Again...

So last week I didn't blog much, and there was a reason why. 

On Easter, we had a forest fire on the mountain behind our house.  It was down from us on Easter and not that close to us, but you know, we kept an eye on things. 

That all changed on Tuesday.

Around noon that day I saw smoke at the top of the mountain directly behind our house.  I kept an eye out all day.  Then around 4-5pm I went out in my back yard and it was RIGHT there on the mountain.  Keep in mind, we do have a railroad track that separates the mountain from our yard. 

But it still made for a scary situation.  I called 911 and the fire department was here within minutes.  Though they didn't feel the fire would jump the tracks, they sprayed in that direction to wet things down as a precaution 'just in case'.  Well, that evening and night I watched as it came further and further down the mountain until it was on the other side of the tracks.  I called the mines when I knew Damon was outside to let him know he needed to come directly home instead of showering at work because it was nearing a very large tree that could have endangered our garage and/or our neighbors home.   I knew he could reach it with the water hose. 

You can see Damon's hat and his striped shirt in the far right..he was spraying the fire at this point.

So he got home and sprayed it down and all was well.  Well, except for the 4 or 5 trees that came crashing down on the mountain that night while I was watching the fire.  Scary when something like that happens and its dark.  You don't know how near it is to you.

It was stressful.

As if all of that wasn't bad, I got up the next morning and checked the weather and facebook real quick before starting my day.  I had posted a lot of pictures of the fire on there and was looking to see if I had anyone else I needed to respond to (had a lot of people praying).  That's when I learned that Damon's mines was given a 60 day notice.

Again.

If you've been reading my blog for very long, you know we went through a lay off about a year and a half ago.

We might be facing it again.

I cried so hard that day.  I had prayed ever since the day he went back to work that God would keep his job safe.  I prayed for the mines he worked for specifically.  That they'd keep their coal orders, and about the demand for their coal, etc.

I felt defeated.  Angry.  Sad.  Frustrated.

Stressed.

I cried so hard my sides hurt for a couple days.  We don't know yet what will become of this lay off.  We've heard it might only be 50 jobs at each mine site instead of the whole mines.  We are praying.  Praying HARD.  We ask and desire your prayers, again, for us.  God brought us through the last time, and whatever is in store, He will be with us once again.  But if you've never been in this situation, you don't know how stressful it really is.  The not knowing.  The wondering when you'll get that phone call that will get you out of the situation.  The wondering when things will feel normal again. 

I don't know about you, but at times like that (the moment I learned of the news) is when I realize how weak my faith is.  I feel strong at other times about my faith, but when something happens anyways when I prayed for it not to, I felt at that moment, like it was all for nothing.

But its not.

God was there with us, employed or not, and always saw us through anything we faced.  Life isn't about being easy, it includes trials and tests of our faith.  I want to do better.  I want my faith to never waver, regardless of the situation.  I know I'm human, and I will fail.  But I want to do better.  And I will do better. 

For with God, nothing (no situation or crisis) is impossible.

Easter!

We had a great Easter around here, minus a few mishaps which I'll mention later.  I'd rather start with the good and end with the bad on a post like this..where we celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus!  :-)

Makayla and I did a craft a few days before Easter.  We made a "Jesus Tomb" as I call it..similar to the one we made last year but this year we made it more realistic..with rocks and moss and such.  It turned out great and Makayla liked doing this better than hunting or coloring Easter eggs! 

We went to church yesterday morning and heard another wonderful message by our new pastor!  Did I ever mention we have a new pastor at our church?  Another post for another time.  ;-)  Makayla looked so adorable in her outfit!  And shhh..you would never know her dress was bought at a local consignment shop for $6.99!

We had dinner at my parent's house around 2.  My mom and I had Cornish hens and left the ham for everyone else..we just aren't much for ham!  It was a nice change and afterwards Makayla got to play with some bubbles they had for her in her Easter basket!

