Scentsy!

Fundraiser for South Africa!

As many of you know, I am going to Cape Town, South Africa in September on a mission trip (ok, y'all...to be honest, when I sit and dwell on that sentence, I almost hyperventilate!). If you haven’t heard and want more information, you can read about that here or here.

I have to raise $2600 for the trip so as part of my fundraising efforts, my friend Carrie has offered to let me use her new business! She has just begun selling Scentsy and let me tell you, these things are pretty cool!

Scentsy began in 2003 with the powerfully simple idea of aromatic candles…but they aren’t the traditional candle. With traditional candles you have to worry about making sure they are blown out, keeping your kids away and quite honestly, some just don’t hold their smell while burning. Scentsy candles solve all that. With Scentsy, you purchase a warmer which melts the wax heated, not by a dangerous flame, but by a light bulb.

The warmers are very reasonable and come in a variety of designs for every taste. The candle blocks are $5 for 8 blocks and there are TONS of scents! These look great in homes, but also for offices where you can’t burn a candle. I have had one in my office for a while and even with the bulb turned off, the scent lingers weeks after.

Carrie has generously offered to give me a portion of the proceeds from everything I sell to my South Africa account! If this is something you are interested in, please let me know and I’ll be happy to answer any questions! I have catalogs and a sample of every scent available, so if you would like to try something before buying, let me know!

If you are local, you can order online at https://carriegermain.scentsy.us/Home. On the left side of the home page under the heading “My Open Parties” is my fundraiser. Click on the “buy from party” and anything you order will be credited to me. If you order online, you will have to pay minimal shipping charges but this is a great way to order a Mother’s Day gift or have it delivered to your home for out of town friends that want to help out! You can also order directly through me and avoid shipping. We do have the ability to accept checks, credit cards or cash!

Thanks you in advance for your support and PLEASE forward this blog address to your friends who might be interested in buying. The party closes next Wednesday (May 5), so order now! There is no obligation to buy…if you wish to help but can’t right now, there will be other opportunities!

P.S. For my Bible Study girls, I can bring the sample scents to study Tuesday night or they will be at Rachel’s Pampered Chef party on Saturday!!

To My Daughters*

This is a great piece of advice that a friend of mine, Pam, re-posted on her blog recently.  I liked it so much, I thought I would copy it down for my daughters*.

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heart beat, or will stay awake to watch you sleep, wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you're just in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends. Who thinks that you're just as pretty without make-up on, one who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have you...The one who turns to his friends with a smile and says, "She's the one!" - Unknown

And never lose yourself in the pursuit of someone else. He will like you more for it. - Angie Evans

*the fact that "daughters" is plural is not a mistake.  I have this wish for my stepdaughter Micah as much as I have it for Jenna.

I Hate Doing This...

I hate asking folks for money.  I understand (better than most!) that times are tough right now and lots of folks don't have a dime to spare.  However, I know there are those of you out there that want to, and will, help regardless.  So here goes...

I am writing to you because you are important to me.  As many of you will remember, in 2007 I was part of a wonderful team from Brentwood Baptist Church (BBC) that went to Thailand on a mission trip. Through much prayer, the Lord has asked me to travel to Cape Town, South Africa. I will be leaving September 24 and returning October 3. Our team will be working with Living Hope Ministries and the Life Skills Educators in conducting a Holiday Club, much like a Vacation Bible School, for the children in several different townships.

You may be asking the question “Why? Why now?” And the answer is “I don’t know”.  All I know is that this is what I feel like God is asking me to do and I have chosen to be obedient. This is a definitely step outside my comfort zone so I am asking for your support as I prepare and as I travel.

You can support me in a couple of ways: 

1. You can give financial support. The total cost of my trip is $2,600. I have stepped out in faith, not knowing how God will provide for me, but believing that He will. Giving is an important way that you can participate in mission work. I am asking 100 families to sponsor me for just $25 each. Although you may not ever go to South Africa, you can send others, as well as encourage and equip missionaries by committing to sponsor me. If you feel led, you can donate by writing a check to Brentwood Baptist Church. Please designate on your check “South Africa”. You may designate your money to support me by specifying my name in the memo line. If you so choose, you can request that your gift remain anonymous and send it directly to Brentwood Baptist Church Missions Office at 7777 Concord Road, Brentwood, TN 37027. If you are a Brentwood Baptist church member, you also have the option of giving your money during the regular Sunday morning offering; just remember to designate it for me if that is your desire. No matter what amount you are able to give, please know that every dollar is needed and is gratefully received.

