It is good to be ABLE to post tonight, so I will post for the sheer JOY of being able to sit at my computer, in the light, in a warm home, and to type a little message for all of you out there who have time to visit and read this blog. What a blessed life I have!
Our power went out last night around 8 p.m. and unfortunately my computer was nearly out of battery, as was my cell phone. (Poor planning, I know!). We had been having cold rain all day that was starting to freeze as night time temperatures dropped, but I was still surprised that we lost power. (It was another "snow" day here in Lynchburg. . . where there was no snow nor slippery, dangerous roads. So strange to this Midwestern gal!)
That was the state of things from about 8 p.m. last until nearly 3 p.m. today. B (aka the Fire Man) took care of keeping the house as warm as possible (this past summer someone gifted us with an entire truckload of wood for our fireplace. . . that has been taking up nearly half of our shed), and I procured what I could find for us to eat (nothing very exciting, but we were happy to have apples and oranges and bread). The kids and I spent the entire day near the fireplace, reading books and doing school, and were joined by Ms Ruth (from across the street) who needed to keep warm, too. B went to school but came home earlier than normal.
Despite the challenges, I am filled with gratitude. The Lord slowed us down, relieved me from what was scheduled to be a full (busy?) day, and again, provided for all our needs. It was sweet to fellowship with Ms Ruth, who has never before visited our home. It was good to be hungry and cold and in such a state to recognize what wonderful provision heat and food and light are. Oh, I love being needy sometimes! (But I'm so glad that my life isn't always like this!)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
On January 25
Nothing special to report today, and honestly, I'm a bit discouraged by your lack of comments. (smiling here)
School is back in full swing for my husband and my children. Thankfully, this last semester of law school has less class work (albeit more Law Review). The boys and I are starting cursive this week, as well as moving on to some new books and subject material in math and reading. I love this!!
I have started going to the YMCA three mornings a week (finally worked out the scholarship details) and LOVE it. Especially love the yoga; I've missed that!
Tuesday nights I have joined up with a huge (over 300 women!) Beth Moore Bible study of Esther. It seems Providential as my last Tim Keller study left off in Esther and my M'Cheney reading had me in Esther as well. I LOVE digging into the Word and I find Beth's excitement contagious.
My sister also loaned me back my Nourishing Traditions book (Sally Fallon) and I am relishing (ha ha) the recipes and info. It's so satisfying to me to read and learn and I find myself so hungry to know more. Lately I've been incorporating ideas from this book, Prescription for Natural Healing, and ideas on herbs and essential oils. It's an education that I find fascinating. . . because it brings all the glory back to God.
The kids are all healthy and doing great. Liv is saying funny things like "inside it out" to turn her shirt right side out. Tate is getting into everything and keeping me busy cleaning up after him. Rhyle is concerned that he learn "a classical instrument" (I think he means violin) and he wants so much to read big books like Owen. O is still flying through books like crazy and had some special time with Dad today picking out two new books at the store. (Thanks to another generous gift card- THANK YOU!!)
We're also playing around with Skype, which has been really fun. Do ya'll know what Skype is?
School is back in full swing for my husband and my children. Thankfully, this last semester of law school has less class work (albeit more Law Review). The boys and I are starting cursive this week, as well as moving on to some new books and subject material in math and reading. I love this!!
I have started going to the YMCA three mornings a week (finally worked out the scholarship details) and LOVE it. Especially love the yoga; I've missed that!
Tuesday nights I have joined up with a huge (over 300 women!) Beth Moore Bible study of Esther. It seems Providential as my last Tim Keller study left off in Esther and my M'Cheney reading had me in Esther as well. I LOVE digging into the Word and I find Beth's excitement contagious.
My sister also loaned me back my Nourishing Traditions book (Sally Fallon) and I am relishing (ha ha) the recipes and info. It's so satisfying to me to read and learn and I find myself so hungry to know more. Lately I've been incorporating ideas from this book, Prescription for Natural Healing, and ideas on herbs and essential oils. It's an education that I find fascinating. . . because it brings all the glory back to God.
The kids are all healthy and doing great. Liv is saying funny things like "inside it out" to turn her shirt right side out. Tate is getting into everything and keeping me busy cleaning up after him. Rhyle is concerned that he learn "a classical instrument" (I think he means violin) and he wants so much to read big books like Owen. O is still flying through books like crazy and had some special time with Dad today picking out two new books at the store. (Thanks to another generous gift card- THANK YOU!!)
We're also playing around with Skype, which has been really fun. Do ya'll know what Skype is?
Monday, January 19, 2009
On Training
My cousin Darcy and her boys visited us today and shared lunch. She relayed to me this fun story:
After our meal Owen helped load the dishes into the dishwasher and Rhyle swept the floor. Livia was supposed to be helping with the dustpan, but after awhile she ran off; Rhyle continued his chore. Darcy kindly offered to hold the dustpan and cheerfully encouraged Rhyle in his work. "Wow. You do a really nice job," she said. (or something close to that!)
