Locked out!

I still don't know what I did, but I somehow got locked out of my blogger account, so that is why I haven't posted since January! Crazy stuff!

I'm working on the remaining post to the Wellness series I was in the middle of & will get those posted soon.

In the mean time, I'll just leave this here. We finally had a family picture done in June. I love that our family is growing in a new way.

When the Prayer Request Changes

Financial Provision.  It is a prayer request I have had for many years.

I realized yesterday that I don't have that as a prayer request anymore.  God is providing financially for us! In fact, He is providing above and beyond what we need right now. We are finally able to put money away in savings and are working to get enough money saved up so we can move & give my in-laws back their house. They have been so amazing & patient letting us stay here. We don't know when we will move & we don't know where, we are doing this slowly to make sure we don't make any emotional decisions. But for the first time in 5 years we have consistent income! Don't you know I am doing the Praise-Jesus-dance!!

Scott is working for a company called Pilot. They are hired by an insurance company to handle their home insurance claims. It isn't a fun job, but he does enjoy those he works with. The hard part is he works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and then he has to drive an hour to work & an hour home. So we don't see him much during the week. I hate that part, but it is what the Lord is using to provide for us right now, so we are all thankful for it. And I'm very thankful for a husband who is willing to do what every he needs to do to provide for us.

I am working from home, part time. I blogged about a year ago about how I was about to start pursuing a business with Young Living Essential Oils. I'm so thrilled that the Lord is greatly blessing this & we are now receiving enough income to completely cover many bills and our groceries. And the great part is, this business just keeps growing and getting bigger. Not only has the Lord used these products to change our family's health, but now he is using this company to change our lives and bring about things I had lost hope over.


It's the little things that excite me.

• Sarah & Morgan went to Ireland this month with our church mission team & we were able to contribute to their fundraising....many times!
• We bought a car! I finally have my own reliable car to drive for the first time in 3 years.
• I bought our home school materials, everything the kids needed with out asking for my parents help in paying for it.
• I met a friend for lunch & I paid for her lunch!
• I can go to the grocery store & buy whatever we need.

We are not rolling in money by any means, but how refreshing it is to be able to take care of our needs & a few wants without worry. How fun it is to bless others with what God has blessed us with!

I blinked...and he grew up.

I remember when I first began having babies, a sweet little old lady at church told me,
"Don't blink or they will be all grown up and you will miss it."

I didn't really care what she was talking about because I was drowning in diapers, babies and spit up.

I should have listened.

I blinked.

Little did we know that when our son left for the West Texas oil fields he would meet the girl of his dreams.

I blinked.

He brought her over for dinner and I gave her a good look over.

I wondered, "Is this the one I've been praying for?  Is this the girl God designed, created and loved just for my son?"

I couldn't help but think about these things. As a mom, you hope and pray your son will recognize God's girl for him when he meets her.

Conversations became serious after we met her.

"Mom, she's the one. I know it. I can't explain it, I just know it."

Little did we know that she was having the same type conversations with her family.

I don't remember blinking, but I did.

My little boy is gone. Now a man, bringing her home to meet her future family. Proud & smiling from ear to ear.

I love looking at this sweet girl my son has chosen and thinking, "I've been praying for you, since you were a little girl, I've been praying for you."

I feel like I am meeting an old friend I have known for years even though we have just met.

 

They stood before God and their family and friends and  committed to love each other and be faithful to each other no matter how hard life will be. And life will be hard.

I've gained a daughter of whom I love and adore. I pray for her and for him because now it is them. Instead of praying for a mysterious, unknown girl, I am praying for my son's wife, she has a name, face and a place in my heart.

I will try not to blink as much because I do not want to miss what God has planned for this couple.

Just a quick update.

I haven't written anything since May. I can't believe it has been that long, but things have been really busy & there just hasn't been much time to blog. So I thought I would give you a quick update on what all has been keeping us busy.

June came in with an invitation to Scott to participate in a 2 year project with the company he has been working catastrophic claims with since 2011. He accepted & began work in mid June. The drive is long & so are the hours, but we are so thankful for the income. But we really miss him not being here. We look forward to the weekends when he is home. This job has been my first true hope of us being able to get back on our feet & move into our own house eventually. This coming November will be 3 years since we had to move.

Scott has been helping me with my Young Living business, so when he went back to work & had to get used to working solo and that has taken quite a bit of adjustment for me. This is my job now. I officially call myself a "Work at Home Mom". I am excited to be earning enough income to cover many of our bills each month & cover the Young Living products we need.  You can visit out "oily" website to see why I love doing what I do.  I am teaching classes, meeting with moms and helping people find a natural way to improve their health.

