Just when you think...............

Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do.........then God comes along and does something so incredibly amazing that you have to say, "Mannnnnnnnnnnnn".

This past year has been a complete roller coaster ride. Almost a year to the day ago, I was "forced" into an early retirement by a corrupt government utility. After being the office manager of this agency for eleven years and stumbling on some wrong doing, they demoted me, cut my pay almost in half and promoted the one I reported. This making me completely doubt my senses and refusing to be a part of what was going on, just decided to retire early while I still had half a brain. I've been making and selling prims on Ebay, Etsy and my online store, and, let's face it, about to starve to death. Now, even with a half a brain, I realize completely that you never get out of crafts all the time you put into 'em. But the peace I got from all the little goodies just seemed to be enough for me. God has been sooooo good in providing. Jackie's band is playing about three times a month, and that has helped so much. Not only financially, but the people we have been able to reach and talk about God with....you just wouldn't believe. Have we made a difference? Well, we don't know. But we're just planting a seed. It's up to God to do the harvest. The DJ gigs are really beginning to pick up. Praise God. But, in my mind, I guess, I'm still comparing the "revenues" to what were coming in before. Do the math. We should be homeless. But, we're four payments away from having our house paid for. We had to look at ourselves......we sure don't LOOK like we're going without food......know what I mean? A couple of weeks ago, I had some tremendous sales on Ebay.........can't explain it...........it just happened. But somehow, I always feel like I'm not contributing anything to the household. I've always been very self-sufficient. Being the oldest of four kids, always worked to get whatever I needed........Momma had three other younger kids to take care of, and I realized that. So I babysat, cut grass, whatever I could to make some extra money 'til I turned 16 and then worked at Kmart (a REAL job). Worked continuously (except when I had the kids and went on a short maternity leave both times). Going through a horrible divorce and THEN working THREE jobs to make ends meet. So, you can see, all this PEACE is really unusual for me! Trying to apply for another job has really been a struggle for me. My self esteem is zero. I can't use my last job as a reference 'cause they'll give me a bad one. I guess I really upset the apple cart when I "blew the whistle" on all that was taking place. Kershaw County is such a small, rural county, that everyone here is either related to one another, or fixin' to be. People try to always turn the boardroom into the bedroom.....go figure. Disgusting. I've tried to get online bookkeeping and other types of REAL online jobs. Which all of these seem to always turn out to be fake. Anyway, for the past few months, I've been in continuous prayer about what in the world God was wanting me to do.

Another thorn in our side. Our new neighbors, a young yuppie couple, coming from two prominent county families, deciding to want to enjoy the "country" life, have decided to put a surviellance camera in a birdhouse, taking pictures of our back yard. We think they're trying to start some kind of case against Patsy, our heeler. The little girl is just protecting what's her's. She only barks when they come over on our side of the pond. And, I must admit, it is an agressive bark. But, apparently it annoys the yuppies. We contacted the local law enforcement (if you can call it that) thinking that this is an invasion of privacy, but they say it's perfectly legal. Go figure. I googled it, and believe it or not, they're right. What is this world coming to??!! Oh well, I guess they'll capture me sittin' on my porch gettin' my peace on. But, the cops also said, the yups would be wasting their time if they are trying to prove a case. We keep her confined on our property. And we're not doing anything wrong. Duh.....

Now, for the GOOD part.