2. You can give me your prayers. If you are unable to give financially, you can pray. Please pray for me as I prepare. There is so much to be done. I also need extra time for Bible study and prayer for myself. I will be seeing to the many details of family and work that must be taken care of in my absence. I need to go healthy, rested and ready to hit the ground running. Our team knows that because we are entering into real, spiritual warfare, Satan will discourage and distract us. Crises always arise. Team members get sick. Family members get sick. It is often hard for team members to sleep well. And sometimes we are downright afraid. I am afraid. When you pray for us, you are literally joining our team, standing along side us. I thank you in advance for all the ways you will support me.

I will admit, I have been plagued by doubts since I first wrote this letter/post/email.  I feel like I have asked and asked for money.  I really do NOT want to ask anymore.  And I have tried to talk God and myself out of even doing this trip.  It is really not good timing for our family.  But God has made it clear to me that He wants me to do this.

If you cannot afford or prefer not to give a monetary donation right now, I will be posting information about my Scentsy Party Fundraiser (look for my party) and a Yard Sale Fundraiser here soon, so stay tuned. 

A Special Day and YOU Are Invited!

As you might have read here,  Jenna made the decision to ask Jesus into her heart at home on March 18th.  Now, we are so excited to finally have a date for her baptism on the calendar!

Jenna will be baptized in our new church home at The Church at Station Hill at the 11:00am service on Sunday, May 23rd.  And each of you are invited.  I know some of you reading may be wondering if this invitation (though very impersonal) is for you and I can tell you...if you are asking yourself that, then the answer is YES!  This is for you!!!

I know this is quite a drive for so many of you, so we will understand if you cannot attend and please do NOT feel obligated. We do however, ask for your prayers during that time. You do not have to RSVP, but if you are coming and would like for me to try and save seats, let me know. If you are interested, email me and I can email you a link for directions.

Each of you are special to Jenna, Steve and I and we would be honored if you could share this special day with us.

The Couponing Panel

I have been promising several readers that I would tell about my coupon panel from Thursday.  I'll start by saying it was probably one of the cooler things I have ever done.  And I made some really easy money for just speaking up a few times.

There ended up being 9 panelists.  Most of us were women, but there were 2 men as well.  The panelists were all different levels of couponing...some heavy (that would be me), some moderate and some light.  We met at the hotel (the downtown Hilton) about an hour before the panel was supposed to start.  The moderator had us all introduce ourselves and then she told us a little about how the panel would work.  There were 3 or 4 main questions she shared with us that she would ask the panel.  And then any of us that had something could say would just speak up.

Before we went on, two representatives from All You magazine (which if you don't read, you have no idea what you are missing!) came in and gave us some goodies.  I love All You magazine so this was pretty exciting.

After we discussed her questions, they took questions from the audience.  I would guess there were about 125-150 folks there. There were representatives from Family Dollar, the Dollar Tree, Dole etc.

One question was about what we really liked or disliked about coupons, what our frustrations were and what we felt about the promotions (like March to Madness at Kroger) and rebates.  The general frustrations were coupons that are $.55 or the like because of the lack of doubling along with coupons in which you have to purchase multiple items to get a quarter off (that would be mine).  Everyone agreed their favorites were the coupons that offered an item free.  The only rebates that panelists found it worthwhile to send in were the ones for cell phones and laptops where the return was $50 or more.

Another question was regarding the economy and how it has affected our couponing habits and if those would stay the same if the economy (or our personal situations) improved.  There were a couple of us who had (or will have) a one income family and so the moderator was  especially interested in our situations and how we thought they would change if our personal situations changed.

The final question from the moderator was about loyalty...brand loyalty to be exact.  Most of the panelists were brand loyal to something.  There was one person who was not brand loyal to anything...none of us were brand loyal to much though.

The audience wanted to know things like what would it take for us to try one of their items (free trial etc.), how we felt about dollar stores (Family Dollar, Dollar General, Everything's A Dollar), our feelings about coupons on smart phones, internet printable coupons etc.

The moderator questions took us about 30-40 minutes to answer by the time 5-6 of us spoke to each question.  The last 20 minutes was for audience questions.  Several of the audience members came up to us after the panel and gave us coupons and goodies.

So, that was it. It was fun and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to take part.  Thanks for those of you that left comments and questions.  I tried to work them in where I could. 

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!!

Attn Fellow Couponers!

I have the privilege of being invited to be part of a panel discussion tomorrow on coupon usage.  It's a long story about how I was chosen that I don't have time to share now, but I will be one of a panel of about 8 men and women in all stages of couponing (light, moderate, heavy).  We will be sitting in a room full of about 150-200 marketing executives from manufacturers like SC Johnson Wax and Proctor and Gamble.  We will be the mouthpiece of the people...

