them all forward.
Have I told you all that my abosolute favorite product line to stock onto the shelves is deodorant.
Yes... it is rather funny but there are SO many different types and styles of cans, bottles, containers. Here's the one that I'm most fascinated by - a new type of "Old Spice" deodorant that comes in a burnt red colored aresol bottle. Oh my gosh! I love it!!!! Of course, it is a man's deodorant and I'm thinking of buying some for my gramps! (just kidding) Just promise me that the next time you come in to see me or you are in a Walgreens- just pick up this can and revel in its beauty, it's rustic smooth texture, observe the cool little spray top. Okay, okay, I'll stop going on and on about it!
My new favorite cologne is my Antonio Banderez called Blue Seduction for women. I've realized that some of the names for various products aren't necessarily godly... but I don't think that really matters does it? It's all about the heart issue behind the item. For example, if I was to wear "Blue Seduction" parfume and then begin seducing men other than my hubby, then I've got a major problem. Now, if I wear it and become a bit frisky with john -then yahoo- the parfume did it's job of seduction in the right manner :)
I'm a bit wild tonight! It's a good thing because when I first starting posting all of this, I felt rather down and sad.
I miss you all! I miss Heart 2 Heart but I know that we'll be restarting soon.
love you,
k
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