A Good Decision

*Disclaimer* This is not a shameless plug. It's truly how I feel!

So, awhile back I started teaching piano lessons. Actually, a few years ago now. My first student moved away, but the family decided it would be best for her to keep me as her teacher and do lessons via Skype, and try to visit and get an hour-long lesson in (twice as long as usual) as much as possible. It's been going very, very well - better than my student's mom or myself could have ever anticipated.

Around the same time I started teaching piano lessons, I also started a business from my home. You can check it out here.

Both of these endeavors required me using PayPal to receive payment, and sometimes remit payment (to my vendors for my shop). For the longest time, I had to transfer any payments from my PayPal account to our checking account before we had access to that money. Let me tell you, that was such a strain on us when we only had one steady income! It also took 4-7 business days to get the money.

This is a picture of a tool that I now have that saves us time and headaches regarding payments to me from piano lessons, my home businesses (I also sell on eBay), and is all-around beneficial for us.

In fact, today, I got paid from one of my businesses, and we were able to run to the grocery store, keep a tight reign on the budget, and stock up on some important items at the grocery store!

I encourage any of you who do business from home to sign up for PayPal - it's safe, fast and easy - and apply for a PayPal debit card ASAP!

Courageous

Robert and I don't get to go to the movies often. When we do, we're selective of what we watch, because it's a special thing for us.

Well, we've been saving up movie ticket vouchers and getting 2-for-1 deals on websites and such for the last year or so. We've seen some excellent movies on our vouchers!!

But last Friday we saw one that I would have paid full price to see over and over again.

Courageous.

I first heard about this movie when I was watching an episode of one of my favorite television shows, "19 Kids & Counting," on TLC last season. I saw the Duggars were extras in the movie - how cool! I also noted the actors and that it was written & Directed by Alex Kendrick (who also played a main character in the movie), and that it was a Sherwood Pictures production (of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA.

I knew we were going to see it. Period.

My life was changed because of that movie. Not because I'm not living like I should be, but because God used the people who made that movie to remind me of how precious life is.

The synopsis is simple: 4 men working and living the American Dream, for the most part. There's another main character, a man who is struggling to keep ahead and is fighting for what God is directing him to do. Throughout the entire screenplay, you grow with the cast. You feel for them, your soul weeps for them, and you feel as though you ought to be praying with them.

I have to say, I've never seen a movie quite this amazing on so many levels. From the opening scene to the final scene, it captured my attention and captivated my heart.

There is no shame in the production of this movie at all. It's wholesome, it's clean, it's got a fabulous message - not just for fathers or families, but for people in general - and it presents the Gospel, clearly!

Michael Catt, Jim McBride, and Stephen and Alex Kendrick - thank you for producing a movie I'm proud to see with my husband! We will be pre-ordering this on DVD as soon as possible.

What are you waiting for? GO OUT AND SEE THIS MOVIE!

What I learned about myself today

So let me explain today.

 I went to work this morning, and my first task was to shop for and decorate the office with Halloween/ autumn decor. SCORE! It looks so great. :) And it didn't take that long, either.

I had big plans for fall cleaning: finish the vacuuming (3 bedrooms and hallway), clean bathrooms (not yet, but I will before I go to bed), clean floors besides carpet (not yet, might have to wait until tomorrow), and some dusting. I was able to dust the family room and living room yesterday, as well as our bedroom and all the mini blinds in the house. I also had a couple random little tasks that I was working on.

Well, I was all wrapped up in cleaning and organizing when Robert reminded me that it was almost time to leave for Women's Ministry. I told him, "I don't really think I want to go. We're sewing tonight, and I know that the ladies there know SO much more about it than me. I pretty much do my own thing and wing it. I've got LOTS of wing it. I've got wing it to spare!" To which he replied, "I don't mind if you stay home. But I think you should go. Does it really matter if they know more than you do? You were asked to help with a project."

I thought about it, but I still didn't really want to go. I got really nervous and anxious, mainly because I don't have any formal sewing training or expertise. I know what my family taught me, and what I've learned on my own. I still had about 30 minutes to decide, so it was okay.

At 6:30, I put down what I was working on and went with Robert to the church (I asked him to drive me so I didn't have to haul all my fabric canvas boxes, sewing machine and kit, ironing board and iron, etc. on my own).

I couldn't have been more wrong about tonight.

There weren't more than ten of us there (kind of sad, but also easy on my nerves), and there were only 3 sewing machines there. Mine was one of them. I started out by getting all set up (after I briefly excused myself to update the church's Information Board), and then was asked for help. ME! I was asked to help someone with their machine!

I fixed it with ease, and showed the person to whom it belonged how to avoid the problem in the future.

The rest of the evening went pretty much like that. I helped people, I got to share in fellowship, and we got stuff done.

I'm so glad my husband and some other people encouraged me to go tonight. :) I learned that, just as the older women can encourage the younger women, sometimes the younger women can help the older women, too. And that it's never too late to say, "yes," as long as your heart and mind are open to all that entails.