Stuffing isn't just for your turkey!

This is the time of year for stuffing; both literally and figuratively. When you think of Thanksgiving most people immediately recognize the food that goes with the holiday. Magazines don the ever so tantalizing pumpkin pie and golden glazed turkey on their covers. Moms are getting their lists made and rejecting any idea of a new recipe suggested by her grown children.

Yet there is a special magic the way everyone works together (or at least the women) to get a beautiful well thought out dinner on the table. Usually we spend all evening the night before and all day the day of trying to make it all work together. My mom is the mastermind behind our dinner and she delegates the homemade rolls, pies, and side dishes to each of us.

So we prepare the stuffing, turkey, salad, pies, rolls, and sweet potatoes to gorge ourselves on for just one meal. We literally “stuff” ourselves with food and then lay on the couches in a turkey coma. We pour leftovers in to Ziploc bags and Tupperware to eat at a later date – or sometimes it just keeps our fridge company until we find it a week later and then it is subject to the garbage can. This kind of stuffing is not only fun but delicious.

The next type of stuffing we do is we usually stuff ourselves with gratitude. We remember and give thanks for the blessings that we have received during the year. I’m sure all of you do this in some form. In my family after we’ve eaten the better part of our meal we go around the table and say what we are thankful for. I love doing this and listening to the stories of how other family members have been blessed that year. We usually have a huge amount of people at our dinners so this can take anywhere from one to sometimes two and a half hours!

As I reflect back on this year I know I will have many things to say at our dinner. In fact this entire blog is dedicated to the blessings we’ve received since Allan lost his job. Above all I’ve been absolutely touched by those of you who have shared with us your food, money, positive words, and opportunities to teach me. You have no idea how encouraging it has been for me to receive written comments, phone calls, and visits from those who have read my blog. You always wonder how you will be perceived by those looking in on your life through a small cyber window, but I can see that it has been a positive thing. Please continue to write, call, and share your own stories with me.

I’ve been trying to rack my brain about what I can do for all of you for Christmas. After much thought I have decided that the only thing I could do (and afford) is to share with you some special Christmas experiences that our family had. It will be the 12 Days of Christmas and starting the 14^th you will get a special Christmas story every day all the way until the 25^th complete with pictures. I hope you enjoy these stories because I have had a wonderful time writing them. They are both humorous, touching, and thoughtful. I hope you will read them and share them with your families.

My wish for all of you this Thanksgiving is that you stuff yourselves with all of the wonderful things you should be. Stuff yourselves with delicious food, stuff yourself with gratitude for what you have, and most importantly stuff yourselves with friends and family no matter how large or small. This season among other things is about the people that are put in your life and your relationships with them. Enjoy this time you get to spend with them and if you’re not together then call them! I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday weekend!

Much love,

Kattie

My miracle today

Have miracles ceased? In a world where we are constantly bombarded with negative images of killings, bombings, and many other cruel forms of inhumanity, sometimes I ask myself why I can’t see a miracle. I think that most people categorize a miracle as something that only God can produce. But I know the means in which he does it are through people here on earth.

Since being unemployed we have seen so many small and large miracles that have come to us in so many ways. One month this summer we were short on paying our mortgage and literally the day we needed it we got a check in the mail from Allan’s brother for the exact amount we needed.  I went through every emotion and wondered how he knew we needed it.

I think I can replicate this story tenfold. We have received checks and even a car when we needed it the most. I count all of these as miracles that have come from God through those who have been willing to listen and to act. It never ceases to amaze me how much God must love us that he would send help right when we needed it. This help and miracle came today and I would like to share it with you.

While surfing my daily websites I decided to check my bank account. Uh oh was the first thing I thought. Not only were we in the hole 90 dollars but the money that was supposed to come through today did not which made a deficiency in our account. I started to panic and called Allan to see what had happened. He made a few calls and it turns out the money wasn’t coming until Friday. Well what were we going to do till then I thought? I had received a package in the mail the day before of a present I was saving for Christmas but decided that if I took it back I could replace that money that I needed in the bank.

