Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Officially Summer at The Cottage

Today is the official start of Summer at our Cottage. The kids and I actually got to sleep in.........it felt wonderful!!

We took the day easy and decided to go pick strawberries at a local Strawberry Farm. Just the three of us went and we enjoyed it, we had fun. We picked two big buckets full! Actually we picked one bucket full first, then we decided why not pick another one! I put up 6 freezer bags of sliced strawberries and four bags of whole strawberries up in the freezer. Yet, I also had enough left to just eat!! The strawberries are so yummy and juicy, no sugar is needed.

Tomorrow, tomorrow is the second day of Summer at the Cottage what are we going to do? Well, the Major has a class graduating, so we may go and watch his class graduate, it'll get us out of the house and who knows, we may go to lunch afterwards :)

Hope that you are taking advantage of your Summer and if your a SAHM(stay-at-home-Mom) like me, take time with your kids, spend time with them, don't let them veg or sleep all day, get up and get moving!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Still Here

As I "predicted" we are all still here. I do not think that I need to say anymore. If you need more, refer to the post before this one ;)

Friday, May 20, 2011

End of the World....Really?

I have seen the samethings that you have probably been seeing lately......clips on the computer, on the television and even signs that say that the end of the world is tomorrow, Saturday, May 21st. Really, because the last time I looked, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." Matthew 24:36.

If you are believing someone saying that the end of the world is happening tomorrow then I advice you to look at Matthew 24:36. NO ONE knows when the Lord will come, only the FATHER. So should you believe someone, some ordinary person, saying that tomorrow is the end of the world? NO!! But if you are believing it I want to advice you to look at this scripture, Isaiah 46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." NO ONE knows that day of, only God the Father.

I do not put stock in to the idea that tomorrow is the end of the world/judgement day. There have been so many people over the years trying to predict the exact day of the end of times and guess what.....they were obviously all WRONG or else I wouldn't be sitting here typing this I would be in Heaven right now! And on that note I will say.........

If the end of times were tomorrow or today or in 5, 20 or 30 years(which we know that it could happen at any moment at any time) don't you want to make sure that you are ready. And I don't mean making sure that you have a stock pile of food, or a generator, or tons of bottled water stored, or going crazy and doing whatever you want to do because you think that tomorrow is the end of times, I mean don't you want to make sure that you are ready. Are you a Christian, have you accepted Christ as your Savior? John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." See, if we are a Christian, we are not to worry about the end of the world/the end of times/the world coming to an end because we will not persih, we will be taken to heaven where we will live with our Heavenly Father forever. I get chill bumps just thinking of that, don't you? I can only imagine what that day will be like. Can you imagine what it will be like standing before our Heavenly Father? "Let your hearts not be overly concerned. Believe in The God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s House there are many abodes. I am leaving to prepare a place for you. I will Return and will receive you home to me, that where ever I am you also will be." John 14: 1-3.

On the other hand, if you are not a Christian, or you are wishy washy(is there a God, am I Christian, do I believe and have never asked Him into your life), I would be very afraid. Very afraid as to where I am spending eternity. And people, being a good person doesn't count! There are a lot of "good" people. There are many "good" people that treat others as they would like to be treated, those that would do anything for anybody, those that give of their time and money, but here's the catch with "good" people: being a "good" person is not going to get you into heaven, the only way into heaven is to accept Christ as your personal Savior. It's that  simple, because do you want to hear our Father say these words to you: "I never knew you." Matthew 7:23, "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

So to put it simple, let's look at the facts:
(1) Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).
(2) Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny (Hebrews 9:27).
(3) Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36, etc.).

Ok, now let's look at some other facts:
 Hell facts:
(1) Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
(2) Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).
(3) Hell is conscious torment.
  • Matthew 13:50 “furnace of fire…weeping and gnashing of teeth”
  • Mark 9:48 “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”
  • Revelation 14:10 “he will be tormented with fire and brimstone”
(4) Hell is eternal and irreversible.
  • Revelation 14:11 “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night”
  • Revelation 20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”
  • Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”
Get what I'm saying? Hell is irreversible! There is no second chance, and the thing about universalism, you know, that all are eternally saved, yeah, that is wrong also. Look at John 3:16 again and also look at John 3:36. It's simple, a person either trusts in Christ or doesn't and rejects Christ and goes to hell.  Then there are those that believe that if God is such a loving God that He would not send people to a horrible hell. Wrong again! God is just(Romans 2:11). God has provided the way of salvation to all(John 3:16). Simply put, God doesn't send people to hell, they choose it(Romans 1:18,21,25).

What about you heaven or hell? And as for the end of the world tomorrow......I'll see you right back here on Sunday :)

Monday, May 16, 2011

Out Live Your Life

Outlive Your Life (Hardback)

Can we out live our life? The answer is...yes. How? Simple, by making a difference. God made us to make a difference. Sure we are going to live forever and out live our life if we are a Christian because God has promised us Heaven as our eternal home. What I'm talking about is here on earth. We can out live our life here on earth as well.

