The 5 senses

Yesterday was very sense filled. Maybe because the 4 day migraine finally subsided and what had been sensory overload was finally back to normal.

I'm thankful for my-

sight so that I could watch Wyatt jump on the trampoline and laugh at what the static electricity was doing to his crazy monkey hair.

hearing so that I could enjoy the kids sing on my wonderful cooking abilities because I make the best breakfast smoothie ever.

taste so that I could savor the homemade french fries and sweet potato fries that Allen made to go along with our breakfast supper last night.

touch so that I could relax in my new wonderful (non-white) bright purple and pink striped softest ever socks I got from a dear friend for Christmas.

smell so that I could appreciate that Allen was having a cigar and varnishing wood while running a diesel heater in the garage all evening, because this meant I have a husband who was home. (Not that I think smoking around combustible gases while running a flaming heater in a small garage filled with enough ammo to cater to a small army was a great idea....) But we all survived.

Blessings

I am finally getting to go to the grocery store today. Since we own our own business when things slow down, we still have to pay the business rent, the business truck, the business phone, order materials for jobs we have in the future that we haven't been paid for yet.....it's tiring and trying this time of the year when things slow down.

Blessing #1: In the past 6 weeks, I have only went for milk and one $30 trip for bare basics. However, God has completely provided our pantry just yesterday looked really bare. 2 weeks ago I looked in my flour jar and there looked to be about 1 cup of flour left and there still is today. We've been out of several items but the frig and freezers look like we haven't used hardly anything. And we've been eating fine, ask my scale. Last night I used the last of our potatoes for hashbrowns, hushpuppies, had deer steak and homemade bread and sliced fresh tomatoes that Allen's mom had dropped off green a couple of weeks ago. Gabby didn't even know that it was a concern of when I'ld be getting groceries and it was her night to pray, she prayed in thanks for the great food and then added, "and I pray that it fills us up and keeps our bodies healthy." There was plenty on the table, so I got a little teary. I hadn't thought of praying that the food would stretch and fill up, I had just been praying Allen would be paid for several jobs so we could go to the store and pay some bills.

Blessing #2: Dana stopped by with an extra gallon of milk she had been blessed with and was afraid it would expire before they could finish it. Thank you!

Blessing #3: Leanne stopped by with a coffee grinder...I had been wanting one to grind out some wheat that Wendy gave me. So I made another loaf of homemade bread with some freshly ground wheat mixed it and it was the perfect loaf. Delicious.

Blessing #4: Wendy felt sorry for us and gave us a box of goodies out of her pantry a couple of weeks ago. For some reason I just left the box in tact and thought I would only take out what I needed. I took out 2 bags of popcorn as the kids were really eyeing those. Then another friend of ours expressed that they were struggling. I was able to pass the box onto her and bless her with knowing that God will always provide for us.

Blessing #5: a friend stopped by and had taken advantage of the sale at Walgreens and dropped off some baby food the day after I had used my last jar for Wyatt. I have several foods for him frozen that I've made, but all vegetables.

Blessing #6: Walgreen had a sale: Buy $20 (certain items) get an instore credit of $12. I bought 20 2-packs of baby food for $1 each = $20, got $12 instore credit and I had coupons, so the baby food only cost me $3. Then I used the instore credit for some medicine we were needing.

God is good and faithful to provide for our needs. He also provides for our wants at times if he can trust us with them. As we have fallen behind on our house payment, at 1st that fear of what if we lose the house set in? But as I prayed for peace and started joyfully praising HIM for HIS plans I asked. Worst case? We lose the house. We lose our equity. Then what? We still have our family, God will provide the amount of money Allen can handle and the lifestyle that He wants us to have. We rent a house, make it our home, pray for more direction, suck up our pride, stand on the promise that God has our best in mind with HIS plans.

Confused sleep deprived fat woman says What?

