all bent out of shape

I spent most of the afternoon yesterday on the phone. Then I got my new leaf blower and blew leaves around the yard to relieve all the stress of being on the phone most of the afternoon. I HATE INSURANCE! I know I should be thankful we have it, but right now I'm trying to trust God with a situation.

It seems the tests Donald and I had that were covered at 100% has turned into a large bill. About $2200 to be more accurate. It seems they are only paid at 100% if the doctor finds absolutely nothing... as in not having a colon????? Because of the insurance code the doctor used for the diagnosis they are no longer considered a screening, but a medical claim. Which means it's a loophole for not paying like they said they would. In case you didn't catch it earlier... I HATE INSURANCE and have came up with a much better name for Blue Cross Blue Shield.

I'm also upset at our company for saying they had changed their policy and that that test is now covered at 100%. They need to have a disclaimer on that one.

It's not because we didn't do our homework on this. In fact, I even have a message on my cell phone stating it would be covered that way. We spent several hours working on this one.

My friend Connie simply talked to me about trusting God and not being angry at Him because He allowed this to happen. THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR! I guess I should just tell Him if He wants to spend His money on those free tests to go right ahead; however, I am still in the process of being angry and venting. I WILL get around to having the right attitude, but not at the moment.

I'm glad God has patience and is merciful. He's probably having a good chuckle right now and saying something like, "She's at it again!"

my latest endeavor

one side completely ready with onion plants

Aren't they nice??

Things yet to come... hopefully!

I am a farmer's daughter. My mom always had a garden. Why I only discovered my passion for growing things this past summer I'll never know. It's probably one of those "season of life" things. Whatever the case, I'm pleased as punch!

working is hard work

This title comes from a woman who has worked at home for 28 years. There have been many, many hours spent homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and everything else that goes along with having five children and teaching them at home. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

I started working part time last August as a Retail Merchandiser for Hallmark. I began on Rebekah's birthday so I can remember my start date easily. I service two grocery stores and I usually work 8-10 hours a week unless I have to put up or take down the seasonal merchandise. That requires more time right before the major holidays and always afterward as the new season and/or flex goes up. I really enjoy it; it is my own little thing and I make a little extra money doing it.

This past week however I worked 20 hours as I helped set up our section in the new Hobby Lobby that is opening soon. It was seven hours of hard work, but I enjoyed learning and meeting some fellow co-workers. It was amazing that in that amount of time five women could transform that section of the store. We had to unpack heavy boxes on pallets, put together the card displays along with the cards and signs. Every Hallmark card has a certain place on the rack. You learn to read and follow display directions! It was a neat experience for me. I also had extra hours at my two stores since it was the week of Valentine's Day. I spent three hours Friday night at one store just straightening and finding envelopes for the Valentine section. It looked ransacked! I had to work around all the people buying valentines at the last moment. It was fun to watch. The women spent more time than the men. I watched one man leave with the first one he picked up! That is just foreign to me.

This week I have already worked 10 hours and still have another call to make. All that said; my house has been sadly neglected. This weekend I slept in and bought groceries and took a nap Sunday afternoon. All that has gotten done has been done by others. So today I have been catching up on my "to do" list: phone calls, cleaning, do this, do that, etc. Plus laundry... and my ironing from last week is still waiting. When I finish all this laundry it will make quite a small mountain. Tomorrow I'm taking my mom to have some tests done that her doctor has ordered.

I am terribly grateful to Donald for allowing me to stay home all these years with our children and take care of things at home. I am enjoying this season of my life to be sure. I just don't know how I would have done everything I did and work also. I probably couldn't have home schooled and I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have time to work in our yard. All in all, I've had a wonderful life already!

Donald, I love you and appreciate you! You have always worked so hard to make our home situation possible. I think I'll keep you.

Liberated to Live

We get a devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from Crosswalk.com. On February 12 the title was "Liberated to Live." Though I've yet to read the devotion, I have thought about the title he chose. Liberated to Live is what my Jesus Christ has done for me! You can "be alive" yet "not alive." If you live in depression, unforgiveness, bitterness, self-pity and other "suck the life out of you" traits then you are not living the life that Christ died to free you from.

I love the way The Message states Romans 8:1-7. Italics are mine.

1 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. 2 A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. 3 God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn't deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all. The law code, weakened as it always was by fractured human nature, could never have done that. 4 And now what the law code asked for but we couldn't deliver is accomplished as we, instead of redoubling our own efforts, simply embrace what the Spirit is doing in us. 5 Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them - living and breathing God! 6 Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. 7 Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing.

I'm amazed at God's gift of His son to free me from myself.

Clean windows!

This is what a clean window looks like! Ben works for a professional window cleaner and decided to clean our windows. First time in 13 years they've been clean! They are double pane and he took the outside ones off and cleaned them really well. These are pictures of the boys bathroom. They usually clean it, but every once in a while I decide to give it a really good once over. See how the shower sparkles!

This is part of our backyard where I intend to do "something" with the bricks I have left over. You can see part of the kids' old sandbox in the bottom right corner. I'm going to make a raised vegetable garden with it. I even have library books on the subject!

This is the very clean fence row I mentioned weeks ago. Our neighbors put up a privacy fence on the other side of our chain link and the weeds and grass love to grow there...just out of reach...unless you are really motivated.

wrong button

Here are pictures I didn't intend to take...they're pretty good for a beginner, huh??

Strong's Number: 4166

Ephesians 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

When I looked up the word pastor in Strong's Concordance this is what I found...

Strong's Number: 4166
Browse Lexicon
Original Word
Word Origin
poimhvn
of uncertain affinity
Transliterated Word
TDNT Entry
Poimen
6:485,901
Phonetic Spelling
Parts of Speech
poy-mane'

Noun Masculine
Definition
a herdsman, esp. a shepherd
in the parable, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow
metaph.
the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly: so of Christ the Head of the church
of the overseers of the Christian assemblies
of kings and princes
The tasks of a Near Eastern shepherd were: - to watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep - to defend the sheep from attackers - to heal the wounded and sick sheep - to find and save lost or trapped sheep - to love them, sharing their lives and so earning their trust.

The part I want to comment on is the last entry which is in italics and bold print above. We are so blessed in our church body to have a wonderful pastor that fits that description. He loves us and shares our lives. I thought I would list some of the reasons why I love Pastor Paul...in no order of significance.

He shares his life with us.
He does not judge or condemn us.
He is always there when you need him.
He gives short messages so he doesn't lose our attention.
He teaches by example.
He lets me hide at his house when avoiding letting certain person in my house.
He didn't preach to me about how I was wrong while I was hiding in his house!
His sons are like part of my family; our kids have grown up together.
I love his wife and she is a wonderful friend.
He works hard doing things around our church building.
He listens to God.
He will be the first to tell you he's not perfect.
He encourages us in our walk with our Lord.
He laughs with us.
He laughs at himself.
He lets us have fun in church.
He reads my blog and leaves funny comments!
He's a great friend.
He helps us move furniture.
He practices what he preaches.

Now while some of these may be funny they are all true. We are blessed to have a wonderful pastor! And a wonderful church family!