July brought us an exciting announcement. Josh & his girlfriend, Chelsea are getting married.  We really like Chelsea & have enjoyed the time we have been able to spend with her & are so excited to have her in our family. The wedding is August 23! Yikes!!! 

The rest of the summer has been full of church camp, family reunions, swimming & sleeping late.

We are starting school back tomorrow simply because these kids need some routine in their day & I need routine also! I don't even have all of their school books yet, but that is what the internet & a printer is good for. :)

Lessons from Charlie

Here is my view as I write.

Today is Charlie's 2nd birthday. Yes, I know...already!

He is very much a typical 2 year old boy. He loves to eat everything he isn't supposed to & not eat what he needs to. He is a boy of few words, but knows how to get his point across.  He is happier outside then inside (the reason for the sand table). He will take a bucket of cars over a book all day long.

Last year I blogged about the difference a year makes. The Lord has often felt very far away, but Charlie is our constant reminder that indeed he is also very close by.

I have said it many times before on here, but Charlie truly is the joy of our family. It isn't because he is the youngest.  God has used Charlie to teach our family many very important things.

1.  Dates are important to God.  15 years ago today is when the kids & I were in that horrible car accident that triggered a season of depression & panic attacks for me.  For many years we hated the date, May 7 because it always reminded us of what had happened. We do not believe it is coincidence that 13 years later the Lord blessed us with Charlie on that same day.  Now, May 7th is a day of celebration for us.

Sarah and Charlie near the site of the accident.

See the bent t-post? They never fixed it. We found Sarah laying under the post. That post saved her life. The suburban rolled over that post, bending it. She has no memory of the year before or the year after the accident.

2.  Joy is possible in the midst of difficult days.  Even though we were thrilled when we found out we were expecting Charlie, we were in the midst of a very difficult time and I was really concerned about having this baby.  I knew God had a purpose, but trusting his purpose was a totally different issue. Here is my post about what was going on at the time: You Have Given Me Greater Joy!  Little did we know the impact Charlie would make on our family. The Lord used Charlie to bring our family together during a trial that could easily have torn us apart.  He brought joy to our lives.

3.  God truly knows!  Not that I ever really doubted this, but ok...yes I have.  When I realized we would have to move unfortunately one of my first thoughts were not, "God knows what he is doing." It was more like, "Really? You are letting this happen now?" And yes.  I was upset with God.  If it were left up to me, I would never have chosen to have a baby at that time. I am so thankful it isn't left up to me. I can't imagine the blessings we would have missed out on if we had decided 10 kids were enough & made sure to not have anymore.  Charlie is proof we do not know, but God does. His timing is perfect. He could easily have given us Charlie several years earlier,but he didn't. He could have never given us Charlie at all.  In the eyes of many that would have been best.

I'm so thankful God knows what I need exactly when I need it!

When I begin to doubt God's timing or plans, I look over at Charlie and am reminded that God knows, He gives joy & everyday is important to him.  Suddenly, my doubts fade and my joy is renewed.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12

My latest lesson?  Sitting outside with your laptop while your boys play in the sand will result in sand all over & possibly inside your laptop. Not sure that was a good idea.

Overwhelmed by His Grace

It's Good Friday.

Our day really hasn't been much different that most Friday's.  But yet it is.  

My Bible reading this morning took me back to the events that lead up to Jesus arrest, crucifixion and death. If I'm not careful I can read that like I read most books.  Just looking at the words, not taking it in.

I recieved a message from a friend this week who spoke about her son who is autistic and really has a hard time this time of year.  He gets very emotional when he reads the scriptures about Jesus death.  He cries and is very upset. He struggles with separating the past from the present and even though his parents assure him that Jesus is not dead, his emotions are over whelming as he reads what Jesus went through.

I have to side with Jeremy on this one.  I can't read those words without becoming emotional.  And I pray that never changes.

Are you humbled by his life and death?  It was all done for you.

If you can read the account of Jesus death without your emotions being stirred, I challenge you to re-read it & use your imagination.  Put your self in that crowd.  Smell the smells.  Hear the cursing and yelling.  Watch the beating done by the Roman soldiers who literally didn't know who they were beating.

16 The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Mark 15:16-20

As horrible as it is to read what was done to Jesus, what a blessing to know the story didn't end there.  

Sunday we celebrate the rest of the story.  We rejoice that sin was conquered and God's plan for salvation was accomplished.

Let this resinate in your soul. 

Immerse yourself in the beauty of God's love for you and the wondrous grace that covers you.  

Let it overwhelm you like it does Jeremy. His love for Jesus should insire us all to respond in the same way.