So this last week almost 2 I have been working like a mad woman on our taxes from 2006 I had filed an extension in April as Wyatt was only 2 months old and thought it would be easier later...not so. So now I get about 3 minutes at a time to search through receipts, research topics such as the New Domestic Production Activities Deduction and try to comprehend what in the world it possibly could be trying to say in layman's terms, enter the numbers all without forgetting what I was doing before I was interrupted to be informed that Gabby wouldn't play a game with Brian, that Brian is hungry, that Makenise ate the rest of Brian's snack, that Wyatt is yanking the telephone cord out of the wall , that the girls are done with their seatwork and want to do art, that Gabby needs help with her piano lesson and that Wyatt is stinking up the whole house....and you know how the day goes.

So my best times to work are from 10pm on or before 7am. Making for a tired momma, plus all the attention I have paid to this monster of paperwork (all my fault for not keeping up or insisting on an accounting system earlier) has left my house in shambles, not to mention our brand new 2 week old dryer quit on day 3 of having it. So our laundry is having to be hung outside, the sheets to the bed were not dry last night, so hubby slept on the couch and I on the recliner...it was like we were having a sleep over party...without any popcorn or friends or a fun movie.

I'm about done...so I think.

I have found several things to be thankful for this last week, and some of them that my kids helped point out also.

Thank you Lord that you gave me a sister who is a CPA and always pretends to just loves it when I call to pick her brain.

Thank you Lord for coffee for me and cereal and vitamins for them as a meal staple this last week.

Thank you Lord that the repair man will be here today rather than having to wait 2 weeks.

Thank you Lord that I'm lucky enough to be fat because if I wasn't I wouldn't have gotten to wear some of my cute clothes that they didn't have in smaller sizes. (compliments of Makensie)

Thank you that even when I'm an angry mean momma it is only for a little while and that my kids still love me. (thank you Gabby...and sorry)

Thank you that when Makensie got to close to the opening on the big bouncy thing and fell out 2 times in a row in less than 30 seconds apart, on her head, that you helped her learn so that she didn't have to do it three times in a row.

Thank you that we have a piano and that Gabby has so much interest in practicing...for hours each day...making up her own songs...

Thank you that you allowed me to find Gabby and Brian eating directly out of the sugar bowl before they had a week long high.

Thank you that our wonderful neighbors put up with my kids. Especially Brian who thinks if they don't answer the door, it's because they can't hear the doorbell even after ringing it "only 10 times, that's all".

Thank you for our wonderful neighbors that amuse Brian when he goes over after the rain to "just checking out their storm damage, that's all."

Thank you for our wonderful neighbors that graciously sent all my kids home with their own bag of goods from their yard sale telling them it was all free.

Thank you for Makensie who's heart and love for you and missions leads her to pray more mature and meaningful prayers than most adults I know. She is a woman after your own heart and gives me the chills to see and hear her when she prays.

Thank you for a husband who could sense I was on the verge of a little emotional breakdown and took the kids fishing last night...or was it that he wanted to go fishing and was scared the crazy woman would surface if he went without the kids...great I need to continue to work on my spousal skills.

Thank you that some of the lessons we are covering in devotions are sinking in. Thank you that I still have time to correct the ones that didn't sink in the way I had hoped. Like when Brian announced 1st thing in the morning "I feel like being a fool today."

Thank you for taxes to do as it means we are still in business and we live in a great country with the freedom to worship you.

Thank you that Wyatt is such a precious baby. Thank you that he loves to spin in a circle as fast as he can in his walker...this gives me as much joy as any earthly sight possibly could.

Thankful Thursday

This is a little late, but can it still count?

I actually feel really quilty that I'm so thankful for this.

My mom called me Thursday morning and said if I would meet her 1/2 way, which is about a 90 minute drive she would take all 3 of the oldest kids home with her until I come home next which will be this next week for the 4th of July. My 1st comment was, "Uhmm, I have a bible study tonight." Then after I had a chance to clearly see the opportunity as I was telling my kids for the umteenth time to quit fighting with each other, I realize what a gift she was offering plus it would be great Grandma time. So never had we packed so quickly, loaded the car and we were off.

I'm so thankful for a mom who loves her grandbabies so much and loves me so much and wants to help me. I'm thankful for some quiet time in the house with just the baby. I'm thankful I got to go to some yard sales. I'm thankful that I'll be able to work on some much needed projects.