Spring time and other Stuff Too

As I'm sitting here looking out the window I still see brown grass and trees with no leaves. I still see cold wind and grey skies. That's the back yard. In the front yard I see a bit of sunshine. I see colorful flowers popping up in my neighbors flower bed. I see a bicycle lying in the front yard. Isn't it funny how one side of my house can look so dim and bleak and the other side so bright and full of promise?
Sometimes I feel that way too. One day I'm feeling refreshed and ready to face the world. Other days I'm just tired. Today I'm just tired. I feel bleak. I feel grey. Nothing major is going on in my life. Just all the little stuff adding up. Ever feel that way?
I got a phone call from a lady I know today. I chose not to answer the phone. I know what she's calling about. I don't want to hear it. I know that isn't very fair of me. Maybe she just wanted to say hello, but to be honest I just don't want her oppression today. Is that wrong of me? Do you ever feel like you are being pulled down by the world around you? I certainly do.
I know that as a child of God I am called to minister to the world around me. I am to be a light to a lost and dying world. Lord forgive me, but sometimes I just don't have the strength. I am human and very fallible. I am weak and selfish. I am discouraged at times and other times just angry. Today is one of those days.
Hubby and I are working very hard on making some changes in our life. We used to be poor. Not poverty stricken by most standards, but on more than one occasion we wondered where our next meal was coming from. We are not poor any longer. We make a decent living, have a nice house, drive nice cars, and manage to pay our bills with a bit left over. We don't have much, but it seems like so much compared to what we used to have. We used to say to each other.. "if God ever chooses to bless us with a home of our own, and the ability to pay our own bills, we will glorify Him". Well we haven't and I am ashamed of that. We have chosen to buy a very nice car when a lesser one would have done just fine. We have chosen to get DQ a puppy when we knew darn well that puppy would cost a lot of money to maintain. We have chosen to get satellite tv when playing outside and reading a book would have entertained us. I could go on and on but you get the picture. Because of our choices I am sad. Not because we are broke, we are not. Do we struggle? Sure. Do we have to struggle? No. Did we make all bad choices? Of course not. What we didn't do however was consult with God first. We have made our choices on our own, and now I'm tired. I look around my home and have so many ideas to make it beautiful. I look in my closet and wish I had better clothes. I look at my bank account and wish it had bigger numbers. Do I look at my walk with God and long for a closer relationship with Him?
I called hubby today so frustrated because I was trying to get a nap and the phone kept ringing. I was frustrated because I am tired and I want a nap, but the world wants to bombard me with it's problems. I have my own problems and didn't want to deal with anyone else's. How would that reaction hurt me if someone felt that way towards me? It would hurt me. I really truly am so very tired. I really truly am going through struggles of my very own. But God promises He will not give us a burden too great to bear. The thing is though we cannot bear any burdens on our own no matter how light or heavy they may be. God gave us other people to lean on. He gave us His word to stand firm on. Now just to take that step.... wow I'm tired.
Amy

Not Me Monday

So it's been a really long time since I've done a Not Me Monday. I have a lot to share but honestly can't remember ANYTHING at the moment!
Let's see....
I am a labor and delivery nurse in the busiest birth care center in the country, but I am not sitting here watching Birth Day on tv. I'm also not yelling at the tv because they are saying stupid stuff that isn't right! It doesn't really annoy me when patients watch this show religiously, then bring their "knowledge" with them and question everything we do and say!
I did not blow dry my son's hair this morning and notice that he is now only about an inch shorter than me. I absolutely had no problem seeing right over the top of his head! I'm also not secretly hoping he's not going to decide to take advantage of that little situation!
Speaking of growing children, I did not get excited when BB grew out of his tennis shoes before he wore them out. They won't fit me, and they are not in my closet right now!
I did not get this nasty stomach flu at work, and I did not have to let a doctor go off the phone so I could go vomit. Nope, not me! I also didn't take a placenta bucket home with me in case of emergency on my 45 minute drive home from work!
Speaking of grand theft from work. I also didn't take a measured pee bucket from work to measure Callie the puppy's pee. She has been having some UTI's, but I would never take a pee bucket from work!!!!
OK, I've shamed myself enough for one day. I shall return with more humiliating stories another day!!
TTFN!
Amy

BB and DQ funnies

BB: "I'd tell you my favortie color but it's classified in 7 states"
"Mom, if you get me the new palm phone you can use it whenever you want!"
"My teachers just don't know what it's like to be a kid!"
"Maybe you could just take out a loan so you can give me some money to go eat with my friends!"

DQ: "I can't eat steak, it will break off my brackets; can I have an apple please?"
"Just write a check mom, you have tons of those!"
"Can't I just stay up all night and wake you up in the morning when I'm ready for breakfast??"

You gotta love those kids!
Amy

Braces.. They are NOT for Sissy's!

Aahhh braces. I never had the pleasure of enduring that particular torture as a youngster( well, a younger youngster ). My teeth are fairly straight with only a few minor imperfections that are not so obvious. Due to my good fortune I was given the choice between a show horse or braces; hmmm tough choice!

Anyway, with all that being said, my precious DQ did not fall under that lucky star. She was blessed with a teenie, tiny mouth that doesn't have enough room for her teeth. Her mouth is so small in fact that the sides tear when the dentist works on her mouth! Needless to say we are staring down the orthodontist tunnel!
She has been undergoing expanding and now braces for about a year now. She really has been a good sport about it all, but we are seeing a different DQ this week. She has an appointment today and she saw that fact on the calendar a couple of days ago. She came home from school yesterday acting pitiful and weepy. She curled up under a blanket and cried. She went in my room and went to sleep. She shunned her dog. She fake coughed. She assumed the fetal position and held her tummy. Then supper time rolled around and she saw the menu and instantly felt better! However, as she was getting ready for school today all of a sudden all those terrible sicky symptoms returned. She can't possibly go today, nope not today she says! Sadly DQ must face the chair this afternoon. Hubby and I are dreading it almost as much as she is! At her last appointment I don't know who cried more: me and her brother, or her!

Amy

Callie the puppy

Dear Callie,
You and I are not friends. I don't like you.
Amy

From Afar

I am blogging from afar. Some great friends of ours have recently moved home from New Orleans and so here I sit taking advantage of their computer.

So life in Hworld is crazy as usual. I'm working my nights away at the "baby factory". Needless to say the job has been quite stressful lately. I don't know what is going on, but everyone has been so very sick. Sorry to say I've been a little gun shy about going to work lately!

BB is doing well in middle school; finally starting to adjust. His teachers are starting to figure him out and how to work him. He was moved to a different class with students who are on his level of thinking. I think this has helped him because he feels stimulated and more motivated. Hubby and I are very thankful that for the most part BB has been blessed with excellent teachers who are willing to step up and challenge him.

DQ is as dramatic as ever! She is blossoming into a young lady. It breaks my heart to listen to her stories now because her interests have changed so much. She is getting into music and books. She's still a crazy little lady, but man do I adore her!

So we are praying about a few things, some changes taking place. Of course that seems to be the theme this year! I am finding that the more these changes take place the more I am adjusting. I'm getting better!

Hopefully our electronic world will be up and working soon and I can post some updated pics.

Oh, by the way... we have yet another new addition to the family. Let's all welcome Callie the psycho puppy to the family. She's crazy as her mama (DQ)... she'll fit right in!!!

Amy

I Know Right?

A little lingo I picked up from my son. It has been quite some time since I've posted and for that I apologize. We have had some technical difficutlies, wait, we STILL have some technical difficutlites. I assure you we are working on the problem, until then you get nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Annoying huh? I know right???

Amy