"I've been trained." Rhyle stated proudly. Then he added, "And I didn't even have to go anywhere for my training! I just learned right here."
What a great perspective on his chores! He has a sense of pride that he has been "trained" and not just anyone can do the task he was assigned. This makes me smile.
After our meal Owen helped load the dishes into the dishwasher and Rhyle swept the floor. Livia was supposed to be helping with the dustpan, but after awhile she ran off; Rhyle continued his chore. Darcy kindly offered to hold the dustpan and cheerfully encouraged Rhyle in his work. "Wow. You do a really nice job," she said. (or something close to that!)
"I've been trained." Rhyle stated proudly. Then he added, "And I didn't even have to go anywhere for my training! I just learned right here."
What a great perspective on his chores! He has a sense of pride that he has been "trained" and not just anyone can do the task he was assigned. This makes me smile.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Creamy Lentil Soup
A friend asked me for favorite lentil recipes. . . and this is one. (Although I made it for friends last week and must say that I didn't hear anyone clambering for the recipe; maybe we were too busy with children!) I tripled it with success. I always use more carrot than it calls for, and often add in celery, too. It's also good without pureeing all of it (if you have chopped the carrots small). My kids love this- especially with bread for dipping.
This is an adaption from a Cooking Light recipe.
Creamy Lentil Soup
1 Tb. oil or butter
1 cup sliced carrot (about 3)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1/3 cup uncooked, long grain rice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
28 oz. chicken broth (or about 2 cans)
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
2 cups Rice Dream (or coconut or cow's milk)
1.Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add carrots and onions and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add water and next 7 ingredients, stirring well.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until lentils are tender.
3. Puree half of lentil mixture until smooth. Repeat with second half of lentil mixture. Return puree to pan and stir in milk. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Yield: 8 cups
This is an adaption from a Cooking Light recipe.
Creamy Lentil Soup
1 Tb. oil or butter
1 cup sliced carrot (about 3)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1/3 cup uncooked, long grain rice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
28 oz. chicken broth (or about 2 cans)
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
2 cups Rice Dream (or coconut or cow's milk)
1.Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add carrots and onions and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add water and next 7 ingredients, stirring well.
2. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until lentils are tender.
3. Puree half of lentil mixture until smooth. Repeat with second half of lentil mixture. Return puree to pan and stir in milk. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Yield: 8 cups
Tate- 17 months
T is nearly 17 months old... and it is getting the better of me on many days.
Have you wondered why I haven't been posting much? (Probably not!)
It has something to do with my toddler. . . who is tall enough and smart enough to open the front door and "escape." I found him outside playing with pine cones one day last week. He is also VERY fast at climbing into chairs. . . and chairs lead to other things, like tables and counters, and other chairs- oh my! The office is his favorite place to sneak into and before I have even realized that he quietly closed the door behind himself, he is playing with scissors and glue and crayons. (Yes, I'm smart enough to move these things after a few incidents!) He is finally getting two more teeth (to add to the six he has had for months). And he is telling me (sometimes) when he needs to use the potty. His temper is showing up regularly as he is denied the privileges of the other children (coloring, playing outside in the cold, buckling his own car seat, etc.)
Whew, boy! I LOVE this age as he learns new words and responds to guidance and correction. I love his baby cheeks and snuggles. I love that he is still nursing and we share sweet quiet moments. I love that he ALWAYS wants me to read him a book (the same book!). My heart melts when he starts singing "May the Lord bless you and keep you" with me; it's the song I have sung to him every night at bedtime since he was born. His giggle is infectious and I can't help but smile at his antics. . .
But he does wear me out!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Grocery Day, Again
Our new cash system has really been tough on me. I'm completely on board with the IDEA, but I always feel differently when I'm checking out at the grocery store.
Today I had 40 minutes to get groceries before we had company coming. I had $60, and this was generous of B because I had already spent $80 of my $100 this week at Sam's (but I did stock up on some things we really needed and use often!). He only had 20s and he generously upped my "allowance" from $40 to $60. (And YES, I know that 80 + 40 doesn't add up to 100 either. See, I'm telling you this system still has some kinks to work out!)
It just doesn't seem like I can get very much for $60. I tried. But I spent $80...six. I sheepishly admitted to B that I had a $20 and some ones in my wallet and I don't remember WHY, but it just seemed like groceries were a justified use for it.
STILL, I had to make hard (and fast!) decisions.
Grapefruit? The kids love them. $1 each. Really? Wish we would have brought more back from FL. They are SO good for breakfast. If I get two then four of us can have a half. . . Two it is.
Apples? Yum. We haven't had good apples for weeks. Organic apples are $1.99 EACH! I can't do that. We used red delicious for baked apples last week. Guess we'll pass this week. . .
