What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Monday, June 18, 2007

Dog days of summer


I am feeling the heat today. It will be over 90 today-and really, feels like that hot right now! No matter-the baby birds on the air conditioner flew the coop, so I can turn on the cooling machine at any time. I plan on staying inside most of the day anyhow. Lots of POST yard/bake sale stuff to do.

Speaking of yard sales-I was much happier with the results of the yard sale this time around. I made over $150.00 on Saturday!!! I would say about $40-50.oo of that was my baked goods alone! WA-HOO! So, all in all, I made about $250.00. NICE!

Abrupt subject change #1:

Corynn has been running me for my money the last week or two, and the 'naughties' unfortunately, is overshadowing her 'cuties'. But yesterday in the car on the way to church, she had Mattie and I laughing pretty good. She was talking about how when SHE gets to be a big Mama, SHE was going to have LOTS and LOTS of babies (no doubt implying that I am not doing a very good job in that department...). Among them, a girl named Carrie, a boy named Boyla, and a girl named Girla. Other names included Laura Corynn, Fallia, and about 10 other ones that I can't remember-but just add a 'la' to the end and it was probably there. THEN-she said she would 'pump' them out of her belly. Ah-is THAT how it happens Miss Corynn? The doctor PUMPS them out??? :-)

Abrupt subject change #2:

Two days ago the Panda turned into a monkey and climbed into his highchair all by himself. All because he wanted a bite of my cinnamon roll and thought that if he were in his 'eating chair' he would get to eat. I was surprised that he could do it, but I guess I SHOULDN'T be since he managed to crawl OUT of it the other day too. He keeps me on my toes.

Abrupt subject change # 3: Tomorrow we are heading to a U-PICK strawberry place and are gonna have lotsa fun picking the juiciest and sweetest berries of the bunch-and munching on them too. I am enlisting the help of two children down the road in order to get enough to make a batch of strawberry wine on top of all the *OTHER* strawberry goodies I am going to be making. Look forward to lots of red recipes coming soon!

Final subject change, I promise.

We Newmans enjoy living for the moment, but especially, living for the future. Heritage is important to us and our children HAVING roots somewhere is important to us. When our children are older, we want to be able to offer them things. We want to set them up for success. We do not believe that being poor makes you any more of a Christian, as some might, but rather, that the Lord BLESSES His children in many different ways. Land is part of that equation. There is lots going on in my head and in my heart about this subject, none of which can or should be shared through internet waves. Matt and I are struggling a great deal about this subject and of the opportunities, and especially the lack thereof, related to this. We were looking over old photos that I borrowed from Gram to copy and I realized that they would be the ending of a legacy. What a tragic and sad thing it is. With a fervor that rattles my bones and shakes the core of my being, I say this now... when the Lord provides us with the means and opportunity to settle down, it will be the land that ties us together with the generations of Newmans to come.
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8 comments:

Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads said...

Have fun strawberry picking!! Yum!

Kelli said...

I'm so glad that your yardsale went well!!! Yippee!!! Have fun strawberry picking, I'm looking foward to the wine recipe!
Kelli

Anonymous said...

I followed your abrupt changes all too well...I do the same thing.

Ahh...strawberry picking. I wanna go :)

Just one last comment here...I loved your final abrupt change. My husband and I share the same goals for our legacy. Beautifully shared.

Marlene Bibby said...

Oh Rebecca, please remember that land is fleeting! The most important legacy you can leave behind is godly children. You and Matt are doing a great job in that department (even if Corynn thinks you should have way more by now!). Don't be in a hurry to have more things. They just take time to care for and time away from your precious children. You do have a legacy and I know you are enjoying it. Keep it up, even when times are hard. Consistency is the most important thing. Wait on the Lord!!

Rebecca said...

Mrs. B~what you say is true and I so fully agree, that I don't even bother mentioning it anymore. I guess I just think of that as a given. Matt and I strive to raise our children in a godly way every day and it never escapes our minds. So-I didn't mean to replace one with the other.

With the issues that are happening in our family these days, however, I have realized the great gift it is to have heritage in the land. GENERATIONS of Newman soil-soil that has been worked and toiled over to feed the children who are now great grandparents is being selled rather than being kept in the family. And it breaks my heart.

I don't think that having land will take our time away from the children, but rather, will encourage time WITH them. Having animals and orchards is not something that Mama and Papa do, but that the family as a WHOLE takes care of. It is offering our children a gift that many don't receive.

Anyway. Patience has always been a weak point for myself, tis true, but the recent happenings have got my panties all in a bunch.

The truth of the matter is, God has already blessed me more abundantly than I could have ever asked for or even imagined. That should be enough to make me content the rest of my days.

But when the old black and white shadows of the past haunt you, it makes you long for something greater and makes you so sad to lose all that your ancestors have worked for.

Marlene Bibby said...

I understand now. It is sad when something has been handed down for generations is coming to an end. That is sad. Sorry for you all. I know that you and Matt believe children are a legacy. We just all need to be reminded. Sometimes I want to go back to work, and then I remember how precious my time is with my grandchildren. I wouldn't replace it with the highest paying job, because I already have it!

Rebecca said...

Rereading my last comment, I am apaulled that I wrote 'selled' instead of sold. REALLY. I am BETTER at grammar than that! Sheesh!

Mrs. B. I am SO thankful that you are taking the time to enjoy your grandchildren. By being so much a part of their lives, you are BLESSING them so! what a wonderful gift that MOST children don't get. Your priorities are just where they should be~and MANY could learn from your good example.

Abigail said...

I felt sad reading the tail end of this post, especially since my uncle sold land that is smack dab next to my parents' home. Thinking of my grandpa working with and my brothers and sisters and I playing on the land that will now be someone's front yard makes my heart ache a bit, even as I recognize that in the grand scheme of life, land is temporal.

So, anyway, it is sad that the family land will be selled. (There-- I have an English degree- make you feel any better?!)

I hope that God makes a way for you to move closer, even if it's not on the land that you (and I!) wish for it to be. Praise God that He has given you such wealth already.