Way Maker

Way Maker - Paul McClure (video)

This Good Friday feels different than others but I am more mindful than ever that we have a Savior that is alive!  I've been at my desk for a long while with this song on repeat.  Maybe you can listen while you read my thoughts.  

Have you felt alone in this isolation?  You are not alone - He is here!  He is working!  Be still and draw nearer to the One who cares for you.  

Have you received a Word from God?  He's a Promise Keeper!  He has not forgotten.  He is a Way Maker!  Remember who God is!

Let Him in.  He's a heart mender - He cares about your broken heart.  He will fill the void left by the hurts of this world.  

It may feel like we've made a mess of things, but God will turn our life around.  He is a Way Maker!  We may have made some choices that it seems we cannot recover from, but God can turn it all around to Victory!!!

Maybe there is a hurt that seems too big.  Maybe it's a hurt from a church, maybe it's a hurt from a friend.  Maybe it's a hurt from a stronghold.  Whatever the hurt - God is a Heart Mender!  He cares for you!  He is a Way Maker!

Think back on the times that you can't explain it but that bill was paid.  What about the time you were spared from a certain heartbreak.  What about the time that you felt so alone and scared and out of no where you hear from a long lost friend.  Remember when you felt the call to allow Christ to be Lord of your life?  He's still there!  He's a Way Maker, a Miracle Worker, a Promise Keeper!  Do not forger the times that you were in darkens and God made Himself known to you.  

God cares for you and He knows the ways that your heart is broken.  He wants to hear from you and He wants to comfort you.  When I call my Dad, he is so glad to hear from me. Every talk with my Dad is sweet and comforting - how much more so with my Heavenly Father!  My Dad ends all our calls with telling me he loves me and I hear his voice crack every single time.  How is it not more so with God?  Give the heartache to God!  He cares for you and he'll mend your broken heart!

I pray as we head into the Resurrection Celebration that we'll draw nearer to Him that died and rose to give us Eternal Life.  The Enemy is alive and could use this time of isolation to keep us from the Truth that God cares for us.  Put on a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair!

Who is God to you?  Have you felt the pull to accept Christ as your Savior but you haven't answered the call?  I can pray with you and I can put you in touch with others to pray with and walk with you.  Make this the weekend that you answer the call!  

My God, Lord of my Life, that is who You are!!

I'm OK

Well I wasn't trying to scare anyone.  I'm OK, really I am.  Thank you for reaching out to cheer me up and for encouraging me.  I really just needed to get some things off of my mind.  So, I'm really OK.

Let me lighten this space by sharing some things that are on repeat around here.  

1.  Egg salad - fortunately we have been able to buy eggs.  A favorite of mine and David's has been egg salad sandwiches or with crackers.  Kambree won't touch it though.  The egg salad link will take you to the Naptime Kitchen blog and she's a great Instagram follow.  

2.  Best Fiends - Have you tried the game Best Fiends?  It's a good time-killer and it works without WiFi.  This game is a mindless escape.

3.  Kindle Paperwhite - I was able to snag a gently used Kindle Paperwhite off of the Facebook Marketplace a month or so ago for just $35!  It even came with the case.  I've been reading a lot more but Best Fiends is using some of my reading time. 

4.  Instragram Stories - I guess it's the isolation but lately seeing how others are doing anything is very comforting.  

5.  Apples - Specifically Honey Crisp Apples!  Kambree will have at least one a day and I'm loving them too.  We have one dog, Tiffy, that loves apples and she gets a little treat too.

That's all I have for today.  I'll be back soon!  

Stay well!!

Yolanda 

Quarantine Diary - April 6, 2020

I started to touch up this pic but the breakout and gray roots peeking through tell a tale.  

I have some thoughts - ramblings if you will. 

Is anyone else finding themselves feeling very emotional, sentimental, grateful, remorseful, etc.?  I do feel over-whelmed in a lot of ways, but I am very thankful for the privilege that I have to be working from home.  To still be receiving a paycheck during this time is a tremendous blessing and I pray that it continues. 