Barley. And lentils. And rice. Can I get all three? Can I do two bags of lentils? $1.29 each. We eat a lot of lentils and I'm using them in soup when we have friends over this weekend. . . Nah. Better just get one.
These are the kinds of thoughts that go through my head as I move through the store, clearly on a mission.
When the time came for me to checkout and pay and the items were whizzing over the scanner I realized that I had been FAST, but also definitely over budget. Again, I had a second "wave" of items in the wings IF we could afford them. That pile grew as the total on the screen above the cashier grew.
Hold back a pomegranate (Tate LOVES them). Hold back the peanut butter (that was supposed to go with the celery). Hold back the sauerkraut (which was for Reubens, but I didn't get the turkey either... so it looks like we'll be having Swiss cheese sandwiches later). Hold back the cream cheese (for the free bagels we get), the feta (for salad), the extra head of romaine. . and. . . gulp. . . the grapefruit?
Well, I confess I was emotionally attached to the grapefruit at this point, which is why I dug the ones out of my wallet. (I should also confess that while I was counting out my money, the nice looking gentleman behind me in line was counting out his cash as well. The sneaky, greedy little thought entered my mind that maybe God was going to have HIM pay for the extra things I wanted this time. But no. I watched the cashier set aside quite a few of the things I wanted (but apparently didn't need) and I winced as I paid the $86.
When I got home I had a lot of "'splainen" to do.
And if I was feeling strongly about citrus, can you imagine how I felt when NOT ONE HOUR LATER my neighbor knocked on my door and held out three bags. He usually brings bread and bagels, but this time two of the bags held CITRUS: grapefruit, navels, tangerines. Oh my!
I was upset that I couldn't get TWO grapefruit for my family... and God used the hand of Mr. B to bring us TEN grapefruit and more. They had extra at the Salvation Army today. And the Lord promised to supply our every need.
Isn't God merciful to remind me that HE is the one who provides the good things for my family? It's not me. Oh, foolish me.
Today I had 40 minutes to get groceries before we had company coming. I had $60, and this was generous of B because I had already spent $80 of my $100 this week at Sam's (but I did stock up on some things we really needed and use often!). He only had 20s and he generously upped my "allowance" from $40 to $60. (And YES, I know that 80 + 40 doesn't add up to 100 either. See, I'm telling you this system still has some kinks to work out!)
It just doesn't seem like I can get very much for $60. I tried. But I spent $80...six. I sheepishly admitted to B that I had a $20 and some ones in my wallet and I don't remember WHY, but it just seemed like groceries were a justified use for it.
STILL, I had to make hard (and fast!) decisions.
Grapefruit? The kids love them. $1 each. Really? Wish we would have brought more back from FL. They are SO good for breakfast. If I get two then four of us can have a half. . . Two it is.
Apples? Yum. We haven't had good apples for weeks. Organic apples are $1.99 EACH! I can't do that. We used red delicious for baked apples last week. Guess we'll pass this week. . .
Barley. And lentils. And rice. Can I get all three? Can I do two bags of lentils? $1.29 each. We eat a lot of lentils and I'm using them in soup when we have friends over this weekend. . . Nah. Better just get one.
These are the kinds of thoughts that go through my head as I move through the store, clearly on a mission.
When the time came for me to checkout and pay and the items were whizzing over the scanner I realized that I had been FAST, but also definitely over budget. Again, I had a second "wave" of items in the wings IF we could afford them. That pile grew as the total on the screen above the cashier grew.
Hold back a pomegranate (Tate LOVES them). Hold back the peanut butter (that was supposed to go with the celery). Hold back the sauerkraut (which was for Reubens, but I didn't get the turkey either... so it looks like we'll be having Swiss cheese sandwiches later). Hold back the cream cheese (for the free bagels we get), the feta (for salad), the extra head of romaine. . and. . . gulp. . . the grapefruit?
Well, I confess I was emotionally attached to the grapefruit at this point, which is why I dug the ones out of my wallet. (I should also confess that while I was counting out my money, the nice looking gentleman behind me in line was counting out his cash as well. The sneaky, greedy little thought entered my mind that maybe God was going to have HIM pay for the extra things I wanted this time. But no. I watched the cashier set aside quite a few of the things I wanted (but apparently didn't need) and I winced as I paid the $86.
When I got home I had a lot of "'splainen" to do.
And if I was feeling strongly about citrus, can you imagine how I felt when NOT ONE HOUR LATER my neighbor knocked on my door and held out three bags. He usually brings bread and bagels, but this time two of the bags held CITRUS: grapefruit, navels, tangerines. Oh my!
I was upset that I couldn't get TWO grapefruit for my family... and God used the hand of Mr. B to bring us TEN grapefruit and more. They had extra at the Salvation Army today. And the Lord promised to supply our every need.
