Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Alright, I'm not the best at this whole blogging bit. As usual, things are extremely hectic for us right now. Just take a look at our after 5:00 schedule:

Monday - Praise Team Practice
Tuesday - Cheerleading Practice (Chase does daddy day care with Artie during this one!)
Wednesday - Small Group
Thursday  - Free night!
Friday - Chase works / I'm free (which means house duties)
Saturday - Game w/my cheerleaders, practice for the Music Revue, then usually friend time
Sunday - Church, nap, church

Whew! I'm tired just typing it all!!! As much as I'd love to slow down a little, there's nothing I could give up. I love it all. Which is a good and bad thing!

So what's been happening since I last wrote? Well, we had a few little holidays (little - yeah right!) We had our own version of Four Christmases - actually it turned out to be Five Christmases. Chase and I probably spent about 3 waking hours together Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. We did, however, have enough time to make a few traditions. Our first tradition: We're going to open our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve every year so that we get one on one time with each other. (We'll leave Christmas morning open for the kiddos whenever they come along.) :-) Second tradition: Chase will make his special hot chocolate for us while we open our gifts on Christmas Eve. Next year we want to start having a Christmas party every year. I'm excited about that one!

On another note - God has really been dealing with us in the area of finances. Since Chase hasn't been bringing home a lot of steady money over the past few months, we've really had to trust God and each other.  God gave him a job this week at a doctor's office, so I'm hopeful things are on the upswing. God has used a  lot of different people / circumstances to help us through this time. (I'm a bit of a worrier and Chase is a head in the sand kind of guy, which makes me spin into orbit!) Sunday, Pastor Tracy did a sermon on the blessed life. By the end of this sermon I definitely knew I was a bag lady and I needed to change my ways.

Here's the concept:

Bag People are those who put their money in a bag with holes at the bottom. As soon as it goes in, it goes out to bills, meaningless spending, etc. They constantly cling to their bag for fear that they'll lose whatever's still inside. They don't have enough to bless others; or if they do, they choose not to because they just can't give it up.

• Hag. 1:6 "...You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes."

Basket People are those who are blessed and have more than enough. They have enough to get bills paid, and are able to bless others.

• Deut. 28:4-6 "The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock...Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out."

Barn People are those who are blessed and have infinitely more than enough. They are blessed so much that they need a barn (figuritively speaking) to hold it all. They are able to bless others in big ways.

• Deut. 8:8 "The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to..."

We want to live as Barn People eventually, but Basket People is our goal. As soon as we can, we're going to start building our savings again and working toward being at a place where we can bless people any time we need to.

Sorry this has been so long, apparently I had a lot to say! Thanks if you read all the way to the end! :-)

Until next time,

Ash