And speaking of Easter baskets..she loved the one we put together for her this year!

And lastly, a couple of pictures with her daddy and mommy..hope everyone had a blessed Easter!





Review of "Escape From Bondage" by Mahlon F. Harris

Harry Tucker was a well to do man, until he suffered a debilitating stroke.  Not only was he robbed of normal body functions like walking and talking, but his uncaring son, Thomas, deemed him incapable of recovery and sold his home and all his possessions.  Harry eventually regained his ability to walk and talk and lead a normal life, with the help of a caring physical therapist, Kathy and his life was even better than before.  With new relationships formed and old ones reestablished, Harry found that he had much to thank God for. 

When I first began reading "Escape From Bondage", I actually found it really depressing and hard to read.  Seeing how Harry struggled after having a stroke and being in a nursing home for recovery, he really was at rock bottom in his life.  He had gave up on God as well and had no hope.  I am glad I kept reading because the story just unfolded into something very inspiring!  Harry not only gained his physical and mental abilities, but he found boldness with God's help.  Sometimes we lack the boldness in our lives, to push ahead and see what possibilities lay out there for us.  God always has good things in store for us, even if we have to endure some hardships along the way.

I would definitely recommend this book!  Its an easy read, aside from the beginning where there is a lot of struggles and hardships that takes place, but it establishes the book. 

I received this book from Bookcrash in exchange for a review.  The comments made here are all my opinions.

The Value of a Wife/Mother

As Easter approaches, my mind has been on the death, burial, and resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I've been doing a craft with my little one to teach her about it as well (and hoping it'll also be her 'favorite' Bible story, as it always was mine growing up and now) and instilling in her little heart the importance of the season.

But my mind has also been on Mother's Day.  Next month, after Easter passes, the stores will be gearing up for Mother's Day.  This day has defiantly taken on a new meaning, as I'm now a mother myself.  It holds special meaning in my heart and I truly look forward to it each year, because its a day appreciation is shown to mothers everywhere, myself included.

But it shouldn't be this way.

We should show our appreciation each and every day.  Not just to mother's out there, but to all the father's, to those we hold dear in our hearts, and especially, to Jesus for dying for us.

This is a little snippet that's went through my head today..for all you moms and wives out there....

• Don't worry about the house, I'll make sure its clean.
• Don't worry about the dinner, it'll be on the table each day for dinner time.
• And I might even try a new recipe sometime, in hopes of making dinner a little more special.
• I'll keep the house looking nice, whether making homemade curtains, blankets for the little ones God blessed us with, or shopping for something new (at a decent price, of course).
• And don't worry about the money side of things, I'll be frugal when I shop, looking for clearance items first before ever paying full price.
• Don't worry about those dirty dishes, I'll get them cleaned up.
• Don't worry about the kids, I'll be sure to keep them clothed and cleaned each day..brushing their hair and teeth and reading them stories, even when I'm trying to do something myself and have to put it down for a few minutes.
• And I'll teach them about God..whether its through Bible stories or doing crafts with them..I WILL make it a priority for my children to know who God is.
• Don't worry about the weeds in the flower bed (of course, that may be more of a worry for me than you), I'll tend to those as well.
• The dirty clothes will be taken care of, I'll do that also.

Of course, this post could be done from a man's point of view as well..with all the hard work he does to provide for his family, etc, etc.  But I'm not a man, I'm a woman.  I'm a wife and a mother.  I enjoy my job more than anything and am glad I can stay at home while my husband supports us.

Just don't forget to show your appreciation every now and then....

Scar be gone!

I went to the doctor the other day, for my "mark".  If you don't remember, I had a mole removed a couple years ago on my chest before Makayla turned a year old.  When I was pregnant, it started looking different.

I didn't like it.

So I had it removed and thankfully the biopsy showed it was ok.  But I was left with what I seem my "mark".

