Five Minute Friday: Change

On Fridays I like to link up with Lisa-Jo and write for 5 minutes on the topic she gives. The topic for today is:

CHANGE 

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When I first read the word change I was battered with thoughts of changes that I've had in my life. I didn't want to write about it so I was tempted to write something like, "I went to the store the other day and the cashier gave me my change for a $100 all in $5 bills." Hannah did something like that for her FMF. She drew pictures of coins. :)

I know that that is not the change the really matters to me. The change that crushes me on a regular basis. That is the change that Caleb wrote about. Living in 17 different addresses = a lot of change. The hardest part of change is relationships.

The other day I got a text from a friend saying that everything was looking good with her pregnancy and her due date was in March. I rejoiced. Then I started to cry. March. I won't be here in March. I don't know where I will be in March. Another change comes for us in January. Another season of homelessness.

Oh, I am not worried about the details of that season of homelessness. God has always worked them out in the past and I know that He will again but...

The change I dislike the most is leaving people.

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Want to read others' takes on change? Want to write about change yourself? Come on over, check out other's posts and write one yourself.

 

A Scribbled Cry From the Past

Can I tell you how much I love it when I have dated a note I have written and find later in a book or my Bible??

Today I was reading My Utmost for His Highest quickly while on a potty break during school. Today's was good (they usually are, that is why I keep a copy in the bathroom so I can try to read it most days. TMI? Sorry.)

The thing that prompted this post was a note I had put on yesterday's page:

'03 - Oh God, how my faith needs to grow. You brought us here. You know our needs. Please help me to go through this trial of faith believing steadfastly on You - our Jehovah Jireh

"2003? What was going on in 2003?" you may ask. Let me tell you. You see, we had just moved to Houghton, NY for Glenn to finish up his undergrad degree. If you didn't know, Houghton is kind of in the middle of nowhere so there were basically no jobs to be had. He was taking a full load of science classes to get all his science requirements done in 2 years so he didn't really have time to work anyway. It's not the cheapest college tuition wise and we had no idea how we were going to be paying for things like rent and food. We went with 2 little kids and were expecting #3 (which we didn't tell anyone before we moved there - people already thought that we were crazy for going to school with 2 kids!!). God had made it clear that we were to go there. In our plans it didn't make sense because there was no way for us to provide for ourselves. We had no idea how things were going to work out and every time we asked He would say, "Trust Me." We would take a deep breath and surrender and say, "OK, Lord, I trust You" until two seconds later when we would start freaking out again wondering how He was going to do it. Again we would hear, "Trust Me."

Would He prove Himself trustworthy?? Would He really provide for us? All 5 of us? Would we go hungry? Where would money come from to pay rent? What kind of jobs could we get? How on earth is it all going to work out??

Shortly before moving I read a book, I think it was about George Mueller. I knew that I served the same God who took care of him but I really didn't know if I wanted to have as much faith as him.

On a Sunday morning soon after we moved we heard a sermon about trusting God for our daily bread. I really didn't want to hear it. I wanted a full pantry. I didn't want to wake up every morning asking God for my daily bread and trusting Him to provide it.

But, you know what? God did provide for us!! We never went hungry. God provided 4 different places for us to live over the 3 years we lived there and He always made sure that there was enough money in our bank account to cover all of the expenses. He even gave us some amazing extras during our years there that we totally didn't deserve. I think, for some reason, He just loves to bless us.

Here are some things I underlined in My Utmost all those years ago:

* Faith must be tested because it can be turned into a personal possession only through conflict.
* Believe steadfastly on Him and all you come up against will develop your faith.
* Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us.

I'm thankful for a glimpse at my  heart's cry from 9 years ago. It is amazing to me to look back and think of all that God has done over the years since that day 9 years ago when I'm sure I cried as I wrote out that prayer. My faith in my Jehovah Jireh sure has grown. My faith has become my own through the conflicts that He has allowed. He did know and meet every one of our needs in that place that He took us to and every place that He has taken us to since. Each successive trial that He has allowed in our lives has only made me love and trust Him more. I don't need to worry about the future because He is growing in me an "unutterable trust in God, trust that never dreams that He will not stand by us."

I am so thankful for the trials that He has allowed into our lives. I am thankful also that He will always be there with us through all of the trials that are in our future. You can trust Him. Even when trusting Him doesn't make any sense at all.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV

What's Working Wednesday: Staples Easy Rebates

What's Working Wednesday is my weekly post to showcase something that is working for me or my family at the moment. It may not work for us forever and it may or may not work for you.

I got all this for $4.36 after rebates.

This post may not be relevant to everyone because you may not live near a Staples but I have gotten some really great deals through Staples over the years. (Other office supply stores offer similar deals but I have found that, for us, Staples offers the best ones.)

Back to school time is a great time to get some great deals from Staples. I especially love buying my printer paper from Staples this time of the year because almost every week there is a $1 or free after Easy Rebate deal on a ream and you can get two mail in rebates a week for them. We go through a lot of paper because we homeschool and we have a laser printer. I try to never spend more than $1 a ream so I love their paper deals!

