new waters

As it turns out, I qualify for WIC because of our tiny human that's taken up residence in my abdomen.   I wasn't really sure what to expect of the program, but our income was just low enough that we "got in."   The process was relatively easy-  bring a few paystubs, our IDs, and proof that said tiny human existed. ...  First time really being identified as a "family of three" -  even though most places wouldn't count an unborn child as a person (for discounts and such), WIC did. It was encouraging to have someone other than the church acknowledge our little one as "counting."

It is humbling being "part" of this government-sponsored program, but humbling in a good way - we're in-between jobs right now, and I know we need to be very, very frugal with the finances God has given us as we wait on His timing. I truly believe He allowed us to make "just enough" to qualify - really, we're only a thousand-or-so dollars away from the cutoff - for WIC and still be able to pay for some of our loans. It's allowed us to be able to bless other people financially as well with the few dollars that could have been spent on milk or eggs.

Then this morning we took another step of trusting God's provision, if you could call it that-  the woman who set us up with WIC told us about a free food pantry (not income-based, just free for residents of our county) just down the road from us. . . So we ventured downtown and parked at a meter - 25cents for a half an hour - culture shock for this city girl :p - then went inside to sign in and sit in the waiting room. We only waited for about 40 minutes as people were "called back" to get their groceries and such. The atmosphere was so much fun - people either knew each other or acted like they did. There was a Korean War veteran, an Army vet, a couple with a yearling, a gaggle of old ladies, and a Sophia(from the Golden Girls)-act-a-like, as well as many, many mustaches.  (I told David I felt left out that I didn't have one!). We amused ourselves by watching (among all these people) a tiny chihuahua and its owner across the street at a bike shop. When we got called back, all the volunteers were very friendly and "got us through" quickly.  Fun fact of the day - we got at least a pound and a half of venison!  ... I remember one of David's coworkers telling us that the farmers and hunters in the area donate their deer meat) It was a really neat experience, and we can go back each week if we need to!    God really is good, and He's provided so much!



Additionally, we got to go to a baby shower - for our very own tiny person!  Our church family here threw us a shower - announced it on the 13th, and held it the 20th. It was so much fun - a bring-a-dish-to-pass meal (that's more fun to say than "potluck") that they call a "Clean Culinary" because each family is to bring their own place settings. They had a baby food guessing game - I did pretty well, and the pastor's daughter - 14 years old - made such great faces when tasting the food .... much like babies do! :D  The other game they did was a drinking contest - apple juice in baby bottles. I couldn't get the cap off my bottle, the college-kid David just started chugging (ha!), and the 96-year-old sweetheart Thelma kept taking the whole top off to swig "when no one was looking."   I just sipped it occasionally and encouraged Thelma :D  ... then I had to go wash my mouth out with some of my sweet tea from all that baby food and juice haha.

Then David came and sat by me and we opened presents since our little one can't reach through my tummy and open them on his/her own yet.  Baby was given so much neat / useful stuff!  Some of it was from the registry, and some of it was "from" the registry found elsewhere, and some of it was just neat stuff that we didn't register for! :)  Baby is already so blessed, and not even born!  They gave us several cute outfits, hats, mittens, blankets (one homemade swaddler, and a stroller blanket, too!), an umbrella stroller for when baby's bigger, lots of books - a set of Planes board books that Papa already read - a whale bathtub we had on the registry, some diapers, wipes, and wash / lotion, ...

All we really need is our stroller/carseat combo - this one - to take baby home. . . since we have a Pack 'N Play already, but we'd like a crib, mattress, and changing dresser, as well. ...   We're well on the way to purchasing our travel system with gift cards from baby's fans :)
We're so grateful that so many people have been praying for us and gifting us with things for this little one. God truly is good, and we want to remember that to tell our little squishy every day.

Blessing-gift #1 - wild in the city

I might as well share the little bits of amazingness that God daily touched my inmost me with on a basically daily basis...
because i've been trying to apply thankfulness lately. so yay!

