Trying Something New

So, I have been trying something new, a creative outlet for myself. I like to try different crafts, but never have much time. So in an effort to learn to take better care of me, find a way to relax, and all that stuff.... I have started making cards. I'm trying to teach myself some new things (maybe you can teach an old dog a few new tricks...)

Momma and Jessica really liked the cards I made for them and went on and on about them. So, I got either very brave or very stupid and started an etsy site to try to sell some of my little creations. I started my store on Monday night really late, and less than 24 hours later, I had my first purchase. I have been working hard tonight to make more cards to sell plus a few for gifts and such. I'm attaching some photos of some of my creations and the link to my etsy site.

Please pray I can make this work for us. It'd be a really neat way to supplement our income and help my hubby not have to work so many part time jobs. I'd love to do this as my second job and then Rob could cut back to just one "second" part time job himself.

BekaBooCreations

Our Big Day

It was another one of those "milestone days" here at the Thomas household. :) Our 2nd child, Barbara Rose, registered for her 1st semester at the local community college. Our baby girl is now an official college student! She has registered for six classes/18 hours. Let's see if I can remember all her courses: Expository Writing, Math something???, Western Civilization, Intro to Sociology, Public Speaking, and Literature of the Theater. Whew, I think I did it! :)

our college girl!

While I was cooking this evening, Matthew and I saw two goldfinches enjoying our sunflower patch. They stayed for quite a while looking for and munching on yummy seeds grown by us. :) This was the view right out of my kitchen sink window.

We had to do some work in both our classrooms today, and I had a dr.'s appointment at Wake today too. On our way home from Winston, Rob & I stopped at the farmers' market and bought a bunch of green tomatoes, ripe tomatoes, fresh green beans, and a HUGE box of peaches. YUM!!! I cooked fried green tomatoes and the green beans tonight, and tomorrow I'm making peach cobbler! I can't wait!!!

This is a silly photo, but for my momma. This is that ANCIENT crock pot that we adopted from you ages ago. It has gone the route of that 30 year old blender of yours I used for forever and cried when it broke. :) The crock pot finally died too. It gave its life preparing one last meal for our family. This thing is almost as old as me if not older. I don't even know when momma got it, but it's been around for as long as I can remember.

Then tonight, Barbara & I worked on our mother-daughter craft project. We tore several yards of material into these strips/rags. Can you guess what we're going to make? You can leave a comment and guess for fun if you want. I'll tell you soon.

Silly Story

Rob is in training with some of his new coworkers at his new school. He came home today with a funny, and I asked him if I could use it here. It just cracks me up!!!! One of these teachers was talking about his two young children- a year apart- aged 2 & 1. The guy said his kids' names are "More" and "No More." HA HA HA Rob told him we had our kids close like that and told them their current ages- 19, 18, and almost 17. The guy asked Rob, "So what are their names, "More, "No More," and "Oops?" :) Rob replied, they were named, "More," "What?!?," and "WOW!!!" Totally cracked me up. See I got pregnant with two very unexpected (shhh, I was even on the pill both times when I showed up prego.) We had our three kids while both going to college and working (Rob trying to do both full time for a while). We aren't your poster people for how to have a family & be well-off, but you know what? We made it, we did it, we graduated, God blessed us with jobs, we are good teachers, and best of all, we have GREAT WONDERFUL AWESOME Christ-serving young men & woman for kids!!!!

So, anywhooo, I Photoshopped a photo from last year and played with it to put their "new" names on it. So without any further ado, introducing our children- More, What?!?, and WOW!!!

giggly goofy girl o' mine!

I love my daughter!!!!! She can be soooo much fun (she can also be not soooo much fun at times too, but mostly she's just a bundle of joy!). Tonight we sat in the baseball field parking lot at Matthew's school. We were waiting for Matthew's soccer practice to end. He has two-a-days this week- 7-8 AM & 6-8 PM. Instead of driving the 30 minutes back home to just turn around and come back we just sat there, watched Mateo, and laughed and laughed and laughed and giggled and giggled and giggled and all that......