Isn't God merciful to remind me that HE is the one who provides the good things for my family? It's not me. Oh, foolish me.
Livisms
Liv (3) has really come up with some good ones lately:
"Dad's sharp eraser" = B's razor (and why was Rhyle "holding" it last night well after bedtime, slicing his finger?)
"Salami". . . sounds like LASAGNA . . . at least to Livia.
"Torpita chip" = tortilla chip + pita chip (OR torpedO chip.. but it was really a pita cracker)
"Dad's sharp eraser" = B's razor (and why was Rhyle "holding" it last night well after bedtime, slicing his finger?)
"Salami". . . sounds like LASAGNA . . . at least to Livia.
"Torpita chip" = tortilla chip + pita chip (OR torpedO chip.. but it was really a pita cracker)
Her Moral Character
I was explaining to Braden this afternoon why I was feeling ready for some quiet. Livia woke up grumpy today, it seemed. Getting dressed caused tears and a tantrum (her clothes made her cold). Then she cried and whined and kicked her feet because she didn't want to make her bed. (Never mind that she is nearly 4 and Owen at age 3 started making his bed every day- without complaint and very well. I shouldn't have expected as much from my daughter. ) This was at 7 a.m.
There was also discipline for jumping on the couch. And talking back. And more whining. And feeding Tate almonds.
"We have an independent and head-strong daughter," I told B, shaking my head.
"Yes," he agreed. "If we can but preserve her moral character it will someday be an asset to her."
Can't you tell he thinks like a lawyer?
There was also discipline for jumping on the couch. And talking back. And more whining. And feeding Tate almonds.
"We have an independent and head-strong daughter," I told B, shaking my head.
"Yes," he agreed. "If we can but preserve her moral character it will someday be an asset to her."
Can't you tell he thinks like a lawyer?
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Deep Cleaning
Years ago (when I only had three children) I had itemized cleaning lists in a binder in our kitchen. I thoroughly cleaned (and kept track of this) at least one room of our home each week and continued ad infinitum on a rotating schedule. Honestly, my house was pretty darn clean (down to clean lightbulbs!).
Now I have a new method of deep cleaning: I trust that God is going to help me get it accomplished at the proper time. (I do jest a bit, here, so it's okay to smile!).
For instance: This week I washed our bed sheets- twice- as well as the mattress cover (and we did flip the mattress, too). I knew it was time for this kind of attention to our bedding because one child (who shall remain nameless because he is too old not to be embarrassed by this) was in such a deep sleep that he came to our bed and finished his "job" beside me. (I did, indeed, wake up wet.) But now the linens are fresh.
I also scrubbed the bathroom floor, paying particular attention to the grout, as well as wiping down the toilet (at 12:36 a.m.) due to the aforementioned incident, which apparent began in the bathroom.
I cleaned behind the radiator (because my pajamas fell back there), and also cleaned behind the dryer (where a magazine fell).
Debris and dust were removed from behind the piano (we couldn't find the handle to the Swiffer and someone suspected the "sword" might be back there.
Bedding was changed in the boy's bedroom, prompted by broken lightbulb fragments littering both bunks and the rug.
I suppose that cleaning up lightbulb fragments is a long way from cleaning my lightbulbs. . . but that's where we are right now and I'm choosing to smile and trust that God will make sure I have plenty of other opportunities to thoroughly clean other areas of our home soon.
Now I have a new method of deep cleaning: I trust that God is going to help me get it accomplished at the proper time. (I do jest a bit, here, so it's okay to smile!).
For instance: This week I washed our bed sheets- twice- as well as the mattress cover (and we did flip the mattress, too). I knew it was time for this kind of attention to our bedding because one child (who shall remain nameless because he is too old not to be embarrassed by this) was in such a deep sleep that he came to our bed and finished his "job" beside me. (I did, indeed, wake up wet.) But now the linens are fresh.
I also scrubbed the bathroom floor, paying particular attention to the grout, as well as wiping down the toilet (at 12:36 a.m.) due to the aforementioned incident, which apparent began in the bathroom.
I cleaned behind the radiator (because my pajamas fell back there), and also cleaned behind the dryer (where a magazine fell).
Debris and dust were removed from behind the piano (we couldn't find the handle to the Swiffer and someone suspected the "sword" might be back there.
Bedding was changed in the boy's bedroom, prompted by broken lightbulb fragments littering both bunks and the rug.
I suppose that cleaning up lightbulb fragments is a long way from cleaning my lightbulbs. . . but that's where we are right now and I'm choosing to smile and trust that God will make sure I have plenty of other opportunities to thoroughly clean other areas of our home soon.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Van Story
Just so you know- the van story is posted below, on the date I started working on it. It's a LONG one and took me several sittings to get it all down.
