God Is Good...All The Time

So I tend to go in giant spurts... blog a few times ...long break etc... this time is no different and as I was checking in on my hits and what I last blogged about I saw that I was sorely in need of an update.

Last post was April 15th ... I was in a bit of a panic on exactly how things would work out financially this year. I've since dubbed this year "give us this day our daily bread" and indeed it has been the theme!

God not only has provided for EVERY need He seems to have the most unexpected and creative ways of doing so. My Button Babes business has exploded! I'm walking that tight rope of trying to finish enjoying the summer break with my kids and also wishing it was time for school to start so I can stop turning down sewing projects.

God has blessed abundantly more than I could ask or think and I often find myself wondering how I can EVER doubt that He will come through because He always does EVERY time... Sometime I also wish He would give a little breathing room instead of skating in at the last minute but I realize this is just one more way He is teaching me to trust and wait.

I can tell you many stories... how about the time I ripped my favorite pair of jeans and with a silent plea towards heaven for new ones... God answered my prayer by providing a $12 sale 2 hours later and a few hours after that a $90 pair of jeans on a local Buy/Sell/Trade group for guess how much? $12!~ Or how every single month I am wondering how everything will come out and God provides a new client here...one there and every need and many wants are met. How about being $338 short on rent money? A friend called and offered the money ...no strings attached. I'm trying to remember that these are the ways I can teach my children of God's goodness and God's faithfulness. You see the 2 years before my divorce I was spoiled... I could get my nails done, get massages, go shopping and many other luxurious comforts that at the time I frankly took for granted. Although I am in no way destitute ... all of those luxuries are a rare treat now days. I'm daily thankful for opportunities to trade services for a few of those things I used to regularly enjoy. I've come to realize that the old saying is true...money does NOT buy happiness...not even a little... I can tell you I am more happy and whole trusting God each day... living simply in the hand of His grace and daily claiming the promise that He will supply ALL my needs...

Karissa

The Time Has Come

Well life as a single momma is never easy and for the last 6 months I've been doing ok... making ends meet...loving my kids and finding joy in my own interests. For about the last month I've really been working to promote my own personal business of custom sewing and creating. It's been going well but I need an extra push. You see I'd really been counting on a substantial tax refund this year... Our accountants estimate of what I would get would have allowed me to pay off the last of my bills, pay for the bigger things I'm responsible for the kids this year and have a small emergency fund. Well today is TAX day and the accountant called this morning... bad news no refund...not even a little one but at least I don't owe. Due to crazy complicated tax and divorce rules blah blah blah .... Anyways I had my cry now I'm putting on my big girl panties and dealing with it... So if you wouldn't mind PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE going and "liking" my facebook page and also sharing it with your friends... It would really help this momma out... if worse comes to it I will go get a J-O-B... but if at all possible I am trying to stay at home and work from home...

Thank you for your love and support of every kind <3

Karissa

3rd round of sickness and cooped up craziness

Mostly due to stress I am sure... this has been the worst fall/winter for sickness! I am seriously on my 3rd round of this awful crap. I don't want to make this post about whining or being a martyr because I'm a single mom. But man its hard being sick and having no one to help with things... I know there are a bunch of my friends who feel the same way because their husbands work out of town.

So ladies as hard as it may be this being my 3rd round I've finally had to let it go... let the housework go...let the laundry go... my kids are with their dad this weekend so I've done nearly nothing but sit on my butt and watch netflix, drink water and take vitamins...oh and a new thing I'm trying Cayenne tablets and thanks to my friend Ximena... ramen noodles with garlic... We will see after 24 hours if any of it worked =)

It's been 24 hours I'm cooped up...I'm staring at my Christmas decorations and completely dead tree and wondering if I should just get up and put that crap away ...but no I am DETERMINED...to sit here and do nothing AHHHHHH Ok I did sneak out I admit to get oranges and do a super quick interior re-design consult....but that's it ;) I'm glad I did the consult because now with Army Wives marathon on in the background and my puppy Max curled up beside me... I am on Pinterest creating a board for the kids salon I'm decorating.

So I don't even know where this post is going I just knew I'm going a little nuts...sick of being sick and feeling crazy because it's taking all my will power to be LAZY and get well... and I still have one more day to do it before I get to see my babies again.

So what are your tips for getting well, staying well and forcing yourself to be lazy? Am I the only one who has a hard time slowing down?

<3 and rest to all of you ... Karissa

How to handle your newly divorced friends... Or at least me =)

This has been riding on my mind for awhile and after yet another conversation with a married friend the other evening here goes.

Just because I am now without a husband does NOT mean I can't function around married couples.

Let me elaborate... I'm sure this goes for widows, divorced, break-ups and also in this economy "widows" those wives of deployed husbands or husbands working out of town constantly...

Please I say this on behalf of us all... INVITE us to events, gatherings, parties, dinner ANYTHING... its totally fine for us to be around married people even if we aren't anymore or our husband can't make it... In fact we feel sad, left out and just plain awkward when we don't go... I would say in fact it's VITAL to us feeling normal and going on with life.

I'm still perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation with married adults and no I'm not going to hit on your husband LOL...I say this because I've had a circle of friends and church family that I've known for 10 years... I STILL want to be your friends even if I no longer have a husband... That's why I still attend the "young marrieds" class and activities... because you see even though my marital status has changed. I still NEED you guys... I still need to hear about your kids...your lives and your marriages.

Now one friend pointed out that maybe its YOU that feels awkward as a married person... what do I say, act, do for someone who's divorced... Treat us NORMAL... we aren't going to crumble or fall into a pile of tears if you kiss your husband in front of us or talk about how happy you are in your marriage... I am surprised and happy at how incredibly HAPPY I am for those in a happy relationship...

