A Gentle Blowing-2nd Favorite Passage of Scripture

Yesterday I posted that my favorite passage of scripture was Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Today, I am posting my second favorite (I have a list of 1-5 favorite Bible passages and verses)

Today's Bible thought comes from I Kings 19: 9-12 (New American Standard Version)

I Kings 19: 9-12

9 Then he [Elijah] came there to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

10 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away"

11 So He said, "Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing.

I guess I love this passage so much because I always expect God to be in a certain place. It is so easy to see God in the BIG things of this life, but sometimes I neglect to see Him in the small things. I don't know if Elijah thought the same thing, but I love that this is recorded in the Bible.

Since I discovered this story (about 3 years ago) I really have done a better job of trying to see God in the small things that don't receive as much attention. Most of the time, children remind me of this lesson. When Sawyer (our preacher's 8 year old little boy) brings a masterpiece to me on Sunday mornings, and I look down and see that he has drawn a picture from a VBS lesson 3 years ago, I think, "WOW! God works in amazing ways." Or when Avery (my bestie's 16 month old) remembers ALL the songs in Bible class on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, again I think of how great God really is. 

And then there is my child. My precious little Ava. I look into her face and see myself. I look into her face and see Jeremy. Something so small like a set of genes can have such a great impact...and God made it possible.

Again, there are tons of lessons to learn from this story. The story of Elijah is pretty neat. But, to me, it is the small gentle blowing amidst the wind, earthquake, and fire, that gets my attention every time.

My Favorite Passage of Scripture

I got a text from my friend, Peyton, asking what my favorite Bible verse is. I cannot nail down a favorite verse, but I did tell her that this is my favorite passage: 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (English Standard Version)

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

I stumbled upon this passage when I was in about 6th grade. I have always been an avid reader and so it was only natural that while I was reading a book, this passage of scripture came up and I investigated it.  

I was in a phase of reading stories by Lurleen McDaniel. She is the author of books about children with terminal illnesses. The book I was reading at the time was called No Time to Cry, (I believe) and the main character just lost her friend to Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The girl who had passed away left a memory box to her good friend and included in the box was her favorite passage of scripture. I looked up the scripture in my Bible and it has been my favorite ever since.

I know that there are lots of great verses in the Bible. There are others that I like, but this one always has stood out as my favorite. I think it is probably because I like to ask the question, "Why?"

"Why did this happen?"

"Why did this not happen?"

"Why am I going through this?"

"Why is this person getting all this, and I am not?"

I ask, "Why?" for selfish reasons and I shouldn't. This passage helps answer, "Why?" The simple answer is: time. Things happen because it is time for them to happen.  That does not mean that God sits in Heaven and decides when we should struggle with a particular issue, nor does it mean that He decides the time and place for everything that ever happens (although, I believe that God knows) God gave us all free will and things happen because of our decisions. So, you might ask the question, "If God allows us to decide, then how do we know if the timing is what God would want?" My answer would be, "time;" Time spent in prayer, time spent in Bible study, and time thinking with the brain that God designed for us.

I don't mean for this blog post to sound like I know everything (because I don't) And I don't mean to offend anyone who believes differently. Like I said earlier, this is my favorite passage of scripture and this is the lesson I learn from it. I am sure there are hundreds of other thoughts and lessons that could come from these verses. If you feel comfortable, share those thoughts with me by posting a comment. I would love to hear what other people have learned from their study of this passage of scripture. :)

Every Burp and Toot

I can't be certain, but I think Bloggers get made fun of quite often (usually not to their face) I knew that when I started my blog. So, if you are reading this and you have made fun of me in the past, I don't mind. It really doesn't bother me. I just wanted to get that out there so that you don't think you are pulling one over on me!! :)

The thing I hear most often about personal bloggers is that we post "every burp and toot." I kind of laugh and own up to it. Yes, I blog several times a day and most of it is probably not important to anyone but my family and me. But I will continue to do this because my child (hopefully children) will be reading this one day. I think that blogging is a great tool for preserving memories and allowing children to get a glimpse of life from the perspective of someone other than themselves. And in this self-centered society, isn't that so important? Not to mention, my family LOVES knowing everything that goes on with Ava.

