Sixteen years ago today I became a Mother for the very first time. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life - ranking right up there with the day I became a child of God, and my wedding day.
Kyle and I were so excited, we could hardly stand it. Peachie was such a wee, tiny baby - a friend loaned me preemie clothes and they were still a bit big on her. She was about three weeks early and when we brought her home from the hospital she only weighed about 5 1/2 pounds. I jumped into motherhood with enthusiasm and a solemn resolve to refrain from complaining about the tough times adjusting to a newborn. Some dear friends of ours had lost their baby girl just two weeks before Peachie was born. I didn't want to take the moments we had been given for granted.
I loved holding our new baby, showing her off to friends and relatives, and playing with her, bathing her, nursing her and spending time as a trio with her Daddy. She quickly had him wrapped around her tiny pinkie finger and he has remained there to this day. Have you ever seen the movie "The Father of the Bride", where the parents are helping the bride pick out a "Keck" (Cake) and she falls in love with the most expensive one? Well - the look the bride gives her Dad that causes him to melt and give in to the outrageously priced cake is a look that Peachie has down to a "T" - and of course Kyle melts like he has never had a backbone!
I could share so many memories, so many moments that are frozen in my mind. The months and years have gone by so fast, too fast. Sometimes I tell Peachie that she is a Mother's dream come true in a daughter. She truly is a joy to me and blesses our whole family in so many ways. She's a hard worker, an avid crafter, and a voracious reader. She rarely has idle hands - usually because she is always carrying a book! She's like "Belle" in "Beauty and the Beast" - walking around and singing while she is reading. She'd rather read than eat! She's so much like my own Mom that way.
So, Happy, Happy Birthday my Darling Peachie! I love you so very much - thank you for making me a Mother sixteen years ago. The journey has been a very Sweet Sixteen years!
~ Mom ~
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Valley of Decision (or is it Indecision?)
Sometimes I wish God would send an email, and tell us exactly what to do. When it comes to big decisions, I tend to want to freeze up and remain undecided. I can pick paper or plastic, I can choose between caramel or chocolate, I even know when to drink decaf vs. regular roast. Picking out a pair of shoes, or buying a new dress, is a little tougher for me, and when it comes to the BIG stuff, like whether or not we should move, I don't seem to even know my own mind.
Kyle is still waiting to hear on the job at the Moorhead Airport. We should know something within the next couple of weeks. So, by the end of this month, we'll have some major deciding to do. If we decide to move, we should give our notice here by November 1st, so we can move on December 1st. However, then there is the matter of coming up with the extra money for moving expenses - and December is Christmas, of course. Moving to Moorhead seems to make better financial sense in the long run, as we won't have the expensive commute any more. But in the short run...
As my sister would say, "I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam...I'm just two tents!! (Get it? Too tense? Read it out loud.)
Got it now? No? Okay, call me, and I'll 'splain it to you.
ACK.
On to more pleasant news. We are preparing for a visit from my dear Aunt and Uncle, who live in Roseau, MN. They'll be here tomorrow and will be spending the night. My Aunt is my Mom's youngest sister, and when I was a kid her youngest daughter was my Best Cousin. We used to have so much fun together, and I loved visiting them - we'd go to the pool, the roller-skating rink, and their town even had a movie theatre and a Dairy Queen! Then, by the time we were teenagers, they also had a Hardee's - can you believe it?!? Hey - I was raised in a small town in ND with a whopping population of 315 people. My graduating class was a big one - nineteen people in all. So a town like Roseau was huge to me. We would go to the fair with them in the summer, camping at Lake of the Woods, fishing on my Uncle's boat, shopping, visiting with other relatives and neighbors - it seemed the fun activities were endless. I'm excited to be able to return a bit of the hospitality they showed me in my growing-up years. I want to honor them here in our home. I've got a couple of special meals planned and need to do some house-cleaning and spruce up the bedroom they will be sleeping in. I hope they'll be comfortable here and that most of all, they will see Christ at the center of our home.
Well, Mr. OneMore will be here soon, so I need to get a few tasks done and make a couple lists for jobs for the kids. Do you do that? I'm a big list person. You'll find lists all over my house. Shopping lists, to-do lists, wish lists, prayer lists, the list goes on and on...ha! I even like the word, "list" - isn't that a cool word? Makes me want to say it out loud - "list". Go ahead, say it. I know you want to, too. Anyway, I was shopping the other day with a friend and she asked me, "Where's your shopping list?" and I said, "Up here" while I tapped on my forehead. I know, scary. But I have the aisles of Wal-Mart pretty much memorized and I was buying bulk items - flour, sugar, rice, baking stuff, etc. - and I knew in my head what I needed. But that's another post...
So dear reader(s), lol! Please pray for us, that we'd know God's mind on our upcoming important decisions, that we'd have a lovely visit with my relatives, that I'll get the stuff on my lists done in the next day or so - miracles do happen!!
Kyle is still waiting to hear on the job at the Moorhead Airport. We should know something within the next couple of weeks. So, by the end of this month, we'll have some major deciding to do. If we decide to move, we should give our notice here by November 1st, so we can move on December 1st. However, then there is the matter of coming up with the extra money for moving expenses - and December is Christmas, of course. Moving to Moorhead seems to make better financial sense in the long run, as we won't have the expensive commute any more. But in the short run...
