I have been so busy...

and boy do I know it!

July has been full and busy. We had family here, went to a reunion, had a yard sale, had a camping trip and an 11 yr old boy had a birthday, all the while I have been trying to get a ward cookbook made up! It's been a blast and has kept sadness about the non-changing economic status in my life from really getting me down.

I am so excited about this ward cookbook! I have typed in almost 300 recipes so far!! The ward members only have 2 more weeks to get them into me and I have about 2 more weeks after that to get them all entered! Then we will do proofs etc and hope to have them off to the presses, to be arriving in time for Thanksgiving/Christmas gift giving! I have LOVED reading the recipes and imagining all the dear people in my ward making these recipes for their families! It's has been SOO fun!!

Jes and I have been applying for jobs all over. I am secretly hoping I get the crossing guard position I applied for. A few hours a day I could commit to with my heart. 8 hours days I am not so sure. : \   Jes is hopeful that one of the jobs here locally will be "the one" as out of state work BITES so very much! LOL We are leaving it in the Lord's hands, after all we can do, and we are trying to be ok with it. It's tough. But we also know we are not alone... so that brings us comfort. And we keep being told to keep up our businesses too... so we do.

I think the hardest thing for me was this yard sale last weekend. We had nothing with which to pay our house payment. We didn't know what to do. I took the entire week and gathered everything we owned that wasn't SUPER sentimental, or things that could be replaced, and I tried to sell them on Saturday. I tried not to cry that whole morning. Bless my good friend Suzie for coming to help me... and not saying a word when I got a little quiet or would not budge on a price for something (because...well... if it didn't sell...I really wanted it to come back into my house! *blush* LOL) It was amazing! We had some great neighbors stop by, some good things sell, and a small check for JWD Electric come in... and all in all we made enough to pay our house payment and our tithing on what we had earned! It was a little miracle for us... and reminded me that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings from heaven". We must be doing something right... even if the "end" of this trial hasn't yet come almost 2 years later, we still have somehow made it this far. Somehow the Lord doesn't forget us. :) (though I have to honestly admit, I would love less "be patient" answers, and more "take this job on this day" kind of ones! *grin*)

And admittedly, I have seen blessings in our lives that go far beyond financial. Money really doesn't matter. (Hear that certain creditor that won't stop calling me? bwahahaha) My family matters. My testimony matters. My kids matter. My husband matters. Our friends matter. How I treat others matters. My relationship with God matters.

Life lessons are pouring in. My heart is often so full of love for the members of our ward, my family & friends I can hardly breathe! The things that used to make me crazy with my family, doesn't seem to effect me the same way. I like feeling complete peace. I don't have answers. But I have peace. And it is good!