Job Loss

I haven't blogged in forever. Close to 6 months.  Turns out homeschooling and working and mothering takes up a lot of time. At the end of the day, I don't really want to do anything else except sit and relax. But God has been just extraordinarily kind and gentle to me since Justin lost his job. I find my self wanting to post a little excerpt on Instagram, but find myself being like John when he said "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written". And that's how it is. God is being abundantly kind to me and a short blurb just can't contain all the little ways God is actively loving me and whispering "Trust me. I care about you. I have this".

When Justin found out he got laid off, I was overcome with a peace that really does only come from God. When faced with the reality of losing all of your financial security, including your dream house you JUST bought, it does not come from anywhere within to instantly be calm and at peace. I knew God had a plan. I knew he loved us. And should we lose our home and all that goes with it, I knew God still had a good plan and I knew He still loved us.

Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" I knew, that God didn't send Jesus to die a brutal death on the cross, to bring me to Him, and then just ignore us. If God would allow such calamity, I knew it would be for our good, even if we didn't understand how or why. The fact that God would GIVE me that trust instantly, was so precious.

The next day was a little rougher, but I continued to focus on what was true and not all the "What ifs". Since then it has been one continuous story God is writing for our family. How he is going before us and how he is right here with us in the thick of it. Justin's old colleagues have just been, bizarre. Bizarre in the most wonderful way. He has had them coming out of the wood work to write good recommendations for him on LinkedIn. Obviously I know Justin is wonderful and hard working. But to see so many other people recognize that in him, has been awesome to see. People have gone way out of their way to help him. People love Justin. And I know why. Because he loves Jesus. Yes he is a hard worker and did great at his job. But its because he wanted to work hard for the Lord and honor Him. And when his colleagues worked alongside of Justin, I know they were blessed because of Justin's love for the Lord.

Here are some of the very real and tangible things God has done for me to show me that he cares for me. After my miscarriage I saw the same side of God. Tender, sweet, and loving. It's that same side of God I am seeing now. Yes, he is big, holy, and in control of all things. But he is also near to the brokenhearted and he knows each tear that falls. He cares for me (and for you). So anyway here are some of those ways, God has been near to me.

-That week a sweet friend texted me and asked how she could tangibly help our family. At that moment there was nothing we needed, but I knew she was a pray-er. So I asked if she could pray. This friend has a lot going on, but set an alarm to pray for us everyday at noon. And I know she is. I can tell. In fact, I can tell that so many others are doing the same thing. That's the only way I am not curled under my blankets and depressed. So thank you to those who are putting us before the Father and asking for us.

-Some of you may know that I like using essential oils. I have been ordering monthly from Young Living and get a little bit of a kickback when I order for other people. I have never seen myself as "selling" them, but I really do just like using them and am excited to share about them to see if they can help others. I don't NEED to use them, but I really like to. As soon as Justin lost his job, I thought "oh yeah, I should probably stop my monthly order, since we should save that money for other things." Totally not a big deal. But this month has been my most successful oily month. I will MAKE money this month. Enough to cover about 2 months worth of orders. WHAT? When all these people wanted to order stuff, I was just so surprised. Each order was God whispering "I love you. I will take care of you. Here is a gift." I know it may not seem like a big deal and I think that's the point. Oils AREN'T a big deal. I do really like them, but they aren't a priority! And if God was going to be extravagant with tiny things, I know I can trust him with the biggest things.

-We still have our old house for sale. We had a lot of showings all at once and then they sort of tapered off. One day I thought "I wonder if I should contact our realtor and discuss what we need to do to get it sold." But then it was just like "No, be patient. Its ok. It's only been on the market for 2 weeks. Don't be pushy." Moments later, my phone buzzed and it was a notification that we had a showing scheduled for the next day. Once again, God showing me He is in control and I can trust him.