So, I'm inviting your comments.  I have to be at the hotel tomorrow at 10am, but if you have thoughts, likes, dislikes, just comments in general about coupons or couponing, what you'd like to see more of, less of etc., then email me or leave me a comment.  I will be your mouthpiece tomorrow...all comments are welcome.  I don't know how many of them I will get to ask, share or use, but I want to be prepared!

I know I am going to say how I dislike coupons for $.50 off when you buy 2 of something...that really only makes it a quarter off each and that's hardly worth it unless I just really NEED two of them.  Another question came was why do some regions have better coupons than others?  These are just examples...let me hear from you!

Happy Easter!

Matthew 28

The Resurrection

 ¹ Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

 ² Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

 ⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.”

Matthew 28:1-6 (NLT)

A Good Friday Indeed...

This might be a bit lengthy, but I ask you to please read all the way through.  There is a special message for one of you here...

Many of you know that Steve has been unemployed since last August.  The Lord has provided over and over again financially and in other ways.  I've taken up couponing and just this morning sat down to add up all my savings over the past 2 months.  Since the first of February, I have saved over $500.  Because I have been in stockpiling mode, I am just getting to the point of being able to reduce my grocery budget.  In other words, up until now, I've spent the same amount of dollars but just gotten MORE groceries for my buck.  Now, I have plenty of most everything except perishables and just having to buy those will help to reduce the money I spend at the grocery store tremendously.  I started really couponing when my friend Darlene taught me her method.  Then I started researching, added some blogs (my favorites being www.faithfulprovisions.com and www.iheartpublix.com) and went to a couple of seminars.  I have now fine tuned my couponing method. 

Anyway, last month was tough for us.  I only get paid once a month and that's on the last business day of the month.  February was wonderful because I got paid on the 26th, but then waiting for March 31 was a nightmare.  To be honest, we didn't realize the month would be so long (very poor planning on our part) and there was just not enough money in the bank.  I honestly didn't know how we were going to make ends meet.  Steve and I had several really bad days.  I won't go into what those consisted of, but it did entail crying at work and at home for both of us.

But the point of this story (yes, I promise there IS one), is to tell you how God showed up.  I finally got paid and our money came in to pay our taxes (long story there) and so for the time being, we had some breathing room.  I found time Thursday night to sit down and balance our checkbook, get our April budget down on paper and pay our bills.  I sat for a while and stared at the budget line that says "tithe".  I will admit, I reduced our tithe when Steve lost his job, but did not reduce it further when his part time job at the church ended.  I had prayed over my last tithe check before putting it in the plate a few weeks ago because I knew the rest of March would be rough.  Sure enough, I was right.  But anyway, I sat here and debated on whether or not I would write my tithe out.  And after just a short time, I knew I had to.  My friend Amy told me recently, "You can't outgive God".  And I believe that to be true.  So, I wrote the check out and stuck in my check book without further thought. 

On Friday morning, I got a call from my neighbor Tim.  You might remember Tim and Aimee were instrumental in helping us raise money to get Katie.  Tim works for a local well-known physical therapy company and they had put their name behind the fundraising pancake breakfast.  I could not figure out why Tim would be calling me on Friday morning at work, so I answered a little unnerved worrying that maybe something had happened to Steve (who was home with Jenna and most likely still in bed).  Tim tells me that he was at the office for an early morning meeting and the staff was asking about his "friend with the dog".  Tim told them about Steve getting Katie and how it's changed our life.  They then pulled out an envelope with $200 cash in it that they had raised last summer and just never given to us.  EXCUSE ME?!  Yes...Happy Easter no doubt.  So, God had basically given me back almost every dime in tithe that I had budgeted to give.  But He wasn't done yet.

Yesterday at noon, Steve and Jenna are leaving to go to the movies (while I'm slaving away at work) when they stop by the mailbox to collect the mail.  In the mailbox, there is an envelope addressed to us in what is clearly meant to be unrecognizable handwriting.  Inside is an Easter card with $100 gift card to Kroger.  I'm just tearing up writing this.  No name, no signature.  Nothing to tell me who my generous benefactor might be.  At this point, God has not only given me back my tithe, but now gone above and beyond.  The $100 will be spent on meat that can be frozen to further reduce my grocery budget.  Now, I know not everyone who reads my blog believes the way I do, but there is no way you are going to convince me this was anything other than God's providence.  I had only shared with a couple friends about our dilemma.  And while I honestly don't have any idea of who sent this, I do have a message for them that I hope they read:

Thank you.  Thank you for allowing yourself to be used by God to teach me further about the love of friends and God's providence for our needs when we are faithful.  I do not know who you are to repay you, but please be assured, I will pay it forward when we are able.  Thank you for your generosity.  Not only did Steve and I see God's hand at work, but so did my new little Christian Jenna.  I pray that you are exceedingly and abundantly blessed for your extraordinary act of kindness.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10 NIV

Please don't make me... Part 2

If you haven't already, read Part 1 of this post before reading this one...

