What do you get when -

You make:

6 pounds of spaghetti

3.5 gallons of spaghetti sauce

12 pounds of hamburger

3 pounds of penne rigate noodles

2.5 gallons of Alfredo sauce

10 lbs of chicken

5 loaves of garlic bread

4 cheese cakes

1 can of cherries

1 can of strawberries

1 big plate of brownies

Mix in 48 bottles of Gatorade and 30 swimmers and you get an LNS swim team PASTA FEED.

We have a great bunch of kids on the team– and hungry ones too – it is absolutely amazing how much food these kids can eat.

We also have great bunch of parents to go along with our great swimmers. There is a pasta feed scheduled before each meet and the parents take turns providing the home, pasta, drinks, bread, and desserts. Tonight was our turn to host the feed.

Because of my new job (I couldn't ask for time off so soon) my WONDERFUL husband took ½ a day off from work to picked up the house and make all of the food. When I got home the chicken alfredo was simmering along with the spaghetti sauce, and the spaghetti was boiling away in the pan.

(Sorry for the shape of the picture, the right side is actually the wall going downstairs.)

The house was filled with kids, laughter and teenage conversation – what a fun night.

Trusting Him

7"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. 8He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8

As I was spending time in the scripture this morning (Psalm 1:1-3) I came across the above verse, it was a reference to the verse I was reading. Many times I refer to the bottom of the page for more insight on what I've just read. Sometimes these words confirm what I thought I read, sometimes they makes me realize I was way off base and makes me think more about what I read, and sometimes I still just don't have a clue. The one thing I very seldom do is look up the scripture that is referenced in the explanation. Scripture that just may help clarify the verse even more to me. Today I felt lead to follow that scripture – Jeremiah 17:7-8.


God spoke volumes to me through this scripture-to trust Him. He has been sending me signals for a long time now to look for another job. I've seen these signs and recognized them, but I still fought the change. I kept hoping things would turn around for the better. I like what I'm doing there; I kept hoping I wouldn't have to go out of my comfort zone and l look for another job. I was like Jonah and kept running from what God wanted me to do. As I reflect back, I didn't think that was what I was doing but now it is very clear to me, I was running from the will of God.


I believe He has great things planned for me as is stated in Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you,plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

But in order for these great things to happen I need to be still, listen for Him, and trust in what He wants me to do and then like Nike puts it "JUST DO IT." Yes, easier said than done. With practice I also believe that will get easier too.


I took that leap of faith with confidence that I am following His will. Though it is a temporary position, I feel this is what God wants me to do. Things have fallen into place too easy. Because the offer came up so fast I really couldn't give the standard 2 weeks' notice that I feel is only right to give your employer when your leaving, so instead I am working part time between the two jobs for 2 weeks and will continue to help out my current employer at nights as a 2^nd job – how great is that.


I appear to be catching on to the routine and tasks of the new job quickly. God has given me the confidence I need to just dive in and learn the work in an industry I have very little knowledge of. Everyone has been very supportive this first week and has told me several time that I will fit in just fine; Thank you God for that boost of confidence.


Only God knows what will happen after my temporary position is over but I do trust that He has great things planned for me.


Sheryl

Thank You

Just a quick note of thanks for all of your prayers and your encouraging comments regarding my new journey.  The first couple of days at the new job have gone pretty well.  My trainer will be gone today so we'll see how much I remember. 

I am also getting done what needs to be done at my current job.  Of course I am still work 4 hours every day.  I'm not sure yet if I will be able to make it work once I am not in the office during business hours.  But of course God already has that planned too.

Tonight I am starting a Beth Moore Bible study, I am so excited and thirsty.  I'll post more about the Bible study later, for now I need to finish up here and off to the new job I go.

Again, thank you so much for your support. 

To Understand why - submit & apply

I heard those words in church today.  Those words fit so perfect in my world right now and give me the encouragement I need to move forward.

As I've mentioned before I don't know how stable my job is, we have had lay offs, cut back of hours, and several other red flags.  I have been looking for another job for the last couple of months through a placement agency.  Thursday I received a strange call from the placement agency about a position that was brought to my attention last week.  I turned it down last week because it is only a temporary.  Once this position was brought to my attention a second time I felt like I needed to pay attention.  

I received the call Thursday morning and interviewed (in jeans no less) over my lunch hours. 

Still not understanding the course of events I went in to my boss's office to give my notice. I know this will put my employer in a bind for a while until my position has been filled again, however, I feel that I am doing what is best for my family.  


Things still don't make a lot of sense to  me, I am going from a permanent job to a temporary.  But for all I know the temporary will be more stable then my current - only God knows.  



I feel like God  has his hands on my shoulders turning my in the direction He wants me to take.  I am in the dark not able to see where I am going but God does know where I am going.  I put my trust in Him.

