I am sure many churches across the country have a special meeting for the ladies of their church either on a weekly or monthly basis. Our church holds a Ladies Bible Fellowship (LBF) once a month. I know in past posts I have mentioned on and off about different gifts I've received from my Secret Prayer Sister (SPS).
You might be wondering what is a Secret Prayer Sister? Is it a secret group of ladies? Is there some kind of initiation to get into the group? No, to both questions. This is how it works.
During the course of the evening the ladies can participate in the SPS exchange. A basket goes around the room and we drop in a form that has our name on it and any prayer requests or concerns we would like to have prayer for. There are three requirements if you decide to participate: 1) You must pray for the lady 2) you must contact her, without giving yourself away and 3)you must reveal yourself to her at the next LBF.
You can imagine my surprise when I received a place setting for four of silverware. Initially, I thought who would give their SPS silverware? As you might imagine, I found it to be an interesting choice for a gift. I mean, come on...it is not like I just got married.
But, this story gets even better....on Friday late afternoon, Vicki asked if I had heard from my SPS. I said, "Oh yes, I've heard from her. As a matter of fact, I got the most unusual gift." She proceeded to ask me all about it. I obliged and blah, blah, blahed all about how weird this gift was. I also told her that I had also received some delicious banana bread in a tray that looked much like the one I had received from another SPS some time ago.
After I left Publications I headed home and began to tell Steve about our conversation. It didn't take long for me to stop and get this gut wrenching feeling, that maybe, just maybe...my SPS was Vicki.
Saturday morning came and Steve and I headed over to church for a Memorial Service. (One of our members had passed away after battling cancer, and PTL, is now in the arms of her beloved Savior.) Once we got into the church building I found Vicki and we sat together. I leaned over to her and said, "You know, by chance, you are not my SPS are you?" She looked at me as casually as she could and said, "why, yes I am".
Are you with me? Do you feel the sinking feeling in my stomach? I turned a few shades red and then instantly apologized if I had offended her or come across less than thankful. Vicki, on the other hand, thought the whole thing was a hoot. I am so glad she has a sense of humor.
As always she is such a blessing to me (whether she is my SPS or not). Vicki has truly learned the skill of listening. When we were together over the holidays I had made a comment about how I didn't have enough silverware when it comes to hosting a larger group of people.
So the gist of this story is...if you get Vicki for a SPS, watch out...not only is she a good listener, but she can pull the wool over you eyes too!
Thanks for riding with me to the airport to pick up Carolyn, for the silverware (really :)), for the yummy banana bread and for the book I just received (I can't wait to read it). You truly know how to minister to a friend.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Closing the Doors
We are filled with many emotions as we move into the new year. After four and a half years of being in the Candy Bouquet business, Steve and I closed the doors of our store on December 31st. This decision did not come lightly and took much time and prayer.
With the economy the way it is and not knowing for sure "when" the economy will begin to recover, coupled with the fact that our contract was coming up for renewal in September 2010, we decided to take a step of faith and shut the doors early.
I say a step of faith because the decision left us with commitments we still needed to honour such as a monthly rent, franchise fees and other leasing fees.
Amazingly enough, I am here to tell you that God is still on the throne! Sometimes we make decisions we don't always understand, but know we are doing what we are suppose to be doing.
In the last two weeks, God has moved mountains. First of all, although the place we rent out has not been rented, we have seen four people show interest in the space (please pray that we can get the space rented by the end of this month). This is awesome because there has been a space for rent right next store that has been available to rent for over seven months. See God's hand working?
As far as the franchise fees go all I had to do was write the company and tell them I was closing my doors. Now, I don't have to pay the franchise fees! Yeah!
We also had a lease with Crystal Springs, which is a bottled-water company. Check this out scenario.
I called them last month to find out when my lease ended. They told me not until March 2011, 2011! So, I figured I would move the bottled-water unit to my house and use it there until the lease was up. Well, this past week, I called them to make the transfer.