So, I arrive at Bible Study that night and the girls are all standing around talking when the doorbell rings.  The reason this is significant is because on Tuesday night at Leigh Ann's house, no one rings the doorbell...they just walk on in.  When the doorbell rings, you know it's someone who is not part of Bible Study or a visitor.  And it was a visitor.  The visitor was a gal from the church who I am just getting to know.  She had come to visit our group for the first time.  How nice!  As we sit down to start, prayer requests are being shared.  Of course, I have only shared my thoughts on South Africa with a handful of people, mostly trying to figure out if I'm just really wanting an excuse for an exotic trip or if God is really asking me to go.  Anyway, I digress.  About 1/2 way through the prayer requests, our sweet visitor (I'm not sharing her name here since I haven't asked her permission) raises her hand and asks if she can share a request.  Know what she says?  She says (and I'm paraphrasing, but not much), "I have been feeling like I should go on a mission trip, but just don't know if God is asking me to or if it's just me wanting to.  Can you pray for me to know for sure?"

GULP.

Seriously...my heart is pounding even as I type this story out.  I'm not even joking.  She literally said my prayer request and question RIGHT OUT LOUD.  Of course, my friends in the study (including Leigh Ann) turned slowly to look at me and I thought my heart would pound out of my chest.  It was like God speaking right through her prayer request to me.  I felt like I'd gotten my answer.

That evening I went home, told Steve the story and went to the church's sight online to sign up to go to Cape Town, South Africa.  And I can tell you that ever since then, I have asked God at least 3-4 times to just confirm again that I should go and each time he has.  I don't know why this is such an emotional thing for me.  My heart is pounding typing this and my eyes are filling with tears.  I guess when I sit down and really think about what I've committed to, it scares me to death.  My bestie isn't going with me this time.  I have no idea who is going.  And it's not a nice Thailand hotel.  It's South Africa.  And if you know anything about the area, the biggest problem is HIV/Aids.  I mean, is there anything scarier?

And obviously, the question on a lot of folks minds, including my own is WHY NOW?  Why am I going to South Africa at a point in my life where money is oh so tight and we are living paycheck to paycheck until Steve finds a permanent job?  WHY NOW?  And my only answer is...

I

DON'T

KNOW.

All I know is that God has been very consistent in telling me to do this and I am just going to obey.  No, I have no idea where the money is coming from.  I will have to trust God to help me raise the $2,600.  And that is really hard when you are budgeting for every since dollar you are bringing in.  But all I can say is this is what God wants me to do and I'm going to do it.  The money will come from somewhere.

The trip is September 24 through October 3.  I'll share more details as I get them.  I will be posting soon to ask for sponsors for the trip.  In the meantime, please be praying for me...US...as I step out on faith.

Oh, and by the way...that gal who was also praying about going on a mission trip?  She signed up to go to Hong Kong in July.  Seems she also heard a word from the Lord that night in Bible study.  :)  Isn't God awesome?

Please don't make me...Part I

Edited to Add:  It has taken me about a week to write this post.  I'm not sure why...I just wanted it to be exactly right...

Back when I was a young teenager (heading into high school), my best friend in the world was a MK (missionary kid) whose parents served in the Philippines.  I met her when her family came to Nashville on furlough that our church helped sponsor.  We made quick friends and after the year-long furlough, she left to go back to the Philippines and I thought my teen-aged heart was breaking in two.  I wept for what seemed like days and wrote letters every week.  At least it seemed like it.  The only option we had back then was regular USPS and it took a while to get letters back and forth.  We managed to keep in touch for quite a while until they retired and moved back to the States...not too far from me...and then we lost touch (ironic no?)  I'm blessed to say I am now back in touch thanks to nothing short of a miracle.  Anyway...that was my first REAL brush with missions and missionaries other than GAs and the "Lottie Moon Mission Offering".  My whole life, I have been TERRIFIED that God was going to call me or Steve to be a missionary (and no, we're not going to be missionaries...just to put your mind at rest).  But I would pray to God that He would never make me go to a foreign country.