As it turns out, I will continue to work a few hours each day for my current employer to get them through this time.  So now I actually have a second job which is really cool.  B and I are currently working on the "snowball" effect to become debt free and the extra income will be great.  God is so good.

I don't understand why God is putting me in a temporary job position and what will I do when that job comes to an end?  
To fully understand why God is doing what He is in my life I need to submit to Him even when I don't understand.  Tomorrow is the first day of this new journey He is taking me on.  Actually maybe the first day of this journey really started last Thursday when I agreed to the interview.  I can't help but wonder what He has planned for me and my family.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Sheryl

Going Bananas?

It may have been cold outside today but it was steamy hot inside.

Today was the Cotter Invite, it involves 10 high schools from around the area.  This is such a fun meet, whoever wins the heat receives a banana.

The kids are very proud of their bananas; they pose with them, tuck them away in a safe spot, or some teams tape them to the wall.

I love the idea because it rewards those swimmers for their accomplishments even though they may not be at the top of their event.  What an uplifting self-esteem boosting idea.

Little K's strongest event is the 50 Yard Free style.   Going into today's meet she was seeded 3rd and finished in 2nd place with a time of 25.78  seconds qualifying her for state competition. 

When the results were posted we were very surprised to hear that the girl who finished first was disqualified putting Little K in 1st place.  What a blessing that was.

Here's a picture of her waiting to received her medal.

We are so thankful for the blessings God bestowed on Little K today.  She received 1st  place in her event winning a gold medal, a state qualifying time, and yes - she did get her banana.

Several team members received bananas through out the day - what a fun day it was.



Sheryl

A mother's Prayer & Letting Go

No one told me how hard it would be to let your child spread her wings.

She was in the kitchen making dinner when the phone rang. Her daughter's flight was going to be delayed by a few minutes. After checking the itinerary for the layover time she took a deep breath, "she has enough time, it's shouldn't cut her too short."

A few minutes turned into 2 hours with a change of planes due to a mechanical problem - Houston we have a problem. This was her daughters first time to fly on her own. What will she do, how will she handle this if she misses her connecting flight?

The phone rings and she picks it up eagerly, "hello". "Mom, I'm probably going to miss my connecting flight, what do I do?" "They said if we miss the flight they'll put us up in a hotel and get us out in the morning."

Just what she didn't want to hear, the heart strings pulling. Calmly, so as not to stress out her daughter any more then she already is, she says, "as soon as you land go directly to the counter, explain your situation and see if there is another connecting flight or a flight to Omaha." "Ok", still calm in her daughters voice, "I've got to go, they're boarding the flight."

She turns to her husband and puts her arms around his neck. He is her rock, the one who keeps her sane in a insane world. "It's in God's hands, he'll take care of her." As she reflected on that statement she knew in her heart that she believed it. In the past she has given situations over to God only to take them back again but this time she knew she had turned it over.

The dinner routine continues followed by clean up - the phone rings. "Mom, I missed the last flight to Lincoln by 2 minutes, I'm on priority standby for the last flight to Omaha." Her daughter continues, "there are are two of us trying to get back to Lincoln, the man at the counter says if no one else checks in we can both get on." She takes a deep breath and prays 'God, please let it be your will that she is able to get on that flight. I really don't want her spending the night in Denver.' Again, keeping her voice soft and calm "let me know as soon as you know anything."

Time goes by and she hasn't heard from her daughter, she texts her, "any news yet?"
The phone rings, her daughter is some what out of breath, "I made it mom and got the last seat to Omaha.  I feel bad because the other girls didn't get on." "Are you actually on the plane yet?" she wanted to make sure this was real, that they couldn't take it back. "Yes mom I'm on the plane."

She hung up the phone and instantly thanked God for her answered prayers. They will now need to make an hour trip to Omaha to pick her up, but at least she will not be staying in Denver by herself. She is already aware that it will make for a very late night, but will rest easy knowing her daughter is just down stairs.

Dear Heavenly Father,
How do I begin to thank you enough for bringing my daughter home to me safe and sound.  I thank you for the many learning experiences; learning to let go and let you do your thing, the learning experience Big K had during her travels and how to take care of business and the reminder once again that you are ALWAYS in control.
Amen

Friday's with Jake - Yes I'm back on the computer again....

I hope you all had a wonderful blessed Christmas and the best New Year possible.









The temperature is supposed to drop to -22 tonight, it's not fit for man or beast outside.  Let me tell you, when I go out to take care of business I go straight to work, no doddling for me....brrrrrrr......

 My twin and I are getting along great.  When we're not napping together we love to horse around.  I make sure to be very gentle.  I don't even bite him when he clings to my nose with those stupid claws.


Mom got all wrapped up in a book, when she does that nothing else seems to happen.  She missed her Thankful Thursday so she wanted me to mention some of the things she thankful  for.