It gives me hope and strength to know that it IS possible =) So PLEASE talk about how your husband is amazing or your wife is hot! It doesn't bother me or make me feel sorry for myself... quite the opposite in fact... it give me hope that out there... REAL...TRUE ... HONORABLE... Love exists and perhaps even for me again some day =)

So your wondering what you can do to help us through this transition... treat us normal... be a phone call away for us and continue to be our friend and share your life... we miss feeling normal...

Love Me... Divorced...Mom...

New Home...Fresh Start...Healing Hearts

Well we have moved... the kids and I although they do tend to call it "mommy's house" and "daddy's house" ...I try to let them know that it is their homes... two homes...two rooms... Whenever I have moved into a new home I unpack as quick as I can... and this time was no different but I feel it was different because it was MY decision where everything went... I did most of the work with a help of some wonderful girlfriends and a couple great guy friends. I didn't have to ask anyone else their opinion or permission I just did it. This is the first time in my entire life I have had that. I lived in my parents home until the day I married Aaron. Now just over 10 years later. I am for the first time a single adult...on my own making all the decisions for ME. Its fun...its exciting...its freeing..its even at times scary. I wondered if when I finally had this place to call my very own if I would be lonely on the nights and weekends the kids aren't here... So far I've been too busy making this house our home to feel too lonely... I love my new home... it's perfect for us. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath a great bonus room which is the boys room and the spare room is my space to create. It's very close to our old house which Aaron stayed in. So its nice that the kids have just a short distance between parents and all they have to bring back and forth is their blankies and Jake our doggy =) I think we are adjusting to this transition. Everyone sleeps well at night although Klayton just told me "I hate going to bed" Haha yeah little buddy me too =) We did manage to get pictures taken all as one family one last time... Lots of pictures of the kids and then each parent with the kids and at Soleil's request one last family photo for her room. A friend of mine a child of a restructured family... told me it was important to her to have that picture because no matter if her parents were married or not...everyone in that photo was still HER family. I think it is great that we can do what we desire with restructuring our family... it doesn't have to be hateful and horrible (even though believe me there have been moments)... we don't have to do or not do things just because others may think it odd or awkward... WE get to decide... So if you are on My Christmas card list and this year there is one less person... He's not gone...he's not deserted us... He's on another Christmas card with our three beautiful kids... and we are doing our best to love and protect their little hearts one day at a time...

Schools Out! What to do now?

This is the 2nd summer since Soleil started school and last year we started the tradition of sitting down and making a list of things we want to do during summer vacation. If you are like me I really don't want to spend the summer inside watching countless hours of television or playing the Wii... we have had plenty of that all winter. The sun is out and it's time to play! We set a couple ground rules. We can do one paid activity per week and the rest have to be free. We will spend at least one day per week not going anywhere outside our yard. So here is our list so far and we will add to it as we think up new ideas. Now we are very blessed to have a big yard and a pool of our own so this helps a lot and we try to have friends over a lot to share in our pool fun. My kids are 7, 4 and 3 and are able to participate in all of these activities. Summer Fun List- Roaring Springs (probably only once per month or summer since we have a pool)- Settlers or some other fun park (Settlers has a splash pad) We will also take a picnic with us.= Hike at Camels back park or to Table Rock - Saturday market down town - Bowling (kidsbowlforfree.com) Pay only for shoe rental - Edwards summer movies ($1 per person) Regal Theaters across the US - Library Summer Reading program - Play dates with our friends (I had her make a list of friends so we wouldn't miss out)- Chalk Art on our court yard - Play in our sand pile (it's not a box haha just a pile of sand)- Mommy/daughter dates - Mommy/son dates - Of course swimming in our pool pretty much daily - Arts and Craft time - Walk on the green belt - Water balloon fight - Boise Aquarium - Boise Zoo - I also want to make a day trip up to Mccall to spend a day playing on the beach at the lake - If you have any fun ideas for summer PLEASE share! Hope this gives you some inspiration!

Bitter or Better... It's Up to Me...

As I go through this transition in my life and the roller coaster of emotions continue, it's easy to feel bitter, angry, betrayed and much more. I'm sure it's not just me in my particular situation it's you too ... I mean come one we can ALL easily get into a "poor me" attitude... sit on the pitty pot or complain about the "cards we were dealt." I'm not saying it's not normal to feel this way and to fall into the pit of bitterness...I struggle daily. I feel very sad when I see those around me actually making serious life choices due to bitterness. Bitterness about the way they were raised, the church they went to, the way they were treated by so called friends, betrayed by a spouse...so many more. I hear them say "I'm going to do such and such because that will show so and so" and I am sure I have been guilty as well. So I want all of us to stop and think the next time one of these bitter statements comes out of our mouth... Stop just stop! Why oh why do we allow our anger and bitterness to allow us to be so affected that we make MAJOR life decisions just to spite "them." Life choices in my opinion that should be made because they are things that WE choose to do because WE want to do it not because of our anger towards someone else. Not because we NEED to prove to them that we are better than they have treated us. Because in the end the only person we are hurting is ourselves. Someone once told me that each day we waste letting someone get us stirred up and angry is one less day we have to be happy and free... because life is really too short to let them take up any space in our emotions. I mean what a waste! You know what I really want? I want to be better... not better than another person but BETTER than bitterness...BETTER than hatred...BETTER than anger... I want to rise above the muck of my past and my pitty party feelings and LIVE. I want to make a pact with myself to be BETTER each and every day and instead of pouting about having a "ruined life" go on and live victoriously and courageously. To know that the past is the past ...to let it go... put it behind me and KNOW that I can be truly happy despite my mistakes and the what "they" have done to me. I know I will still struggle and still fail, but just acknowledging these feelings encourages me to get up and start every day brand new. So Bitter or Better...it's up to you...