gratitude

42. mercy

43. strength

44. renewal

45. conviction

46. God's Word

47. sermons

Can you tell I've been struggling this week? Uh...huh. I'm gettin' through it, I am...it's just takin' a lot of work.

stewardship

The month of August at our church is our "Stewardship Month." There is at least one message per week on giving. The Lord has really been blessing my heart through many of the sermons. Well, I'm still trying to finish reading through the Bible by the end of this summer and I have been in II Chronicles for a bit.

One thing I noticed about stewardship was in regards to Solomon building the temple. He had everything made of gold. My thought was...good thing he wasn't a Baptist pastor. Can't you hear the people in his congregation now complaining that he was spending too much money? I mean...gold nails, isn't that a little unneccesary? Too often, we don't want to be sacrificial.

Another king (sorry I don't have my Bible in front of me), put a chest out in front of the palace or temple for the people to fill because they were going to do some repairs. The people filled up the chest in one day and the king kept putting the chest out day after day and the people continually filled it. They were cheerfully giving.

Then to top off this month, the sermon tonight was on being sacrificial. Yes, the speaker touched on the topic of giving sacrificially but I took away the thought of giving myself sacrificially. I love to give to others. It's just in my nature. But I never give of my time or talents or money sacrifically. Never...or hardly ever...next-to-never. You get the point.

I don't give my life sacrifically to my Savior. Willing to commit my life to Him? Sure, when it fits into my framework. Willing to give a tithe & offering? Absolutely, just so long it doesn't empty my bank account. Even my talents, I don't give sacrifically. One of my biggest problems is not wanting the hard road. My mind thought to my cello lessons. I have not been practicing my cello much lately because I've been busier. But, sure, I could sacrifice my time to practice but I simply don't want to. Sacrificing my time is developing the talent that the Lord gave me. How sinful I am!!! A point was made tonight and I wrote it in my Bible: Sacrifice is worship. (Of course, it's not just sacrifice...there's more to worship than just that but it does include sacrifice.)

I just wanted to share and be an encouragement. We are so blessed in America but we have to have our comforts. Am I advocating living a minimalist life with two outfits and eating greens for the rest of our lives? No. But I know that Americans can do without a lot of what we have. Just wanted to share with you tonight because I was so challenged, so convicted tonight. Blessed to be convicted, for sure!

this week's update

So sorry for the lack of blog posts.

One word: b-u-s-y!!

As I've mentioned before, I was blessed with an afternoon nanny/housekeeping job. But I still have my morning cleaning jobs (which is a huge bonus). It just makes for very long days. But it's good and I have been chastising myself anytime I catch myself semi-complaining. I had to stop cleaning one of my newest jobs. Long story but it basically just wasn't going to work out because of my afternoon nanny job. However, at church on Thursday night, a lady in our church asked me to clean her house. They have just moved/joined our church and they commute between their old home and their new home (here in IN). She doesn't want to clean two homes (understandable) and they live in the subdivision directly across the street from the subdivision with my nanny job. How cool is that?

Two words: so blessed!!

I do believe that it is true that the more things that you have to do, the more effective you are with your time. I am finding that increasingly true. Now that I feel like I'm never home, my priorities have been re-arranged. So if this blog seems a bit forgotten, you know why.

Three words: use time wisely!!

And lastly, I went with a friend to a hip coffee shop in the town south of us. Oh my goodness....it was so incredible. And a KNITTING GROUP MET THERE, too, while we were there. I was going to go over and ask the ladies if there was a membership fee, how often they meet, and if they minded a beginner but my friend and I talked so long that I never made it over there. Oh well...it's an incentive to go back. The coffee wasn't expensive and they put it in these cool, tall, clear glasses. Plus, I got to hang out with a like-minded friend my age which hasn't happened in a very.long.time.!! It was so refreshing. And, on the topic of friends, an old friend emailed me out of the blue. It's hard to keep up with long distance friendships and apparently our friendship had suffered because of that. What an encouragement that she emailed me!

