I have to say, that I am learning a lesson that I never would have expected to learn. It is OKAY to go with a change of direction....a change from my plan or way of thinking things should be:)
I thought I understood this...when we did not get pregnant after years of trying and we chose to adopt. Our plan.....to get pregnant after five years of marriage and have 2 or 3 children a couple of years apart. GOD'S PLAN--to become parents after a bit more than ten years of marriage by adopting a daughter. Our plan--to adopt at least two children. GOD'S PLAN--at least for now...to parent the one child He has blessed us with
I thought I understood this....when I lost contact with four very close friends years ago due to distance and life's circumstances. My plan....to stay in touch and visit all the time and keep the relationship as close as it had ever been. GOD'S PLAN--to bring me new friendships at that time and to renew these old ones (ALL FOUR OF THEM;) years later.
I could go on, but I am thankful to be learning that it is okay...actually, even BETTER, to go with God's plan instead of mine. I can look back on the past changes in direction, and many times, in hindsight, I see God's hand at work and I understand why He chose to have my path go a different direction than what I had hoped.
Last night I had a change of plans....and while I can say it was not a "big" issue, it could (and in the past WOULD) have been frustrating for me. A friend asked me to do a 'speaking engagement' for homeschool moms at her cover group/co-op. I prepared and arrived only to learn that only 2 of the people who said they were coming would actually be there. The alarm which was supposed to be unarmed was not....so we got caught in the loud screeching for at least 15 minutes before we could get someone to give us a code to stop it. I did not get to do my activities as planned because I really needed at least 5 or 6 to do what I had planned. BUT, God ordained that crazy evening. I have a really fun presentation to do for moms when the opportunity arises. AND, I got to meet and fellowship with other homeschooling moms who are believers and that was fun:)
So, if the weather does not cooperate with my plans or someone needs me to be elsewhere or an illness arises, I am learning to take a deep breath....do not be pressured and anxious about the change....go with the flow...don't get my feathers ruffled......God ordained this change of plans to teach me something or to bring someone across my path or maybe to have me avoid a situation that would not be for my good. Looking at it that way......I am learning to be relaxed more of the time.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
a HUGE increase in expenses.....
I know I may be strange, but I really enjoy waiting for the mail man to arrive each day. Sometimes he only brings bills, but most days there will be a personal note or even a magazine or catalog or something else neat in the mailbox for me. Last week I even got a check from the mortgage company as they had taken too much money from us and wanted to refund it. Gotta love that!!
Well, on Friday I was leafing thru the mail and I just about passed out. Our utility bill arrived and it was really REALLY big....as in $370+!!!!! Now during the warmest and coldest months, especially with the increases in utilities in our area, we might have one close to $200 or a bit more, but usually $150-ish is the norm for us.
Of course I called Huntsville Utilties and asked about the bill and asked if perhaps it had been misread. Well, it had....the month before. It really did not strike me odd that the late July/early August bill was in the $150-$160 range, but according to their records (based on our past usage during the same time frame in previous years), that was way too low. She had me go outside and read the meter and the newest reading was correct. He had read it too low the previous month and it was made up for this month.
YIKES!!!! Thankfully we were able to make things work out in the budget to pay for it, but it looks like we need to put a lot more in the "utilities" category from now on. She said our average bill should be $220 each month based on the upcoming expected increases in rates. She also offered to set up a balance pay system where you pay the same amount each month, then every six months you pay the difference or get a refund if you used more/less than the average amount for those months. I am wondering if that might not be a better way to handle these unexpected changes in amount????????
If anyone's tried that, I'd love to get your input.
Well, on Friday I was leafing thru the mail and I just about passed out. Our utility bill arrived and it was really REALLY big....as in $370+!!!!! Now during the warmest and coldest months, especially with the increases in utilities in our area, we might have one close to $200 or a bit more, but usually $150-ish is the norm for us.
Of course I called Huntsville Utilties and asked about the bill and asked if perhaps it had been misread. Well, it had....the month before. It really did not strike me odd that the late July/early August bill was in the $150-$160 range, but according to their records (based on our past usage during the same time frame in previous years), that was way too low. She had me go outside and read the meter and the newest reading was correct. He had read it too low the previous month and it was made up for this month.
YIKES!!!! Thankfully we were able to make things work out in the budget to pay for it, but it looks like we need to put a lot more in the "utilities" category from now on. She said our average bill should be $220 each month based on the upcoming expected increases in rates. She also offered to set up a balance pay system where you pay the same amount each month, then every six months you pay the difference or get a refund if you used more/less than the average amount for those months. I am wondering if that might not be a better way to handle these unexpected changes in amount????????
If anyone's tried that, I'd love to get your input.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
More labor day photos.....
For some reason my blog seems to limit how many photos I can post at once...so I thought I would finish up with a second post.
You can see the stromboli a little better in this photo. Abigail loved the card her cousins made on the computer.
You can see her new bike being rolled in. She has outgrown the old one (a 20 inch bike), so Mommy and Daddy got her a new one. It is much larger (as bikes jump from 20 inches to 24 inches) and she is a bit nervous about riding it just yet...but she'll get used to it soon.
She enjoyed the cake...she is really a little chocolate lover!!!!
And, of course, she enjoyed playing with some of her cousins. They had a great time:)
Labor Day fun :)
We had a lot of fun on Labor Day 2008. We had some family over to visit and celebrate Abigail's ninth birthday a little early. I branched out and made a new dish--stromboli (which is an Italian baked sandwich). It was a hit with the adults:) The kids....well...two of the three were not thrilled with the cooked onions on it. We also had salad, a veggie tray, a variety of chips, a couple of homemade dips and a variety of drinks.
Abigail wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting with her Pokemon characters on top of it....so that was easy to create for her.
Abigail got a lot of gift cards and money in addition to some pj's, cd's, bike helmet, bubble maker, books and art supplies.
A little story about the handprints.....a friend shared this idea with me just before Abigail's first birthday. Each year just before her birthday we have her paint her handprints onto the birthday table cloth. This year she wanted her handprints to reflect her interest in Pokemon....so she painted the red cheeks to make it look like Pikachu:)
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