Another Story ... Another Miracle ...

You're probably tired of furniture stories by now, but it's really not about the furniture ... it's about the Story of God's Faithfulness and love ... and how He wants to bless us in the smallest details of our lives.


When we brought the children home from Ghana 3 1/2 years ago, we bought a new dining table to fit our ever-expanding family.  We found a great deal on Craigslist for a solid oak table with 3 leaves (which expands to 108").  We LOVE the table.  However, the table only came with 4 chairs.  


Shortly after buying the table, I found an ad in the newspaper for $5 chairs from a Cafe that had re-decorated.  So, I sent Jim right off to the city to buy 14 of the $5 chairs.  They've been good chairs.  They've held up well to our high-traffic dining room.  But ... they didn't match.


Now, our furniture style has always been a totally eclectic mix of hand-me-downs, so matching really hasn't been a problem.  But, when I started looking at solid oak hutches to match my solid oak dining table and 4 chairs, I thought, "It might be nice to find some solid oak chairs to match."


A friend of mine has been looking for a solid oak table, but she didn't need the chairs.  So, a shopping we did go ... driving hither and yon to Craigslist listings.  I did find some chairs that I liked, but the tables weren't really what she was looking for.  And, the chairs and tables are always sold as a set.  We both went home empty handed.


I continued to look for a set of table and chairs for a really good price, thinking that maybe I would keep the chairs and re-sell the table.  Finally ... just down the street ... I found a beautiful oak table ... with 3 chairs.  Three?  Really?  I was looking for at least 4, and hopefully 6.  But, 3 was just not going to work for me.


The very next day, I was working around the house when I suddenly told the kids, "I'm going to go visit the antique stores downtown."  It has been years since I had visited those particular antique stores.  In the first store I walked into ... right by the front door ... sat 3 solid oak chairs.  Seriously?  3.  Yes.  3.  That were nearly identical to the 3 that were being sold with the table down the street.  


I quickly emailed the people with the table set, and offered them a bit less since it only came with 3 chairs.  They accepted.  I raced down to the antique store the next morning right when they opened, and made a deal for their 3 chairs.  By that evening I had a beautiful solid oak table (which expands to 96") with 6 chairs for at total of only $175.


I probably could have sold the table for that same amount, but decided instead to keep it.  Our Family Room has always just had an old picnic table from Grandpa's cabin for game playing and school work.   Now, it has a beautiful new oak table ... with 6 of the old Cafe chairs around it (since the 6 new oak chairs are in the dining room with our original 4 chairs).


And, just to even out the Re-Decorating balance sheet, we sold 6 of the Cafe chairs for $40.


Isn't that crazy?  Have you ever seen chairs sold in sets of 3?  How about 2 nearly identical sets ... for sale the same week ... in the same little farming town ... just a few blocks apart.


Only God.

It's Nice To Be HOME

This past summer, Papa applied for a LOT of jobs ... all over the state.  We were willing to move anywhere a job might take us.  However, we are so very glad that the Lord chose to keep us here.


We love our house, and are having so much fun with the re-decorating project.


We love living in a small farming community, and we love the summer jobs that are always available for our teens at the berry farms.


We love the track coach at the high school, that 4 of our kids have already been blessed to run for, and Hosanna is excited to run for next spring.


We love the mountain "in our backyard".


We love the smell of the dairies.  Seriously.  It means "home" to us.


For the past 2 years, we didn't feel like we knew where "Home" was.  Our house was on the market on and off.  Papa was working on the island for 16 months.  The kids and I were here, there, and everywhere (here in our house for sale ... on the island in the Little Cabin In The Woods ... on three separate cross country road trips, for a total of over 3 months).


For the first time in 2 years, we are really feeling like we are "Home" ... and it's a very good feeling.


Driving home from the cross country meet last week, Hosanna picked up my camera and took a few shots.  

This is "Home".  

(All pics were taken within 3 miles of our house.)

The Mountains in the Distance ... Always so Beautiful!

(We have never driven to the mountain in the winter time,

because our BIG van just wasn't a "snow mobile".

However, we are all excited to go this winter,

in our new-to-us 4x4 SUV.  Oh yea!  What fun!)

The Farms ... Always so Peaceful!

