Company Girl Coffee - Store Update

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Jim Elliot

This is a favorite quote of my friend Melodi.  It's very appropriate in this season of my life, as I am going through transition.  It is sometimes hard to be all here when our new life is being built in another town.  It is strange to think that in less than a few months this home, and this city will be our past.  Still, for now, I need to be ALL HERE. So that is what I intend to do until God closes this chapter of our lives. 

With that being said, here is a little "sneak peak" at what God is writing into the pages of the next chapter of our lives.

We named the store "Dollar Plus."  There will be an entire section of the store off to the side that will sell larger items at a discounted price.  Think overstock.  Throughout the rest of the store items will be sold for $1.00, $1.25, or $1.50.  It's our own unique design.  There is a lot of buzz and excitement going on around town about it.  Our sign is up and under it is a sign that says "Coming Soon."

My husband attended a conference in Las Vegas at the beginning of this month that was so big it had to be held in two separate locations.  He walked for miles and miles as he searched for the right vendors to fill our store with the perfect product.  I hear that my Father in Law was quite impressed at his ability to barter down a price tag!

After four days of doing that, he came home to us for a spell and put my daughter to work reading numbers to him so he could enter them into the computer. In preparation to make a toy order, he handed all the kids catalogs and highlighters and told them to mark toys that they would like to see in the store.  They really loved that!

Before very long, it was time for him to head to Walla Walla again, to work on the building and begin interviews to hire a staff.  Floors were shined up and fresh paint applied. The next step was to install the point of sale desk.  I can tell you from experience that the hand-crafted, U-shaped station is very heavy!  They got it in place though, with cash registers and computers ready to be networked. 

He ended up hiring a small crew with plenty of experience, two of which worked for the former Dollar Store in town.  Once the shelves arrived, he and the crew proceeded to complete the task of setting up, cleaning up, and arranging the shelves for the next few days.  This proved to be more difficult than first imagined, so he hired two extras in town to get it done more quickly.

During this time the first shipment of product arrived so he put a couple of the girls to work setting up our first official display - jewelry.  At week's end, he told everyone to come back on Tuesday (when more product was scheduled to arrive) and he came home to us.

The kids and I soak up every minute we get with him these days.  It's hard on all of us to be away from him, even for short periods of time.  He loves us so much and over the years I have appreciated his drive to work hard so that I can stay home with the kids.  We are excited to go out over Spring Break and see the store coming to life.

This week the network guy came in and got the computers all talking to each other and my husband began the process of entering product into the computer, one item at a time.  It took an entire day to scan in just kitchen items, but after a lot of hard work and some fiddling with the program, he succeeded!  We can officially scan and sell any kitchen item in our store! :)

There is much more ahead of us.  Some of it will be routine set-up, and then there will also be the unexpected bumps along the way.  I'm sure glad my husband is a strategist.  He is not the kind to give up in the face of adversity.  I know that he will continue to press on until the doors are ready to open.

And what a grand opening it will be!

I'm looking forward to it.  But until then, I am here.  This is home sweet home, where I will continue to "live to the hilt," as Jim Elliot so wonderfully puts it.  I'm holding back nothing, making the most of every day.

Have a great weekend all!
~Melissa

Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 6

Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)

"The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

He enables me to tread on the heights."

It seems that God wants to teach me a little something about leaning on Him for strength. It has been a re-occuring theme in my Bible reading lately.

For some reason, this verse brings the movie Bambi to mind. There's a scene in the movie when the young prince first meets his father that goes like this:

Bambi: He stopped and looked at me.
Bambi's Mother: Yes, I know.
Bambi: Why was everyone still when he came in the meadow?
Bambi's Mother: Everyone respects him. For of all the deer in the forest, not one has lived half so long. He is very brave and wise. That's why he is known as the Great Prince of the Forest.

When Bambi's Mother died, it was "the Great Prince of the Forest", his Father, that took him in and taught him how to survive. Under the watchful protection of the Great Prince, he too, grew to be a brave and wise young buck.

I am also under the watchful care of a Prince. He is my "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) As I walk with Him through this life, He gives me strength to face each day. As I read His Word, He provides wisdom and understanding that only He can give. When I pray, He fills my heart with hope, and peace.

Yes, The Sovereign LORD is my strength. And I will stand on His Word and declare "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13, NASB)

Responsibility Matters

Good morning! I'm getting a bit of a late start this morning, but it's for a good reason. This morning I went to my kids' Awards Assembly at their school. I've known for a little while now that my 3rd grade son was going to get a Character Counts Award for Responsibility. It was all I could do to keep it a secret. He was so surprised when his name was called. I am so proud of him for showing responsibility both in school, and here at home.