I got to remembering just a couple weeks ago that one of the nurses told me if it turned into a keloid (aka-raised scar), I could come in and he could inject it with cortisone.  So off to the doctor I went!  He did inject it (the above picture was taken after the injection) and said I might need another shot in a couple months.  But the end result will, hopefully, be a flatter scar!

I'll keep you updated in the coming months!

SHOES!!

Several weeks ago, I realized Makayla was in need of some new shoes.  Spring was upon us and she was outgrowing several pairs she'd worn over the winter.

So we went shopping!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture..taken with the kindle.

Now before you say, "Whoa!", we didn't buy these all at once!  And I got some amazing deals on probably half of them!!

The top 2 middle pairs of shoes I bought at Wal-Mart for $2 each if memory serves me right.  And the sandal pair of the two are Carter's brand!  The pair of white sandals on the top row I got on clearance at Carter's for $6.99.  The pink pair on the bottom row was $1 (I think?), again, clearance at Wal-Mart.  The rest were not as cheap as the rest, but all on sale when I purchased them!  Pretty sure I didn't pay more than $13 for any of the rest individually.

Yeah, my girl is set on shoes..just like her mommy!

Friday Ramblings

I realized I only posted once this week so I thought I'd attempt to play 'catch-up' today!

• I got a new washer today!  We actually bought it on Monday but it was delivered today.  My old one, a Hotpoint, was a good machine for me..lasting 12 1/2 years..I can't complain!!  Lovin' my GE this far..on my 2nd load already!!

• Makayla has been saying all sorts of things lately!  Sometimes if I give her something..she will say 'Thank you mommy!'.  Melts my heart!
• She has also taken to grabbing my hand and leading me to something she wants to show me..very cute!
• I have been on a cleaning and sewing kick as of late!  Today I'm going to try tackle the spare bedroom.  Wish me luck!
• Speaking of sewing, one reason I really want to get the spare bedroom organized is that's where most of my fabric stash is.  Ugh..instead of wishing me luck I should have said pray for me!  I've got a serious problem when it comes to collecting fabric!!
• Once I get the spare bedroom in 'shape', I'm thinking I may paint the whole room white.  Yes..a nice blank canvas for decorating!!

Happy Friday everyone!!

Giving!

I got to warn you, if your my friend you just might end up with a homemade gift some time or another!

I'm not bragging here or anything, but the saying 'its better to give than receive' rings true for me.  I love to make things for my friends.  It just brings joy to my heart to share something special and unique to those I hold close to me.

Case in point, the other day I was on a sewing 'kick'.  I knocked out 3 projects in one afternoon guys!!  It was so much fun..and none of it was made for me..ha!

I made this pillowcase dress for my blogger friend, Venessa's, little girl.  I was so thrilled with the results I might have to make one for Makayla!!  I also made Venessa an apron similar to the 2 I had made for her adoption fundraisers..I know she'll be pretty happy with it!!

Then I knocked out a dress for Makayla, but this is one that I made up in my head.  When making Makayla a pillowcase dress a few weeks back, I thought it would be easy to make a dress for her with a tank top that's been cut off and some fabric attached to the bottom.  Wow..the results were over the top cute!!!

So that's what I've been up to in the past few days...with a couple more projects lined up shortly for my best friend's mom!

Busy, busy, busy = happy, happy, happy!!

Kitchen stuff

I became a busy little bee last week and got to work on a new kitchen valance!  I was craving something fresh for springtime and this green fabric was just the trick!!

I used coordinating fabrics I bought at good old Hobby Lobby and just love the end result!  So after I finished this I realized now I needed a new rug to go with everything.

Hence the trip to Homegoods that I blogged about yesterday.

I found this rug for $20 and at first wasn't sure if it was the right color because I forgot to take a swatch of fabric to match things up with me.  So I decided to buy it anyways and if it didn't work I could always return it.

I'm so glad I snatched up this rug.  Not only was it the last one like it left but it also has the same design that the bottom half of my valance has!!

You could say it was a great day for shopping!!