I often dream about what it would be like to live on 100 acres.

But, for now, I am quite content driving by and dreaming.

Just driving through the farmland brings me such peace.

What a cute photographer!

Another Budding Photographer

Elijah (9) has shown great interest in taking pictures, so I let him give my Nikon D70 a try at Ben's last Cross Country Meet.

Run, Ben, Run!

What does a photographer do at a cross country meet,

when all of the boys are off running in the woods?

Find other things to take pictures of, of course.

The boys are back, headed to the finish line.

Nice job on the pics, Elijah!

A Modern-Day Proverbs 31 Woman

A friend posted a link to this on FB today and I thought I'd share it with you ...

10: A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies–so buy her diamonds.

11: Her husband knows that she has everything under control and he has nothing to complain about.

12: She is the source of the goodness in his life–not the harm.

13: She selects denim and cotton-poly blends from the discount rack and works eagerly with her hands to remove the price stickers so her children will not know that their trendy clothes were bought on clearance.

14: She shops at Target and WalMart and occasionally goes all the way across town to Aldi’s in order to get the best value for her money.

15: She is up before the sun, pouring cereal and packing lunches.

16: She considers an old dresser at a yard sale and buys it, and with the money she saved on her grocery bill, she is able to buy paint and new knobs for the dresser.

17: She sets about her work vigorously; she can carry two loads of laundry and a child without breaking a sweat.

18: She sells the dresser on eBay and stays up late waiting to see how much profit she’s made.

19: She replaces missing buttons and mends holes in everyone’s clothing.

20: She donates to the food bank and gives blood regularly.

21: When it snows, she has no fear for her household–it’s too bad if they don’t like the bright red hats and scarves; at least they’ll be warm.

22: She makes the beds and manages to pull together matching outfits for herself.

23: Her husband goes off to work, where he sits with the other businessmen.

24: She chooses something she’s good at and figures out how to make money by doing it.

25: Outwardly, she is clothed with strength and dignity, even if she’s missing an under-wire and she had to grab a longer skirt to hide the huge hole in her pantyhose. She can laugh at the days to come because all the kids’ science projects are done, and last year’s Halloween costume will be adequate for the school play.

26: She speaks with wisdom, and consistent instruction is on her tongue.

27: She pays the bills and makes sure everyone gets to the right swimming lessons on the right day. She does not eat the bread of idleness, because she is on Atkins.

28: Her children yell, “Thanks, Mom” as they grab their lunch and run out the door. Her husband also says,

29: “Thanks, Babe. You’re the best.”

30: Charm only gets you so far, and beauty is temporary, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31: Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her respect wherever she goes.

This is from The Not So SAHM, posted in January 2008.  I haven't heard of her blog  before, but am looking forward to reading more.

You Know You Are Sick When ...

... you don't even have enough energy to read blogs.

Seriously.  I got knocked flat the past 2 days with a nasty head cold.  We got home from the State Fair on Saturday night at midnight (pics coming).  I felt something coming on all day, which got worse and worse during the 3 hour drive home (no good, being that I was the only driver).

Anyway, when  I got home I wrote a note for Jim (he was fast asleep) telling him that I was sick and would not be joining him for church in the morning.  Then, I crawled into bed and pretty much passed out for the next 42 hours ... finally emerging from my bedroom at 6:oo tonight (Monday).

I awoke a couple times ... had the kids bring me my laptop ... checked emails ... and wanted to read blogs.  But my head was too fuzzy to read.  So sad.  What a waste of a lot of good hours, that I could have been catching up with all of you.  

Still too tired and fuzzy to catch up with all of you this evening, but hoping to feel better in the next day or two.

Hope you all are having a good week!

Oh yes ...

Next time you are sick ...  Stay.  Home.  Please.  Don't take your illness out into the world to infect others.  Seriously.  A week ago, we sat in front of someone at church who was clearly sick.  They sneezed on our family the whole service.  I sat there and thought, "I sure hope we don't all get sick."  Guess what?  Six of the eight of us have been knocked flat in the past 8 days.  So. Not. Fun.   I really wish the guy behind us had stayed home last week.

