I love music. All kinds of music. But it's more than the sound of the music that I love. It's the Feeling that a song gives me that I adore. The feeling I get when I hear a song for the first time and it takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes because the words coming from the speakers appear to have been written just for me.
Obviously this doesn't happen all the time. I don't feel this kind of connection with all the songs I hear but when I do, it's very powerful! I think music is almost as meaningful as certain smells. The way a familiar melody can ignite a spark that thrusts my mind into a trip down memory lane. For example, Somebody by Depeche Mode is a song full of happy memories for me. While dressing in my wedding gown the day I married my husband my Maid of Honor brings in a CD and tells me that my future husband wants me to play this particular song. It was so beautiful and special and every time I hear that song I flash back to that church, that moment and relive it once again.
I can think of a thousand other examples of songs and how closely they relate to special events in my past. But the one that is on my mind today is Whatever You're Doing by Sanctus Real. This song is fairly new so it's not exactly tied to a memory at this moment but the words continue to speak clearly to my heart and soul.
My husband and I have endured a very difficult time in our marriage recently and just this past Saturday evening I finally felt the stress lift from our relationship and we were able to enjoy being together as a couple. So the first lines of this song really speak to that part of my life right now.
It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
But I'm giving into something Heavenly
As some of you know my husband was involved in a wreck a couple of weeks ago. Thanks be to God that he was not seriously hurt and our children were not with him! However our van was totalled and it has been extremely stressful dealing with the insurance company and all that is involved with resolving the matter. In the midst of dealing with this my oldest son went to visit his father for the week. He doesn't see him very often so it's hard on me when he is gone and I find myself constantly worrying about him. This was also his first time to fly down there without an adult and while the common sense side of me knows that flying is safer that driving statistically I am a mom and my heart usually wins and I worry. He arrived back home safe, sound, and I could swear two inches taller! On top of all of this I am also looking at some possible changes to my current employment situation. Of course the change would bring some other big changes to our family and how it operates on a daily basis. So, the rest of the song lyrics speak just as clearly to me.
Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...To...
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like Chaos but somehow there's peace
And though It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
I'm giving into something Heavenly
Something Heavenly
Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly
It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breath in and let everything out
With all of this chaos going on I find that when all is silent and my heart is speaking to God's that I have an unexplainable inner peace about all that has transpired. I know that He is working in my heart and on my family. I know that His will is what will be done and I will be once again eternally grateful for His wisdom and guidance for He has brought me this far.
So, what are some of your special Musical Moments?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
I'm Baaaaack!!!!
Wow....ONE FULL WEEK and ONE DAY without Internet makes for a GRUMPY mommy!!!!
Have you ever counted how many times in one day that you sit down in front of your glaring screen and touch the silky smooth keys with your fingertips? How many times a day you drop down your "Favorites" list and immediately find the comforting words of your favorite blog? How many times a day that you have a thought or idea pop into your head and think "mmmm, I should look that up online"? How many times you think of something fun to do with your children and while planning your outing you reach for the comfort of the keyboard to find out what hours they are open, how much it will cost, the exact directions to your desired location?
What in the world did I do before the Internet?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, that's right. I recall those huge books with yellow covers and walking fingers. What were they called again? Directories, Phone Books, Yellow Pages? I vaguely recall watching these outdated books stack up in my home in the most obscure places until I determined one fateful day that they were no longer a necessity in my home. When I realized that they were only good for children to stack up tall enough to reach things I didn't want them to reach, or for propping open a door that wouldn't stay by itself, or for collecting dust! Oh yes, that fateful day that I threw them all into the recycling bin! I no longer needed them for I had jumped into the 21st century! I had DSL Internet!!!! There was limitless information at my fingertips and I didn't even have to look it up in alphabetical order!
What, you ask, caused such a trip down memory lane? Well, sit back and enjoy your warm cup of coffee and I will tell you the terrible tale of the BAAD Family's Week Without Internet!
It all began with my eagerness to expand the horizon of the "frugal" lifestyle that I am striving for. I did some research on my cell phone bills and found that I was paying more than I really needed to for a service that was less than stellar and a phone that worked only when it wanted to. I found that if I switched my cellular service to the same company that provides my home phone, my fax line, and my DSL Internet that I could save a considerable amount of money and upgrade our 3 cell phones at the same time! Sounds fairly painless at this point doesn't it? It's not like I was switching to a brand new company that had never heard of the BAAD Family! They have been receiving BAAD Family money every month for several years and we are simply wanting to give them more of our money each month.