-My job typically doesn't have any opportunity to pick up extra. The first day I went back to work after Justin lost his job, my director sent out an email asking if anyone wanted to increase their hours. Justin and I didn't want to permanently increase them. If he got a job soon, then we would prefer that I continue to work part-time. Long story short, I'm working extra but not permanently. Exactly what we wanted, God made a way for that right now.

-The other day I was at the gift shop at work and they had some Wood Wick candles on sale. I really wanted to buy one. I love the crackling sound, so relaxing to me! But I knew spending extra money, wasn't a great idea. So I passed. Once again, not a huge deal. Then just this week, our new housemate bought us a thank you gift for opening up our home....a Wood Wick Candle. Guys. I can't make this crap up.

-Each year I throw a "Treat Yo Self" party for my friends. Just a little ladies night that has some special things. Manicures, good food and drinks. This year I wanted to send my friends home with something fun. I thought if I could find some small glass jars for cheap enough, I could send them home with some essential oil infused bath salts (my new fave!). I figured its worth looking around. This week I stopped by Hobby Lobby and all their glass jars were 50% off. I heard two ladies who were stocking up saying "These are rarely on sale!". But of course they are. So I got a bunch of little jars to bless my friends with. God is even helping me bless others. It's crazy, people.

It's so small, but tangible, and so personal. Why God? Why do you care about me this way? It's really just overwhelming, that God, who is in control over all things. He knows my name. He knows the depth of my nasty heart yet, sent his Son to die for me and make a way for us to be together. Jesus is waiting in Heaven to welcome me home when the time comes. God gives me the Holy Spirit to encourage, convict, and lead me. He could just stop right there and it would be the most amazing gifts one could give. But He doesn't....he keeps giving. He keeps loving. Keeps being tender and gentle and kind. "I'm here. I'm with you. I'm for you. I love you." It's really just too much. I'm often overcome and weepy when I think of how over the top God is right now.

I'll never do that!

I remember before we had kids, Justin and I both said we never wanted to homeschool. It was fine for all the other people who want to, but not us. "I'll never, ever, ever, EVER homeschool". Meanwhile, God was all like "Mmmhmm"

And obviously, never say never. Because we will definitely be homeschooling next year. It is crazy how God put together His plan for our family. A few months ago Justin and I were thinking about what we would do with Inara next year. She is pretty smart for her age and based on a bunch of different kindergarten assessments I found, she already knew most of the stuff they teach in kindergarten. Plus it is only half a day in our area, and since I work a couple days a week, how would she get from school to wherever Shepherd would be?

We really were struggling with it, and then I asked Justin if he had prayed about it. He said "No" and neither had I. So we decided to take 2 weeks and pray and ask God for wisdom and to show us His plan for our family. I really wanted to know if we were going to homeschool for a long time, or not. But God showed me, that I was wanting something from God that he doesn't promise. He doesn't promise our life will be one way forever. He DOES promise he will be with us wherever we go and he'll never leave us.

Literally the next day, my friend Jordan messaged me and asked if we knew of anyone who would need childcare in the fall. I told her might, depending on whether we homeschool or not. She is a first grade teacher and said she would love to help us homeschool! We discussed a few details and it was really a no brainer! We are excited to employ a friend and help her stay home with her son. And since she is a first grade teacher, she'll be able to help us know what Inara needs to work on to be ready for first grade.

We will be trying out Classical Conversations this year. I am nervous and excited. Even last week, I kind of freaked out and was like "Oh my gosh. What was I thinking?! I can't do this!" But I am so thankful that God gave us such peace that we will be doing it for this year, and just taking one year at a time.



Stitch Fix #7

 This weekend I got my 7th Stitch Fix. It is one of my favorite treats and ways to shop. Especially as a busy mom! I usually ask for credit for my birthday and Christmas which covers most of the cost.

So what IS Stitch Fix?

Create your style profile  

Fill out a pretty extensive questionnaire about your style.
You can even link it up to a specific Pinterest board.

