God's Expectations

When we first moved to Georgia a lot things did not happen the way I expected them to, which caused a lot of hurt and disappointments on my part. During our first year in GA it took John longer to find a job than what we expected and that was one of the hardest years of our married life. I remember times of crying & crying & crying on my way to work and then once I got there putting on a mask as if nothing was wrong. Then our 2nd year came and we were able to become 1st time home owners, what a blessing! John now has a full time job that he likes and I have been able to restart my in home day care business. For the most part things have been good, not always great, but good. During this second year was when God started working on a heart issue of mine. We all have issues in our lives that God does not always make aware to us that we need to deal with or change until He is ready to walk us through them. Well, this was one of those. I have always been one that wants to grow in the Lord and be what He wants me to be. However, I don’t always realize that sometimes growing pains hurt and I mean deeply hurt.

Sarah at in the Midst of It posted about her daily schedule and just being honest about how normal life is and not having to be perfect to be a good mom, good Christian, and to be loved (ok so the being perfect part is my interpretation of what she wrote not necessarily what she said). This post reminded me that it is okay to be human and I don’t have to live up to certain expectations that I put on myself. This past year God has been teaching me that He is the perfect and wholly One and I only need to live up to His expectations and not the expectations of others. I have always been a people pleaser and worry about what others think or might say.

There have been certain people in my life that I have always tried to please no matter what. There have been certain expectations that I have tried to live up to and tried to be a certain type of person. In a lot of ways I don’t know who this person or people are that I have been trying to impress, live up to, and meet their expectations, but it sure has affected my life. God has been teaching me that He is the only one that I should be so concerned about what He thinks of me and not other people. I have said over and over again that you can’t please everyone and it only matters what God thinks. However, to live it and not just say it is another story. It has been very hurtful to let go of those expectations and live those words. I would not believe that to be true if I did not experience this past year.

I have had to let go of certain expectations and come to some realizations and it has been a painful part of this journey to be who God wants me to be.

Some new thoughts I have learned this past year are:
· I do not have to be just like anyone else
· I do not have to be organized
· I do not have to have a spotless house
· It is okay to watch some TV and to let my children watch some TV
· It is Okay to spend money on things that I like and want to have
· It is okay to be Betty
· I don’t have to be the most outgoing person for God to use for His purpose
· I don’t always have to know what to say in every situation

Some of these things I am still learning and still putting into practice. I know there are other things too that I’m not remember right now. In a lot of ways I am at the beginning of the journey of not worry about what others think, but I am confident that God is there with me and will walk me through every step of the way. There may still be more pain ahead of me, but I will walk on this journey with the Lord beside me and enjoy the blessings he gives me.

Thank you Sarah for reminding me that I am still loved, valued, and a good mom without having to be that “perfect mom” out there that gets up at 5:00am to run 5 miles in 25 min, have 2 separate devotional times, and to cook breakfast all before my kids wake up.

Until Later
~Betty~

A-Z of ME

I was tagged by Judi to do this and this is my very first tagged!

A - Available/Single? Nope, married
B - Best Friend? My Hubby
C- Cake or Pie? cake
D - Drink Of Choice? Mt. Dew
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? My toothbrush
F - Favorite Color? Blue
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Gummy Bears
H - Hometown? Cambridge, OH
I - Indulgence? Blogging
J - January Or February? January
K - Kids & Their Names? Bethany & Jody
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? My family
M - Marriage Date? June 10, 1995
N- Number Of Siblings? 0
O - Oranges Or Apples? Oranges
P - Phobias/Fears? losing my family, and snakes
Q - Favorite Quote? It all depends on the attitude
R - Reason to Smile – being loved
S - Season? Spring
T - Tag Five People? Jenn, Alice, Cheri, Amanda, and Laura
U - Unknown Fact About Me? ???????
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Beets
W - Worst Habit? Mt Dew
X - X-rays You’ve Had? neck
Y - Your Favorite Food? Pizza
Z - Zodiac Sign? Leo

This was fun I hope you will play along

~Betty~

Weekend Reflections

We have had a good week visiting family and old friends. It was good to be back at our old church and visit with our friends. Here are the postive things that happened on our trip.

We had a safe trip to Ohio and no vehicle problems. We also made great time traveling and was able to watch the Ohio State game.

We were able to go out to eat with our Pastor and his wife, Kim. Pastor & I are big pizza fans, Kim is not and especially not for Sunday dinner. One time when we were still living in Lima a group of us were going to go to Pizza Hut after morning service. I invited Kim and she declined, because they had pizza over the weekend and Pizza Hut was not her idea of Sunday Dinner. After Kim declined Pastor walks by, not knowing Kim declined the offer, and asks were we are going and I replied Pizza Hut. Well, they ended up at Pizza Hut that day for Sunday Dinner and it has been an standing joke between Kim & I ever since. Now anytime we are in town we try to meet with Pastor and Kim and have dinner at Pizza Hut. Once again, because of schedules, we did it for Sunday dinner :).

I was able to visit with my best friend Pat. We have such a special relationship. We are not the same age. Our children are not the same ages. Our family lives and situations are not similar. Our marriages are not the same. However, we both are Christians and our heart's desire is to serve the Lord and to have all that He has for us. Therefore, our spirits connect and we can talk to each other just about anything - and we do! Pat is one person in my life that I can take my guard down and make myself very vulernable and let her know what is really going on in my heart. She does the same thing with me. When we were visiting together our husbands were joking with each other about when we get on the phone together they know their time with us in the evening is over and they lovingly say "good night see, you in the morning". :) What a blessing they are to be so patient with us. We sure do appericate it and my life is blessed by it.

It was so good to spend time with my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law, and my neices. We all had lunch together and then the ladies went out shopping. We also enjoyed playing cards together, which we don't do very often.

On Thanksgiving Day we all got together and had a good meal and a good time together :). There was very little frustrations with each other, which is always a good thing. For the most part everyone acted like adults and enjoyed themselves. Even the kids did not get into any arguments. Now that I think about it - Am I sure I was with the right family? lol :). It was a good day!

On Friday we did do a little shopping and was able to go eat at Texas Roadhouse, where John's brother, Josh is a manager. We had a good time visiting with him too. We were able to see Josh every day while we were at John's mom and it was good. My girls enjoyed spending time with him too.

It was good just to spend time at John's mom's house and be with her with no time pressures. The girls enjoyed being with grandma and asking her all kinds of questions. It was very comfortable and relaxing.

We had time to just relax and be causual. It was very nice. I also had time to reflect on how John & I have changed over the past 2 1/2 years while living in GA. There has been some hard times and hurtful moments, but I can see how God has used those times to help us grow in our walk with Him and for that I am grateful. I can see areas in my life that I am stronger now than I was 2 years ago. I am very thankful for my life, my family, and my relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my stronghold in life and am in love with Him!

If you would like to post a weekend reflection or to visit more go over and visit Judi, who I am also very thankful for. She is GREAT!