I guess I want to share some of my plans for this blog. I have made a list of several upcoming events that will definitely be among my titles, and then there are the really neat unknown things that happen and I think, "That would be a great blog entry." But I also want to share some spiritual things with Ava; things I am praying for, lessons I learn from Bible study, and people who influence me. These topics may not be a fun read for everyone else, but I want Ava and my family and friends to know that blogging is not just something I do to put myself "out there." You know what I mean. I am not trying to call attention to my life. Don't get me wrong, I have a great life. God has blessed me so much more than I could have ever imagined. But that is truly not why I blog. 

I will also be adding some "Gigi Stories." My mother is a great storyteller. She has had an amazing life and a wonderful memory to recall most of it. My sister and I grew up hearing all the unbelievable things that she did and experienced growing up. I want Ava to have those memories of my mom. I can't wait to share the first "Gigi Story!" :) (I have asked her permission, of course!)

So, I guess I am finished with all my thoughts. Until my next post...

Storytime Tuesday: Ocean Animals

Today was my turn to teach storytime. Last night, I picked out two books that I would read as well as the visual aids I would use. I planned on waking up at 8 am this morning to get ready so that I could go to the building early and punch out all the stuff I would need for the craft.

My alarm did not go off this morning!! Luckily, Jeremy woke me up to tell me he was leaving to go to work. It was only 8:30, so I was not too late. Ava and I made it to the building 5 minutes before storytime started, so I still had time to punch out exactly what I needed and I had another mom help with all the stuff that did not get finished. It all worked out fine and the kiddos had a great time!

 Jeremy stepped out of his office down the hallway to come see his baby girl. It is always a highlight during the day to get to see Jeremy. He sat in the class while all the kids enjoyed their snacks. :)

 Today's craft was very simple. Each child created their own "ocean." They each received a die-cut of a crab, an octopus, a yellow fish, and a star fish. They then drew in kelp with a green crayon. The craft is always a tricky thing to plan because the audience is newborn-1st or 2nd grade. It can't be anything too hard. Anyway, I think they had a good time creating their own ocean. :)

 Lily Grace and Aubrey are busy at work creating their masterpiece!

 Nate named his fish "Goldy."

 Owen was the first one to give all his animals names. Once he did it and got some smiles from the adults, everyone wanted to name their animals! I thought Owen was especially creative with names: Goldey (fish), Hermit (crab), Rock Star (starfish), and Octo (octopus). Owen was very adamant that Goldey be spelled with an "e" before the "y." :)

 Once Canyon got his juice, he sipped it until it was gone!! I thought he was so cute drinking his juice. :)

 Sweet Nora sips on her juice too.

And Ava reads quietly to herself. I showed her this book last night and she loved it! She played with it on her bedroom floor for about 30 minutes. She would push it under her rug and then pull it out and repeat. I really believe that Jeremy and I could have walked away and left her by herself and she would have been fine (we didn't, of course) :) She has her clingy moments, but for the most part, she plays by herself very well.

Ava's First Vacation Bible School

If this had been a normal year, our congregation would have started VBS yesterday. We always prepare a HUGE VBS! The building is always decorated from ceiling to floor and VBS characters roam the hallways while class stations take place. But, we all decided to skip VBS this year to help with the tornado relief efforts. I said in an earlier post that different congregations from around the country would be staying in our building throughout the summer. It was going to be too much work to cook for all of our groups and prepare for VBS the way that we do it. We could have just scaled back, but almost everyone agreed that if we are going to do it, we need to do it right. If we couldn't do it the way that we always do it, then we needed to skip it. So, no VBS this year.

But that is okay. One of our sister congregations (Cottondale Church of Christ) is putting on their VBS this week. I really wanted Ava to have that experience, so we took her to her very first VBS last night. :)

 Her classroom

 During class

 With Mrs. Jamie Bates

 Singing with Mrs. Kylie Steiner

 Paying close attention

 Ava with Mrs. Jenn Townsend and Emma Bess

And with her friend Gency Coleman

Ava had such a great time! She "sang" when everyone else sang, and stared at the speaker when she was supposed to. Jeremy and I really enjoyed seeing her so happy! I will be taking her back tonight by myself. Jeremy cannot go because he has a devotional thought planned with the youth group. I can't wait to see how tonight goes!

Ava's Social Life...

My title is actually a joke :) Ava does not have a social life, nor do her father and I want her to have one at this age. We have our occasional playdates with other families and we go to storytime on Tuesdays and that is about it! But, Ava did receive a very sweet letter in the mail from another baby in the congregation. It was too cute and I wanted to share it.

