Friday Fave Five

Join me for Friday's Fave Fives, brought to us by Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

It's a time to reflect on the past week and count the many blessings we have in our lives!

1. Hanging out with the Tomans. Our good friends Brett and Tina were in Brainerd to visit this past weekend, and we had a BLAST reconnecting, staying up late playing games, and talking about taking a cruise together! We LOVE them and MISS them so much. Even though we hadn't seen them since last summer, it was as if they had never left...a sign of a GREAT friendship!


2. Sammy's sweet spirit. I am DAILY amazed by Sammy's sweet heart. She's been very loving toward her younger brother this week, and her prayers at meal time have been sweet, considerate, and down right adorable.


3. Spending time with Grandma. Brad's mom is visiting for two weeks, and both Sammy and Caleb have taken right to her. Sammy wants to show Grandma everything and do what Grandma is doing. After receiving a TON of rain, Mom began pulling some weeds in our landscaping. Sammy just had to join her! I am so thankful for Brad's mom and my parents and their influence in my children's lives!


4. Play dates at Whipple Beach. This summer, my friends have called me "the faithful organizer" because I have organized a play date almost every week. I love being outdoors during the summer...since we only have about 3 months of warm weather...if that...and my kids love being at parks with their friends. And I LOVE hanging out with my girlfriends while the kids play.


5. Having a "hired" dishwasher. Brad's mom is eager to please me and her other daughters-in-law and really wants to help when she comes to my house. And now, after having her come a couple of times for an extended period of time, we've worked out a lot of the kinks and have really good communication when she's here. She knows now that I just want her to play and enjoy her grandkids...and do my dishes. I do most of the cooking, cleaning, and organizing, and she can stick with the dishes and the kids. It's a perfect situation!

Praise God for His many blessings this week!

Struggles...

I’m really struggling…

Struggling with NOT living up to other people’s standards and expectations…

Feeling like I need to make excuses or explain why I make the choices I do…

Why?

Why does it matter?

Am I really this much of a people pleaser?

Am I spending all my time trying to make others happy and make myself look good?

Confession time...

We are on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). A good friend of mine suggested that we might qualify for this when Sammy was about a year old, and I was newly pregnant with Caleb. It's a government program that gets good, nutritious food into the hands of families with small children...as well as provide great education about breastfeeding and nutrition. Each month we receive vouchers for milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, etc. Next month, the program is going to include fresh fruits and vegetables and 100% whole grain foods. This is NOT welfare, but a federal program for those who qualify.

We receive energy assistance. A few years ago in our monthly gas bill, we received information about energy assistance for those in our county who fell into a certain income bracket. Even though we had no problems paying for our monthly bills, there is money available to assist those, like ourselves, who are currently on one income or who are forced to live paycheck to paycheck. It's another great program to make sure that those with small children and the elderly are able to heat their homes.

Because of this energy assistance, we learned about another program through Tri-County that gave free energy audits. We had wanted to pay for one, but just hadn't gotten around to setting it up. We assumed that someone would come into our home and give us a list of suggestions about how we can make our home more energy efficient. Our goal was to gradually save up and complete those projects. At the end of our audit, Dave sat us down and told us that we were going to be receiving a new high efficiency furnace, insulation, door, and vents...completely FREE! He said that there were both county and federal funds available to pay for improvements such as these.

Brad and I carefully put together a budget every year. We've decided that where our money goes shows where our values are. Because of this, we budget $30.00 a month for babysitting and $40.00 a month on marriage enrichment/dates. We've used this money to eat out, take ballroom dancing lessons, pay for nights away, etc.

We don’t watch ever watch TV except for the Minnesota Vikings (mostly Brad, but I do as well) and 2 or 3 television shows…like Survivor, CSI and the Amazing Race (mostly me). Since the change to digital, we only get 1 or 2 channels (on a good day with little wind) and have decided to not get cable or do anything to try to get a better signal.

We choose to leave our children with my parents for at least a week each year to have time together to grow and work on our marriage, to have our children get to know their grandparents and spend special time with them, and to teach Sammy and Caleb that they have many people in their lives that can care for them and love them.

I chose to go to graduate school the last two years because we felt it would be more beneficial to our family to complete it before the kids got older and busier and to do it when I wasn’t teaching full time and burdened by grading and planning. We saved up for it, and have it all paid off.

We keep track of EVERY PENNY so that we can keep to our budget...and I mean EVERY penny.

Live a bit of a crazy life because of ministry. Our weeks and evenings are busy, but are filled with wonderful experiences and opportunities. We've taken Sammy, at 9 months, to Poland on a missions trip, we put our kids to bed at other people’s houses so we can stay up and play games, and we sometimes keep our children up late at youth events so that they can be a part of our ministry.

We spend cash for all of our vehicles...which are both 12 and 15 years old and have over 150,000 miles each. We never make a large purchase without a lot of discussion, time, and prayer.

Use cloth diapers because we feel it is cheaper in the long run and better for our kids. We also spend the time making our own baby wipes, baby food, and shopping at garage sales because it saves us money.

Even though I was a teacher for six years and now have a masters in education, we have not yet decided to home school or send our children to a private, Christian, charter, or public school. It is not an easy decision that is made lightly. I feel called to be a public school teacher, and I do believe that I will return to teaching some day...

