Mark 8:36

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

As a Christ Follower, what do you think is so important
(that society deems socially acceptable)

that you are willing to sacrifice your values

and ultimately your soul for?
Right now I am shaken at the thought of it....

The following is an exchange of words between myself and an acquaintance (I would not call her a friend) from my old church-someone who I was in Sunday School class with for several years, went to her baby shower, brought her meals after she had her 2 sons. She was superficially nice, but never sincere, and once told me that only poor people shop at Target.

She is early-mid 30's, married, has 2 young sons, was a corporate career woman, and her husband is a Dr.- I believe in Perinatology or Maternal and Fetal Medicine.

This all began, when I saw that we had mutual friends from church, and clicked on her link to see what was going on in her life. I saw that she was a fan of G.Tiller and of Marriage Equality (for LGBT marriages), so I sent her a note to see what she meant by that.

She replied, stating "We are against anyone being murdered for their beliefs."

This was puzzling to me, so I sent her a reply....

"As a Christian, yes, murder is wrong. He was not a martyr by any means and think of all the thousands and thousands of babies that lost their lives. As a Christian we should fight for the lives of the unborn and for their voice! We should fight for marriage only between a man and a woman! Because that's the way God created us. We shouldn't sacrifice our beliefs to become politically correct, or to what society deems acceptable. It just really suprised me that was something you supported, as someone who we used to go to church with, and as someone who is a mother of 2 small children."

How she replied, shocked me to my core.....

"Megan,I'm not going to get into a discussion about these issues w/ you because we fundamentally disagree. Neil, in his practice, routinely has to counsel women about termination--fetuses w/out brains, spinal cords, etc. That's part of his job description. Some crazy wacko might take it upon themselves to shoot my husband. Please do not contact me again."

--- ---------------------- - -----------------------------------------------------

I am shocked beyond words, and deeply saddened at the same time. Granted this is from someone I wouldn't necessarily call a friend, but non the less someone that I was in Sunday School with for a few years, worshipped with, prayed with, celebrated with at the birth of her sons. Someone who I thought had the same beliefs I did.

(Let me just say a disclaimer here that I am not judging or condemning anyone who has ever had an abortion, or considered one. On this subject, I have never been one to judge-because I know it's up to God to work on the individuals heart in his time- and for the healing process to take place)

I have personally known 2 brave women who went through such heartache to continue their pregnancies. The first was a woman at my old church. The first time she got pregnant, her body developed breast cancer, and she was at risk. She decided that she was having the baby, and would cope with the effects of dealing with breast cancer. So several years later, she got pregnant again, and the same thing happened. Her daughter Paige was born, and by the time she was not even 2 yrs old, her mom had lost her fight with breast cancer, and went home to be with the Lord.

The second woman, was actually my husband's cousin's wife. She had already had 2 healthy children without complications, and when she found out she was expecting baby #3, they found that the baby didn’t have a brain and had other deformities. They chose to carry the baby as far as God would have them. It did die and she carried it for another month then delivered it-never even getting to see him, because her husband thought it would crush her. They chose not to have a doctor take it.They were very strong Southern Baptist, and abortion was out of the question for them. I think that she was extremely brave to do what she did-knowing that her baby wouldn't live very long, but still chosing to give it life. She went on to have another pregnancy, with a very healthy baby boy, who is now 3 yrs old.

So when she told me what her husband did for a living, it just shocked me. Is it worth the prestige and achievement in that field of medicine, to sacrifice your beliefs and counsel women for that, when you have small children of your own? Do they not believe that life is sacred, and God created them? At what point do you throw your values out the window?

Another upsetting thing is that she has at least 30 friends I know of from our old church that know of her support for these groups, and I'm pretty sure that non of them have decided to take a stand with her on this subject. Isn't it our jobs as Christians to hold each other accountable on the ways of the Lord, and the teachings of the Bible? Especially on the very fundamental things of life itself and marriage. Have they become so politically correct, or afraid to go against what society thinks is popular, that they fail to take a stand for what they believe in?