Four words: friends can be awesome!!

multitude monday coming!

My parents returned from their trip on Sunday night! Woohoo! They went on their vacation with our next-door neighbors. So, Liz (girl-next-door), went with me. We each made signs to wave when we saw our parents. Their plane was early and so they were through baggage claim and customs just a little bit after we got out of church. We were a little bummed that we didn't get to greet them inside. However, we did take a moment to tape these signs to the outside of our Suburban. This was a first in Gaus-car-history....an absolute no-no. (Anyways, it was fun and the tape came off!)

This is the funny/weird part. If you know anything about cities (Chicago in particular), they have cops at the airports that direct traffic and enforce the rules. We had to go to the international terminal to pick up the parents. And we picked them up outside which was different when I picked up my parents & grandparents last summer from their trip to Germany and I met them inside.

Well, Liz's dad had said "We're by the first door." (key word - door) So I'm pulling down into the pick-up line and I'm like....which way to go...right or left?? Well, duh, I should've known that only taxi's go right and everyone else goes left. But I went right in a crucial mistake. I didn't notice, hear, or acknowledge the cop that was standing there. I was so concentrated on picking up my parents. I started honking (!!) the horn the moment we spotted them and we were waving our signs out of the sun-roof and cheering. WHAT A SIGHT TO BEHOLD!!

My dad said later that I jumped out of the car with my arms spread open and was saying very boisterously "HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!". Oh boy, my poor, dignified, and reserved father....his daughter can be a bit wild!! haha!!

My dad says to me, "You're in the taxi lane." Oh my word!! So I jumped back in the Suburban and zipped around and came into the correct lane this time.

Two funny things: First of all, was the cop. As I pulled away, I finally noticed him and he had this expression on his face like "What a stupid girl." And second of all, as I pulled away, there were probably 50-100 people all standing within 100-150 feet of my parents and all turned and stared at the crazy girl with a John Deere plate on the front of a Suburban from Indiana, probably thinking to themselves, "What a hick from Indiana!"

It's so good to have my parents home!

PS...Why does a post look so nice and neat in "preview" but horrible once published. Weird!

gratefulness

33. new website that made me smile
34. green lights when I'm in a hurry
35. a healthy eye exam report
36. free samples of contact solution
37. safety while traveling
38. safety from the tornado
39. safety while I stayed home by myself without electricity
40. a new job
41. mom and dad are home!

fried chicken verdict

Tonight I made fried chicken. This is the second time that I've made it since my parents left on their trip on August FOURTH. This is the third time I've made it on my own this year.

Here's the verdict: The whole fried part was better. There was no anxiety over whether or not the chicken was done. I only used drumsticks because that just works for me and my brother. I just was a little disappointed in the batter. It "marinated" in buttermilk for two hours then all I had to do was roll it in self-rising flour. This was definitely the easiest fried chicken I've made but I want to look for a little more complicated batter next time. Just a little more flavor would be great.

This is the (slightly) confusing part. The recipe I was using was from a Southern cookbook (of course). Basically, I was supposed to fry for 30 minutes. Girls, that chicken was done in 10 minutes! I called my German grandmother to ask her opinion because the whole-crackly-oil thing was making me a little nervous. It just sounded so hot and I was afraid it was going to explode in the kitchen. (It didn't.) I fried half of the batch of chicken in my German great-grandmothers Dutch oven. I joked with my Grandma that I was "corrupting Nana's pot" because I was frying Southern food in a German pot. haha!

I also made tomato pie. I found the link yesterday on a blog that I read. It was awesome. So I'll share the link. Here it is.

And to add to our dinner, I sliced up a homegrown cucumber. We couldn't get any more Southern tonight than we did. It was awesome!

wanna hear a blessing?

