Thankful and SO Blessed!

I have been thinking about writing a blessing/thankful post since before Thanksgiving and I am finally doing it! I just keep having those days when all I can do is be thankful for all that God has done and thankful for all the people around me! BLESSED! JUST BLESSED!

This time of the year comes and I find myself thinking back on what has happened in the last year. All the people I have seen, all the things I have done and things I thought I'd do this year. The years seem to be going faster and faster! It seems like last year I was student teaching, and that I just had meet Andy, and I had no idea what I was going to do next. and Yes you can say it, I'm getting old... well at least I'm starting to feel old! lol

This year was different than many years in the past. Andy and I were married, we both had bills to pay, we still had no idea what was coming next in our lives but the best thing of all was that we had each other. I will say that God knew what he was doing when he brought Andy and I together 3 years ago while working at target. lol I used to be so scared of what came after college, how I would do it all myself, God must've known I couldn't do it on my own :-). Andy has been a great constant in the past year! Its amazing when you get to come home to one place and have a person who is always there, how your life can feel great, even when times aren't always great. So my first Thank you for the year and one of my biggest blessing from God is Andy! LOVE YOU BABE! I never want to live without you again. The little things are the best! Making the bed, vacuuming, emptying the garbage, filling my tires... the list could go on :-)

The other huge blessing is having work. This year we had no idea where we would be after May. Would Andy still have a job? Would we be moving? But as always, God provides! Andy stayed with his job at Boston Scientific till July and then started a new one at Toro, with NO off days in between.  AMAZING! God is good! 

And its almost been 2 years of Nannying for me. Who knew that when I started working for a husband and wife with 2 little boys that I found on care.com I would still be there 2 years later. A few months later she referred me to her friend who had 2 girls and that has been my job for the last 2 years, 4-5 days a week. I can't explain how amazing these families are. The amazing women I work for are not only my employers but they are my friends and my mentors. I can only hope I can remember all the things that have taught be when I someday have kids. Such a blessing! 

And now I have to say how thankful I am for my family! I have so many people who are always there for me. I'm thankful that I get along with my parents so much better than I ever did in high school (sorry mom and dad) and that my siblings are my best friends! (who would've guessed that would happen!) I also have another big in-law family I get to share special times with and I'm thankful for their place in my life!  Not to forget about my extended family who are there for everything, my friends from way back in elementary/middle school who I don't get to see often but I love dearly and the many friends who I have met in the past 5-6 years. Your input in my life helps me to be a better person and think about who I really want to be. 

When I look back on all the worries in the past year, about work, bills, money, life in general,  I am just thankful God provides, thankful for jobs, thankful we CAN pay bills, thankful we have a place to live, thankful we both have a car to drive and we have food in our cupboards! Life is good :-)

SO although this year didn't go exactly like I thought it might, God provided and He blessed me more than I could have expected. I look forward to this upcoming year. If next year things don't go how I think they should I know that God will always provide, He will bless us in His way and He will never leave us. I'm feeling SO blessed and thankful for HIS love and guidance!

Etsy Shop is Open :-)

Etsy shop.

I have been told by many to start an Etsy shop. Now I have done it :-) We'll see how its goes. I hope it starts up well. I have had a lot of fun doing it!! Here are a few things I have started. Please spread the word. These blankets and burb clothes are great for baby shower gifts. The kitchen towels are great for wedding gifts! The pillow cases are great for any child or adult. Don't worry I have different fabrics to use for those adults :-) All our out of flannel right now. I'm working on some other cotton blankets too :-) SO excited!

stop on by and see what is available right now  https://www.etsy.com/shop/LoVeDbyRBU

Chosen, Blessed, Loved

Picked up my old bible this morning. 
Took a quick journey through memory lane. 

I don't know about you but my bible has a collection of papers, pictures, little notes and such ALL over the place in it. Here a just a few...

These are the girls who made me love Nannying :-)
There are lots of picture bookmarks!

Church bulletins, there were lots of these!

Drawings :-)

Passport pictures, Russian words :-) K-stan Missions trip  

Name tags.... Shamineau & Teen serve

As I paged through a bit I realized how much I used to pick this book up, how much I used to use it (Gen-Num is falling out), bring it places, But mostly, how much my life is different from when I was in high school!

During High School I had opportunities galore when it game it reading my bible; going to christian conferences, youth group, bible camp, church, and so on. I was so fortunate to grow up in an amazing church, with amazing leaders who loved to plan things so us young kids could go and explore and learn about the bible. 

Today: the bible is up to me. Yes we attend church, love every minute of it but I don't have the opportunities I had back then. No one plans a bunch of stuff and says here you go. I have to do it, or at least look it up and find out about it. I admit I don't pull out my bible very often any more. I do pull out my phone and read a bit on my bible app :-) but I don't think its the same. 

Life has changed. I'm not a teenager with all the time in the world and parents who were great and paid for my trips, camps and conferences. I'm a married adult, with a job and bills to take care of :-) Isn't this what we all wanted when we were in high school LOL  

Through it all God has been the stable one! He is always there, even if I don't spend as much time with him. He teaches me more today then he ever has before about trust, faith and love!  We have to trust and know that He will take care of us. Times aren't always fun but through faith in HIM I can keep going. Learning how much God loves me is an ongoing process. :-) Seeing how much I'm blessed is a daily reminder that He is here!

