The simple life

Why have a house and a mortgage when you can live out of your vehicle? I mean really. Life on the go all the time... it was great, but good bye old life!
I get to settle down and live out of a real house. Not a small 600 sq/ft apartment, but a real house with doors on the bedrooms and a garage, a washer and dryer and even a dishwasher! Yes our very own dishwasher! Clayton and I have been married for 5 and 1/2 years and this is going to be the first time we have ever had a dishwasher.  ( I don't know if you can tell but it really doesn't take alot to amuse me!)
I don't know why, but for some reason I am excited to ditch the fast-passed city life and settle in to the simplicity of a small town. I am also looking forward to having snow to play in with Liam. I know from pushing him around the house in a laundry basket today that he is going to love being pulled in a baby sled.  

So many people are wondering if I am stressed, nervous, scared. Yes, I think I am. But I know that we are about to start a new adventure and I get to decorate a house so I am pretty excited. Plus, the church we are moving to is FULL of great people. They are welcoming, friendly and very hospitable.
The biggest stress I feel is packing up and driving 6 hours with my little bundle of joy Liam who cannot handle to much time strapped into a car seat.
Anyways, thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts and please continue to pray for us as well start another move to the north! We are renting a u-haul tonight and off tomorrow!

Love is an action word

Responsibilities. We all have them. Everyday we think about the responsibilities we have with our jobs, our families and many other tasks we take on. But as wealthy North Americans, do we think about the responsibility we have to think beyond ourselves.  Yes, there are also North Americans living in poverty or even just struggling to get by that need our attention as well.
(I guess I am mostly speaking for myself here, since I don't want to say that others are not fulfilling their responsibility to help others in need).
Have you ever noticed that it is easy to think about the changes that we need to make in our lives, but if we don't speak them out and allow other people to keep us motivated and accountable to the changes we want to implement in our lives than they can easily dwindle away? So here it is.
I know time and time again I have had this feeling of guilt when I spend money on things that I don't need instead of giving to other people who do need.  I was having this conversation with Kelsey Quist over lunch the other day how for some reason as girls, and some guys I am sure to, feel as though we need to spend SO much money on brand name clothing and purses, when the reality is we are doing it so other people notice, but do other people really care? We think they do, but really know one really cares if our jeans are R&R or from stitches. No one is going to judge us if we have a vintage purse instead of a coach purse. I am a product of this 'brand' name thinking as well, so I am speaking from my own desires. Yes, it is nice to reward yourself every now and than by spending money on nice clothes, but do we need to spend ALL our money on nice clothes? no.
I strongly feel that we have a responsibility to make sure that we use the money we have wisely. To stop thinking about all the things that we want and start thinking about the people who are in need. There are many children in the world that need sponsorship, many families in need of food and shelter. I want to start using the money I have to bless others instead of using the spare money I have on myself.
There are so many ways that we can get involved in making a positive change in this world. We can sponsor a kid or family to go to camp. Or if you know a family with lots of kids and you think, it must be pricy for that family to send all their kids to camp, it likely is! So, why not bless them and offer to pay for one of their kids? We can get a sponsor child from an organization. We can sponsor a missionary. We can donate to organizations. There are a few non-profit organizations that I can think of that have blessed my life in numerous ways and I can give back through donations, since donations is really the only way they can really get by: such as Moose Lake Gospel Camp or Eston College. We can send a care package to a friend in college whose finances are tight. Take a friend for lunch or coffer. Send Operation Christmas Child boxes out.
There are also things we can do that don't involve spending more money like giving our used clothing and blankets to shelters or food to food banks. We can share the many baby clothes with have by giving to swaddle share (swaddleshare@groups.facebook.com  )
I want to take steps to make change and these are just a few simple ways and ideas I have. Please feel free to join me on this challenge!

to shop or not to shop... thats the big question

... and to not shop is what I have decided. I want to take a public pledge. No shopping unless it is for Christmas. Here's the thing, I go through these shopping up's and down's. When I get this 'urge' to buy buy buy, it comes hard and fast, everything I see looks so appealing and I WANT it. But than I go on a shopping downer and don't want anything and feel quit satisfied with everything I have. Many times I have thought about making Clayton take my visa and debit away, but thats just immature. I need to practice my own restraint. So here it is, I am not buying. I am not in need. In fact I am abundently blessed with so much 'stuff'. I want to live in thankfulness for all that I have.
This summer I was faced with a challenge of my own. God was challenging me to give to others every time I wanted to give to myself. So, instead of buying that cute shirt for myself, buy it for someone else. When I am craving a latte, buy a latte for someone else. I was reminded that God will use me to do big things when He knows I can follow through on doing the small things in life first.
There were two instances this summer when I followed through on this challenge and I cannot even explain the joy it brought me when I was able to bless others instead of giving into my own desires. I have a shoe fetish, and one day I was thinking about shoes I wanted, and seriously did not need. I felt God press on my heart someone in need of some shoes. So I sat down this girl and told her what God was telling me and she was so excited because she needed new shoes and could not afford them! It felt so great to give to someone who really needed.
One other day, my mom and I were at the Penticton market. I was so excited to see this coffee stand set up that sells this great coffee! My mom and I were walking around with our coffees when a woman at a vegetable stand commented on how great our coffee smelt. Right away I said, "do you want a coffee? I will go get you one right now." Before she could respond I walked back to the coffee stand and bought her a coffee. Seriously, a coffee is what $2.00? That $2.00 made her day and she was so overwhelmed with happiness that a stranger would even do that for her. My bank account was not even effected that day, but my heart was and that ladies day was.
So, I guess I am revising my challenge. I will not shop for myself, but if the Lord lays in on my heart to bless someone else I will.  I am not losing out in anyway though, for when you bless another you bring an unspeakable joy and pleasure to your own life that cannot be bought or exchanged by any cute shirt or great pair of boots.
Of course I cannot be nieve, I will shop again. But until Christmas is over I do not need anymore clothes (which is the culprit in this case). I will be satisfied with all I have and care more about others in need for the next two months.