I had sooo much fun with her. She truly is a joy to me, a bright spot in my days, a blessing from my heavenly Father.

Thank You God for my beautiful, joyful, daughter- my giggly, goofy girl o' mine!

Cursed or Blessed?- Jeremiah 17: 5-8

Someday, I'm going to take photography classes and travel around taking beautiful photos. Someday. :)

For today, I'm going to find photos for my Bible study reflection. I am reading Jeremiah. Have no clue why except that I felt God speak that one single word in my brain this spring when I was thinking to myself "What am I going to read when I finish the gospels?" Soooo, now I am reading Jeremiah. Momma told me while I was home that he was called "the weeping prophet." Hmmmm, it made me feel better when she told me that after I shared some things with her. Not that I am in any category up there with Jeremiah, by no means! So anywhooooo.

Today I read this passage- heard it a billion times in church all my life. Sermons, bible studies, songs. But it really stood out the comparison that is being made here and not just the righteous part, but the comparison. WOW.

Jeremiah 17: 5 & 6

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness in an uninhabited salt land."

YIKES! So in Rebekah-ese, this says to me, if I trust in others (my family, my coworkers, my pastor or fellow church goers, my neighbor, my president....) and trust in man's strength, wisdom, or intentions it causes my heart to turn away from God. Like a street- I can look left to man or right to God, but can't look both ways at the same time. If I do that,I am CURSED. Then I am a dried up piece of plant/vine/shrub and nothing good will come my way. I will live in a dry, dusty, and lonely, deserted place where nothing good comes, no one goes, and nothing survives.

So, Rebekah- Don't trust in man. Reminds me of that verse in the New Testament where Jesus said a servant cannot serve two masters- either he hates the one and loves the other or vice versa....

Jeremiah 17: 7 & 8

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of drought for it does not cease to bear fruit."


my version- If I trust in God, I am BLESSED. I am like a tree whose roots never thirst because they are tapped into a reliable, constant fresh stream of water that never dries up or goes away. If I have that constant source of living water then my leaves won't wilt even in hot weather and I can keep on producing good fruit because my life won't be determined by the circumstances around me but by the source of water I have.

So, God I think I hit a bit of a dry spell this past year in some ways, but I felt close to You and think I grew in understanding a lot. But, did I please You? Did I keep green leaves and produce fruit in Your book? Herein is my big problem- I worry waaaayyy too much about what others think of me, are they pleased or angry or upset or hurt with me. Did I let someone down or fail to be every single wonderful thing I could possibly ever be to each and every person in my life?

I could sit here and think about what this coworker thought about me last year or what someone at church has said or if my husband/kids/momma/pop/sister approve of the things I said and did, BUT God you're the only one whose opinion really matters. If I trust in even my hubby's or momma's opinion than I'm trusting in man and am cursed. WOW! I get it God. I have to quit worrying about what man says/thinks/feels about me and trust in You alone. I had the right idea when I said all year, "At the end of the day all that matters is did I please God today..." but my heart still worried about this one or that one....

Please Father, help me to trust in You alone, to strive to please You alone, to care about Your opinion alone. Please help me to be that tree by the water that is thriving and producing such wonderful fruit for You. I don't want to be in the desert alone and thirsty and dying.

just an observation

i think it's kind of amusing when people tell others what "they" should do and then turn around and do the very opposite of what they're asking/expecting/requiring of you.

a beautiful day

Momma & Pop celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last weekend. They had a simple, elegant, and beautiful ceremony and reception with some of their family and friends. It was very nice.

So Many Emotions, So Little Time

Tomorrow is a big day at the Lane house. Momma & Pop will renew their wedding vows as they celebrate 25 years of marriage. They will leave for a short 2nd honeymoon. Then I will go back home to NC with the rest of my family.

