Hello Friends!

Please forgive my absence this week – our internet didn’t get set up earlier this week as we hoped. I have missed being able to blog this week, but I’ve had fun getting settled in the new home the Lord has graciously given us!

I’ll be back as soon as we’re online!

With love,

We’re still working on getting our internet set up out here in the country, so I don’t have a typical Monday post for you. However, I’d like to take this opportunity to let you know that my oldest daughter, Whitney, is launching her blog today! You’ll find her blogging about all the things she loves at Come Home For Comfort. Be sure to stop by and tell her I sent you!

I’ll catch you (hopefully) tomorrow!

We are coffee lovers in this house! A hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning is not a question – it’s given! We WILL have coffee in the morning! But when it comes to iced coffees, I’ve not been a fan. However, a couple weekends ago when I attended the Becoming Conference, I got to try One of International Delight’s Iced Coffee drinks. It was hot outside. The beverage was cold. It was free. Duh. I tried it and you know what? It was delicious!  

This week when my husband went to the grocery store, he found this container on sale for $1.69! After cleaning carpets, cleaning the deep freezer and packing boxes, this was a great afternoon treat! It was a great refreshment, and pick-me-up! Have you tried this? Keep an eye out for it marked down on the shelves. You might snag one on clearance like we did. Sometimes there are coupons in the paper, too.

Try this treat and savor the great iced coffee refreshment!

See you in church!

Be refreshed,

Yesterday was a BIG day for us. After nearly eight months to the day of my mother-in-law’s home going, her condo is completely boxed up, emptied, and cleaned. It’s all ready for its new owner who moves in TODAY! Whew. We are on the bushed side, to say the least, but we are so thankful that this task is behind us. It. Was. Huge.

Working over there for so many weeks has really made me stop and think about my own possessions. We all love our stuff, but I’m contemplating long and hard about how much stuff I really need. This is one reason I’ve gotten rid of so much just recently. I want to really love, need and use the things that are in my home. The rest is just clutter, weighing me down. It will also just be a burden to my girls some day. I desire, by God’s grace, to continue to pare down on stuff because one day it will all be reduced to this…

Boxed up, emptied and cleaned out. What’s really going to matter is the stuff of eternity – the treasures I have sent ahead. The people I’m taking with me. The influence that I’ll leave behind that will leave a legacy that could influence others for Christ.

So, in the days ahead, I’m not printing off any more pictures, but loading them onto a hard drive. I’m loading books on my Kindle or checking them out from the library. I’m making use of a consignment shop and Goodwill to distribute the things I don’t wear. I’m sharing things with my girls that they can use. I’m going to take pictures of sentimental objects and then eliminate the item from my home. Cards will be kept for a short time, enjoyed, then gotten rid of. I want to enjoy my home and those that enter its doors rather than fuss over the clutter that’s keeping me in bondage. Life is about people – not stuff!

How about you? Do you need to start opening your hands and letting go of things? Are there boxes stashed away in an attic that have forgotten contents? Why not start sorting through, then getting rid of those things? Share it. Sell it. Give it. I bet you’ll be surprised at how freeing (and refreshing) it is!

With love from the parsonage windows,

 

I had shared with you recently that we were looking at houses, and we finally landed on the one pictured above, after months of looking, waiting for my mother-in-law’s condo to sell, and all those details to get in line.  We are beyond excited!  Our closing date is set for August 23rd, so as you can imagine, there’s lots of planning, packing and preparing going on inside the parsonage right now.

What is so exciting is how the Lord has brought us to a house that has virtually everything we wanted: