You may have noticed that I've been missing in action. Or...maybe not. LOL. Either way, I have been. It's been a very trying month at our house. It's a story you might not even believe.
About a month ago (I'd have to check my documentation...and yes, I've been keeping records), we had a water softener installed. It was wonderful! But as soon as it went in, things started happening at our house with our electricity. The lights would get really dim, bulbs blew all over the house, some of the lights would get really bright while in another room, stuff would just simply turn off.
At first we were told that it wasn't a big deal. Our local electric company was called and they came out to check things out. We were told that the old fuse box we had in the house was out of date and needed updating. They said there was corosion behind it, but that we really didn't have anything to worry about. The house certainly wouldn't burn down or anything. We relayed this info to the landlord who said that sounded good and then they continued to ignore the problem.
That week, we came home from a softball game and we were sitting in our kitchen (by candlelight) when we heard a loud popping noise and saw bright light coming from the room where I computer was. I hurried out to check it out and the computer was sparking. Craig hurried and got it all unplugged and everything but it was too late. The back of our tower was smoking and we knew it was ruined. We also knew that if we hadn't been home when that happened, our house would have burned down. Without a doubt.
The landlord came over that night after I called about the computer (he was supposed to have come over that day and the day before but he never did) and checked things out. Of course, it wasn't HIS fault that our computer got fried. It must have been a faulty surge protector. He proceeded to do a walk thru of the house and commented on lots of different things like, the condition of the carpet, some water damage on the ceiling that we hadn't noticed, and some other things. He was only in the basement checking out the electricity for a very short period of time. He also pulled the filter out of our furnace and said that we needed a new one. The furnace was still running. Incidentally, it doesn't work anymore and that's somehow our fault.
He came over several times in the week that followed. Sometimes he would come late at night. Always wanting to tinker with the electricity and never fixing the problem. In fact, everytime he was here, the problem seemed to get worse. Our TV started turning off by itself. We bought a Wii and that broke. And then our tv quit working all together. Now, let me remind you, this didn't happen all at once. This happened over a period of four weeks when our landlord just continued to ignore the problem.
So, I finally called Code Enforcement to get them to light a fire under their butts. They got an electrician over here to inspect things and ended up replacing the fuse box with a breaker box. When that was done, the electrician was still getting voltage fluctuations throughout the house. So, he called the electric company back and found out that it was ACTUALLY their problem from the beginning. I kind of felt a little bad that they went and replaced the system but at the same time, if it had been taken care of the right way from the beginning, that might not have happened.
So, now our house is up for sale. The landlords don't want to mess with it anymore and they want out from under it. So, we've got to find an aparment or another house to go to. We don't have the BEST relationship with them because of all of this stuff. But, we know that God's favor is with us and that He'll put us in just the right place.
The other thing that happened this week was that our car broke down. So, we're also shopping for a new one. My father in law is helping with that some and hopefully in the next day or two we'll have a new car. Well, new to us anyway.
But you know what? To God be the glory! I know that we are going through this stuff so that God can come out victorious. We are tithers and seeders in our church. God will take care of us. His Word says so! God never promised us that we wouldn't have trials. But He did say that when we had trials, He would be there with us in the midst of them. And I'm counting on Him for that! He always does what He says He will do!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pregnant! Warning: Graphic Discussion About Peeing On Sticks
I still can hardly believe it.
For those of you who wonder about due dates, I'm not 100% sure. According to the websites I've checked, I'm due December 17. But I don't know that I ovulated when you would during a normal cycle. I was in the ER a month ago with some throat issues and before they did a chest x ray, they did a pregnancy test (pee test) and it was negative. So, I'm not sure how pregnant I really am. I'm sure they will do an ultrasound soon and I'll know more then.
I bought the test on a whim last night. I had gone to the doctor (regular medical) for some breathing issues and she gave me some prescriptions. I walked across the street to Rite Aid to get them filled and wandered around the store. I wandered to the pregnancy tests. These were my thoughts:
"Man, this is day 51 of my cycle. I've never had such a LONG cycle. Something isn't right."
"If I buy a test, Craig is going to kill me."
"How many of these tests have I bought and taken only to find that they're negative? I'm just setting myself up for disappointment."
