Happy 1st Blog-Birthday, 4 little Fergusons!

  Yay! It’s our Blog Birthday!!!!  1 year ago today, I obeyed the Lord and wrote my 1st ever blog post entitled Hello World.  This was after a year of praying for a ministry that could be done from home, and a good month of me saying “No Thank you” to the Lord’s prompting to start a blog.  Why would I blog? What would I say? How can that be used for God’s glory?

One night for fun, I jotted down some blog names and went on the web to scope them all out.  See Lord, they are all taken. It’s a sign. No blog.  And I went to bed.

  Needless to say after a totally out of the blue email from my cousin, (who is now dubbed my “Fairy Blog Mother”) bright and early the VERY next morning, I knew the Lord was speaking.  She wrote:

 “I woke up thinking about you this morning and you know what, I think you should start a blog…”  she went on to list why, but I didn’t need to read past the first sentence:  I got the hint.  Ok.  Gotcha Lord, that’d be a HUGE neon sign flashing that I could not miss:  so I hopped on wordpress and here we are: 1 year later already! 

 This week we’ve been counting down the Top 20 posts for the year. 

The final 3 ARE……..

3) Go Big & Go Home!

After a successful trip to Walmart Monday night, I decided to write a bit about the method to our madness. Dale and I are firm believers of once a month shopping. Our motto is this:

“Walmart: Go big & Go home.”

(And do NOT return for a whole month.)

((Unless you forgot the eggs, then by all means, send Dale on the way home from work.))

We budget $450 a month, for our family of 6, and that has to include diapers, light bulbs, shampoo etc. This total does not include meat purchases, since we get a side of grass-fed beef once a year instead. It has worked out great!

We just, in the past year, increased our monthly budget from $400 to $450 because of 2 in diapers and our kids eating more. On average, the government figures $100 per person in your home, per month, so that lets me know, we are still doing good. I think the $400 range is a good one, and hopefully, I’ll never need to go over that by too far, as our kids grow up. Just think, before I know it, my two littles will be potty trained! Right, AVERY the STUBBORN, who is almost 2 1/2??????????? That will give us $60-$80 extra, that used to be spent on diapers! Hurray! 🙂

Read more here….

2) Project Laundry Room

  9 years ago, as Dale and I were preparing for our new life together as a married couple, we began praying for a rental we could afford, BUT, I had a big wish list too. So, I started praying VERY specifically.

If you know me, and know much of a planner I am, this will not surprise you.

“Lord, we need an affordable place to live, and I would love to live in a home with big windows, a nice sized yard, a kitchen with a view, big laundry room, 2 car attached garage and room for our family to grow. And Dale wants to live in the country, and I am not sure if this city girl could handle that, could you help us find a nice compromise? Oh, and unless you know something we don’t, we can’t spend more than $400 a month in rent. Thanks Lord, may your will be done… “

Pretty big wish list right?!

Nope, not for the Lord.

He provided us with a 1940′s ranch-style house on 17 acres with 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 bathrooms. It even had the outbuildings Dale wanted, although he didn’t actually add them to the prayer wish list. That’s the “The Lord knows the desires of your heart” part. 🙂 Its only 3 houses off of a paved road, 5 minutes from church, 5 from both our mom’s and 10 from Walmart….

Country AND city.

Thanks Lord!

Read more here….

You surely want to know how the Laundry Room turned out, right?! These didn’t rank as high as the first post, as they were posted MONTHS later, but here they are:

Project Laundry Room Continued

The FINISHED Laundry Room – YAY !  🙂

And the NUMBER ONE blog post of ALL TIME ISSSSSSSSSSSSS………..

{Drum roll please}

NOT Big Blue Ball.

  What do I mean, not Big Blue Ball???

  Well, see BBB received the most visitors ever in one day, coming in at 2,142 hits, but that is ONLY because it happened to be the day I had a recipe featured on Tasty Kitchen’s Step by Step Blog. TRUST ME, had I KNOWN I was going to be featured, I would’ve written something WAY BETTER! 

  Guess the Lord does these things to keep us humble, right?!?!?! That way the people that stuck around were because of HIM, not me or my writing.  🙂  Anyhow I do NOT count this as number 1 because it was a fluke deal, but super cool that it happened on my 100th blog post. 

Now, I give you the REAL number one without further ado…………

1) 4 Little Fergusons, 4 Big Miracles

As I held Paxton in my arms today, I was reflecting on my life, and the journey it took for us to get to these 4 little Ferguson’s that fill our home with giggles and grins……..

After many trials and much heartache…..God has answered my hearts desires, and I am living my very own dream come true! I often think about my 4 babies in Heaven, and look forward to the day when I can kiss those sweet faces. Until then, I know they are safe in the arms of their Abba Father, their Daddy in Heaven, and for that, I can be truly thankful.

“No one else knows the strength of my love for you. After all, you’re the only ones who know what my heart sounds like from the inside.”

Read more here…..

  With nearly 1700 views, this post has taken the lead by a LONG shot!  I am amazed at how the Lord is using one of the darkest, most hurtful times in my life all for His glory!  It just makes it all seem worth it, you know?!

  This has been such a great year full of learning curves, ugly food photos, self discovery, tears at 4 am, sharing from the heart, taking photos CONSTANTLY (and loving it) and the best part of all?!

YOU!

  I have LOVED getting to know you and the amazing network of believers that can be found on the good ol’ http://www.  Who knew!? 

  You encourage me on my down days, you pray for my family when we struggle, you make me giggle with your comments and stories, you build me up with your positive words….and boy, do I love to hear what your family thought of the recipes you try!

  From our humble beginnings of just 70 daily views and 70 on the weekend to today, growing to around 500 daily views with another 400 over the weekend.  God is moving and 4 little Ferguson’s is growing!  I praise the Lord for the growth this blog has seen in it’s first year and I commit year 2 to Him as well!  I stand by the motto:

Chosen in Christ, Called to Serve. 

  Happy Blog Birthday, 4 little Ferguson’s!

You are 1 now!

The Lord has blessed me through this blog more than I could have ever imagined…..

To Him be the glory!

~T

 

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