By the way, April is Autism Awareness Month & I am so thankful for the special people the Lord has placed in our lives that bless us and inspire us to love the Lord.

Enjoying Fall

I'm still taking a bit of a break from blogging, but I just had to share a few pictures with you.  I took the kids to the Celina Pumpkin Patch & Morgan & Sarah came along too.
If you are reading this on the blog page,you can click on the picture & that takes you to a new page where you can see the pics better.

Sweetest face ever!

Boots...required for the pumpkin patch

I just love this.

He was not sure about the big animals, but learned he could share some hay straw with them & that was pretty cool.

You can't catch me!

Not looking much like a little girl anymore.

Obviously Charlie didn't want in this picture.

The hayride was fun.  My sweet Sam.

Lovely bunch!

You don't have to worry about crows with these scarecrows in your yard.

He is one tired little boy!  Took a 3 1/2 hour nap when we got home.

My New Adventure

Have you ever wrestled with God concerning something you don't want to do, but you know he is telling you to do it?

Yep!  Me too.

Remember the posts last year I wrote about surrendering to God?  I just thought I had surrendered.  He had more.

No, he didn't make me stop eating chocolate.  It isn't that bad. :)

There is a part of my life I rarely, if ever blog about.  It isn't that it is too personal, I just never thought this was the right place to write about it.

I never write about my family's health and how we use essential oils to stay healthy.  But God has taken me in a new direction that sometimes I still don't want to go, but I have to admit it is pretty cool to watch him at work.

Young Living is the company we have always bought our oils from.  For 10 years we have used essential oils from them & even when I thought they were too expensive so I bought a cheaper brand I always went back.

Essential oils are amazing. They are alive.  They are the life blood of the plants they are extracted from and when in our blood stream they have amazing qualities and can do unbelievable things.

Young Living is a MLM company and for some that is a turn off.  I never cared either way.  All I knew is that if I spent $50 a year I could get the products at the wholesale price and that is all I wanted.  Recently the Lord turned it into more.  It isn't about me and my family any more.  It has become about others and helping them learn how they too can be healthier.  Don't worry, I'm not trying to recruit you. (But contact me if you are interested in knowing more)

The Lord told me to make myself available & tell others how I use the oils & leave the rest to him and that is ALL I have done.  The result?  He is using Young Living to help provide for us financially.  I don't think you understand how huge this is for me.  I have attempted to "make money" with other companies many times before and never made a penny.  In fact I usually gave my products away or sold them at my cost.  So, when I decided to do this I never thought it would work.  I argued with the Lord for a few days.  I told him of all the reasons why I can't do this & how it will never work.  All of a sudden I felt like Moses when God told him to go back to his people.  I felt very inadequate & unqualified.

This is more to me than selling oils...because I'm not selling oils...OK, I am, but it doesn't feel like it.  When friends come to me with serious health concerns and they trust me to help them find answers, I take that very seriously.  Who am I to take this on?  The Lord keeps reminding me I am His and He will equip me.  So, I am reading, listening to audio, watching YouTube videos and reading some more educating myself on basic Biology and the amazing benefits of using Essential Oils.

I don't just have a down line after only a few months of working this as a business, but I am getting paid...a lot...in a very short amount of time & I have to tell you that I am totally shocked!  It's totally the Lord doing this because honestly I'm not out there beating down doors & asking people to smell my oils.  He is bringing people to me...and he is bringing people I have never mentioned any of this too.  Totally cool!!

Ok, so why am I telling you this?  Well, I have been trying to be a better blogger & post more regularly but of course I haven't.  So, I am stepping away from the blog for just a little while so I can get my new website set up for the oils.  I have a website; http://joyfuloils4u.com  Please check it out...and you will soon realize why I am calling it a temporary one.  But it still has good info on it.  I have put this off for a long time because frankly I don't have time to do this, but I really need to make time.  The Lord is using this to provide money for us so I need to do my best at using the resources before me.

I am excited to see what the Lord does with this.  I hope you are too.

Officially a Bailey Boy!

We finally did it.

Scott & I tackled the dreaded task of cutting Charlie's hair.  It wasn't his first hair cut.  I cut his hair back in March, but it had grown back & was a mess.

His blonde little locks just had to come off.  Scott pulled out the trusty old clippers & began to buzz.  Silly Charlie smiled & giggled & wiggled the whole time, but let us finish his hair.

My sister said it right...He is officially now a Baily boy!  All of our boys, by the time they were 2, had their first buzz cuts.  Charlie has so much hair that he got his a little early.

