God is Good...ALWAYS!

I wanted to share how God has blessed my DH and me during this whole plumbing nightmare.

When we first found out how much the emergency repair would cost we were concerned. Where was the money going to come from? Where did we need to cut back? How would we take care of this without going in DEBT?

God answers prayer.

We did our tax return in February. We got a sizable refund only a couple of weeks later. We paid off a credit card and were saving the rest to pay off our last credit card when DH received his end of the year bonus. Normally we would receive that bonus at the end of March. For some reason (GOD) we found out we would be receiving it this week. We had specific plans laid out for that money. We were going to 1) pay off our last credit card, 2) put a down payment on my braces and 3) buy a flat panel TV for our family room. One need and two wants (my teeth aren't THAT bad, it was basically for cosmetics and because I clench and grind my teeth at night).

Even with the plumbing situation we still have enough to pay off our last credit card and we have not gone into debt to fix the emergency!

Sometimes it takes a little deep breathing, intense believing, and some renewing of the mind to see where God is during difficult times. How blessed we are to have our own home. How thankful we are for God's great timing. The devil may be in the details but GOD is in the deliverance! Praise GOD!!!

I John 1:5

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

I Am Making Progress

This past weekend I got a lot accomplished. I did my routines (was up early and everything!) and even got some extra housework done. Here's a picture of my stars...




I did really well on Monday as well, although I don't have a picture of that one. Tuesday and Wednesday are a different story all together.

On Tuesday I decided not to take a shower that night because I was too tired. When I woke up on Wednesday I was so mad at myself for skipping that item on my routine. DH gave me a "free pass" on the laundry because of the plumbing situation but I ruined my "star power" by skipping my shower. So silly of me. So here I was on Wednesday, mad at myself for "failing" and giving up on the day because "the month is ruined anyway."

Can you say PERFECTIONIST!!!!!!!

Last night I was moping and pouting. DH wouldn't let me get away with it for long...he knew why I was pouting, I wanted him to say "it's ok about yesterday, go ahead and put your star on, it's been a rough week...etc." How childish and immature I am!!! Well, I renewed my mind and cut up some leftover steak for stirfry. I made dinner and got a load of laundry started. DH cleaned up the kitchen (unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher) and gave me a big hug. He reminded me I didn't need a "month" of stars, I need 30 days of consecutive stars. That is my goal. It was time to refocus and get back in gear.

This morning I had a dentist appointment at 8:00 A.M. I could have given up on my Morning Routine because "I don't have time this morning" but I DIDN'T.

I got a load of laundry started and I got the dishwasher unloaded. I have bible fellowship tonight so dinner will be quick and easy, maybe another stirfry, maybe some fast food. DH will be working late so he will probably grab a bite on his way home.

I am making progress but bad habits (and attitudes) are really hard to break! I am so thankful my DH knows me so well and is willing to lovingly reprove me with the Word when I am wrong! *Happy sigh* I am such a blessed woman.

Romans 12:2

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Terra Cotta - Great for Pots, Not for Pipes PART 2 (or Why I've Been MIA)

OK, so this week has been REALLY rough. If you will refer to this post you will be up to date with our situation.

OK, so they flushed the pipes and came back to see what the problem was (they couldn't see for all the "gunk" last time). In one month we were completely backed up again! I was so discouraged. Here is the whole tale.

The plumbers came out and put in their camera to take a look. After ~16 feet they were to the NEW back up. The plumber took his little "find the camera" thingy (like a metal detector) and went outside to find the camera. I watched from the basement door. He paced out about 16 feet and started looking in an arc to find the spot of the problem. The arc got closer and closer to our home. (at this point I am praying "not in the house, not in the house, not in the house") When he came back to the door he said, "well, we're in the house."

"NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!"

He searched in the basement and found the spot. In our family room. IN our family room!! IN OUR FAMILY ROOM!!!

We scheduled the excavation (read: jackhammer 8 feet of our floor and remove the "contaminated material" and busted pipe) for the next day (Tuesday, March 5th). I took the day off of work, my bosses were very understanding, and stayed at home to "supervise" the work. (read: Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. Oh, and pray)

At the end of the day there was a big hole in the floor of our home and more bad news. The pipe INSIDE our house is collapsing (read: $5,800) and we need to fix it soon. The pipe OUTSIDE our house is collapsing (read: $6,000) and we need to replace it. After spending almost $4,000 on this emergency repair I was a little shell shocked.

I have been very dejected from all this. DH has been working so hard during this outage and I have been handling all the communication with the plumber. I was mortified to find out that we needed $11,000 worth of work done. I was scared and depressed.

DH came home yesterday and gave me a big hug. We talked about the situation. The inside pipe can wait for a while. The only pipe they were talking about was from the floor drains in the storage side of the basement and the laundry sink. (NOT all the plumbing in the house) The inside repairs can wait. (Praise the Lord) As for the outside repairs, we will get a second opinion. DH has received a reputable plumber's name from one of the guys he works with. This co-worker was born and raised in this community and his family is very involved. He is a GREAT source for recommendations.

For now, we have the emergency fixed, the pipe has been replaced and the hole has been filled with new concrete. We can use the "facilities" as well as the dishwasher and laundry. We can wait until we get a second estimate for the outside work and save for the rest of the inside work.

