Our God Is Able

Life can sometimes be uncertain, bumpy, scary, traumatic and ever changing. All of those words describe our family's life at the moment. After seven years of successfully running a growing company, my husband is now out of work...effective yesterday.

Many people blame our economy for the poor state of the national job market these days. And it's true that my husband's company was drastically affected by this. However, I am choosing to view this new phase of life as an adventure. One that God has purposefully and knowingly orchestrated.

So today's post is going to be short but to the point. Our God is Able! Whenever you feel overwhelmed with despair about unruly children or the lack of a job or the lack of progress on your writing project or any other thing in your life that is getting you down -- just remember that our God is able. According to Ephesians 3:20-21 He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you can ever think or imagine. WOW! More than I can even daydream about? Because I have some pretty incredible daydreams...dreams about being published, about being the best mother I can be, about being used for God in a unique and wonderful way, about traveling and seeing this beautiful world....Bigger than that, God?

That's a promise I can easily put my trust in. I pray that you'll be able to as well.

Are you going through a phase of life where you need to see God's provision? Have you witnessed His abundance in your life recently?

Too Good To Be True

I'm a sucker for a nifty product. I actually enjoy watching infomercials. It just thrills me to see how the newest and coolest product can change my world of cleaning, storage, cooking, exercise, skin/hair care, etc. for only $19.99 plus $6.99 for shipping.

Over the years I have purchased quite a few items that I just had to have to help make a difficult job a bit easier. Here are a few of my investments:

- Nads, a painless (and organic) waxing system. My experience = sticky, messy, a pain to clean up and it wasn't painless. Something I have come to terms with over the years is this: If you are pulling hair out of your body, regardless of what you're using, it's going to hurt!

- Glass watering bulbs, an easy way to water your potted plants without actually watering them. My experience = didn't work at all! (Maybe it was the operator).

- A handheld steamer with numerous attachments, to help clean those stuck on stains from your stove top, grout lines, etc. The demo for this had me jumping up and down. I have a very yucky sugar/syrup stain on my stove from a canning day gone bad and no product I have purchased will remove it. My experience = it works sometimes...but not on my syrup stain.

- The Tassi hair towel, conveniently pulls your hair away from your face while you wash it. My experience = it works for me. I gave these as Christmas gifts to my sisters and they like them too.

- Microfiber kitchen towels, super sucking power to absorb the biggest spills. My experience = while they did absorb well, the texture of the towel was horrendous to touch. I hated the feel of it on my hands.

The list goes on and on. Goodwill has received more than my fair share of donations over the years due to my "too good to be true" purchases.

Here's the bottom line. No product can replace hard work, a happy spirit and a desire to get something done. Whether it's in writing, parenting, running, or any other task, start with desire and hard work and things will start getting done in your life...and mine too.

Have you ever fallen prey to an infomercial? In your experience, has anything productive ever come from a short cut?

Technologically Overwhelmed

One of my worst fears has come true. This fear is awful to imagine, even for the most prepared people. I am definitely not one of them.

My laptop...the one that holds the past three years of my writing as well as all of our family pictures has crashed. The kind of 'crashed' that even a computer diagnostics company didn't want to touch it. Their recommendation: "spend your money on a new one instead of attempting to fix that one." Yikes.

I hate change. Especially change I feel overwhelmed by. I can barely tell a megabyte from a USB port. Technology is not my friend. If I can turn it on, connect to the Internet, send a few emails, browse the web, print something to my wireless printer without any hassle, I consider my computer experience that day a huge success. Troubleshooting computer glitches is not my thing. I might as well be under my car's engine. There's no point to either one.

Laptop shopping is not fun. Too many choices for someone like me...someone that doesn't know what I really want, other than one that works effortlessly without ever breaking down. Does that exist?

While I am attempting to familiarize myself with this new laptop (the keys feel funny) I am also attempting to figure out an iPod Shuffle. Did I just crawl out from under a rock? Yes, sometimes I feel like I have. How can I be so out of touch with the newest gadgets? I don't really have an answer for that. But I have spent the last two hours, yes, I said TWO...trying to install the iTunes program onto my new laptop and fumbling through their 'store' to put music on this blasted device. I'm frustrated! Overwhelmed! Exhausted! And my dislike for technology is heightened.

