Contest

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my new web design.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 

Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered in a drawing for a Starbucks or Bath and Body gift card. 

If you share this with your friends on facebook, they can enter too, and I will give you another entry.  Let me know if you share it.  That's two chances for you to win.  :)  Contest ends at midnight tonight.  I will announce the winner tomorrow.

If you're new here, become a follower here with Google followers, my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Latte-Blessings/303803836335198
or by email, and leave a comment to let me know.  I'll enter you in the contest for that too.  :)

Blessings!
Tammy 

Who is your Father?

We had a great celebration for Father's Day yesterday.  I took my hubby out to breakfast at a local restaurant before church.  Unfortunately, we did not make it to church.  The place was packed, and it took at least half an hour to get our food.  By the time we were served and finished eating, it was about half an hour past time for church, so we went to the store to get stuff for our cookout. 

We came home and the kids and I gave him our cards and gifts, and then he and I cuddled up and took a little nap on the couch.  Later, we did a little cleaning, and cooking/preparation for the dinner. 

We boiled chicken, marinated the ribs with a Paula Deen dry rub, and later started them in the crock pot before moving to the grill.

We made shortcakes

Baked beans (Very easy, and a big hit)

2 cans of Bush's baked beans

1 c. brown sugar

1 cup of water

1 cup ketchup

and LOTS of bacon! 

My Mom brought the potato salad

Hubby was in charge of the grill  :)

Love that man! 

Love this one too!  Dad's helper! 

Umm yeah, for those of you who noticed, the mustard fell out of the refrigerator and was duct taped. 

Yummy asparagus!

The watermelon was Perfect!  Sweet and juicy!

The only thing missing is the amazing ribs my hubby made, and the asparagus, keeping warm on the grill.  It was a great meal!



With great company! 

My parents

My sons, daughter in law, and nephew

and let's not forget the new grandbaby! 

Wyatt with his Great Grandma, my Mom

The boys had fun jumping bikes on their homemade ramps

Dessert was amazing!

Homemade shortcakes

Strawberries and ice cream!  Yum!

A little Cool whip to top it off! 

We had a great day, but I understand the sad truth that many of you may not have a Dad to celebrate with.  Some have gone ahead of us and are watching over us from heaven.  Yet others have absent fathers, broken relationships, etc...  You may be a Mom who has to fill in as Dad to your children.  Regardless of your situation, I want you to know that you have a Father in heaven who loves and adores you, and wants you to cuddle up in his lap, and rest in His arms. 

He is the Father to the fatherless. (Psalm 68:5)

I'd also encourage you to fill in the gap for those without fathers.  Do you know a hurting child, one whose Dad is absent emotionally or physically?  It's easy for parents to be "too busy"  Maybe your family could invite them to be a part of your life.  Pray for them, invite them to church.  Encourage them and build them up with kind words. 

Here is a great article on making a difference.  http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/faith/essentials/reaching-out/will-you-make-a-difference-in-the-life-of-a-child

Blessings!

Tammy    



A Confession

Several years ago, with the whole Y2K scare, I began having panic attacks and anxiety.  I was pregnant with my youngest child, and I was reading a book that I'd bought from a Christian bookstore.  I was worried about having a baby and what would happen.  Would we be able to feed him and take care of our other children?  Would we be safe?  I wanted to be prepared.

The book I was reading turned out to be one of those doomsday type things, and my husband told me to stop reading it.  (I listened, and ended up burning it... didn't want anyone else to read it either)  :)

I had grown up in church, and was saved, but didn't really understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ until just a few years before this.  I was however, leading a small Bible study with a few close friends in my home.  One of my friends gave me the verse from Luke 22: 31&32

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

That verse was like a lifeline to me.  I felt like I had been drowning and no one understood or could help me.  That verse helped me to realize that I was letting worry and fear get the best of me, and that I needed to Trust in God. 

Now, 13 years later, I feel as if I'm being sifted again.  Not the anxiety and panic attacks this time. With God's help, I overcame that at that time. 

No, this time it's different.  It's more like Where is God?  Don't get me wrong, I know He is there.  He never leaves us, it is us who moves.  It's more like Where did I go?  Who am I? 

Over the past 4-5 years:

My husband was laid off for most of 2 years. 

I lost an Uncle to pancreatic cancer.

I lost my Grandma to cancer, and then my Grandpa died about 6 months later. 

That side of my family started fighting, and still has not reconciled, so I feel like I've lost half of my family. 

While my husband was laid off, I decided that I should go back to college.

I was also homeschooling my son, working 2 part time jobs, and a Bible study leader for a large community study, as well as being involved in our church, and serving in another ministry.

I became a Grandma and was approaching the big 4-0!

Can you say OVERWHELMED?!!!  STRESSED?

My husband found a new job in the same field, and all I wanted was RELIEF.  My job was becoming stressful, as was trying to schedule around everything else.  A friend recommended that I give something up before I kill myself (or someone else, haha) and I knew that I needed to.  I just didn't know what to give up.  I loved everything that I was doing, and they were all good things. 

After much prayer and thought, I let go of the Bible study, as it was a pretty big commitment.  I also ended up putting college on hold for the time being. 

I wanted to quit my job, and took on another job with intentions of quitting the first one, but the new job was not at all what I had wanted, so I ended up not keeping the new one.  My hubby was worried about me not working after he had been laid off for so long.  Do you blame him?  I don't, but I have to admit that I was upset. 