Here is the after.  Cute as a bug!  He looks more like his brothers everyday.  In fact,they all argue over who he looks more like.  Me?  I think he looks like Charlie with a little bit of brothers sprinkled here & there. :)

Sarah Update. Where Am I?

Here's our latest pic of Sarah.  We haven't heard from her in 2 days and it is driving me bonkers!  I am sure this means they are really busy & just too tired at night to contact us.  In this picture she is sitting outside a coffee shop down the street from where they are staying. This is where they can get wifi.  Keep praying for the team.  Sarah is seeing a real desperate need for the gospel to be shared & lived out in this little town of NewRoss.
Pray for their safety, the youth will be open to hearing and accepting the gospel and for strength & energy for the team.

By the way, I am blogging today over at The M.O.M. Initiative blog today.  I'm blogging about JOY...what's the big deal about it?

My Irish Missionary

Dublin Airport

As I write this, Sarah is sleeping soundly at a friends house in Galway, Ireland.  She has spent the past 2 days with friends she has made over the past 3 years with each return trip.  I'm so thankful for Claire and her sweet daughters who gave Sarah a place to stay and treated her like a queen.  They took her to many places in the area that she had not been able to go to because there wasn't time on her past trips.

Tomorrow she gets back on the train and heads back to Dublin where she will meet the mission team.  They will all travel together to New Ross and minister to the teenagers in the community.  A very hard group of people to minister to in Ireland.

I would appreciate your prayers for Sarah & the prayer team.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, I often repost pictures she has posted from her Facebook page.

She messaged me tonight, because she couldn't go to sleep.  She didn't want to leave Galway, but she was also very excited to see what the Lord had in store for her in New Ross. It was 1:00 a.m. her time. I know eventually, my Irish missionary will move to Ireland.  Her passion is to share Jesus with the people there and her love of the country is obvious.  She has been happier these past few days than she has been in a long time.

The Quiet Man Bridge

Sarah & Claire

The Tribe

Here is my Tribe.  We had these taken Mother's Day.  It was my gift to myself.  Now that my kids are trying so hard to leave me it is really hard to get them all together for good pictures.

I asked a friend of mine if she could take our picture.  She is 19 and loves photography & I knew she would do a great job!  And she did!!

This is my favorite.  

We joked that this is on the porch of our new house.
My group takes up the whole porch!

Me & all my guys!

Sweet Charlie with his brothers in the background.

Me with my beautiful little women who aren't so little anymore...
except Gracie, she's still little.

This was a Facebook favorite & is still my cover photo.

Love this man!  My cowboy!

A Year Later

What a difference a year makes!  I can't believe it has been a whole year since Charlie was born. Here is my post I wrote after he was born.  The Lord was really working on me then.

So, here we are a year later and of course the Lord is still working on me in so many ways.  When Charlie was born, my big life lesson was on surrendering.  Surrendering my plans for our family to move out to our own home.  Surrendering my plans for the pregnancy. (using a doctor instead of a midwife like in the past). Surrendering my plans for my children. Surrendering my plans for the birth. My plans weren't bad...they just didn't match up with the Lord's plans.

I can truly say I have given up my plans.  WooHoo!  None of them were working out anyway. :)  I am trusting the Lord that his plans are way better than anything I could come up with.  They always are.  Though the inbetween time is extremely difficult!

Where am I a year later?  I have my good days and my bad days just like every other normal person.  I have my days when I could swear the Lord is standing right next to me walking me through my day & then I have days where I can't feel him at all and I feel as though he has dumped me off on a deserted island & forgotten about me.

I admit, I have enjoyed using Charlie as an excuse to stay out of touch with people.  I know that sounds horrible, especially is you know me in real life.  3 years ago I was extremely busy in ministry and homeschool world and just life as a mom of a giant family.  Now, I love the fact that my busyness all comes from my kids.  No more outside groups pulling for my attention.  It took me a really long time to become comfortable with that, but I am now.  And now that I really like not doing anything except be a mom & wife, God says, "I have something for you to do."  I said, "NOOO!!!"  He said, "YES!" and he wouldn't quit talking to me until I...yep, you guessed it.  I had to surrender! ugh!

So, JoyMoms was born.  I'm still writing on the book, but since I am a mom first I am writing slowly.  But the Lord keeps talking to me about other ways to minister to moms besides just writing.  I'm listening and waiting. In the mean time, I am posting as often as I can on JoyMoms.com what the Lord has taught me and is teaching me about His joy.

Today, as we celebrate Charlie's birthday I celebrate more than just his precious life.

 I celebrate a God who will not leave me alone! 

 I celebrate a husband who has stuck with me through my hormonal craziness & spiritual depression.  