It said:

Dear Ava,

Thank you so much for the diapers and  overall picture frame that you gave to me. Mommy is trying to decide which one of my newborn pictures she can put in the frame in my room since I like to look at myself so much. I am so glad that your mom and dad brought you over last night and made sushi for us. It was so very tasty!

Love,

Levi

P.S. Will you be my girlfriend? :)

I snickered the whole time I read the little note! It was so sweet! It will definitely be going in Ava's keepsake chest that her Aunt Shelby, Uncle Brewster, Cousin Hadleigh, and Cousin Sam bought for her. I want her to have it for when she grows up!

Here is Ava's little Thank You note from Levi as well as a birth announcement from the Thompson family in Columbia, Tennessee:

 We are so fortunate to have so many babies Ava's age in our congregation. It is so important to us that she grow up around other children whose parents are raising them to be what God expects. Levi is a part of one of those families. John and Katie are both great examples to everyone in the congregation. They are very active in everything that goes on at the Northport Church of Christ.

Jeremy and I wish the Thompson's lived closer to us! They are our very good friends from Columbia, TN. Jeremy and Bradley were best friends in grade school and have kept a great relationship through the years. Bradley and Emily have two very sweet little boys: Braden and Tandyn. We love their family very much and are so glad to have them as friends!

Publix Baby Coupon Trip

I said in an earlier couponing post that I am not the best couponer in the world. I still stand by that statement :) I do my very best, though, to save my family money on the things that we use. Today's trip to Publix served the purpose of stocking up on diapers, wipes, and baby toiletries. I pretty much have enough diapers for Ava's first year, however, I think she will be in a size 3 longer than I anticipated.

Here is my loot from today's shopping adventure:

 A&D Ointment retail: $4.99

I had a manufacturer coupon for $3 off and 2 different type store coupons for $2 off.

I got one tube for FREE and paid $2.99 for the other. I saved $7

 Johnson & Johnson 15 oz Baby Lotion Retail: $3.89

I had 2 manufacturer coupons for $1 off each plus a Publix $3 off of 2.

I paid $1.30 for each bottle.

 Johnson's H2T wash retail: $3.89, and Johnson's baby shampoo retail: $4.89

Shampoo on sale for $3.89. Manufacturer coupons for each item $1 off and a store coupon for $3 off of 2 items.

I paid $1.30 for each item.

 Johnson's Natural retail: $4.79

On sale for $3.79 plus a store coupon for $1 off and a manufacturer coupon for $1 off.

I paid $1.79.

 Gerber Pear Juice retail: $2.15

I had a store coupon for $1 off

I paid $1.15.

 Pampers Cruisers retail: $10.99. Wipes retail: $2.99

I had a manufacturer coupon for $1.50 off of diapers. I had another manufacturer coupon for free wipes with the purchase of diapers. Diapers were on sale for $9.49.

I paid $7.99 for the diapers and received the wipes for FREE!

 Publix Unscented baby wipes retail: $2.29

I had two Publix Baby Club coupons for BOGO free.

I paid $2.29 for two of the wipes packages and received the other 2 FREE!

Huggies diapers retail: $10.99

I had 2 Publix coupons for $2 off any Huggies plus a manufacturer coupon for each for $1.50 off.

I paid $7.49 for each package of diapers.

I consider my couponing trips to be successful if my savings and cost are close to the same amount. After store savings, vendor coupon savings, and store coupon savings, todays trip saved me $42.07. I spent $42.43!!

I learn something new on every trip. Here is what I learned today:

• The Publix Green Advantage Buy does not contain store coupons. Even though the coupon says PUBLIX, it does not count as a store coupon. I have always been able to use those coupons with a manufacturer coupon, but the cashier would not allow me to use them together today. 
• I also learned which cashier to not go to!! She was a very sweet woman, but she took forever. My shopping trip lasted about an hour. It took me about 30 minutes to pick out all my items and match my coupons. I only stayed on one isle. It took her about 30 minutes to check me out! I was calm, but I made a mental note! :)
• I also learned never to go to Walgreens! I had two great coupons for Huggies wipes that I thought would reduce the cost significantly. I was wrong!! I found the same wipes at Publix for a whole dollar cheaper! 

I know that I will never be one of those people who walks out of Publix with a shopping cart full of free stuff. But, if I am able to save 50% of my bill like today, it is well worth the effort!!