I stepped into a store for the first time in almost a month on Saturday and I walked out about five minutes after walking in without purchasing a thing.  I've been on a bit of an obsessive search for paper products.  I've been able to find some online and I'll continue grocery shopping online until that is no longer an option.  I placed a Kroger order a couple of weeks ago and I accidentally placed it at the wrong store so I cancelled that order - on the day that order was originally planned to be picked up I received a call that my order was cancelled.  The young lady wasn't aware that I had cancelled the order and she was tasked with calling all the cancelled orders because they are unable to fill 90% of the orders they are receiving.  She was almost in tears!  Retail workers holding us together - I see you!! 

In many ways this feels surreal - is this actually happening?  Are we actually being ordered to stay home to avoid contact with others - can we actually not find toilet paper?  Have small business owners been forced to close their doors and are other businesses still operating at such a high risk?  It's a lot to take in.  Small business owners, those who have lost their job, those who depend on tips, beauty industry, special events planners/staff, etc. - I see you!!

We have always been very blessed to have David's Mom so involved in Kambree's life - she has been a great source to give us a little break and really love on Kambree.  We sure do miss those breaks right now - let me tell you that if we could fast-track adopt Kambree a sibling right now we'd do it.  This is something that we have long considered but we haven't acted on - parents with a young single child at home can likely relate.  Guess who is present for all the "watch this" - one of us all day everyday.  Grandparents missing their Grandbabies - I see you!!

One of the things that has been so touching to me is watching how hard the Educators are working!  They are doing this thing - they kicked in during our Spring Break and created an entire system where there was no system.  We have received phone calls and countless messages - the Zoom interaction alone is so good.  One morning one of the Teachers listened to the kids talk for an hour about all their different pets and she participated like there was nothing more interesting.  I've been moved to tears many times.  Educators getting us through this school year - I see you!!

I'm well aware of my privilege as I type this - have all the other kids lost the ability to get full from any meal?  Kambree asked me for Ramen Noodles at 9:30 last night and I almost lost my mind.  I made a decent dinner then she had two pieces of pizza later because she was starving but the noodle request almost pushed me over the edge.  She ate some cereal and we all made it another day.  There was one day that I prepared her some type of food every single hour that she was awake and that is a lot of hours! 

Speaking of a lot of hours - the shelter in place order does seem to extend the length of the day.  I haven't slept well for a few weeks and it sure makes the day seem longer.  When we finally get Kambree down for the night I'm pretty much wiped out.  Even though I'm home all day the work day does seem to last longer - there are more breaks during the work day than there would normally be.  Many days I have worked until after 8:00pm because I just have to get it in where I can. 

I had three Zoom meetings today (four if you count Kambree's and it should definitely count).  I have three monitors at home and we haven't been able to get them set up to Zoom so David rigged our laptop up on a ladder behind my monitors so that I could Zoom and still access all monitors.  My walls are white - not sure why they look yellow.  Note:  the white wall sentence is so that years from now when I look back on this I won't wonder why we had yellow walls. 

 
I wanted to pop in with a few random thoughts.  I feel like we are all in this together but I do wish everyone would really do the thing that we are being asked to do.  I was out Saturday because of work and I know going to the store is a necessity - there are lots of necessities.  Take care of your business but then get home.

I don't know when I'll get back on but maybe I'll sleep better tonight since I released these thoughts from my brain.  Stay well!

Friday Favorites - March 1, 2019

Hello Friday!  I feel like Brooklyn with those Hulk smash gloves - we smashed this week and I'm glad to see it nearing an end.  I worked late every evening and I'm ready for a chance to recover.  I do have a few favorites to share though!

One

Kambree making progress with reading has been a favorite this week.  Kambree brings home readers several days a week and some days she's more eager to read than others.  Several nights this week she read like a champ and she was so proud of the progress she is making.  

Two

We ordered a few new things for Rosie the Chinchilla and watching her jump and play has been fun this week.  The simplest change in her cage makes her so excited.  

Ledge

7" hanging chew toy

Three

I discovered these pickles a few months ago but they've been a favorite for a couple of weeks now.  These are the perfect side for a simple cheese and salami lunch or paired with a sandwich for some crunch.  Try them!

