Not sure I've ever written about my chickens before! Our chicken journey started during COVID, what else does a family do with no where to go, no jobs to do...you get new animals! From 6 to 10, minus 4, to 12, to 20 minus 6, to 36, minus 5 to 24....you get the point.  They have become family.  SG has become obsessed, she talks to them, knows everything about them, does school reports on them.  She has become okay with the poo and has seen her fair share of dead chickens, most of which are buried in my yard.  I do love them too.  

Last year we hatched eggs with an incubator with 4H. We put in 24 and 16 hatched. I was such an exciting experience with the kids and for us. It is amazing to watch a chick hatch.  How God has created them to form so quickly, how they know from inside the egg,  exactly how to crack out of that egg, how in hours they can walk.  

This year we decided to invest in our own incubator. Ordered eggs to hatch.  We couldn't wait!  We knew we were cutting it close on the dates, since we leave for Kentucky next week, but we had counted all the days and had a plan!

>>>Side note....actually the whole theme...plans....I love them, I love to have an idea of what's happening in my world...God has taught me to be careful about plans...but I've forgotten...God used some chickens to remind me, it's not my plan<<<

The eggs didn't show up when they were supposed to, and that little tracker wasn't really helping us out! We had no idea where those eggs were!  When they finally arrived all the excitement kicked in!

Candled 8 days later, pulled some out, but we expected that. 

Hatch day came, and we saw a crack!  Set up out google meets so we could go to school, but still see these amazing little chicks!  Only one hatched....hmmm.....

later that night one more.....middle of the night one more.....next day finally another one.....

I stared at 10 eggs still in that incubator, wondering what went wrong...got pretty down about it too. As I caught myself getting ridiculous, the light bulb went off! 

"Many are the plans on a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purposed that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

You see, it wasn't just the chicken plan that wasn't working out, there was another big plan that has got me trying to solve everything.  We leave for Kentucky on Monday, for our Hope trip. The details and the plans of this trip have kept me up at night.  Running through the plan over and over. Trying to make a plan B and maybe C. Worrying about if it all goes wrong, then what, will it be my fault...

When that light bulb went off, God said "Carly, you don't have that kind of control and power...stop it!"

I let go of the trip, I handed that to God and I haven't picked it back up...but these eggs are still sitting in the incubator, unhatched....the plans of my heart. 

I believe that plans are good, I believe that being prepared for your day is a great thing. However when we get stuck in the plan, when we are unwilling to acknowledge, God is God and His purpose will prevail, that's when we get stuck.  We forget all the million ways God has taken our plans and pushed them aside and let His purpose shine on through.  These are the kind of weeks that I just have to keep digging into gratitude and memories of all the things God has done, to keep me from drowning in my undone/unfinished plans.  

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

That word unswervingly... not veering from the road God has us on.  Not trying to take a detour around an obstacle God has put there.  Having faith to trust that God is always with you, He will not leave you, or forget about you. (Deut 31:8)  He has a plan for our life (Jeremiah 29:11) and he will hold your hand right on through (Isaiah 41:10)...if you believe in your heart and profess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord! (Romans 10:9)

I've preached this to myself over and over! 

Next week, we will be back in Kentucky.  Back in schools, back to sharing about the God who loves and saves. Plans may work great, plans may fall apart, however I will keep clinging to the truth that God's purpose will prevail! If you have the privilege of prayer, please pray for our travels and most importantly the life that will be touched and the soul that will be saved, even if it's just the one! If you'd like to follow us on our trip, visit our Facebook Page

Today is SG's 10th birthday! Hard to believe it! Don't worry, Daddy compensated for all those unhatched eggs with a trip to the CO-OP! I have no idea how many chickens we own now!

Prayers, Praise and Pink

~ Carly

Being a Blaine

I officially became a Blaine 16 years ago. But I was a Blaine the moment I walked into Richard's life 20 years ago, because that's how they roll! If you ever want to see Jesus' love in action, go to my Mother in Law's house, she will feed you, chat with you and hug you and then you are family!

The Blaines are huge in numbers and coming from a smaller family, I was overwhelmed at first.  Always a baby somewhere to be held and a line of people fighting over who got to hold the baby next. When Richard's nephew was born - the first one I was around for - I was so scared to hold him, I'd never held a baby that small! No judgement from then!  Even though I hate pickles, they still loved me.