:D


I had two-and-a-half rather rough classes of 7th/8th graders today, but God used those three classes as a backdrop to a wonderful-good blessing to finish out the work day.

While the last class of kids was coming in, I was walking around tidying chairs and papers. The kids started gathering by the window in the corner of the room, and a few of them started yelling, "Bambi!! It's Bambi!!" I looked toward the window, but didnt' see anything. The kids kept shouting, so I put the papers down on the teacher's desk and walked toward the window. There, on the slightly suburban lawn of the slightly suburban school's slightly suburban playground, was a whitetail doe and an incredibly young whitetail fawn, all speckly in the just-washed grass.

blessing #6 - climate change

methinks I need to update more often, because then i might have more quality posts / at least post more than once a month.
i am moving to a wee bit south of miami, and looking forward to a change of pace . . . Going to be teaching at a Christian school down there - 5th grade!  Open to all of your advices!

side note - g'bye party at Crystie Long's this Sunday evening after church. come from wherever you are. and if you can't come ..
GET SKYPE. so we can talk once i'm in FLORIDA. craziness.

God is good.

I finished my huge portfolio, so other than discussion questions, I am DONE with classes. (other than student teaching, too, i guess).

it CRAZY-STORMED here tonight. as in, the rain was so loud I could barely hear the (slightly-old) news about the heartbreaks in Norway. it's amazing how big God is. He can create just by speaking. He can stop things just by speaking ... yet He humbled Himself to take my place, my punishment!

What a wonderful saviour!

June Bugs and a fat sparrow (blessing #3)

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:26-27, Jesus speaking). 


So I considered a lone sparrow, happily feasting on hundreds of dead June bugs outside of a quiet video store one day this past week. The tiny speckled bird had no concerns darkening his feathers, but was darting about feasting on the fallen bugs (which most likely died after encountering the store's sign or some such chaos).
There were no other birds about when I noticed him (or was it a she?), but the voracity with which the little bird gobbled up insects showed me how much trust - if you can call what animals have trust - was placed in its provider.

May my trust be the same in the Creator, whether surrounded by plenty or living with one mere june bug.

blessing #1 and #2 - wild in the city / alive in the city

I might as well share the little bits of amazingness that God daily touched my inmost me with on a basically daily basis... 

because i've been trying to apply thankfulness lately. so yay! 

:D 

I had two-and-a-half rather rough classes of 7th/8th graders yesterday, but God used those three classes as a backdrop to a wonderful-good blessing to finish out the work day. 

While the last class of kids was coming in, I was walking around tidying chairs and papers. The kids started gathering by the window in the corner of the room, and a few of them started yelling, "Bambi!! It's Bambi!!" I looked toward the window, but didnt' see anything. The kids kept shouting, so I put the papers down on the teacher's desk and walked toward the window. There, on the slightly suburban lawn of the slightly suburban school's slightly suburban playground, was a whitetail doe and an incredibly young whitetail fawn, all speckly in the just-washed grass. The fawn started suckling, the kids got freaked out until I told them it was just drinking, and the oohs ensued until both deer noticed the ruckus going on in the window and pranced off. The students gradually disbanded, I took attendance, and math papers started getting covered in lead and ink. 

Today I was driving home from spending a few hours with second graders. We'd started out by watching some of Madeleine on a VHS, then worked on assorted assignments. After sending everyone home (at the appropriate time, of course!), I got into the car and drove down Division (aka Plainfield). Blessing #2 happened on a side street - I witnessed a walker-bound man attempting to help another men up from the pavement where he'd fallen. It's things like this that really ought to make the news, not death and destruction. So there it is - whoever you are, thank you for humbling yourself and helping up a man in need, even though you, yourself, are so obviously in need. Even if this man is not a God-follower, God used him to show me that His love can be displayed ...somehow =) woo hoo! 

Can't Touch This!

There is nothing - no circumstance, no trouble, no testing - that can ever touch me until, first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as i lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circumstance will cause me to fret - for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is - that is the rest of victory.
~based on Romans 8:28-29, by Alan Redpath (former pastor of Moody Church)