Staples also often has great deals on paper, notebooks, pencils, crayons, etc during their back to school sales. I like to stock up during these sales to donate to local refugee kids or to set aside for Operation Christmas Child.

Today I went to Staples and picked up some stuff for us:

* 2 reams of Hammermill Copy Plus Paper - FREE after Easy Rebate and this coupon
* 4 packs of cap erasers for 1 penny each (can get up to 4 for a penny each with $5 purchase)
* 2 pencil cases for 1 penny each (can get up to 4 for a penny each with $5 purchase)
* 2 - 5 packs of Bic mechanical pencils .50 each
* 1 pack of Avery Note Tabs - FREE after Easy Rebate
* 1 - 3 pack PaperMate Infinite Lead pencils - $2 (my splurge for my use only - I like to have a pencil just for me during school that works well and I always know where it is)

After Easy Rebates I will have gotten these 12 items for $4.36 (normal retail would have been $35.10 before tax but I wouldn't have bought all of this for that price). Easy Rebates are just that - easy. All you have to do is submit the rebates online on their website and a check comes in the mail in 4-6 weeks. We have gotten a lot of free (just pay tax) stuff from Staples over the years. I am sure they probably lose money on customers like us but they offer the deals, so we don't mind benefiting from them :)

I am grateful for Staples Easy Rebates.

What's Working Wednesday: Fairs/ New York State Fair on the Cheap

What's Working Wednesday is my weekly post to showcase something that is working for me or my family at the moment. It may not work for us forever and it may or may not work for you.

The Great New York State Fair starts tomorrow. We have gone to the fair for the last three years and have always had a really great time. With the fair in mind, I thought I would share a few tips that we practice when going to fairs in general and some specific recommendations for the New York State Fair.

 First, I want to give some recommendations for going to fairs in general:

1. Bring your own water
We each own  water backpacks and we love taking them with us to the fair! They keep your hands free, are pretty easy to refill, and the weight that they add is hardly noticeable. If you don't own water backpacks at least bring your own water bottles that you can re-fill. If you must have soft drinks bring some of your own. Drinks can be a big expense at the fair.

2. Bring your own food
As long as the venue allows it (which the NYS Fair does), it saves a lot of money to bring at least one meal of food along with you and several snacks. Food that you bring with you is, most likely, going to be healthier than any food you'd find at the fair and it will allow you to put your food money towards a couple of things that you always look forward to eating at the fair instead of having to spend money on every bit of sustenance that you need for the day. (Especially if you are going to open and close the fair like we usually do!)

Next, I'd like to mention some cheap and free things that you won't want to miss that are specific to the New York State Fair:

1. Pre-Buy Tickets
Pre-sale tickets for the fair can be purchased at various places including Wegmans and Tops (even the Tops in Lowville!) for $6 but must be purchased by the day before the fair (which for this year is today!). At the gate fair tickets are $10 for everyone over 12.


2. 25 cent milk

Be sure to head over to the Dairy Products Building for your cup of chocolate or plain milk for only a quarter. We always look forward to this! While you are in the Dairy Products Building be sure to check out this year's butter sculpture.

 3. $1 Baked Potatoes

When you get hungry one inexpensive way to fill your belly is to head over to the Horticulture Building for their $1 baked potatoes. They come with sour cream, butter, and/ or cheese. While you're in the Horticulture Building be sure to check out some other great New York State products and be sure to get a sample (and maybe buy a bag or two) of the maple cotton candy. It's good stuff!

4. Free Entertainment
Be sure to check the schedule for the day you go but some things that we always look forward to are (in no particular order):
* The Circus! Yes, it isn't Barnum and Bailey or The Shriners but the circus at the fair is pretty fun. We often eat our packed lunch while sitting and watching it under the big top.

 * Bandaloni - the strolling one man band

 * The Train Exhibit

* The Agricultural Museum - watch people make soap, brooms, baskets, dulcimers, etc. Last year we enjoyed "The Tool Chest" where we learned about old tools and heard some fun stories outside and we were able to try our hand at weaving on a loom inside!

 * Horse Shows and other Livestock events

* Animals - many animals to look at and pet both at the petting zoo and in the various livestock buildings.

 * 4H Building - we've never actually made it to this building early enough to really check out all the cool stuff in it. Hopefully this year we will though.
* Animal Shows. Every year there is something different offered. 

* The fair parade.

 * Sand Sculpture. A huge sand sculpture made with 180 tons of sand is created throughout the duration of the fair. Last year's theme was 9/11 and it was pretty amazing.

* Fire Safety Show and Exhibit. As a homeschooler and a parent I love walking through this exhibit (that I don't think has really changed since I was a kid) and chatting with the kids about fire hazards and safety.

5. Cheap(er) Food
Towards the end of the night when we start getting hungry we often head to the food stands on the outskirts near the basketball courts/ wrestling mats. There you can get 4 hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries or drinks for $5. It's not the best tasting food in the world but it's relatively inexpensive.
NOTE: If fair food is your thing this year the fair is selling Best Bets Bargain Books. The coupons look a lot like the ones that used to be in the programs that you got when you entered the fair. They can be purchased for $4 before the fair and $5 at the fair. The coupons don't look like they'd be worth it to our family because we don't really buy that much fair food but check out the list of coupons available. They may save you money on things that you were going to buy anyway.