I have never felt the battle of spiritual warfare more than I have with these 2 subjects. Even within the Christian community. It has been eye opening to say the least.

Bathroom Remodel Reveal....

The view from the kitchen-our new backdoor with built in blinds. I was sad to part with the old wooden door that looked the same, but for security reasons, we got a metal door instead. To the L, you'll see the beadboard access panel on the shower wall. And the flooring just got laid 2 days ago-no more looking at ugly subfloor!!!

The view from the bathroom doorway, looking out to the hallway.

The view from the hallway looking into the bathroom


Upclose view of my pretty new floor- which I highly recommend if anyone's on the market for new flooring. It's Allure (in Hickory) by Home Depot. It's resilient flooring, very durable with a 25 yr warranty- and water resistent. Plus it looks and feels more like real wood flooring than pergo does.

A pic of my new love... my rainfall shower head! Our old-new shower head broke upon trying to install it here, and luckily it was still under warranty, so thank goodness for my FREE new shower head from HD!!!

In the bathroom, I wanted to go for a more sophisticated look, with nicer 3 light wall sconce over the sink. We totally reconfigured the bathroom layout-allowing access to both bathrooms off of one central hallway. Moving the tub to the back wall allowed us to have a window!Yay! which had been walled over by the previous owner. We went with pedestal sinks because they make it more spacious.

My dream tub.... Before the project started, I debated between wanting a claw foot tub or a rounded tub. Both were out of our price range, but we found this Kohler tub at HD on clearance for around $50, and were thrilled to death! The best part is that it's actually white. Our old tub was an eggshell/yellow color-Bleh!!!!

We found this 18"x18" tile at a local tile wholesaler, and did the whole tub, all the way to the ceiling, which is about 9', and it was only $85!!! I had originally wanted slate, but it requires too much maintenance, so we went with this instead-which has the look of slate.

So we got the designer look, for a very small fraction of the price. I designed the tile layout, and my hubby was my tile installer, and did a great job for his first time ever tiling!!! I'm in love!

We also got a curved shower rod, which I also highly recommend. It adds so much more space to the standard tub.

This is the back wall of the shower. My hubby built a special wall shelf for storage of shampoo bottles, etc, and it has worked out great. We're still looking for the perfect and neutral shower curtain (I took the liner down for the pictures)

We finished up this project right after Thanksgiving, and we started it over Memorial Day. If you want to know the true meaning of patience, try going 6 months taking a bath, with no shower. It can get very stressful! I'll try and post the before pics sometime. For those of you who saw what it looked like before, hopefully you can visualize what it used to look like. To sum it up, it was dark, yellow(ceiling,walls, tub,sink) and crowded. It was one ugly bathroom!!!!

All of our hardwork and patience paid off, and I am so grateful and thankful to have a husband who is such a handy man!

Laundry Room Remodel

Presenting our newly remodeled Laundry Room & Half Bath.......... We finished this project in February of 2009, after 8 long months of having to do laundry elsewhere. I will eventually get around to posting before pics-they were not pretty at all. We did all the work ourselves!!! With a little help on plumbing from our brother in law, and a little manual labor from my father in law.

My hubby bought the stained glass piece for my b'day last year, and it made the perfect addition to the 1/2 bath/laundry room. I wanted outdoor lights as the wall sconces, to keep in the character of being the original back porch. I think it gives it a little industrial feel.


I convinced him to tear out the ceilings, which were 7' tall, and now are about 9' tall at the highest point. This was part of the original back porch to the house, and it had beadboard ceilings, which we put back in, to keep with the character of the space. I have an antique washboard displayed, and still need to display my antique laundry wringer on top of the cabinet. I think they serve as a great contrast to old and new innovations in the world of laundry.


Before, this large space was just the laundry room-with a regular washer and dryer. We decided that with just one bathroom in the house, it would be nice to add another one, since it's kind of hard for 4 people to share 1 bathroom. So we parted with our old appliances, and bought LG stackable W/D last November at an awesome HD sale. They are amazing!