This is also a public THANK YOU to our friends and family and to the saints who were all part of this story. We would like to thank each of you personally, but we don't even know some of you and I have a sneaking suspicion that it will take me awhile to finish any thank you notes. We are SO VERY, VERY grateful for you. Thank you for caring for us so well.
I hope the story is coherent enough to follow; I'm sure I left out details, even with all I wrote. Let me know what you think!
Orange Date Muffins
We usually have muffins and Complete shakes on Sunday mornings. I can prepare the muffins the night before and the shakes hold us all over until we get home from church and can eat lunch. I tried a new recipe this morning based on the ingredients I had on hand (and freshly milled wheat from a dear neighbor friend). The original recipe was in a cookbook by Doris Streiff- good 'ol Wisconsin farm kind of cooking. I doubled the recipe and made 28 large and 24 mini muffins.
Orange Date Muffins:
1 orange
1/2 milk (I used kefir)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup oil (or butter or applesauce)
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups flour
3/4 cup of sugar (Sucanat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts)
1. Grate entire rind of orange. Peel off white pith and puree the rest of the orange.
2. Combine milk (kefir), pureed orange, and orange rind in a bowl. Add dates to soak. Add beaten egg and oil.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
4. Add wet to dry and stir in nuts. (If it seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of milk.)
5. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick in center of muffin comes out clean.
Orange Date Muffins:
1 orange
1/2 milk (I used kefir)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup oil (or butter or applesauce)
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups flour
3/4 cup of sugar (Sucanat)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts)
1. Grate entire rind of orange. Peel off white pith and puree the rest of the orange.
2. Combine milk (kefir), pureed orange, and orange rind in a bowl. Add dates to soak. Add beaten egg and oil.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
4. Add wet to dry and stir in nuts. (If it seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of milk.)
5. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, or until toothpick in center of muffin comes out clean.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Lucy Hair
I wasn't sure I would ever get the hang of doing someone else's hair; but I've learned to experiment a bit and work quickly. Livia and I call this "Lucy Hair." (Chronicles of Narnia)
Another Ebenezer Story
"Samuel . . . named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us." (1 Sam. 7:12)
Let us pick up our van story where we left off. . .
Our '99 Ford Windstar started shaking and lurching as we pulled off the interstate to find a hotel for the night. We were about four hours from Orlando, on our way back to Lynchburg (which was still over seven hours away). The transmission failed and yet Braden was able to navigate the van to the back parking lot of a nearby hotel- which also had a room available for us that night. Providence.
The next day we had the van towed to a recommended repair shop and Braden picked up a rental Astro van. Word from the shop was that our transmission needed to be replaced ($2000-$2500 for them to do this with a refurbished transmission from Savannah, GA). Not only that, but it wouldn't be completed until the day before Christmas- or later if they ran into problems.
B and I decided that we couldn't afford to stay at a hotel in Brunswick for the week (nor did we especially want to!). We were able to drive the rental van back to Orlando, where we could stay with friends free of charge while we figured out what to do. At this point B was thinking we ought not have our van repaired, but should look for something else. Even though we didn't have money for the van repair, it didn't make sense to spend over $2000 on a van that would never be worth that much.
We had left Orlando on Wednesday afternoon and we were back again on Thursday evening. This time we were asking God to show us what to do. My heart was yearning to be home and so we agreed that we would spend the weekend looking around and exploring possibilities, but that if we didn't have anything by Monday we would get a one-way rental to drive back to Lynchburg and then hope to get something in VA.
For years the kids and I have been praying for a van. I knew our Windstar wouldn't last forever, that we would need something bigger, and also that we probably wouldn't be able to afford a replacement van. We have asked God to GIVE us a van when we needed one. While I was resting on this confidence, I was also wondering if NOW was the time and if giving us a van was what God desired to do, to give Himself the MOST glory.
We spent the weekend driving around, looking at things, praying, wondering, talking to our parents and friends for counsel, and waiting. My parents had very generously offered to help us purchase something, so we kept looking. We were watching for vans online and were drawn to the Honda Odysseys- but knew that they were beyond our means.
Monday came and we hadn't purchased a van (for many reasons). I had the rental van loaded to go and was waiting for B to give the word, but there were NO one-way rentals to be had in either GA or FL. (Providence). We couldn't leave FL! Clearly, God was keeping us for a reason. . . so we went back online to see if we had missed anything. At this time I had a voicemail on my cell phone from a wonderful family from our church in VA. They felt led to give us a $1500 gift to help us get home. We were floored. Providence.
One hour later, we quickly bid goodbye to our dear, gracious friends who had hosted our family, and made haste to St. Petersburg, FL. B had found a 2004 Honda for sale there and the seller had come down in his price via phone and then lowered his price again if B could come that day and purchase the van THAT day. The van looked great online, but we needed to drive it and see it in person. For the duration of the two hour drive we were on the phone, trying to work out a wire transfer. Try as we might, our bank was completely unavailable by phone. (Providence; we found out later that their phones were down that day.)
