Praise God for encouraging believers! This weekend was busy, yet a blessing, even though I start out this morning feeling worn out and crampy. God is good, and His grace will completely suffice today!
Saturday morning I had a rehearsal for the Allen Philharmonic's 10th anniversary gala dinner. We played with a fantastic fiddle player, Tom Demer, who was a great guy, humble and funny. I love fiddle music, it's such fun to play, even though I'm terrible at improvisation and don't play much of it. I think it's because everyone who plays it has so much plain fun doing it! If we classical musicians would have more fun and be less straight-laced, it might be more enjoyable for those who attend our performances. (Although it is hard to relax when we're playing something really challenging.) As a Christian, my goal is further to bring God glory in what I play and do, and having a joyful confidence can further that end even as I work hard to be able to play difficult passages.
Boy was that a rabbit trail I didn't mean to go off on.
Saturday afternoon I took Leslie to Wal-Mart for our weekly shopping and we had a fun time together. How blessed to sit back and just enjoy your children once in a while! She's getting more and more a delight, I see fruit in the Lord and it's so encouraging. We got home, she and Kayla helped me put away groceries, and I sat down to cut out coupons. Adam worked in the yard, and went to the hardware store to get some items to work on the free discarded dresser we found on someone's curb last week (God provides!), that we intend to use for the boys' room. He pulled the drawers out, glued the center guide posts, I believe, and sanded the top and some other areas. It was a gorgeous day and we left doors open!
I made breaded chicken strips for dinner and then all cleaned up, relaxed a bit, then I got ready for the symphony bit that evening. It was very fun, but a late evening, as we didn't play until 9:00...Makes for a sluggish Sunday morning, which is hard.
I praise the Lord for our church...He always provides the ability to get there and serve with everyone intact (mostly!) no matter how tired we are. Those faithful believers are so encouraging and challenge my life so wonderfully, I pray that we are at least equally as much a blessing to them! Pat is coming over this morning to spend time with us and help me relax a bit. May God pour His abundant grace upon her! I pray we can all bless her while she is here.
We got home at 2:30 ( a bit later than usual, we were busier than usual fellowshipping) and ate, and rested while watching a little golf. Kayla (my 8 year old) likes to watch golf! Iremember my dad watching golf all the time on Sunday afternoons and being bored out of my skull. My children somehow enjoy it (as I do now) and it's a blessed surprise to hear them get excited about something I used to complain about!
I wasn't planning on coupon shopping this weekend, but felt better after doing very little, so decided to go a little later. Leslie again went with me and I'm so glad we did! (I must brag...er...give praise to the Lord a bit...) We spent $16 at Walgreen's for 2 12-roll packs of Scott's toilet paper (the kind that lasts forever), 2 packs of AA batteries, 2 boxes of cereal, and 2 boxes of Electrosol dishwasher tablets. We spent more at Albertson's, about $36, but got quite a load and some things that weren't even on sale. We got lots of cereal, they're having a great cereal sale right now, and with coupons, that's even better! At Kroger, we spent $20, and got another cartload, even spending $2 exta on bagels (not on the list) and $3.50 for Moose Tracks ice cream...so without that we would have been down to under $15! (At this point I must make mention of how addicted I am to Moose Tracks ice cream...I am even extremely stingy about letting my children have any. That stuff is the best ice cream ever, even when I'm not pregnant!)
When we got home I counted up how many boxes of cereal we have...I think it's 24. I'm so SO grateful to Lisa for introducing me to stockpile shopping. We are spending so much less than before and I believe we spend quite a bit less than the average weekly spending for a family of four...and this is on not only groceries but dry goods as well. God is so gracious. Let us continue to be faithful stewards of His money!
School time, and then on to pick up Pat a little later. She just called...apparently she didn't sleep well last night, and honestly neither did I, so we're in the same boat, working with Paul to "be content in whatever the circumstance" and to "in everything, give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". He gives us all the sleep we need whether we think so or not, and then the grace to deal with what He gives us the next day. What a testimony to His faithfulness.
Pastor Mark preached on James 1:2 yesterday: "Rejoice, my brethren, when you encounter trials of many kinds" (excuse my very imperfect quoting)... so we rejoice in the Lord through our tiredness!