This is a view looking out to the hallway. Our 5 paneled doors are still waiting to be installed (they were our free find-Heart Pine,and they are gorgeous) My hubby custom made all the door and window trim in all 3 remodel areas. Complete with plinth blocks, and tall base trim for a historic look. It matches the original profile to the upstairs woodwork.
I am also in love with this color- Toffee Crunch, by Behr paint. I used to flat our refuse that I would have anything this color-Taupe, Beige, etc in my house, because it's a standard color in the community, but it has really grown on me! I'm thinking of painting our bedroom and the kitchen this color when we remodel.

God provides in the most amazing ways for Christmas.....

Just in the last few days, I have been blessed with the sale of 3 big things, enough to provide $ for our family to use for Christmas presents for my family of 4, as well as our parents, grandmas, sisters and brothers in law, and their kids-16 people total. Before this point, I was seriously contemplating how we were going to provide presents to all these people, and be able to have money for groceries and gas for our cars. I admit, I was thinking about the good old c.c., but I wasn't tempted enough to give in to that idea. First let me explain, that by me sharing this story, I'm not trying to brag about anything, just wanting to show that God can provide through the most amazing ways, and in his perfect timing.

Last Thursday 12/3, while at aapc, I had told them that I had a 4.5' pre-lit tree to donate to the op office. Little did I know that my hubby had promised the same tree to his parents for their office. So we had the same tree promised to 2 different people. Then we had gotten all the Christmas decorations down from the attic, and had been contemplating what to do about our tree. We really wanted to get a new CL one, but couldn't even afford that with Christmas coming up. So right after we put the kids to bed, I hopped online to CL, and under the free section was a 9' pre-lit christmas tree for FREE! We have 9' ceilings which made it even better, because our old tree was a very slim 7' tree. I found this posting just a few minutes after it had been posted, and immediately drove to pick it up. So we now have this tree that takes up a good chunk of our living room, but after finding it, were able to donate the sm.pre-lit tree to aapc, and then give our old tree to my in laws for their office. So 3 groups of people were blessed through one very generous family who gave away one tree!(see the pic at the top of the post)

This past friday, 12/4, I donated about 12 bags of stuff-clothes, toys, stuffed animals, random stuff around the house just taking up space. and dropped it off at my fav charity turnstyles. When I told people this, they asked me why I didn't just have a garage sale with it, which I could have. But my heart has been aching to donate to those in need, and at the time, not being financially able to give as much as I wish I could, those items I donated go on to be sold, and then 100% of those profits get to people in the community that are in need. There is just something about giving that is so freeing to your soul....in my eyes, the following is God's perfect timing of providing for my family,after I in turn had provided for other people (some of you may disagree, but at least in my life, God seems to work like this)

Sat. 12/5, A giant little tykes play cube about 5'x5'. we got this for free from a neighbor down the street who was just throwing it away, several years ago, before my daughter had a swingset. For the last 8 months, my s-in law was borrowing it for her little boys, until they got a swingset (and the swingset had been my sis's, and she gave it to my hubby's cousin, now they're moving, and so my s in law ends up with a free wooden swingset-so they were blessed as well) thus giving us back the play cube that they were borrowing. which in turn we were able to sell it on CL for X-mas money.

Sat.12/5, and Tues.12/7- Over the summer, early spring, our neighbors down the street were selling this beautiful antique bedroom set. It was a solid walnut double sleigh bed, and the matching vanity with tri-fold mirror. Although we really didn't need it at the time, I bought it as an investment(since I also love great bargains on antiques). We were planning on using the vanity, and then giving our daughter the bed, but it's just one more project, and so we decided to sell it. So I sold the bed alone for what I purchased the set for, making a nice profit on the sale! And the thing is that each piece could have sold for several hundred a piece, but I just wanted to get them out of our room.

So by getting a free item, that we used well for several years, and the other set, for a small purchase price, we made a nice little profit on 3 items. More than enough to buy Christmas presents for everyone, and have some extra $ to donate to charities.