I am so much more peaceful. I was trying to stay my mind on the promise of God "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28. I love God, I am called, I must trust in Him to work things together for good.

As I was digesting that the family room carpet would have to be torn up for the jackhammer to get in there I thought about the fact that I was so disappointed when we couldn't re-carpet the basement when we first moved in two years ago. We have this harsh RED carpet in there right now. There is NO padding left and it is cold because of the concrete beneath it. Now I see the "work together for good" in that situation. We would have had to tear up the new carpet to fix this problem if we had gone in debt to put the carpet in the family room. "Thank you God, you knew this was coming and made it less painful by 'working together for good'."

Well, I will post on my weekend later, including pictures, but for right now I am going to listen to some calm music and thank God for His love and care for my family.

"Success Breeds Success"

This is what my mother would say to me when I would complain about having to do some little chore around the house when there were "bigger" things to be done.

Success Breeds Success = Faithful in least, faithful in much



That's right ladies...TWO stars now! And today has started off strong. DH said that on the weekends as long as I am up before 7 A.M. and get the rest of the things accomplished I can consider my Morning Routine successful. I was up at around 6:30 and have been running ever since. I took a break for a little while and watched "Nanny McPhee" on TV. So cute, it's like Mary Poppins with a little "umph."

Now I have more chores to get accomplished and some errands to run.

DH is working today and this week is going to be rough for him. He is the Engineer at a Natural Gas & Steam (called Combined Cycle) power plant and they are having an "outage" right now. Basically, they shut everything down, open things up and then they deep clean, repair, modify or overhaul everything and get everything up a running again. A LOT of long, hard days lay ahead and I know I will need to be on top of my game (so to speak) to keep everything peaceful. DH said there were three things he would like for me to focus on this week.

• Peaceful & Tidy Home
• Laundry Done
• Iced Tea ready when he gets home

He would also like simple meals that can be reheated if necessary. I think this week will be a time for cassaroles. I only have ONE in my repetoire (Shepherds Pie) so I guess I better do some digging. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

This is going to be a great week for me to work on my Husband Keeping skills :)

Ultimate Blog Party

I added the Ultimate Blog Party banner on my blog. I didn't read up on it to see if I have to do something specific or just invite y'all over to my blog and introduce myself.

My name is Rean Day. I am a non-denominational Christian, born again of God's spirit and working to live my life according to his matchless Word. I live in SW PA and have been married to a wonderful Mr. Steady for almost 5 years. DH is an Engineer and is always helping me see the logical/practical side of things. I have always dreamed of being a SAHM but so far DH and I are childless. I would love to be a SAHW but I am having some struggles with leaving the work force. This blog has become almost a journal of my progress and decision making "sounding board." I love the community that I have found online. I am meeting so many woman who have the same desires I do and are leading as examples. I would love to get to know more and more of you as the days go by.

I guess that is a little about me. I will have to take a tour of the "Party Scene" and say hey to all of you too!

Pleased to meet you.
Rean Day

My Routines

As I stated yesterday, I am focusing on establishing routines in my life. This is something I learned but never implemented from Flylady but was further encouraged by an article on Survival Basics by Large Family Logistics.

Here is my Morning Routine:


This is what I am to get accomplished before I leave for work at 8:40 A.M. One thing that has made my "Read the Word for 15 min" easier is this program. It really helps to have the definitions of words right at my fingertips. I enjoy reading my Bible in a big comfy chair, but sometimes I need more focused study in the mornings.

Here is my Evening Routine:


This routines starts when I get home. It is mainly a list of things I need to do before going to bed. I may expand on these routines at a later time but for right now they are posted on my bathroom mirror where I can see them everytime I go in that room.


You can see the reflection of our shower curtain in the mirror. The wallpaper is really bold 70s but I've tried to "go with the flow" and keep with the green/yellow color scheme until we can redo the bathroom.

My goal is complete my routines (both Evening and Morning) everyday for one whole month with no skipped days! So far March is looking good.



Can you see the sparkle? Here's a close-up.



YEA!!! I am so proud of me. One thing I am able to shift from Evening to Morning is the "Put laundry in dryer" I can do this before I leave for the day, then I just fluff them in the evening and put them away.

I am blessed I am making these routines work for me.

Focus and Shining Stars

I wish I could remember where I got this little picture. It really blesses me. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know, I want to give credit where credit is due!
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Shame on me for taking so long between posts!

I have been under the weather this past week. I believe I came down with the stomach bug so many people were talking about. I am grateful to be feeling much much better today.

Work is going ok. I have been so unfocused lately. I know part of it is because I have not been putting my full heart into my job. As much as I want to be home full time I know I have a responsibility to my Heavenly Father to represent Him in ALL that I do. Yes, even my full-time, away from home, mentally exhausting, secular, exciting, rewarding job.

DH and I talked last night about my lack of focus at work and my desire to be home full-time. We decided that until I get my Morning and Evening Routines down for a month I shouldn't even think about quitting to come home. I need to set myself up for success and establishing those routines is the way I can do this. I will do a separate post on my routines. I have silver stars I will be posting on my calendar at the end of every day to show myself I am accomplishing my goals.

I am so very thankful to have a problem-solving, sweet and loving supportive husband.

I feel all shiny inside!! It's time to make my calendar shiny too!