The Lord will provide

I have found that sometimes you can pray and pray for something and it just never comes. Usually, after some thought, I realize the thing I was praying for was not for the best anyway. I've even noticed that sometimes you are praying for one thing and get some other, often better thing instead! Now, I'm not necessarily talking about material items, like Tahitian pearls, although what a beautiful request that would be :)

I'm talking more about situations and needs vs. wants. My brother is a union carpenter and has been out of work for a while. It seems just when he's on the last plank of reserved means, the Lord provides. Someone called him today with a new work opportunity. Congrats, bro and thank you, Lord! You know what we need even before we ask. I wouldn't put my faith in anyone or anything else!

Happy to report!

I have talked to the new mommy and she said things are going much better! Apparently there were some latching on issues that a Madella nipple shield has cleared right up! So yay!!! Sorry if that was TMI for my male readers. 8-) I am going out to their house for a visit this evening and I can't wait to see the baby again. He's soooo cute and I just *LOVE* those tiny newborn noises they make. I can't wait!

Also, I'm happy to report that my house is still cleaned up! I can't believe it, it's been a week and a half since the big cleaning fiasco and things are still straightened up. My mom noticed the same thing I did, that it feels so good to have everything cleaned up and put away, we can't bear to leave anything out now! I'm also happy to report that through this process, I learned that with some deep cleaning and patience, my vacuum has been restored from a non-working dust collector to a functional janitorial aid! I was contemplating where I would possibly get the cash to buy a new one and now I don't have to worry about it! Not that I wouldn't have minded a new vacuum, like maybe a Dyson or maybe one of those Sebo vacuums, a girl can dream, right? But for now, until I get a better job, I am sooo pleased to be able to now use my old vacuum which I had previously been unable to use. It's amazing the difference clean filters will do. Also, I am lucky because the filters on my old vacuum are the kind that can be taken out, rinsed and put back in. Some of the newer vacuums have those white type filters that are rendered useless if gotten wet. So this is good!

Praying for the new parents

Have you ever brought home a newborn baby? Then you know what it's like to be so tired that you wish you had one of those shower chairs just so you could rest while getting cleaned up! I'm afraid that is just par for the course when you are brand new parents. My cousin and her husband brought DJ home from the hospital on Tuesday and the first night didn't go very well, I'm afraid.

He was nursing fine in the hospital and as soon as he got home, it didn't work out. So the first night was a bit of a tiring shocker to their system. Bless their hearts! I'm sure things will start looking up soon, it's just a big adjustment to what they are used to. So keep them in your prayers: Mom, Dad and Baby DJ.

Father's Day Weekend: The Ugly (Part 3 of 3)

"The Ugly"

There were some 'ugly' things that happened on this weekend as well. No, I'm not talking about encountering trannies in corsets, although that would be ugly! I'm talking about what happened as a result of going down to my dad's. It never fails, *something* always happens at home when you are out of town!

Sure enough, when I got back to my phone that I had accidentally left in my car during the time we were watching the movie, I had a missed call from my cousin who is 2 days overdue for having her baby! She left me a message to let me know they had the baby a couple of hours ago!

Awwww man! I missed it!? I was soooo disappointed. Although the more I thought about it, I realized they hadn't called me early enough that I could have been in the waiting room anyway! They called me 2 hours after the baby was born. :( Good for them, bad for me.

I called her back and got the update. It's a boy!!!!

His nickname is "DJ" and he was 22" long and weighed 8 lbs and 12 oz. She said there were some complications but everything is fine now. I congratulated them both. I'm so happy about the baby being born now but still disappointed I missed the event. Even if I was at home, I still would not have know, although I most likely would have called to check up on her and found out that way...possibly.

The ugliest result from this weekend had yet to be told. While I was on the boat with my dad, I realized that I was probably going to get a pretty good sunburn because I hadn't put on any sunblock, even though I had gone out of my way on Sat. to buy more and, AND had it with me in my bag on the boat! Duh, Beck!!! So the ugliest of uglies is that I now am suffering from a very bad sunburn. It's deep, people, it's real deep.