Until Later,
Betty

3:00 am Wake Up Call

When planning to leave home at 5:00am for a ten hour road trip, I try to get to bed early and get a good night sleep. Just like any good plan, I was behind schedule and did not get to bed as early as I wanted. However that should be okay since my husband would be driving most of the trip and I could be sleeping in the van. John went to bed before I did and all was well. Then 3:00am came. We noticed Jody, my 5 yr old, was in bed with us and just as John was about to tell her to go back to her own bed, she looked right at John and threw up all over our bed. So at 3 am John is doing laundry and I am scrubbing the floor where my daughter left a trail to the bathroom. (I tried to clean all the spots, but it was 3 am, therefore, not sure what it will look like when I get back home.)

We then went and slept in the living room and tried to get another hour of sleep in before we left for our trip. At this point I was not sure how the travel would go and how sick Jody really was. Well Jody slept until we left and then in the van (we let the girls travel in their pj's). She was not running a fever or did not have any more stomach problems the whole trip. We did not have another problem with her. lol :).

John & I just laugh at the situation and know it just goes to prove that Jody does have a mind of her own and will let everyone know. We keep saying Jody just did not want to go back to her room and was going to tell John before he could tell her differently. Boy, do we have our hands full. We just continue to laugh on this journey of being parents.

We ended up leaving the house 30 mins later than what we wanted, but still got to my mother - in - law's in time to watch the big game between OH & MI (GO BUCKS)!

We had a good week and I will post more about our vacation as the week goes on. We will be back home tomorrow.

Until Later,
Betty

Thursday 13

Here are 13 reasons why I am ready and excited to make our visit to Ohio!

1. John's family who I love is there and we all get to visit together.
2. I get to go shopping with my sister-in-law, my nieces, and my daughters. Instead of sending birthday gifts or money through the mail for the girls we all go shopping together when we are in town for Thanksgiving. My nieces get to pick out a birthday gift that I buy, then my girls pick out their birthday gifts and my sister-in-law buys theirs. This year we get to have lunch togeter too. While the women are doing this John and his brother go bowling and play pool.
3. My girls will have a chance to visit with their grandmother and I will too. It is usually such a relaxing time to just be at her house and chat and catch up on things.
4. We will get to visit with John's youngest brother and hopefully go to the resturant that he works at and enjoy the wonderful rolls.
5. I will get to visit with my friend Pat. Pat & I have a unique relationship. We are so different in so many ways, but when our hearts connect we make ourselves vulnerable and encourage each other in our spiritual journey.
6. We will get to go to our old church and see people that we love and miss.
7. We (hopefully) get to have lunch at Pizza Hut with our old Pastor & his wife Kim.
8. We are going out for Breakfast with John's best friend who lives in Wisconsin
9. We will go to my hometown of Cambridge and will get together with 2 of my cousin's who I have not seen for awhile
10. I will get to go to the church that I grew up in and see my old pastor and his wife.
11. We will have a chance to get away from our current jobs
12. I won't be responsible for any other children, but my own
13. I get to travel in our new van with just my family and spend time together talking and sharing our hearts.

We will leave early Saturday morning and won't get back until the following Sunday. I don't know if I will be able to post while I'm gone or not, but will try. I will at least try to visit other blogs and leave some comments.

Until Later,

~Betty~

Not Loosing Weight

Do you ever have those times when you know there are things in your life you know you need to work on and do differently, but you just don't seem to do them and you don't seem to be making any changes? I'm there right now!

I have been wanting to loose weight. I have checked out many different diet plans. I have researched and read examples of what others are doing and how things are working for them. I have made committments to myself that I will make it work. I have set realistic goals for myself. I know the health risks for not loosing weight. I don't want to diet, I want to make it a life style change. I have all this head knowledge of how to do it, I just can't seem to do it. Oh, I seem to do it for awhile and trying to be positive and saying this time is going to be different, but my behavior doesn't seem to change. It's like what Paul says in the Bible "I do what I do not want to do." I have the desire to want to change, it's just putting that into action that I'm struggling with.

I'm a little concern with the holidays coming. We are leaving this weekend to go to Ohio for the entire next week and I know my eating patterns with be way off schedule and different than what it is now. Therefore I'm feeling a little blah about it.

A few months ago I started reading Mel at The Amazing Shrinking Mom and have been very impressed reading her story and how she is loosing weight. It has encouraged me many times. I set a goal to loose a certain number of pounds by Thanksgiving and I am not even close to the goal. So I am having a discouraging moment right now.

I am still learning about nutrition, calories, protion size, healthy eating, and exersicing. I still want to loose weight and I will find something that works for me. I am just having a down time with this issue right now.

I'm hoping that just being able to express this on my blog will help me to feel better about the issue and will help me to more on and continue on my weightloss journey. Maybe I will make myself real vulnerable here and put a link on here to keep track of my progress. I will think about that and see how I can do that.

If anyone has been there or are currently feeling the same way, I'm always open for encouragement, suggestions, and ideas. Thanks!

Until Later,
Betty

Menu Plan Monday

It is that time again. Laura hosts Menu Plan Monday. This is the time when we plan our family's menu to help our weeks fo better. Over the past couple of months since I have been doing this it has been such a benifit to me in more than one way. I don't always stick to everything that I have panned and I do make some changes as I go along, but I'm still better off when I have a plan. So here is my plan for the week:

Monday

Lunch: Tacos

Snack:Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinner: Homemade Pizza

Tuesday

Lunch: Philly Steaks

Snack: Pudding/ Jello

Dinner: Chicken Tosadas

Wednesday

Lunch: Hot Dogs

Snack: Corn Muffin

Dinner: Beef Stroganoff

Thursday

Lunch: Hamburgers

Snack: Garlic Rolls

Dinner: Fried Chicken (Hubby is cooking)

Friday

Lunch: Chicken Nuggets

Snack: Popcorn

Dinner: Roast

Saturday morning we leave for Ohio to visit family & friends for the next week and for Thanksgiving. I am so ready for our vacation and some time off.

To see more menus visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Until Later,

Betty

Weekend Reflections

Well it is time for Weekend Reflections. This is where each weekend I join my blogging friend Judi and I post at least three postive things that have happen in my life this week or three things that I am thankful for this week. Depending on how rough the week is sometimes this is hard. However, it always helps to think about the positive rather than the negative and that is why we do weekend reflections. So here are some positive things that happen on my journey in life this week:

1. I was able to spend some alone time at home while John took the girls for basketball & cheerleading evaluations
2. John & I both went to church on Wednesday night and on the drive home got to talk and make plans for our trip to Ohio next weekend
3. I have friends and blogging friends ( Cheri & Judi) that I have been able to share about the possiblity of not continuing doing Child Care in my home and getting their prayer support
4. I have been able to get to know Judi from Mommy to Two a little better through email
5. I have had a special time with the Lord this week
6. We had a good time going out for pizza on Friday with some people from church that we didn't know very well
7. My friends Alice & Sam came over on Saturday. Alice & I worked on making some Christmas gifts. I have never felt so comfortable about having people over to my house as I did tonight. I did not get stressed about my house, I just wanted to enjoy our time together and we did. We were able to share some of our same concerns and issues the Lord is working on with us.

Well this was my week. If you would like to view more weekend relfections or to post your own visit Judi at Mommy to Two.