Today was a wonderful day. Momma, Jessica, and I spent time together; we got a pedicure, my first time ever! I have coral toes now; my feet don't know what to think of that! :) We went shopping for things for tomorrow's ceremony. I bought a bunch of books and a couple gifts for people and a game for my kids to play. We helped decorate the church tonight.

So many things to do tonight and tomorrow before we all part company again for only God knows how long this time. So many, many emotions I am feeling today. I wish Rob were here with me.

Momma really scared me today. I know she'll maybe eventually read this and figure it out - shoot, Momma already knew it. But we almost ended up calling 911 or driving her to the ER, and then she tells us later that she thought maybe she was dying. I'm still a little concerned about her, but won't tell her. :)

I am happy for my parents. Pop was a blessing to us all. I am thrilled for Momma; Pop has been a good husband to her and she, a good wife to him. My daddy would not have wanted Momma to be alone for the rest of her life. I am missing my daddy though- a lot-more than I have in a long time. I am missing the family of my daddy that I never got to really know. I am missing my uncle and the one grandpa who was really a true grandpa and loved me through my life. I am missing my family back home and so not wanting to say goodbye to my family here again. I will miss the corn, the Mississippi, the wide open land (comparatively speaking of course). I will miss my friends. I will miss thunderstorms (real ones) and the beautiful wild prairie flowers and grasses that grow on the roadsides here and in small restored prairie plots.

God, I know you are in control of all our lives. Please help me make it through these topsy-turvy emotions and the big day tomorrow. Please help me not to cry tomorrow. And Father, I know I have to do Your will and teach far from my "home" and those I love most dearly, but if You could, please God, could we come home again soon? I need my family and these few friends I have here in the Midwest. I need them, God. I'll trust You as best I can, and I give myself to You most willingly 'cuz I know You know what's best for us all.

Your Rebekah :)

Such as These- Matthew's 1st Time

Today it was Matthew's turn. I was so proud of him. I cried most of the way home from church.

My kids are used to Rob and I stopping to get a homeless person a meal, talking to them, taking them food from home, me crying after doing any of those things.... Today, Matthew, Barbara & I stopped at Sheetz near our church to get something to eat on our way home. There was a man, Lacy (?spelling?) standing at that nearest corner, a short walk away, with his sign. I don't know what his sign said, but I can guess as they are often the same message.

Matthew and Barbara went in to get something for us. I told Matthew to get a $5 gift card while he was in there for that man. No big deal- they're used to this from their mom. Happens often enough. He knew what was going to happen next. Or so he thought, and so did I. But God took this a whole new direction. For some reason :) when Matthew got in, I said "I'm going to ask you to do something out of your comfort zone, okay?" He agreed and then I told him to go walk over there and give that man the gift card. I told him that God will give us words to speak, but that if he didn't feel impressed to say something from God, then to just tell the man that our family wanted him to have lunch, that it wasn't much, but it would at least get him a meal. I watched from my car (keeping an eye out for my kid, I'm naive, but not totally). I saw my youngest child, my most painfully bashful child, my miracle baby that God used to show His healing power, my Matthew go over and have a long conversation with the man. Saw him point to the car several times, saw the man looking our way, saw my son bow his head in prayer, talk to the man some more, then offer that stranger his hand and walk away. By the time he got to the car, there were big tears in his eyes. He got in and said, "Mom, that was different." His voice was shaky but he had a BIG grin on his face. I just thought he meant that it was new for him or the conversation had been weird or something, but then I asked him to tell me what he said and how the conversation went. As he talked, he kept those tears in his eyes, and wouldn't you know it- God had given that young man of ours (Gods & mine) His words to speak to the man, and Matthew was obedient to God. I was soooo very proud of him. He said he asked Lacy if he could pray, and the man said, "Could you now?" and my shy, self-conscious Matthew bowed his head and prayed for this man.