Shopping For Maternity Clothes

No.  This is not an announcement.  I am not pregnant, though it is on my heart that I would have been 8 months pregnant if I hadn't lost the baby last March.  One friend had a baby last month (baby #6) and another friend had a baby last week (#7); and while I totally REJOICE with these families, it does make me sad that I am not expecting a precious little one next month.


However, I did go Maternity Clothes shopping last month ... and, as I told you in the last post, I was shopping in the Baby Section of Target this week.  So, babies have been on my mind.






While this is not an announcement of a pregnancy for Mama, I do have an announcement to make.  We have a GRAND-BABY coming in the spring.  Yes. We. Do.  

Gregg's girlfriend, Kayla, is expecting.  A few weeks ago, I met Kayla 1/2 way for lunch (they live 150 miles away) and took her shopping for her first Maternity Clothes.  Much Fun!


Please pray for Kayla.  Just 2 weeks before she found out she was expecting, her dad passed away suddenly.  The loss of such a young dad (just 40) and an unplanned pregnancy coming at the same time has been a lot to process.  Please also pray for Gregg & Kayla, that they would allow the Lord to direct their relationship ... that they would seek after Him with all of their hearts ... and that He would give them grace, peace, and wisdom during this time.


While we realize that the timing of this pregnancy may not be the best, we KNOW that CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING ... any time and all the time.  We have welcomed Kayla into our family, and are doing anything and everything we can to love and support her during this time.  We have a very close relationship with Gregg, and are walking this new journey with him.


And, regardless of the timing, we are EXCITED to be grandparents.  Woo Hoo!!!

The Gift

I shared this story with you earlier this week ...


On the "wanted" pages (of Craigslist), I found a young mom desperate for a Crib for her 16 month old son.  She has lost her house, doesn't have a car, and sounds to be just a very needy young mom. And, guess what?  Our crib hadn't sold at the garage sale, either.  I popped her an email telling her that we would love to give her a crib.  We will be delivering it to her tomorrow.


On Wednesday, we pulled out the old crib to make the delivery (to the motel this young mom is living at).


When we had gotten it out for the Garage Sale, we knew it was missing a couple of nuts and bolts, but were willing to sell it cheap, knowing the new owner could go buy whatever was needed.  However ... we were now not selling an old crib ... we were giving a gift ... and the Lord clearly told me that I needed to care about what type of gift I was giving (and not just be excited to clean out the garage).


We took a few minutes to find out what it needed, popped the crib in the back of Ben's new truck, and Ben and I headed to the hardware store for nuts, bolts, and new wheels.  Then off to a nearby town we headed, to find the motel.


Now, I had told this young mom right up front that we only had the crib frame, and that we didn't have a mattress.  She said not to worry, she would find a mattress.  But ... the Lord spoke clearly again:  this was to be a gift ... a nice gift ... a gift from Him ... and it needed to be ALL that this mom needed in a crib.


Ben and I drove up to this motel with absolutely no idea what type of situation we were walking into.  All we knew was there was a mom that needed a crib.  It was a bit unnerving to walk up to the door of the motel room.  But, I knew that the Lord had directed us here.


What we found was a sweet young family that had had some tough breaks.  The husband had been unemployed much of the year.  They were evicted from their apartment for failure to pay their rent.  They had lived with his Grandma, but she had just moved across the country.  So, here they were ... in a motel room ... with their 16 month old son ... who had broken his playpen by jumping too hard ... and they needed a crib.


After setting up the crib, I asked if they had gotten a mattress for it.  "No."  I told them that we would head to the nearby city and return with a mattress. Into the city we headed ... 


Not having bought a crib mattress in who knows how many years, I didn't even know where to buy one, nor how expensive they are.  (But, trusted that the Lord knew all of that ahead of time.)  We struck out at the first store.  (I KNOW they sold crib mattresses there about 10 years ago.)  Then off to Target we headed.  It's been a very long time since I've shopped in the Baby Section, but I found my way around and checked things off my list ...


Crib Mattress - check


Crib Sheet - check


Comfy Baby Blanket - check


Cute Pajamas for the Little Guy - check




Back to the motel we headed, REJOICING that the Lord has BLESSED us so that we can BLESS others.  


