a new year wish

i've been thinking this morning- maybe deep things- i will leave that to my sister to measure. :) she is my swimming instructor for deep thoughts. ;)

this time of year brings all the usual well wishes for a happy new year and all those other wishes and good thoughts. people wish you a whole list of things: prosperity, blessings, health, etc... on facebook, i myself wished for others a year of blessings... but, this has started me thinking do i want all those things? if someone could really wish something for me and it come true, what would it be that i would really want? what should i wish on others? what is the most important thing?

i could wish for myself and others prosperity. sure i'd like to be prosperous. i looked that word up- it means (according to merriam-webster) marked by success or economic well-being. who wouldn't like to be prosperous? i hope to be successful in my roles as mom/wife/daughter/sister. i want to be a highly successful teacher that helps her children grow to their full potential, and i'd like to be recognized as such by my administrators and coworkers. i am starting my own business, and i want to be successful in that too bringing added income to my budget and helping provide for my family. i want our finances to be prosperous so i can do for my kids and meet all their needs. i want to get out of debt as much as i can, i want, i want, i want...

but then again, when times are hard and i have failures in my work, in my relationships, in my adventures, doesn't it also make me grow and learn? if i wish for only prosperity, then don't i remove great learning experiences too. i've become a much better person for having faced adversity and hardship. i wouldn't want to be a rebekah who hadn't lived through some of those things because i'd like to think it made me a better rebekah, one more able to help others.

do i want to wish for blessings? i have tons of those already- a God who forgives me and loves me unconditionally, a dear family that brings me much joy, a great marriage to a man who has stuck with me through bad & good, a roof over my head, good food to eat, i don't go around naked (the world thanks God for that!), a reliable, nice vehicle to get me to work, a job to provide for much of what we need as well as a few wants... the list could go on and on. i've been without food, without a job, without a decent vehicle, without electricity or water... i have been blessed abundantly. i'm careful in saying this because i don't want to tempt God, but truly do i need more blessings than i already have? if God didn't do anything more for me, shouldn't what He's already done for me be enough? not that God has to quit blessing me either, but maybe i should make sure i'm completely and totally grateful for what He has already given me before i wish for too much more.

wishes for health? that i could probably use, but again i need to take care of the health He gave to me. i won't even get into that one as i'm very guilty of that and need to fix it before it's gone.

wishes, wishes, wishes... i could wish for love, but i already have tons of that- His unending, unconditional love that can never be taken away from me, the love of my family, and the love of so many children i have known...

i think for 2010, i would like to wish for myself and for others, a year of His peace in the hard things, a year of His joy in the midst of sorrows, a year of His love in the midst of hate and hurt, a year of little blessings that we might not think about normally

i think this says it best. so for me, my loved ones and everyone, i wish you enough.

Goodbye 2009

We are home alone tonight, just Rob and me. Robert is at work and the other two are at his church for the lock-in with the youth. He fixed us a good, simple meal and we ate a quiet dinner together in the kitchen with a small candle and cleaned up together. This is how life will be in just not that much longer.

Then as we cleaned up the last things he took me in his arms and said a few things about 2009 and then asked me to blow out the candle with him. I said goodbye to 2009.

2009 has brought us bills and more bills (many I can't figure out how to pay) but God also brought us our own home (a major miracle and a first for us). It has brought us a job Rob is not the most thrilled with, but on the other hand God brought us a job that provides a roof over our head when he lost his job and could have been without work. It brought us difficult work situations, but then it also brought us the joy of helping kids. It has brought us lots of blessings for our classrooms through family, friends, and strangers who gave to our classroom projects online. It has brought hard times, good times, sorrow, hurt, and joy. But God has been in it all.

God is more than a year on a calendar and He has blessed me oh so much more than I deserve.

Goodbye 2009. Thank you God for all You've done for us, for how You've been with us in it all, and always have in our whole lives, for the good times to rejoice and the bad times to grow. Thank You for another year to be alive and live for You.

Christmas 2009

Another Christmas, another day to be alive and thankful. This Christmas I was especially thankful for what Christmas is really about. I get so homesick at this time of year and miss my family, and miss my daddy and miss the memories of family Christmases past and gone. I had to really remind myself of what Christmas really is. Though family is super important, Christmas isn't about presents, about pretty trees and lights, about spending, about good food, or even about being together with family. Christmas is about God giving us the greatest gift there is.

Father, I am so thankful for that gift You gave to us. I didn't deserve Your present, but out of Your great love, You gave it to me anyway. Thank You for that. Help me to remember that this gift is mine everyday and not just one special day of the year. Christmas should last all year long because this gift doesn't just end when we take down the tree, the wreath, the stockings, the decorations. Christmas is with me all year long. Help me to live that way Father.