We as Christians are to reach out to others in need. We were commanded to love thy neighbor as thyself. Well, lets face it, there is a whole globe full of people, we are not to only love thy neighbor, but everyone else in the world as well.

Think about it: what was the last thing that you held in your hands the past 24 hours? I'll tell you what I've had in mine; money, food, fresh vegetables from my garden, clean clothes, a warm cup of coffee, a cold glass of water, a brush, a toothbrush & toothpaste, a bar of soap, a warm washcloth, the steering wheel to my van, the handle to the stove and refridgerator. You get the picture, right? Now.....think about those in the world that have never held those items in their hands and never will.

We as Christians should be rockin' our world with Christ's love. We are to reach out and help others and we can start right in our own neighborhood and community. Scared you say? Walk by faith and not by sight. Don't be afraid to start rockin' your part of the world showing Christ's love through you! Put some miles on those shoes of yours, and some dirt on those hands and start getting busy doing what we were made to do!

Think of ways, creative ways, to get out and help those less fortunate than yourself. Think of ways to reach children and adults. Widows, the disabled, seniors and orphans too. Get those engines going, it not too late to out live your life!

Did you ever dream of changing the world? It's not to late!

(I invite you to get the Bible study "Out Live Your Live" by Max Lucado)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Cottage.....Finally

It seems as if I have been living in the road lately, and when I say lately, I mean the past 2 1/2 weeks! Between the Princess and the Orthodontist and the Bookworm and I at Doctor appts., I have lived in the road! Today is the first day that I have been home, and I want have to go anywhere until I pick up the Princess from School and then Church tonight.

So finally this morning I was able to go outside at around 8 and work around the cottage and the gardens and pull weeds. Finally!! I have had severe withdrawls from not being able to go outside and work in the yard and my garden! I love being outside, but now I have to start paying alittle more attention as to when I go outside......

Monday I had allergy testing done and I was not allergic to anything, which is a good thing. But, still, there was one more test to do to see why I have a cough that want go away when I get sick. So, yesterday I had a test done to see if I truly have asthma like the Bookworm. I had a breathing test done where they give you medicine to see if an asthma attack is triggered. On the third dose my chest started feeling tight and I started feeling really light headed. That was all of the test that I had to do, I didn't have to go up to step 5 because I had now tested positive for asthma. Finally I have some answers on why I always can't get rid of a cough and why somethimes I have a hard time breathing while I am coughing!

Through all of the not knowing and the testing I have kept my faith in God and have had patience in waiting. What good would it have done to not have faith or patience! We are to trust God with everything!

So, this morning I was outside and got all of the weeding done around the back of the Cottage and around our shed and in both of our gardens, I even hoed the gardens too! But for me, early morning and late afternoon are now the times where I can go outside and work and not get too overheated and start coughing. Praise the Lord that I wasn't allergic to grass or weeds or something else that is outside because I don't know what I would do then because I love being outside!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

What I Think

I have been reading a lot over the past couple of days about what others think of the death of OBL. There are a lot of different views going on. There are many questions that people have, there are those wanting to see pictures, there are those that are rejoicing and dancing in the streets, yet there are those that shed tears, there are also those that believe that it is all over now and troops can come home, while there are others that feel that this is just the beginning of bad things yet to come. Different views and opinions, that is everyones right, so here are mine to share.

Here is the scripture that I immediately thought of, “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live." Many are rejoicing in the death of OBL, I will not rejoice. He was found, shot and killed. I will not rejoice because he has followers and they know what was in his mind. How do we know that they will not retaliate against us, America, or even worse, our troops. This is so very different from Sadam, he was found, taken into custody and put on trial. His exucution was a result of being found guilty.

What I do know......I know that security levels are up on all Military Bases around the World, even here where we live. There are terrorists cells all over the world, we must keep open ears and eyes all the time.

What else do I know.....I know that my husband is deploying soon. Like another Blog that I read, I hate it when people ask me where he is deploying because this is what I hear, " Oh, at least he isn't going to Afghanistan." Let me just say, how would you feel if your husband was deploying to a country where there are people that don't like our troops and that want them dead. Afghanistan is not the only country with people that do not like our troops! Many do not understand how it feels to say good-bye to your husband and while you are saying good-bye, you are praying and hoping that it's not the last good-bye that you say or the last time that you see him. Do you know how my stomach feels to have an empty pit in it? Do you know how my heart feels to be broken and in half? If your husband has never been deployed, then you don't know, you can't understand. And no, your husband going out of town for a "few" days is not the same. When your husband left, did he wear body armor and carry a gun 24/7, even when he went to the bathroom? 