So the sweet customer service professional (SCSP) takes my order, and some BAAD Family money for our new phones then AFTERWARDS informs me that our Internet services might be interrupted for 3-4 days while everything is "bundled" to give us the best discounts available. Great, I love discounts! However, I do actually WORK from HOME and my Internet is not a luxury but a must have! So, I ask the SCSP if she could please hold off on making any changes until Friday so that I have as little down time as possible to my business. She assures me that this is not a problem and we exchange pleasantries and hang up.
I wake up the next morning ready to get some work done and out of the way so that I can spend the rest of the day playing with my kiddos only to find that I have NO INTERNET SERVICE! Mind you, this was WEDNESDAY!!! Remember, it wasn't supposed to be interrupted until FRIDAY! So, I think to myself that there must be something wrong with the Internet and call the phone company that I had spent a good hour talking to the day before. I explain the situation to the nice young man who was unfortunate enough to answer my call and he informs me (in the proudest voice imaginable) that they have started on my order EARLY!! Can you believe that? In my 13 years living on my own I have NEVER had a utility company do anything EARLIER than they promised! I felt a twinge of sorrow for the poor guy when he realized that instead of being happy that they were ahead of schedule on my order I was FURIOUS that I was going to be unable to conduct my business because I had no Internet!
Since this post has grown long enough at this point I will fast forward a bit. Finally, EIGHT DAYS, SEVERAL HOURS ON HOLD, MORE THAN ONE MOMMY MELT-DOWN, and I am FINALLY back in the great world of limitless information!! Awwwweeee, it feels so good to be home!
Of course life didn't stop for us in real life just because we were banned from Cyber Space so I have lots of other updates to post as well!! Stay tuned!
Love & Blessings!
Have you ever counted how many times in one day that you sit down in front of your glaring screen and touch the silky smooth keys with your fingertips? How many times a day you drop down your "Favorites" list and immediately find the comforting words of your favorite blog? How many times a day that you have a thought or idea pop into your head and think "mmmm, I should look that up online"? How many times you think of something fun to do with your children and while planning your outing you reach for the comfort of the keyboard to find out what hours they are open, how much it will cost, the exact directions to your desired location?
What in the world did I do before the Internet?!?!?!?! Oh yeah, that's right. I recall those huge books with yellow covers and walking fingers. What were they called again? Directories, Phone Books, Yellow Pages? I vaguely recall watching these outdated books stack up in my home in the most obscure places until I determined one fateful day that they were no longer a necessity in my home. When I realized that they were only good for children to stack up tall enough to reach things I didn't want them to reach, or for propping open a door that wouldn't stay by itself, or for collecting dust! Oh yes, that fateful day that I threw them all into the recycling bin! I no longer needed them for I had jumped into the 21st century! I had DSL Internet!!!! There was limitless information at my fingertips and I didn't even have to look it up in alphabetical order!
What, you ask, caused such a trip down memory lane? Well, sit back and enjoy your warm cup of coffee and I will tell you the terrible tale of the BAAD Family's Week Without Internet!
It all began with my eagerness to expand the horizon of the "frugal" lifestyle that I am striving for. I did some research on my cell phone bills and found that I was paying more than I really needed to for a service that was less than stellar and a phone that worked only when it wanted to. I found that if I switched my cellular service to the same company that provides my home phone, my fax line, and my DSL Internet that I could save a considerable amount of money and upgrade our 3 cell phones at the same time! Sounds fairly painless at this point doesn't it? It's not like I was switching to a brand new company that had never heard of the BAAD Family! They have been receiving BAAD Family money every month for several years and we are simply wanting to give them more of our money each month.
So the sweet customer service professional (SCSP) takes my order, and some BAAD Family money for our new phones then AFTERWARDS informs me that our Internet services might be interrupted for 3-4 days while everything is "bundled" to give us the best discounts available. Great, I love discounts! However, I do actually WORK from HOME and my Internet is not a luxury but a must have! So, I ask the SCSP if she could please hold off on making any changes until Friday so that I have as little down time as possible to my business. She assures me that this is not a problem and we exchange pleasantries and hang up.
I wake up the next morning ready to get some work done and out of the way so that I can spend the rest of the day playing with my kiddos only to find that I have NO INTERNET SERVICE! Mind you, this was WEDNESDAY!!! Remember, it wasn't supposed to be interrupted until FRIDAY! So, I think to myself that there must be something wrong with the Internet and call the phone company that I had spent a good hour talking to the day before. I explain the situation to the nice young man who was unfortunate enough to answer my call and he informs me (in the proudest voice imaginable) that they have started on my order EARLY!! Can you believe that? In my 13 years living on my own I have NEVER had a utility company do anything EARLIER than they promised! I felt a twinge of sorrow for the poor guy when he realized that instead of being happy that they were ahead of schedule on my order I was FURIOUS that I was going to be unable to conduct my business because I had no Internet!
