Apple Slices of Our Life: Thankful Thursday

Well. with all the Elaine posts lately, I’m sure you’re not surprised to discover that this week I am so thankful for Andrea and Elaine’s recent visit. With all the cuteness of Elaine going on, I did want you to know I enjoyed some daughter times as well.

Andrea and I----

did some shopping,----Grandma had to buy cute things for Elaine and we got some great deals at a new thrift store my friend Joann told us about
did some cooking together----exchanged a couple of recipes. She showed me how to make cinnamon rolls with my bread machine
as usual and always necessary---- she gave me techno aide, on my blog, the computer and my picture file
we made homemade baby wipes for her store----out of flannel scraps, she cut and I serged the edges
we watched a favorite movie or two----The Inheritance and Horatio Hornblower
we even got in a little card making----she made nine and I did about four!
of course we did a lot of talking! We had a good time!

Andrea is a good Mom and I am thankful she has chosen to be the Mommy and be at home raising her children. I hear so many young Moms say they “have” to work, that financially they could not make ends meet if they did not go to work. I have a hard time with that. First of all, the sacrifice is just too great, giving up your time with, and influence on your children’s hearts and lives. Second, I just don’t know how true it always is. I think women have given into a great big deception in that area. And here is where my mind has been wandering in thankfulness. I know that Ben and Andrea live in a very expensive place and how hard it is to make ends meet. I know Andrea has many talents and abilities and she could probably get a good job. But those same talents and abilities are put into creativity in the home…budgeting, planning and shopping. And she is home, being the one to influence Elaine. It is not just all about teaching and disciplining (though I’m sure there are days it feels that way), she gets to see and enjoy all the milestones and personality development as it happens. That is irreplaceable!!

Elaine loves playing the piano. She doesn’t mind of Mom plays, as long as she has her space on the keyboard. And music. She has to have music, no matter what she drags out to put up!

Bed time milk and a story, every night…so precious!

Andrea got interested in cloth diapers as a way to save money. (In case you do not know, cloth diapers are not white rectangles held on with pins and covered with plastic pants…it’s a whole new ball game these days!) Now Ben and Andrea are building a diaper business of their own…its an on-line store. They are trusting the Lord to build the business, so that by the time Ben is ready to launch into planting a church in NY, it can support them. He will not have to work a full time job and can give more, if not all, his time to that work. I love the heart in that thinking, planning and trusting. While Andrea was here we went to the Rumparooz warehouse in Golden. Rumparooz is one of the diaper lines she carries…and uses.