DJ's mom and dad have decided not to allow any photos of him on the internet so I had to crop him out of this photo, but here is a pic of me and my sunburn. Ouchie!!!!!

It doesn't help that I have a red top on, but you can still tell the difference in my coloring where the burn stops LOL It's my own fault!!! This is Ugly, for sure! Even now, 3 days later, I can hardly bare for my mom to put medicine on my back. I am going to be blistered and peeling, trust me, UGLY for sure!!! I can't believe I even had it with me and still didn't use my sunblock!

Father's Day Weekend: The Bad (Part 2 of 3)

"The Bad"

I met my dad at my cousin Tony's house. Over the years, this particular cousin has had different nicknames. Lil' Tony, Tito (pronounced 'Tee-toe') and some others I won't mention here for lack of clean terms to translate with. He was always a wild child, wrestling goats and acting out in one way or another. So it's very interesting to see how his life has progressed. He is married and has 2 young boys. I'm afraid his boys are worse than he ever was.

They had one of these ^ types of dual water slides. The kids were having a blast in the sun playing on it! I kept saying, "We would have died for one of these when we were kids!" Then, from amongst the laughs and giggles of the little ones, I heard some very foul and vulgar words! The remarks were so obvious and offensive, they sort of pierced the air and carved their own dark path across the yard to us like a colon cleanser on overdrive! Apparently his YOUNGEST son (4 years old) was not happy about something. Once we all heard it, I was just waiting for the wrath of a parent to be unleashed...you can imagine my surprise when the adults just rolled their eyes and turned away as they grinned and held back their laughter! What!?!?! This can't be good.... Then the stories began to flow about how his older brother was like that too then I heard something very strange. Someone said, "He'll calm down when he gets to school, like his brother did." OMG! Isn't it usually the opposite? You send your good little boys and girls to school and they come home with worse habits? Something is very wrong here.

Father's Day Weekend: The Good (Part 1 of 3)

"The Good"

This Father's Day I went down to the country to visit my dad, like all the other Father's Days of recent years. I always figure, since it's so far down there, I just go down the day before and spend the night, sort of stretching it out to make the most of the gas it takes to get there LOL

On Sat. I made my way down to the country and met him for a cook out at my cousin's house (see part 2 of 3, "The Bad"). Visiting with family, especially one's I've never met or haven't seen in a long time is always nice. The food was great!!! I didn't have to buy it, prepare it or clean up after it!! That rarely happens after you become an adult. So that was very good.

Saturday evening we just went back to dad's and watched tv before calling it a night. On Sunday, we got up late and ended up taking the 4 wheeler and the boat to Clearwater Lake. It's no Outer Banks but it has always been a family favorite. It took us a while to get down there because we didn't get an early start. This made dad fussy. He's also trying to quit smoking (after 50 some odd years) so he is easily fussy these days. But I commend him for trying again! I pray he has luck and the Lord will help him.

On our way to the lake, I had an opportunity to witness to my dad again, reiterating the simplicity of the gospel to him. I like to show him the faith I have in God that He will take care of my needs and dad's as well. Our fiasco last year with the boat lended a perfect opportunity to show him first hand that God knows what we need. 3 times that day we were in a crisis and all 3 times, without waiting, God provided the exact help we needed! It's a great example and I like to remind him of it. This is good, very good.

Our boating trip on the lake was fun. We ventured way up and around to where Black River feeds into the lake. We had lunch on the boat. The outing was relatively uneventful until we were heading back to the dock. The boat motor kept dieing. He kept trying to fix it and was growing increasingly fretful and agitated. I simply said with every confidence, "The Lord knows what we need." Then the motor worked only on low gear but it was enough to get us back! Again, a perfect example of how faith pays off. I welcome these opportunities for flaws and trials. He's the kind of man who needs to learn the hard way and even then it usually takes more than once for him to learn a lesson!