Hot & Sweet Pickles

Four

Jamie B. Golden recommended this moisturizer in one of her Instagram stories.  Then The BigBoo Cast shared it on their podcast.  The deal is that this Nivea Creme is a dupe for high end Creme de la Mer that sells for $85 for half an ounce.  Apparently the first five ingredients are the same in both products and if Jamie B. Golden recommends it then it's worth a try but especially since a huge 13 oz. container cost me $15!!  I am enjoying this stuff and I"m pretty sure that I'll need to order David his own container because he's always "borrowing" my Rosehip Seed Oil  .  Don't be fooled - this is not the stuff you get at Walgreen - it has to be the Germany made product.  

 

Nivea Creme made in Germany

Five

When Kambree and I went on a dragon fruit search I picked up some beautiful avocados.  I bought three and dreamed of the three times that I would have avocado toast for dinner.  I came home late last night and began preparing my dreamy dinner and I couldn't find MY third avocado.  To my dismay David had eaten that third avocado - I mean it was technically OUR avocado since it was in our home but man dream crusher!  I faked like I was so glad that he ate the avocado and that he enjoyed it - I mean I was glad he enjoyed it and stuff but I was left with my memories of the two nights that I had avocado toast topped with fresh Parmesan.  I'll definitely pick up more avocados and I'll live the dream again.  

Well those are a few favorites from this week.  Have a great weekend!

What's Up Wednesday (2/27/19)

What We're Eating This Week...

I picked up some zucchini and yellow squash Sunday and I cooked a big batch Sunday evening.  David has eaten it multiple times and once as a side with a peanut butter/jelly sandwich.  Kambree has been wanting to try dragon fruit, I mean she has talked obsessively about it for a while.  So, she and I headed out Sunday afternoon and found some.  I didn't really care for the texture of the dragon fruit but I wasn't about to tell her that because she really liked it.

She also wanted to try rambutan but there wasn't any at the store we were at.

What I'm Reminiscing About...

I have been thinking a lot about when Kambree was little.  She talked and used big words often and she would refer to anything that was in the past as "lasternight".  I remember thinking that it was the cutest thing ever and that I would stop anyone that tried to tell her that "lasternight" wasn't a word.  I guess she figured it out on her own because now she uses boring words like yesterday and the other day.  

What I'm Loving...

I'm listening to the audio version of The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah and I am loving it.  I thought that I should broaden my listening from podcasts a bit.

What We've Been Up To...

We have had such nice weather that we have enjoyed being outside a good bit.  I have enjoyed going through some stuff that was cluttering my laundry room and making that room feel less crowded.  Not too much going on!

What I'm Dreading...

I'm not really dreading anything but I do have a work project that seems kind of daunting.  Just something new to learn that I'm not fully confident in yet. 

What I'm Working On...

I'm working on finishing up my laundry room and my closet.  I'm also still working on the meal planning that I really need to get figured out.  I have a grocery order in the works too.  

What I'm Excited About...

I have a women's retreat with some of my long time friends at the end of March and I'm excited about that.  I'm also excited about a little cold snap that we have coming up - I know, how can I be excited about that.  It just feel like it gives us permission to slow down.  

What I'm Watching

On Sunday I finished all the seasons of When Calls The Heart on Nefflix and a new season started on the Hallmark channel on Sunday evening.  I completely enjoyed this show.  Have you watched it?  I don't know why it took me so long to watch it.  I would see it in my feed and I finally decided to give it a try.  It checked so many boxes for me.  I described it as grown up Little House on the Prairie.  

What I'm Listening To...

In addition to the book that I mentioned above I have been listening to a few podcasts.  Recently I thought this episode of The Popcast was hilarious.  It's about the Nos of Marriage.  Jamie and Knox can be a lot so it's not for everyone but I enjoyed this one.  

What I'm Wearing...

I'm including this topic because it's in the link-up but y'all there is nothing to talk about here.  Right now I have on a black top with a denim shirt over it and some distressed jeans.  Boring!  I do need a jean refresh as my favorite pair is absolutely worn out.  

What I'm Doing This Weekend...