Until Later,

Betty

Decision Time

Well, I'm at a decision point in my life. Currently, I do child care in my home. I have been doing this for a total of 6 years and I have enjoyed it. For several months I have been debating if I want to continue or not. As I was praying about it before and trying to figure out if God wanted me to continue or do something else I decided that I would continue until I started to loose some of the current kids I am watching now. Well this week one of the moms was talking to me and she was not real happy that I was taking a week off at Thanksgiving and a week off at Christmas time and still asking to be paid for the time off. I explained to her that I do not take much time off any other time of the year and this is the time we go to Ohio to visit family and friends. I have checked with other in home daycare centers in my area and a lot of them will charge for their vacation and time off. She seemed to understand that and said that was one reason why they chose me (I have watched her children for over a year now). She said if I was changing my policies concerning that, then they were going to look at putting the boys in a center based program. I told her I completely understand and that I could see how her boys would really benefit from that kind of environment and I truly mean that. Therefore, next Friday (the day before we leave for OH) will be their last day in my care. I feel Okay with that decision and about the time I am taking off - I NEED IT! As I reflect back on my decison to take the time off and ask to be paid for it, I do not regret that decision. Therefore, whatever consequences comes because of that decision I will accept.

Now I'm at the point of trying to decide if I should try to fill their opening or if I should take this as God's leading to look for another job. I just want to make the right decision and to do what's best for me & my family. I could make a good case for either decision. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

I am willing to do whatever God wants me to do. My deepest desire is to just be at home, taking care of only my own children, helping out at their school, helping at church, and taking care of the house. However, since that is not an option for me and if I was real honest and if I only had to consider myself - I would like to look for a job other than child care in my home. I'm trying to see if this is the best thing for my daughters. My husband is very supportive in whatever I want to do. I think he would prefer not to have the day care in our home any longer, but he will support my decision. Therefore, I am trying to pray this through and asking for God's wisdom and clear guidance. That is where I'm at this week on my journey. I am waiting to see what God opens up for me and my family.

Until Later,
Betty

PS.
I love how when you send an email out it becomes a post. Thanks Judi and Cheri

Organizational Update

Boy, is organizing my paperwork a bigger job than I expected. I have taken Laura's advice and I got a box to put the papers in that needs to be filed, a trash bag for trash, and a action file box. In some ways it is overwhelming, I didn't realize how much paper I had, but I am determined. I keep telling myself it will be worth it and I just keep at it a little at a time. I did have my desk cleaned off, but as I go through more papers it continues to pile up. Once I go through all my paperwork, then I will develop a system to maintain my paperwork. So I'm still on my way and working towards my goal.

Until Later,
Betty

30 Day Organizational Challenage

One of my home goals is to get organized, that is why I just love Laura at Organizing junkie. She is very encouraging and motivating and always wants to help people become a junkie like her :). She has given us a 30 Day Organizational Challenage. It is to organize one area or room in our house & post the before pictures on our blog. On December 6 we are to post the after pictures and share in everyone's success.

I am taking on this challenage and I need to organize my paperwork and office/ payroom area. I have always struggled with coming up with a system for my paper clutter and how to organize my bills and budget. So I am open to any ideas or suggestions you may have. Or if you wouldn't mind just share what works for you - that would be great. I am determined that I will find a system that works for me and that I can maintain it after I start it.

Along with my paperwork I want to organize my office that I also use as a playroom for my daycare kids. I am open to any ideas you may have to help me make this room work better to meet both of my needs. Here are my before pictures:

The pitcures just goes around the room and it is open in the middle of the room. Like I said if you have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions please let me know. I will try to post on my progress. Wish me luck!

Until Later,

Betty

Menu Planning Monday

WOW! What a wonderful weekend I had. I went to a women's retreat on our church's district campgrounds and it was great! I will post about that later, but for now I wanted to post my Menu for this week.

Monday

Lunch: Hot Dogs, Broccoli, pineapple

Snack: Cherry Cobbler

Dinner: Beef Filets, Corn, Rolls

Tuesday

Lunch: Lasagna Hamburger Helper, Mixed veggies, Applesauce

Snack: Cheese Bun rolls

Dinner: Slow Cooked Ribs

Wednesday

Lunch: Meatballs, Corn, Apples

Snack: Bagels

Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday

Lunch: Grilled Cheese, peas & carrots, pineapple

Snack: Peanut Butter Bread

Dinner: Chicken Nuggets, French Fries, Applesauce

Friday

Lunch: Chicken, Green Beans, Mixed Fruit

Snack: Popcorn

Dinner: Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots & onions

If you would like to visit more menu's please visit Laura's site at orgjunkie.

Until Later,

Betty

Weekend Reflections

This week has gone by fast. Maybe because it is a short week for me. I am going to a women's retreat this weekend with our church. I am looking forward to having some time away and spending time with God & some friends. I will not be around a computer until Sunday night, therefore I am posting my weekend reflections early.

As I am thinking over my week I can instantly think of some dissapointments this week and some not so wonderful moments. However that is not what this post is about. Sometimes we do have to consentrate on the good in our lives and that is what I'm doing this week. So here goes.

• I'm thankful for my husband and that we can share our feelings, good times, and our disappointments.


• I'm thankful for having a group of friends at church that we hang out with while being involved in different ministries.


• I'm thankful for blogging and some people I've met (read). My blog time has been a real blessing to me this week.


• I'm thankful for the meal this week that my family got to sit down and eat together. We have had an extra busy week - something going on every night. I'm also glad that is not a normal week.


• I'm also thankful for my church family here in GA and my church family back in OH.


• I'm thankful I will be able to go to OH in 2 weeks :).

I hope everyone is having a good week and a great weekend. Visit Judi at Mommy to Two to see more Weekend Reflections. I will be back on Monday for Menu Planning Monday.

Until Later,

Betty

Blog devotional Psalm 139

I have been thinking and praying about my blog, the purpose of it, the purpose for me, and my time visiting other blogs. I have decided that I want to use this to share & record more of my spiritual journey and how God is working in my life. I still plan to share my everyday life, but I want to share more details of what God is personally doing in me and journaling about that more. I want to share more scriptures, devotions, and prayer time. I want to share my journey to victory.
I have been emailing Judi from mommy to two about doing devotions and bible study & blogging and God is working on something. I will give me info as it is worked out. I have also emailed Bev at Blessed Beyond Measure about using a prayer time on my blog - coping her idea when she prays for different bloggers needs and praises. So as I make some changes I hope you will join me and feel blessed & encouraged.

God has been convicting me lately on being too relaxed on my Bible reading and devotions, which is one reason I want to make some changes with my blog. I want to use my blog time for prayer & devotion so that I can still enjoy my blog time, but also still spend time with God and being obedient to Him. Therefore, this morning I started reading some scripture and I want to share my thoughts on them and how God spoke to me.