We did some light fishing but of course did not get any bites due to the fact that the water level was up. We enjoyed cruising around the lake. We had dinner at the Cowgirl Cafe and I got to see my cousin Kathy who works there. After we got back to his house, we watched the movie "RV". I thought it was a nice clean family movie, a nice way to cap off the trip. It was environmentally the most tolerable trip to my dad's I've enjoyed in....well, forever since he didn't smoke while I was there. Stay tuned for "The Bad" and "The Ugly"

Happy Father's Day!

Well, I'm off to the country to visit my dad for father's day. I'd better make sure I'm all paid up on my term insurance after the fiasco we had last year! 3 different times that 1 day we had a crisis and 3 different times, the Lord provided the exact help we needed. The biggest crisis was the fact that I hadn't seeded the boat trailer down onto the ball hitch of the truck and it came off and the boat on it's trailer continued down the road and into a ditch! I could not believe that happened, but it did! So I'm wishing all the dad's out there a happy and *SAFE* Father's Day!!!

Babies, babies & more babies!

Tonight, I am going out to my cousin's house to help her go through her shower gifts and figure out what needs to be taken back or exchanged, to finalize the nursery and stock it in preparation for the arrival of her baby (Due on June 13th, just 3 weeks from now!!!) as well as some fun crafty stamping of her thank you notes, just to name a few things we need to get done. It's their first baby and she has never really spent alot of time around babies and nurseries. I've had many friends who have had babies and now it's my turn to share and make use of some experiences I've had through the years. They have chosen not to find out the sex of the baby, which I love! It's so exciting for dad to come out of the delivery room and say, "It's a........ !"

Something else that is so exciting about all this is that their best friends are also pregnant with their first baby! They are due in September and already know they are having a boy. They are all set with a couple of boy names. I am going to help my cousin plan a baby shower for her, after all, by then she will have a new born baby to tend to 8-) I'm telling you, all this talk of baby cribs and diapers and breast feeding is making me tired just thinking about all of it! But it's such a happy and joyous occasion though, to welcome a beautiful gift from God!

A change is at hand

I can feel it coming over me now...a change is eminent! For a long time now, I have hidden behind this weight and sin of slothfulness! I'm tired of it's effects on my life.

I live on the second floor in my building. Lately, I've been contemplating having a stair lift installed because my knees just can't stand running up and down all the stairs to get to the basement where my washing machine and dryer are!

Last night, my mom and I were discussing our overweight and unhealthy situation and I told her I want her to get out her Weight Down materials and we are going to start off by just eating better and in smaller quantities. Also, we are going to start stretching and utilizing my treadmill too! Shoot, I forgot to weigh this morning....oh well, there's always tomorrow!

We had a floor mopping good time

I attended the church baby shower last night for my cousin. It was really fun to go and not have to do any planning or work!

There were like 3 or 4 ladies from her church that put everything together for the shower. We played a game where you put a white paper plate on top of your head and follow the instructions to draw a baby. It was a riot! You get points depending on......OOPS! Someone go get the floor mops! Aunt Linda spilled her fruit punch & rainbow sherbet on the floor and one ladies shoe, and then followed up with a loud, "Oh sh*t!" LOL Aunt Linda doesn't go to church often enough! LOL

Anyway, the games were fun and everyone had a good time fellowshipping. My cousin got lots more items from her registry as well as diapers which she didn't have many of before. Baby showers are so fun :)

Cell phone booster - mobile peace of mind

You may remember a post I did a couple of months back called "True story: Picture this...". It tells of a real life boating accident that happened to my dad and his friend. They had too little cell phone reception out on the river to call for help. I wish they would have had a mobile cell phone booster like the one by Wilson I was just given to try out from Powerful Signal. Here's a video that tells all about it:

I was delighted to see how many accessories it came with, adding to it's versatility. I'll be able to go straight from the car to the boat without having to remember extra adapters or parts, it's all conveniently stored in the carrying case which has a very nice handle (which didn't show up well on the video).