But, in the end, I put it in with my prescriptions. I went home and had to pee so bad by the time I got home it wasn't funny! Haha. I went straight upstairs and did the test. The "test" window had a line in it before it even got to the "control" window. I couldn't believe it. I glanced at it as I was cleaning up and thought, "No way!" There it was, plain as day! I have waited so long to see that positive test!
When Craig got home, I had him sit down. He looked a little panicked. I just kind of looked at him with this big smile on my face and said, "I'm pregnant." He said, "What? No way." I showed him the test and the instructions on how to read the test. He started crying and hugged me.
This morning, I said, "You know, you already think you're the man...now you REALLY think you're the man, don't you?"
He said, "Yeah, well...I'm pretty impressed with myself." Haha
But, and this cannot go without being said, God gets all the glory. I was on Clomid for five months with no pregnancy. I asked God to bless me with a baby this year and He told me that He would. What God says He will do, HE WILL DO! There is no doubt about that in my mind. God is good and He is all-powerful and He is moved by our faith!!
I'm so thankful and so in awe right now. And it's an honor and a pleasure to share it with you all!
For those of you who wonder about due dates, I'm not 100% sure. According to the websites I've checked, I'm due December 17. But I don't know that I ovulated when you would during a normal cycle. I was in the ER a month ago with some throat issues and before they did a chest x ray, they did a pregnancy test (pee test) and it was negative. So, I'm not sure how pregnant I really am. I'm sure they will do an ultrasound soon and I'll know more then.
I bought the test on a whim last night. I had gone to the doctor (regular medical) for some breathing issues and she gave me some prescriptions. I walked across the street to Rite Aid to get them filled and wandered around the store. I wandered to the pregnancy tests. These were my thoughts:
"Man, this is day 51 of my cycle. I've never had such a LONG cycle. Something isn't right."
"If I buy a test, Craig is going to kill me."
"How many of these tests have I bought and taken only to find that they're negative? I'm just setting myself up for disappointment."
But, in the end, I put it in with my prescriptions. I went home and had to pee so bad by the time I got home it wasn't funny! Haha. I went straight upstairs and did the test. The "test" window had a line in it before it even got to the "control" window. I couldn't believe it. I glanced at it as I was cleaning up and thought, "No way!" There it was, plain as day! I have waited so long to see that positive test!
When Craig got home, I had him sit down. He looked a little panicked. I just kind of looked at him with this big smile on my face and said, "I'm pregnant." He said, "What? No way." I showed him the test and the instructions on how to read the test. He started crying and hugged me.
This morning, I said, "You know, you already think you're the man...now you REALLY think you're the man, don't you?"
He said, "Yeah, well...I'm pretty impressed with myself." Haha
But, and this cannot go without being said, God gets all the glory. I was on Clomid for five months with no pregnancy. I asked God to bless me with a baby this year and He told me that He would. What God says He will do, HE WILL DO! There is no doubt about that in my mind. God is good and He is all-powerful and He is moved by our faith!!
I'm so thankful and so in awe right now. And it's an honor and a pleasure to share it with you all!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
RIP Henry The Octopus
Henry the Octopus suffered a painful and agonizing death this morning at the hands...er...paws of Gizmo of Corning, NY.
Henry was a loved member of the Colwell household. He joined the family circa June, 2003 as Matthew's beloved Wiggles Octopus friend. Tragedy struck this morning at approximately 9:04 am when Henry was overtaken by one, Gizmo, species: Canine. Gizmo is a one year old lhasa-apso/american eskimo canine who has been with the Colwell family since April of 2008. Henry was abruptly struck in the back several times by the canine's large nose before being picked up by one of his eight limbs. Gizmo then carried Henry to the rug in the daycare room and proceeded to chew. Unfortunately, Henry's screams were not heard by the remainder of the family due to the fact that he was, in fact, a toy.
Ultimately, Henry met his end when Gizmo tore one of his eight legs off and threw it across the room. She then began to remove the beads that made up the stuffing inside the toy octopus. Henry continued to scream, but again, he was a toy.