(In Sept. we did a similar thing, selling 2 leather recliners that we had gotten for free, and the free leather couch my parents had given us. In selling all 3 things, we were able to purchase a practically brand new micro suede couch on CL)

Let me clarify that at the time we had the free items, we were in need of them, and it hasn't been until several years later until we sold them. So I'm not in favor of people getting free stuff online only to resell it, because there are people out there that couldn't afford to have that item otherwise. Also, we have been blessed with many free items-mainly childrens clothes and toys etc, even a computer, so in return we have given away the same exact things for free, to someone who needed them at the time-the old computer was donated. So I think there is an equal balance there of paying it forward to someone in need, as well as using some of those things, to help out financially in your budget. Trust me if you ever want to hear a crazy story of how long it took me to learn this lesson of letting go of items for free, you'll be in for a big suprise :)

This last week has been pretty crazy talking with my family about focusing on the real meaning of Christmas, and not on all the material possessions. Some of them were not very happy with me. And my lovely and sometimes sarcastic m in law, joked about it, although I'm sure there was a lot of truth to it. Apparently the issue of contentment didn't go over very well, when they didn't have the same change of heart that I have had. So now that I have the $ to use for Christmas, just trying to find the right thing for each person, and pray that they won't be critical about it. We'll see how that goes :)

The Thrifty Christmas Shopper

In the last 7 years of Christmas', our household has had some crazy spending trends, really because we never had a set Christmas budget.

*We did pretty good our first Christmas together in 2002. The only thing I remember now, that was stupid on our part was buying then 2 1/2 month old Grace, 3 new dvds, from Osco of all places, not realizing they are the most expensive there, and to waste $60+ on something for her she wouldn't be watching until 5 years later.

*Christmas 2003 was not a good year for us. Money was so tight and at times non-existent, that we put all Christmas items on on good old Sears cc that year. That was actually quite a challenge, b/c it's pretty darn hard to find cute and inexpensive things there!

*Christmas 2004, I can't recall too much. I was working at that point, and so we had a lot of extra money at the time, but don't remember doing anything extravagent.

*Christmas 2005-this was our crazy, WAY over budget year for gifts for our family members!!! Between 15 people, we blew almost $600 on credit cards! I know it was very sad.

*Christmas 2006-yet another very bad year for our household income wise. This was the year of the credit card. For medical bills, car transmission repair, you name it, and it broke and we had to fix it. So what did I do to be a thrifty shopper, but sign up for a cc that gave you a free $100 gift card-which I proceeded to use for most of our christmas shopping for our whole family. I think everyone got a picture of the kids that year :)

*Christmas 2007- The last year for stocking stuffers!!! By this point we might have still been using our cc's to help fund gifts. I can't really remember, but it was almost $300

*Christmas 2008- The most amazing and debt free Christmas we've ever had!!! And it helped that we had just completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace the month before :) and thanks to my dear friend Jeanna for opening up my eyes about gift ideas for kids!

*For 13 people, we only spent $90.00 + 2 extra family gifts for a total of $120 :) My husband's gift was under $25, and my gift was under $30, so the 2 of us total was $55. For a grand total of only $175! This year we also cut out stocking stuffers for ourselves, but still got a few little things for the kids (mainly used books and some candy) We had ended up spending as much on stocking stuffers, as we would have on a nice gift to each other, and it was just a waste to us. How in the world did I pull this off, well here's my story......

*my daughter- I shopped at wal-mart right after halloween, when all their costumes were 75% off or more, and got her 2 hannah montana outfits, a microphone and h.m. makeup set all for only $4.50. At my favorite thrift store, turnstyles, I found her Sleeping Beauty on vhs for $1, when it was re-released in the stores last year new for $20! I also got her Beauty and the Beast Christmas vhs for $1. Then for her stocking stuffers- 3 books, total of 70 cents, and a leotard-50 cents. All for a total of $7.70

*my son- these were all awesome thrift store finds-a lego brand lego table $3, a tonka truck $1, a double car "Cars"racing ramp $3. For his stocking stuffers-elmo slippers $1, and 4 books at 10 cents a piece. All for a total of $8.40

*my oldest nephew- 2 books-35 cents, new old navy slippers $1, pj's $1, sweater 50 cents. All for $2.85

*my youngest nephew- 2 gap shirts-50 cents a piece, bible book -10 cents, 2 song books- 50 cents. And I got him a brand new kohl's dalmation puppy for $5, for a total of $6.60

*my grandma- she loves birds, and so when we found these things at a church garage sale, we were thrilled. bird salt and pepper shakers, 2 cardinal china cups, and a cardinal- for a total of $8

Everything else we bought family was brand new, but on sale....

