Answered Prayer

Well, in case you haven’t heard, I finally got a job!!!!  YAY!!!  It’s a part-time position at a well-to-do construction company.  I will be doing about 15-20 hours a week of bookkeeping and clerical work.  We are so grateful.  With me being able to do this, we will be able to get rid of most of our debt in the next 6 months.  YAYAYAYAY!!! That’s more exciting than anything. Thanks for all of those who have been praying for us.  Please continue to pray that our house in STL sells so we can get positioned better.

~Blessings

ALL-Inclusive Update

Hello, hello…we meet again.  I admit, I have been very bad at blogging recently.  I actually completely enjoy it, but it seems there is always something else I should be doing.  Just wanted to update everyone on the Vaughn family.

Here we go:

Since Tyler has been working from home his business has been picking up slowly, but steadily and is going very well.  For about 3 weeks straight we didn’t really go much of anywhere or do anything.  Stuck, in the house with a very busy husband and two adorable, yet sometimes very loud and teething  10-1/2 mo olds.  Fun, right?  Tyler came up with the idea of making Monday morning special.  So, we pack up the kids and go to Chick-fil-A…..one of my most favorite places to eat.  If you’ve never had a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-a it will change your life forever.  It’s a ton of fun, set aside family time and helps break up the monotony of being at home 7 days a week doing the same thing every day.  Great idea Babe!!

Tyler and I have actually gotten to go on a few date nights since moving to Texas.  I think 3, which is probably equal to the number of dates we had gone on in the previous 9 months.  Thank you Jesus for the in-laws.  The last date was Old Navy, Chili’s and the dollar theatre, at which we saw The Proposal.  If you like Sandra Bullock, which I do…love her, this movie was funny and definitely worth seeing again.

My mother purchased a web-cam…..and it only took her 3 weeks to figure out how to work it!!!! HAHA (love ya mom) Ok, well maybe it was 2 weeks, but after several conversations on the phone, looking at a blank screen and being able to hear her voice, her being able to see us but not see her….my brother finally was able to help her and get the thing working right so she could see the grandbabies (Thank you Sid).  Needless to say, she was ecstatic.

That brings us to the little Ladies.  Both of the girls are close to walking, but who knows how long that will take.  They both will take about 1 step and realize they have nothing to hold on to and pop a squat.  Pretty funny, really.  They are both teething, Lib’s working on 3 teeth and Laila 1 or 2, really can’t tell.  They love feeding themselves, and I love it too.  I have my hands back!!!!!! well, at least during dinner time.  Any moms out there, if you have any advice or good meal ideas for the wee ones, please shoot it my way.  Still trying to figure out exactly what to feed them and how much and all that.  I was looking back at pictures of when they were born and WOW!! They change so quickly.  I am so grateful for my little girls, even when I’ve got a headache from hearing they yell because their teeth hurt or because one of them took their sister’s toy away.  This is what I always wanted; to be a stay-at-home mommy and wife.  Doesn’t necessarily look like what I expected it to, but then again when does anything really match up to the sometimes unrealistic picture in our heads.

The house in STL still hasn’t sold and I have been unsuccessful at finding a part-time job yet.  I think I’ve turned in around 20 apps and well over 30 resumes.  But, all of our bills are paid and we are completely provided for.  Thank you Jesus! I will, however, be so happy when these 2 things come into place so this transition can feel a little more complete.

Tyler and I both miss STL and all our amazing friends there.  We are looking forward to seeing them all next month and seeing my family in IL.  YAY .  Keep reminding myself daily to be grateful in everything.  Faith isn’t built in the easy times….it’s in times when you don’t have the whole picture and all the instructions to go along with it; it’s when you can’t see how everything is going to come together; or when you have exhausted everything you know to do in the natural.  I come to the end of myself…….and then there is faith.  Hope you all continue to walk the road of faith before God and He stretches, and grows and expands the faith that you currently possess.  There’s more.

Be Blessed~

My so called life in Texas

Howdy!!!!  Ok, that doesn’t even sound right in my mind. HAHA!  Well, we’ve been in Texas for almost a month now.  Here’s a little update.  1-Still have not sold the house, so if you know anyone needing a house in the area send them our way please. 2-Tyler’s work is steadily increasing and He’s also learning to do web coding in addition to his ability to do graphic design work. 3-I have not found a job yet.  I have only had 2 interviews out of somewhere around 30 resumes/applications.  The right job is out there!!!!  Supposed to be hearing back on one by Friday.