It was *extremely* easy to set up and it delivered amplified signal on the first try-within moments after turning it on! I couldn't be happier to have received such an asset to my mobile peace of mind. Hey, I'm a single lady and driving long distances back and forth to see family as well as being out in remote areas fishing and boating will be enjoyed more peacefully from now on.

Thanks again to all the kind folks over at PowerfulSignal.com for providing this opportunity and choosing me as a recipient. I will make sure it is put to good use! It's not quite boating season yet, so because it was the closest location I could think of, I'd also like to thank Kim, my co-director and photographer for creative help and patience but most of all, for lending me the use of her house...the place where cell phone signal goes to die! :)

What a novel and personal gift idea!

I have always loved to give personal or homemade gifts. I always love to get these kinds of gifts, so I know other people appreciate them as well. Knowing my nephew's 4th birthday is coming up in a few weeks, I jumped at the opportunity to choose one of the personalized books that feature his name in a story from Kid's Personally. There were so many to choose from, they had all the popular names:

My nephew is all about the super heroes! His room is decorated with every kind of super hero you can think of! His dad reads to him every night, tall tails of heroic action, he loves it! He has a very healthy imagination and you can just see the wheels turning when he starts to tell you these stories as they play out in his mind.

So I chose the 'Justice League' book to personalize for him. I was able to give details about his name, age, location and a few of his friend's names too. Ordering the book was very simple. Once it came, I read it through and was so excited about it, I didn't want to wait for his birthday! The book was larger than I thought it would be at about 11" x 9".

It was only right for his dad to be the one to read it to him....after all, dad knows how to make the story really come alive!

It was so cute to see his face when he heard his name throughout the story! He would intermittently ask questions about what 'he' was doing and his eyes just went all around studying all 18 of the full color pages! He really really liked hearing how he helped the Justice League save the day from the evil Grodd, a super intelligent gorilla!!!

After he was finished reading his book, of course it had to go right to it's new home on his book shelf for safe keeping until the next time the Justice League calls! If you are looking for great personal and affordable gifts, maybe you should consider some personalized books or other gifts. I'm sure he will enjoy this book for many years to come.

Garage sale update!

I'm working today but my friends are having a garage sale! Normally I enjoy spending the night and bringing all my junk and participating in the garage sale because I don't have a yard or garage in which to conduct one of my own where I live. I love garage and yard sales, having them and going to them. I always have, since before I was old enough to walk, I was going to them. My mom would drag along behind us, one of those metal carts with wheels like you used to see old ladies dragging along behind them. She'd bring that and we'd make our rounds through the surrounding neighborhoods on Sat. morning leaving no sale unvisited! She might only have had $3 or $4 but we would always find treasures!!

So, being that there are only 3 Saturdays before the dreaded tax deadline, I must be at work this time. My friends were gracious enough to allow me to come out Friday evening and drop off some bigger items I had ready to sell in exchange for the few tables I have to offer and some help setting things up, which I am happy to help with! I mean, I don't have any Hansgrohe faucets but I do have an older 19" color tv for $10.00, a practically new Chefmate 2 lb. loaf bread maker with books for $5.00 and an older style 3 pc. set of luggage in great shape for $5.00 along with a couple other smaller odds n' ends. She just called with an update! So far, they have sold the TV and bread maker and a couple of little items for a total of $15.75 for me, yay!!! If you haven't had a yard sale or garage sale in a long time, do it! It's a great way to downsize clutter and increase mad cash :)

Busy, busy, busy...

I can see it now...a few days to myself in one of those Branson cabins. You know, a little r & r, some good food, maybe a show and some shopping.....

