his eye is on the sparrow...

God is so faithful to provide!! I am reminded of this over and over again, as He proves His faithfulness and grace to us.. most importantly by showing me my need for Him and my incredible weakness.. but also, in providing for specific physical needs that we have. This week has been such an example of that!

First of all, one of the things I have struggled with the most during this pregnancy is worry about our financial situation. In just the last year, we have bought a new house and a new car, and were planning on me being able to work for another year or 2 to pay off our student loans and car loans. However, after finding out I was pregnant, we were faced with multiple medical bills (from different hospital stays I had due to the sickness), and also just ALL the different things you need for a baby - (furniture, toys, clothes...and making one of our bedrooms liveable has also been quite an expense). And knowing that our income was going to be cut by 40% due to me not working.....well, I have had many moments where I have struggled, doubted and questioned.

This week, however, (as I mentioned) it has been SO cool to see God meet specific needs in such cool ways! Here are some examples.....

- one of the things we were still in need of for our nursery was a dresser/changing table. New in stores, these are hundreds of dollars. And the cheapest ones I could find on craigslist even, were $100-$150 for ones I didn't even like. I was planning on just buying a junkie used dresser and trying to refinish/refurbish it for cheap, but honestly I don't have the energy or the time to do that right now. Well, on Monday of this week, Chris got asked to work at the Y on his day off his regular job (which, in itself is a blessing, as we need the extra income) While he was there, he was talking to one of his friends that goes there that he hadn't seen in months. His friend happened to be moving this week, and was looking to get rid of some furniture, particularly a dresser! It was cherry wood (which matches our crib) and in really good condition. And then we found out he actually had 2 matching ones, and would deliver both of them to us for $25!!! How awesome is that!

- Also this week, I was offered an opportunity to do a taste test for a research company that I had signed up for. I have been signed up with this company for almost a year and have never qualified for any of their research study's. About 2 weeks ago, I qualified for one, went up there to do it, and they told me they had too many people, so they paid me (without doing the study), sent me home, and told me I was still qualified to do other study's that might come up. I was called this week again about another study, and qualified...and got paid $35 to taste a hamburger for Wendy's. (it only takes 30 minutes) This is such a small thing, but another example of God providing in unique ways to meet our needs.

- On Monday, I had taken the day off, just to have a day at home with Chris (since Monday's are his days off). We were planning on going on a date to the dollar theatre. :) Well, on Sunday night, I got an email about a secret shop that was available (on Monday) for a nice Italian restaurant in town.... by evaluating the restaurant as we dined, they would reimburse up to $70 for our dinner there!!!!! Pretty much a very cheap date. :) It was so much fun, and just another blessing from God.

- Also, this is a small thing, but I just got back from the grocery store, and was able to save SO much money on my bill using coupons. My bill went from $45 to $13 just from the coupons. This month, overall, has been soooo much better as I have been more careful and intentional about what we buy and how we do it. This is a blessing, and I am so thankful that God has given me the time and resources to be able to do this!

He is so good and faithful!!!