As my sister would say, "I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam...I'm just two tents!! (Get it? Too tense? Read it out loud.)
Got it now? No? Okay, call me, and I'll 'splain it to you.
ACK.
On to more pleasant news. We are preparing for a visit from my dear Aunt and Uncle, who live in Roseau, MN. They'll be here tomorrow and will be spending the night. My Aunt is my Mom's youngest sister, and when I was a kid her youngest daughter was my Best Cousin. We used to have so much fun together, and I loved visiting them - we'd go to the pool, the roller-skating rink, and their town even had a movie theatre and a Dairy Queen! Then, by the time we were teenagers, they also had a Hardee's - can you believe it?!? Hey - I was raised in a small town in ND with a whopping population of 315 people. My graduating class was a big one - nineteen people in all. So a town like Roseau was huge to me. We would go to the fair with them in the summer, camping at Lake of the Woods, fishing on my Uncle's boat, shopping, visiting with other relatives and neighbors - it seemed the fun activities were endless. I'm excited to be able to return a bit of the hospitality they showed me in my growing-up years. I want to honor them here in our home. I've got a couple of special meals planned and need to do some house-cleaning and spruce up the bedroom they will be sleeping in. I hope they'll be comfortable here and that most of all, they will see Christ at the center of our home.
Well, Mr. OneMore will be here soon, so I need to get a few tasks done and make a couple lists for jobs for the kids. Do you do that? I'm a big list person. You'll find lists all over my house. Shopping lists, to-do lists, wish lists, prayer lists, the list goes on and on...ha! I even like the word, "list" - isn't that a cool word? Makes me want to say it out loud - "list". Go ahead, say it. I know you want to, too. Anyway, I was shopping the other day with a friend and she asked me, "Where's your shopping list?" and I said, "Up here" while I tapped on my forehead. I know, scary. But I have the aisles of Wal-Mart pretty much memorized and I was buying bulk items - flour, sugar, rice, baking stuff, etc. - and I knew in my head what I needed. But that's another post...
So dear reader(s), lol! Please pray for us, that we'd know God's mind on our upcoming important decisions, that we'd have a lovely visit with my relatives, that I'll get the stuff on my lists done in the next day or so - miracles do happen!!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
New Appliances! Woohoo!!
Earlier this week there was a knock on the door. It was our maintenance man, telling us to clear out our refrigerator, because our new one was about to be delivered. (Our property managers decided to buy new appliances for all their duplexes.) The kids were so excited - it was like Christmas around here! We flew into action, taking out the food (and throwing the "must-gos", as Kyle calls them) and cleaning off the top. We had a basketfull of stuff on the top of our fridge!! With barely enough time to clean out underneath and behind the old appliance (yuck - how does this stuff accumulate?!?) our sparkling new refrigerator had arrived. How nice it looks - and how clean!! :) Later that afternoon our very nice new stove was delivered. It felt so good to clean out behind the old stove, wash the walls, cupboards and floor, and put in a brand-spanking new appliance. We were all doing a happy dance! And the new appliances inspired me to deep-clean the rest of the kitchen and dining room and give the floor a very thorough scrubbing!
One of my kids in their excitement said, "It's going to seem so easy to keep the kitchen clean now. And I don't think we'll have a problem keeping the appliances clean!" Ah, but I know better. The newness of these appliances will wear off. One of these days I'll go into the kitchen and won't smile about how nice it looks. I'll forget the newness of it all. Soon they will be just a stove and a fridge. It's our human nature to want to go on to the "next thing" and it can be very hard to be content with what we have.
That is what I am struggling with these days. Kyle is on the verge of a potential job offer, and we are still not sure if we will stay here, rent the house in Moorhead, or possibly buy a house in the spring. I'm not fond of change, mainly because I don't like the "up in the air" feeling of not knowing what is going to happen. I can be so fickle!
After Kyle looked over the new appliances the other day, he said, "They are making it very hard to want to leave here!" Indeed. This place has become home to us more and more the longer we live here. We really do love it.
So we need to, once again, hurry up and...wait. I'm glad God is sovereign and knows the outcome. It can be hard to prayerfully wait on Him but that is exactly what we need to do.
I hope this lovely fall day finds you with a deep feeling of contentedness, resting in Christ for the outcome of all your decisions. Even if it is as mundane as buying the chicken or the beef.
In His Care ~ Beth ~
One of my kids in their excitement said, "It's going to seem so easy to keep the kitchen clean now. And I don't think we'll have a problem keeping the appliances clean!" Ah, but I know better. The newness of these appliances will wear off. One of these days I'll go into the kitchen and won't smile about how nice it looks. I'll forget the newness of it all. Soon they will be just a stove and a fridge. It's our human nature to want to go on to the "next thing" and it can be very hard to be content with what we have.
That is what I am struggling with these days. Kyle is on the verge of a potential job offer, and we are still not sure if we will stay here, rent the house in Moorhead, or possibly buy a house in the spring. I'm not fond of change, mainly because I don't like the "up in the air" feeling of not knowing what is going to happen. I can be so fickle!