My scripture reading today was Psalm 139
vs. 1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
What a security to know that the Lord knows me. I love it when my husband or friends make comments about how well they know me about cerain issues and they are right on track with the comment. However whenever I am misunderstood by people I respond by saying they just don't really know me like they think they do. That is not the case with God. He does know me.

vs. 3 says you are familiar with all my ways.
Wow!
In order for someone to be familar with someone's ways that means you have to spend time getting to know that person. How great it is that God wants to spend time and get to know me.

vs. 7 says Where can I go from you Spirit?
vs. 9b & 10 if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
How encouraging to know that I can not loose God's spirit. He will always guide me and hold me. You know I have days when it seems like things don't go right and I just want to know what to do and just to be loved and held. How wonderful it is that God is right there in those day ready to hold me fast.

vs. 11 & 12 says If I say,"surely the darkness will hid me and the light become night around me even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you.
I can't hide from God. Those days when I just want to be at home and crash and keep the world out He is still there with me.
As a child when they loose something it is hard to find it in the dark. When we loose our way or when we find ourselves in the dark God will make the night shine like the day. What an awesome God we serve.

My prayer for today is vs 32 - 24.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

I really do want to be all the Lord wants me to be. I need Him today. I want my heart to be right with Him.

What is your prayer for today? What scriptures are you currently reading? How is God working in your life?

Until Later,
Betty

Trunk or Treat

Well both of my girls have their costumes and were ready to go to our church for Trunk or Treat tonight. In our church parking lot different people come and decorate their trunks and pass out candy to the kids. They also have hayrides, a balloon slide, and a place to get popcorn and cotton & candy. We went last year & it was a lot of fun. Jody's costume is a princess and Bethany's is an angel. However, an angel, Bethany is not. Bethany got in some big trouble at school last week, therefore, as hard as it is to do, John & I decided that Bethany will not be going to trunk or treat tonight. I understand the importance of teaching my kids right from wrong and inforcing disicpline when need be, but boy is it hard sometimes. We have talked to Bethany about her actions and why she is not allowed to go and she seems to understand, but as a mom do you know how bad I feel inside and want her to go. I don't want her to miss this fun time, but I also know she has to learn that there are consequences to your actions. I think this might be one of those times when parents say "This will hurt me worse than it will hurt you." Bethany wants to still dress up in her costume and get pictures taken, which John & I are allowing.

Whatever you are doing tonight HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Until later,
Betty

Menu Plan Monday

Monday Menu Planning is here again. This has been such a benefit to me and my family. I plan my menus around our weekly activities and shop according to what I have plan. I also print out our menu and keep it on our refridge. My family and day care kids (the afterschoolers) are now in the routine to look and she what's for dinner & snack. They seem to like it being posted.

Monday

Lunch: Hot Dogs, green beans, apples

Snack: Apples

Dinner: Beef & Noodles

Tuesday

Lunch: Beef & Noodles (leftovers)

Snack: Bread Sticks

Dinner: Meatball Subs

Wednesday

Lunch: Lunch meat sandwiches

Snack: Tortillas

Dinner: Philly Steak Sandwiches

Thursday

Lunch: Grilled Cheese

Snack: Garlic Bread

Dinner: Taco Casserole

Friday - Sunday I will be at a women's retreat so meals are up to Hubby :).

To leave your menu or to check out other Menu Plans go visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Weekend Reflections

Weekend Reflections

Judi at Mommy to Two hosts weekend reflections. This is the time we are to reflect over our past week and list at least three blessings or positive things in our lives. It is good to take some time to think back over the past week and comment and record the good things that have happened in our lives. I believe we need to be thankful no matter what is going on in our lives. Here are some things that I am thankful for:

• I am thankful for my child care dids that I have. I had some special moments - smile, hugs, and kisses - with them this week.
• I am thankful for my sister-in-law, Heather. We had a chance this week to talk and relate child care issues together. It is good to be able to unload on each other, share concerns, and share ideas with each oter.
• I am thankful I had some time to spend with my family this week & to go out to eat.
• I'm thankful that we had some people from church over on Thursday night.
• I'm thankful for the blog world. It has been very encouraging to me and I'm ejoying "meeting" (reading) about people's lives and being able to share mine.
• I'm thankful that my husband is my best friend and I get to share my heart and thoughts with him.
• I'm thankful that I had a Saturday with not a lot going on and I was able to spend some time with my girls today.
• I'm thankful for our new van and how God has worked out the finances for it.
• I'm thankful that God's love is constant, even when I'm feeling down, emotional, unmotivated, and not staying on my eating plan.
• I'm thankful that Thanksgiving is coming and we get to go to Ohio for a week and visit with family & friends.

In order to share your weekend reflections or to read more go over and visit Judi.

Until Later,

Betty

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Just a test to see if blogger will publish this post

Rainy Day

Today is Friday, it has been raining all day, and I feel so unmotivated to do anything. I need to catch up on my budgeting, laundry, and finish my child care handbook AND TO RELAX! We have had so much going on I just need some time to crash and do nothing. I also want to do some different things with my blog and make some changes. Good thing we don't have anything going on tonight or tomorrow. However, we have a long day at church planned for Sunday. I will get some things done and will take some time for me (blogging) this weekend.

I will return for weekend reflections!

Until Later,
Betty

My 1st Works for Me Wednesday

This is my first What Works for me Wednesday. Usually I just check in looking for ideas to better organize my house and my life, because organization does not come naturally for me. I have found something that has been working in my house and I wanted to share it.

About a month ago I was struggling and fighting with my girls to get them to keep their room cleaned. Every night when my husband and I would go in to their room and have prayer time it was a mess. It did not matter how much time I would spend helping them clean it and telling them how it was to look I would end up in a fight with the girls and sometimes with John. I did not like this and how I felt afterwards, but didn’t know how to teach them without yelling and fighting. A few weeks ago I found the answer. I was on the Fly Lady’s web site and was reading about the student control journal. As I was reading about it I knew this was the answer I was looking for. I printed off the pages and got a notebook ready and the girls and I made the journal that night. If you are not familiar with the control journal it is basically a set of daily routines that we have developed and keep written record of these routines in a notebook. These routines include getting ready for bed, getting ready for the next day, and five minutes a day cleaning up the room. The girls get a sticker every time they do it. It has been working for us! We have not had any more fighting or yelling about keeping the room cleaned. All I do is tell the girls to go do their control journal and I have no fighting about getting ready for bed or cleaning their rooms. Their room is actually clean everyday. I can’t believe it is working, but it is. It works for me! For me ideas visit Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer

Menu Plan Monday

It is menu planning time again. This week I have seen several different receipes in Blog World that I am going to try this week. I am using my crockpot several times this week also.

DAY LUNCH SNACK DINNER
Monday Meatballs Apples Sandra’s Smoky-Flavored Barbecued Ribs
Tuesday Chicken Tenders Bagels Bev’s Chicken Divan
Wednesday Little Smokies Applesauce Mrs. C’s Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu
Thursday Grilled Cheese Crackers & PB Chili, Soup, Salad (people over)
Friday Chili leftovers Popcorn Stir Fry
Saturday Leftovers Sunday School Party
Sunday Beef & Noodles Leftovers

In order to view more menu plans go over to Laura's at Org. Junkie

Weekend Reflections

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

As I reflect this weekend on this past week, we had several struggling times and saw how God came through and blessed us.

