Me and my little man!

As Long. . .

How long does it take before you begin to doubt God's goodness and love in His dealings with you? I have already shared in the past that my trust in God lasts about as long as things are going the way I think they should, the way I have planned they should.

Sadly I must admist that I frequently find myself questioning God's love when my plans fall apart, when things don't happen on my timetable, or when I am faced with an unforeseen difficulty. I fail to realize that all of these are opportunities for me to display the power of the gospel in my life - to respond with supernatural power, to live radically differently because of Christ and His supreme sufficiency not only for our salvation but for every day, for eternity.

"What I am going to inherit in eternity is so superior that it makes any sacrifice in this life insignificant. I must be so heavenly minded that I am free from this world and it's stuff."- John Piper

How long can I trust God?As long as He is!

"For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations." - Psalm 100:5

As Long as You are Glorified
Mark Altrogge

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Single Mom . . .

for a few days

My hubby is out of town for a few days and I am realizing a lot:

1) Single Moms are AMAZING! I have no earthly idea how they do it.
2) I had no idea how much my hubby actually DID help me out.
3) I had no idea how many sounds this house made at night.
4) Television does have the ability to bore one rather than entertain (I usually only have 10 minutes to glance at the news so I never have time to be bored with it)
5) I am a social bug.
6) Having a sick baby and no one to vent to is hard.
7) How great the grace of God is
8) How true the saying: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is.
9) How long a night can be
10) How cold a queen size bed is with only one body in it.
11) The LENGTH of our house (walking the distance between our bedroom and Jake's at night)
12) I cook for my husband. (I've been living off of cereal, granola, yogurt, carrots, celery and popcorn)
13) I am very attached to my husband (I surprised myself and cried after he left)
14) I do like things neat just for me (I've still done dishes, made the bed, vacuumed, etc.)
15) God is my shelter, strong tower, listening ear, Protector and Provider!

Seven things. . .

Answer the questions with 7 responses. . .then tag 7 people.

What I was doing 10 years ago
Well I grew up in South Africa, so the seasons were flipped and our school year was January through December so it would have been the fall of my junior year.
1. debating like crazy with my partner for a chance to make nationals (we did!)
2. practicing piano and flute like crazy for my UNISA (University of South Africa) exams
3. cutting bangs (big mistake)
4. riding the train back and forth to school each day
5. editing the school newspaper
6. directing the choir in our small church
7. trying to grow as a very new Christian (I accepted Christ as Lord and Savior in December of 1997 after an entire lifetime of living a complete lie)

WOW! I was a REAL nerd!

Snacks I enjoy:
1. popcorn
2. apples and peanut butter
3. cheese
4. cheese and grapes/pineapple
5. granola bars
6. yogurt
7. anything crunchy other than potato chips (celery, carrots, corn chips, pretzels, crackers)

Things I would do if I became a billionaire:
1. Personally support some of the missionaries we know.
2. Pay off all our debt (car, house, medical bills)
3. Buy a second car.
4. Fix up the house how we want it to be "one day".
5. Get Jake (and me) a chocolate lab.
6. Go on a few trips to see my folks in South Africa.
7. Set up some savings accounts for Jake's college and any future Garland gang members college fund; our retirement (that sounds like the biggest joke) and maybe a vacation fund.

My bad habits:
1. leaving the dishes to do at the very end of the day
2. drying clothes but not getting around to folding them for a few days
3. telling people I am going to call or e-mail them, but not doing it
4. not plucking my eye brows often enough
5. pulling my hair back into a pony tail because I'm too lazy to style it
6. clicking through the tv channel guide like 3 times in a row even though it's already been established that nothing worth watching is on or will be on in the next hour. (as if they're going to change it)
7. telling instead of asking Rob what to do (I don't mean it in a bossy way, but it sure comes across that way)

Places I have lived:
1. Greenville, SC
2. Durbanville, South Africa
3. Kuilsrivier, South Africa
4. Burlington, NC
5. Brevard, NC
6. Tampa, FL
7. Taylors, SC

Jobs I've had:
1. Teacher's aide (during college)
2. Camp counselor (college summers)
3. Art Building Hostess (during college)
4. Learning Resource Center Tutor & Supervisor (during college)
5. Registration Secretary (first post-graduate job)
6. Tutor for Sylvan Learning Center (first job as a Mrs.)
7. Preschool Teacher & then 2nd & 3rd grade Learning Disabilities Self-contained classroom teacher
Places I would rather be:
1. in heaven
2. in a beach hotel room with a jacuzzi, a gorgeous view, a sunset and Rob. :)
3. home - Cape Town, South Africa
4. having a pedicure/manicure
5. tanning bed
6. sitting outside soaking in sunshine by the pool (that I don't have)
7. hanging with good friends or family over a good cup of coffee

Plans I have for 2008:
1. celebrate Jake's first birthday
2. take Rob and Jake to South Africa at Christmas time
3. paint our new house (the interior)
4. start a MOMS (Mom on Mom support) group for first time moms
5. train for a 10 mile run at Furman next February
6. finish the "dream bedroom" I've been putting off since we got married
7. take guitar lessons regularly rather than sporadically. :)

People who E-mail me regularly:
1. My mom
2. Erin
3. Facebook (to let me know someone sent me something or commented on something
4. Bonuspoints and Inbox dollars
5. Rob (sometimes to forward me something from work)
6. Clare (to forward me something)
7. Mom W. (to forward me something)

Things I think about often:
1. how much time I waste
2. how much I need to grow in selflessness and humility
3. how much I love Jake and Rob
4. how amazing it is that God loved me enough to provide for my salvation, and continues to love me as I continue to sin and fall short of His glory
5. what we will be doing in the future
6. what Jake is going to be like when he's grown
7. what to plan for next week's meals and how to get the groceries I need at the cheapest rates possible

Slow down . . . PLEASE!