This is how our conversation went while I was on the phone with the representative:
Me: "Is there any possible way I can get out of my lease?
Representative: "No, then she said, Well, the only way you can get out of the lease is if you pay a termination fee."
Me: "How much is the termination fee?",
Representative: "$100".
Me: "How much is my average monthly bill?"
Representative: "Between $20-$30". (Can you do the math?)
Me: "Cancel my service, I'll pay the termination fee."
Representative: (As she begins to put in the request, she states), "Oh, your termination fee is only $50".
Praise the Lord! Amen! God is so good.
Isn't it wonderful how the Lord orchestrates everything in our lives!
So you may be wondering what in the world I am going to do with myself. Don't worry, I already have my time divided up. I am working part-time for a RE Agent in the mornings and will be spending two to three days, in the afternoon, out in the print shop at church.
Steve is still spending much of his time working for ITT Tech in Everett and still tutoring students on the side.
Overall, we are so excited to see how the Lord is going to use us and what he has in store for us this year. Come on 2010!
With the economy the way it is and not knowing for sure "when" the economy will begin to recover, coupled with the fact that our contract was coming up for renewal in September 2010, we decided to take a step of faith and shut the doors early.
I say a step of faith because the decision left us with commitments we still needed to honour such as a monthly rent, franchise fees and other leasing fees.
Amazingly enough, I am here to tell you that God is still on the throne! Sometimes we make decisions we don't always understand, but know we are doing what we are suppose to be doing.
In the last two weeks, God has moved mountains. First of all, although the place we rent out has not been rented, we have seen four people show interest in the space (please pray that we can get the space rented by the end of this month). This is awesome because there has been a space for rent right next store that has been available to rent for over seven months. See God's hand working?
As far as the franchise fees go all I had to do was write the company and tell them I was closing my doors. Now, I don't have to pay the franchise fees! Yeah!
We also had a lease with Crystal Springs, which is a bottled-water company. Check this out scenario.
I called them last month to find out when my lease ended. They told me not until March 2011, 2011! So, I figured I would move the bottled-water unit to my house and use it there until the lease was up. Well, this past week, I called them to make the transfer.
This is how our conversation went while I was on the phone with the representative:
Me: "Is there any possible way I can get out of my lease?
Representative: "No, then she said, Well, the only way you can get out of the lease is if you pay a termination fee."
Me: "How much is the termination fee?",
Representative: "$100".
Me: "How much is my average monthly bill?"
Representative: "Between $20-$30". (Can you do the math?)
Me: "Cancel my service, I'll pay the termination fee."
Representative: (As she begins to put in the request, she states), "Oh, your termination fee is only $50".
Praise the Lord! Amen! God is so good.
Isn't it wonderful how the Lord orchestrates everything in our lives!
So you may be wondering what in the world I am going to do with myself. Don't worry, I already have my time divided up. I am working part-time for a RE Agent in the mornings and will be spending two to three days, in the afternoon, out in the print shop at church.
Steve is still spending much of his time working for ITT Tech in Everett and still tutoring students on the side.
Overall, we are so excited to see how the Lord is going to use us and what he has in store for us this year. Come on 2010!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Christmas Time 2009
Steve and I had a very quiet Christmas Day. The morning started with opening gifts from family. Levi got two new toys and a bag of treats. Steve received slippers, Bible cover and a engraved license plate holder that says: "LIFE....living it and loving it!". I received a heavy duty 10-piece cookware set, which I absolutely needed and loved.
Around 9:30am we headed out to church for Christmas Morning Service. Pastor Sargent brought a Christmas message out of the book of Revelation (betcha thought I was going to say one of the Gospels...surprise)! Excellent message.
After the morning service we drove to Safeway, bought ingredients to make chili and came back home. Before we knew it, our bellies were full and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.
