Contest Winner is.....

Thank you to all who commented or who are following my little blog! I have drawn the name and the winner of the apron is.....................................................

Missy! Missy is a sweet young lady introduced to me by my hubby. (Although I have never really met her...just a dear friend via facebook and our blogs!) He used to teach in a Christian school on the east coast and knew her family from there! She has two darling little girls and a big hunk of a husband! Hehehe!! She is currently driving me crazy with her saga of house hunting!

Thanks Missy, first of all for your friendship...and good advice from time to time...and for commenting and following my blog!

We are still contemplating the purchase of "THE LOT"...We are having a difficult time getting information on it. We "walked" it yesterday after church and do know that it is narrow and long. We will probably need to put a house that is much deeper than it is wide on it if the Lord is willing that we should get it. I am getting kind of excited...but reserved. HAHAHA I AM NOT A RESERVED PERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not getting my hopes up too high yet, though. I certainly want to do what the dear Lord wants us to do even if it is not what BETH wants! I've tried it my own way too many times and I don't want to do that again! It is fairly close to our church and on good roads for the wintertime. It will be a bit farther to drive but actually it seems like it might be easier to get to a main road from there than it is from here. We are looking at modest homes to build on a basement.

We are kind of looking toward the future when our income will be significantly reduced. I certainly don't have a problem living more moderately. I have been under the conviction of the Lord...and my husband...to curb my spending and to bring less into our home. I have two blog buddies, "Persuaded" and "Candy" who are each influencing me in their own way. Candy is a minimalist. I would love to be able to be that, but without a miracle from God, that is impossible to me. My dearie, Persuaded, on the other hand, is NOT a minimalist. She is, however, a sweetie. She is also a collector of stuff...friends and loved ones would seem to be some of her favorites to collect...but she has started on a journey...a "no buy year" this year. WOW...I'm not sure I can do that! But she is doing a good job. She is only purchasing necessities. I'm so impressed and have been thinking of this and trying to implement it in my life. I have not had much success with it but I am still trying. I haven't been to the Goodwill Store in almost a week! Amazing, huh??

My husband is NOT convinced that I will be happy living in less space with less stuff. I have to make a change in my life for the better for me, for him, for my family and for the LORD! We have too much stuff that crowds our lives and IT ISN'T MAKING US HAPPY! So why do we do it? Why is it necessary to buy and keep stuff when we don't have to have it?

The whole tragedy in Haiti has hit me really hard. I look around our home and see all the stacks of stuff that I don't need and there are those dear people who have nothing. No, they don't need my useless stuff, but I don't need it either. It is hindering me/us from doing things that God wants us to do. We probably have "hospitality" as a gift and we aren't using it now for the Lord because we are always trying to get out from underneath all our stuff. We want to be used!

We are also considering cutting back even more on our finances. Roger spoke to me the other day about getting rid of satellite for our tv for a while. I don't really have a problem with that EXCEPT that I absolutely LOVE the DUGGAR show on TLC...18 Kids and Counting. THIS YEAR it will be 19 Kids and Counting. They have really influenced me in my life and I will miss it tremendously. Oh well, I used to go without tv in our home and only allowed the children to watch videos that I approved of so it will be ok. I can deal with it, I guess....

Right now, my husband and I are watching Masterpiece Theatre on PBS after church on Sunday nights. It is kind of our "date" night since I work late on Fridays and Saturdays now. We will still be able to get that!

Well, I have LOTS of work to get done! I'm going to go to Half Price Books and try to sell some books there this week! I just hope I can get away from there without buying any!!! I MUST HAVE SOME SELF CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "What is THAT?" you say?? Yeah, I don't know either, but I have to get some. Maybe I can buy some at the Goodwill Store this week....

By the way...as a sort of post script...Just in case this ever happens to you....

Don't EVER try to snatch a yummy piece of mozzarella cheese from the plate of your teenage daughter thinking that it deliciously oozed from her piece of pizza. Don't ever do that. Sometimes it's discarded gum......Not that I ever did that.......