It was a pleasant surprise to me when they reached the 4th grade names and they called out RL's name to come forward and receive the award also. As she walked by, she looked at me with a big grin on her face. I'm so glad I could be there for both of them. The award is such a great way to boost their confidence.

Responsibility. It's a big word, isn't it? I've tried to teach my children what the word means. Today two of them were honored for it, but every day I watch for opportunities to praise my children when I catch them acting responsibly. Things like doing their chores without being asked, being prepared for school on time, completing their homework without being nagged, or picking up their toys when they are done playing.

Yes, I'd like to think that I'm raising responsible children. So today, I'm very proud to see their hard work recognized in front of all their peers. In the end though, what matters most is that they continue to behave responsibly, even when no one is watching. For one day, we will all be held responsible for our own actions.

"But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another." -Galatians 6:4 (NASB)

Have a great weekend all!

~Melissa

Company Girl Coffee 3.4.11

Good afternoon! I have been a busy mom lately, but I thought I'd take a minute and chime in for some Company Girl Coffee.

The other day when Rachel Anne posted "Grab Bag" as the Small Thing of the day, it reminded me that I never gave a final update on my 28 bags in 28 days. We finished well over 28 bags. It was a mixture of clothing and toys to donate, and lots and lots of trash. It's amazing what you collect when you live in a home for 6 + years!

I learned I big lesson about myself last month. I tend to hang on to things because I think I need them to hold on to the memories. It's as if I think the stuff I own makes up who I am. As I was sorting I really had to ask myself why I wanted to keep certain items. It was very good. Not only was I cleaning up the clutter in my home, but also getting rid of a little "heart clutter." God really helped me work through some tough things that I didn't even know were there.

I still have plenty of time to work on de-cluttering and packing. And God still has plenty of time to work on me. I love the way Natalie Grant puts it in her book The Real Me. "I am not the woman I was five years ago, and hopefully I am not the woman I will be five years from now. I am evolving, changing, becoming. It's not so much who I am but that I am a work in progress, striving to become more like the one who made me."

Have a great weekend everyone! This post is linked up for Company Girl Coffee!

~Melissa

SSMT Verse 5 - Strength and Peace

March is here. As short as February actually is in days, it seemed long to me. Spring seems so far away in February. But March, now there's a month with hope of Spring! Yes, there is still snow outside. In fact, it's snowing as I type this. But I still hold out hope that the weather will begin to change and the ground begin to thaw.

But that's enough about the weather! On to my new memory verse for SSMT. I was really encouraged by Beth Moore's post this morning. I almost chose one of the verses she shared. It's so simple, yet so powerful. "March on, my soul; be strong!" (Judges 5:21b) That's definitely one that will stick with me and I will use it whenever I feel discouraged.

In Psalm 42:5 the Psalmist also speaks to his soul. "Why, my soul, are you so downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." I've often quoted that psalm to myself in difficult times, but that's not my memory verse either.

The verse I chose this time around addresses two things that I need today, and every day. Strength, and Peace. And where do these two things come from? The answer is in Psalm 29:11, my new memory verse.

"The LORD gives strength to His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace."

Interesting, the heading in my Bible says "The Voice of the LORD in the Storm." Reminds me of another passage in Scripture. You might be familiar with it.

Jesus had just fed the 5000, and He sent the disciples ahead of Him on the boat, while He dismissed the crowd. They were a good distance from the shore and there was a pretty strong wind blowing that night. We'll pick up the story from there in Matthew 14:25-32

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage, it is I. Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it is You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to You on the water."

"Come," He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. (NASB)

Just like that. The wind died down.

Notice it didn't die down before Peter stepped out onto the water. Peter just listened to the voice of Jesus when He said "Come." I can't say I blame him for getting scared once he stepped out. He must have thought something like "Whoa boy, what have I gotten myself into here?"

I have to admit, I've stepped into a few situations where I've felt the Lord leading me at first, but then, in the middle of it all, gotten that sinking feeling. You know, where you think you're in WAY over your head?

That's when we need to take a cue from Peter and call out to the One who commands the storm. The winds will die down, but until they do, take His hand. Listen to the voice of the Lord in the storm, and remember:

"The LORD gives strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace."

May you feel His strength and peace today whatever you're going though!

~Melissa