*MIL-christian cd- $8
*FIL- Oceans 13 dvd-$6
*Sister in law- christian cd-$8
*Brother in law-exten.cord-$12
*Mom-christian cd-$5
*Dad- christian dvd-$5
*Sister-card holder-$5
*Brother in law-drill bitts-$8

All for a grand total of around $90. We had also had our family portrait taken at portrait innovations, and everyone received an unframed pic of us, and the grandparents also received a photo of the kids. And I bought a Christmas Nativity set for my nephews as well.
We had originally budgeted $250 for Christmas, but the grand total came in under $175.

As you can tell, I loved the Christian book store last year for the day after Thanksgiving sale. You can't beat cds and dvds for $5-$8 a piece. I've always been one to appreciate a thoughtful gift, instead of an expensive gift. And so I like to give more heartfelt gifts!!! After going through Financial Peace, we weren't about to put ourselves in more debt just to buy our family Christmas presents.

This year has been all about simplifying, as I said in earlier posts, I have been selling a ton of stuff, and donating a fairly equal amount to charity. Spending less on Christmas with more heartfelt gifts, opens up your heart to give to those who are truly in need this season. Whether it be a friend in need, a missionary, a local food pantry, city union mission, samaritan's purse, etc. It leaves you with more money left to give to where it really counts. I've just started reading about the Advent Conspiracy Organization, and I love the concept- of keeping the focus on Christ, and keeping it simple.

I know that some of you might not be comfortable shopping at thrift stores-like my 2 favs- turnstyles and salvation army (i've also found a lot of good stuff at through my child's eyes). I'll be the first to admit that when I was younger, I thought only poor, homeless people shopped there, and refused to ever visit. Seriously. So if some of you are thinking about where to do your holiday shopping, would you rather give money to giant corporations-who might not even recognize or celebrate "Merry Christmas", or would you rather buy things from someone on CL who needs the extra $, or from a thrift store, where anywhere from 85-100% of the proceeds go direcly to help families that are in need and hurting during this season. Then you get the dual benefit on finding awesome deals, and helping someone in need at the same time.

And for those of you who are wondering about the presents I bought for the kiddos last year, they were all almost new, or like new, that some gracious individual had donated. So it's not like I was giving the kids junk by any means. And I did run the idea by my sister in law first, and she knows our situation, and was okay with it. Most of it, you would never even know where you I got it, if I wasn't sharing it with you. If any of my friends reading this are blessed to have dual family incomes, or a hubby that makes a generous salary, then that's awesome. We've been pretty much living on a very modest income since we got married almost 8 years ago, and it has been rough at times, but I'm so thankful that I can look back at how our mindset has completely shifted in the last few years, especially when times have been tough, and seen God provide, and allow for me to find creative ways to give to my families and friends.

A funny story to end all this with is, when I was about 14 or 15 that Christmas I bought everyone a brand new gift from the mall, and back then I was only shopping for my mom, dad and sister, grandma, and 2 aunts that were in town visiting. I spent over $350 of my hard earned work $ at the mall- I think most of it was on Crabtree and Evelyn gift baskets! So the next Christmas, my sweet frugal grandmother was in town, and took us with her to Wal-Mart to do our shopping. I had never really been in one very much, but loved the idea of not spending over $350 on Christmas. I picked out, what I thought were heartfelt, and sentimental gifts for my family. I got my mom, White Charlie perfume, and my dad, Old Spice. My mom loved hers, my dad, well he tried to be happy, but later said he didn't like it, and it made him smell like an old man. So I tried :) I just wanted to share that funny, and very real story with you!