During this intense time I also spoke with a very dear friend who had been faithfully praying for our family through it all. She had also asked other brothers and sisters to pray and had just finished praying with one of these sweet sisters. They beseeched God to take care of our need, and even asked, "God, don't just meet their need, but knock their socks off- put them in a Honda Odyssey!" I told my friend P about our $1500 gift that morning, and she prophetically declared, "That is just the FIRST in a line of people that God is going to use in this story." She was right. (She was also right that we shouldn't buy a Kia!)
We arrived in St. Pete without having the wire completed. My dad was waiting at his bank in IL, but we didn't have all of the specific information needed. We met Alex, who told us that it was nice to meet us but that he couldn't sell us the van that day because his bank was now closed. After our hurrying and praying and phone calls and four hour round trip. . . we were too late! (We did not feel able to return the next day; we were still holding out hope that we would be headed home then.)
Nonetheless, B drove the van. The other vans we had seen and been interested in and he had driven. . . did not drive well. This one was a dream. Clearly superior and oh, so nice. B inspected everything with Alex and was impressed. I had been waiting with the kids in the parking lot at Alex's apartment. . . but we all needed a restroom desperately. I asked Alex if there was a facility we could use. He graciously invited us up to his apartment.
In the apartment I was able to take care of the children and meet Alex's lovely wife, her sister, and her nieces. As B and Alex negotiated options (A drive to Orlando the next day, we wait to leave, etc.), I had the opportunity to visit with the ladies while the children played. They are all Romanian and had such interesting stories and perspectives. It was a wonderful way (for me!) to spend an hour. B, meanwhile, was trying to prove to Alex that we would be good for the money tomorrow.
At one point I needed to take Tate to the van to change his diaper. My cell phone rang, but I couldn't answer it. A few minutes later it rang again and I saw that it was my cousin calling (again). Because this was unusual, I answered the phone. Tate and I walked back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the apartments while I spoke with my cousin. He said that he hadn't wanted to ask before about our financial situation (because it seemed too personal), but his wife and told him about our situation. He was compelled (Providence!) to call and offer us a monetary Christmas gift. His parents had made a special request for their Christmas gift this year. Instead of something for them, they had asked their children to give money to charity. My wonderful cousin said he figured that it wasn't much good to help strangers if you weren't willing to help your own family. He and his wife were sending us a generous check.
B then called me (via cell phone!) up to the apartment. Alex had decided to sell the van to us and let us leave with it that night! "I am just praying that the money shows up in my account tomorrow," he said. There were papers to sign, car seats to move, handshakes, and then we were ready to drive away. B explained to me later that there had been a flurry of Romanian between Alex and his wife. At one point he heard her say, essentially, "It's okay." The Lord allowed her to see my heart and gave her peace to trust that we really would pay for the van. Alex gave us an amazing deal- so great that it was hard to believe. He buys and sells autos from his apartment and it just so happened that he had purchased this van over a month ago from an auto auction. It was the most expensive auto he had ever purchased. In the past month he hadn't had anyone interested in it and now he was nearly desperate to get his money back out of the van to use for his other investments. He sold us the van and made less than $300.
(A side note regarding Honda Odysseys: our "research" informed us that 2001-2003 vans were more prone to repairs. This van is a 2004. Most of the vans we saw had dvd players, which we didn't want. This one doesn't. The Kia that had seemed the best van we had found (except for it's low gas mileage and poor recommendations) was appealing because it had leather interior (great with kids!), and even heated seats (oh, so luxurious!). This van has leather, heated seats. It seems incongruous that our family should have something so nice.)
And so we drove back to Orlando. We were given a very nice place to stay by generous friends who were out of town for Christmas. The next day we left for VA. (It promised to be a long trip when we had to stop four times before we were officially beyond Orlando's city limits!)
We stopped in Brunswick for lunch and to clean out our old Ford. Good thing, too. We saw that the situation was sketchy there- they had even LOST the key to our van! B was SO glad we hadn't given them any money or trusted them to fix anything we would need to depend on.
Our SO nice, new-to-us Honda Odyssey pulled into our drive at 1 a.m. on Christmas eve, with our children sleeping (except Tate!) peacefully. My heart was filled to swelling with gratefulness that we were home safely, richly blessed beyond our imagining. Alex received his money and did send us the other key and the title- so it is official.
True to P's prediction, there were many other saints involved in this story. When we opened our mail we had checks from Nora Mitter and friends and family, helping us offset the cost of the van and to meet our needs. Our neighbors brought over armfuls of packages that had arrived on our steps while we were away. All of the boxes went under the tree (sans wrapping!). I used a gift card (again) to purchase groceries, and we joyfully celebrated Christmas. Saints brought us a ham for dinner. Friends who are moving gave me huge baskets full of household supplies (this was SO exciting!).