Then, Matthew said that Lacy told him he'd be praying for us. This is so humbling and overpowering to me. This man says he'll pray for me??? WOW! He, without anything of his own wants to pray for me, who has a home, food, family, love, support, a job, blessings I can't even begin to count. Why? I am already blessed, and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO UNDESERVING of that. I know he may not have really meant it, he may not even do it, but still the thought that he would pray for me just blows my mind!

The same thing happens to me each time I give someone a meal and they tell me, "God bless you." And this happens to me a lot. Here are people who have nothing- no home, no warm, dry place to stay, no family to share their lives with, nothing but the clothes on their back. They are usually pretty dirty and often smelly. And they want God to bless me???? It always blows me away the same way when someone tells me that. I just can't fathom it.

But here's what I will say for sure. God bless these people we've crossed paths with whose names I'm listing on the side of this blog as my reminder. You know where they are at tonight and each day & night that passes. You love them and want to bless them too. Send them Your love each day. Let each of them have a divine appointment with someone each day who will not only give them some money, but who will provide them a meal and a smile and take time to ask their name or shake their hand so they know they are valued and worth something. Everybody needs to be loved and know they are valuable to someone and needed by someone. Everybody!

God, do bless me and our family, but not so I can have a bigger home someday, more clothes in my closet, fancier food in my pantry, more/bigger/better toys. God bless me so I can give more people more meals, so I can bless others who need You and a warm meal or a pair of gloves on a snowy day, or a hat to keep the sun off their face. Help me to help others even more than I do now.

And thanks God for speaking to my child's heart, for giving him the courage to do that today, for giving him the words to say, for letting him hear Your voice and know it was you. What a wonderful experience, and I'm so honored to have been part of that today. I may not measure up to some standards held up by others, but I know I pleased you today when I helped my child take care of one of the least of these.

Gratefully yours,
Rebekah :)

this is the part where i stop to be thankful and then maybe, perhaps a bit creative???

I'm feeling yucky- sinus crud again.

I'm very hurt and disappointed with myself and with others.

I need to take a moment (or more) to be thankful.

Thank You Father for Your unending love. I don't know why You love me but You do. For that I will ever be grateful.

Thank You Father for a family's love. They also put up with me when I'm not worth the time. I cannot say how much this means to me or how appreciative of this I am. I see so many who do not have this love and support, and I am reminded often through work, through seeing or talking to a homeless person just how big a gift this is.

Thank You Father for three wonderful children, for a good husband, for parents, a sister and brother (Scott, I'm claiming you- sorry you don't get off that easy!), for my mother-in-law too, for Regina and my other cousins with whom I can give and get love and share good memories, encourage and get encouragement.

Thank You Father for memories that, yes sometimes are hard and cause pain but also bring warm remembrances of joy, laughter, love, acceptance. I cherish those memories with cousins playing in the yard, aunts and uncles who loved me, catching lightning bugs, playing in the woods or in the creek, riding my bike up and down the street, climbing trees, going fishing, taking trips to Arkansas, watching an evergreen tree grow in the yard each year, playing games, talking, and so many many more.

Thank You Father for all your provision- food, clothes, a warm place in the winter & cool place in the summer's heat, a car, a job, lives to love and touch for You.

Thank You for the beauty of the world You created- the rolling land of the plains where a person can see for miles, acres of corn fields, a storm building in the sky and the beauty of a storm, the wind to cool us, snow falling quietly and gently at midnight, the wonder of the ocean and its power and sound and awesome power, the majesty & the beauty of the mountains. You created all these and they each in their own way point to You and Your characteristics, who You are and Your great love. Thank You.

Father, I "follow" a few people and their prayer needs via blogs, and I've met a few of the "least of these" who don't even have a home let alone a blog. Let me remember them tonight. Will You remember them tonight and meet their needs? Theirs are so much more than my petty hurts and worries. They need You so much right now. I do too Father, but don't let me get so burdened down with myself that I forget You.