*WAKE UP, BECCA!*

Oh, yeah, that was a nice dream! Not only am I in full swing of 6 days a week for tax season, my friends are having a yard sale tomorrow, I'm taking stuff and tables out there tonight, I got an email today about a 'purse party' tonight @ a lady's house from church, Sunday is 5th Sunday dinner at church, Sat. after work, we are going to have dinner with my cousin who is coming up from the country to celebrate his 21st birthday, then I'll come home and make food for 5th Sunday, after the 5th Sunday dinner is done, I will meet with my mom to go to a Catherine's store sale to use our gift cards, I'm still planning the baby shower, working as much overtime as I can, trying to spend time with my pregnant cousin so I don't miss out on her pregnancy, helping my brother learn to use his new computer, reconciling with an old friend, trying to keep in touch with my now friends........AAAAH! Calgon, take me away! LOL

Baby shower plans abound

My cousin and her husband are having their first baby and I am delighted to be the planner for the baby shower!!! I really can't remember the last time I've been able to plan a baby shower, it's so fun! Last November, I helped her plan a fun surprise birthday party for her husband and they were all so impressed by all my ideas, I was chosen to plan the shower. Her mom is funding and I'm planning, this is right up my alley! It's really a joy for me to plan and figure out all the details, I am very detail oriented.

Unlike in the past, this time I have used the internet for much of my planning. One website was able to allow me to create postcard type invitations and have them printed out. This will save on postage since I will be sending out nearly 60 of them, that's a savings of $9.00 in postage alone. With a special rebate, I got 100 personalized invitations for $14! They have all the information about where and when and where she is registered, who & how to RSVP and a special note to beckon them to attend. They really are quite nice, if I do say so myself!

I have also used the internet to plan games and activities. There are many you can purchase and many you can get ideas of your own from for FREE! I even found creative ideas for thank you favors for the guests to take home.

This shower will be alot of fun, as it is also fun to coordinate with the mom-to-be on things she will need, advice and her likes and dislikes. Among some of the things for the parents-to-be to contemplate: baby furniture, college savings, car seats, children insurance, diapers, diaper pails....the list goes on and on. She's so cute when she says, "I just can't believe how much stuff it takes to take care of one little baby!" How precious to welcome a new life into the world and a new life style to a wonderful couple who enjoy a God centered marriage! More on the developing shower details as they arise.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

She has always been a strong spiritual staple in my life and for that I am so grateful! She worked so hard when we were young to pay for Christian private school for 5 years. Probably 5 of the most impressionable years of my life. That education laid a foundation for my life that has proved to hold me up under all the stresses and changes that have come along. I wouldn't trade those years of God in my curriculum for any amount of money. It really became the standard for which all others have been compared. I know it was hard for her to take on that responsibility since I know my father did not have an interest in making it a priority for him.

My father made it very hard and at times literally unbearable for her in so many ways. He was a violent alcoholic and didn't seem to have lasting benefits from alcohol and drug rehabs. She never deserved any of that harsh treatment and controlling of her life, even down to not allowing her to drive! She had to take the bus or walk to work even in the snow and ice and storms! After their divorce, she was 47 when she got a driver's license for the first time. I remember her driving away from the house that first day, my brother and I were standing and waving good bye from the front porch. I was so happy for her new found freedom!

I love my mom and I hope I have many more years to enjoy her company and learn from her. I have worked with my mom here in our office for the past 10 years and now she even lives with me temporarily, but I'm still not tired of her! As one lady in a store who overheard us cackling, "You guys are a hoot!" LOL I will miss working with my mom and having lunch with her. I think it will make me appreciate just that much more, the time I spend with her! So here's to you, mommacita, I love you...MORE!!!

Share your prayer!

This is taken from my church blog:

Greetings one and all!

This is BeccA and you are reading my inaugural post here on the Valley View blog. I certainly hope to be contributing more in the future. Writing has always been a special treat to me. I mean really, it’s basically talking in written form and as you know, I always have *something* to say!

2008 is well under way and we have lots of fun and exciting things going on in our little church at the top of the hill. Next Monday night is our Family Bowling night and I am really looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity to have some fun times with our church family!