I have been looking on-and-off for a nanny job for a while. But I hadn't really found one that seemed to work. The problem and blessing with my cleaning schedule is that it varies from week to week. It's a blessing because it's easy to take off on a trip when I want. It's a problem because no work = no income.

Recently, there has been a few nanny jobs posted in our small town's paper. I bit the bullet and called the newest ad last Thursday.

I interviewed on Friday and didn't bring a list of references with me. (boo!) (In my defence, the mom didn't ask me to bring references with me...but still.) The lady basically said that I had the job but she still had a few other people coming in to interview and she promised to call sometime this week.

I finally got my references to her on Tuesday and was kind of sweating it out. I was berating myself that I didn't bring my references to the interview, etc. I kinda-sorta thought she would call on Wednesday or Thursday because she had hinted that she would contact me in the middle of the week.

Well, I got a call today and I GOT THE JOB!!! Woohoo!!

There are few things that are really awesome about this job.

1. I can keep my morning cleaning jobs - bonus!
2. It's also a housekeeping position so I get to help them come home to a clean house.
3. I can get there when I want to start the housecleaning but I have to be there by 2:30pm which is when the boys will be home from school.
4. The latest I will have to work on a given day is 5:30pm and that will probably only be on Fridays. Mondays & Wednesdays, I will drop the boys off at karate at 4:45pm. Tuesdays & Thursdays, I will drop the boys off at karate at 5:15pm. After I drop them off at karate, I'm done for the day. How cool is that?
5. And, I can work up to 20 hours per week.

This really is such a blessing because I've been needing to supplement my income just a little. I've mentioned the indexing certification that I'm working towards but that is going to take a while. So in the meantime, I will be doing this.

Isn't God good?

Wednesday was a very long day!

Oh, boy! Wednesday was interesting.

First of all, the phone rang at 5:24am and a nurse told me that my grandma had once again fallen out of bed, bumped her head, and had abrasions on her arm, so they were taking her to the emergency room. She said that she didn't think anything was wrong but it was protocol to take them to the ER just to make sure. Well, two girls (one teen, her sister a "pre-teen") were spending the night at my house because their mom was flying out early Wednesday morning to go visit her parents. I wasn't worried about leaving them alone it was just that I didn't know how long I would be gone. Turns out, the dr. had already observed my grandma by the time I reached the ER and I only had to wait there with her for about 45 minutes before an ambulance transported her back home.

So that turned out easy + I got a jump start on my day.

I went and got breakfast for the girls, then dropped them off at the church for a teen activity. I came home, did some random stuff, scrubbed our bus up at the church, then finally got ready to leave on my "trip."

My parents have been on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks - yay for them! And my brother went to meet a girl for a few days - yay for him! So I decided that it was time for me to do something fun because I didn't have to work on Wednesday and I didn't schedule cello lessons. I have been wanting to buy material for a project (details later) and decided to drive about 1 1/2 hours away to "Amish country" plus stop at a mall on the way back (in S. Bend...for those of you who know our area).

I had to come back to the house two times because I forgot stuff. I can be so feather-brained sometimes! I went to check back on my Granny and finally got on the highway a little after 1pm. Good deal except that the place that I was going is an hour ahead. I high-tailed it there, bought my fabric, bought a really cute jacket at a boutique shop and made my way to the mall.

This mall can be seen from the highway but exits on either side of the mall are about 2 miles away. Just to make a long story very short, let me just say that I got lost. On the way home, it was raining. I had heard that we would get rain but I had no idea what was going on at home. Wow!

As I'm pulling off the toll road, I notice really low, swirling black clouds. No exaggeration! I'm thinking...that is really weird. I needed to stop at the post office for my brother and as I'm driving through town, people are starting to come out of their houses and businesses and looking up into the sky. I'm looking up into the sky and all I see are clouds but not the low, swirling, black ones. I asked some poeple by the side of the road what was going on and they told me that a tornado had just gone through. Suffice it to say, I had to turn around and go another way home because there were huge tree branches down. Power was out basically everywhere. As I was driving down the Highway (49), I noticed that the tree line looked different. It was just a weird sensation.