The burial took place in the Colwell family garbage can. Services will take place today, January 13, 2009 and will consist of people looking at Henry and shaking their heads as they continue to pour food, waste and paper products down upon his head, thereby, burying him in the garbage.
His remains were sucked up off the carpet by the Colwell family vacuum. The Colwell family wishes to extend many thanks to the vacuum for it's quick recovery of Henry's remains.
The vacuum was unavailable for comment.
Monday, December 22, 2008
So, what happened?
I know there are some of my buds who are dying to know what happened over the weekend. Did we get to go to Windsor for our Christmas with Craig's family?
The answer is a resounding YES!
We racked our brains trying to think of everything we possibly could think of. It was really frustrating. My daughter was, by far, the best at maintaining her faith. She kept telling us all to stop saying IF we go because we were going. Even though she couldn't see the end result yet, she knew! We exhausted every possible resource. Finally, my mom agreed to give us our Christmas money early. Craig talked to Enterprise Saturday morning and they were all out of cars. Unless they got a cancellation. And then we find out that they actually needed TWO cancellations because they were already short a car. At 11:00, we were told if they got any cancellations, they would call us.
At 11:30, they called and said if we could get there by noon, they had a car for us. I called the cab company and it was $40 for a cab from Corning to Elmira. It's about a 20 minutes drive. That was ridiculous. So, I called our neighbors and asked them if Craig could get a ride. Lo and behold, our neighbor's response was, "I'm going that way anyway. We'll leave in a few minutes." About an hour later, Craig came back with our rental car. I got everything all packed up while we were waiting and when Craig came home, we packed up the car and left.
God is so good! Even though things looked bleak, God came through for us. We even realized that Craig lost that $20 tip he got from work on Friday. The one we thought was a beginning answer to our prayers? Satan thinks he can steal our stuff and it's just not going to happen.
I hope you'll be encouraged by this story today. I'm so thrilled with how good my God is.
The answer is a resounding YES!
We racked our brains trying to think of everything we possibly could think of. It was really frustrating. My daughter was, by far, the best at maintaining her faith. She kept telling us all to stop saying IF we go because we were going. Even though she couldn't see the end result yet, she knew! We exhausted every possible resource. Finally, my mom agreed to give us our Christmas money early. Craig talked to Enterprise Saturday morning and they were all out of cars. Unless they got a cancellation. And then we find out that they actually needed TWO cancellations because they were already short a car. At 11:00, we were told if they got any cancellations, they would call us.
At 11:30, they called and said if we could get there by noon, they had a car for us. I called the cab company and it was $40 for a cab from Corning to Elmira. It's about a 20 minutes drive. That was ridiculous. So, I called our neighbors and asked them if Craig could get a ride. Lo and behold, our neighbor's response was, "I'm going that way anyway. We'll leave in a few minutes." About an hour later, Craig came back with our rental car. I got everything all packed up while we were waiting and when Craig came home, we packed up the car and left.
God is so good! Even though things looked bleak, God came through for us. We even realized that Craig lost that $20 tip he got from work on Friday. The one we thought was a beginning answer to our prayers? Satan thinks he can steal our stuff and it's just not going to happen.
I hope you'll be encouraged by this story today. I'm so thrilled with how good my God is.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Drop By Nine Spoonfuls
"Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll" has been the adopted theme of rock bands for years, and it speaks of a lifestyle that includes depression, sexual depravity, drug dependency, and high suicidal rates. Author Nicole Byerly unlayers this provocative world in her first book, Drop By Nine Spoonfuls. The book follows a rock band that has made it to the top, reaching "rock star" status, when they are confronted with the Truth. Certain key band members make a life-changing decision to follow Christ, throwing the band into upheaval concerning their future, their direction, and their eternal destiny. It's all here, written in a youth-oriented style that will keep a reader interested page after turning page. One band member is a self-mutilator; another pays the ultimate price for his choices and is found dead from a drug overdose. There is even a developing love story throughout.
This is my book! It makes a great Christmas gift. Let me know if you're interested in getting a copy. Or visit www.tatepublishing.com
This is my book! It makes a great Christmas gift. Let me know if you're interested in getting a copy. Or visit www.tatepublishing.com
With God, anything is possible!