I celebrate parents & in-laws who still very graciously sacrifice so much so our family can stay together.

 I celebrate my kids who are still learning to just roll with the flow and be patient while we wait for God to provide what we need so we can live in our own house again. 

 I celebrate friends who continue to pray for me and hold me accountable.

Jude 24,25 has become my verse for this year.  It is God who keeps me from stumbling and he deserves all glory for everything in my life.  This verse is called the doxology of the book of Jude & I think it is a perfect doxology for my life.

Here is my Charlie.  He is the joy of our family.  We can't imagine our lives with out him and even though we all thought it was a crazy time for God to give us a baby we are so thrilled he is here.  God knew we needed Charlie now!

Stress-free Mom is a Happy Mom

I once took pride in my routine.  I knew everyday what would happen.  I knew what kid did what chore. I knew what school lesson would be taught.  I knew what part of the house would be cleaned.  I knew what errands would be done & who had an appointment or event to go to.  I knew what was going on.

Then we moved.  All of that went away.  I could have created new chore charts and school schedules, but I thought we would move again soon so I just put it off.  Here we are 17 months later and still living with Scott’s parents.  I thought it was time to get things back in order, or I knew I would lose my mind (what is left of it).

Our 5 oldest are 17 to 21 years old.  The oldest 2 don’t live with us, so that leaves the 17, 18 & 19 year olds here.  They are super busy with work and school and it is really hard to keep up with their schedule’s.  So, I found out about a free app for our phones that has become an easy way to keep up with them.

COZY.com  This has been a huge help.  We use the calendar more than anything else & I don’t pay for it so keeps it simple too.  We have one login so everyone can easily add their schedules in.  They can install the app on their phone & it will send them reminders.  I even have a widget on my laptop desktop so when I turn my computer on in the morning I see who has what going on.  LIFESAVER!  Of course this requires they actually put their work schedules in the calendar & often my sons can’t  do that because… well….they are boys & that would be too difficult to actually type numbers and letters that are not directed towards a friend or girl ((insert sarcasm)).  But my daughter has it down & she is like me…needs an updated calendar to survive.

Now I have the older ones under control (can you hear me laughing?) I decided it was time to get chores going again.  My kids were becoming quite accustom to not helping around the house again & I just couldn’t have that.  So, Scott & I decided to not just bring back the chores, but also a small allowance to help motivate.  We have been against this in the past, but he has ulterior motives.  He is also teaching them how to save their money & designate it for different things.  Dave Ramsey has some awesome methods that we have followed for years & we want our younger ones to learn how to use them now just like our older kids do.

So, as I am making yet, another chore chart & find on Pinterest the most amazing thing!  Another smarter & more creative mom than I, printed her list of chores on magnetic paper!

This brilliant mom printed the chores out on the magnetic paper & then posted them on the frig.  EAch child had their own list & as they did a chore they simply moved it down the list. So easy & so amazing how my kids feel accomplished when they can move those chores down & see the list of “Chores to do” grow smaller. As their list of “Already Done” chores grows so does their allowance.

Here is what mine ended up looking like.

I only did the 3 younger kids.  The other two older boys (13 & 15) just do whatever their dad says to do when he says to do it.  No chart needed. LOL!

I printed out a page with the 3 colored columns.  I laminated it, but the magnets weren’t strong enough to hold so I had to print another one that wasn’t laminated. The only thing that was not magnetic was the paper they put the chores on.  They liked having a picture of themselves over their chores too.

The next thing I did was write up menus for meals.  I had done this before, but didn’t stick to it.  This time, since I am not the only one cooking, I didn’t assign meals for specific days.  I just made a list of possible meals for the week & then bought the food needed to make those meals. If the recipe was new I printed it out at the beginning of the week.  That way, when my mother-in-law is getting ready to make lunch (because that is the meal she always makes so I can do school with the kids.  Isn’t she wonderful?!) She just has to look at the list of meals & see what she wants to make.  We work together on this.  She & I both plan out the meals and even though I do most of the grocery shopping she often fills in the gaps of what I forget to buy.  I am living the dream!

Such simple things have helped to bring the early beginnings of order & routine back to my day.  We are finishing up school for the year so I will get to establish a whole new routine once school isn’t part of our day. (kids jumping for joy!)

Charlie is finally into a routine of 2 naps a day and going down on his own in his bed. Yipee!!  This helps so much!  Now if I could just get him to sleep all night, my life would be perfect!

You may not need routine as badly as I do, but I’m always so amazed at how even the smallest bit of routine can ease so much of my stress.  And we all know that a stress-free mom is a happy mom!