Of course, power was out at our house. I totally did not want to stay in a dark house by myself. But all of the area hotels were about $100 for a one night stay. Right!! Um...no! So I came home.

It was just a very long day. I didn't even snap any pictures. Bummer! Maybe if I see something interesting today, I'll get a picture and post some photos. And...more on that project later.

may I be an encouragement?

This is for this single chicks who read my blog.

As a single girl who doesn't make a lot of money, I have long believed that there was no way that I could save money. I mean...come on...I don't make very much money, so how in the world could I save money. I felt like I was living hand-to-mouth.

Anyways, that perspective changed a while ago when I realized that something needed to change in regard to my finances. My insurance bill is due every three months and my prescription is "renewed" every three months. (On different months, thank goodness!) So I sat down with pencil and paper and figured out how much I needed to save each week. I opened a checking account at a different bank in my town and designated it for just my medical expenses. It has worked wonderfully! For me personally, I needed to sock my money away in a different place so I wouldn't be tempted to use the cold, hard cash. Some of you may use an "envelope system," and that's awesome. But I'm not that good with money.

Here is my second AHA moment. (It recently occurred.) Well, when I was working at our Christian school as the secretary, I opened up an HSA (health-savings account). I put away $100 per month in that account. Ever since I stopped working there, I haven't really put too much money back into that account because I was telling myself that "I just couldn't...I didn't make enough money." Blah-blah-blah!! I was skimping on my dental and vision appointments because the money I had originally put away was slowly detoriating. So last week, I finally scheduled an eye appointment. As I was contemplating my finances, I realized that if I put away just $10 per week that equals $520 per year! That's enough to cover my vision and dental expenses for the year. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier? Just $10 per week.

So this is how I want to be an encouragement. Please don't tell yourself that you can't afford to save. That is (generally) not true. Maybe there are some cases out there where you honestly cannot save money....all your money is sent away each week toward bills. But if you can, honestly take a look and see what you can do to save. Even if it's small, it adds UP! And quick. So make a point to save. And let me know if you're encouraged by this!

ewwwww.........

I'm a flip-flop addict and former germ-phobic. Then I came across THIS ARTICLE this morning. Click! Click! And read the article. Then get back over here and tell me what you think!

I used to be a total germaphobe. But my position has changed to neutral. I do not use anti-bacterial soap on a regular basis any more because I have read that it kills bacteria that our bodies need to build up our natural defenses. And I do think that we have become such a germ-free society that allergies are on the rise. Good 'ole dirt washed off with good 'ole soap and water aren't that bad after all.

But this article grossed me out completely. And I can see where they're coming from. Walking around with flip-flops is almost like walking around barefoot.

I think I'm going to start washing my feet more. But you'll still find me in flip-flops!

one of my summer goals....accomplished!

I finally had the chance to go to an outdoor concert and it was held locally which was a huge plus.

Here's a picture of my awesome cello teacher. (Ok, this picture was taken from a great distance with the awesome zoom so it's not the greatest...I wish I had photog talent but unfortunately I don't. ) Anyways, but she's awesome...and so kind....and so encouraging....blah, blah, blah...I could go on all day. I love cello lessons and my cello teacher!!!

a picture from the ground where I was sitting

The girl in the formal dress won a scholarship from this orchestra. I believe she just graduated from high school. She was playing a cello solo backed by the orchestra. It was great!

Now this picture cracks me up. I kind of wanted to leave at intermission but after talking to Jen (my cello teacher), I decided to stay a bit longer. She said, "You can't miss Strauss." Well, I don't particulary like classical music (gasp!!). However, I do like to play it. So of course I had no idea who Strauss was. Well, on this one song, the audience clapped along while the orchestra played. It was so incredibly cool. I was laughing out loud and grinning because it was so fun. When I captured this picture of the director, he was "directing" us to clap loudly.