Friday afternoon and we are snowed in. We are supposed to go to Windsor, NY tomorrow for Craig's family's Christmas celebration. Last night, we were coming home from Cassidy's chorus concert and when we pulled out of our parking place, there was a kind of "THUMP" in the van. As we drove home, Craig realized the power steering was gone. This morning, he took the van to the shop. They called him a little while ago and told him that our van was ready for the junk yard. It would take $900 to fix it. We definitely don't have $900. The money he's getting paid today is just enough to cover Christmas presents for his family and gas.
Who's report will I believe? You know what? I've been down the road of worry before. I've been down the road of disbelief. I'm not going down those roads anymore. Craig and I tithe. Every Sunday, we give God our TOP 10% of our money. We have started sowing. And we serve a faithful God. God is bigger than a minivan. He's bigger than the problems the minivan has. I'm DONE telling God about how big my problems are and I'm telling my problems how big my God is.
Problems...my God is WAY bigger than you!!!
And Satan, you'd better know that you're not affecting my faith! If anything you're making it stronger. I'm not worried. I'm not going to anguish over how the van is going to get fixed. Why should I worry? God is in control. He's proven himself faithful to us. He'll be faithful in this situation. I'm a tither! Satan, did you know I'm a tither! I live in God's economy, not in the world's. Regardless of what is said about this situation, I'll believe what God says. And he says that I'm his child. I'm protected and he takes care of me and my family. You can't hurt us! We're not yours!!!
I'm amazed with how Satan is coming against us. It just makes me realize how destined we must be for great things. I don't know what God's plans are with this situation. I don't need to know. We live in God's economy and in his principles. There is no need for us to worry. And I'm not. I'm just sitting here and waiting for my God to prove himself faithful, yet again!
Agree with me!!!
Who's report will I believe? You know what? I've been down the road of worry before. I've been down the road of disbelief. I'm not going down those roads anymore. Craig and I tithe. Every Sunday, we give God our TOP 10% of our money. We have started sowing. And we serve a faithful God. God is bigger than a minivan. He's bigger than the problems the minivan has. I'm DONE telling God about how big my problems are and I'm telling my problems how big my God is.
Problems...my God is WAY bigger than you!!!
And Satan, you'd better know that you're not affecting my faith! If anything you're making it stronger. I'm not worried. I'm not going to anguish over how the van is going to get fixed. Why should I worry? God is in control. He's proven himself faithful to us. He'll be faithful in this situation. I'm a tither! Satan, did you know I'm a tither! I live in God's economy, not in the world's. Regardless of what is said about this situation, I'll believe what God says. And he says that I'm his child. I'm protected and he takes care of me and my family. You can't hurt us! We're not yours!!!
I'm amazed with how Satan is coming against us. It just makes me realize how destined we must be for great things. I don't know what God's plans are with this situation. I don't need to know. We live in God's economy and in his principles. There is no need for us to worry. And I'm not. I'm just sitting here and waiting for my God to prove himself faithful, yet again!
Agree with me!!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Believe!
Because of Craig's new job, we are able to start attending catechism class again on Tuesday nights. The Tuesday night session is taught by our pastor and it's just incredible teaching. Last night he was talking about Healing and Miracles, but he was focusing more on Miracles. I wanted to put some of my notes from his lesson into my journal today and share them with all of you.
Healing is progressive. Miracles are instant. It is always God's will to heal. This really is amazing to me. Even today, I hear my mom say to me, "Well, when God is ready, he will heal me." THAT is NOT the God that I serve. If you remember right, Jesus healed everyone who came to Him and asked for it. He never said, "Well, I'm not ready to heal you yet." One time, he told a Gentile woman that her time had not yet come and that He was sent to minister to the Jews. When she heard that, she said, "But Master, even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from their Master's table." When He saw her great faith, He healed her anyway. So, sometimes we might have to come at God a few times. We might have to pester Him. But, His healing power is for us and it is ALWAYS His will to heal.
God's Word is above your circumstances. If you remember when the Israelites were going into the Promised Land, they sent out 12 spies to check out the situation. 10 of them came back and said, "There are giants in the land! We're as good as dead if we venture in there!" They reacted based on what they SAW. 2 of them, Caleb and Joshua, came back and said, "God told us we can do this thing. Regardless of what it LOOKS like, let's do it!" They reacted based on what God said.