We were invited to the Sargent's house around 4:30pm for fellowship, dessert and games. The evening went fast as we spent time with Pastor, Vickie, Vicki's mom, Josh, Sara and their very exhausted Cocker Spaniel, Lucille.
By 10:00pm we were ready to retire and went fast to sleep.
I just want to thank my family and friends for all the wonderful gifts we received this Christmas time.
Cookware from Steve... A Levi puzzle from Carolyn.... A heated mattress pad from my parents... A chain saw from Teri and Larry, and a Boyd's bear with honey, from Dave and Anne.
If you want to see some cute pictures of Levi from this holiday season and the gifts we received, check out the Birthday and Christmas 2009 Slide Show.
Around 9:30am we headed out to church for Christmas Morning Service. Pastor Sargent brought a Christmas message out of the book of Revelation (betcha thought I was going to say one of the Gospels...surprise)! Excellent message.
After the morning service we drove to Safeway, bought ingredients to make chili and came back home. Before we knew it, our bellies were full and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.
We were invited to the Sargent's house around 4:30pm for fellowship, dessert and games. The evening went fast as we spent time with Pastor, Vickie, Vicki's mom, Josh, Sara and their very exhausted Cocker Spaniel, Lucille.
By 10:00pm we were ready to retire and went fast to sleep.
I just want to thank my family and friends for all the wonderful gifts we received this Christmas time.
Cookware from Steve... A Levi puzzle from Carolyn.... A heated mattress pad from my parents... A chain saw from Teri and Larry, and a Boyd's bear with honey, from Dave and Anne.
If you want to see some cute pictures of Levi from this holiday season and the gifts we received, check out the Birthday and Christmas 2009 Slide Show.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Whirlwind of a Day!
Yes, yesterday was my birthday and what a whirlwind of a day it was! From the moment I woke up until it was time to go to sleep, I was on the go with one surprise after another.
My morning started with a big Happy Birthday from my best friend and hubby, Steve! I opened up my presents and received a 12" skillet and day planner pages for 2010. Great gifts as I was in need of both items. Thanks honey!
It wasn't soon after that, my sister called to wish me a Happy Birthday too! Yeah! She gave me two cards (a serious one and a funny one, which I loved) and $25 to purchase a flat iron. Awesome! I can't wait to try it out.
Not even five seconds after I hung up the phone, my mom and dad called. They wished me a Happy Birthday and told me my gift was on its way. It was good talking with them, and I would of talked longer, except time was fleeing away quickly and I needed to get to work. I can't wait to see what mommy and daddy got me! :)
Out the door and a little behind schedule I headed off to work where I met up with my friend Mary Fanning, who bought me, the birthday girl, a 16oz skinny, extra hot Chai; which I gladly drank until there was know more to slurp. Thank you very much!Yummy!
Shortly thereafter, my boss, Kathi, entered the building as secretively as she could and surprised me with cake and roses. All the staff that was available came and sang Happy Birthday to me (which was a prerequisite, especially, if they wanted a piece of cake), and then I blew out the candles, again and again and again. (Yes,Kathi used those funny candles that keep relighting).
Afterwards Kathi took me out to lunch at a local restaurant called Flyers. I had never been there before. The music was to loud, but the food and time we spent together was wonderful! Thanks Kathi for making my day so special.
Now I was really behind schedule as I was suppose to be out at the church by 1:30pm to work in the print shop and visit with my dear friend Vicki for a few minutes. By the time I got to the church Vicki was already gone, but.... lo and behold what did I find, but a birthday present left behind just for me. I joyfully opened the package up and found a jello mold bowl, two boxes of jello, heavy duty red pot holders and a meat masher. I had been looking for a jello mold bowl for awhile and now I have one. Guess I won't be able to ask her to bring a jello dish during the holidays anymore, now that I have been equipped. Yeah! Great gift and very, very useful! Thanks so much.