I'm picking up a grocery order and doing some meal prep.  We are having our church birthday or anniversary celebration after service on Sunday and I am making some potato salad.  I think the weather is going to take a turn for bad and hopefully I'll finish up some de-cluttering.  

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month...

I have a day outing planned with some friends to visit Texas-Tulips  and there's the retreat at  the end of the month.  Kambree has Spring Break and I'll be off a couple of days then too.  

What Else Is New...

I'm hoping to get Kambree signed up for soccer or some other sport.  We'll see how that goes - she wants to take hip-hop dance but we aren't loving that idea right now.  

What's My Family's Favorite Board Game...

We don't have a favorite board game but our favorite way to pass time is I Spy.  Kambree will fill every minute with I Spy.  We enjoy Yahtzee but Kambree doesn't love it yet.  

That wraps up What's Up Wednesday this month.  Have a great day!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Hello Friends!  Happy Wednesday!  Here's a look at what we have had going on this week.

Kambree has had a very loose front tooth for a while.  It was pretty clear on Sunday that the tooth was almost ready to go.  Kambree was at her Grandma's Monday and Grandma text me that Kambree wanted us to take her to the dentist to get her tooth pulled.  I gotta give it to Kambree, if I can pay someone to do something to save me time and energy - well sign me up!  

Last August Kambree had two bottom teeth that were refusing to come out and the new teeth were just about all the way in.  So, we had to have those two bottom front teeth pulled. 

All the teeth

About to get teeth pulled

 

Bye Bye baby teeth

Grandma let me know that Kambree was really working on getting her tooth out.  At one point in the day they sent me this picture.

Kambree McPhee

And I died laughing and I am still cracking up at this picture.  We have always enjoyed the movie Nanny McPhee and Kambree was living her best Nanny McPhee life.

Nanny McPhee

I created this side-by-side "who wears it better" 

Who wears it better

A few hours later my phone rang and a very excited Kambree let me know that her tooth came out while she was eating a donut!  To think of all the time she wasted biting into an apple!!

Bye Bye first top tooth

I was so excited to hear this news and I told her that I could hear the wind moving in the area where her tooth was.  Kambree Face-timed me and she was so excited.  

Kambree saved her tooth for the "Tooth Fairy" to come when she got home.  This morning there was $2 under her pillow (our tooth fairiy rate for front teeth) and Kambree was so furious that "she" really took her tooth because she wanted to take it to school to show her teacher.  

So, that's a glimpse at what we have had going on.  Kambree was out of school and with her Grandma two days and we're all back together.  I have cooked exactly zero times this week but tonight looks promising.  

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a great Wednesday!

Forever Mom

Welcome, friends!  We had a good weekend and Kambree has two more days off school.  We are so blessed to have a Grandma that gives so generously of her time to Kambree and we don't have to worry about child care on school break days. 

Sunday afternoon I was watching Kambree ride her bike.  I was enjoying her beauty, her excitement, and her joy as I was watching her.  She asked me if I was proud of her for riding her bike so fast and I told her that I was a hundred proud of her.  She told me that it didn't make sense that I was a hundred proud of her but she sure enjoyed hearing how proud I was.

I was admiring how her hair looks so naturally beautiful.  Without any effort her hair does this beautiful beach wave curl.  I can't take any credit for her perfectly curly hair.  She gets that from her first Momma.  

Even though I didn't create this beauty, I get to nurture it.  I get the day to day task of reminding her to brush her hair.  I remind her that while she's in the tub playing she also needs to actually use shampoo and conditioner AND wash her body too.  

I have the responsibility of modeling modesty for her and encouraging her to do the same.  

I walked into the Valentine's Party at school last week and several kids announced my arrival to Kambree.  "Kambree, your Mom is here".  One of the boys commented as I walk in that me and Kambree don't look the same.  I asked him if it was because my skin is the same as his and he said that me and Kambree don't match and about that time Kambree runs over and jumps in my arms.  He said, "but I guess you really are her Mom".  

Kambree has a spunk about her that I feel other kids are drawn to.  She has an enthusiasm that is contagious.  

I'm not this girls "first Mom" and I am not even her "second Mom" but I do get to be her "Forever Mom".  I think we match pretty well.