As most of you remember, back in 2007, I went on my first ever international mission trip to Thailand.  Now, in terms of what most people imagine as mission trips, I'm sure this was pretty mild.  And it was.  I stayed in a nice hotel and worked with missionaries and their children.  It wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard.  And it wasn't as scary as I imagined. Not to mention my best friend in the world went with me. :)  And for those that are interested, you can go here to learn how I ended up going to Thailand.

Ever since I came back from Thailand, I thought about maybe going on another trip.  But I haven't really thought much about where or when.  It's just kind of been in the back of my mind.  About a year ago, the pastor of Fish Hoek Baptist church in Cape Town South Africa, John Thomas, came to speak to our Adult Sunday School Class.  Brentwood Baptist Church has a pretty longstanding relationship with John Thomas and Fish Hoek.  You can read more about that here.  Because of the relationship with BBC and Fish Hoek, John Thomas speaks in our services fairly often and I've sat and listened to him...well..fairly often.  But something about this particular Sunday was different.  I left class that day thinking I might one day want to go to South Africa.  And except for the occasional fleeting thought, that's the last time I considered it.

Until a few months ago...and it seemed that everywhere I turned it was something about Africa.  I started wondering if God was trying to tell me something or it was just me WANTING to go and so I was noticing things more than usual.  It really drove me nuts for a while, so one Tuesday afternoon, I emailed my Bible Study leader (she would be the one highlighted here) to find out how she knew that it was God asking her to go to Haiti (or India where she's been several times) and not just her wanting to go.  Unfortunately, she didn't have time to answer my email before Bible Study time that night.  And that's when God showed up...

Another 9 weeks...

So, Jenna got her report card today.  We were very pleased...as I've mentioned in some prior posts, we have hoped that Jenna would enjoy school and be a good reader. And here, I talked about reading levels and which one she's on.

Last reporting period, she was reading at a level of Q and that's where she's been pretty much all year.  When she finishes 2nd grade, she's supposed to be on level P.  So, she started the second grade already past that.  This time, she's been bumped up to level S.  Ending 3rd grade, she is to be on level T.  So she is reading on a level that she should be on when she finishes third grade.  How impressive is that?!

Her other grades are as follows:
Bible: E
Reading: S+ (up a little from an S)
English: E (up from an S)
Handwriting: S+ (up a little from an S)
Writing: E (up from an S+)
Spelling: E
Math: S+
Science: E
Social Studies: E

She also brought up her "N" grades in "Uses appropriate means to resolve conflict" and " Has positive attitude" to an S on each.  So, yet another really good report card.  We are proud of our girl!

On a separate note, tomorrow, I'm looking forward to going to my couponing seminar that was canceled from January.  I'm really excited to learn a little more about this very awesome money saving idea.  Tomorrow night, Steve and I have tickets to see The Color Purple at TPAC.  Jenna will get to spend some time with her favorite babysitter, Katelyn.  She frequently asks if me and Steve can go on a date night so Katelyn can come over!

Some more exciting news on the Taylor Family Blog coming soon so stay tuned...

A Special Evening

It's been a very special evening at the Taylor household.  Jenna Grace prayed to accept Christ as her Savior tonight!  For a mother that's been ultra emotional all week, I'm rather surprised that I'm not a puddle right now.

Jenna has been talking about becoming a Christian for quite a while.  I felt strongly that she was not ready.  A few months ago, when talking with God, I prayed that He would move me out of the way if I was keeping her from making the most important decision in her life.  Shortly thereafter, I ran across a workbook that we'd gotten from the church that the New Christians class uses called "I'm a Christian Now!"  Typically after you accept Christ, you go through this class using the workbook.  Instead, Jenna and I decided to do it individually and have been going through it together in the evenings before bed.  Tonight, we finished and I told her that it was HER decision when to accept Christ.  She decided that tonight was the night.

She said her sweet prayer with Steve and I holding her hands in her bedroom and that was it!  She is so excited.  She immediately said, "I feel good!" which was followed a short time later with, "I think I need to cry".  Both emotions that I felt at 10 years old when I accepted Christ.  The first person she wanted to call and tell was Nana (that's Bertie).  Nana was very excited.  More calls will be made tomorrow, but it was getting late and we didn't want to start waking people up. 

We'll be going to speak with Pastor Jay this Sunday to work out details of baptism and membership paperwork.  I plan to invite you ALL to her baptism! What an exciting time in our lives!

Jenna has a few words she'd like to say about what she's done tonight, so here goes...

Dear  people  I  just  got  .............Well........I   just  became  a   christian!  And  I  feel

  like  a  new  born  baby.........maybe  not   a  new  born  baby  but  a  new  person.  Also  I  feel   great!

