As everyone knows all of the U.S. is facing some extreme weather. Some areas are much worse than others. The only state that seems to have it easy is Florida. They still have perfect temperatures in the 70’s. I heard today on the news that the last time we saw temperatures this low in Tennessee was in 1996. That was 18 years ago! That is so hard for me to imagine because it seems like 1996 was just a few years ago. Now I just feel OLD! 😉

Anyway, when we woke up this morning the thermometer said -3! I poked my head out the back door for just a few seconds and saw the pond. It was so beautiful. In spite of the very frigid temperature the sun was shining very brightly on the pond which made it look all sparkly. I enjoyed the beautiful view for just a few seconds before quickly closing the door due to the fact that even though there was sunshine it was very deceiving.

I jokingly told Jonathan he should go take a picture of the pond. He surprised me and said that he was wanting to go outside anyway just to say he had been in weather that cold. I told him he was nutty, but honestly I’m glad he did because he got some great shots of his uncle’s pond. I think we have pictures of this pond from every season, but these are definitely some of my favorites.

I love living up on this big mountain way out in the sticks. It suites this country girl just fine. Way out here… in God’s country, every season seems to bring with it its small charms that can so easily be taken for granted. I love being so close to it all and being a part of it everyday. I just wanted to share with y’all some of the pictures that were taken this morning. Here’s to 0 degree weather, fireplaces, ice, and a whole lot of praying for a little snow… pun intended! 😉

Just thought I’d share some progress. All four puzzles are finished. Now comes the part of having each puzzle framed. This could be a lengthy process due to the fact that it is somewhat pricey to have each one done. Below is a picture of each puzzle. As we have them framed I will be sure to also share pictures of each one as well as a completely finished project once all of them are on the wall!

We have also been working on the papers that have to be filled out to send in for the grant. Those as well as the fee are due by June 1, 2013. We are not sure if we will qualify for the grant. We will know the answer to that via email on October 15, 2013. If we get it, of course, it will be wonderful! We would then be required to attend a banquet in Maryland on November 9, 2013 where they will formally acknowledge each of the grant recipients.This is a grant for $10,000 so as you can imagine it will go A LONG way to help pay for the cost of doing in-vitro. However, if we do not get it then that’s ok too. God knows the need and as He has already proven through so many of you, we believe it will be met!

God bless you all and thanks for helping make our dream come true!

-Becky

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the progress we are making on putting the puzzles together. We have two completed, and are working on the third one.

The first one we completed was this mountain snow scene. We chose it first because of the snow in it, which goes with our name of course, and the name of the blog. We also simply enjoy this type of scenery the most. We live out in the country, and we love it. So it was fitting that this would be the first one we completed. It wasn’t terribly difficult, but it was challenging enough to keep us interested. Keep in mind, we’ve never worked a puzzle this big in our lives, so the thought of it in the first place was a little daunting to say the least!

The next one we chose was this one of the hot air balloons. We chose it because of its simplicity (It really was a breeze compared to the first one!), and because Becky has always liked them. On a trip up to Ohio to see my sister once, we passed by a community college that was having some sort of hot air balloon festival. It was pretty cool to see dozens of those balloons fully inflated! I can’t remember if any were flying, but either way it was certainly a cool sight to see!

The puzzle we’re currently working on is kicking our tails. It’s a beautiful scene with a path (driveway?) going through some trees. The problem is that there are no patterns to try to match up. We’re trying to find pieces that have tree trunks in them and work our way out, but even that is proving difficult.

I’d also like to take this chance to say a huge “Thank you!” to those who have bought puzzle pieces so far. I’ve added a counter to the right that will track how much we’ve raised based on what you have bought.

Again, thank you so much for helping us through finances, and especially through prayer!

-Jonathan

Operation put the puzzles together is under way!

Purchase Date: November 29, 2012.

Our original plan was to purchase one 5,000 piece puzzle to use. We wanted something that was gonna be practical. Because the puzzles will be given to our child, we wanted something that would match any decor so that someday when they have a home of their own it can go with them. We quickly found out that was not gonna work out as well as we thought. We did find a puzzle that we liked, but it was going to cost approximately $50.00! This was quite a shock because that was quite a lot more than we had imagined we’d have to pay. We also discovered that a 5,000 piece puzzle is not small. Dimensions listed were a little over 5 feet long by about 3-4 feet tall! At that point I was beginning to think even if we did get that we’d have to put it together in sections and then where would we hang something that big? After all… the plan is to hang the puzzle in our baby’s room.

Needless to say because of this we chose to go with something a little smaller. 😉 We bought a box containing four 1,000 piece puzzles. As was stated in the “Our Story” section we plan to put them together, and have them framed. We will number each of the puzzle pieces on the back. As money is given, we will fill out a computer spreadsheet that tells the names, dates, and amounts given, and correlate those to the numbers on the puzzle so that it will always be a reminder of how God provided. Our child will always know that through God’s goodness, and because of all of you who gave, they could have life!