Whenever they got together for holidays, never an empty place to sleep, but they'd find you one.  I remember the first time I saw the floor lined with cousins, thinking "this is nuts". I didn't sleep much that first night, but it was fun! No one complained and woke up the next morning smiling and ready for more!

I watched as extended family grew and grew, but the relationships between them was always so close.  Taking care of each others kids, cooking with one another, stuffing 6 million easter eggs and only finding 2 million of them, watching TV, talking and just loving.  Even as we got older and and had less and less time, there was always an effort to keep getting together. The visits may not include as many sleepovers but there's still 6 million eggs and a ton of food, because they are Blaines and that's what they do.

This weekend should have been the annual Labor Day cook out.  Where if you've ever been a part of the Blaine Family, you are invited. Where we wouldn't hide eggs, but we would for sure cook and eat more food than should be legal.  Once upon a time there would be a volleyball net with an intense gamein progress.  This weekend should have had kids running everywhere, adults yelling "car" when the next member of the family came driving in.  There should be a sliding door that is never closed, music and more recently campers parked in the yard from the cousins that have officially outgrown the living room floor. 

But God had other plans...and that one is hard to wrap my brain around this Labor Day weekend.  Richard's dad passed away Wednesday, August 31st.  We weren't ready for that - not that anyone ever is, but we really weren't ready. After praying him through two surgeries, we had this hope of all being well.  So when the call came, we were heartbroken. And found ourselves asking "Why God?"

I bet He hears that a lot. And here's where faith comes into action. 

Why was he okay and then not?

Why was Richard out of town when this happened?

Why didn't we get more warning?

Why do we have to go through this pain?

This list could go on and on...and when you can't come up with the answers yourself, you just have to Trust God, trust that He knew everything that happened, where everyone was and why they were there. I believe in a God that has no coincidences, just a plan. 

On these days where it's hard to look forward at what the future has in store, I have to look back at all He has done before and know He will do it again. We've been in grief before, He got us through, strengthened us and I have no doubt He will again. 

Over the past few days, I've seen a lot of tears, but I've also seen a lot of faith.  I watch the Queen of the Blaine crew, my mother in law, cling to Jesus, cling to what she knows.  She is walking in her faith right now, and I know Jesus is looking at her saying "I got you, keep clinging".  

I am blessed to be a Blaine, even if I wasn't born with that name, even if I don't like pickles, they still love me. 

To read more about the great guy who left this world, https://www.foundandsons.com/obituaries/James-Blaine-4/?fbclid=IwAR2dnRlRBD8_dE3LC26Wjhm6be8SeuExm2-ul_IL410Gy9hk9wckXRydNSo#!/Obituary

Driving Down Memory Lane

As we drove home from the beach this year, Noah noticed how quiet I was (the boy picks up on everything) and asked what was up.  It was hard to explain to him how this trip down a physical road, had flooded my mind with so many memories.

Memories I wasn’t excited about, wasn't proud of, memories that shook me, in a way I hadn’t expected, and it probably wasn’t until he asked me what was wrong, did I realize I had gone back in time in my mind.

I went to collage in Hampton Roads area, drove that same highway numerous times. I was a completely different person in that time. Someone following a boy to college (don’t do it), someone completely unsure of themselves, someone looking for acceptance in others, someone to tell me I was worth something and loved. 

I didn’t have a bad childhood by any means. I knew my parents loved me and were proud of me.  I danced, played soccer for a whole season, did well in school, went to church when I was supposed to, but there was something missing that I had no idea that was missing, until I found it (that probably sounds confusing!)

I grew up believing that I just had to be good enough to go to heaven.  Don’t ask what good enough is…that’s a pretty subjective topic!  Like my kids would say pickles are good…I think there is nothing more gross!  We all have a different idea of good, and mine got more and more skewed the older I got. I’m pretty sure by the time I graduated high school, I wasn’t even thinking for myself anymore, I let others tell me what was good, no matter what the cost.  Oh that girl…if I could shake her I would!! I just had no idea that the acceptance and love I was looking for wasn’t going to come from a boy or a friend.  They are human and they fail, just like me. 

We are studying Jonah in VBS is this summer, and this past week I read about the attention grabbing wake up call God gave Jonah in the form of a storm. A storm that shook that boat and had all the boat people “crying out to their gods.” Jonah 1:5. You remember the story of Jonah, I’m sure! God told him to go somewhere and preach, and Jonah decided he knew what was good and he decided to go somewhere else.  God sent a warning in the form of that storm.  