• The biggest blessing and positive of this week was we were able to get a new vehicle, which we needed. Friday John was over an hour late coming home from work and I was worried. We have been having problems with the car he was driving and he forgot to take the cell phone with him that day. I just had a feeling he was on the side of the road on his way home and no way to contact anyone. That is what happened. We had already planned to look at vehicles this weekend and Saturday we found one that would fit our needs and our budget. We were suprised how smooth the process went and are very pleased. We have been praying all week about finding the right vehicle at the right price and it happened. I was having a rough Friday night, because I was worried about our vehicles and finances and I could not sleep. I keep praying & praying and telling the Lord everything I was thinking, feeling, and asking for His guidance & help. At 3:00am I finally got peace about the situation and was able to go to sleep. Because I went to sleep so late the day before a very busy day I did not think I would make it through. Amazingly, I did not notice the lost of sleep and God gave us His blessing. He is so awesome and shows us over & over again His Love.
• Another positve thing that happened this week was a Friend called me on Friday and said they had 2 extra free tickets to the hockey game and invited John & I to go. It was a good time.
• Another positve - Bethany is on the children's Bible quiz team at our church and they had a quiz meet this weekend. They have 20 Bible verses they have to have memorized by the February quiz and Bethany already said 19 on Saturday. I was so proud of her. The 20th verse she missed by one word and it is my favorite verse - Romans 8:28. She now can say it.

I have enjoyed participating in these weekend reflections. If you would like to read more you can visit Judi's site, mommy -to-two for more.

Until Later,

Betty

Chili, Soup, & Salad Dinner

Last night we had our first Chili, Soup, & Salad Dinner. God has been laying hospitality on my heart lately. Therefore I invited 2 couple from our church over for a causal dinner to just enjoy each other. I was nervous about it and how it would go, but everything went great! I was thinking that we would do this weekly and as my nerves got to me, I thought well maybe we will try it monthly. Last night I made plans for next week. I already called 2 more couples. I fugured I better plan it now before I get to nervous and back out. I'm starting to realize a lot of benefits to this. I'm thankful for the opportunity to teach my girls about being kind and how to treat others and to live it in front of them and not just preach it to them. As we talked about it last night of who we might invite and why we are doing this, I reminded the girls that God tells us in His word that we are to do this and we must be obedient. I'm excited and looking forward to next Thursday. I believe this will also keep me accountable to keep the house up and to follow through with my organzational goals ( which Laura just gave me another goal - buying gifts ahead of time and storing them, who knew? lol:) ).

We have a busy weekend plan. I will tell about that in my weekend reflection. Also I have already started on my Monday Menu Plan. I'm slowly getting organized, just not all the way there lol :).

Untli Later,
Betty

Busy Week!

BUSY WEEK!

I have gotten behind in blogging, but I have not left the Blog World LOL!! Thanks to Amanda from home front mom for missing me.

This past weekend and the starting of this week sure has been busy. Friday night my girls stayed over night with some friends, therefore John & I had some alone time and we went out with some friends. I love my kids, but it is so nice to have time away when I do not have to be responsible for any children. It was a well needed break.

Saturday we had some unexpected car repairs, which cost time & money I was not planning on spending. I made a previous commitment for an activity at church; therefore I did not make it to the grocery store on Saturday and had to go on Monday night. Now for most people that might not be a big deal, but considering I could not leave the house until after 7:00pm, the store was 20 min away, closed at 8:00pm, and if I did not go we would not have had enough food for the next day, therefore it did take up a good part of my evening. On Monday I was still playing catch up on my weekend cleaning and organizing the house.

I have also been working on making some changes to my day care. I am revising my policy hand book and trying to come up with different activities for the kids and rearranging (organizing) to better use the space I have. Plus I am trying to develop some new behavior systems with the girls. We are going to try a treasure box full of toys that they can get when I want to bribe, I mean reward good behavior :). I’m still trying to work out all the details of how it will work. Along with everything else going on I am trying to get my house cleaned and organized – thanks to Fly Lady and Laura at http://orgjunkie.blogspot.com.

This weekend I felt like God gave me this idea to start inviting some different couples over to our house for a fun and casual dinner. On Thursday we are having two couples coming over and are going to have chili, soup, and salad. I want to make this a weekly (maybe monthly) event and invite different people over that are not in my core group of friends @ church. I believe this is a way to reach out and get to know different people. Although having people over makes me nervous, I heard it say that the more you do it the more comfortable you get at it. God has laid this on my heart and I am going to be obedient, no matter how nervous I am.

It looks like we are going to be going car shopping, which also makes me nervous. I was hoping to keep our current car for another 6 months to a year, but I don’t think that is going to work. Please pray for us in this adventure. Pray that God will lead us to the right vehicle and the price will be right in our budget. I am trying to trust that He will go before us and work it all out.

I think that catches things up for now.

Until Later,
Betty

Challenging Day

Today has been a bit of a challenge. I received a phone call last night informing me that one of the children that is in my family daycare will no longer be coming because of the mom’s work schedule has changed (for now). Therefore, this means I will loose money that I already had budgeted for this month. I have been trying not to worry and trust that God will provide, but that is easier said than done. We are planning a trip to Ohio in November to see family and friends. This is our annual trip and we celebrate our family Christmas at this time. With loosing this child I’m worried that we will not be able to make our trip. I am concerned, but I’m trying to trust God and reminding Him how much I want to go to Ohio.

I am also considering finding a job outside the home. I was approached on Sunday about a possible job opportunity that seems like it would be perfect for me. I am going to send my resume around and see what happens. There are several reasons why I am considering finding another job. One of the big reasons is because right now I have other people’s children in my care for 11 ½ hours a day everyday and this is a lot of responsibility that ties me down to the house. This makes it very hard to get to church and different activities that involves the girls. After the children leave it does not give us much family time in the evenings. I am putting in a lot of hours and I’m not sure it is worth it and is benefiting my family right now. So please pray that God will give me wisdom of what he wants me to do and will provide the right opportunities for me.

Well nap time is just about over, so I will go for now and will keep updating.
Until Later,
Betty

Menu Plan Monday

I am really enjoying Menu Plan Monday's. I am finding that when I have my meals planned my week goes a lot better - even when unexpected things come up. It is also helping with the grocery bill and helps saves time, because when I plan my menus I plan by what I have I have it the house, therefore I don't have to go to the store as often.

So here is my menu for this week. I am also adding lunch and snack. I have an in home daycare and I find that if I plan their meals and snack along with my personal meals our day goes a lot better.

Lunch/ Snack:

Monday Spagatti/ Blueberry Muffins

Tuesday Turkey Sandwiches/ Peanut butter Bread

Wednesday Breaded Chicken/ Raspberry Muffins

Thursday Ravoli/ Vanilla Wafers

Friday Hot Dogs/ Cherry Cobbler

DINNER:

MONDAY Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

TUESDAY Barbecue Ribs

WEDNESDAY Beef Stew

THURSDAY Hamburger Patties

FRIDAY Filet Steaks

SATURDAY Spagatti

SUNDAY Carry in at church

For more Menu plans visit Laura at Org Junkie.

Until Later, Betty

Weekend Reflections

This week gone fast. We have stayed busy. Here are some of the positives in my week.