What else I know......I know that it is hard being a one parent home when your husband is deployed. Mom has it all, the bills, the kids, the meals, the errands, the pets, and everything and anything else. You wait for that time everyday when your husband gets home from work so that you can tell him how your day was and you can ask him how his day was, you know, that adult conversation instead of teen talk, but you know that it will be awhile before that happens again. Instead, you say a quiet prayer that he is doing well and staying safe, and you continue to keep the faith.

What else I know....that this is our third deployment and it doesn't get any easier. The last deployment was when we were living in Germany and the Princess was 9 and the Bookworm was 6. They were both much younger then. Now the Princess is 14 1/2 and the Bookworm is 12. I do know that I am glad that the kids and I are in the States for this deployment and that we are not that far from family. We have a home in a nice neighborhood with great neighbors, the kids have great schools with many friends, and we have a great Church and Church family. But even though we have all of these things, I do know that it want be any easier, the kids have even said so, they say that it will be harder. Why? Because they know how it feels to not have Dad at home, eating dinner with us, tucking them in at night, going to Church as a family, going to their school and extra-curricular activities, to have Mom be the sole caregiver, attention giver and discipline giver. No other kid can understand a Military kid, to say they understand is not true. While there are those that can not begin to imagine how a deployment is, we have many many friends that we have made all over the World that know exactly how it is. Many have walked in the same shoes that we have and many are on their third, fourth, fifth or sixth deployments. How do they make it, the same way that we do, they have faith in God, we know that God will watch over us and our spouse/father while he is gone. The Bible verse that I cling to is Matthew 4:6, For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." I pray this daily for the Major while he is gone. I also pray my life verse for him as well, 2 Corinthians 2:14"But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and who makes known through us the fragrance that consists of the knowledge of him in every place". Where ever we are, we can still be a witness for our God.

What else I know......I know that I will miss living in a solely Military community, with lots of other Military spouses and friends going through the same thing. During our last deployment we were living in Germany and we lived on Post, therefore we were solely with other Military spouses and kids going through the same thing as we were at the same time. It was comforting and gave someone to talk to and someone to do things with. This will be one of the hardest things to adapt to this deployment, not living in a predominately Military community. What I plan on doing, driving to our Post each week and getting involved once again in PWOC(Protestant Women of The Chapel) so that I can be in a weekly Bible Study with other Christian women that are also Military spouses, many of which are going through deployments or have gone through deployments, and also making some new friends.

What else I know.......I plan on keeping the kids and I busy. I found that keeping busy is what kept the time going by fast during our last deployment. Staying away from the news is another plan that I have, not that I watch the news now anyway! When we moved to Europe watching the news flew out the window because all you had was CNN or the country's news that you were stationed in which was in their language, so ever since then, we don't watch the news. And a side note on that, we hardly ever watch the television at all! I do know that I will probably be reading a lot again. Not that I don't read now, which I do, I just mean that during the Major's last deployment I  read at least 1, if not 2, books a week for the whole year he was deployed! When he redeployed our bedroom looked like a Bookstore! This time I have a Kindle so there shouldn't be that many new books laying around!

What else do I know......that the Major will miss our first Christmas in our new house. But I also know that it will be fun decorating with the kids. I also know that it will be interesting getting the tree down from the attic by myself....I guess I'll just throw it down in parts to the kids! This should be a sight! There will be birthdays, and other Holidays that will also be missed, along with the Princess getting her driver's permit and the Bookworm turning 13.

What else do I know.....that God does not give us anything that we can not handle. During our last deployment I asked God to help me with my anxiousness. Before the Major deployed, I use to be so anxious all the time. It was only a few weeks after the Major had deployed that the Bible Study that was being offered at the PWOC evening Bible Study was, "Calm My Anxious Heart, " by Linda Dillow. Totally God!! That is all that I can say! It took that whole year and when the Major redeployed, my anxiousness had left. The Major noticed a difference in me, and to this day, I have no anxiousness. I also learned to be more independent. Things that I "could" do, but that Major "would" do for me, I learned that I could do it! I know God has something new that He wants me to learn during this deployment as well.

What I know.....that we are still fighing Wars. That I have friends that have lost spouses, sisters, brothers and children because of OBL, and I know that we can not begin to understand how they feel. I do know there is one less bad person in the world. And I do know that I felt a sense of relief when I heard that he was no longer a threat, but a sense of "oh no" when I heard that he was killed. And now, I pray that God will keep His hand on our Nation and every Country in the World where our troops are serving and fighting to protect us and to be with me, my military friends and all of the other spouses as they give part of theirselves to serve our Country and to hold down the homefront while they wait on the return of their soldier.

There is so much more that I could say, but I am not a dweller, so I will end here. Remember, these are my thoughts and opinions. If anyone takes offense, I am truly sorry, but keep in mind that my thoughts and opinions are not directly directed toward anyone. Smile at someone today, for I am sure that you will receive a smile back.