Three hours later and Baptist Doctrine IV completely printed, I was beginning to wind down. I called Steve to tell him I was heading home and that was when he promptly said, "We have reservations at 7:00pm, I will be home soon to pick you up". Well in no time, Steve whooshed me away to Christopher's, a very nice restaurant in Coupeville. Steve had pork tenderloin, with vegetables and scalloped potatoes and I had BBQ Salmon slowly oven baked, with wild rice and veggies. To top it all off, the restaurant served me a chocolate cake in honour of my birthday. The evening was fantastic, the atmosphere and my date were perfect.
On the way home we had to go back to the store to pick up some fudge to wrap for a customer and Vicki called to wish me a "Happy Birthday". I was so glad I got to talk to her before the night ended. Now all was complete.
Finally, twelve hours later, I got home, put on my PJ's and sat down exhausted, but happy from the days event! Thank you all...family and friends...for making my day so special and for all of the Birthday Wishes! I really did have a "sweet" day!
My morning started with a big Happy Birthday from my best friend and hubby, Steve! I opened up my presents and received a 12" skillet and day planner pages for 2010. Great gifts as I was in need of both items. Thanks honey!
It wasn't soon after that, my sister called to wish me a Happy Birthday too! Yeah! She gave me two cards (a serious one and a funny one, which I loved) and $25 to purchase a flat iron. Awesome! I can't wait to try it out.
Not even five seconds after I hung up the phone, my mom and dad called. They wished me a Happy Birthday and told me my gift was on its way. It was good talking with them, and I would of talked longer, except time was fleeing away quickly and I needed to get to work. I can't wait to see what mommy and daddy got me! :)
Out the door and a little behind schedule I headed off to work where I met up with my friend Mary Fanning, who bought me, the birthday girl, a 16oz skinny, extra hot Chai; which I gladly drank until there was know more to slurp. Thank you very much!Yummy!
Shortly thereafter, my boss, Kathi, entered the building as secretively as she could and surprised me with cake and roses. All the staff that was available came and sang Happy Birthday to me (which was a prerequisite, especially, if they wanted a piece of cake), and then I blew out the candles, again and again and again. (Yes,Kathi used those funny candles that keep relighting).
Afterwards Kathi took me out to lunch at a local restaurant called Flyers. I had never been there before. The music was to loud, but the food and time we spent together was wonderful! Thanks Kathi for making my day so special.
Now I was really behind schedule as I was suppose to be out at the church by 1:30pm to work in the print shop and visit with my dear friend Vicki for a few minutes. By the time I got to the church Vicki was already gone, but.... lo and behold what did I find, but a birthday present left behind just for me. I joyfully opened the package up and found a jello mold bowl, two boxes of jello, heavy duty red pot holders and a meat masher. I had been looking for a jello mold bowl for awhile and now I have one. Guess I won't be able to ask her to bring a jello dish during the holidays anymore, now that I have been equipped. Yeah! Great gift and very, very useful! Thanks so much.
Three hours later and Baptist Doctrine IV completely printed, I was beginning to wind down. I called Steve to tell him I was heading home and that was when he promptly said, "We have reservations at 7:00pm, I will be home soon to pick you up". Well in no time, Steve whooshed me away to Christopher's, a very nice restaurant in Coupeville. Steve had pork tenderloin, with vegetables and scalloped potatoes and I had BBQ Salmon slowly oven baked, with wild rice and veggies. To top it all off, the restaurant served me a chocolate cake in honour of my birthday. The evening was fantastic, the atmosphere and my date were perfect.
On the way home we had to go back to the store to pick up some fudge to wrap for a customer and Vicki called to wish me a "Happy Birthday". I was so glad I got to talk to her before the night ended. Now all was complete.
Finally, twelve hours later, I got home, put on my PJ's and sat down exhausted, but happy from the days event! Thank you all...family and friends...for making my day so special and for all of the Birthday Wishes! I really did have a "sweet" day!
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