Seriously.  Shopping for this baby stuff was much more fun than the re-decorating shopping I've been doing.  I was so BLESSED to have the opportunity to give this young family such an unexpected GIFT.


Today, this young mama and I have exchanged several emails.  She wrote to thank me ... but she also wrote to share her story.  And, she wrote to ask me if I could teach her some things about parenting.  This young couple is all alone ... with no involved friends or family ... trying desperately to learn how to make their marriage work, how to make things work financially, and how to parent.


When I found the "wanted" ad by a mama that needed a crib, it was the very first time I had ever looked at the "wanted" section.


When this young mama placed her ad for a "crib wanted", it was the very first time that she had ever placed a "wanted" ad.


God knew.


God directed.


I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this new relationship.  I am sure that it is about more than just cribs, sheets, blankets, and cute jammies.


Please pray for this sweet young family ... 

More Provision ... More Blessing ... Every Little Detail ... We Stand In AWE!

Last Sunday, I shared with you how the Lord was directing the sale and purchases of furniture, through Garage Sales & Craigslist, for our Re-Decorating Project.  For 2 weeks, I had bought and sold things back and forth.  At the end of 2 weeks, I had sold $695 worth of furniture and purchased $700 worth.  We praised Jesus for His direction of our finances, and provision of some beautiful new furniture and a piano.


I still wanted to buy a Solid Oak Country-Style Hutch for the dining room, and was spending hours scouring Craigslist for the right piece at the right price.  (The spot for it was a pretty small corner that needed a hutch with just the right measurements.)  I finally found a hutch 2 1/2 hours away, but it wouldn't fit into the back of our new-to-us SUV (first time I actually missed having the BIG van).  So, I had decided to rent a U-Haul and spend the $75 or so on gas to go get it.  I was planning to make the trip on Saturday.


However ... today, a new hutch popped up on Craigslist.  It was only 45 minutes away and it would fit into the back of the SUV.  And ... it was less expensive.  We jumped in the rig tonight and headed up to Canada to buy Mama's Hutch.  Oh my!  It is beautiful!

Now ... I realize that there are a lot more important things in life than a hutch.  I know very well that I didn't need a hutch.  But, I have always loved the look of a nice country oak hutch, and I believe that this was a special gift to Mama from the Lord.  Much of the re-decorating is about the needs of the young ones and teens.  But this ... is just for Mama.  And ... that's okay.

After buying and selling $700 worth of furniture the past 2 weeks, Jim and I were totally okay with spending $225 on the hutch even if we hadn't sold anything else.  But ... the Lord had other plans.  This week, I sold the Loft Bed for $75, the Little Tikes Castle for $125, and the Little Tikes Climbing Cube for $50.  Seriously?!?! That covered the cost of the hutch and the gas to go get it. God is Oh. So. Amazing !!!


I totally thought that we would use some of the Adoption Tax Credit for our Re-Decorating Project ... and we haven't had to.  Unbelievable!  That just leaves us more to BLESS others with, which is so fun and exciting.  (Stay tuned for a way cool story, tomorrow.)

God's Abundant Blessings

I don't pretend to know all of the theological reasonings behind times of abundant blessings and times of famine (physically, emotionally, spiritually).  However, I do believe that sometimes God withholds His blessings while He is in the midst of doing a mighty and necessary work in our lives ... and sometimes He may pour out His blessings when He sees that we are responding to the work He is doing in our hearts and minds.


I do not believe it is a coincidence that we have seen His abundant blessings poured out on us in the past month ...


...  after months of waiting, 
     we received our Adoption Tax Credit.


...  after months of praying for painting jobs, 
     Jim has more job requests than he can do.
     He has been working 10-12 hours/day,
     6 days per week.


...  after months of rain,
     Jim has had abundant sunshine
     in which to complete his painting jobs.


...  after months of looking for a very specific SUV,
     with very low miles, at a reasonable price,
     we found the exact vehicle we'd been looking
     for (with the specific year and options package
     that we were looking for).  And, we "happened"
     to find this vehicle a week after we received
     the Adoption Tax Credit.


...  and, the amazing Garage Sales 
     and Craigslist Sales,
     combined with all of the purchases 
     we have been able to make from Craigslist,
     NOT a coincidence.






What happened a month ago?


