Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Thinks this fits perfectly with where I am in this journey God has given me to enjoy. God continues to bless us with many material blessing for which I am grateful but I am also very thankful for the children, husband, and family He has blessed me with. May I continue to be thankful and open to ALL the blessing HE chooses to bless me with. And may I ask God's guidance in all decisions I make.
Do you ask God's guidance in your decisions? Do you have the same view as God on Bible topics? Does God guide your footsteps? Does He help you build your "house"? If not WHY not? According to these verses if we aren't consulting God in our decisions then we are laboring in vain. WOW...what a challenge! May we all be challenged in each of our decisions to consult God first and read what HE has to say about the matter. God is the ONLY one we will have to answer to. We are called to be different, to be in the world but NOT of the world. Are you different? Are you trusting and obeying or are you following with what the world says or what YOU want to do. May we learn to trust and obey more each step of the way!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Here I go...again :)
Well...it's been a while since I blogged last. I have been asked by a friend to be a guest on her blog and talk about organic, natural, frugal, and local items.
So first, I will introduce myself. I'm Brandy, wife to Matthew, and Mama to 5 wonderful blessings 2 boys and 3 girls: Justin, Isabella, Isaiah, Julianna, and Jessie. I am a Christian first and foremost in my life. I enjoy cooking, learning about natural health, canning, learning and studying the Bible, spending time with my family, and learning about relying less on "bought" things.
My objective in blogging has always been to challenge myself and others in changing their current way of mind or doing things and in turn better ourselves. The title of my blog is Learning to Trust and Obey Each Step of the Way. We aren't perfect, never will be, but we can strive to do a little better each step we take. I've learned over the past years that we may not understand the how or the why at the time but God already knows our destiny. He knows my heart and He knows yours. I hope to encourage each of you in this blog about natural, frugal, and local items to think about the choices we are making by the things we buy, the way we spend, and the influences those things have on our bodies, our children's bodies, and the future.
I would like to offer the readers here a chance to buy some things. Some will be natural, some will be organic, some will be local. If you have ideas or resources available you'd like to share, please, feel free to contact me!
The first offer will, Lord willing, be maple syrup from the Amish community in Ethridge, TN. It will be $8 quart and $5 a pint. I am taking orders now. You can place your order at frugalmoms_coop@hushmail.com I will stop taking orders on 9/15/12.
I also want to let everyone know about a couple of websites each time I blog that will assist on our journey to learning more about organic, natural, frugal, and local items. The first is Azure Standard and the second is
Azure Tullahoma Facebook page. Please let me know if I can assist you in setting up and ordering from Azure. They have been a great blessing in my life and I know they will yours too. They have natural and organic items at a fraction of the cost from local stores such as Kroger and Whole Foods :)
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
So first, I will introduce myself. I'm Brandy, wife to Matthew, and Mama to 5 wonderful blessings 2 boys and 3 girls: Justin, Isabella, Isaiah, Julianna, and Jessie. I am a Christian first and foremost in my life. I enjoy cooking, learning about natural health, canning, learning and studying the Bible, spending time with my family, and learning about relying less on "bought" things.
My objective in blogging has always been to challenge myself and others in changing their current way of mind or doing things and in turn better ourselves. The title of my blog is Learning to Trust and Obey Each Step of the Way. We aren't perfect, never will be, but we can strive to do a little better each step we take. I've learned over the past years that we may not understand the how or the why at the time but God already knows our destiny. He knows my heart and He knows yours. I hope to encourage each of you in this blog about natural, frugal, and local items to think about the choices we are making by the things we buy, the way we spend, and the influences those things have on our bodies, our children's bodies, and the future.
I would like to offer the readers here a chance to buy some things. Some will be natural, some will be organic, some will be local. If you have ideas or resources available you'd like to share, please, feel free to contact me!
The first offer will, Lord willing, be maple syrup from the Amish community in Ethridge, TN. It will be $8 quart and $5 a pint. I am taking orders now. You can place your order at frugalmoms_coop@hushmail.com I will stop taking orders on 9/15/12.
I also want to let everyone know about a couple of websites each time I blog that will assist on our journey to learning more about organic, natural, frugal, and local items. The first is Azure Standard and the second is
Azure Tullahoma Facebook page. Please let me know if I can assist you in setting up and ordering from Azure. They have been a great blessing in my life and I know they will yours too. They have natural and organic items at a fraction of the cost from local stores such as Kroger and Whole Foods :)
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
I am ...... BLESSED!
Wow...I can't believe it's been a year since I last blogged. Thanks to
the encouragement of a very special lady I decided I'd write a post and
hopefully I can remember to take the time to do it more often.
A lot of things have happened that have changed my life and way of thinking since I last typed my thoughts, so this blog post will be to catch my "few" readers up. To start things off God blessed us with a special blessing who was named before we knew whether she was a boy or a girl. "Jessie" was chosen very early in my pregnancy which means "God is gracious" and Kayt which means "pure"was chosen after my mom. My pregnancy was interesting as I vomited almost daily for 26 weeks even with meds. It made me rely on my husband and children more. And I didn't get to put up all the veggies I had originally planned to. I think God was showing me that sometimes His plans are different than mine, even when I think I have it all figured out.