My sophomore year of college, God sent me that warning, that wake up call that life was getting a little ridiculous. He was tired of watching me let others decide what was good. I left school a few weeks into my first semester that year. I completely ignored that warning. It wasn’t my fault, I was just unlucky…the excuses went on.  After some time at home, I went to another school 30 minutes from the first…I went right back to the life He tried to pull me away from because it felt “good”. Again I could shake that girl…she was so lost! 

But God…

Those two little words.  He didn’t give up on me, He didn’t decide I was too far gone or had sinned too much.  He continued His pursuit of me.  Looking back on it, it truly is a love story.  A story about how much God loved me!  Because of my time at home I worked a lot.  God brought Richard into my life at work.  We started dating, that led to a real relationship. That led to meeting his family, which was the first time I was introduced to a Baptist church.  I was intrigued. I wanted that.  I wanted that joy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to throw my arms in the air or yell Amen… but I knew there was something there.  Fast forward a marriage, a pregnancy, and now we find ourselves in a church, uncomfortable as all get out because I didn’t think I belonged. Yet we kept going and slowly God became real to me. I learned that the way to heaven wasn’t being “good enough”.  It was through a relationship with Jesus.  It was through acknowledging my sin, acknowledging Jesus’ death and resurrection, and acknowledging my need for him. “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

From there God held our hands and hearts through births, deaths, job changes, pandemics, more births and more deaths.  I found what I was missing. I found the man that loves me, pays attention to me, accepts me, created me in His image.  I found what I didn’t know I needed, and I don’t have to be “good enough” to get it, it was freely given to me!

Now…I will admit I still struggle almost daily with acceptance of the world. I want my husband to acknowledge all I do, I want him to tell me I’m pretty.  But he’s human, he will fail.  I want my kids to be kind to me and respect others, but they are also human and they will fail. I want my friends to say all the right things to make me feel better, but they are human, they will fail.  I want to push all my anxieties aside and boldly try new things without fear…but you guessed it…I’m human I will fail. 

 

As much as I want these things, I don’t go searching for them in the world anymore. I go to God.  I tell Him my frustrations and all the ways I’ve failed and how those around me have let me down.  And He sweetly reminds me every time, that they will never be able to give me the things I want, only He can.  We (God and I) have this conversation often…because I’m a slow learner and I’m pretty sure while living in this world, I’m going to keep looking for it to meet my needs. The only One who can is the God that created me, didn’t give up on me, took that lost girl and changed her life.  

That drive home just stirred my soul so much. Happy and sad tears flowed, regretting the bad stuff but in awe of the face that despite all the bad God saved me, not because I deserved it or I was good enough, simply because He loves me and I asked Him to.  I drove back up 64 towards home, so grateful for the changes in me.  Thankful for the conversation it started between Noah and I about the importance of repentance and God's forgiveness! Honored to be called a Child of God. 

The only picture of us from vacation!

And the crazy cousins!

Where this all started

After Ellie died, there was understandably a hole in my heart.  It was so empty and nothing filled it up.  With her birthday closing in, we decided to have a party. But what do you do at a birthday party when the birthday girls isn't there?  So we decided to do something for someone else.  We chose a charity that was close to one our nurse's hearts and the idea of Ellie's Birthday Party was born.  

As good as it felt to do good and watch the amount of donations roll in, she still wasn't there. Over the next few years we raised money...a lot of money for different cancer charities and kept on celebrating Ellie's birthday by choosing other charities to help, but that hole wasn't filling up.  After each big event or fundraiser, I'd wake up the next day as empty as the day before.  

I knew I wanted to do something that shared our love of Jesus, in Ellie's name. I think the problem was I was making it all about Ellie for the first few years. Then I heard about Hope for Appalachia.  I remember driving to school, I remember exactly where I was in the car when I first heard them on the radio. God spoke to my heart and told me that was my next charity.  We reached out to Pastor Mike and told him our story and what we wanted to do.  

In 2017 we packed 120 Hope Boxes in my basement!

I don't remember the exact feeling that next day.  But a few weeks later, Richard and I headed to Kentucky on our first mission trip ever to deliver these boxes. 

And I remember that feeling.  I remember being exhausted in the best way ever!  I remember feeling so nervous and excited all at the same time! After that trip, I knew we had found our place!  It went from 120 boxes, to 400, 500, to 600, to 1061, to this year's 1625! We went from covering a few grade levels to covering an entire county.  The biggest thing is that this has become more about spreading the good news of Jesus and less about Ellie.  