Since this post has grown long enough at this point I will fast forward a bit. Finally, EIGHT DAYS, SEVERAL HOURS ON HOLD, MORE THAN ONE MOMMY MELT-DOWN, and I am FINALLY back in the great world of limitless information!! Awwwweeee, it feels so good to be home!
Of course life didn't stop for us in real life just because we were banned from Cyber Space so I have lots of other updates to post as well!! Stay tuned!
Love & Blessings!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Reflection Time
In preparing for our upcoming garage sale I came across a "God's Little Instruction Book for Mom" that my mom gave to me a few years back. I thought it would be fun to take one page each week and blog about it. Here is the first quote:
"As a mother, my job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible." - Ruth Bell Graham
This first entry caught my attention because today is the last day of Intermediate school for my oldest son. As I dropped him off today I felt a little bit sad and a little bit teary eyed. I clearly remember dropping him off for his first day of kindergarten. Watching him walk into the classroom a little unsure and staying close to my leg. Today as I drop him off at the curb I am made painfully aware of the sharp contrast in his behavior as he jumps out of the front passenger seat of my minivan with great confidence. The hugs and kisses I used to get when I dropped him off at school have been replaced with a cool "Bye Mom" as he runs off to catch up with his friends.
While I am super proud of his independence and the young man he is becoming there are times I long for the sweet little boy that used to climb up into my lap for bedtime stories. I find myself thinking about his future. His first year of athletics next year in middle school, his first crush, his first year of high school, his first time to drive, his first wreck, his first date, his first heartbreak, his graduation. In some ways it is similar to when he was a baby and I was anticipating his first tooth, his first steps, his first word. He will turn 12 in about a month and while he is learning to find his own way I must learn to trust that I have done a great job of teaching him God's way and learn to let him fly.
I have done all that is in my power to bring him to this point and I will have faith in the Lord to get us through the impossible teenage years! I will continue to seek God's guidance and wisdom in the day-to-day care of my children for they really belong to Him and are only mine for the moment.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. - Psalm 9:10
"As a mother, my job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible." - Ruth Bell Graham
This first entry caught my attention because today is the last day of Intermediate school for my oldest son. As I dropped him off today I felt a little bit sad and a little bit teary eyed. I clearly remember dropping him off for his first day of kindergarten. Watching him walk into the classroom a little unsure and staying close to my leg. Today as I drop him off at the curb I am made painfully aware of the sharp contrast in his behavior as he jumps out of the front passenger seat of my minivan with great confidence. The hugs and kisses I used to get when I dropped him off at school have been replaced with a cool "Bye Mom" as he runs off to catch up with his friends.
While I am super proud of his independence and the young man he is becoming there are times I long for the sweet little boy that used to climb up into my lap for bedtime stories. I find myself thinking about his future. His first year of athletics next year in middle school, his first crush, his first year of high school, his first time to drive, his first wreck, his first date, his first heartbreak, his graduation. In some ways it is similar to when he was a baby and I was anticipating his first tooth, his first steps, his first word. He will turn 12 in about a month and while he is learning to find his own way I must learn to trust that I have done a great job of teaching him God's way and learn to let him fly.
I have done all that is in my power to bring him to this point and I will have faith in the Lord to get us through the impossible teenage years! I will continue to seek God's guidance and wisdom in the day-to-day care of my children for they really belong to Him and are only mine for the moment.
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. - Psalm 9:10
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Savings Sunday/Monday Morning!
Thanks to my dear friend Alyssa I have started (very slowly) to be a much more frugal shopper. Remember now that she is also the one that influenced me to start blogging. It's a good thing that her addictions are fairly harmless or I could be in some serious trouble!!
While I'm still learning the fine art of "CVSing" I think I did a pretty great job today! I thought I would share my final numbers for others to use as their inspiration.
This is what I bought in 3 transactions:
2- Chex Mix
1- 6pk. Boost Smoothies
2- Listerine Smart Rinse
4- Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen SPF45&30 (B1G1 Free! Perfect time to stock up for the summer!!)
