My name is Joy Gabbert. I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world! Theater is my passion and coffee's my drink. I like to turn old things into new masterpieces. My God is the one true God! I aspire to encourage other believers to be a light to the world.
I hope to accomplish a few things through blogging: 1. Enhance my writing skills 2. Give and get great housekeeping ideas 3. To meet my readers where they are.
It's real life, people! Lets live it together!
Well, as most people have heard VIA Facebook or word of mouth we are expecting again! :) We can not be more thrilled. Our little Sam has filled our lives with so much joy that we can't imagine what it will be like with another precious baby around.
We didn't want to have our children spaced out too far. I grew up with two sisters and we were each 32 months from the next. I liked that gap. It was nice. Although at times it would have been nice to be a little closer in age to my oldest sister. My husband on the other hand only had a 1 1/2 years between him and his brothers. He liked that as well but I wasn't ready to be pregnant again that quickly. We decided that we would try again this summer. Well, once we decided and tried, low and behold we were pregnant!
Sammie won't be quite 2 years old when this little one arrives. We are due in March and Sammie will have her birthday that following May. I think 22 months will be a good gap.
I know it is going to be tough to have two children. That's the only thing Andrew and I are a little nervous about. But with the help of our family and friends we will get the hang of it. Please pray for strength and wisdom as we go through the pregnancy and however long it takes to adjust to two kids.
Social Media is a wonderful invention. Information at our fingertips, keep in touch with old friends, and so on. However, it is also a weapon. A weapon that the enemy has figured out how to use against us. The internet is filled with pornography, blasphemy, idolatry, and thievery. This is a trap that is so easy to fall into but one we must fight very hard against. A strong weapon is one where it's easy to use but hard to destroy.
Today as I was checking my facebook I came across a video that was posted of an amazing plane landing that could have been a terrible accident. The landing gear of the airplane was sideways and the pilot had to stay on the back wheels as long as possible before going to the front wheel that was crooked. He did an amazing job and no one got hurt.
The comments that followed the video however were not as amazing. It started when one person made a small comment "Thank God". Whoa! People were offended by that! "Thank God?" they said. "Don't you mean the pilots skills?" they asked. "Why would God cause the malfunction and save them? Just to show off?" Countless comments that ridiculed and cursed at people who would dare believe in a god. I felt sick to my stomach. For one, every single comment, regardless if they were for or against the existence of God, were all assumptions. Assuming that those who believe in God are uneducated, assuming that those who don't are science nazis. But the biggest assumption was that anyone for God was a Christian.
Why would that be a bad thing? Well because these "Christians" were using foul language, calling people names, and damning all to hell. Oh and not a one ever said they were Christian. Just that they believed in God. A true Christian wouldn't and shouldn't react this way. We are called to love our neighbors, not rip them to shreds. We should be patient, kind, gentle, peacemakers, and have a bit of self-control. We can't force God on anyone. Only God can open their hearts. We can only try to point them in the right direction. But no one is going to want to go the direction of someone who is rude and demeaning.
On the other hand, the people that didn't claim belief in God were quick to blame Him for everything going wrong in this world. First off it's kinda funny to "not believe" and yet blame the God you don't believe in. But what they don't want to hear or realize is that we live in a sinful world. We did it to ourselves back in the garden of eden. But not only is it our fault the world is this way, there is also an enemy living in this world who is out to destroy and kill and devour anything good. Satan is too often left out of conversation. We can talk about him you know. He deserves some responsibility. Not all, but some.
Also, non-christians always say we are "intolerant". Why can't we agree to disagree? Because Satan is out to make a bad name for God and all who follow Him. However, non-christians confuse actual concern and love for them with intolerance. We care too much for their eternal soul to sit back and watch them destroy their life. We only want to help. If that means I'm being intolerant, then so be it. I am intolerant of sin that God is intolerant of. I am intolerant of people that God is intolerant of. God is LOVE and MERCY but He is also JUST.
For you Christians reading this, please be careful how you word things. You might be giving God a bad name.
For all you non-christians, please know that God loves you and wants a personal relationship with you. All you have to do is ask.
Today I watched a video on Facebook about the singer Colbie Caillat. She wrote a new song called "Try" that is all about natural beauty and how she is sick of being photoshopped and held to too high a standard. Not just her of course. All women today are expected to look a certain way. I loved the video and the article that went along with it.