The girls getting better adjusted, sort of.  There have been a couple of nights since we’ve been here that one, the other or both of the girls slept very little.  It would be easier to let them cry it out a little if we were not 5 feet away in the same room.  But, it’s only temporary.  The girls started eating finger foods this week , yay!!!!!!  Other than just puffs….real pieces of veggies and fruits..and eggs.  They seem to be enjoying themselves.  While Liberty is very precise, Laila rakes a handful and tries to shovel it all in.  Which is really funny because I would have thought it would be the other way around.  They are both standing and moving around the furniture.  Lib is standing on her own for short periods and Laila is getting there….she’s got a little bit more weight to hold up…hehe.  They are also starting to follow each other around and really interact which is so fun to watch.  Built in playmates.

Laila

Liberty

Laila and Papa Brown

Daddy measuring Lib’s muscles

I haven’t posted on my “Monday Morning Reflections” in a while because life has been very unpredictable.  But the Lord has really been challenging me in the area of trust again.  Obviously transition requires trust.  This past week I learned something I want to share that brought clarity and excitement to me.  We have all heard Jehovah Jireh…..My provider his grace lalalla….Just kidding about the song part (guess you’d only get that if you grew up in church).  Yaweh Jireh is literally translated in the Hebrew “the God who sees my need and meets it.”  Selah……….   Thank you God that you see my need; that You see me.  I think so often, if we are honest with ourselves we really don’t believe that God truly sees us.  When times are less than desireable we think that somehow we have fallen off God’s radar.  But the word says that He saw and knew us before even one of our days came to be.  I want to encourage you, as I have been doing within myself, to be patient in the processes of God.  Most times they are not quick, they are not perfect (at least in our eyes) and they are not exactly what we expected.  But I know this much……either God is who He says He is, or He’s not.  If He is than I have to believe that He is always good, always faithful and His timing is always perfect.  We can question God all day….and I don’t think He is offended by our questions…..but you can’t let that separate you from God and form roots of bitterness and anger.  I believe it is a mark of maturity when we can say, “God, I really don’t know what you’re doing.  I really just don’t get it.  But!! I trust that whatever you are doing and wherever it is that you are leading me is according to Your plans and is for my benefit, well-being and future.  I am not going to let these unanswered questions bring a division between my heart and yours.”  This scripture was given to Tyler and I by a good friend earlier this week and I am have been meditating on it ever since.

Hebrews 10:35-39

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For in just a little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

PRAY

PRAY for our nation today as Muslims converge in DC to pray and fast. Pray for their SALVATION.

“God I pray that your light would shine brighter than any darkness in this world.  I pray that you would visit the Muslims and reveal your truth to them…that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened and that they would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus your Son. “

Texas……….the new adventure

Well, let’s see…………we’ve been in Texas for about a week now.  It’s been taking a little bit of time for the girls to adapt.  They haven’t been sleeping as well as they normally do, they haven’t been falling asleep  on their own very well, Liberty wouldn’t eat any fruit or veggies for a few days and overall they’ve been more fussy than normal.  With that said, they have been doing pretty well for their entire lives to be shifted.  Tyler is off and running with work.  Every day more things are lining up for him with work stuff….yay God, keep it up.  I have turned in a dozen applications and sent in at least 20-25 resumes even before we moved; nothing quite yet, but I’ll find something to do part-time.  Our house hasn’t sold yet back in STL.  Expecting God to bring the buyer any day now.  Living with the In-Laws is going well; plenty of room for comfort.  Good to see them, since it’s been 6months.  And a few days after we arrived my sister-in-law gave birth to her first child, little Jocelyn!!!! (congrats Tiff and Aaron!)  So, all in all things are good…….still needing some things to come in line, but we are fully believing that God has it all worked out and it’s only a matter of time before his plan for these things is revealed.

God, you said to take you at your Word…….so that’s what we are doing.

Well, it’s not morning but you get the idea……

It’s Monday again and I have been doing so much thinking this weekend. Mainly about our upcoming move. Let me just be completely transparent. This thing has not looked at all what I thought it should look like. It has definitely not been a pretty little package that has all been all wrapped up by the end of the half-hour, if you know what I mean. When we moved here from Tennessee we made the move in less than 2 months…….found an apartment, sold the house in 26 days and the money from that lasted enough time for me to find a job while Tyler went back to school. This time, however, looks completely different. Nothing seems to be quite coming together the way I think it should. Both Tyler and I have been praying and asking, “Did we miss it? Is this right?” To which the answer is, “Go to Texas.” At church on Saturday night, I just really began to engage my heart with the Lord during worship and surrender my little box, my expectations of how things should be done and my will (once again). Between some encouragement during worship and part of our pastor’s sermon concerning the fire of God and what it produces in us it really reminded me that life is not always pretty and simple; by that I mean that things don’t always turn out the way we think they should. God’s economy is faith…..walk by faith and not by sight. God said to go, so we are going trusting that He is working everything out for our good; that He is setting everything into place for us.