Jessie has blessed my life beyond measure. I can't remember life before her. She is the most content little girl. She hardly ever cries, will lay in the bed and play, or is happy to just sit in your lap and look around. She wasn't supposed to be born until January 23rd but God had different plans for us. With 3 out of 4 babies coming early we decided early on in my pregnancy that we would try the progesterone shots to hopefully delay labor and make it to term. My labor with Jessie wasn't like the labor with my other four children. It was a lot longer. I started having contractions on December 30th at around midnight so I thought for sure that she'd be born on New Year's Eve since most of my labors have been around 4-8 hrs but not this one it was 24 hours long not counting the day before when I had been up all day. Jessie made her appearance into this world on January 1st, 2012 as the New Year's baby in both Lincoln and Moore Counties. She then started "humming" when she was a few hours old and after a chest xray and two wonderful Docs listening to us we got transferred to Vanderbilt due to her having a pneumothorax and pneumonia. We then spent 10 days in the NICU at Vanderbilt due to her having to receive IV antibiotics. Those were 10 of the most trying days I have experienced in a long time. They taught me to rely on God more and myself less. They taught me that material things aren't important. And they taught me that God has a plan for each of us even before we are conceived.
The day before Jessie was to be discharged from Vanderbilt my sister, Ivy, her husband, Daryl and my niece Molly came to visit. They wouldn't let Molly in the NICU to see us but Ivy was concerned about the shape of Molly's head so I went out to take a look. I knew immediately that something wasn't right but never in a million years would I have thought that she had brain cancer. We went home the next day and Molly was admitted to Vanderbilt. That was the beginning of an event that has forever changed my life and those around me.
Molly had a shunt placed due to hydrocephalus that same week. The next few weeks she had good days and not so good days. On Feb 13 we found out that Molly had cancer. We were uncertain at what the next few days held as they did more testing. We found out later that week that she had AT/RT a rare aggressive form of brain cancer. She came home for the weekend and we lined up a dear friend and wonderful photographer to come and make family photos at Ivy and Daryl's house. Molly began chemo the next week. After the first round of chemo my sister and her husband made the choice that no parent ever wants to make for their child. They decided to stop the chemo and let Molly be at home with us, her family, in her last days. I am so thankful to them for making that choice. We got to spend time with our sweet Molly that otherwise would have been spent apart. My children got to hold her and love her. We got to capture sweet pictures of Molly and Jessie together that otherwise would have never been captured.
God blessed our lives when He gave Molly to Ivy and Daryl. And I am thankful each day that they let me be there the day she was born and the day she went to be with Jesus. She had a powerful influence over so many lives. She caused people that I have known for years who always looked for the negative in things to find the positive. (since Molly came along I've not seen one negative thing on her facebook) Molly gave us all a renewed hope to get to Heaven so that we can be with her again someday. She made me live out the words "I'll be praying for you" more than I ever had. I did what I said I would when I told people I was praying instead of just saying it and then kind of "forgetting". She made me realize that though everyone thinks I have it together, I am far from it. For without God I am nothing. She made me realize the important things in life are people and their souls. And that if my children do nothing more in this life but get to Heaven and teach others how to get there I have done my job. School got put on the back burner during Jessie's hospitalization and during Molly's illness for LIFE is far more important than facts. She brought our family closer. I am thankful to God each day for blessing my life with Molly for she has made me a better person.
In the past two months I have been going back to the produce auction. I love that place :) I have gotten lots of goodies such as carrots, blueberries, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, cabbage, and lots of other things. I have put lots of things in the freezer for this winter. I've also become drop manager for a group called Azure Standard the are a natural/organic/bulk food source that you place and order with and they deliver it once a month. I love it...No more going to Wal-Mart and buying low quality produce and things from who knows where, I can place my order for all month long and have it delivered.
AND We started building our long awaited home.... We were planning to wait until spring next year but with interest rates low and building material low and ....and... and the fact that as a family of 7 living in a 1200 sq ft garage with a burning toilet and 1 shower we are beginning to feel a bit cramped. It's been a fun process so far. I can't wait to get it finished and move in. The girls will have a room, the boys a room, a guest room, a laundry room/closet, pantry, and the kitchen, dining, and living room will be one open space. Each bedroom has a full bath and we are going to have a loft and small basement. My luxury items are a commercial stove and dishwasher. I think we'll all enjoy it since I can cook pancakes and we can all eat them at the same time ;)
Wow...again....I just wrote a mini book~ sorry about that.... maybe next time I won't wait as long :) I leave you with this verse : John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If we aren't in Jesus then we are NOTHING. Please, if you aren't in Jesus get that way. There is so much to look forward to when we are in Him and so much to dread when we aren't.