After Kyle looked over the new appliances the other day, he said, "They are making it very hard to want to leave here!" Indeed. This place has become home to us more and more the longer we live here. We really do love it.
So we need to, once again, hurry up and...wait. I'm glad God is sovereign and knows the outcome. It can be hard to prayerfully wait on Him but that is exactly what we need to do.
I hope this lovely fall day finds you with a deep feeling of contentedness, resting in Christ for the outcome of all your decisions. Even if it is as mundane as buying the chicken or the beef.
In His Care ~ Beth ~
Friday, October 3, 2008
Things I Wish I Could Ask My Parents
Most of you probably know that both my parents are gone now. It's a surreal, lonely feeling at times. I had my Dad until I was thirty, my Mom until I was 39. Often I wish I could call them on the phone and ask them questions or get their opinions. Even though there were issues that we disagreed upon, I'm going to miss having them a phonecall away as long as I live.
Recently I read that some are comparing our economy to the difficulties that were experienced in the Great Depression. I can't help but think that those who actually went through the Depression are probably offended at the comparison. I wish I could ask my parents what it was really like - Dad was born in 1928, Mom in 1933. Even if they don't remember their own experiences as young children, I recall them talking about what their parents went through, during the 30's and then WWII. Gas lines. Sugar Rationing. Small Blessings such as shared garden surplus or a box of hand-me-downs. My parents were the kind of people who knew exactly what "Needs versus Wants" meant.
I think that is one of the biggest problems we face in this fast-paced society. We want things to be quick and easy. I'm guilty too. Right now Kyle is possibly going to get a very good job offer. In my mind I'm already praying we won't run ahead of God and take a leap that could be detrimental to our family. We've hoped and dreamed for so long of a better job for him (although we have been very thankful for the stable job he currently has) that now when it is a very real possibility I find myself thinking of buying a house, wondering what is next. I've had to pull my own head out of the clouds and remind myself to be content with what we have. The way I do that is to think about all the things we love about where we are at. Counting our blessings, so to speak.
I can't count how many times in the last weeks I have wished I could give Mom a call, tell her our latest news, share the funny things the kids are saying and doing. She would be excited for us, proud of Kyle, she'd laugh at what the kids are up to. Better yet, I could visit her and make her coffee, maybe go shopping with her. She loved Wal-Mart almost as much as I did. Okay, maybe not. But she did love the JC Penney catalog!
I pray that today I'll be content with what God has provided, that I'll trust Him and wait on Him for our future. I was praying early this morning that I do not want us to get ahead of God and find ourselves floundering. We've been there before - we don't want to go there again. I'm so much like Peter it's scary. "Hey, I wanna walk on the water too!! Okay...maybe not - HELP!!!" Some days it seems like I don't even know my own mind.
Anyhoo, I hope you will have a great day today. I plan to enjoy to the fullest the fabulous weather we have been having. I don't remember weather being so ideal in the summer and fall as it has been this year. One more blessing to count...
In His Care ~ Beth ~
Recently I read that some are comparing our economy to the difficulties that were experienced in the Great Depression. I can't help but think that those who actually went through the Depression are probably offended at the comparison. I wish I could ask my parents what it was really like - Dad was born in 1928, Mom in 1933. Even if they don't remember their own experiences as young children, I recall them talking about what their parents went through, during the 30's and then WWII. Gas lines. Sugar Rationing. Small Blessings such as shared garden surplus or a box of hand-me-downs. My parents were the kind of people who knew exactly what "Needs versus Wants" meant.
I think that is one of the biggest problems we face in this fast-paced society. We want things to be quick and easy. I'm guilty too. Right now Kyle is possibly going to get a very good job offer. In my mind I'm already praying we won't run ahead of God and take a leap that could be detrimental to our family. We've hoped and dreamed for so long of a better job for him (although we have been very thankful for the stable job he currently has) that now when it is a very real possibility I find myself thinking of buying a house, wondering what is next. I've had to pull my own head out of the clouds and remind myself to be content with what we have. The way I do that is to think about all the things we love about where we are at. Counting our blessings, so to speak.
I can't count how many times in the last weeks I have wished I could give Mom a call, tell her our latest news, share the funny things the kids are saying and doing. She would be excited for us, proud of Kyle, she'd laugh at what the kids are up to. Better yet, I could visit her and make her coffee, maybe go shopping with her. She loved Wal-Mart almost as much as I did. Okay, maybe not. But she did love the JC Penney catalog!
I pray that today I'll be content with what God has provided, that I'll trust Him and wait on Him for our future. I was praying early this morning that I do not want us to get ahead of God and find ourselves floundering. We've been there before - we don't want to go there again. I'm so much like Peter it's scary. "Hey, I wanna walk on the water too!! Okay...maybe not - HELP!!!" Some days it seems like I don't even know my own mind.
Anyhoo, I hope you will have a great day today. I plan to enjoy to the fullest the fabulous weather we have been having. I don't remember weather being so ideal in the summer and fall as it has been this year. One more blessing to count...
In His Care ~ Beth ~
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