1.  She is thankful for a reliable car that starts in sub zero weather.  However, she only let me ride in it once.  She said something about the how the material of the seats act the a dog brush and leave hair everywhere.

2.  She is also very thankful for an attached garage that she can store her car in and keep it warmer.  I heard her telling dad that they didn't have a garage growing up and she appreciates not having to scrape windows now.

3.  She is very thankful to be blessed with such a loving and understanding husband and life mate.  There is no one else in this world she would rather go through life's ups and downs with.

As you already know Big K is in CA and she comes on Sunday night.  I can't wait to hear all about it.

See ya next week.

Jake

You DID NOT just do that!

Rich treasures of God's truth are waiting to be discovered. - The Daily Bread

Yesterday it was discovered that a co-worker has been dumping their coffee from their cup back into the coffee pot because it was cold.  I can't begin to tell you how much that grossed me out.  The kicker to the whole story - this person see nothing wrong with this practice and they plan to continue.

I'm switching to hot tea.

I told B about it when I got home and we spent the night laughing (B) and being grossed out all over again (me).  Later I got to thinking, how many times have I grossed out God?  I how many times have I done/said something not thinking about how it will effect those around me?  How many times have I sinned and didn't think I did anything wrong even after it was pointed out to me and I continued do it?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Forgive me Lord for grossing you out.  Show me what I am putting in the way of aligning with your will.  Show me the things that I do that are displeasing to you and please give me the strength to accept and change what needs to be changed.     Amen

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." Proverbs 28:13

Getting Down and Getting Real

I'm sad, as much as I have tried to but on a front, I'm sad.  It was one thing for Big K to graduate this year and then start college in the fall.  That was hard enough on the heart strings.  Now at Christmas time she gets engaged.  Even though the wedding is a couple of years out, how much can a momma's heart take.

As parents we bring our children int the world, feed and clothe them, give them the best education we can, and most of all  bring them up in the faith, letting them know that no mater what happens God is in control and will always love us.

Now Big K goes and demonstrates her new found wings by flying (no pun intended) out to CA to visit Nick.  It's not like he wasn't just here, gee - young love.

 As I write this my eyes are filled with tears and my heart is filled with mixed emotions: loss (empty), wonder, joy.  As parents we have done our job, my baby bird has left the nest.  I wonder if momma birds ever get sentimental as her little peep flies out of the nest? 

She will be fine, we dedicated her to God a long time ago and I know he has great plans for her. 

If your peeps have left the nest, how did you feel?  How did you cope with it?  I'm up for any suggestions.

It's Monday again....

 Hello and thanks for stopping by. I was so hoping to keep my daily postings streak going, but here it is Monday and I don't have one ready.  So I thought I would recap the holiday weekend, hope you don't get too bored.  :)

We had a wonderful New Years Eve with friends. Went out to dinner and then back to their place for cards. Did you know you can play Monopoly with cards? I didn't till then, it's really fun.

Nick was in a wedding Saturday night so we got to see him dressed in his uniform.  I think he and Big K  made a great looking couple (see picture above).  Nick went back to CA yesterday and now Big K is on her way to CA this afternoon.  She has great timing, while she's in CA  we're setting in below zero temps and expecting another 4-7 inches of snow this week. 

Little K headed out this morning at 5:00 a.m. for swim practice and B is enjoying his last day of shut down.  By tomorrow we'll almost be back to routine - yes I like routine.

Update on the new kitten:  Sami has been sniped and clipped (neutered and declawed).  He has also found out the gravity will prevail if you crawl too far into the toilet and you really need to look into the bathtub before you leap.  He has also learned that Jake's tail makes a great toy and that jumping on the table gets you a swat on the butt.  Dogs and cat have decided they can coexist in the same house.  As a matter of fact, I have caught Jake and Sami napping together :)

I have a prayer request, along with many other, my job may be in jeopardy.  I can't go into details now but I ask you to pray for discernment, guidance, and death to my will during this situation.

Ok, so much for the downer, how did you spend your New Years?

Winter in Nebraska

There's a saying in Nebraska, "If you don't like the weather just wait it'll change".

When it comes to winter in Nebraska anything goes.  Can't really complain about the last few winters; they've been pretty good to us.

This year is different, I think we've gotten more snow so far this year then in a few years combines - what's with that???

Here's a couple of comics I received via email, they just say it all:

 

I am a fan of snow, I love a good blizzard that snows us in all snugglie and warm.  However just 1 not 2 (like we've had this month) and not over the Christmas holiday.  And I prefer not to have to wait 4 days to get out of my house.  Am I getting to picky???? 

Oh well, just wanted to share these with you.


P.S. My hand in the one in the front. :)

Happy New Year

I hope 2009 was great and 2010 is even better.

Happy New Year!