Where's a typewriter and a walkman when you need one?

Does anyone out there struggle with technology and gadgets like I do or am I the only one? To put a more positive spin on it...what gadget can't you live without?

(My husband was able to save my WIP (work in progress) and our pictures!)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Have any of you seen this old movie? Most people haven't. Most people think it was made way too long ago and thereby should be forgotten about. After all there are no big blow-up scenes, no sensuously charged sex scenes, no in-your-face comedy. It is just good ole fun.

However, I grew up on it. My sisters and I used to rent it from our local library...way before DVD's and Netflix were around. We would memorize the script, the songs and yes, even the dancing. To this day, I can recite the first twenty minutes of the film without thinking twice. As kids, we would even go so far as to act out certain scenes, tying old bed sheets around our waists to symbolize the long flowing skirts.

What fun we used to have with this movie. What safe and comforting memories are attached to it still...even as I sit here typing this out, slightly embarrassed about admitting the things we used to do. There's just something about a good ole fashioned musical with twirling skirts and men fighting for the women they love. A great piece of cinema if you ask me!

Of course I had to pass along the tradition. So the other day I opened up a box that had bold, black letters all over it that read AMAZON.COM. We love to open new packages in our house - it is a family event. We all sit around and ooh and ahh over the contents. This time was no different. My kids were very excited about a new movie or maybe just because mommy was squealing like a child herself. I'm not sure which. I admit to putting the movie on that day with a bit of apprehension. What if they didn't like it? I really wanted them to love it like I did as a child...

Thankfully, they DO! Actually my daughter has watched it at least once every day since we opened the box. I am now able to quote the first forty minutes of the movie without blinking...and I love it!

Goodness reigns!

(As a side note: I feel compelled to inform you all that my husband has major problems with this movie. First of all, it's a musical. He makes it a point to make manly comments about the "silly men dancing" whenever he finds our son watching it. And second, there is the "kidnapping" issue which he loves to pounce upon, probably because I equate this movie with "the good ole days".)

If you haven't seen this movie, I encourage you to get it! It's wonderful family fun. If you have seen it...please tell me what you love (or didn't love) about it. Do you have a favorite old movie that brings you back to your childhood?

Day One

Happy January to all! I can't believe we are in 2011 already! Technically today is day three but since it's the first day back to the daily grind of early school drop offs, homework, ballet practice, and all the other busyness that accompanies regular life when there is no vacation, I'm beginning my "counting" today.

I've been dreading this day since my kids began their Christmas vacation two weeks ago. Call me crazy, I like my kids with me. I'm always shocked to hear parents make comments like "when does school start again?" or "that vacation was way too long." I always scratch my head and think, "huh?" I don't get it. I really don't. Am I the odd one? Am I one of the few that realize that time is fleeting? Just the other day I was looking at a picture of my now five and a half year old son when he was only one and a half. And now that little man is sitting at the yellow table and I miss him like crazy. Where does the time go?

Which brings me to my other thought of "day one". New Years Resolutions. I normally don't make them. I'm not sure why...maybe because I'd rather say "I didn't have a resolution" instead of having to say "that only lasted two weeks." However, this year is different. This is the year of the big 3-0. And I have no more excuses, no more time to put things off.

Yes, yes, I have many goals for this year...keep a cleaner home, do more crafts with my kids, attempt to blog regularly, make a decision about homeschooling, eat healthier, enjoy the simple things in life, etc. BUT my resolutions are things that I have wanted to accomplish for a long time. First, my half marathon is in April and I have not even started training for it yet. I have some major work to do there! Second, I want to have my book complete by May! That's a big statement considering I haven't done much work on it in the last few months. My laptop has been broken if I'm allowed to submit excuses. However, since I have been unable to type out the actual words to my story, they have been sailing around in my head like crazy and I can't wait to get my computer back so I can get them down. Hopefully the progress is consistent from there.

What are your New Years Resolutions this year? Anything specific that you need/want to accomplish in 2011?