Under Siege...

While yes, my health has still been under siege, things are improving.

I did want to hop in here and give a quick update, and to say thank you for the prayers.

I'm not giving the enemy any ground on this one, so please be patient. When the battle is over (at least this one) I will be posting the victory!

Praise God, I know He is with me!

Please continue to pray as you feel led, and I am going to keep going forward, for He is a light for my path!

It's been awhile....

I've had some things going on medically, but thankfully I am doing much better. I won't go into those now, I don't think that putting it all out there would be a good idea. Whenever you are going through something, you don't want to share ALL parts of it because the amount of negative things that can be spoken over the situation....and if you know someone going through something and you know details about it, please only speak LIFE over that person. Your words ARE spiritual containers that WILL come to be!

Thank you G, for continuous prayer for me, it has provided strength. I wanted you to know that.


On another note, I've started homeschooling Alex and that is going AMAZINGLY! I should have already done it. But you know what, that is ok, because we are here now and he and I are really enjoying it. We also get the baby involved, so Blythe is certainly not left out.

Thank you everyone who has been praying for our family.

God is good.

Something Special for JeniFriend!

Hello! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I know being a Bride-to be is so very exciting, filled with so many hopes and dreams, promises of what is to come! And so wonderful that you should be where you are! What a abundant blessing!

I know that G's theme for you today is foodie stuff, but I want to take a little different approach - and please forgive me Gin for "hijacking" your event!

I want to share with you some very special things....

Today is my 9th wedding anniversary to my husband, who has become the man of my dreams and the keeper of my heart! Honestly, we weren't always where we are right now in our marriage, but I am soo glad we got here! Check out Song of Solomon 8:6-7 from The Message, I think it describes it perfectly:

Hang my locket around your neck,
wear my ring on your finger.
Love is invincible facing danger and death.
Passion laughs at the terrors of hell.
The fire of love stops at nothing—
it sweeps everything before it.
Flood waters can't drown love,
torrents of rain can't put it out.
Love can't be bought, love can't be sold—
it's not to be found in the marketplace.


I have thought and thought deeply, and put much time in prayer as to what I could give you for your journey as a married woman, and here is what I have for you, my personal little nuggets for you to take!

1. Keep Christ the priority and focus of your life and home! Really, Darryl and I didn't start out that way, it made life harder for us, and I can tell the difference in our marriage since we began to put Jesus first, everything else second. We still endure many things, but we have such a greater outlook and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to know that you are loved and carried no matter what.

2. Uphold each other as partners. I spent many years fighting against my husband, just trying to get things to go my way. You wanna know what I've learned? He's smarter than I've given him credit for and if I respect him as a person and the man I married, well, let's just say that we don't "disagree" (translate into throwing the bowls across the living room at each others' heads) and we can talk things out in a manner that we can actually hear each other.

3. Remember to talk to each other. I don't mean the short convos that we end up falling into after some time passes. Sit down and have actual conversations with each other. You guys fell in love for a reason! ;)

4. Love changes. It grows, it changes. I don't get all giggly when my husband walks through the door anymore. But you know what a do have? A deep understanding that the man that has given his life to me would give his life for me and would not have one second thought about that. I understand that above all, he is my beloved and I am his. I have faith that when he leaves for work, he will come home. I know that our family is his priority and that he won't be swayed from us. And there is something very amazing about the level that love runs once it has been cultivated for awhile.

5. Don't sweat the small stuff. It really isn't a big deal if he drops his shorts on the floor at night instead of folding them up neatly and placing them on the dresser. We do just as much annoying stuff to them! Life itself will have many things you will have to face without wanting to choke each other over toothpaste caps (although if he leaves the potty lid up then he is fair game! I don't like falling in myself! LOL).

6. Set realist goals for yourselves as a family. Yep, you guys are your own family now. Talk about where you would like to be in a few years, set some goals for that. It keeps you focused if you have a goal, and aren't just "surviving"!