I  love  you  is  what  JESUS  would  say  and  GOD  and  if  you're  not  a  christian  pray  now.  And  the  HOLY  SPIRIT  will  come  inside  you  and  you  will  feel  like  a  new  person.   DO  IT  NOW!

(Jenna wanted me to add that the red lettering above stands for Jesus' blood.)

What is written above is totally Jenna.  I did not guide her in writing any of it.  I'm so proud of Jenna tonight.  It will be a very special night to remember for sure.

Heaven on Earth

Edited to add:  For some reason, some of you may be unable to see the pictures in my posts.  I cannot for the life of me figure out what setting I have to change to see these.  However, you CAN see them through Google Reader.  If any of you tech savvy people know what the problem is, please EMAIL ME!

For any of you that know Jenna Grace you know she looks so much like Steve and/or Steve’s side of the family…Deanne, Micah etc. I’ve heard it all. She’s got so much of his personality too. She unfortunately got my height (so far), my impatience and some of my other not so desirable traits.

One of the things I always prayed she would get from me is my love of reading. I have said it before, but I believe the foundation of a good education begins with reading and reading well. Steve never liked school and I believe it was due in part, to the fact that he didn’t read as well which influenced everything school-related.

I am happy to report that she is a full-on LOVER OF BOOKS! On weeknights, we read before we go to bed. I usually pick a book that I think might be a little advanced for her (though she’s already reading on a 3rd grade level) and I will read to her. The first book we read was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The second book we just finished was one of my favorites from my childhood. Anyone recognize it? Oh yes…it’s JUDY BLUME and the Hatcher Family.

I read almost every Judy Blume book published at the time and loved all of them. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was one of my favorites. I even owned a copy and saved it all these years hoping to pull it out one day with my child. And that day came. The book was old and the front cover ½ torn off. But definitely still readable. Oh, how much fun I had reading that book to JG. As if that wasn’t enough, guess what she brought home today??? Totally not knowing it was the same author or the sequel to TOAFGN, it’s…

This time, she doesn’t want me to read it to her…she is reading it to me! I mean. Are you kidding me? It’s really a little bit of heaven right here on earth. I can’t WAIT until tonight for bedtime. Seriously. This might be the most exciting part of my parenting journey. And as if that’s not enough, many weekend nights, she will beg, yes BEG, me to go lay in the bed together each reading our own books. Steve got a picture of us on his cell phone a few months ago and it almost brought tears to my eyes. A girl that not only loves reading like I do, but loves the same books that I did at her age. I can’t wait for the others to come… .

And to top it off? SHE LOVES TO SCRAPBOOK. Yes friends, it’s true. It’s not the level of scrapbooking that I do (not that I’m professional or anything), but she loves to use my rejected pictures and scrapbook stuff. She is a mini-me. She may not LOOK like me, but she loves the things I love. And it makes me happy to think when she is a teenager, she just might want to hang out with me and do those things. And that…well, THAT is a little bit of heaven. 

More updates from Haiti

Sorry for the late post...wanted to let you know that I received a couple emails this weekend about my sweet friend Leigh Ann and her trip to Haiti.

One point for those of you who know Leigh Ann and might be trying to text her encouraging words...effective this morning at 12:01am, AT&T no longer had free service to Haiti.  So calls and are text messages (especially those she receives) are really REALLY expensive.  Jeff and Leigh Ann are asking that you not text or call her.  She's due to be back in the States last Tuesday (that's tomorrow!) and will be in touch (via her blog or FB) as soon as possible.

The kids had a great time braiding many of their hair.  They especially loved Leigh Ann's long, blonde hair.  You can see pictures of this on her FB or the Sweet Sleep blog.

Yesterday, they were to travel in an open air van to the church and it was supposed to rain.  It has rained ("monsoon" I think is the word Jeff said Leigh Ann used) and so that trip was shaping up to be quite interesting.  Shortly after, Leigh Ann emailed everyone to say that the roads to PAP were not able to be traveled, so they were having church where they were, which was a huge praise!

The word today is that the team is very sore and tired for the work they are doing.  And Leigh Ann is already starting to be sad about leaving these children.  I'm sure she's not alone.  And there was another aftershock several hours ago.  I'm  sure this puts everyone on edge.  See Jeff's email below and please pray for the team and Leigh Ann as they prepare to say goodbye to these children who have endured so much...