After an 8 1/2 month critical Marriage Crisis, we were finally able to make some huge strides in re-building our 29 year marriage.


We had definitely been trying to work through things for the past 8 months, but it was a serious roller coaster ride.


God had definitely been providing for our every need during the months of unemployment (and we totally saw His blessings in that), but we certainly didn't have any "extra" during those months.




Sadly, it was a very serious crisis in our family that pulled us together.  It took a critical situation outside of our marriage, to show us how desperately we needed to be TOGETHER to face this new crisis.


The new crisis has brought much heartache and pain, but we are facing it TOGETHER.  We are holding each other when we cry.  We are responding to the crisis with a UNITED front. 


While the enemy is doing all that He can to destroy the work of the Lord in our family, we are WALKING SIDE-BY-SIDE in this crisis.  


While we are grieving the loss of relationships within our family, Jim and I will NOT be divided.




Oops.  Got side-tracked for just a minute.  Back to the Abundant Blessings part of it ...




For US, I definitely believe that the Lord was withholding some of His abundant blessings while He worked in our hearts.  We needed to be at the bottom of the barrel (financially, spiritually, emotionally)  in order to cling to Him ... in order to know that He was the only answer for our problems.  However ... this does NOT mean that it is your fault if you are facing a time of need.  No.  Not at all.  Sometimes we are walking through the tough stuff "just because".


If you haven't received your Tax Credit, that does not necessarily mean that God is withholding it ... it might just be the IRS-red-tape-process.  However, it could also be that the Lord has detained it for His purposes.


But ... whether in time of plenty or time of famine (financially, emotionally, spiritually) we must always be seeking the Lord for His grace ... His wisdom ... His truths in each and every situation.


While we would never want to repeat the journey that we have walked the past 8 months, we are thankful for all that the Lord has taught us through this time of famine, and we pray that He will use us to minister to others that are walking the same dry and difficult journey.


For now, though, we are PRAISING JESUS for HIS ABUNDANT BLESSINGS (financially, emotionally, relationally) and continuing provision for our family.




Please keep our family in your prayers ...


...  that the Lord would restore broken relationships.


...  that the enemy's plans would be STOPPED.
     (I believe that when he failed to destroy our
      marriage, he decided to work to destroy
      family relationships.  He snuck in the back door
      while no one was looking and ransacked our
      household before we knew what was happening.)


...  that we would ALL seek the LORD
      with ALL of our hearts, minds, & souls.

A Child's Menu?

Yesterday was Hosanna's 15th Birthday.  Woo Hoo!  I can't believe our Little Princess has grown up.  (Being 7 years younger than the next oldest sisters, and being surrounded by 2 boys on either side, she was definitely "The Princess" in her younger years.)


For Hosanna's Birthday, we bought things for her Teal & Pink Re-Decorated Bedroom:  3 new comforters (as the little sisters' needed to match), a lamp, a mirror, a pencil holder, and 2 picture frames.


Last night, I took Hosanna and a friend out-to-dinner and then to the bowling alley to bowl a couple of games.  When we walked into Red Robin, the hostess looked at me and said, "Do you need 2 Children's Menus?"  What?!  I quietly answered (as the girls hadn't heard the question), "No.  Two regular menus."


While walking us to our table, the hostess asked, "What are you doing today?  Have you had a good day?"  to which I responded, "We're celebrating my daughter's 15th birthday." (with an emphasis on the 15).


Both girls are in high school.  Hosanna has eaten off of the regular menu for quite a few years.  Since she's been a teenager, I do not remember ever being asked if she needed a Children's Menu (which I believe states is "for children through 10 years old).  


After we got seated, I did tell the girls about the conversation and we all thought it was pretty funny to be asked on her 15th birthday.


We had a fun evening ... and a good laugh.


Happy Birthday, Hosanna!

An Identity Crisis

A couple of months ago, a commenter said something that I felt was quite unusual.  It didn't feel like it even pertained to the ongoing discussion in the comments' section.  But, my mind has wandered to it often as we have been walking through so many changes the past few months.


The comment was ...

"stop defining yourself by your 

"big, crazy, Greek" family 

but be yourself"

"Really?", I thought.  

"How do I take the family out of 'me'?"