7. In-laws have advice. And lots of it. They mean well, and you have to keep that in mind. I have a great mother-in-law, I feel very blessed that she is as respectful of our marriage as she is. However, even she has her advice for us. I love her for it, I know that her main goal is to see us both happy and doing well. So if you get bad advice, just remember the heart behind it is one that truly loves her son and wants his happiness! This outlook helps when things get a little awkward with the family....and yes, he inherits your family and you inherit his. More people to love! :D

8. Sometimes it's better to wait awhile than to fix the issue RIGHT NOW. The first few years are the most interesting, you are still learning so much about each other! And truthfully, you are with each other 24/7 (to a degree) so you are bound to grate on nerves. Take a time out. Seriously, that has saved my husband and I many arguments because either he or I have realized how silly we were being. It would have been great had we learned this one early on, but that was something that came with time for us. *insert BIG grin here*

9. Men are pretty straightforward. Hahaha, it took me FOREVER to understand that when he would say "nothing is wrong" or "nothing is on my mind" or "I'm just tired" (especially that one) that is truly what he means. There is no hidden emotions there, there is none of him being upset and just needing to talk it out (which is for some reason what I always thought)...men are pretty blunt. And yes, that simple. Maybe that is why I couldn't wrap my brain around that, too simple for me!

but most importantly:

10. Keep your marriage between YOU, your HUSBAND, and GOD. Yes, there are going to be times you get mad. There will be times that he dissappoints you or hurts your feelings, there are going to be times where you are just totally floored by his lack of understanding on something. There are going to be times of great joy and God given peace. There are going to be times that you want to celebrate, and times you want to shout your love from the rooftops! Honey, by all means, put that wonderful stuff out there! But what I can say is this, the times where it is bumpy, get in your shower or your closet and pour your heart out to God. God is the only one that can direct you guys in the way that is right for you, and He is the only one who can "fix" the problem. The less people involved, the less complicated things are. Friends and family have good intentions, they mean well, but HE is your mate, HE is your confidant, HE is the person you lay next to at night. Spreading those hurts or wounds out there just gives the enemy firepower.


I hope this helps you some, and hope you've had a few laughs while reading. If there is any way I can help encourage you, let me know. I will share my story with you one day, or you are more than welcome to ask Ginger, she'll shed light on where Darryl and I have been. If there is one thing I know, I know this....God sanctifies marriages, He protects them, and if you lean on Him first, you can make it through ANYTHING. I know, I've been there!

Congratulations again!

Bloggy 2

I have something in the works for here...just going to take a little bit of time.

Meantime, I've updated Alex's blog.

http://beckonedtoourknees.blogspot.com


thank ya!

8 Things....

I'm up late babysitting tonight and while I'm really sitting here not doing a thing in the world but killing time, I thought I would post this...

My Sis-in-law, Ginger (http://www.heresmycuplord.com) tagged me on this:

8 Things..

• 8 Things I look forward to:

1. Spending the day with my hubby and children to celebrate Father's Day, the first day of summer, and his birthday!
2. My Dunkin' Donuts coffee every morning, made courtesy of my loving husband.
3. Getting PCS'd back to Georgia in about 1 year and 1/2.
4. Homeschooling Alex
5. Taking Alex to the developmental pediatrician (praises be to GOD for the wisdom they will have and the answers we will receive Amen and Amen!)
6. Seeing my family in Georgia on our roadtrip that is coming up soon
7. Learning even more about the giftings God has blessed me with
8. Having a closer and more mature relationship with Christ!

• 8 Things I did Yesterday:

1. Shared coffee with the hubby!
2. Studied scripture
3. Created a diagram that was related to me study and hung it up on the baby's wall for quick reference!
4. Change LOTS of diapers!
5. Snuggled with Blythe
6. Cooked dinner - and we make that a family affair!
7. Prayed and prayed more!
8. Spend time with God w/the worship music blasting on the radio!

• 8 Things I wish I could Do....

1. Go and buy a brand new van WITH CASH right now!
2. Stop smoking without going to see the doctor over it.
3. Have my dental work magically done in my sleep overnight and never have to deal with it again.
4. Deliver some people that are very close to me from the torment that they have been under (and this one makes me very sad....)
5. Lay new sod in my yard....my baby is allergic to the grass that is out there now!
6. Change the Army's mind about sending my hubby to Iraq.
7. Be so much more like Jesus than where I am now (but I'm getting there Hallelujah!)
8. Protect my children FOREVER.

• 8 Shows I Watch.....

1. House (when it's in season)
2. Hell's Kitchen (Gordon Ramsey is frightful!)
3. American Idol (and that has only been a recent thing for me)
4. Lie To Me (I find this show amazingly fascinating!)
5. (uh oh, I'm running out so here are the ones I BARELY watch)Extreme Makeover Home Edition
6. Wife Swap on ABC
   
7. Dog Whisperer
8. Animal Cops Houston
   

Hey, wow, I just realized just how little I actually watch tv.