1- CVS Brand Bandages
1- Box of Fruit Loops
1- Box of Raisin Bran
1- Colgate Toothbrush
1- 4pk. Duracell Photo Pix Batteries
2- 9 Roll Packages of Charmin T.P.
1- 8 Roll Package of Bounty Paper Towels
1- Huggies Bath Wash
TOTALS:
$97.07 - Shelf Price of all items above
$60.29 - Total sales price of all items above
$23.94 - ECB's Used
$8.50 - Coupons Used
$27.85 - Money paid Out Of Pocket (OOP)
$12.00 - ECB's Remaining for my next visit to CVS!
Not bad if I do say so myself!
After the CVS trip I took my lovely little boys to the water park for a few hours of fun. Once hubby got home from work I left him to tuck them in and I was off to Albertsons and Kroger to finish my grocery shopping for the week. It was a little frustrating this week because I couldn't find several of the sales items at Albertsons. Also, I love shopping late at night. Partly because I am a night owl, partly because the stores aren't crowded. Well the one drawback I am finding to this late night shopping is that the grocery stores have decided that they shouldn't pay for cashiers to work at night. This is fine if you are running in and out for a gallon of milk or a late night snack but for us Grocery Gamers it's a total P.I.T.A. to stand there with a basket full of items and a hand full of coupons while using the self checkout lines!!!! I think that there should be at least ONE HUMAN available to check out us other humans for the entire time that the store is open! I shared this thought with the few available staff at Kroger this evening but I doubt it will do much good. :(
On a more positive note.....while standing there checking out my own groceries my ego got a much needed boost! The sweet lady checking out at the register next to mine admired my coupon binder that was neatly displayed in the child seat of my basket. She asked me several questions about my coupon system and told me that I had inspired her to dig deeper into the world of couponing (is that a word?)!! I was totally excited and left with a smile on my face! It feels so good to pass this wisdom on to others!!!! Now I know how Alyssa must feel each time she guides another lost soul to the world of Frugal Living!!!!
Well that's all I have for now....it's off to bed for some much needed sleep! All this saving money is exhausting!
Love & Blessings!
Aubrie
While I'm still learning the fine art of "CVSing" I think I did a pretty great job today! I thought I would share my final numbers for others to use as their inspiration.
This is what I bought in 3 transactions:
2- Chex Mix
1- 6pk. Boost Smoothies
2- Listerine Smart Rinse
4- Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen SPF45&30 (B1G1 Free! Perfect time to stock up for the summer!!)
1- CVS Brand Bandages
1- Box of Fruit Loops
1- Box of Raisin Bran
1- Colgate Toothbrush
1- 4pk. Duracell Photo Pix Batteries
2- 9 Roll Packages of Charmin T.P.
1- 8 Roll Package of Bounty Paper Towels
1- Huggies Bath Wash
TOTALS:
$97.07 - Shelf Price of all items above
$60.29 - Total sales price of all items above
$23.94 - ECB's Used
$8.50 - Coupons Used
$27.85 - Money paid Out Of Pocket (OOP)
$12.00 - ECB's Remaining for my next visit to CVS!
Not bad if I do say so myself!
After the CVS trip I took my lovely little boys to the water park for a few hours of fun. Once hubby got home from work I left him to tuck them in and I was off to Albertsons and Kroger to finish my grocery shopping for the week. It was a little frustrating this week because I couldn't find several of the sales items at Albertsons. Also, I love shopping late at night. Partly because I am a night owl, partly because the stores aren't crowded. Well the one drawback I am finding to this late night shopping is that the grocery stores have decided that they shouldn't pay for cashiers to work at night. This is fine if you are running in and out for a gallon of milk or a late night snack but for us Grocery Gamers it's a total P.I.T.A. to stand there with a basket full of items and a hand full of coupons while using the self checkout lines!!!! I think that there should be at least ONE HUMAN available to check out us other humans for the entire time that the store is open! I shared this thought with the few available staff at Kroger this evening but I doubt it will do much good. :(
On a more positive note.....while standing there checking out my own groceries my ego got a much needed boost! The sweet lady checking out at the register next to mine admired my coupon binder that was neatly displayed in the child seat of my basket. She asked me several questions about my coupon system and told me that I had inspired her to dig deeper into the world of couponing (is that a word?)!! I was totally excited and left with a smile on my face! It feels so good to pass this wisdom on to others!!!! Now I know how Alyssa must feel each time she guides another lost soul to the world of Frugal Living!!!!
Well that's all I have for now....it's off to bed for some much needed sleep! All this saving money is exhausting!
Love & Blessings!
Aubrie
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