A lot of things have happened that have changed my life and way of thinking since I last typed my thoughts, so this blog post will be to catch my "few" readers up. To start things off God blessed us with a special blessing who was named before we knew whether she was a boy or a girl. "Jessie" was chosen very early in my pregnancy which means "God is gracious" and Kayt which means "pure"was chosen after my mom. My pregnancy was interesting as I vomited almost daily for 26 weeks even with meds. It made me rely on my husband and children more. And I didn't get to put up all the veggies I had originally planned to. I think God was showing me that sometimes His plans are different than mine, even when I think I have it all figured out.
Jessie has blessed my life beyond measure. I can't remember life before her. She is the most content little girl. She hardly ever cries, will lay in the bed and play, or is happy to just sit in your lap and look around. She wasn't supposed to be born until January 23rd but God had different plans for us. With 3 out of 4 babies coming early we decided early on in my pregnancy that we would try the progesterone shots to hopefully delay labor and make it to term. My labor with Jessie wasn't like the labor with my other four children. It was a lot longer. I started having contractions on December 30th at around midnight so I thought for sure that she'd be born on New Year's Eve since most of my labors have been around 4-8 hrs but not this one it was 24 hours long not counting the day before when I had been up all day. Jessie made her appearance into this world on January 1st, 2012 as the New Year's baby in both Lincoln and Moore Counties. She then started "humming" when she was a few hours old and after a chest xray and two wonderful Docs listening to us we got transferred to Vanderbilt due to her having a pneumothorax and pneumonia. We then spent 10 days in the NICU at Vanderbilt due to her having to receive IV antibiotics. Those were 10 of the most trying days I have experienced in a long time. They taught me to rely on God more and myself less. They taught me that material things aren't important. And they taught me that God has a plan for each of us even before we are conceived.
The day before Jessie was to be discharged from Vanderbilt my sister, Ivy, her husband, Daryl and my niece Molly came to visit. They wouldn't let Molly in the NICU to see us but Ivy was concerned about the shape of Molly's head so I went out to take a look. I knew immediately that something wasn't right but never in a million years would I have thought that she had brain cancer. We went home the next day and Molly was admitted to Vanderbilt. That was the beginning of an event that has forever changed my life and those around me.
Molly had a shunt placed due to hydrocephalus that same week. The next few weeks she had good days and not so good days. On Feb 13 we found out that Molly had cancer. We were uncertain at what the next few days held as they did more testing. We found out later that week that she had AT/RT a rare aggressive form of brain cancer. She came home for the weekend and we lined up a dear friend and wonderful photographer to come and make family photos at Ivy and Daryl's house. Molly began chemo the next week. After the first round of chemo my sister and her husband made the choice that no parent ever wants to make for their child. They decided to stop the chemo and let Molly be at home with us, her family, in her last days. I am so thankful to them for making that choice. We got to spend time with our sweet Molly that otherwise would have been spent apart. My children got to hold her and love her. We got to capture sweet pictures of Molly and Jessie together that otherwise would have never been captured.
God blessed our lives when He gave Molly to Ivy and Daryl. And I am thankful each day that they let me be there the day she was born and the day she went to be with Jesus. She had a powerful influence over so many lives. She caused people that I have known for years who always looked for the negative in things to find the positive. (since Molly came along I've not seen one negative thing on her facebook) Molly gave us all a renewed hope to get to Heaven so that we can be with her again someday. She made me live out the words "I'll be praying for you" more than I ever had. I did what I said I would when I told people I was praying instead of just saying it and then kind of "forgetting". She made me realize that though everyone thinks I have it together, I am far from it. For without God I am nothing. She made me realize the important things in life are people and their souls. And that if my children do nothing more in this life but get to Heaven and teach others how to get there I have done my job. School got put on the back burner during Jessie's hospitalization and during Molly's illness for LIFE is far more important than facts. She brought our family closer. I am thankful to God each day for blessing my life with Molly for she has made me a better person.
In the past two months I have been going back to the produce auction. I love that place :) I have gotten lots of goodies such as carrots, blueberries, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, cabbage, and lots of other things. I have put lots of things in the freezer for this winter. I've also become drop manager for a group called Azure Standard the are a natural/organic/bulk food source that you place and order with and they deliver it once a month. I love it...No more going to Wal-Mart and buying low quality produce and things from who knows where, I can place my order for all month long and have it delivered.
AND We started building our long awaited home.... We were planning to wait until spring next year but with interest rates low and building material low and ....and... and the fact that as a family of 7 living in a 1200 sq ft garage with a burning toilet and 1 shower we are beginning to feel a bit cramped. It's been a fun process so far. I can't wait to get it finished and move in. The girls will have a room, the boys a room, a guest room, a laundry room/closet, pantry, and the kitchen, dining, and living room will be one open space. Each bedroom has a full bath and we are going to have a loft and small basement. My luxury items are a commercial stove and dishwasher. I think we'll all enjoy it since I can cook pancakes and we can all eat them at the same time ;)
Wow...again....I just wrote a mini book~ sorry about that.... maybe next time I won't wait as long :) I leave you with this verse : John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If we aren't in Jesus then we are NOTHING. Please, if you aren't in Jesus get that way. There is so much to look forward to when we are in Him and so much to dread when we aren't.
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