"I talked with Leigh Ann last night and again this morning. The team is doing well but tired from the rock moving and painting. Check out the sweet sleep blog site to view some “chain gang” photos (http://sweetsleep.blogspot.com/). :-) Leigh Ann has been named the singing lady by the kids. While we were on the phone this morning I could hear the kids singing in the courtyard some of the songs she has taught them. They are loving it and so is she. She is sad for having to leave them though (as those of you who know her can only imagine). All the kids want is for someone to hold, play and sing with them. She is having a hard time with the reality that she will be gone on Tuesday and won’t be able to do that for them anymore. Today, they are back at the orphanage from yesterday. This one was destroyed in the earthquake and they had to move all 47 orphans to the orphanage they are in until it could be rebuilt. They are finishing it today and tomorrow with paint and beds to move the orphans back into their original home for space reasons. However, she said the new one is very small and did not see where all 47 would go. She kept repeating “Loaves and fishes. Loaves and fishes...” I just got on Facebook and saw she posted that they experienced an aftershock about 5 hours ago. Pray that these stay at a minimum or are non-existent. I know from Leigh Ann that Jen Gash is not enjoying these at all. Keep praying for them. Their work is not done yet. More updates to follow... "

Please pray...

In Haiti

Just received word that the team arrived in Haiti and are at the orphanage they will be working at now.  Please pray for the lives of these Haitian children who have been through so much in their short lives.

Going to Haiti

My dear friend and Bible Study leader, Leigh Ann is going to Haiti.  In fact, she is literally on her way right now.  When I found out a few weeks ago that she was going, I had, what I would call, a very strong reaction to the news.  I wish I could define "strong" for you, but all I can say is that I definitely had some feelings about it.  And while I count Leigh Ann as one of my dearest friends, the feelings I was having certainly didn't match up with our relationship.

Finally, out of desperation, I confessed to the Lord and felt like He was asking me to pray for Leigh Ann about this trip.  I eventually told her how I was feeling because I knew she probably sensed my hesitation.  After some praying and soul searching, I felt that God was most definitely telling me to pray and pray often.

So, that's what I committed to Leigh Ann that I would do.  This past Tuesday night after Bible Study, we surrounded her and prayed for her and her family that's still here.  Going to Haiti is very scary right now.  So many unknowns.

The group left for Haiti at the crack of dawn yesterday morning.  They arrived at the DR late yesterday where they slept over.  This morning, they were taking a bus (Thailand memories) to PAP.  I got a text from her this morning saying they were completely stopped at the border and didn't know how long they'd be there.  She asked me to pray.

Let me stop here and tell you just how honored I was to receive that text.  I was honored to be asked to pray for my friend.  I sent out the call that the team needed prayer and less than an hour later, this text arrived:

"I can't explain to you what happened, but God has literally parted the sea and we're being escorted through.  Amazing!!!"

I'm pretty sure I know What happened.  :)  "...The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results"  (James 5:16b).Though I shouldn't be, I never cease to be amazed at how God directly answers our prayers when we call on Him.

Can I please ask for your prayers for this team of folks going to Haiti?  They are all a part of Sweet Sleep which is who Steve went to Moldova with back in 2007.  You can follow the team as they travel by visiting the Sweet Sleep blog or Leigh Ann's blog.

A Friday Off...

Jenna's school is closed today for teacher in-service.  Usually on a day like today, Steve and I will figure out some way to go to work (Steve's still working temporarily and part time at the church) and keep Jenna with us.  That is, we try not to take off and miss work.  Well, with all the snow days lately, Jenna's been spending an awfully lot of "boring" (her words) time with Steve at the church (easier for him to take her there, than me to my work).

Earlier this week we were trying to figure out how we could somehow do a trade off today.  It was getting increasingly complicated.  And to boot, I have not been feeling well for about 2 weeks.  I might have mentioned on FB or a previous post that I've had some pretty serious congestion issues starting 2 weeks ago when I had insomnia.  I have been self medicating with everything from Vicks vapo-rub and a hot compress to the Neti-Pot (sinus rinse).

The last few nights I haven't slept well but still been getting up and pushing through at work and our nightly activities.  By Wednesday of this week, I'd had enough of the congestion and sinus pain alternating with the constant running and now VERY SORE nose.  I was starting to feel bad, so I made an appointment with my doctor for yesterday at 11:30.  I stopped all OTC medications until I saw her.  And I determined not to leave her office until I had something that would fix me.  As luck would have it, I probably went to see her at just the right time.  I was diagnosed with a severe sinus infection.  She prescribed a steroid pack, a 10-day antibiotic, a nasal spray and additional allergy pill.  So, I feel vindicated that something was really wrong with me. 