Merry Christmas Jesus!

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Christmas morning, Matthew started the fire and was eagerly waiting for us to get ready. :)

We woke up to a slightly white, very wet Christmas day. I just couldn't believe the snow from last week had lasted even this long. I was happy to have even a little snow left on Christmas day; I'm sure this is the closest thing to a white Christmas we'll ever get in NC.
It rained a lot throughout the day. Our yard was flooded, and it has taken a whole week to dry out. There was a LOT of water out there. Poor Samson couldn't even find a dry place to go out for his restroom breaks.

Loving this fireplace- our first "real" fire and so pretty on a chilly Christmas morning
Loving our first Christmas in our first home- a special one that I will cherish in my memories always

We tricked Matthew (naughty Mom) and this was a surprise to him after all. We did the whole "Christmas Story" kind of thing to him. He was thrilled that we actually went ahead and bought him this air rifle with plastic bb's. :)

Robert had said he'd like an electric razor; looks like it was just in time too. :)

Rob has been needing new slippers for months, so now he has new ones.

Barbara and her new watch set with interchangeable faces/bands.

The kittens were thrilled with the wrapping paper we had accumulated. You can't see her in this photo, but Charlotte is under the paper in this photo, hiding from her sister, Emily, and her daddy, Cinnamon. In this photo, Emily is trying to figure out why the paper keeps moving, and Charlotte is hiding and reaching out at Emily and popping back under. It was too cute!!!
My family blessed me with tools and items I will use and need for my cardmaking projects, and Robert knows I am always eager to read anything on the genocides, wars, and social issues of Africa so he bought me this book about Rwanda.

Robert all dressed up and waiting for his ride to church.

One of the girls all curled up under the tree. They love it under there! A quiet end to a beautiful day.

Christmas Eve in photos

We had a nice, quiet Christmas Eve, just the five of us here in NC.

We fixed a healthy meal- vegie & fruit trays, a big pot of minestrone- YUM, cheese, crackers, summer sausage...

I baked cookies- chocolate chip, snowball, brown-eyed Susans... These were yummy while they lasted. :)

Rob and the Barbara and Matthew played Life while I baked cookies. The only bummer part of the day was that Robert had to work, but we ate early so we could all be together and the day was still wonderful. Just a quiet, peaceful day.

Matthew and I baked pies for Christmas day- an apple pie and this cherry pie for Rob.

Christmas Eve night- all the creatures were asleep and Mrs. Claus was enjoying the pretty lights in a dark room.

Introducing....

BekaBooCreations is blogging- I stayed up waaaaayyy late and made a blog for the business and linked the etsy store and ebay auctions and posted photos and started getting things set up...

big ideas...

i've been working hard on break (don't worry family, it's been a great, relaxing, fun, creative kind of working hard). :) i've been creating lots of card sets for my site and have made a bunch of winter/snowman/snowflake cards as well as valentine's sets... then this week i did a lot of business research, found some sites where i can order supplies in bulk and save money, made my first bulk order of adhesive (next month envelopes, then in march i will start ordering cardstock online), bought my 1st really bigger price/size piece of equipment, and found a couple new projects to try to teach myself. so yesterday i tried something new and have made (and already sold!!!) these cute boxes with little note cards in them...

started thinking hard about an idea that was suggested to me a while back by a friend of my momma's and ran it by a few people today, and just keep thinking and thinking and thinking. my sister gave me a TON (literally) of feedback on the questions i sent her and took my simple idea and stretched it out to be even way cooler and better...

so here's the deal. i'm TERRIFIED and EXCITED and NERVOUS and EXCITED all at the same time. i know i am not as talented as so many other people out there- i have always wanted to scrapbook but have not been successful in actually doing it. i have only been making cards for a few months, and when i look at other's cards online they are so much more detailed and in-depth and beautiful than mine- i keep mine simpler out of lack of funds on my part and because i'm also trying to start turning a profit eventually... i feel a little like it might be conceited to think i could start a business when i've not been doing this for very long. i am afraid i will look silly to myself, to others who know me, to people who might be watching...

but i'm going to start taking this thing i've started to a new level very soon i think. i will be sharing as i go i'm sure. until then, i would sure appreciate any prayers you can give because i'm nervous and excited and terrified (did i mention that yet?)... it would be so neat to really be able to make money and get a business going out of this. it would be so helpful to our family if i could start to make money and actually make this viable... well, i'm just excited and so thankful for my family that is here in nc who has to look at everything i make and tell me what they think, help me figure out the little problems when i get stumped or can't get a design to lay out the way i want, and to my family back home who has been supportive of my new idea, bought some cards and helped me spread the word to their friends, and who are now listening as i bounce ideas off of them and offering me their constructive ideas...