We also set aside one day a week, usually Friday, for Sabbath Rest. Brad and I take turns watching our children so that the other can spend around two hours alone with God for an extended time. We also try hard not to do projects, house work, or other things on those days, but rather spend time together as a family ou on walks, at the pool, or watching a movie. We also, typically, don't answer the phone.

We do these things because we feel they are in the best interest of our family.

We do some of these things because they are personal convictions that God has given both of us and that we feel He is leading us in doing.

We do this because we want to use our time, energy, and money wisely for God's kingdom.

So why is it so hard for me to write about these things?

Why do I feel ashamed?

Why am I so leery to share these values in our home with others...especially family?

Because I care what people think...I want to impress people...I don't want people to talk about me or look down on me because of my choices...

So I'm confessing...attempting to be vulnerable...and laying it out for all to see.

Because I want to live for an audience of One...and listen to His voice...

instead of those around me...

Wordful Wednesday: Horsing around

Welcome to "Wordful Wednesday" created by Angie at Seven Clown Circus. It's a chance to showcase some of our favorite pictures. Come on, and join in the fun!

I have a GREAT husband...actually, I think he's the BEST husband out there (though some of you may think yours is).

Not only is he a really great husband, but he is a SUPER father. Because he's a youth director, he spends a lot of evenings with students doing ministry and during the summer, he's gone quite a bit on youth missions trips, camping trips, and other events. But he's always willing to change a messy diaper (we use cloth diapers, so this is REALLY impressive) and play with our kids. Here's some pictures of him "horsing around" with our kiddos.

"Come on horsey, get up!"


"Hold onto Caleb, Sammy!"


"Daddy is the BEST horsey!"


Don't you all agree, he's the best!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday. Once again, it's time to confess all those crazy, silly, and downright funny things we have done in the past week. Our good virtual friend, MckMama leads us always in our endeavor. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have NOT been doing this week.

Confession is so good for the soul!

I did NOT forget to soak Caleb's cloth diapers last Monday night, and then once I realized I had none and was pretty desperate, proceed to put in him some "very girly" cloth diapers my mother had made...about 30 years ago.

I did NOT take my children to a local beach by myself for several hours and have a smashing good time with them...but forget to bring the camera! ARG!

I did NOT give a little scream of joy (in front of people I did not know) when I learned that WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) was changing and GREATLY improving their food options. Nope, I NEVER make a scene!

I did NOT let my son sleep with every Thomas the Train engine he wanted so that I could stay up late and play games with my good friends Tina and Brett from Colorado.


I did NOT leave my mother in law (less than 24 hours since she had arrived from North Carolina) at home with my kids...for over 5 hours...so that Brad and I could sit and enjoy a former student's outdoor wedding and reception. Nor did I call Mom two different times and tell her I was coming home soon, but in reality didn't actually get home until almost 8:00. Nope, I would never be that inconsiderate!


Nor do I have a GREAT mother in law that...once realizing I was never probably coming home...fixed the kids supper and proceed to have a picnic on our swing set. (Did I mention how awesome she is and how much my kids LOVED it!)

Ahhhh, I feel much better! Happy Not Me, Monday!

...my servant Caleb...follows me wholeheartedly...

Today is a pretty special day for me, and I've spent much of the morning remembering where I was 2 years ago at this time.

I know that it's Caleb's 2nd birthday, but every mom out there knows that her child's birthday is very, very special...not only because of meeting their child for the first time, but how that child changes the mother's life forever.


I blogged about Caleb's birth two years ago, but I couldn't let this day go by without acknowledging my "little man."


For both of our children, Brad and I had a couple of names picked out before I gave birth, but we always waited to officially name our children until we met them, face to face. For us, naming is very significant, and it's something we take very seriously. We were still contemplating Caleb's name...between contractions...two years ago. Once me met him, we KNEW he was to be named Caleb John Aust.


We had known someone previously named Caleb, and because of our experience with him, really came to love the name. Then, after reading more about Caleb in Scripture, we really desired our little guy to follow God as Caleb, son of Jephunneh, did.


Even though Caleb himself was not an Israelite, he followed after Israel's God and loved God's chosen people with all his heart. Due to Joshua's leadership, Caleb was often in the shadows, but his influence and love for God is apparent all over Scripture.


He was a man with integrity and great faith. He had no fear of standing up for what was right...even though a million people disagreed with him. "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'" - Numbers 13:30

His faith made him stand out, and only himself and Joshua were permitted to enter the Promised Land. "But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." - Numbers 14:24


When something is repeated in Scripture, it's like a neon sign flashing, and we are supposed to make sure we take notice. So when God repeats His description of Caleb, it brings it home about what kind of man Caleb was. "except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it (the Promised Land), and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly." - Deuteronomy 1:36


So my daily prayer for Caleb, as I lay him down for his nap and at bedtime every night, is that he would have the courage to stand up for what is right, that he would not be afraid of the world and its influence, and that he would follow after God whole-heartedly.


I am so grateful for you, my son, and how you have made me into a mother for the second time. I love your curiousity, fun spirit, and playful attitude. I know that God has given you a sensitive heart, and I pray that it will continue to be a heart filled with compassion and empathy. Ultimately I pray that you come to know Jesus as your personal Saviour and surrender your life to Him.

May you always have a heart that follows Him wholeheartedly...