Knowing that God CHOSE me is something I have learned for years but I have to remember daily. This past week at church we started a new series. LABLED I'm excited to see what the next few weeks have in store. http://eaglebrookchurch.com/media-resources/weekend-messages/

I think my Bible is going to sit out again, my phone just won't do :-) 

        I made this leather case in 2001 and Camp :-) LOVE all the memories I get from it!

and I'm going to do this a bit more often :-) 

Kandice faith- birthday/christmas gifts 9/9/13

So since about a week before her birthday I began making a few things for her (middle of June) . I had recently gotten out my sewing machine… It had been sitting in my parents garage since I received it from my in-laws last July for my birthday. 

My goal was to make her a rag blanket… well the only rag blanket I had made was out of flannel and I knew that would be way to warm for South Carolina weather so I began researching if it would work with regular cotton and it appeared it would be fine so off I went to the fabric store.

 

Here is what I found. I wanted something that was girlie but something she could have forever if she wanted it.  She is also in a full size bed already so I wanted to at least make a full size quilt…. who knew the amount of fabric…. plus I made the mistake of making my squares only 5.5 inches…. I should have done around 9 inches….

This because a HUGE project so I made it her birthday/christmas gift!! Lots of love put into it, along with a bit of money ;-)

In the next 3 pictures I have all my squares getting cut, then cutting batting to fit in between, THEN putting X’s through each 1 (layered 1 piece of fabric, then batting (about an inch less wide/long then the fabric) then another piece of fabric)  After ALL these squares were done… I think it was around 300…. I began laying them out to make each row….

Now it was time to sew each row together. I did 15 squares across. Here is all 21 rows that I had finally finished… ( in the end, even with all my measurements, it was too long so I made it 18 squares down and 15 squares across, 270 squares!!!!)  

The blue stickey notes were how I kept the rows straight and from which end to start sewing as I went along… I almost had a remove a few rows and start again because I started sewing the wrong ends together…. This is also how the back side of my quilt looks. If you aren’t familiar with rag quilts the back side looks like a regular quilt and the front has frills around each square… 

The final product after sewing… then starts the all consuming snipping… You need to snip around each edge about every 1/4 inch before you wash it to get the frayed/fringed look… Here we go….

Then all you do is wash it… I took it to the laundry mat because a lot of fuzz/bits of fabric come off and its not all that great for a regular washer and dryer. The final product turned out AMAZING!!! I LOVE it and I cannot wait for her to get it on her bed. 

Because of having so much fabric left over I have also bade a pillow case, dolly blanket and dolly pillow for her. I think she is going to love it… Even though its now 2.5 months after her birthday :-)
AUNTIE LOVES YOU KANDICE FAITH!!! 

Here is the pillow case. I just took an old white pillow case and used it for the back, cut it in half and layered it so that its like a pillow shame :-)

And here is the final of the dolly things :-)

Even in times when God is silent, He is never absent 9/5/13

God will always be there, he will never leave you.

Trust in Him, lean not on your own understanding.

He will direct your path!

HAVE FAITH, NEVER DOUBT!

God WILL make a way!

These are some of the things I tell myself every day. Over and over again. Times are hard but God is always near and I always need a reminder.

Out of college, not yet in a job I want, married and struggling to pay the bills. (or should I say student loans)

I feel like this describes a lot of people, maybe one or two things stand a bit different but today a lot of people are going through this same thing. I have found the only way to stay positive when struggling is to trust in God, the one who can’t be seen but the one who always provides! 

A little over 2 months ago Andy was almost done with his current contract position (he had even had a 3 month extension) but he still hadn’t found a job. This time he had been looking HARD for about 6 months. I mean applying to 20 jobs daily some weeks and still having no luck… This time in our lives was so hard, unbearable at times! We had a huge feeling of being tested by God and all through it knowing and trying to believe 100% that he would provide. 

Well the week before his contract ended it was a Friday (I believe) Andy applied for another job and I (like always) just prayed something would come out of it. Monday he got a call back, Tuesday he got an interview, Wednesday he had a new job…. starting the next week!!! Oh how I look back and stand in awe of what God can do. Andy had no job lapse, he had a greater faith knowing that God does provide and does care for Him.

These last 10 months of marriage haven’t been easy. The last 3 years of knowing each other has been challenging with finishing college, trying to find jobs, family while still getting to know each other.  But through it all I have learned that even in times of not really knowing where God is, he is always, always, always there!!! I’m so thankful for family, friends and Eagle Brook Church for always being there and giving us weekly reminders of who God is and what He is capable of. 

Bills are still there, the job isn’t perfect, life isn’t perfect but I think we are taking steps forward :-) I still daily remind myself of these things, and say over and over again…  

God will always be there, he will never leave you. Trust in Him, lean not on your own understanding. He will direct your path! HAVE FAITH, NEVER DOUBT! God will make a way!

Believe today! Trust today! and most of all LOVE each other through the tough times :-)