• My oldest daughter did not break her finger
• I have keep up with my blog and posted everyday
• I was encouraged to help a friend and my daughter to start a blog
• I have received several encouraging emails this week
• I'm glad I have a husband who listens to me and cares about me
• My youngest daughter, Jody, had her birthday party and it was fun to have a house full of people here
• After Jody's party a couple of friends stayed for dinner and it was a good time
• I got our extra room upstairs cleanned and organized
• I got our garage cleanned out
• I lost three pounds
• The children's musical Promise U went very well. The kids did great. My daughter Bethany had a solo and my youngest, Jody, was in the choir. We were so proud of all the kids!

I feel very blessed this week. John & I were talking about some of our goals, dreams, and frustrations this week. Although we don't have certain things that others may have we feel very blessed to have what we do have. We have worked hard to have what we do have and we are still on our journey together.

To view more Weekend Reflections visit Judi at Mommy - to - Two

Until Next Later, Betty

Happy Birthday Jody

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y J O D Y ! ! !


October 7 is my daughter, Jody’s, 5th birthday. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell her Happy Birthday and to share 5 special things about Jody.

5 Special Things about Jody:
1. She is so huggable and loves to give hugs
2. She is so easily excitable
3. She loves to go to church
4. She says funny things and likes to make others laugh
5. She likes to share things with others and is forgiving

Jody you are a very special daughter and I am blessed to have you in my life. I thank God for you. I love you very much. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Love ya,
Mom

Happy Birthday Katrina & Kayla

October 2 is my niece, Katrina’s 10th birthday and October 6 is my niece Kayla's 12th birthday. In honor to celebrate their birthdays and to show them how much I love them I wanted to list 10 things about Katrina and why I love her and 12 things about Kayla and why I love her.

HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY KATRINA!
I LOVE YOU!

10 things about Katrina
1. Katrina’s name is also Katie
2. She has such a heart for people and really cares
3. She is so thoughtful
4. She is very forgiving
5. She likes to play softball
6. She is beautiful
7. She likes to talk
8. I believe Katrina will make a positive difference in a lot of people’s lives
9. Katrina is a special girl
10. Katrina’s aunt Betty is the best she could ask for :)
11. I am so blessed to have Katrina as my niece :)

I LOVE YOU KAYLA!
HAPPY 12TH BIRTHDAY KAYLA
12 things about Kayla
1. Kayla is a very smart girl
2. Kayla loves to read
3. Kayla loves to play jokes
4. Kayla enjoys sports
5. Kayla is very beautiful
6. Kayla is good at dancing
7. I will always know Kayla as “bubble face”
8. I have fun picking on Kayla about liking Tony Stewart
9. I believe Kayla will be successful in life
10. Kayla is very special to me
11. Kayla’s Aunt Betty is the best :)
12. I am very blessed to have Kayla as my niece :)


I hope you guys had a good birthday! I wish I could have been with you on your day. I am looking forward to seeing you both in November and going shopping with you guys. I miss you lotz!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Aunt Betty

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first Thursday Thirteen so I thought I would start out telling about me.

13 Things about me:

1. I love God and committed my life to Him

2. I have been married to John for the past 11 years

3. I have 2 daughters – Bethany 9 yrs old, and Jody 4 yrs old (she will be 5 on Saturday)

4. My favorite restaurant is Pizza Hut!

5. I have provided family child care in my home for 7 years now

6. I’m cheap and always looking for ways to save money

7. I love Fried Green Tomatoes

8. I am originally from Ohio

9. I went to college at Mount Vernon Nazarene University

10. I like to do creative art ministries – such as drama, puppets, stick ministries, and sign language

11. I love to get into deep and serious conversations

12. My favorite color is blue, but I’m starting to like maroon

13. I like waterfall pictures

Until Later,
Betty

Welcome to Blog World Jenn

Blogging has been so much fun and such a blessing to me lately. I have noticed that I must be talking about it more to the people I see and talk to on a regular basis because my friend Jenn has now enter the blog world and is already hooked after the first day. As much as I love reading and commenting on people’s blog that I don’t know in person, I am excited to be able to blog with someone I do know in person.

I have known Jenn for about 2 ½ years now. Jenn and her husband, Jim, was one of the first people we met when we moved to Georgia. Jenn and Jim are very committed to God, working in the church, their 2 daughters, bringing their neighborhood kids to church, and telling others about Jesus.

Jenn is someone who you can just be real with. She doesn’t judge, criticize, or look down on you. She is one that will just accept you just the way you are and doesn’t try to change you. She is also a very forgiving person. Jenn doesn’t try to be someone she’s not and she will own up to her mistakes.

Jenn is also always ready for a laugh – just ask her if she has a Kroger plus card :). God used Jenn and a situation in her life to show me how He can use my husband’s sense of humor, when so many times it would get on my nerves.

So as you can tell I think a lot of Jenn and now the Blog World gets to meet her and be blessed by her blog. So please go over to her blog, Lord Lead Me, and say hello & welcome! I love you Jenn and I know the blog world will too.

Until Later,
Betty

Up Date on Bethany's finger

I heard from the doctor and Bethany's finger is not broke. So she will not have to wear a cast or sling for the performance on Sunday.

John talked to the school nurse about not calling us and she apologized. Apparently the regular nurse was not at school yesterday and other people were filling in. The nurse did tell John that we should have been called and said she was sorry it fell through the crack.

Bethany's teacher did call me and felt bad. She sent Bethany to the clinic and thought they took care of it. She did inform me that nothing would happen to Bethany because of her homework not getting done. I felt better about the whole think after talking to her teacher. I'm thankful that Bethany has a good teacher. We all have bad days no matter what profession we are in.

Thanks for all the prayers!
Untill Later,
Betty

Bethany finger broke or not?

Well yesterday turned out to be an interesting evening. Bethany comes home from school and informs us that at recess a boy was chasing her and bent back her thumb and it was all swollen. After seeing how much pain she was in, John took her straight to the doctor’s to get it checked out. I was not able to go because I still had childcare kids I was responsible for at the house. She could not have been home for more than 5 minutes. The other frustrating thing is the school did not call me and this happened around 1:30 pm.

John & Bethany left the house at 4:00 pm and for the next 5 hours they went to 2 different doctor offices to see if the finger was broken or not. They started out at our regular Doctor and he sent them to an after hour urgent care to get X- Rays. The center was apx. 30 min away and when they arrived they were informed that for the past year they no longer do out patient X – Rays after 5:00 pm. The only way they could do the X – Ray would be if their doctor saw Bethany and order them. At this time our concern was if insurance would pay for the 2nd visit or not. They assured John that insurance would pay for it because of it being a different facility. They did end up examining Bethany, the nurse thought her finger was broke, the doctor doesn’t think so, and we are still waiting on the results of the X-Rays.

This has been a frustrating ordeal for us parents, but Bethany is excited that she might have a broken bone. They put her finger in a sling, but if we find out it is broken she will have to get a cast on it. She is hoping to get a cast and is already talking about everyone signing it. It is funny how the child’s perspective and the parent’s perspective are different.

Sunday is our performance for the children’s musical “Promise U” at church. Right now we are not sure if she will be doing her part in a cast or a sling. The sling is purple and we commented that if she is still wearing it then it would match the theme colors of the musical lol. At least we are finding something to laugh about. We are waiting to see what happens. I will let you know.