Another beautiful poem-to my friends who have the kindest words and thoughts

Gratitude by Lucy Maud Montgomery

"I thank thee, friend, for the beautiful thought

That in words well chosen thou gavest to me,

Deep in the life of my soul it has wrought

With its own rare essence to ever imbue me,

To gleam like a star over devious ways,

To bloom like a flower on the drearest days­

Better such gift from thee to me

Than gold of the hills or pearls of the sea.

For the luster of jewels and gold may depart,

And they have in them no life of the giver,

But this gracious gift from thy heart to my heart

Shall witness to me of thy love forever;

Yea, it shall always abide with me

As a part of my immortality;

For a beautiful thought is a thing divine,

So I thank thee, oh, friend, for this gift of thine."

For Little Things, by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This is the ending of a poem by the author of Anne of Green Gables. I love the simplicity and sweetness of it, as well as how very true it is!

Dear God, our life is beautiful
In every splendid gift it brings,
But most I thank Thee humbly for
The joy of little things.

The dress story

"I don’t like telling my story to people but if that is what you need to see if I can get the dress so be it. My husband lost his job July 4th. I am the only income with a family of 6. Myself, husband, 3 boys and a girl. The boys for the most part have clothes I always have to buy new for my daughter. I am looking for a dress for her. I work 2 jobs and go to school. My husband is my daycare provider right now because no jobs he has looked at will pay enough for us to get a daycare. We have tried to get help with daycare but are told since an adult it there we are not eligiable for assistance for daycare help. We are a very proud family and if I have never told you this story you would probably have not know this about us if you met us out somewhere. I try to make sure my kids are always clean, fed and look presentable. My husband has been trying but I told him not to bother right now due to I may have to change my jobs to a different shift due to school and then he could start up then. That is my story in a nut shell."

So we had arranged a time, that I would meet her after she got off work, and I got there early, and waited about 15 minutes, and still didn't see her. So I got frustrated and left. All too many times I've had people not show up for CL things. So in my human nature, I sent her an e-mail and said, "I'm really sorry that you weren't there to get it, because it was a waste of my time(45 minutes round trip), to go out of my way, to try and do something nice for someone, only to have them not show up. I sincerely wanted to help you out. " and then I re-posted the ad, because I was so upset.

Later that night I received a response from her,"I am sorry for your time being wasted. I am sorry you feel that way. if you are willing to allow me to come to you and get it that would be great and I would be willing to do that so you don't have to travel. If you are just mad completely and don't want to bother I understand. I was there I just got out a little late. I didn't see anyone and went on home. Again I am sorry for your incontinences that was no my intention."

I admit, I was upset and thought about giving it to someone else, but God changed my heart, and I felt that she was being sincere, and so she came to my house later in the week to pick up the dress. Before she got there, I went through Grace's closet to see what else I could find that her 5 yr old little girl could have. I had already given away all her clothes and shoes in that size, but I managed to find, a cute skirt, hannah montana dress that was new, and had been given to grace, a gap bathrobe, and a cute pink spring dress. I wish that I could have found more to give her that would fit. The mom was very thankful when she picked it up, and I think a little suprised at all the extra. She later e-mailed me and said, "Thanks again. All was VERY appreciated. She was so excited to get those things. Thank you." She also said, "she was so excited that she modeled the dress and asked her brother to dance with her." How sweet is that :) So God prevailed, even through my anger outburst, and this little girl was blessed with some almost new things that brought her so much joy.

2 Random acts of kindness....and a challenge to my friends

It has been on my heart lately the last few weeks, that with all the things we are selling on CL, it would be nice to be able to give things away-besides all the items that we end up donating to Turnstyles every few months. So much has been given to us, with the 2 anonymous gifts, as well as a friend of mine gave me a dozen new and almost new Ann Taylor Loft/Banana Republic clothes, that I wasn't expecting or asked for. We have been so blessed, that I decided that I wanted to bless individuals as well-with practically brand new items.