This concert was definitely a highlight of the summer for me. Oh...and to put the icing on the cake and to top off her awesomeness, my cello teacher called on Sunday afternoon and left me a message thanking me for coming to the concert. How cool!! So totally made my night.

from my gratitude journal

25. fresh, fragrant oregano from the garden
26. a website that answers questions regarding frugality
27. getting a lot accomplished in one day
28. my grandparents' health
29. a chatty email from my Mom while my parents are on vacation
30. a new CD
31. tomatoes from our garden minus the dreaded "blight" (for now!)
32. Saturday was a very rough day but I was so thankful for #1 an errand in the country, #2 an open road, #3 an open sun roof, and #4 a new CD

new bus decorations

I really want the kids on our bus to grow spiritually. YES, it's a time for fun. We have fun on our bus. But besides Sunday school and junior church, the only other time during the week that the kids get fed spiritually is on the bus. So that time is very important to me. Plus, we have a very long bus ride because our route is waaaaaaaaay out in the country!

So for the next....um......however many weeks, I will be posting a lock and key. The first week's lock and key is pictured above. It'll basically be a question about something that relates to the Christian life (why Christians do such-and-such) or a question that needs to be answered Biblically.

I thought this week's question was very important. The kids are taught in public school about global warming so why not counter that teaching with a Biblical answer.

Most of the questions that I will post are not necessarily life-changing questions. Any kid growing up in a Christian home would know the answer. But because the kids on our bus don't grow up in Christian homes, it is so very, very important that they are taught Biblically about things.

PS - And the bottom picture are little tokens that I will make up each week to help them memorize. They will get a special treat each week if they can say the previous week's "lock and key".

from my gratitude journal

15. gracious people who took me to a Sox game
16. gas less than $3 a gallon
17. incredible strength and inner peace when needed most
18. a new cleaning job
19. fun with a friend
20. not losing my key in the grocery store
21. a friendly hello
22. an unexpected email from my cousin!
23. my grandma's joy on her birthday
24. talking with a friend after church and being encouraged


I know these little gratitude entries may seem so ambigous to you. Some of them have stories behind them (#17, #19, #20....) One of my friends is moving to CA to teach in a Christian school. I'm going to miss her....she gave me one of her cleaning jobs and I worked with her on Friday. We had such a great time together. Sweet memories.

this week's re-cap

Hi ya'll!! I thought I'd update you on the happenings this week in my life!

First of all, my parents left for a vacation. Of course, I've made so many wonderful plans for delicious and fattening food. HOWEVER, I've barely cooked or baked! It's been one thing after another. We're having "supreme nachos" tonight. My junk-food-lovin' brother said that sounded so delicious to him. While I was in our local grocery store this afternoon, I saw a couple from my church with their sale paper and coupons in hand. I secretly cringed because I knew I didn't have one single coupon with me. The deals at this grocery store are supposedly AWESOME and INCREDIBLE and UNBELIEVABLE. But, my Mom and I fail to capitalize on one single deal. Oh well! Maybe the whole process will start making sense to me one day. :)

Here's a list of the menu I've made up so far:
*Saturday night - supreme nachos
*Sunday morning - peanut butter crunchy muffins (out of a Southern cookbook)
*Sunday afternoon/evening - cheeseburgers, feta cheese & tomato salad, and a vegetable side dish

This week, my brother and I also had the privilege of attending a White Sox game with a sweet couple in our church, the Edwards'. Geoff works as a bus captain under Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Edwards was my piano teacher when I was a child + a current blog reader. We had an awesome time!! As a bonus, the White Sox won! They beat the Angels which are currently the "best team in baseball". It was a pretty exciting night.