All that to say, I decided yesterday morning while dragging myself of bed at 5:30am that I was just going to take today off.  Jenna has been increasingly vocal about how BORING it is at our works and it is not fair to make her spend every single day off work sitting in an office where she has to be quiet and entertain herself (not to mention it is difficult to get work done with her around).  So, I just decided to take off.  Thankfully the steroid pack has already started working and I am feeling better.  I did sleep better last night, but woke up with a POUNDING headache.  I took all my meds an a little Advil and the headache is mostly gone now.

Jenna woke up first thing and made us a to-do list (a child after my own heart).  We have about 5 more minutes of me blogging and her reading (again, I say, a child after my own heart) and then it's to the bathtub for her and the PC upstairs for me to balance my checkbook.  After we finish that, she wants to play a game of Pictureka (if you don't have this game, I HIGHLY recommend it!) and then it's off to start a day full of errands.  One of which is to buy all the stuff for her sewing class next Saturday.  She is absolutely STOKED about it. 

One last thing...I went to the Drugstores Galore workshop last night with Faithful Provisions and can't WAIT to get started at CVS and Walgreens!  If you don't follow Kelly at FP, again, something I'd highly recommend.  So many great money-savings tips and ideas.

OK, times up...gotta go...

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've managed to drag out Valentine's Day for about 4 days.  Thursday was Jenna's Valentine party at school. When I got there, I saw that Jenna had received pink roses and a balloon from Steve delivered to school.  I had NO idea he was sending them.  Now tell me that isn't the sweetest.

MY flowers and balloon arrived at work on Friday.  Steve never fails to make sure I am the envy of the office on special days.  All the ladies talk about my getting flowers.  God love him.  And for the record, he was supportive enough to NOT get me a bunch of chocolate candy while I'm trying to lose weight (although, I have sampled some of Jenna's box that we bought her).

Last night we had tickets to TPAC to see the Drowsy Chaperone.  It wasn't the best show I've seen, but it could have been overshadowed by the fact that I could NOT breathe through pretty much the entire thing.  Last Saturday night when I had insomnia, I started getting congested.  By Monday I was so stopped up that I went to the clinic at work.  They diagnosed me with a sinus infection and gave me a three day antibiotic.  By Wednesday, I was feeling considerably better.  Then, yesterday morning I woke up completely congested again.  And it really made me cranky all stinking day long.  By the show last night, both sides were stopped up 100%.  I mean, literally, I could not get ANY air through my nose.  Swallowing and eating were out of the question.  Finally we got home and I felt a little better.  But by the time I laid down for bed, I was completely clogged again.  I tried Mucinex and nose spray.  I didn't have any trouble falling asleep, but I would keep waking myself up choking...from not being able to breathe.  Finally, Steve got up, brought me Vicks and a steaming hot rag to try and clear my head up.  It worked for about 2 seconds.  Finally, he scrounged around and found an Actifed tablet. Actifed is about the only thing that has ever worked on us and sources say it is no longer being made.  Anyway, something worked because I woke up feeling a little groggy but way better and most of the day has been fine.  I'm not about 85% congested and I've already taken my last Actifed, popped my Mucinex and a Tylenol.  I'm not sure what to do other than call the doctor tomorrow and tell her that I'm literally drowning in my own mucous.  Yes, I know...TMI.

Today, we all exchanged V-day cards and gifts....and I spent the day working on my coupons and then going to Publix and Kroger.  I saved about 39% and 25% respectively.  May not sound like much, but I got a TON of groceries and stayed within my budget.  I was disappointed that my couponing workshop was canceled yesterday because the gal that does it had H1N1.  I still have so much to learn...

I got my sewing machine on Friday.  One of my goals for this year is to learn to sew.  Or at least start.  I got a great machine for really cheap at Overstock.com and yesterday Jenna and I signed up for sewing classes at JoAnns.  Jenna is going to a couple Saturday classes...one to make a pillowcase and one to make a "bean buddy".  I am doing sewing basics.  I can't wait!

I am about to go lay down....hopefully the Actifed will kick in soon and help me breathe.  It's getting kind of old...

Hope y'all had a good V-day.

Welcome to the World!

Welcome to the world Jackson Dills!!!

My niece Beth and her husband Bob welcomed their sweet bundle of joy into the world this afternoon!

Jackson Dills was 9lbs 7.5oz and 22 1/4 inches long!  He's a big boy!  We are so excited to have another baby in the Taylor family!

Congratulations Beth and Bob! (and Bob and Deanne!!)

Camera Bag

MckMama is giving away a really NICE camera bag on her giveaways blog here.  Hop on over and enter to win.  If you don't win, you can purchase one here.