Oh, what a Savior we have! We raise our Ebenezer this Christmas to our Providential Lord, who exceeded our needs and lavished His love on us, poor as we are.
Let us pick up our van story where we left off. . .
Our '99 Ford Windstar started shaking and lurching as we pulled off the interstate to find a hotel for the night. We were about four hours from Orlando, on our way back to Lynchburg (which was still over seven hours away). The transmission failed and yet Braden was able to navigate the van to the back parking lot of a nearby hotel- which also had a room available for us that night. Providence.
The next day we had the van towed to a recommended repair shop and Braden picked up a rental Astro van. Word from the shop was that our transmission needed to be replaced ($2000-$2500 for them to do this with a refurbished transmission from Savannah, GA). Not only that, but it wouldn't be completed until the day before Christmas- or later if they ran into problems.
B and I decided that we couldn't afford to stay at a hotel in Brunswick for the week (nor did we especially want to!). We were able to drive the rental van back to Orlando, where we could stay with friends free of charge while we figured out what to do. At this point B was thinking we ought not have our van repaired, but should look for something else. Even though we didn't have money for the van repair, it didn't make sense to spend over $2000 on a van that would never be worth that much.
We had left Orlando on Wednesday afternoon and we were back again on Thursday evening. This time we were asking God to show us what to do. My heart was yearning to be home and so we agreed that we would spend the weekend looking around and exploring possibilities, but that if we didn't have anything by Monday we would get a one-way rental to drive back to Lynchburg and then hope to get something in VA.
For years the kids and I have been praying for a van. I knew our Windstar wouldn't last forever, that we would need something bigger, and also that we probably wouldn't be able to afford a replacement van. We have asked God to GIVE us a van when we needed one. While I was resting on this confidence, I was also wondering if NOW was the time and if giving us a van was what God desired to do, to give Himself the MOST glory.
We spent the weekend driving around, looking at things, praying, wondering, talking to our parents and friends for counsel, and waiting. My parents had very generously offered to help us purchase something, so we kept looking. We were watching for vans online and were drawn to the Honda Odysseys- but knew that they were beyond our means.
Monday came and we hadn't purchased a van (for many reasons). I had the rental van loaded to go and was waiting for B to give the word, but there were NO one-way rentals to be had in either GA or FL. (Providence). We couldn't leave FL! Clearly, God was keeping us for a reason. . . so we went back online to see if we had missed anything. At this time I had a voicemail on my cell phone from a wonderful family from our church in VA. They felt led to give us a $1500 gift to help us get home. We were floored. Providence.
One hour later, we quickly bid goodbye to our dear, gracious friends who had hosted our family, and made haste to St. Petersburg, FL. B had found a 2004 Honda for sale there and the seller had come down in his price via phone and then lowered his price again if B could come that day and purchase the van THAT day. The van looked great online, but we needed to drive it and see it in person. For the duration of the two hour drive we were on the phone, trying to work out a wire transfer. Try as we might, our bank was completely unavailable by phone. (Providence; we found out later that their phones were down that day.)
During this intense time I also spoke with a very dear friend who had been faithfully praying for our family through it all. She had also asked other brothers and sisters to pray and had just finished praying with one of these sweet sisters. They beseeched God to take care of our need, and even asked, "God, don't just meet their need, but knock their socks off- put them in a Honda Odyssey!" I told my friend P about our $1500 gift that morning, and she prophetically declared, "That is just the FIRST in a line of people that God is going to use in this story." She was right. (She was also right that we shouldn't buy a Kia!)
We arrived in St. Pete without having the wire completed. My dad was waiting at his bank in IL, but we didn't have all of the specific information needed. We met Alex, who told us that it was nice to meet us but that he couldn't sell us the van that day because his bank was now closed. After our hurrying and praying and phone calls and four hour round trip. . . we were too late! (We did not feel able to return the next day; we were still holding out hope that we would be headed home then.)
Nonetheless, B drove the van. The other vans we had seen and been interested in and he had driven. . . did not drive well. This one was a dream. Clearly superior and oh, so nice. B inspected everything with Alex and was impressed. I had been waiting with the kids in the parking lot at Alex's apartment. . . but we all needed a restroom desperately. I asked Alex if there was a facility we could use. He graciously invited us up to his apartment.
In the apartment I was able to take care of the children and meet Alex's lovely wife, her sister, and her nieces. As B and Alex negotiated options (A drive to Orlando the next day, we wait to leave, etc.), I had the opportunity to visit with the ladies while the children played. They are all Romanian and had such interesting stories and perspectives. It was a wonderful way (for me!) to spend an hour. B, meanwhile, was trying to prove to Alex that we would be good for the money tomorrow.