I have a lot more to do today in preparation for Sunday. Since my incredibly organized Mom is not here, I have to fill her shoes in getting everything together for the bus route tomorrow. I hope ya'll have a fabulous day in the Lord's House tomorrow.

Multitude Monday coming!

My parents are here....

...on their 32nd anniversary!

Monday night

As I've mentioned in an earlier blog post, I attended a town hall meeting in my town with my liberal Congressman. He did vote against the stimulus bill and the cap&trade bill but I have a feeling he'll vote yes on healthcare.

Anyways. I was completely shocked at the turnout. Seriously shocked. My Mom and I left our house at 6pm and got there a few minutes after. There was already about 200people there. Probably another 100-150 came after that. Only 100 people were allowed in.

I'm sure many of you have seen videos of other town hall meetings from recently. The tone was the same at ours. A few supporters of ObamaCare were there but the overwhelming majority was against the healthcare reform. We were chanting "Freedom", "No to Socialism", etc....It was completely electrifying to say the least. I came home so charged up!!

The morning hosts on a conservative radio station out of Chicago are a husband-wife team. They are simply incredible and I greatly enjoy listening to them. Well, after the town hall meeting and the turnout on Monday, I just had to write them. I wrote them an email and described the meeting. THEY READ MY LETTER ON THE AIR on Tuesday morning. I'm saying.....this is a huge radio station with thousands of listeners. I was soooooooooo shocked to say the least.

Let me leave with a great, informative link.

This is a link to our local "tea party"-type group. I know that ya'll aren't from our area but they have some really great links under their link page that I encourage you to check out. The link I'll put up is a link to their link page. (PS - It's called the "educate" page.) Here goes....http://www.nwipatriots.com/educate.php

Post edit:

I'll be adding additional, informative links.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=632696

upcoming......incoming

Girls, it is TIME to get our heads out of the sand. I have had my head in the sand for a while. I floated along as a typical, all-American girl wishing to believe that our country would never be socialistic. That has changed.

Tonight, I attended a town hall meeting with my Congressman. It was ELECTRIFYING. I will post more pics and links soon. But we all need to band together and do something.

Have you written your Congressman and Senators? I would love to hear if you have. We need to fight for our freedoms!!! I know we girls want to believe that this truly isn't happening but it truly is.

Attend a town hall meeting. You will be energized. I promise!

I was energized tonight.

gratitude journal

1. breakfast
2. sunshine
3. money in my account for upcoming bills
4. new mercies
5. a fresh cucumber from our garden
6. patience to hang my pictures
7. long talks with Mom
8. uplifting music before work
9. an outing with friends
10. Mom's 53rd birthday
11. needed conviction
12. laughing hysterically with my brother
13. strength to get up early
14. playing my cello

Each Monday, I'll be listing from my "gratitude journal". I'll have to post a pic of the actual journal - too cute! I really need to be more grateful and look at the little blessings in each day.

government health care plan

Maybe ya'll are very tired of hearing about the national health care plan that is trying to be pushed through the House of Representatives right now. I absolutely cannot stress enough the importance of each of us (at least) calling our Congressman and Senators to voice our opinion. Maybe you have already done that. I added the telephone numbers of my Congressman and Senators into my cell phone about a month ago and have been calling to voice my opinion several times since then.

Here's the reason for this post. I receive the AFA email updates. And, today, there was an email with links to an overview of the health care plan plus a link to the actual bill (wow!!).

It just makes me feel better to let ya'll know that I'm concerned. Really, really concerned. And I'm sure ya'll are, too. Now I know as Christians this is not to be our main focus. I have asked myself so many times in the past several months, "How could I sleep at night if I wasn't a Christian?" because of worrying about all of these new bills. HOWEVER, this health care plan directly attacks fundamental, Biblical beliefs that we hold such as family planning and care of the elderly, to say the least.

So without saying much more, here are the links.

TO THE OVERVIEW

TO THE ACTUAL BILL