One sight you probably won't see this year due to our embarrassingly tiny amount of snowfall.

We plan to go to the The Great New York State Fair this Saturday (possibly for the last time in a long time) and we are really looking forward to it!

"A Lesson on Frustration"

Today was our first official day of school. One of my students has been chomping at the bit for weeks and I've occasionally "let" that student do a little work ahead but everyone else started today.

This year we are using My Father's World Creation to the Greeks as our base. We are excited about it because we really liked MFW Exploring Countries and Cultures last year. There was lots of intro stuff to do today.

One thing that I am looking forward to this year is using God and the History of Art. Today we covered the introduction and got to do "Lesson #1 - A Lesson on Frustration." The lesson explained how becoming an artist takes a lot of practice and how artists are often frustrated with the work that they do, never thinking that it is good enough. The lesson explained that acknowledging that frustration is just a part of being an artist will help you "be able to relax and enjoy the learning process involved in drawing, coloring and painting." The assignment for today was to draw and color a butterfly using only our mouths like Joni Eareckson Tada. It was pretty challenging and sure did make us appreciate the fact that, for most of the rest of our lessons, we'll be able to use our hands that work much better than our mouths.

Several of my students chose to draw butterflies with their hands after finishing their mouth drawings.

Reading this lesson and doing this activity made me think about my own frustration with my various jobs. The lesson told of the frustrations of various artists and their displeasure in their own work, even though others would have looked on them as masterpieces. I need to be careful not to be too critical of my own work knowing that frustration is also a part of being a wife, mom, teacher, cook, friend, writer, etc. I need to not get overwhelmed with my own frustration at my imperfect work but relax and enjoy the learning process involved in growing in all the areas that I have been called to. Funny how God can speak to me even through my kids' art lesson :)

Five Minute Friday: Stretch

It's silly but I think that the first thing that prompted me to start stretching was not the cross country runners I always saw stretching in the hallway in high school but a Winnie the Pooh board book I used to read to my kids all the time when they were little. In his "stoutness exercises" think that it said something like, "I stretch up, I stretch down, I eat a whole bowl of honey." Of course, I haven't really continued that routine, especially the honey part. I'm not actually a big fan of honey. 

 I know that stretching is an important thing to do but it is another one of those discipline things that I am not very good at. I have started stretching a little bit more since I started running this summer. I know that it is important, physically, to stay agile and not get injured but it is not a regular part of my routine. I talked about stretching with Glenn's uncle when he was here visiting. He is really good about doing his stretching excerises that various PT people have had him do because he wants to live an active lifestyle and he knows how important the stretches he does are. It was inspiring and challenging listening to him.

I know that stretching physically is important, though not pleasant. It is also important to stretch in other ways. I know that phases of my life when my faith, my emotions, my social skills, my frugal-ness, my creativity have had to stretch have not always been pleasant but the rewards from stretching and allowing myself to be stretched have been long lasting and I am thankful for them.

Back to Pooh - as he was doing his stretches in this little video I found I found this morning he was talking about how his stretches helped to increase his appetite. In the same way, when I have been stretched in other areas, especially my faith, my appetite for what I am ultimately striving for increases as well. Thanks, Pooh, for that little reminder of why I really stretch.

I'm linking up with the Gypsy Mama today. Come on over and join me. Write for 5 minutes yourself or just read some other great blog posts about "stretch."

Leave New York??

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1 NLT

National Conference was an overwhelming experience for me. Before going to it I think I was in denial of the whole residency application process and how many programs there are really out there. One of the presenters at an educational session we went to likened it to walking through an expo center full of used car salesmen fully convinced that their used car is the best. Our job was to find out which "used car," of all these great residency programs, was the right one for us to provide us for the best training to practice medicine where and how we'd like to. One of the most exciting things for me was that there are actually residencies out there with the broad spectrum training that Glenn wants. Before the conference he'd been battling between family practice and surgery (ie. procedures) and it was great to be assured that there are FP residencies that will train him to do more of the procedures that he wants to be trained in so that he can be prepared to practice either overseas or in a rural location in the US.

There are many great programs in New York but most of the full spectrum programs that he is interested in are not in New York. On the way home from the airport I came to the realization that I am going to leave New York, most likely. I have been a New York resident for all my life (with the exception of 2 years when we lived in Tennessee when we first got married). I have always known/ assumed that I would not live in New York forever. I have always planned to live overseas at some point. I never actually planned on raising kids in the US, actually. It was just a bit of a shock to my overwhelmed spirit that I am actually going to leave.

A couple days later, while doing my quiet time, I came across this verse:

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you." Genesis 12:1 NLT

It was an encouraging word to me and reading it reminded me of God's faithfulness to Abraham. Abraham has always been an example to me (just ask my kids!) and I am so thankful for his obedience when God asked him to go. I know that I can trust God as I leave my "Ur," to go to that unknown place that He has for us. I know that He walks before us and He has good plans for us. I am excited to see what they are. Even if they aren't in New York :)