BUT I woke up feeling so rejuvenated! :) Brandon and I talked last night and he helped me focus again on the long term. He is just such a faithful, steady person. Exactly what I need! and I thank you all as well for contributing to my encouragement! :)
and we DO have a plan and I WILL be coming home full time in 2008!! YAY! :) I can't imagine how excited I will be. My heart as a woman literally aches sometimes to be home full time, to be completely 100% focused on bringing love and beauty into my home. I really do think that men were designed to provide and woman designed to take care of the babies. But while I'm working part time "out there" I need to just look for ways to bless others in that position, God brought me there for a reason. and I'm so so so so thankful that Brandon also has the same dream as me. He wants me to come home full time just as badly. He wants to be the sole provider. Brandon grew up in a family of 5 boys. Can you imagine that?!!?! His mom was a single parent for quite a few years and worked 3+ jobs to provide.... so I'm so glad that despite our different upbringing, we share the same dream - to have the mommy home with the kids and be the primary & sole caretaker.
When I DO come home full time, I wish I could invite you all over to celebrate with me hehe. I really do wish I had more friends closer to me with babies around my age. It would be nice not to have so many empty playgrounds around here. It really is just different for our generation though isn't it? I didn't mean to make it sound like I have NO example of financial prosperity --- I have that example in my own parents! But I just wanted an example from MY generation. My mom stayed home and I believe I had the perfect childhood. We had next to nothing when we were little and now they are abundantly blessed. I remember my mom making clothes, making crafts, painting and making decorations instead of buying things --- but I just don't have that talent. I thank you all for sharing on your blog your "cheap" decor. In fact Michelle had a post just yesterday about that. Maybe someday I will be able to be a creator like that and learn that I don't need a lot of money to have "new" things. They can be new to me though old to somebody else. You all inspire me, thank you.
Brandon helped me realize that things are extremely different now from our parent's generation - God is ultimately in charge! He is the ultimate leader, the ultimate babysitter and He is here with us. He can bless us no matter what laws change or what the government is like. He is good and faithful if we are --- and so I just need to increase my reading, to increase my faith!
So I'm going to do what I can to focus on the blessings we have now but to look at the big picture! To focus on the long term and where we're going, not where we are now! I will also continue to fill out my "dream book" that is a binder I have full of ideas I want to do in my house and life! and I'll do what I can to continue to read your blogs and find inspiration and how to make beautiful things without breaking my bank!
so THANK YOU all! :) and to end on a positive..
my dear hubby is such a server...when he got his promotion, he wanted Raymond to partake in the increase as well...so Raymond got his first "big" toy from us. I can truthfully say that any toys Raymond has right now is because of our parents or friends, so it was so nice to buy him something. When we went up to New Jersey my nephew got a little 4 wheeler for his birthday and Raymond wanted to ride is so so so so bad. He was fascinated. He just craved it but since it was my nephew's new toy, Raymond didn't really get any time on it.....so when my mom found this 4 wheeler at Toys R Us on sale for $30 we had to get it!!! This is the best $30 I've spent!!!! It's such a fun toy - and now that the weather has been in the 70's, we've been loving life! We've been riding the 4wheeler everywhere, it goes pretty fast actually and walking in the stroller and bike riding.
Life is good because God is great! Everybody have an awesome Friday!! :) love you all!
4 comments:
I really understand pinching pennies. I suppose, for me, it is all about what I find important to me...what do I value? I value my children, church, my relationship with the Lord, and my marriage. I value church...so I go whenever I can, I value my relationship with the Lord, so I spend as much time as I can, I value my marriage, so I spend as much time as I can, I love my children, and time, time, time...
I do understand the money part...but remember that it says in the word that anything done without faith is sin. So with staying home you have to do it in faith, unwavering, trusting that if the Lord is giving you peace in this direction then He will not fail you. He will not!! I have five children...we live on about 40 thousand a year. I do not know how, but we always do well. I do not know how you feel about tithing. I tithe before I do any of my bills. I write it out and then my husband and I joyfully give it to the Lord. I thank Him for the job..but I know that job is not our source..God is. We also tell our children and my each other...we are favored by God and man. We are!! I also give away anything we do not use as seed. I give away any clothes the girls or boys out grow. I only give away our best and each time I think how grateful I would be if someone came up to me with a bag of free clothes. I also give away sheets, blankets, any decorations I am tired of. In return..I cannot tell you how many times I find amazing deals on things or someone just comes to us and gives us things. The giving is the greatest and I want my kids to have an open hand with their things.
I do love your heart! You are so tender! I have family in Columbia, SC...are you near there? If we come visit..I would love to say hello..maybe meet halfway. If you ever come down for Disney fun...come see us!!
Boy..this is the longest comment ever!! I hope I made some since. I do enjoy reading this..made me think on a few things!
Thanks so much Melanie!!!!
You're right about having faith... I need to increase my faith by reading His word and by my spoken words!!! I need to get back on track!
and you're right about claiming we are blessed - we have failed at that recently. Brandon and I need to get better at speaking words of faith into our household. We used to all the time in the beginning of our marriage wake up and say, "we are highly favored and highly blessed" --- but those words have been lost.
Whenever I wake Raymond up I sing, "this is the day that the Lord hath made" - and I honestly believe it makes a difference in my day!
Thank you so much for this comment. You're right.
and about tithing - YES we do tithe 10% right off the bat. Tithe 10% off all the bonuses I get, and Brandon's too. and we DO do it joyfully - we give when we are nudged for the "extra" ministries our church has going on. and I am always always giving away free clothes and toys. I believe we are very good with our money! and I really believe all the giving of Raymond's hand me downs is why we have been so so blessed with things for Raymond. I literally haven't had to buy any clothes/toys for him at all! We have been given so much. Even our furniture - all of is it hand me owns!! ALL of it!! If we ever have another baby - I want new things though! haha the 10 year old crib falling apart kind of scares me.
but anyway ---- THANK YOU THANK YOU for these awesome reminders.... I gotta change some things.
Columbia, SC is I think about 3 - 5 hours away, but I don't really know! I know we'll be down to Disney in a few years though! so I'll make sure to tell you when! :) haha
Have an awesome weekend, thanks for your friendship! :)
I've been sitting here with my coffee (I so love coffee now that I have learned out how to make the perfect cup!) and catching up. I apprecaite your posts~they flow naturally, beautifully, and honestly.
I know you are so excited about coming home; I'll be celebrating with you through cyber space.
As I look back over your posts, I see me as a young wife and mom, although I was not saved at that time in my life. I see pics of Raymond and see my boys at the age. It goes so fast; treasure every moment. You're so fortunate to have a wonderful and loving husband; I know you will treasure evey moment of that blessing as well.
So , on a different note, where is Leland? I come across bloggers who live in NC and often wonder where they are in relationship to where I was when I lived there; it would be so great to meet. But then I think about how I was 30 miles out to sea when I was a NC girl and people are probably closer to me now that I am back in VA than they were then, LOL. If you ever want to take a trip to Williamsburg (Raymond would LOVE it-even at his age now!), let me know. You could stay here if you don't mind an air mattress. Just a thought...
Well, the coffee cup is empty; time to go fill it up again. :-)
Have a beautiful day!
Vanessa
Me again.....
PS~
Maybe I just need another cup of coffee to find it, but where on the side bar is your email address? My computer is DREADFULLY SLOW, so anyone's blog that has music, lots of pictures, videos, etc. takes me a while to navigate around. My boys call it the dinosaur. Anyway, I missed it and wanted to send you an email. I'll keep looking (and drinking more coffee). That's it-my computer needs to drink more coffee and do things faster! :-)
Vanessa
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