I was so worried in the beginning she would be forgotten.  Raised all the money, spoke at all the events, just so I could talk about her.  That was my way to deal with grief, if I talked about her, it made her real, it made her life seem worth it.  The more and more Hope Boxes we made, the more I realized she will always be in my heart.  I will always carry her story with me wherever I go, be it work or to Kentucky.  Telling people about Ellie doesn't change their eternity but hearing about Jesus does. God has led me to an organization where I get to tell people my story of how God used a little girl with cancer to help kids in Kentucky! 

We just celebrated Ellie's birthday for the 8th time without her. Never fails to hit me the next day.  I feel empty again...but it sure doesn't take long for me to remember to fill that hole up with the thought that He has always been right there.  He holds me up when I feel like I can't stand anymore. He helps me breathe when I can't find the patience or the breath. Reminders of all He has done! 

Thank you all for making it possible! Without your continuous donations we couldn't do this.  Thank you for being faithful and allowing us to share our passion with you! Thank you!

We have one last fundraiser to top off our Hope Boxes and purchase some bibles to take with us.  If you are interested in a shirt or a hat, please visit our fundraising page by clicking the picture below! (You only have till Friday to order).

I do have a prayer request.  Please pray for our mission trip. Please pray that the doors will be open to the schools and that we will be able to talk to the kids!

Prayers, Praise and Pink

~ Carly

Today's Prayer of Praise

 Dear Heavenly Father,

You are my provider, able to do more than I can ask or imagine.  You forgive me when I mess up and love me with a great love.  You are my helper, my refuge and my comforter.  You show kindness to me each day and You are faithful to walk beside me always.  

God this morning we wake up and realize it has been 8 years since our girl left this world.  Eight years since I held her and heard her voice.  However, I acknowledge that you ended her earthly suffering, her life of doctor's appointments, medicines, and couch laying.  You brought her into your presence...which I can't even imagine.  

You have time and time again shown me that her short 1061 days was meant for a great purpose.  As much as I would have loved more time with her, You did what You did for a reason.  I miss her giggle, jokes about her hair, her munchies and how much she loved her daddy!  But you have continued to provide such peace to us.  

You continue to assure us and allow us to see changes in those around us that You Jesus have orchestrated because of Ellie's life.  You have moved people to create an amazing organization, Ellie's Elves, that helps so many families in need and shines Your light to others. You have moved my parents to serve others in Your name, through a food pantry.  Through that food pantry, You brought my dad to church where he's found You.  You spurred us on to do something for Ellie's birthday.  Which turned into 120 Hope Boxes, then 400, then 600, then 1000, then 1600!  To think all those kids have heard about Jesus, because of what you did with Ellie's life.  You have changed my job and brought me back to the community that walked with us through Ellie's life.  You allow me to serve the families now, that served us.  You have given my children an understanding of life and grief that allows them to understand others so much better.  You have allowed our sweet friend to walk her grief with her trust in You, because she's seen us do it before.  You are amazing.  

Thank you for allowing me to see all of this.  For giving me assurance that Ellie's death, was not the end of her life. For reminding me that EVERYTHING that happens in our lives is part of an intricate plan that we can't even imagine.  

You are mighty, You are all knowing, and I will continue to praise You in all things. 

In your Son Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

A sweet friend gifted us this beautiful painting.  The comfort this brings my heart is indescribable. Here we all are together in one picture, with the One who made this all possible!

Prayers, Praise and Pink

~ Carly

Kids in the Kitchen!

 Summer is winding down! We are getting lazy, a little stuck in our ways and a little too used to Momma being home and doing all the things! My kids are typically great eaters!  However lately, there has been a lot of "I don't like this" and "I didn't want this" and my favorite from Stori, "you need to make me some good food"!  Umm...who are you people and where did my kids go? 

Once I found myself in the middle of the epic "there are kids that have nothing to eat! They have to dig through dumpsters to find food and drink from dirty water" speech, I knew something had to change.  After my flesh calmed down, because I surely just wanted to holler "you ungrateful people!" I began trying to figure out what I could do to help my momma heart out and to teach them a little something. 

I thought back to a conversation with a friend who has everyone in her family pick out one meal a week and tell her all the ingredients she needs to buy.  I figured we could give it a shot!  I dread planning a menu, so now I have assigned the kids two nights a week. SG and Lu get one night and Noah and Stori get another night. Their job is to find a recipe, tell me what I need to get, and cook their meal that night. 