I felt like I was giving up everything that I really wanted to do and be for a job that I hated.  I talked to him, and prayed and prayed, and by January, I couldn't take anymore.  I quit!  My husband wasn't thrilled about it, but he allowed it. 

So, what is my confession?  That was only the beginning of a downward spiral for me.  I'd like to chalk it up to midlife crisis, but not sure what to call it.  I was tired of doing the "right thing" or what everyone else expected me to do.  I was tired of showing up at church with a smile on my face when I didn't feel it.

I started living for myself, and making poor decisions.  I can't say that I totally walked away from God, because I still believed in Him, but I was not living for Him.  I had stepped off the narrow path, and was walking down a dead end road. I was looking for an escape. 

Temptation is strongest when we are looking for an escape.  We are vulnerable to Satan's offer of another way out.  (James 1:14)    

I had always thought of myself as a "good Christian girl", but I have to admit, I was kind of a judgmental person.  My sin was pride. 

You know the saying, "pride comes before the fall?"

Well, let's just say that I've been humbled. 

I'm still a work in progress.  We all are, but some days, I feel like I'm on a teeter totter with the world and temptation on one end and God on the other.  I know that God is bigger than my problems, and He will win, but I have to be willing to let Him do his job.  We can't flirt with the devil and walk with God.  Like oil and water, they don't mix.  When you aren't living what you believe, you don't have peace.

There are still times that my spiritual life feels about as dry as the dessert, and I think where are you God?  He feels so far away in this time of drought.  But it isn't Him, it is me.  God gives us grace, and He forgives our sin, but sometimes the consequences of those sins and our rebellion last forever.

What about you my friend?  What road are you on?  Is your spiritual well dry?  Are you looking for an escape?  The world offers many ways to escape.  Careers, busyness, our children, alcohol or drugs, pornography, steamy romance novels, soap operas, emotional affairs, shopping, adultery, or even church or community work.  Are you trying to fill a void in your life with the wrong things? 

If you are on the narrow road, what do you need to do to stay on it?  Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  (Mark 14:38)

No matter what road you are on now, or what you've done, it isn't too late to turn back.  There is nothing we can do to deserve God's love, and nothing we can do to lessen it!  He loves you, right where you are!  He is waiting to forgive you.  Just confess your sin to him and receive His forgiveness. 

Commit to follow Him.
Read your Bible.  The Psalms are a great place to start, or if you don't know Him, maybe start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. 

God's grace is sufficient for you (2 Cor. 12:9)

I would love to pray with you, or for you.  Feel free to send me a personal email at tshineldecker@gmail.com

P.S.  Watch for my new blog design, coming soon! 

Blessings!
Tammy
     

It's a BOY... and a Girl!

Wow, it has been a long time since I've written a blog!  I apologize, and hope I haven't lost any readers.  Life has been crazy!  There are many changes taking place in our family, and some of that requires a lot of adjustment, settling into new routines, or in some cases, not adjusting very well.  (that's another story that I'll save for another post). 

Today, I will just catch you up a little bit on what's going on around here. 

I loved that warm weather we had in March!  My hubby and I went to Ludington for a day and were able to enjoy a walk along Lake MI.  It was 72 degrees here in MI, if you can believe it!

From the looks of the footprints already there, we weren't the only ones!  I can't wait until it starts staying warm consistently, and school is out so we can enjoy more time at the beach!  

Other than that, I got on a decluttering kick when I was invited to an online resale site for our area.  I started going through the attic space, pulling out things that I hadn't used in a while, including a brand new sewing machine, still in the box (I always meant to learn how to use it, but...).  That's one way to get rid of that guilt!  :)  I found many other things that we'd outgrown or no longer used.  We made quite a bit of money listing and selling.  If you have one of these in your area, I'd highly recommend it.  You just take pictures, upload them, with your price and description, and wait for someone to say they want it.  Then you make arrangements for a time and place for pickup and they pay you.  There are rules, of course, which help make it run smoothly.  Overall, it's a pleasant experience, and I like it better than ebay.  It's definitely better than a yard sale in my opinion, because I can do a little bit at a time, and I don't have to sit home all day waiting for the right person to come along to give me 50 cents for an item.  Our resale site is open to anyone in our whole county, and you get good prices for things. 

I must admit, after a lot of decluttering, I started buying baby stuff like crazy!  After all, I have 2 new grandblessings due this year.  (One born, one to go now)  We also found a great deal on a laptop on the site, which has been a blessing to my daughter. 

Brooke has decided to withdraw from public school and do online classes.  She hopes to work ahead and be done before her baby is due Sept. 28th. Meanwhile, she has also started two part time jobs, one at a missions/thrift store, and another temporary babysitting job.  Those are keeping her busy at the moment, along with ob appointments, and other things.  I'm really proud of the young lady that she is becoming, as I watch her prepare for Motherhood. 

For those who want to know, she found out that she is having a GIRL! 

Meanwhile, my oldest son and his wife had their baby!  This is such an exciting time for us as our family grows! 

Notice the mistake the hospital made on this announcement? 

Now let me introduce you to my new, adorable little Grandson, Wyatt! 

Is he cute or what?  It's amazing how a Grandchild feels like such an extension of yourself.  Such a great blessing from the Lord, and how so much love pours out from us when we see them, hold them, and love on them. 

So, have you guessed what the mistake is on the birth announcement?  If I haven't already told you, leave a comment here on my blog, and I'll have a little prize for the winner.  How does a Starbucks gift card sound?  Hurry!

I also invite you to follow me on Pinterest if you haven't already.  Share your name with me, and I'll follow you back. 

Blessings!