Get five hand picked items

You can even specify what you want/don't want. (No jewelry, only dresses, etc)

Keep what you like and send back the rest

Try on the items in the comfort of your own home.
Send back items in bag with pre-paid shipping.

Comes with styling tips

Each piece comes with styling tips,
how to dress it up or dress it down

Ok, so how much does this cost?

$20 Styling fee

Use this towards the cost of your final order

Get 25% off

If you keep all 5 items, they give you 25% off your purchase

Average price

They state on their average price per items is $65, that being said most of my items have been under $50. Although this month the dresses were more.

Here's what I got this month!

This shirt was fun, but was just a tad too small. I sent it back



This fit perfect and was stripes, so I was sold! I kept this one





Back view





I asked for a Kimono and there weren't any in stock so they sent me this.
It looks way better in this picture than in real life, but it wasn't what
I was looking for, so I sent it back.

This dress was a good fit and SOOO soft. But also expensive,
so I sent it back.



Even though this was less expensive than the other dress, I still
couldn't justify spending that much money on a dress that I could
probably find a similar version of at Old Navy or Target.

Bedtime sweetness

Shepherd is crazy and wild, which makes our bedtime snuggles even sweeter. He ALWAYS wants me to put him to bed and I'm going to lie...I love it. We sit in the rocking chair and sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Jesus Loves Me", "Your Are My Sunshine", and then "Happy". And I can't change the order or skip any, either. It is so sweet as he sings along with me and I just want to die and keep his little baby voice forever. Is that too much to ask? I tried to record it so I could keep it forever :)

Stitch Fix #6

I received my 6th fix this month! It is always so fun to get something fun in the mail for ME, that isn't a bill or junk mail.

So what IS Stitch Fix?

Create your style profile  

Fill out a pretty extensive questionnaire about your style.
You can even link it up to a specific Pinterest board.

Get five hand picked items

You can even specify what you want/don't want. (No jewelry, only dresses, etc)

Keep what you like and send back the rest

Try on the items in the comfort of your own home.
Send back items in bag with pre-paid shipping.

Comes with styling tips

Each piece comes with styling tips,
how to dress it up or dress it down

Ok, so how much does this cost?

$20 Styling fee

Use this towards the cost of your final order

Get 25% off

If you keep all 5 items, they give you 25% off your purchase

Average price

They state on their average price per items is $65, that being said most of my items have been under $50.

Here's what I got this month!

My first item was a Papermoon Holburn Keyhole Top. The back was sheer
and perfect for hot summer nights. It was $48 and I kept it!

This was the Papermoon Holland Zipper Blouse. It looked SO much better off than on.
It was just too big, especially around the arms and just hung on me, kind of weird.
It too would have been perfect for the summer, as it was a really thin material. It was $44 and was sent back.

Ugh! I almost didn't post his picture because both pieces were so bad. They don't look as bad
in the picture as they did in real life. The Dear John Roll Cuff Shorts were too long and
just screamed "I'm an uncool Mom", plus they were $58. No thanks! I really liked this
Papermoon Sheydon Trim Blouse, but it too was just a tad too big and hung off me.
It was $44 and was also sent back.

This Skies are Blue Haleiwa Tie-neck top actually looks way better in pictures than in real life.
That piece at the bottom was see through. Not a huge deal, but it also just was in a weird
spot on the shirt and brought attention to my muffin top :) It was $44 and was sent back

My little shadow wanted in on the show, too :)

Each piece comes with a styling card to show you how to dress up and dress down each piece. 

Overall I was pretty happy with this month. I liked most of the pieces, but they didn't fit right. This happened last month too, so I think I need to make my shirt size a small instead of a medium and see if that helps. I think I am probably in between a small and a medium, but the brand sizes seem to run a little large, so I'll see how the next month goes :) And if you haven't tried it, you totally should :) And don't forget to sign up under my link! I'd love you forever for it!