What I'm Reading

Top to Bottom: Babywise II (Ezzo and Buckham),  On Becoming Babywise (Ezzo and Buckham),  Bringing up Girls (Dr. James Dobson), Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Dr. Marc Weissbluth), & The New Dare to Discipline (Dr. James Dobson)

I have always been a reader. When I was in 4th grade, I would read the Funk & Wagnall's Encyclopedia for fun (not just once, but everyday when I got home from school) I read magazines, books, the newspaper, pamphlets at the doctor's office, etc. I think I know almost every rule in our 30 page legal sized Home Owner's Association packet. I also read several things at one time. It is not uncommon for me to have 5 or 6 books going at one time. I never get them confused. Somehow my brain keeps all the information in the right place.

Here are the books that I am reading right now and a brief opinion and synopsis of each one:

Babywise II

This is a very short companion to On Becoming Babywise. It gives tips and strategies for introducing your 6 month old to solid foods, table manners, individual playtime, etc.

I believe the Babywise franchise has gotten a bad reputation because of the misuse of these books. This book has a whole section on Legalism and how parents should not be rigid with this book. The author actually tells parents not to be rigid and yet so many people place a rigid schedule on their baby and say that they are using Babywise! 

Why I use it: I do not agree with everything in the book. I use common sense and try different things that I think will help our family raise a child successfully. Most of the things work and as a result, Ava is a happy child (I do think that regardless of this book, Ava would have been a happy child anyway)

On Becoming Babywise

This is the first book in the Babywise series. The whole book is about a feeding schedule that is conducive to healthy sleep. I found this book by chance at Barnes & Noble at The Summit shopping center in Birmingham. I was 8 months pregnant and Jeremy had whisked me away for a little weekend retreat before Ava was born. I could not put it down! I thought it had great suggestions for feeding and sleep. I love my sleep and anything that could help us get back on track after her birth, was welcome!

Again, I started hearing really bad things about this book after I told people I was reading it. I was perplexed! I thought it was great. It offered really good advice about parenting and how to make your child a part of your family instead of making them the center of your family.

How I used this book: Again, I do not agree with everything that this book says. I use common sense with this book and everything else that I read. One thing that bothered me about this book was the "Cry It Out" method. I feel like the author probably intends that parents let babies "fuss it out." To me, there is a difference. If Ava is screaming in her crib, then something is wrong. Even if it is time for her to take a nap, I never ignore a scream. If it is a mild "fuss," then I do let her "fuss it out." She usually falls asleep within 5 minutes. 

Bringing Up Girls

If you have not read this book, it is a must! I would say read it even if you have little boys. Dr. Dobson is so great! He writes about how society has changed and how it has affected females. He also writes about how important a Dad is to a little girl and how affirmation and acceptance at an early age can build confidence and security in little girls as they grow older. I know that some would consider him and his ideas to be old fashioned, but I am a little old fashioned myself! I love this book and will be buying Bringing Up Boys very soon (even though I do not have a little boy, I think it may help me understand my spouse) :)

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

This book is a great guide to getting your child to sleep at night. It is filled with suggestions and anecdotes from parents who have used Dr. Wiessbluth's ideas. I love this book because Dr. Wiessbluth does not condemn parents who practice one particular method of getting their children to sleep. He gives helpful and sound advice for parents who use the extinction method of getting a child to sleep as well as advice for parents who practice gradual withdrawal. Even though I am a first time parent, I do not enjoy when others make condescending remarks whether in person or in a book. It seems self-centered and vain to think that you have everything figured out about child-rearing. I would suggest this book to anyone who is currently pregnant, looking to become pregnant, or already a parent. 

The New Dare to Discipline

Again, Dr. Dobson is a gem! He suggests waiting until a child is 15-18 months old before starting a discipline routine. This is the age when children start becoming openly defiant. He doesn't mean that you cannot tell your child "no" before this age, he just suggests that discipline will mean more to your child at this age. I feel like Jeremy and I will know when the time is right with Ava. Right now, she does not display openly defiant behavior. We try to train her to do what is right and use diversion as a means to get her attention. She has moments when she screams and will not look at me, but after all, she is only 6 months old. I should not expect adult behavior from a baby.


I have already read all these books one time each. I will probably read them all again throughout Ava's 1st and 2nd year. It really helps me to have a reference on hand for all of my questions.

Summit Shopping Excursion

Last night, Jeremy took the family on a small shopping trip to The Summit in Birmingham. The Summit is my favorite place to shop because it is clean and hardly ever crowded. We bought two new pillows for our bed, a French Press coffee maker, a set of 6 sushi dishes and 6 ramekins for soy sauce. We had a great time looking around in Bed, Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma and World Market. 