I plan to occasionally make post to keep y’all up-to-date on the progress of the puzzles and the finished results. Here are a couple other pictures we have taken of the work in progress.

Just Outta The Box!

The Edge Is Always The Easy Part. 😉

The Real Work Starts Now.

Slow But Sure. 🙂

-Becky

 You may be wondering why I chose this verse to put on our picture… the Lord put this verse on my heart a few months ago. One day as I way doing my daily Bible reading I read this verse and it has stuck with me ever since. Now yes, of course I have read this verse several times in the past, but this particular time it seemed to stand out to me even more.

 As I was reading I began to see things in this story I had never seen before. In verse 7 it says year by year, so even though there is no account given for how many years this was, I know each one must have been more difficult for Hannah than the one before. Honestly… If I were her I would have been tempted to stay home rather than go knowing what I was gonna be up against. To me, for her to feel this way was totally normal. Any woman who is not a mother and wants to be so bad can fully relate to Hannah here. I have faced similar feelings and thoughts on more than one occasion. For example.. I’ve wanted more than once to stay home on Mother’s Day rather than face a day filled with things geared totally towards “Mom’s”. I go though because I believe to miss such a day would be wrong and selfish on my part. Wrong because I would be forsaking going to God’s house. Selfish because I would only be thinking of myself rather than thanking those who deserve it for the blessings they are in my life.

 But anyway, In order to learn a little more of this story I have not only talked with Jonathan about it, but I decided to find out what Matthew Henry’s take was on this account.

 Some thoughts from him and my husband:

 Peninnah despised Hannah because she was barren. Elkanah loved Hannah even though she was barren and Peninnah knew this. If ya ask me Peninnah had issues of her own. Because of her own insecurities and jealousy she did her absolute best to make Hannah miserable. As if that was not bad enough she did it most when they went to the house of the Lord. One maybe because they were together more but maybe also because this was when Elkanah showed his affection most to her. Peninnah wanted him all to herself. Poor Hannah! Can you really blame her for being devastated? Something else I read in Matthew Henry’s commentary is that Peninnah also knew that it was wrong to provoke her at this time not only because they were in the presence of people and others would take notice, but also Hannah desired to be calm and composed, to be free from disturbance so that she could have a clean heart before the Lord as she worshiped Him there.

 It even said that she would not eat because she was hurting so much. She had lost her appetite. She was uneasy with herself and unfit for company.  Sometimes I feel like I  can relate to Hannah here. I have had many days when I wanted nothing and just to think of food made me feel terrible. The problem here is that of course since we are humans our body does require food, and the lack of it ends up making you feel even more awful. It seems to be a snowball effect in more ways than one. I’m sure you’ve heard the term I can’t even stand myself. I’ve felt this way before and I was definitely unfit for company!

Have you ever prayed, but no words seem to come? Have you experienced sleepless nights and tear stained pillows? Have you read your Bible, but for some reason found no comfort at all in its words? Have you begged for peace and still felt hopelessly lost? It’s such a horrible feeling of being all alone. You ARE completely helpless and that is when you begin to realize you have to be totally relying on God. For me… I discovered at this point that every day I have to seek Him. It’s not pray one prayer, gain some victory, and then it’s all better. It’s an emotional roller coaster ride that sometimes leaves you hanging in the balance. A friend told me one time that learning to walk by faith really is the hardest part because some days are easy and some are overwhelmingly terrible. I have felt this way at times and still do on occasion, but I can know from His Word that He is NEVER gonna leave me. He is always there ready and willing to hear as soon as I call.  I know that I must continually seek Him for peace and His strength, and give Him the praise for the days that are easier.

 Anyway though, Eli accused Hannah of being drunk! He even confronted her about it. Now… The wrong side of me would have wanted to say “Of all the nerve, I have lived with this pain for years, I’ve been made fun of, my husband thinks he’s not good enough, all these things…and now, I’m being accused of being drunk?!” I suppose this is where me and Hannah are different because she simply replies, “No, my Lord.” She saw him as he was and showed due respect for a man of God. It still makes me wonder though if she might have been thinking, What now? Where am I supposed to go from here?

 Verse 11 says that she made a vow to God that if He would give her a child she would give him back. Part of me has always thought WOW! What kind of woman does something like that? Especially knowing that she would only get to see her little boy once a year? The only answer I can see is… a woman with a bucket load of faith! Eli told Hannah “Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. It also says that she went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. She prayed, she trusted, and believed what she had been told. She had peace in her heart. In my opinion, that is some GREAT faith!

 I know there are many other stories where there were Heroes of the Faith. I know God did many other miracles for other people. It even says in John that if they were all written down that all the books of the world couldn’t contain them! This story though… Well, It hits very close to home.  As I read this very tried and true story that day, the thought occurred to me that if the Lord could do this great miracle for Hannah thousands of years ago then He could do it for us as well. After all… He has not changed and never will!

 So… even though we do not have children yet, for me, this is a cherished promise I can take to heart and trust just like Hannah did that some day, Lord willing, I too will be called Mommy!

-Becky