Until Later,
Betty

Menu Planning Monday

I am actually ready to post my menu on Monday and not Tuesday. I like to plan my menus. It helps with knowing what to fix and it also helps with the grocery bill. I am trying 2 new receipes this week. The Mexican Pizza is from Rachael Ray and the chicken Stir Fry is from my friends Caryl and Rick.

Monday Left over Pizza (Because I will leave early for Ladies Bible Study and that will be easy for John).

Tuesday Chicken Parm. with Garlic Bread

Wednesday Hamburger Patties and Baked Corn

Thursday Rachael Ray's Deep Dish Mexican Pizza

Friday Caryl & Rick's Chicken Stir Fry

Saturday Jody's 5th Birthday so will go out

Sunday Children's Musical Performance at church and will eat dinner there.

For more menu plans go visit Laura at I'm a organizing junkie.

Weekend Reflections # 1

Preemie Mom has asked that we do a weekend reflection of the good and positive things that have happened in our week. I believe we all need to remember the blessings in our lives, so I'm all for this idea.

This week I am thankful for some time alone I had to get some organization done in my house and some extra time to blog.

I'm thankful that John and I worked through an argument we had, and that we can joke and laugh with each other.

I'm thankful for the Sunday School workshop we had at our church this weekend and being able to help out and getting to know some different people in our church.

I'm thankful that without any notice we were able to go to Pizza Hut (my favorite resturant) with some friends, Alice & Sam.

I'm thankful for our church and the worship service we have. I love being at church.

I'm thankful for the group of friends we have at church, Caryl & Rick, Jim & Jenn, Alice & Sam, Lisa & Rodney. We are working on a children's musical and us five couples are helping. During last weeks practice nerves, stress, and emotions were all going high and we seemed to be taking it out on each other. This week we all were able to work out our differences and our new phrase is "We have to love each other anyways." It's a blessing to know we are all good enough friends that we can be frustrated with each other and yet know we are still friends. This is a new thing for me.

I'm sure there are more I could be thankful for, but that's all for now.

To view more weekend reflections go visit preemie mom and and visit the other links.

Until Later,
Betty

Spelling corrections

I received a phone call from my husband after he read my blog. He wanted to inform me that I made some spelling errors lol. He said I had to post these words on the computer for future reference : Pictures (not pitcures)
Cleaning (not cleanning) lol.

I never claimed to be a great speller and never will. Apparently my spell check on Blogger is not working.

The funny thing about the word picture is I never, ever, ever, ever spell it right and I think I pronounce it wrong too and my husband knows this :) lol. He also reminded me that when we moved and packed I even wrote pictures on the box. We sure do have laughs & fun with our weaknesses lol :).

I decided that this is my blog and this is who I am (like it or not) and I'm not changing the spelling. So as I have said many times before he will just have to deal with me and love me anyways lol :). Same goes for me too!

Laughing and giving each other a hard time really is one way John & I show love to each other and have fun with each other. I also think it is one way we have learned to accept each other's faults and differences. I think it's another reason why our marriage has lasted 11 years. I love you John, but I'm not changing the spelling :)!

Until Later, Betty

God "reorganizing" my heart

On my post yesterday I was telling how cleaning out and reorganizing my sink cabinet made me think and pray asking God to see if there was any cleaning out or reorganizing in me He needed to do, and sure enough did He find something. Last night we were putting the girls to bed and I started getting on them about their rooms not being clean and then we tried to go straight to prayer time and it didn't work. John & I started to get into an argument, which I don't like to do in front of the girls. Bethany ended up praying for us and John & I continued to argue in our room. I ended up leaving the our bedroom still frustrated while he was going to go to bed. As I was finishing the dishes, God spoke to my heart. Before that I was convinced that I was right and not liking how John was dealing with the situation. God softly spoke to my heart and showed me that John did have some good points and showed me where I was wrong. Therefore, I went back in and (in tears) apolized to John and told him that I should not have done a power play thing. We talked and I asked him why he saw certain things in me and I realized and confessed that there are certain things I need to work on, like not critizing the girls so much, being easily frustrated, and expecting perfection. A lot of the things that I said I would never do as a mom :). He also admitted that there are things he also needs to work on and things we both need to work on together. I am thankful that God is still working on me.

I am still on this journey and heading to victory, just not all the way there yet.

Until Later, Betty

Under the sink organization

Laura over at I'm an organizing junkie had a post about organizing an under the sink cabinet. As I was reading this it occured to me that my cabinet under my sink isn't very organized. Therefore, I took her suggestions and cleaned out and reorganized 2 of my cabinets. It is amazing how different you feel when you start cleanning [cleaning] out and organizing your house. It is also making me see other areas in my house that is not very organized. Amazing that before I started reading her blog and seeing her pitcures I never noticed all the clutter in my house, that is now starting to bother me. I'm now getting excited to start something else.

Here are my before pitcures:

And here are my after pitcures:

Thanks Laura! This will make my daily life a little easier.

As I was cleanning [cleaning] these cabinets, that very few people ever see (besides my family), it made me think that we have places in our hearts and lives that very few people see, that maybe God is trying to declutter, reorganized, and change to be more useful. I wonder what area God may be trying to clean up in my life to look better and would allow Him to "show off?"

Lord, search me and know my heart and change, clean out, and reorganize any area you see that needs to be changed. Amen.

Until Later, Betty

Menu Plan Monday

I am doing Menu Monday again this week from Laura's site. Here is my menu for this week.

Monday Hamburgers, Mac & cheese

Tuesday Chicken & Rice, Corn

Wednesday Popcorn Chicken, French Fries

Thursday Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Applesauce

Friday Leftovers or whatever because we have a meeting to be at church

I have been hearing about the different sites that are posting reciepes. I plan to check them out this week and try something different next week.

For more menus visit Organize Junkie's site.

Game Plan/ Van Blessing

Tonight we are planning to go to the Braves vs. Cubs baseball game and eat at the Varisty resturant in downtown Atlanta. My huband is a big baseball fan and a Chicigo Cubs fan and it is rubbing off on our girls. We have been planning this all season. You don't find to many Cubs fans in the area we now live in. This is a big day at our house. I'm excited that we can do something as a family and make memories.

Last year when we went to a cubs game I remember Bethany asking her dad questions and getting into the game. It was neat to see one of John's favorite passtimes being taught to our daughter and seeing her take an interest in the sport too. Last year the game had 2 rain delays and Bethany was determined to stay to the end. At one point I think John was ready to go, but couldn't convince Bethany to leave. I laughed and told John that he created that in her, because he is the same way of being determined to see a project to the very end. He couldn't say much because he knew it was true.

In other news, we had a blessing this week. Our van finally got fixed. We were so exicited. Tuesday night my friend Instant Messaged me and said Butch, the mecanic who has been working on our van and who we have been waiting on, and her were coming over on Wednesday morning to fix the van. I was thinking GREAT - if that really happens and if he doesn't find anything else wrong. Well it did happen and the van is up and running. We drove it to church on Wednesday night and several places since then. It passed the emissions test and we got the tags for it. So it's even legal to drive now - lol!
I asked Butch if he thought the van was dependable enough to make a long trip to Ohio in November, our annual trip to visit family and old friends, and he said yes without any hesitation. I am so ready to go see family and friends. I am enjoying our current life and living in Gerogia, but I sure do miss family and our old church family in Ohio. I was very dissapointed that because of our van and car problems we were not able to make a trip this past summer. Therfore, I am so ready and am making plans to go in November. "It does the heart good to see loved ones!"

