Reflections

In the car this morning I heard the song DOES ANYBODY HEAR HER? by Casting Crowns. It's one of my favorites. I love that it always makes me take a good look at myself. Am I a plastic person? Am I open and receptive to the Lord when he brings hurting people into my life? Sadly I must admit, no I am not. I have fallen pray to the "plastic syndrome". But thank you Lord for opening my eyes yet again as I stumble.

Here are the lyrics for your enjoyment:


She is running
A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction
She is trying
But the canyon's ever widening
In the depths of her cold heart
So she sets out on another misadventure just to find
She's another two years older
And she's three more steps behind

Chorus:
Does anybody hear her?
Can anybody see?
Lord does anybody even know she's going down today?
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her?
Can anybody see?

She is yearning
For shelter and affection
That she never found at home
She is searching
For a hero to ride in
To ride in and save the day
And in walks her prince charming
And he knows just what to say
Momentary lapse of reason
And she gives herself away

Chorus

If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her
If judgement looms under every steeple
If lofty glances from lofty people
Can't see past her scarlet letter
And we never even met her

Chorus 2x

He is running a hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction Christian lyrics

Layoff

What a scary word. This one word has struck fear into the hearts of the strongest among us. This week was my turn to cringe in fear of this infamous word. The small organization I have been a part of for the past five years has suffered some mighty blows recently. So it doesn't really come as a surprise that some "restructuring" is in order.

After suffering the loss of two wonderful coworkers this week, we all met together as a corporate family. As I looked around the conference room I saw faces of dear friends that I've grown to love over the years. My heart ached at the anticipation of the bad news to come. And with stoic resolve our valiant leaders stood before us and gave the news. As our industry changes so shall we. They shed such a positive light on our organizations position. I was highly encouraged to see what the future holds for this small family.

As we prepare for our individual evaluations I am at peace. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future...". These are the words I hold onto today. Not only for me personally but for my fellow coworkers and our organization. I know that with the loss of each member of this family we will all suffer a blow. But I know that God has us in his hands. We are a part of his plan and good will prevail. So for the friends we've lost so far, and those that will find out in the near future, my prayers go out to them. But my prayers are not for sympathy or tears. They are a prayer of rejoicing and praise. For I know each person in headed to better things.

I am excited to see where the Lord's will is for me. Is it here, or elsewhere? I remember the phone call for the job offer in this organization. It was one of the first times in my young Christian walk that God showed me his "burning bush". I ask for that burning bush often, and I'm always humbled when I open my eyes and see that he has always been there, but I was being stubborn and chose blindness. So when he gave me this position, I remember being so thrilled to see God's mighty work in my little life. At the time, I wasn't even looking for a job, but God sweetly handed me his assignment and I was open and ready to receive it. It's been five years and I cannot count how many times I've questioned why I'm here in this organization. Every time the Lord reminds me that this is his plan, not mine. So I sit and watch his mighty hand at work. So yet again, I sit and I wait. I am watching, and I am excited regardless of the outcome.

So today, I'm excited to see what his plan is, and how he will choose to work out the details of that plan in my life.

To Move or Not to Move That is the Question

As the school year comes to an end we have been evaluating our success and failures. Our little prince will have to find a new school next year, and our princess needs a better homeschooling structure. Those are our biggest challenges for the summer.

Do we home school both children, or do we move and put both children into school in a district that we know well??? What a drastic decision this seems to me, but alas it is a thought to contemplate.


Actually, for the first time in years I'm okay with moving. I find it quite funny that for several years we asked the Lord if we could move, and every time we received an emphatic NO!! Just when we would think that moving was our only option, and not excited about it, the Lord always provided a way. So now, I actually have a calm peace and excitement about the prospect of moving.


I know, who in the world would be excited about moving, but I am getting that way. I think this may be the best decision for our family. If nothing else, it will cause us to clean out the entire house and cleanup and repair some places that have been neglected.


In the meantime, we will be praying for the Lord's direction and guidance. Who knows what he has in store for us. I do know that he's not finished with us yet, and we will continue to walk arm and arm with him.

Where Oh Where Have We Been

Ah, our poor blog has been so neglected. Our lives have been such a race lately. I know this is just a season and the Lord will bring us rest soon, but for now....

We have welcomed our newest family member:

Aiden Carl Stanley was born on 4/6. Isn't he just adorable!!!

My sweet prince is plugging away in his new career. He's found a work home for now. God led us down a path we would never have imagined, but we know our God is faithful. We can't fathom what he has in store for Chris here, but we're excited to see. He's already had a few occasions to share his faith and even pray for one of his customers specifically. I find that quite an honor that the Lord would use him so.

Our Princess has gone through the longest spout of illness ever. For our family a month of illness is unheard of. We did find out that she has an allergy to certain medications. Praise the Lord!!! Her reaction could have been very severe, but the Lord knew our needs long before we could have imagined. He provided wisdom and guidance and peace during a pretty scary time.

Our Prince left today for the 5th grade annual Sky Ranch Expedition. We can't wait for his return to tell us all about it.

And last but not least: we have 6 weeks until DISNEY!!! (okay, so I'm just a big kid too)

That's the high points in a nutshell.
Blessings all,

Financial Review

It's the first of the month. That means time to talk bills... I know you all have this marked on your calendar right, because it's always a lively fun topic to discuss.

Well, in our case it actually is. This month we plan to pay off our car !!! YEAH!!!! This is one of the last major milestone to our debt freedom. That will put us in line to still meet our goal to be debt free by June.

So the setback of unemployment hasn't hindered us too much. We are still moving toward cutting back on everything, but I know the Lord has great plans for us and we are just walking with him hand in hand. It's actually quite exciting. I don't recall a time I've been so open and receptive to the Lord's guidance. There is definitely no me,myself, and I mentality here. I know there is absolutely no way to walk through this without him. And as always, our gracious Father is there for us and with us.

Menu Plan Monday

I am so late... It's Wed already. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed this week and had no desire for planning. But alas, it must be done, so here is what I have:

Breakfast:

Sausage Rolls (Sunday breakfast)
Coffee Cake
Cereal x3
Homemade Donuts
Cinnamon Rolls

Lunch:

Calzones x2
Homemade Hot Pockets x3
Grilled cheese
leftovers

Dinner

Chili, homemade rolls
Porcupine Soup
Short Ribs, Beans, Mexican Rice
Taco Salad
Homemade Pizza
Potato Soup bread bowls
Superbowl party with friends

(Next weeks plan)
Pork chops, rice salad
Broccoli cheese potatoes
Turkey meatloaf, corn, homemade rolls
Sweetheart's Birthday...
Homemade Calzones

Eat from the Pantry Challenge Final Results

YEAH!! we made it. We survived one month in our pantry. We actually opted not to go to the grocery store at all last week. And one week's trip to Kroger didn't happen.So the final results of our challenge:

We only spent 111.66 for the month. Can you believe it!!! I am so shocked, and very, VERY proud of my prince. He did most of the leg work and kept me encouraged and excited the whole month. What a guy!!

I will admit I think we may be keeping these goals from now on. I do know we are in desperate need of a BIG shopping trip to restock some staples. But even that I don't foresee as being a huge trip. I'm predicting around $100 total, but my goal is to cut that in half as well.

I was also very surprised to see that we actually ate healthier meals this month than our usual fare. I think one of the biggest things that we need to change is the frequency of our trips. I'm going to try to plan this weeks menu for 2 weeks and see how we do.