Ava had a great time too! While Jeremy shopped, I pushed her around the stores in her stroller so that she could see everything. It was so fun to watch her stare at everything! She was pretty content until about 20 minutes before her next feeding. Then she got restless! 

Here are some photos of our little trip:

 Perfectly content in her stroller 

 This is when I could tell she was hungry :) She tried to eat the necklace I was wearing! I know I look goofy in this picture but I was trying to go with her pulling so that she didn't break my necklace! :)

 Look at the camera, Ava!

That's better!

Publix Couponing

I am not the best couponer in the world, but I have managed to save our family quite a bit of money on certain items. I am not an extreme couponer and I only buy the stuff that my family will use. I rarely use coupons for food because I can hardly ever find coupons for what we eat (lots of meat and vegetables, no junk food) Occasionally, I will find a really good coupon for bacon or sausage, but that is about it.

I mainly use coupons for diapers, formula, baby wash, and toiletries. Tonight, Jeremy and I went to Publix to buy some things for Ava. I was about out of formula and also needed some green peas for Ava's lunch tomorrow. Like I said, I am not the best, but I was proud of my purchases and the amount that was saved:

I was able to buy:

• a 16 pack of Enfamil on-the-go formula (reg. $9.79)
• 6 double packs of Gerber 3.5 oz baby food (reg. $1.29 each)

I had a store coupon ($4 off) for the Enfamil that I stacked with a manufacturer coupon ($3 off) The total price for the Enfamil was $2.79.

Publix had a sale on select double packs of Gerber. So the double packs were $1 each. I then had a store coupon for Buy 5, Get 1 Free (that is 12 packs of 3.5 oz) The total price for the Gerber baby food was $5 

If I had gone to Publix when Gerber* was not on sale and without coupons, I would have spent approximately $17.53. Instead, I only spent $7.79. I was super happy about that!

*I usually do not buy Gerber, but I am not going to pass up a sale! :) I also could have saved even more if I had a manufacturer coupon for Gerber. 

For more information on couponing strategies, visit Tara Whitaker's blog at :

http://www.southernsavingsanddeals.blogspot.com

A Visit With The McCammon's

Tonight our family got to visit with our friends, the McCammon's. John and Katie are about our age and, like us, have just had their first child. This is the first time we have visited with them since the birth of their son. 

Levi's due date was June 22nd of this year, but he surprised everyone by making his way into this world on May 3rd (7 weeks early!!) He also surprised everyone by weighing in at 4 lbs. 12 oz! Since his birth, he has grown tremendously and is as handsome as ever!!  We prayed so diligently for this family during Katie's pregnancy and after Levi's early arrival. It was so great to see how well he is doing!

Here are some pictures of our visit with the McCammon's:

 John and Levi

 Katie, Ava, and Jeremy on the couch

 A close-up of sweet little Levi. He is so precious and so snuggly! When I held him, he would ball up in my arms and cuddle up to my shoulder. There is nothing like holding a snuggly baby!

Jeremy took a minute to hold Levi as well

Ava got really jealous when I held Levi :) She started to cry and held her arms out to me. She did not want to share me! It was a funny experience because she has never acted that way with me. She has always been perfectly content unless she is tired, hungry, or needs a diaper change. I guess the green-eyed monster got the best of her tonight!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!

 Last week as I was cleaning and organizing some drawers in my bedroom, I ran across the coloring books and crayons that Jeremy always buys me for Christmas. I love to color. I find it to be therapeutic. There were days when I would come home from work and just sit at the kitchen table and color until it was dark outside. It was my outlet!! I am 3 years away from 30 and I still LOVE to color like a little girl! :)

I digress...let me get on with the story! I thought it would be a cool idea to have a coloring day with my friend Maggie. I remember her commenting that she would have been my best friend if we had gone to school together because of all the neat crayons I have. So, I called her and asked if she wanted to get together and color. She cracked up laughing and said, "YES!" Today was our nerdy coloring day (next it will be themed slumber parties!) (for our daughters, of course!) (wink!)

Even though we are adults, it is still fun to act like a kid! 

My tower of crayons!! 216 count, no duplicates (and yes, they are color coordinated) 

 Maggie's cute Christmas elf! 

Avery's masterpiece. If you look closely, you can see the little silver lines. That is Avery's handiwork!

 Avery and Ava playing together on the floor.

We had such a great time getting to visit with Maggie and Avery! We will definitely have to pull out the coloring books and crayons again!