Cold

Wow! It's really cold--anyway for Georgia it's really cold. It was 35 out when I woke up this morning. That is something for this part of the country. Anyway, the cool, clean air and beautiful sunshine make it look like the beginnings of a gorgeous fall day. An outing was the first plan for today, but as cold as it is, we may delay that for a couple of hours. Hopefully, the weather has officially caught up with the season.

A New Roof

Yesterday, we had a new roof put on our house. During Tropical Storm Faye, we incurred some damage, and we had some leaks. So a new roof was called for.

So yesterday, beginning at 7:18 am, they started working. First they delivered the shingles in the big truck that goes "beep, beep, beep" the whole time they are backing up. Then with the big swing arm on the truck they put bundles of shingles all over the roof of the house, "bam, bam, bam." Then later we hear footsteps, "stomp, stomp, stomp." At this I make the executive decision that homeschool is cancelled for the day.

Later we hear, "buzz, buzz, buzz" from a saw. At this my eight-year-old looks at me and says, "Mama, I thought they were going to fix the holes in the roof not put new ones in it." Laughing (a little nervously), I say, "Don't worry, buddy. I'm sure they know what they're doing." (I later found out that they were cutting holes to fit our new ridge vents.) Finally, we begin to hear the "whack, whack, whack" of the hammers, along with the "bam, bam" of the bundles of shingles being moved and the "stomp, stomp" of the feet of the workers moving them.

While all this noise is going on, I think to myself, "Uhhh. Will the noise ever stop?" Then, very quietly, I heard a little voice say, "Are you really going to complain about the noise? Don't you remember who gave you the new roof?" Then, I said a little prayer, asking forgiveness and thanking God for His wonderful provision as I thought back to how we were blessed with this new roof.

As I said ,Tropical Storm Faye left a lot of wind damage, but to completely tell this story I have to go back a week or two. In the days before Faye, while they were forecasting the path of the storms, I said a little prayer during one of my quiet times. "Lord," I prayed, "I know that pretty soon we're going to have to put a new roof on this house. I know that I need to start saving up for that now, but I really don't know where that money is going to come from. I'm trusting in You to take care of this situation, Lord, of us needing a new roof."

The very next week, Faye blew through our little part of God's creation, leaving behind a damaged roof and interior ceiling. Knowing that nothing would come of it, we had the insurance agent come out to look. He told us to get an estimate and that they would compare it to what our deductible was. Then, an insurance adjuster called saying that he had been told to inspect our roof. What a foul-up, we grumble to ourselves, watching as he walked around the inside of our well-lived-in-homeschooling-child-filled-house and later hearing as he wandered around on the roof.

When he came down, I sent Dennis (who just happened to be home that day) out to hear what we were sure was going to be the grim news. He came back in, looking slightly dazed and said, "He said we need a whole new roof and that the damage is covered under our policy."

I started bawling. "What is it? They're going to pay for the new roof! What's wrong?" he says. "Nothing," I sob. "I'm just so happy!" To which he gives his classic I-have-no-idea-how-your-mind-works look. Then I tell him the history of the quiet time prayer. He finally gets it! Oh, and here's the kicker--we didn't need a new roof b/c of Faye; we got the new roof b/c of significant hail damage from a storm that happened last year!!

God is so good! He cares about every little thing. He knows what we need, even before we know we need it. He provides for us when we don't even know we need His provision. Thank you God! Thank you for all the noise on the roof yesterday! Thank you for a day of interrupted school work! Thank you for just being God!

By the way, right now as I type this new posting, it's raining!! Thank you again, God, for Your glorious timing!

Summer Flashback

Chandler is Five

It seems like only yesterday that I held her in arms, praising God for His safe delivery of our baby girl. Now she is five! I look into those beautiful green eyes, smiling up at me in mischief, and I realize that my baby isn't a baby anymore. She's a little girl--riding a bicycle, writing her name, learning to read, and growing up way too fast. I still can't believe it.

Her birthday was extra special. We had a busy day--haircuts, shopping, homeschool gathering, and a special birthday dinner. I made spaghetti with meat sauce (at her request), and Mawmaw and Papa, Mimi and Granny, and Granny Agnes and Ms. Lydia came to eat it with us. The highlight of her day came after dinner when she was presented with her new bicycle. Then, on Sunday afternoon, we had a little party with her cousins and her new best friend, Jordanna, where she had Little Mermaid cupcakes. Everyone loved the Ariel tattoos, the playdough table and blowing bubbles.

So, for now, she's five. For a little while longer, she's my little girl--but no matter how old she gets, she'll always be my baby!