But what was I to do about some groceries I needed? I packed up the kids and we stopped by the mail before heading back to the store. In it was an ad for free eggs, bacon, English muffins, orange juice, and cereal at Winco. Did I say it was free? Yes! All of it free. I counted this as a small miracle and went on my way doing all of the errands I had to do with both kids in tow.

After getting home we relaxed a bit and my mind went to what I was going to try and make for dinner. I was extremely tired and emotional from the day and I had no energy to make a big meal nor did we have many ingredients. I stood up and was staring in to my pantry. I decided that it would have to be a potato bar night and quickly shut the pantry door.

Then there was a knock on the door. It was a good friend of mine who lives around the corner. In her hand was a gallon of milk, a roasted chicken, and some homemade bread. She said “I was thinking about you and I wanted to bring this by.” I was in shock and took the items and hugged her. As soon as the door shut tears began pouring down my face. How did she know that we were in need? I fell to my knees to thank God for sending someone to us and for the miracles that have happened today.

God knows us so well and wants to help and bless us. When you feel prompted, do what He tells you to because you’ll never know the difference you’ll make for someone else. 

Love to you all,

Kattie

Fortune Teller

Decisions. You either love them or hate them. Like you love to decide which clock would look best in your living room, or what special present to get your husband for his birthday. But the decisions that affect the rest of your life are usually harder to decipher. To bad there’s not a magic 8 ball you can shake to decide for you . . . but there are fortune cookies. Yes that’s right. I believe in the magic of the fortune cookie – well at least for this story anyway.

Allan returned home from Georgia empty handed. The job he interviewed for didn’t work out. Even though he sent dozens of resumes out and made contacts all over he still didn’t have a job there. But you know when you want something so badly that you really believe that it will work out? That was us. We wanted to live in Georgia and we believed that we would. So we put our house up for sale and went through the emotions of possibly saying goodbye to friends and family.

But there was something gnawing at me. We still hadn’t found a stable job in Georgia and we were just going to pack up and leave? What if our house didn’t sell? Or where would we live if we hadn’t found a job by then? So many doubts and questions continued to flood my mind. Then there was the question of what Allan was going to do with his career. Would he go back to school?

This brings me back to decisions! Ugh why couldn’t I just get an answer? We felt good about going didn’t we? We did everything we could by putting up our house for sale and getting ready to leave the state. I didn’t even enroll Jackson for preschool because we thought we would be gone by then.

So one morning I said the words “we need to talk” to my husband. I think he flinches every time I say that. Don’t you? You know something is wrong the minute you hear that phrase. Yet just like the scary movie where the girl walks down the hall toward the bedroom where you know (and she does to) the murderer is going to be, you are too deliciously scared and to curious not to see what happens next. I’m pretty sure this is how Allan feels every time I say the dreaded words.

I brought up school. How were we going to afford to send him back as an out of state student? And what did he want to do with his life? Those were two very loaded questions. We chatted back and forth and then Allan called our good friend Ben who has been our neighbor since we moved in. He came over and gave Allan some counsel, prayed with him, and talked with him.

When it was all said and done Allan told me that Georgia was still the right answer but just not at this time. I’m not going to lye it hurt for both of us. How could something feel right and then suddenly not? Allan felt strongly that he needed to go back to school and get more education. I felt a huge relief which confirmed the veracity of it all. But the question still lingered; did we make the right choice?

That night we were so emotionally and physically exhausted by the days events that we decided to get take out from a Mongolian place down the street from us. My husband ordered our comfort food of rice and sesame seed chicken. After the meal we picked up our fortune cookies and Allan opened his first. I don’t remember what it said but I’m sure it was something generic because he tossed it aside afterward.