However, after I watched this video it made me think about the other fake faces we all put on every day. You know, the one where we all have such perfect lives and a perfect relationship with God. I thought about my Dad's cancer and how life is short, unfair, full of illness, and all the yucky things. We just don't want to talk about it because we live in denial that maybe, just maybe there is a God who cares and can help. Maybe He can see everything we're doing. Maybe He knows our every thought. THAT'S SCARY! If God knows everything I've done how can He love me? How can a perfect God send His ONLY Son to DIE FOR ME?!?! And Why? We live in a messed up world with messed up people. And He loves every single one of us so much that He sacrificed His Son so that we can one day have a much better life with Him.
I hold on to this truth whenever I'm going through tough times. Like now with my Dad having cancer, knowing that His life could be shorter than we want. These are the times I CLING to God. Asking others for prayer, asking God for mercy. But what about when everything is calm and fun? How do I treat God then? I forget about Him. I think I have everything in control and oh yea, thanks God for your many blessings. WHAT?!? Why don't we treat God like our best friend? I tell my best friend everything! The good, the bad, the ugly. We laugh together and cry together. We trust that we will always be there for one another when something goes wrong and when we just want to have fun. Why don't I laugh with God? I can. He has a sense of humor you know. I mean look at some of the weird looking things He created. LOL! I want to have a relationship with God where I cling to Him in good times too. Tell Him of what silly things my daughter did today and laugh together. Thank Him for more than just "blessings". GET REAL with God. Have an actual conversation with Him. He wants that.
So it's the 4th of July!!!! And my sister's birthday is tomorrow. To celebrate we are having a BBQ and watching the fireworks :) We are all bringing a dish and mine is pasta salad. I found a recipe via Pinterest for a BLT Pasta Salad and I thought I would share it here. Now, I'm not usually a pasta salad person. I tried to find something that I might like. This one sounds delicious and I can't wait to find out in a few minutes.
What you will need:
8 ounces radiatore pasta
1 bottle ranch dressing (don't worry you won't use it all)
1 1/2 cup diced tomotoes (I used cherry tomatoes and cut in half)
1 cup cubed cheese (I used Mozzarella)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 pound bacon, cooked and chopped
2 cups chopped romain or iceberg lettuce
salt and pepper to taste
1. Start by cooking the pasta according to the box. When finished, rinse well to get off as much starch as possible. Put in large bowl and place in refrigerator.
2. After chopping everything and cooking the bacon add them to the bowl of pasta.
3. Pour the ranch dressing over and mix well. Add more dressing if it looks to dry. Just make sure everything is coated.
Three and a half years ago my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia. This is a cancer of the blood.
Long story short he was put on medication and went in and out of remission two different times. When he would come out of remission it wasn't a huge deal because we knew that there were more options to go for. However, this last time the doctors told us that the only option left is for him to have a bone marrow transplant. With his type of Leukemia the chances of survival are only 20%.
This caused us to look for an alternative option. Thankfully through prayer and support we have found another way to treat his cancer. On the down side insurance wont cover near as much if any at all. For that reason my family and friends have started a fund to help my parents with expenses.
If any of my readers feel compelled to help here is the link to my Dad's blog and his Leukemia Fund:
We have already seen so much support and love. By adding the story to my blog as well I'm hoping to reach a wider audience. It seams like cancer is hitting almost every family these days. If we unite together we can make the journey a little easier.
If you do nothing else, lift up a prayer for our family and other families going through similar circumstances.
It has been over a year since I have written a blog. I only recently remembered that I even had a blog after my sisters and I set one up for my Dad. I then proceeded to delete my account entirely. But after my husband joined the "blog band wagon" I rethought my choice. I think I'm starting to catch on to how to write and what I want to write about. My previous posts were, eh, good. They were about things I care about but not really what others would care to follow or get excited about. I want to be able to be a stay at home mom while at the same time doing something that I could potentially make money with. Gmail's blogger app has an option to make a little extra money by having adds on your blog. You have to have had your blog for at least 6 months and have a following. I've met one of those requirements. Probably not hard to guess which one. But I would like to give it another try.
First I would like to ask people what ideas you might have for a stay at home mom to write about? I've come up with a few ideas myself. Let me know if these are things you would like to see.
-DIY (I do paintings, repurposing old things, and DIY wedding ideas)
-Recipes (I have a few family recipes that I know would be a hit)
-Being a young married couple
-Raising girls
What ideas can you come up with? Share your thoughts in the comments bellow.