"How do I take 'me' out of our 'family'?"

Aren't we all somewhat defined by our families?  

Aren't our families defined by who we are?

Aren't we all defined by our careers?

Isn't my career as a mother obviously 

going to bring definition to who I am?

Who am I, if not "a mother of an extra-large family"?

Much pondering has taken place ...

The interesting thing is that this comment was made before all of the big changes took place the past couple of months.  I had no idea that such a huge identity crisis was headed our way.

We have had young adult children for 9 years.  Oh my!  And, those young adult children have come and gone and come and gone and come and gone for all of those years.  We've always had 1 or 2 or 3 or more young adults living here ... and we've LOVED it!

This past Spring/Summer we had 5 young adults living here at different times (in addition to our 6 younger children).  Vicky was here for 5 months.  Kati was here for just over 2 months.  Carissa was here about 4 months.  Josh was here for a month or so before his wedding.  Lindsey was in and out this summer (visiting from Denver).  Gregg, Ashleigh, Dean, and Cassie were all here for a week or so for Josh's wedding.  Our life was FULL of Big Kids.  

Now ... the Big Kids are gone.  And, most likely, they won't be returning to live here.  Vicky and Kati have both moved to Texas.  Lindsey is headed back to Colorado.  Carissa is living in Minnesota for a few months before returning to Argentina.  Jeremiah & Ashleigh are moving to Florida with the Navy.  Dean & Cassie are living in Minnesota.  Gregg lives a couple of hours away.  Josh & Hannah are busy with their new married life.

No more "big, crazy Greek family".

No more 15 passenger van.

No more 4 kids in a bedroom.

No more Hand & Foot Tournaments.

Only 8 chairs at the dining table

(which holds 14 with 3 leaves in).

Yes.  Life is a lot quieter around here,

with "only" 6 kids to keep me busy.

When we traded in the BIG van, Ben mentioned that we are now just a "normal" family.  We look like "everyone else" with our tan colored SUV.  We don't stand out any more.  We just blend in.

Is that a good thing?

I don't know.

I've always liked being "different".

I've always enjoyed being "not normal".

While I LOVE my new SUV, I do kind of miss driving my BIG van around town.  That van defined us for many years. (I've driven a 15 passenger van for 20 years.  That's a very long time to be defined as "the mom with the BIG van".)  People would see us coming and think, "There's the Big D. Family."

It is really weird blending in.

It's hard to figure out how we now define ourselves 

without all of the Big Kids ...

...  as a family.

...  as individuals.

Tomorrow the children and I will be going to a new homeschool group for the first time.  We will meet a lot of new people.  We will park our "normal" tan SUV in a parking lot (which will probably have more BIG vans than SUVs ... so we might be "not normal" after all).

How will I define our family when meeting new people?

"Hi.  I'm the mother of these 6 children."

It will be different being in a place where no one knows our Big Kids ... where no one knows that Jim was a teacher and a pastor (again, careers do define us) ... where no one knows us as the family with the BIG red van.

Still ... how will I define myself?

I'm a mom ... a homeschooling mom.

These are my 6 children.

My husband is a house painter.

We've been married 29 years.

(People will think we waited

11 years before having children.)

We drive a very normal tan SUV.

We live in a very normal house

(filled with boxes due to 

the re-organization project).

We love Jesus.

In actuality, we are still a "big family" ... we are still a "Greek family" ... and I am still defined by my career as a "mother of a large family".  The makeup of our family has changed ... the picture of who we are has changed ... and we definitely look a lot more "normal" now.  But, I can't really say that it's a good thing.  I kind of liked who we were ... and I miss my Big Kids.

I'm adjusting, though.  I'm enjoying the 6 children that I still have at home.  I'm excited about the re-organizing, re-decorating, and re-focusing.  I'm looking forward to the new homeschool program, with new friends for the children and new friends for mama.  Maybe I'll find my new identity there.

I thank the Lord for all of the years that Our Big Crazy Greek Family lived life to its fullest ... with passion and a bit of craziness ... and I pray that the Big Kids will always remember the Good Times that we had.


The young ones and I will be okay.  We'll find our "new normal".  We'll figure out who we are without all of the big kids.  It may just take us awhile.