Then I opened my fortune cookie without any sort of thought. It read “Life is a series of choices. Today all of yours were good.” I read it out loud and looked at Allan and we both burst into tears. I found it to be a small tender mercy from the Lord in which he was letting me know that He cared for us and He was watching out for us. Now I don’t recommend you order take out every time a big decision comes your way. The Lord answers our prayers in so many different ways that you can never count on it twice. But He does answer our prayers in His time and in His own way.  I will never forget that single fortune cookie which gave me so much comfort on such a difficult day. 

One is the loneliest number

No lie I have written this next blog post three times now. The first two times I just didn’t feel right about it for some reason. Hopefully I will be able to convey my feelings more clearly in this third revision – and yes I do revise everything I write! In fact I spend anywhere from 1 to 3 hours on each post. I am and English major which entitles me to be as big as a perfectionist as possible when it comes to writing.

First I must pause to put in my disclaimer! I hope that if you’re still reading my posts you haven’t been offended by anything I’ve said thus far. This entire blog was only to show my gratitude for the people who have helped us, share the lessons we’ve learned, and to brighten your day. I do not compare myself to others experiences nor do I count myself as an expert about anything. God teaches us things the way He intends for us to see them as individuals. With that said I would like to take you back to when Allan first lost his job.

It was a scary time. We had little savings and it seemed that there were not many jobs available. Allan had the opportunity to go to Georgia and interview for a job there. Since the majority of his family resides there it seemed like a great idea. Thanks to my uncle who worked for the airline, and my parents who gave us the money, we were able to get a buddy pass for Allan to go. Let me tell you now that standby is not the way to go! Just pay for a ticket because you never know when you’ll leave or when you’ll return.

He left with the intention of coming home in 4 or 5 days. It’s never easy when a spouse is gone whether it’s for a job, a conference, or a man weekend. You think of all the things you and your kids can stay occupied with while he’s gone. You might even start out optimistic! I know I did! I planned trips to the park, library and other landmarks. “I can do this,” I told myself. “It will only be a few days,” I said.

Well my cheeriness lasted until I found out that he wouldn’t be coming home that week. The job he interviewed for wanted him to stick around awhile longer in case he got a second interview. We couldn’t afford to fly him out again so he just stayed put. He was pampered by his parents and siblings. They made his favorite meals, took him to movies, and went out on the lake. I was so grateful he was being taken care of but couldn’t help but think who would take care of me.

So I bucked up and made the most of my solitary time alone with the kids. We went places and I planned lots of play dates and spent time at my parent’s home. But even with all the activities I still felt lonely. Sure I was with kids all day but when they went to bed there was no one to watch my DVR’d shows with me, or to laugh with, or to cheer me up when it had been a hard day. I really felt alone.

Soon one week turned in to two, then two in to three, and three in to almost an entire month before he came home. I think not knowing when he would be back was the kicker. I could handle it as long as I had a date of return. With everything so up in the air I felt helpless. My mood deteriorated as the weeks past by with no end in sight.

During those weeks though I realized how important it was to have friends. When I first moved into my neighborhood, I didn’t care about the social part of it. I was with my best friend so who needed extra people? I guess you could say our honeymoon phase lasted much longer than normal. Then as kids came and I became more involved I made a few friends but was not worried about creating relationships with other women. While Allan was gone I realized how much I had missed out on by not being a friend to others who were in similar situations. I really needed friends during that time and I’m upset at myself for not being the same friend to those who were to me while he was gone.

To all of you women who do it on a regular basis I am so grateful for you. I know many of you who have struggled at one time or another with a spouse who’s been gone for a few months with a job or been on military leave. Some of you are single, divorced or widowed.

How in the world can I complain about my meager month when many of you have done it for days, months, years, and are still doing it now? My heart and gratitude go to each of you. For getting up in the middle of the night with a sick child and then pulling yourself out of bed the next morning to a full day’s of work. For taking on all of the responsibility whether you wanted it or not, and for spending nights alone and just wanting someone to vent and laugh with. I am so grateful for the strong women in my life that do this day in and day out. You are truly an example to me.