Please be with:
Keith in the Quad Cities
Pop's Keith
Some kids I know whose first initial I'll use here. You know who they are (F, S, D, Z, "D," O & S)
Michael
Odell
Chris
Tanya
Kate
Stellan
Summer
Noah
Tara and her children
Bonnie and her children

Thanks God for everything. I'm so undeserving and so very grateful.

Now I'll get back to my feeble attempt at being creative. :)

Kittens

The kittens have sure grown this past month. They were five weeks old last Friday! Just a few more weeks until we have to let them go. Praying we can find homes for them all. We had one person come by to take a look at the litter the other day and pick one out so that's great! She spent a while here playing with the kittens, watching them, talking to them, so I'm sure that our little guy will be in a great home!
This was just last week when they started venturing out of the laundry room to explore a little. It always seems there's one that stays in the box; they take turns but we often find four out and about and one sleeping away in the box. :)

Our dog, Samson (also called Sam or Sammy) LOVES LOVES LOVES the kittens! He watches them, gives them baths, plays with them, snuggles with them, sits with them.... The kittens will follow him around the house too, which is just adorable! In this photo, Sam had gone out for his bedtime bathroom break and first thing he did when he came in was come in to "check" on the kittens. He climbed in the box and bathed them all before going to lay down. He's just a sweetheart of a dog!

Barbara is definitely a cat person!

Here is our cat, Cinnamon, the "daddy" of the litter. He has been pretty timid and stayed away from the kittens in these past few weeks, but all the sudden this week, he's decided to play a little and help give them baths. The kittens LOVE his tail- an automatic play toy.

I call this kitten Tigger. It has more distinct striping than the other cats and is more orange too. It is the most curious and brave of the litter and will venture out further than the rest of the gang. It also likes to climb and explore- here it is with Rob's slipper, which for some reason she finds fascinating.

July 4th Fun

This is a picture heavy post as I just got my computer back! :) The photos are in backwards order of the day's events.

I proposed for the 4th of July that we all go out for a picnic together for lunch since Rob, Robert, & Barbara would all have to work that afternoon/evening and we couldn't all be together that evening. So we picked up some Subway and took off. We went to the Revolutionary war site here in Guilford County (Guilford Courthouse National Military Park) and found a place without any people to throw our blanket and eat- which was a major feat as it was PACKED!

We were our usual silly selves, wise-cracking, making faces, taking silly photos, laughing at ourselves and each other. It was nice. I sat and thought about the soldiers that fought on the very ground we might be sitting on or near and the sacrifices the people of that time made. Now 200+ years later, here we sit enjoying such lavish freedoms because of them and so many others who have given up so much. God help me not to take it for granted, ever!

We ended up watching some reenactors demonstrating how the cannons of that era were fired off. Pretty neat!

That evening was Matthew & I at home while the rest of the family worked at the ballpark and restaurant. Matthew grilled us some hamburgers and made us a delicious salad and we had berries & apples too! YUMMY! Robert got off early (WOW!) for a change and we were able to watch two fireworks shows from the car before heading home to light off some little firecrackers Matthew & I bought for him.

Barbara's New Do

Someone wanted to die her hair- for a looooong time now. I finally decided to let her since she is 18, she is a high school graduate, she is a wonderful daughter........ I mean it's not like it's weird body piercings or large tattoos or something totally weird or rebellious. :) And she is 18 and still asking her parents after all.

So without further ado- here is Barbara's new hair (I was surprised at how it turned out- not bad & I think she looks pretty good with black hair). She sure is a beautiful young lady- no matter the hair color- well maybe not if it was purple or orange, I don't know :) !!!

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for this little girl, Kate McRae. She is a five year old little girl who went to the dr. having tremors in one hand. They found a massive, aggressive, terrible brain tumor. It is very bad. I don't know this family at all, but I know they need our prayers.



Here is the family's webpage.



Thanks!

Rebekah