The first item I gave away was a men's winter coat that I bought from Target less than 2 years old, that was in perfect condition. I posted an ad on CL, and it said, free men's coat to someone in need. I asked for the person to share their story with me, and to also let it go to someone who had a true need, that couldn't otherwise afford to go out and buy one, not just someone who wanted a free coat. This is the reply that I received, "don't really have a story, but i believe jesus died for me and i'm his child." This man called, and I talked to him, and he was going to drive down on a cold rainy night, and I asked him where he lived, and he said NKC, and I said "my husband works up there, how about I save you a trip, and he can meet you up there with the coat." This man was so grateful. So my husband arranged a time to meet him, actually on his way home from KC. He told me that the man said, "I've been cold for 3 weeks." I cried when he told me this. We take forgranted with all that we have, how little other people in our KC area have. This man can now stay warm through the winter.

The second item that I gave away was a beautiful Christmas dress that was also less than 2 years old from Kohl's. I posted the same thing-please let this go to someone in true need, and share your story, so I can try and find the right home for this dress. Here are the responses that I received:

"This dress is beautiful. I am a mom of 4 girls ages 11, 9, and twins that are 3 1/2 yrs old. I am only able to work part time because of the twins (I can't afford child care). My husband makes ok money but extras like that dress are something we just cannot afford, especially when I am trying to come up with christmas presents. The twins are in childrens choir at church this year and they always have a christmas concert. I'd love for one of my girls to wear that dress. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Even if we don't receive the dress you are doing a wonderful thing." (Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile)

"I don’t like telling my story to people but if that is what you need to see if I can get the dress so be it. My husband lost his job July 4th. I am the only income with a family of 6. Myself, husband, 3 boys and a girl. The boys for the most part have clothes I always have to buy new for my daughter. I am looking for a dress for her. I work 2 jobs and go to school. My husband is my daycare provider right now because no jobs he has looked at will pay enough for us to get a daycare. We have tried to get help with daycare but are told since an adult it there we are not eligiable for assistance for daycare help. We are a very proud family and if I have never told you this story you would probably have not know this about us if you met us out somewhere. I try to make sure my kids are always clean, fed and look presentable. My husband has been trying but I told him not to bother right now due to I may have to change my jobs to a different shift due to school and then he could start up then. That is my story in a nut shell."

"I'm sure you've had a big response from your generous offer, but if the dress is still unclaimed, I have a 5-year-old daughter who would love to have it. Please let me know. "

"You might try contacting a church or the school. They usually know of some family that truly needs help. I was on a school board and we always had list of families that needed extra help.
I think it is great you are trying to help a little girl feel like a princess for Christmas!
God Bless You."

"I saw the dress you have on craigslist it is very cute. I have a daughter that is 5 years old. I also have two boys 9 and 2. We are not a poor family but we are on a budget. My husband works and I stay home with the kids. Its nice to be able to put the kids in nice things for the Holidays. But not always easy to spend 30.00 on an outfit that is only used for one day. If you have any other dresses that are that size I would love to have them. We go to church and she is steadly growing out of her church clothes! :) If you get someone that is in more need then me please go with that person."

"We are a displaced family currently forced to live in a motel, which is being paid for by a church. Here is what happened: We both got laid off from our jobs, which caused us to fall behind on our rent and utilities. Because our landlord refused to repair the central air, all of our a/c was being sent into the storm cellar, which is where he was storing his trash. Not only did we have a light bill in the neighborhood of $800, but that was along with our rent which was $800. We were then evicted, as it was impossible for us to afford $1600 per month, along with spending about $150 per week in gas. We found someone on CL that were willing to offer us a place to stay. So we moved into a basement/garage with our five kids. The wife, we found out, was abusive to us and our children.....During this time, we contacted the police, and had only a short time to move out. As we moved out, she went through all of our kids' stuff, taking what she wanted for her kids, who are no longer with her because of the abuse. While we were staying with her, our van engine siezed, threw a rod, and then the oil pan broke in half allowing a jet of flame to shoot down from the motor. I understand the whole "no-show" situation, but we are in need, as we have no real home, no car, and we're still trying to find work. If you could find it in your heart to bring it to us, you would make our little girl's day, as she loves to wear dresses, but doesn't have any. We'd be happy to introduce you to our kids, if you could bring it here. Thank you for your time and consideration. God bless."