At one point I needed to take Tate to the van to change his diaper. My cell phone rang, but I couldn't answer it. A few minutes later it rang again and I saw that it was my cousin calling (again). Because this was unusual, I answered the phone. Tate and I walked back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the apartments while I spoke with my cousin. He said that he hadn't wanted to ask before about our financial situation (because it seemed too personal), but his wife and told him about our situation. He was compelled (Providence!) to call and offer us a monetary Christmas gift. His parents had made a special request for their Christmas gift this year. Instead of something for them, they had asked their children to give money to charity. My wonderful cousin said he figured that it wasn't much good to help strangers if you weren't willing to help your own family. He and his wife were sending us a generous check.
B then called me (via cell phone!) up to the apartment. Alex had decided to sell the van to us and let us leave with it that night! "I am just praying that the money shows up in my account tomorrow," he said. There were papers to sign, car seats to move, handshakes, and then we were ready to drive away. B explained to me later that there had been a flurry of Romanian between Alex and his wife. At one point he heard her say, essentially, "It's okay." The Lord allowed her to see my heart and gave her peace to trust that we really would pay for the van. Alex gave us an amazing deal- so great that it was hard to believe. He buys and sells autos from his apartment and it just so happened that he had purchased this van over a month ago from an auto auction. It was the most expensive auto he had ever purchased. In the past month he hadn't had anyone interested in it and now he was nearly desperate to get his money back out of the van to use for his other investments. He sold us the van and made less than $300.
(A side note regarding Honda Odysseys: our "research" informed us that 2001-2003 vans were more prone to repairs. This van is a 2004. Most of the vans we saw had dvd players, which we didn't want. This one doesn't. The Kia that had seemed the best van we had found (except for it's low gas mileage and poor recommendations) was appealing because it had leather interior (great with kids!), and even heated seats (oh, so luxurious!). This van has leather, heated seats. It seems incongruous that our family should have something so nice.)
And so we drove back to Orlando. We were given a very nice place to stay by generous friends who were out of town for Christmas. The next day we left for VA. (It promised to be a long trip when we had to stop four times before we were officially beyond Orlando's city limits!)
We stopped in Brunswick for lunch and to clean out our old Ford. Good thing, too. We saw that the situation was sketchy there- they had even LOST the key to our van! B was SO glad we hadn't given them any money or trusted them to fix anything we would need to depend on.
Our SO nice, new-to-us Honda Odyssey pulled into our drive at 1 a.m. on Christmas eve, with our children sleeping (except Tate!) peacefully. My heart was filled to swelling with gratefulness that we were home safely, richly blessed beyond our imagining. Alex received his money and did send us the other key and the title- so it is official.
True to P's prediction, there were many other saints involved in this story. When we opened our mail we had checks from Nora Mitter and friends and family, helping us offset the cost of the van and to meet our needs. Our neighbors brought over armfuls of packages that had arrived on our steps while we were away. All of the boxes went under the tree (sans wrapping!). I used a gift card (again) to purchase groceries, and we joyfully celebrated Christmas. Saints brought us a ham for dinner. Friends who are moving gave me huge baskets full of household supplies (this was SO exciting!).
Oh, what a Savior we have! We raise our Ebenezer this Christmas to our Providential Lord, who exceeded our needs and lavished His love on us, poor as we are.
Today's Faith
Life is full of surprises and challenges. Recently I had someone tell me that our family has "had more than [our] fair share" lately. While I appreciate the empathy, I must politely disagree.
Some friends and I have been working through a Tim Keller study on Judges and this one nugget from John Newton has deeply impacted my thinking and faith:
"Everything is needful that he sends; nothing can be needful that he withholds." (John Newton)
Our family has been sent everything we need. If God is withholding anything from us, it must not be needful. As I mull this over and over in my mind it reverberates stronger and stronger, bolstering my faith TODAY.
Today when our grocery money didn't seem to cover our needs. Today when water was spilled and hot cocoa was spilled, and cilantro (that was me!). Today when the baby was up at 5 a.m. again. Today when the roof still leaks and the printer ran out of ink and things were accidentally broken, scratched, and marred. Today when I feel like I lack perspective and patience and wisdom. Today I have everything needful. Oh, help my faith TODAY!
Some friends and I have been working through a Tim Keller study on Judges and this one nugget from John Newton has deeply impacted my thinking and faith:
"Everything is needful that he sends; nothing can be needful that he withholds." (John Newton)
Our family has been sent everything we need. If God is withholding anything from us, it must not be needful. As I mull this over and over in my mind it reverberates stronger and stronger, bolstering my faith TODAY.
Today when our grocery money didn't seem to cover our needs. Today when water was spilled and hot cocoa was spilled, and cilantro (that was me!). Today when the baby was up at 5 a.m. again. Today when the roof still leaks and the printer ran out of ink and things were accidentally broken, scratched, and marred. Today when I feel like I lack perspective and patience and wisdom. Today I have everything needful. Oh, help my faith TODAY!
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