We have a dear, sweet friend, who is the type of, well I won't say shady....well, yeah, I will say shady. He has the biggest heart of anybody I've ever seen. But like somebody once said, "Oh yeah, he'll do anything for ya........but then again.......he'll do anything TO ya". He has bought a small neighborhood club, wants us to DJ once a week. Like maybe a "Eighty's at Eight" or "Beach Blast" theme. Which sounds like fun...and good money. And STEADY money. Wants me to promote the club through My Space, posters, etc. Which sounds like fun. Everything I thoroughly enjoy. But here's the kicker. Yesterday, he comes down our dirt road in his little red sports car convertible. Now, here we are. On the back porch, Jackie just finished cuttin' 5 acres of pasture. Tryin' to cool off with a glass of tea before going back and weedeatin' and "finishing up". When we heard this familiar sound, we were both, like, "OH MANNNNNNNN"! This guy gets out, wide open, Patsy 'bout takes his head off (so we had to round her up and put her in the kennel), and he bounces up and says he just bought an estate sale, and says "Hey Vic, you need to come over to the house and get all this craft suff. The lady that died....that's all she did was craft stuff. I think there's some suff you might can use for your stuff". So, after he left, Jackie and I sorta cleaned up and rode over there. Now, this guy just bought an old house that's been vacant for over five years, and he's renovating it. Actually, it looks real amazing. We're thinking, OK, we'll pick up a couple of boxes of "whatever". We brought back a TRUCKLOAD of silk flowers, baskets, prim easels, rusty wire, wreaths...............you name it. We didn't even make a dent in the stuff. He's got about three more rooms packed with this stuff, and says he's got about another two truckloads to get. How cool is that? I can't even describe all this stuff. Stuff like pipberries that I really wanted to buy for my crafting, but having NO BUDGET, couldn't afford. Boxes and boxes of gingham ribbon.

Now. Another problem. Just where are we gonna put all this stuff. Well, my dear sweet hubby says "Hey, since I'm converting the barn into the Drum Barn, I'll take the rest of the music stuff from the studio, move it down there, and you can have the whole upstairs for your craft room, store, or whatever you wanna call it". Praise God. I mean, I have enough stuff right now, without doing anything else, to open a retail shop. No kiddin'.

So, here's my plan. It'll take me a while to sort through all this stuff and get organized. If any of you need any silk flowers or a particular ribbon, email and let me know so I can keep a list while I'm sorting through. I'll work out a "heck of a deal" on these things before I list 'em on Ebay. The stuff that's in "not so good shape", I'll probably have a huge yard sale or either take to the flea market.

God is good. All the time. Thank you Lord. And bless our "shady" friend. It's not up to us to judge. And......bless our yuppie neighbors. May you let them find something constructive to do and not get so bored

Oh yeah. Thought ya'll might get a kick of my Momma and my nephew. Guess I'll add this to my list of worries. Oh good grief :)

I Believe...............

I believe - That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.

I believe - That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe - That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I believe - That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I believe - That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I believe - That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe - That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I believe - That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I believe - That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe - That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe - That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe - That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe - That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe - That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe - That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe - That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe - That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe - Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe - That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe - That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I believe - That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I believe - That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.


Thanks Julie

Love all ya'll

Happy 4th Ya'll

Hope all ya'll have a safe and happy 4th. We won't be doing much....ain't that great!! I've got a boston butt in the crock pot. Probably make some BBQ and maybe some rice.....just keeping it simple. Michelle has to work, and Rob got attacked by a pit bull last week. He was inspecting a house, and the dog had broke a chain. He's ok, but had to get stitches, and right now he's real sore. I just hope there's no nerve damage. He's really taking it well. He said he was just thankful it was him and not a child. At 6'2" he was barely able to fight the dog off, and it probably would have killed a small child. Even at 35, I still worry about him. I guess our kids will always be our "kids", no matter what age. Anyway, just a quiet 4th for us.....Praise God.

Don't think we'll accept the praise band positions. After hours and hours of prayer, God showed us last weekend that He just didn't want us to serve in that capacity. For those who don't know, Jackie and I have always felt a calling to help those struggling with drugs and alcohol. Well, last week something happened that truly showed us, and answered our prayers. Jackie went to the local store for a few items and for a visit. When he got there, the owners were completely franic....there sons were just picked up for drug related charges. He was able to witness to these folks and provide comfort and encouragement and resources for help....something he couldn't have done if we had accepted this position. He would have been involved with the praise band and wouldn't have even been available to go to the store nor would have had a reason. I know a lot of people don't understand our calling, but that's ok. WE know what we are supposed to do. We will help in anyway we can until this church can get this thing off the ground.....if they will accept that, but right now, we're just needed somewhere else. The saved don't need saving ;)

Thanks to all ya'll who have sent me comments on this issue and who have been lifting us up in prayer. It wasn't an easy decision. We both love music so much. And, I guess, there's still that thing in the back of our minds that the only way to help is through a church. God's just trying to get us out of the box.

Love all ya'll,