Taking my faith to the next level, and with a grateful attitude.

Monday Morning Reflections- #2

Goodmorning!!! It’s Monday, again.  Well, with such a great response last week and the spark of conversation I thought I’d give this a try every week.  Besides, it’s good for me to get back to writing…..(used to do alot on my own before the wi-ones came into my life).

I drove home from visiting my parents last night; the girls were asleep so I had a lot of time to think with just me and the open road.  I was listening to Anthony Skinner’s 1st Cd  (sorry don’t remember the Cd title right this minute) and it is definitely one of the best worship Cds…just a little plug for you to go look it up (it’s not Crush, the other one).   Anyways, I was having a great time just letting my heart engage in worship and love with the Lord and was just thinking about all that’s going on in our lives right now.  I got right outside of St. Louis where you can see the city and the Arch and had this flash back of the first time we drove through that way.  It was almost 3 years ago.  We were visiting for the weekend to come check out some schooling and look at apartments.  Life was pretty chaotic, we were giving up everything we had and everything we knew to move to a city where we didn’t know anyone and had nothing waiting for us.  I was amazing at how far God has brought us…..and it reminded me that if He said to move then and He provided everything…..He will do it again.

Learning to trust more every day.  Where is God asking you to step out?  Go ahead and hang on for the ride cause it’s sure to be a journey.

New Resources

I added a few new resources for Moms/Familys. One is specifically a very good friend of mine. Check ‘em out. Hope they help.

Blessings.

Faithful forever

In the midst of all that’s going on in our lives…..trying to care for 2 little ones, trying to finish up recording and oh yeah, we are about to move too…..I’m reminding myself (after I did the same for a friend yesterday) that God is faithful. He knows. Simply that, He knows. He’s never let me down and He’s not about to start today, right. I know on the outside to a lot of people this move may look stupid….we aren’t moving for a specific job, no ministry position, heck we don’t even have a house. It doesn’t look logical to me. But here’s what I do know: God said go. How could we ignore that. Obviously we can’t. He knows, He sees what’s ahead.

God, even though I consider myself to be a person of faith I find it a challenge every few days to trust that you know what you are doing and yet it’s mixed with this excitement about what you have in store. Teach my heart to trust even more than I already do. Let each time you ask us to step out be a testament and a story for us to tell our children of your faithfulness….of how you moved on our behalf over and over again. Let these be stories that will be passed down to their children and so on. Let the heritage that we pass on be that we trusted God and He was faithful to the end.

Monday Morning Reflections

It’s Monday morning again. I always sit and think and reflect on Mondays about what I did last week and how I can do life better the coming week. Well, here’s what I’m thinking about today…..

The past several weeks I have been extremely stressed out with Laila. She all of a sudden has been exceptionally fussy and so difficult to deal with. Literally screaming for hours a day with no physical sign of anything wrong. (After a trip to the doctor Friday it turns out she has an ear infection and is working on 2 more teeth)   I’ve caught myself thinking (and I’m being completely honest so don’t judge me) “Why did God give me twins? I would have done so much better with just one child at a time like everyone else.” Now, I have not been thinking I didn’t want Laila or that I would choose one of my children over the other…..but this is hard. I was never the one who just always had a kid in my arms or did a lot of babysitting growing up…….but I have always wanted children. I have been thinking about this and about how I wish I did not get so stressed out. My parents were with us over the weekend to watch the girls so I could go into the studio and do what I need to do (and to give them every opportunity to see the girls before we move 12 hours away). They loved every minute of it, as all grandparents do, and played all weekend….didn’t stress them out at all.   I’m thinking “I need to be more like that.” Now, I know they go home and they don’t have them all the time, but I should still be enjoying every minute of life with my girls. I need to ease up a bit and just enjoy the time I get to spend with them each day. No, it’s not an easy road right now but so what. When has life ever really been easy, and whoever said it was supposed to be?  Selah.

So, Lord please give me the grace and ability to be the most loving and patient mother I can be.  Help me to see the joy in every day life as a mother.  Open my eyes to see where I need to relax a bit; where I am expecting perfection allow me to embrace fully and with a grateful heart all you’ve given me.  Show me what matters, what’s important and what can wait.  Show me how to walk this out.  Give me the grace and love to continue to be and a supportive and loving wife to my husband.  Show me where I am not selflessly giving of myself to him as well.  In a nutshell………make me more like you Jesus. And continue to captivate my heart over and over again.

Amen.