God has lots of promises for you. Regardless of what you're seeing in your life situation. Are you going to do things based on what you see or on what God says?
My Pastor gave us some steps to obtaining what you want from God.
1. Recognize the area that you need your healing/miracle.
God likes specifics. You should approach God with a specific purpose in mind. Tell Him, "God, I want you to do _____________." Don't say, "Well, I want God to do whatever He wants." That's not how you get what YOU want. If you're not clear on what you want, your faith will be rocky. Declare it and you'll have a rock to stand on!
2. Know who your Miracle-Maker is.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don't focus on the preacher or the special speaker that's coming in to your church this Sunday. Those people don't have special powers. God's power is what matters. And God's power is available to you NOW. Focus on the Word and remember that Satan likes to keep us busy. He is not stupid. He knows that if he can keep the Word out of your life, your faith won't grow. The Word is what you should be building your faith on. If you never have a goal, you'll never hit the target. Stand up, right now and tell your situation that you refuse to yield to it! Tell your problems how big your God is and stop telling God how big your problems are! Tell Satan that he can't take the Word from you. Spit in his face! Be strong and stop letting him trample all over you!!!!
Perhaps you're worrying about money. I will tell you that the area in which I live is NOT in a recession. This recession was created by the media telling people there was going to be a recession and then people stopped buying stuff. Where I live (Corning, NY) there ISN'T a shortage of jobs. Gas prices have been more than cut in half. You'll be in a recession if you tell yourself that. But if you're God's kid and you're living in God's economy...well, GOD JUST DOESN'T DO RECESSIONS!!!!
3. Have an expectancy!
If you don't believe for anything, you'll never get anything. Realize that you have a part in every healing and every miracle you get. Sometimes we put a cap on God. We have to start AGREEING with God. God wants the best for YOU! Agree wth Him! And again...get the WORD in your heart. The more Word you have in your heart, the better your faith will be.
4. There must be actions put to your faith.
If you don't have actions to your faith, you won't receive. Obedience is key. Look at the story of the wedding Jesus attended. The servants were told to GO AND GET THE POTS. If they hadn't gotten the pots, there would be no miracle. Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to do. You cannot get to heaven with works alone but faith without works is DEAD. Faith without actions means YOU REALLY DON'T BELIEVE.
**And just a note for all of you with doubting husbands: When you're dealing with someone else's free will, God will move on your behalf.
5. Affirm your faith
The servants at the wedding were told to fill the pots with water. You know what? Sometimes God asks us to do stupid things so that he'll see our faith. We have to believe that it's done when we ask God for something. Envision what you want done as DONE. Be willing to confess over what you're believing God for. See it and say it!!!
6. Stand firm and be wise
When you receive what you want, there are some things to do to keep it. Pray things through. One guy last night said that God has healed him twice of diabetes. After each time, he went and began eating foods he knew he shouldn't have. His diabetes came back. Now, he's got it a third time and he's in the process of receiving his healing but he knows that once it's completely manifested, he's got to eat right to keep it. BE WISE!!
So, I'm stepping out in faith and I'm sharing with all of you what I'm asking and believing God for. And I'll share it with all of you when it comes to pass. I want to be pregnant. I want to have a baby with my husband. The three kids we have are not ours together. Cassidy and Matthew are mine and JJ is Craig's. I want us to have a child together. At least one. But I'm believing God for as many as He wants to bless us with.
I'm not sure what I have to do, other than this, to step out in faith. Part of me thinks that maybe I should start buying baby stuff or something like that. Haha.
Believe with me! What are you believing God for???
Healing is progressive. Miracles are instant. It is always God's will to heal. This really is amazing to me. Even today, I hear my mom say to me, "Well, when God is ready, he will heal me." THAT is NOT the God that I serve. If you remember right, Jesus healed everyone who came to Him and asked for it. He never said, "Well, I'm not ready to heal you yet." One time, he told a Gentile woman that her time had not yet come and that He was sent to minister to the Jews. When she heard that, she said, "But Master, even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from their Master's table." When He saw her great faith, He healed her anyway. So, sometimes we might have to come at God a few times. We might have to pester Him. But, His healing power is for us and it is ALWAYS His will to heal.