Saturday morning I had a rehearsal for the Allen Philharmonic's 10th anniversary gala dinner. We played with a fantastic fiddle player, Tom Demer, who was a great guy, humble and funny. I love fiddle music, it's such fun to play, even though I'm terrible at improvisation and don't play much of it. I think it's because everyone who plays it has so much plain fun doing it! If we classical musicians would have more fun and be less straight-laced, it might be more enjoyable for those who attend our performances. (Although it is hard to relax when we're playing something really challenging.) As a Christian, my goal is further to bring God glory in what I play and do, and having a joyful confidence can further that end even as I work hard to be able to play difficult passages.
Boy was that a rabbit trail I didn't mean to go off on.
Saturday afternoon I took Leslie to Wal-Mart for our weekly shopping and we had a fun time together. How blessed to sit back and just enjoy your children once in a while! She's getting more and more a delight, I see fruit in the Lord and it's so encouraging. We got home, she and Kayla helped me put away groceries, and I sat down to cut out coupons. Adam worked in the yard, and went to the hardware store to get some items to work on the free discarded dresser we found on someone's curb last week (God provides!), that we intend to use for the boys' room. He pulled the drawers out, glued the center guide posts, I believe, and sanded the top and some other areas. It was a gorgeous day and we left doors open!
I made breaded chicken strips for dinner and then all cleaned up, relaxed a bit, then I got ready for the symphony bit that evening. It was very fun, but a late evening, as we didn't play until 9:00...Makes for a sluggish Sunday morning, which is hard.
I praise the Lord for our church...He always provides the ability to get there and serve with everyone intact (mostly!) no matter how tired we are. Those faithful believers are so encouraging and challenge my life so wonderfully, I pray that we are at least equally as much a blessing to them! Pat is coming over this morning to spend time with us and help me relax a bit. May God pour His abundant grace upon her! I pray we can all bless her while she is here.
We got home at 2:30 ( a bit later than usual, we were busier than usual fellowshipping) and ate, and rested while watching a little golf. Kayla (my 8 year old) likes to watch golf! Iremember my dad watching golf all the time on Sunday afternoons and being bored out of my skull. My children somehow enjoy it (as I do now) and it's a blessed surprise to hear them get excited about something I used to complain about!
I wasn't planning on coupon shopping this weekend, but felt better after doing very little, so decided to go a little later. Leslie again went with me and I'm so glad we did! (I must brag...er...give praise to the Lord a bit...) We spent $16 at Walgreen's for 2 12-roll packs of Scott's toilet paper (the kind that lasts forever), 2 packs of AA batteries, 2 boxes of cereal, and 2 boxes of Electrosol dishwasher tablets. We spent more at Albertson's, about $36, but got quite a load and some things that weren't even on sale. We got lots of cereal, they're having a great cereal sale right now, and with coupons, that's even better! At Kroger, we spent $20, and got another cartload, even spending $2 exta on bagels (not on the list) and $3.50 for Moose Tracks ice cream...so without that we would have been down to under $15! (At this point I must make mention of how addicted I am to Moose Tracks ice cream...I am even extremely stingy about letting my children have any. That stuff is the best ice cream ever, even when I'm not pregnant!)
When we got home I counted up how many boxes of cereal we have...I think it's 24. I'm so SO grateful to Lisa for introducing me to stockpile shopping. We are spending so much less than before and I believe we spend quite a bit less than the average weekly spending for a family of four...and this is on not only groceries but dry goods as well. God is so gracious. Let us continue to be faithful stewards of His money!
School time, and then on to pick up Pat a little later. She just called...apparently she didn't sleep well last night, and honestly neither did I, so we're in the same boat, working with Paul to "be content in whatever the circumstance" and to "in everything, give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". He gives us all the sleep we need whether we think so or not, and then the grace to deal with what He gives us the next day. What a testimony to His faithfulness.
Pastor Mark preached on James 1:2 yesterday: "Rejoice, my brethren, when you encounter trials of many kinds" (excuse my very imperfect quoting)... so we rejoice in the Lord through our tiredness!
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