I really was hoping this would give the kids some sense of responsibility and maybe just a little appreciation for the people who make their food!  

So here is night number one, Lu and SG.  The girls decided one would choose dinner and one would choose dessert.  Lu choose to make Mini Lasagnas and salad. She was pretty excited about all the cheese!

We had to use egg roll wrappers instead of wonton wraps...and she may have been a little heavy handed on the cooking spray, but she did it!

And our salads were so delicious!

Bonus, SG decided to make ice cream and cool whip for desert!  I splurged with the brand name ice cream and it was oh so yummy!  I can't say this will solve all our meal problems, but it sure was sweet to watch them contribute to the family.  To see them learn how to find meals and prep.  It was a struggle for control freak mommy to not intervene when I knew all those lasagnas were going to have "soggy bottoms" (to quote our favorite British Baking Show), but the pride they had in doing it themselves was worth it!

We may be eating some interesting meals in the future - I've heard some of the ideas, but I'm willing to give it a shot if it helps the way we all treat one another and reminds us of just how blessed we are...SG has since prayed for the "kids who have to dig through the trash for their food" (at least she was listening to me!)

We'd love to know if you have any easy kid recipes to share!

Prayers, Praise and Pink

~Carly

He Sees

I really thought we made it through this season of memories pretty easily. I had a few tough days, and even though I had to work on December 22nd, I made it through full of peace. We enjoyed Christmas and we are about to celebrate New Year’s!

I’ve seen a few tears from Noah, but I kinda contribute it to hormones...12 is rough (I’m gonna go ahead and start praying now for when the girls hit this age!)  As he experienced another round of emotions last night, I see that it’s not just hormones, that boy has real memories and pain that he keeps on shoving down because they hurt too much.  Of course counselor mommy can’t handle the stuffing of emotions, so we’ve been digging.  Besides the hurt, he still questions God.  Why mom, why Ellie, why couldn’t He just heal her?  

This morning as I tried to find scripture for him (which Noah now says he always knows that’s what I’m going to do, because he’s lived with me for 12 years and he knows that’s what I do....know-it-all), I turned to the names of God. 

I’ve been working on a scripture writing challenge from Coffee With Starla all about the Names of God, so all these names for God are fresh in my mind. As I found what I wanted for him, I started to think of numerous other people I know who are struggling with one thing or another and thought, maybe this is something I could share with others. 

The God who sees. When things hurt like the death of your sister, or whatever you are experiencing, it’s easy to wonder “Does God even see me right now? Does He know how much this hurts?” Proverbs 15:3 tells us He sees everything, the good and the bad.  So as I went to write this out for Noah, I tried to think like Noah, “if God sees it all, why doesn’t He stop the bad stuff, why does He let me suffer?” 

It doesn’t do us much good to know that God sees everything, unless we have some kind of encouragement for the future.  So I went to my two favorites. Both of these verses talk about present sufferings and troubles...the ones we know God sees and allows to happen, the ones that hurt and cause chaos, death, frustration, pain, separation. As horrible as these sufferings seem, they can’t even be compared to the glory that is coming!  These troubles are the things we must go through to get where we are going, heaven!  

There’s this road on the way to Richard’s parents house that is horribly twisty and tiny.  My father in law always jokes that someone must have been drinking when they made that road.  It reminds me of these verses.  I’m sure because of property lines and right of way and whatever other rules there are about roads, someone had to design that road that way. I can’t possibly know all the reasons and definitely can’t see all the underground things that cause that road to be crazy, but it gets me where I’m going. I have to take that road if I want to visit my in laws. 

After the feelings all spill out, you’ve had your good cry, told God what hurts...I challenge you to sit with these two verses.  Do you believe them? Do you think that all that happens is for nothing, we just live in a world that eventually ends and that’s it?  Or do you believe that one day we will live in eternity with the God who loves us. Who sees all that we go through and gives us peace to just trust Him. That one day, it won’t hurt anymore and all those temporary troubles won’t even exist in our minds anymore.  We will live in eternity with the one who created it all.  <—— those thoughts right there, are what see me through. 

It’s the end of 2020.   As we head into 2021, choose to see, that He sees, He knows, and what you are going through matters, it will get you where you are headed...eternal Glory!

If there is a struggle I could pray for for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Prayer, Praise and Pink

~ Carly