God's Word is above your circumstances. If you remember when the Israelites were going into the Promised Land, they sent out 12 spies to check out the situation. 10 of them came back and said, "There are giants in the land! We're as good as dead if we venture in there!" They reacted based on what they SAW. 2 of them, Caleb and Joshua, came back and said, "God told us we can do this thing. Regardless of what it LOOKS like, let's do it!" They reacted based on what God said.
God has lots of promises for you. Regardless of what you're seeing in your life situation. Are you going to do things based on what you see or on what God says?
My Pastor gave us some steps to obtaining what you want from God.
1. Recognize the area that you need your healing/miracle.
God likes specifics. You should approach God with a specific purpose in mind. Tell Him, "God, I want you to do _____________." Don't say, "Well, I want God to do whatever He wants." That's not how you get what YOU want. If you're not clear on what you want, your faith will be rocky. Declare it and you'll have a rock to stand on!
2. Know who your Miracle-Maker is.
Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don't focus on the preacher or the special speaker that's coming in to your church this Sunday. Those people don't have special powers. God's power is what matters. And God's power is available to you NOW. Focus on the Word and remember that Satan likes to keep us busy. He is not stupid. He knows that if he can keep the Word out of your life, your faith won't grow. The Word is what you should be building your faith on. If you never have a goal, you'll never hit the target. Stand up, right now and tell your situation that you refuse to yield to it! Tell your problems how big your God is and stop telling God how big your problems are! Tell Satan that he can't take the Word from you. Spit in his face! Be strong and stop letting him trample all over you!!!!
Perhaps you're worrying about money. I will tell you that the area in which I live is NOT in a recession. This recession was created by the media telling people there was going to be a recession and then people stopped buying stuff. Where I live (Corning, NY) there ISN'T a shortage of jobs. Gas prices have been more than cut in half. You'll be in a recession if you tell yourself that. But if you're God's kid and you're living in God's economy...well, GOD JUST DOESN'T DO RECESSIONS!!!!
3. Have an expectancy!
If you don't believe for anything, you'll never get anything. Realize that you have a part in every healing and every miracle you get. Sometimes we put a cap on God. We have to start AGREEING with God. God wants the best for YOU! Agree wth Him! And again...get the WORD in your heart. The more Word you have in your heart, the better your faith will be.
4. There must be actions put to your faith.
If you don't have actions to your faith, you won't receive. Obedience is key. Look at the story of the wedding Jesus attended. The servants were told to GO AND GET THE POTS. If they hadn't gotten the pots, there would be no miracle. Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to do. You cannot get to heaven with works alone but faith without works is DEAD. Faith without actions means YOU REALLY DON'T BELIEVE.
**And just a note for all of you with doubting husbands: When you're dealing with someone else's free will, God will move on your behalf.
5. Affirm your faith
The servants at the wedding were told to fill the pots with water. You know what? Sometimes God asks us to do stupid things so that he'll see our faith. We have to believe that it's done when we ask God for something. Envision what you want done as DONE. Be willing to confess over what you're believing God for. See it and say it!!!
6. Stand firm and be wise
When you receive what you want, there are some things to do to keep it. Pray things through. One guy last night said that God has healed him twice of diabetes. After each time, he went and began eating foods he knew he shouldn't have. His diabetes came back. Now, he's got it a third time and he's in the process of receiving his healing but he knows that once it's completely manifested, he's got to eat right to keep it. BE WISE!!
So, I'm stepping out in faith and I'm sharing with all of you what I'm asking and believing God for. And I'll share it with all of you when it comes to pass. I want to be pregnant. I want to have a baby with my husband. The three kids we have are not ours together. Cassidy and Matthew are mine and JJ is Craig's. I want us to have a child together. At least one. But I'm believing God for as many as He wants to bless us with.
I'm not sure what I have to do, other than this, to step out in faith. Part of me thinks that maybe I should start buying baby stuff or something like that. Haha.
Believe with me! What are you believing God for???
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