I am going to go and get ready for the game!
Until Later,
Betty

Labor Day at my house

We were not planning on having any kind of party or going anywhere for Labor Day. Our plans were just to hang out at home, relax, watch some football, get some filing done, and blog. "Oh how things change." God has blessed me with a group of friends from church who has kids around the same age as mine. There are about five families in our little group and we get together outside of church periodically. Sunday after church Bethany ended up going home to spend the night with one of our friends in our group and two of another families girls came home with Jody and the other families mixed kids also. As John & I were talking about making arrangements of picking up Bethany and having the other girls picked up, we decided to just invite all the families over to our house to drop off and pick up kids and have a cookout. We knew it was last minute and some might have had plans, but everyone except one family said they could come. Therefore we went out to get propane for our grill and meat for everyone. After we did the inviting and everyone agreed to come we then realized a part on our grill was broke and not usable. However, thank the Lord for good friends who will step in and cover your back when you need it. Our friends Lisa & Rodney brought their small grill and another friend Caryl went out and got the part we needed for the grill. I am so blessed with the friends we have in our lives. We all seemed to have a good time.

This was the second time I have had everyone over to our place. I used to get so nervous about having people over. Everything had to be just right, everything had to be so clean, food had to be just right, and ect. I used to get myself so worked up that once everyone came I couldn't enjoy myself because I was so worried about what everyone was thinking and how it would go. However, with this group I have not been so worried about it (to a point). I mean I did clean and wanted everything to look nice, but I did not stress out about it. I was able to enjoy myself with everyone else here. I guess I am growing. Recently I heard an interview with an author (don't remember what book they were promoting) but she said that you start to fell more comfortable having people over the more you do it. I guess I just need to force myself to to it more often. I guess it's the same way I feel about people reading my blog. I feel a little nervous about people I've never met before and don't know what they think reading by blog and sharing my heart with them, but I know I need to do this. I think the more I post and leave coments on others, the more comfortable I will feel. Besides this is fun and I am enjoying this! I am surprized how God is using blogging to grow me in other areas of my life.

Until Later,
Betty

Menu Monday

I am joining Laura's group of Monday Menus, so here goes:

Monday Cookout w/ friends - hambugers or hotdogs, macaroni salad, fruit, chips & salsa

Tuesday Chicken Rice Casserole w/ corn, toss salad, baked apples

Wednesday Leftovers

Thursday Beef Stroganoff, Vegetable Medley, Applesauce

Friday Grilled Steak, French Fries, Baked Corn

Saturday We are going to Cubs vs. Braves game & will eat at The Varsity

Sunday We have a meeting after church and will eat there

This was easier than I thought. I have been wanting to do this for awhile, but have been putting it off and thought it would take too much work and effort. I think I like this :).

Mommy/Daughter Date

After a long and difficult week together of arguing with each other, I planned a mommy/daughter date with Bethany (my 9yr old). We went out to dinner and to watch a movie. While we were at the food court at the mall, I couldn’t help but to notice the different group of teenage girls hanging out. They were not doing anything wrong or inappropriate just acting their age and having a good time. Of course because of my current stage of motherhood, my first thought was “ok I see a group of girls, now where are the group of mommies?” Reality # 1 hit, at their age they don’t need their mommies’ right next to them. Then reality # 2 hit harder, there will come a time (in several years) when my daughter will be apart of those groups and will be coming to the mall without me or a trusted adult. I started to feel fear, uncertainty, and wondered if I am on target of teaching my children what they need to know to survive as an independent teenager/ adult when many, many, many situations could come up and they would have to deal with them.

On the way home when Bethany & I were alone in the car I asked her about some situations. I asked if she was a teenager at the mall with her friends (I named certain ones) & without me and her friends wanted her to do something that she knew was not right and God would not approve of, what would she do? She first asked if she would have a cell phone by then (her little plug for one). She said she would tell her friends not to do it and if they did not listen she would leave and go to the bathroom and call home. I reassured her that if she was ever in a situation where someone (guy or girl) wanted her to do something that she knew was wrong or threaten her that they may not give her a ride home or whatever – she can always call her father & me – even if we had other plans- and we would come and get her. I also reminded her of other close friends that she could call if for some reason she could not get a hold of us. I also reminded her that the Bible said that if we are ever in a situation or being tempted that God will provide a way out for us. It was a good discussion.

Although it’s scary thinking of my babies growing up and what could happen, I was proud of her response and will continue to pray for her to grow strong in the Lord and to be able to take a stand when she needs too. As a mom I will do my best to raise my girls strong and in the Lord, and leave the rest to Him, and trust “He is Still in Control.” This statement of hers made up for the situation we had earlier in the week, which is a story for another time, but what reminded me that I need these kind of moments with my girls now before they grow up. I was also reminded that I need to plan these times and not wait for them to just happen. In other words I need to continue to “parent on purpose”. I ended the day being a proud mom!

Until Later,
Betty

New Commitment to Blogging

Reading other blogs has been so much fun and encouraging! I love hearing about other people’s lives and how I can so relate to so many. I have learned new ideas about housekeeping, gardening, menus, organization, motherhood, …., and most importantly that I’m not alone, even when it feels like I am. Women have shared personal situations that I thought only I go through, because no one else I know shares those kinds of details in everyday life. I love this blog world.

However, I have had the hardest time keeping up with my blog. I have posted a few entries, but not on a regular basis. I have been challenged to follow through with my blog and make a commitment to it and not to make excuses of why I can’t enter posts.

As I am making this commitment to post at least 4 times a week, I want to share my thoughts of why I have hesitated and my insights on the struggle.
1. Time -
2. Not feeling good enough – like I said I have read so many and have been so encouraged, that I wonder what I would have to offer that’s not already being offered.
3. Not knowing what to say and how to say something creatively

As I have been thinking about these things here are my insights:
1. Time - I just have to make the commitment to do it and make the time, not just find it. I’m determined I’m going to do it.

2. Not Good Enough - God created me to be Betty, not someone else. We all have special gifts and talents. We are all different. God will use each of us (if we allow Him) in our own little world. Which means people may read my blog that are not reading the ones that I am and getting the same kind of encouragement. If people are reading the same blogs that I am it is only more encouragement to say we are not all in this alone. And besides this is a place that I can record my walk with the Lord and to share my life with whomever wants to read it. It is okay if someone doesn’t want to read it or comment on it. It will not change who I am or who I am becoming.

3. Not knowing what to say and how to say it creatively – I thought about my close friends I talk to on the phone and share my life and thoughts with. I don’t worry so much about saying something perfect or just right; I just share myself and my heart. That is how I am going to look at this blog world. I am hoping to meet some blog friends that will understand that I’m not perfect, will overlook some of my grammar and spelling mistakes and see my heart. I hope to be an encouragement as so many have encouraged my life.

So here is my post as my new commitment to the blog world. Please let me know if you are out there and reading this.

Until Later,
Betty