And just so you know, I have been contemplating turning off the cable. I'll let you know how that goes.

:D

Money Monday (on a Tuesday Night LOL)

I realize that this is a late post, but please extend grace...My household gets very hectic sometimes and well, to be honest yesterday was a "day of days" in which Mommy decided it was time for some housecleaning....so the kitchen was redone and scrubbed down, the living room was completely changed - including moving the furniture around. Kids LOVE all the space and so do I. I moved my chaise lounge out from in front of the television for peace! I never watch it anyway, so I'm not missing much!

So onward with the task at hand!

I read somewhere about your personal money tree. You know, the kind that our parents you to refer to when they would say, "What, do you see a money tree in the back yard?" Actually, we all have a "money tree". It's called our paychecks. And really, how you "water" your tree will not only determine the tree's vitality, but also the fruit of that tree.

For example, if you save your money, invest wisely, then you are "watering" your tree with good water, and it will produce good fruit. However, if you water your tree with more and more debt, well needless to say your tree will eventually shrivel up and die.

We were there. We had soo much debt it was unreal. We had the kind of debt that we could not even buy groceries for our household for all the bills we had to pay. We chose to buy groceries, of course, but then we ran into the problem of not being able to pay bills. A bankruptcy and several several collections accounts later we are still struggling to recover from those poor choices. We don't have that massive amount of debt any longer, but we most certainly have to deal with the consequences of unwise choices and money MISmanagement!

The method we chose to get out of debt is the "tier method" or "pyramid method". It worked for us. Most people will tell you to pay off what is costing you the most interest, and while that advice works for alot of people, for a good majority of others it is not something feasable.

We looked at all of our bills. We took the one we owed the LEAST on, and paid it off first. Then we got the next one. We would pay our normal payment on the account, PLUS what we used to pay of the first account. That can take time, but it is much easier to handle if you are at the place where you are struggling to even put milk on the table.

Another trick you can utilize is with your federal withholdings. You CAN for A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, claim as many exemptions as allowed by law. That will allow you to get in your max amount of money to help your get your head out of the water and put you at a place where you are not drowning. However, REMEMBER that is something that can only be done for 4-6 months (depending on your exemption claim). After that, you are going to end up paying the IRS ALOT of money so make sure you change it back.

For example, we claimed married w/6 on his pay. That freed up a lot of his income. We actually did it for the whole year. The reason we were able to do that is simply that is our current exemptions and when we file at the end of the year that is what we claim. Now don't get me wrong, I think we only got back like $3k that year, but during the year that extra money was a HUGE blessing for us.

Hopefully this will give you even more ideas when you are looking at your own financial situation. I really pray that each and every person that reads this, examines what God is speaking to them about their finances, and just commits to being a good steward with money and really gets ahead!

Blessings inward are blessings that you can pour outward!

Happy Birthday Haley!

14 years ago today, at 3:28pm, God blessed me with a beautiful 6lb 90z baby girl. I named her Haley Leann.

She was a shining light into my life! Absolutely beautiful, happy, and a very loving baby. She was most certainly, a snuggle bug!


One thing is for sure, she certainly touched many lives during her time here on this world. She brought joy to many of us who felt that joy was gone, she brought a second chance to those who desperately needed it, and she brought laughter to us who needed. There is not a person who she came in contact with that was not affected by her presence, or her beautiful smile.








Yes, we miss her. Yes, we think of her every single day. I often think of how she would be today. What would her interests be? How would she do in school? What would she look like? How would her voice sound? What struggles would we have? What would be our triumphs? I try to share with her other brothers and sisters who she was - I try to impart a sense of knowing to them. She is part of our family, she is part of our history.

And yes, I mourn for the child that I cannot wrap my arms around.







However....

I still celebrate! I celebrate the life of a child that I have known, a life that I was given the opportunity to know intimately. I know that she is wrapped in the arms of Jesus, that God called her home so that she would suffer no more and from that satan was defeated on his attack on her body. Hallelujah and Praise God for knowing what I did not, and for protecting this beautiful angel!

And there I want to leave, knowing that she is perfect in her heavenly home, and today I can celebrate with the kids the birthday of their beloved sister!




Haley Leann McIntyre
June 10, 1995 - February 27, 1998