Company Girl Coffee and Memory Verse 8

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands." -Psalm 90:17 

I find that this is an appropriate verse to memorize for the second half of April, since we opened the doors of our new store yesterday.  Throughout this entire process we have been praying for the Lord to direct us and bless our efforts to remain in His will.

When my husband first came to me with the idea of moving and starting up our own store, I had mixed feelings.  I had questions like "Is this the right thing for our family in the long run?" and "Is this the right timing for us?"  We discussed these questions and many more as we started to form a plan together.  It seemed like with every new question that would arise, there would be an answer affirming to us that we were headed in the right direction. 

Proverbs 16:9 says "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."  I am so thankful that as we were planning, the Lord was preparing the path before us.  As it turns out, our first day was better than we could have ever imagined.  The favor of the Lord was with us indeed!

May He also establish the work of your hands today and always,
~Melissa

Spring Break - Adventures in our Store

Well, it's Saturday, and that means that this family's Spring Break is soon to come to an end.  It's been all kinds of fun.  We started off the week with a trip to Walla Walla to see the store and help however we could.  We spent a few hours stocking up the stationary/coloring book isle.  Then my DH gave the kids three full bins of various items that needed putting away.  It was like a treasure hunt!  After all their hard work, they were rewarded with picking out a couple of items each to take home.  RL loved helping so much that she spent the entire next day at the store with her dad stocking shelves and whatever other misc. assignments he could find for her to do.  Here are a few photos of our "work in progress".

I really like the staff.  They all seem pleasant and hard working.  The applications are still coming in, even though the hiring is done.  While we were in the store, several people stopped in (despite the "Closed" sign on the door) to ask if we were open yet.  One local who is opening her own shop down the street stopped in and bought quite a haul from our overstock section to help set up her office.  

I'm pretty excited for us to open.  I can't believe it's happening this week!  We're scheduled to open our doors for business on Thursday, April 14th. 

The rest of our vacation has been pretty low key in comparison to our trip.  The first night we were back there was a hail/snow storm.  Welcome back to Spring weather in Spokane!  We did have a super nice day yesterday though, which was perfect for some outdoor fun.  

Monday it's back to school and our normal routine.  Before you know it, the end of school will come and then it's moving time!   (A day that will sneak up on me, I'm sure!) 

Have a great day all!

~Melissa

A Little Spring Break Fun

Scripture Memory and Coffee!

Good morning! Today just happens to be Friday, and the first of the month, so you get coffee and scripture in the same post! (No Foolin'!) Couldn't think of two things that go together better than that!

Lately I catch myself saying the same three words over and over.  "I'm so tired." Often it is a legitimate complaint.  Last month there wasn't one single week without someone in our family being ill.  Between my bronchitis/sinus infection and the kids' colds/ear infections, I just couldn't wait to lay my head down on my pillow at night.  I have to admit though, the phrase has pretty much become like a broken record around here.

Before you decide not to read on because you think this post is going to be a downer, I want to tell you that this mamma now has renewed hope and energy.  Let me explain.

Aside from the wonderful fact that I am feeling much better, I am starting to feel the power of God's Word in my life.  I have been memorizing two verses a month since January 1st with Beth Moore and the Siesta Scripture Memory Team, and it has made all the difference in me.  When I am discouraged, I just begin to quote Scripture and immediately start to feel a sense of peace in my heart.  That doesn't mean that all my problems go away.  It just means that I am relying on His Word to help me through. 

This month when the words "I'm so tired" are on the tip of my tongue, I have chosen to memorize a verse that I can replace them with instead.  The verse is Galatians 6:9 (ESV)

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Some of you Company Girls out there may recognize the verse from one of last year's Home Sanctuary Posts.  It is such an encouraging post about parenting.  I was certainly re-energized when I went back and read it.  If you'd like to re-visit it or read it for the first time, you can find it in the archives here. 

I've had the beautiful picture below hanging up in my dining room on the whiteboard calendar for over a year now, but haven't ever taken the time to actually memorize the verse.  Well, now's the time!

If you are in a season of your life where you, like me, feel tired, don't give up!  Press on dear sister in Christ, and in due season you too, will reap a harvest from what you have sown.

In His Word,

Melissa

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