While I know it's hard for someone to pour their heart out to a complete stranger, it makes it easier to see the true need in their circumstances. The woman in story #2 received the dress and she was so grateful! The very last story broke my heart, but I couldn't put my safety on the line to deliver an item to a stranger at a hotel room. Please believe me, I'm not trying to make light of their circumstances, because some of them are so hard to hear. It was nice hearing from other people who sent in their stories, wishing it to go to someone that was in more need than they were. Hearing their stories, it's easy to discern a real immediate need, vs a want or need. Like the woman who sent the e-mail through her blackberry phone. I don't have a problem with someone owning that phone, but if you are in true need financially and are trying to provide, one of the 1st things to go for me, would be all the extra things, like having a blackberry.

I think so often that we get wrapped up in, "I need, or I want", only to fill up our lives with so much stuff, that we don't even notice when it's gone. How many coats or pairs of shoes do we or our children need, when there are some people who don't have any? How many toys do our kids really need, and are they really going to play with every single one? How much clothes does our family really need, and are we ever going to wear every single cute outfit, or piece of jewelry? Or could I donate or sell those things, and give money to charity to help people in true need?

We've sold so much stuff on CL to get by, that I honestly don't even miss those items. Even the things we donated. My kids used to have closets packed full of toys from the grandparents, and inexpensive things from the thrift stores. I would have friends say, wow they have a lot of stuff. At first I didn't think much of it, but then God started working on my heart, through stories of people in immediate need, and suddenly it wasn't a priority. There are so many more children out there in need in this community that have benefited from others donations-maybe their future Christmas gift is out there in one of your homes. We are a simple family, and not one to generally splurge on brand new items, mainly due to being a one income family. So it's not like we have all that much to begin with, but I still feel like God calling me to give more of it away. Getting rid of all the extra things, getting rid of the clutter, and simplifying. My way of thinking is that we're not going to be here forever, and while we're on earth, there are so many more people in need that have nothing. Why not share that with someone now? With less stuff, it leaves more time to focus on God and his plan for our lives.

I was so excited when my pastor spoke yesterday on this very thing! Talking about how we need a reality check...

Luke 12:15-"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist of his possessions."

Luke 12:33- "Sell your possessions and give to the poor...."

1 John 3:17-20 "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presense whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."

So my challenge is to you, my friends is to just pick one nice thing that you have, or that your kids have, and give it away to someone in the community who is truly in need, and help them see God's love through you, in giving something out of the kindness of your heart. If you're not comfortable with that, then I encourage you to donate to charity, or to help someone out this Holiday season. There are so many groups in need-Samaritan's Purse has an awesome catalog you can donate all types of things that are life changing to someone in extreme poverty; City Union Mission; Harversters; Salvation Army...

There is just something about giving, that is freeing to the soul...

More than anything, just to take the time to examine your hearts and hear the cries of the people in need in our city (You'd be suprised to find out that there are homeless people in JOCO) To share God's love with them through an act of kindness. Who knows how God will change your heart in the process...

Costumes and pumpkin carving...

Grace and her pumpkin that she designed, that I carved. She wanted it to have glasses just like her. I suggested it should have the same amount of missing teeth as she does, but daddy didn't end up drawing it that way. (she on loose tooth #8-with 2 permanent teeth in, and 2 more growing in, leaves 4 empty spaces still :)

My sweet Spiderman Braden

Grace as Snow White, complete with blue eye shadow, blush and lipstick-very princessy

My handsome Spiderman and sweet Snow White

The pumpkins are carved, and we're ready to go trick or treating...

They both had a great time, and we stayed out maybe a little less than 2 hours. Just enough to get their buckets each completely filled up. Then we were all wiped out. Too bad kids don't understand the concept of "fall back". They were up at 5:30am this morning, and were shipped right back upstairs to bed to sleep in for 2 more hours. But 2009 was a fun year of trick or treating :)