I have been realizing this last week that what "they" say is TRUE! (do you ever wonder who "they" is - I do!)

MY SON IS GROWING UP TOO FAST!!!!

I wish I could watch him in slow motion, but lately everything he does seems so fast and he seems to be changing every minute. . . literally. (And I really don't mean figuratively)

*He is CRAWLING EVERYWHERE! (Thank the Lord our new home is childproofed for the most part and I shut doors to the rooms that aren't. He has not had any serious injuries YET! :))

*He understands so much and is trying to talk all the time. He imitates us, and babbles constantly. The other day I thought he was done eating and I said: "All done", just like I always do and he started to wail. Then I asked him if he wanted "more" and he immediately calmed down and reached for more. He understands "no" and "obey". Yesterday he started to crawl to the fireplace and I told him "no, obey Jake" and he looked at me, then back at the fireplace, then back at me. I told him: "come to Mommy." He looked back at the fireplace, and then crawled straight to me. I rewarded him by taking him to the see the fireplace WITH MOMMY.

* He has dropped another nursing, which means now he only nurses 4 times a day. And he dropped it on his own! The past 3 mornings, he has not wanted to nurse right when he wakes up. Do you know what he has wanted? HIS TOYS!

* He loves his new room and this new independence brought on by mobility. He will play for an hour or more sometimes just cheerfully exploring his room and his toys. I MISS HIM NEEDING ME!

* He now naps for two hours in the morning and again for two hours in the afternoon.

* He'll let me read to him without getting fidgety for almost 15 minutes at a time now too!

* He has arrived at the "I want Mommy only" stage, but only early in the morning, when he first wakes up, and then at night when it's time for bed.

AND ALL OF THIS WITHIN THE LAST WEEK!
Like I said, he is changing and growing too fast! I want to cherish every second with him. I know the day will come when I long for the moments when I can hold him. A few nights I have done just that. I've held him and rocked him a little longer, just to savor those moments.
He is the sweetest little boy and truly a reward from God. I love him more and more each day. Not only does he teach me something new every day, he makes me smile, even laugh, several times each day - and I thought I was supposed to be doing that for him. . . .

Settling in

Our move is completed.
On Friday we came and cleaned our new home and a friend helped me unpack most of the kitchen.
Saturday was the main moving day. Rob had scheduled to pick up the U-Haul at 9:30 a.m. and several guys were meeting us at our apt. around 10:00 a.m. After business hours on Friday evening some man from the U-Haul place called Rob and told him that his other business came first and he would only be able to have a truck available for Rob at 10:30. a.m. So Rob called all the guys and told them to come at 11:00 a.m. He called me at 11:00 when all, but one guy, had already showed up at our apt. and said that he was in line at the U-Haul place and still did not have a truck.
Around 11:45 a.m. he called me again to say that he had a truck, but that he had to drive to another U-Haul store to fill out the paperwork. (umm. . . . excuse me? What was stopping him from just driving the truck to our apt., using it for the move and then returning it without EVER paying or filling out ANYTHING? ) So, finally at 12:30ish p.m. he gets back to apartment and the poor hungry guys can start loading the truck. (Meanwhile my girlfriend and I drove to the new house, picking up pizza and ice for drinks along the way. We'd had all my stuff from the freezer and the fridge in the car since 11:00)
Needless to say IT WAS A VERY LONG DAY!
Poor Jake! He was so confused and frustrated! His crib wouldn't fit through the doorways at our new home and Rob was only able to take it apart after 7p.m. on Saturday night. We were finally able to make his little bed around 9p.m. When I put him in his crib, he started to laugh and squeal and crawled all around it. It was like: "YEAH! Something familiar! OK! This is going to be ok!" Poor baby only got to bed after 9:30p.m. on Saturday night. He woke 3 times in the night, but settled back to sleep fairly quickly.
On Monday we had to go back to the apt. and clean it. There were also a few things Rob had left there because they wouldn't fit in the truck.
Except for the study at our new place everything is unpacked and in it's new place. We don't have pictures up and we only have blinds up, no curtains, and the blinds are only up in our bedroom and the nursery, but it's definitely livable! We are going to add the others as we can.
Rob and I were talking on Sunday evening. God did not give us this home merely so we can enjoy the home. (And if that becomes my focus I will want everything and want it NOW) God gave us this house for the same reason He does everything He does - it is for His glory. It is all because of Him and it is to Him. We desire for this home to be used to bring Him the glory and honor He deserves. We are in this neighborhood for a way bigger reason, than just to enjoy a beautiful home. We are here because of God, for God.

My hope and dream and prayer is that God would use us in this neighborhood to display the transforming power of the gospel by the grace of God; that our lifestyle, our actions, and interactions with our neighbors would pave the way for us to be able to openly share the gospel with them.

Romans 10:1 " Brethren my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation."