Nervous Knots

I have had a nervous stomach all day...
Started out with a conference with my daughter's teacher.
That went okay, I knew exactly what the teacher was going to say, "your daughter seems to have a lack of focus that is necessary for learning the material this year for the tests in the spring."
I am well aware of the "lack of focus" in my daughter, we have been dealing with it for a very long time. I have gone down the sticker route, been kind and encouraging, yelled until I am purple, threatened loss of privilege, everything under the sun and NOTHING seems to work.
She has been check from top to bottom and still nothing.

So, as I am driving to work this morning to play with 12 3 year olds, I hear a still small voice whisper, "Tell Me." Of course this just reduces me to tears. Not a surprising result, I can cry over a Hallmark commercial, but this was different. They were tears of frustration, crying out, "I Just Don't Know What To Do Anymore." I parked my car and told Him what he already knows.
1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." I have to remember the word ALL. I also need to "Be still and know that He is God." -Psalm 46:10 He is not finished with who my daughter is or will become and he has plans for her that I know nothing about.

Count Your Many Blessings

We are home from school today due to foul weather. Actually I was just out on the roads which are not too bad at the moment. I had to get my Military ID card renewed today before it expired tomorrow. Nothing like waiting til the very last minute.
I was going to have to take off from work in order to accomplish this task, but school was closed and so I didn't have to lose a day after all. God is good. :0)

Last week we had to put 2 new tires on our van because the tread was gone...my Valentine's present, nothing says love like safety. Drove home, had a lovely weekend, took van back to dealer to fix something else on Monday, drove home and somehow drove over a huge bolt which chose to go right into brand new tire. Tuesday, van went back to dealer for new tire...

Timing is everything, snow started falling on Wednesday...God is good.

I am blessed with a family that not only loves me but likes me.
I am blessed with friends that like me and some that even love me.
I am blessed with a home and food to put on the table.
I am blessed with a vehicle that works and has new tires.
I am blessed with good health and with children who are healthy.
And as my husband is standing over my shoulder, of course I am twice blessed to have him in my life. :0)

My loving husband just found out he can stay home instead of trek into work and he doesn't have to go to class tonight either. Another blessing, he can play with the kids this afternoon. I can hear the sounds of Hot Wheels and Legos in the basement.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.....

Oh, what a beautiful day.

A great song. I woke this morning with a song in my heart. Hasn't happened in a while.
It is a beautiful day, cold and brisk with the smell of snow in the air, but the sun is shining and there is hope on the horizon of Spring. I can't wait!
I love winter, but this year it seems to be dragging on and on. I think it is because we have been teased with sunshine and warm days only to be let down with a cold snap.


Hmm, I think there is a lesson there...more later.

I'm Thankful for Friends

"A joyful heart makes a face cheerful." - Proverbs 15:13

I am thankful for many things, family, good health, a home, a job, healthy kids...but I am very thankful for my friends. Being an Air Force spouse has given me an opportunity to meet lots of women and make many acquaintences and friends.

Friends, I believe are those individuals who know me. Know my expressions and can tell when I am having an off day even if I haven't said a word. A friend knows who I am on my worst day and likes me anyway. If they are a good friend or a bff, they might even call me on having that kind of day and ask what is going on. I am thankful that I have some friends like that. I had lunch with one of them (my bff Susan) today.

The pizza was great, the salad, not so much, but the conversation and fellowship were wonderful. Friendships grow us. Gloria Gaither said, "I'm not what I want to be, I'm not what I am going to be, but thank God, I'm not what I was!"

Thank God, I am not what I once was. I am not yet what I want to be. I am being changed every day into what God wants me to be. I guess when I am done changing, I will just be done.

Baby It's Cold Outside

Goodness it's cold outside. Just last week we were experiencing a warming trend and it looked a little like Spring. Even the flowers are starting to break their way through the hard ground to show their beauty. Yesterday ended the warming trend. It was COLD. Today it is cold and the freezing rain has begun. It is the kind of night that would be great to curl up beside a crackling fire, sip hot cocoa and read a good book.
I just may go snuggle with my Honey instead.
Good Night.

Picture of Fuschia

In front of Fuschia plant with my girl when she was 3.

Pruning Hurts

John 15:1-2
The Vine and the Branches 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

Pruning does indeed hurt. I have been thinking about this for the past week, since our bible study on Monday night. I got to thinking about how as a gardener, (which I am most definitely NOT) one would cut back their plants to promote new growth. Sometimes this requires massive pruning, taking a plant down to the bare nub in order to produce growth. One might think that this would kill the plant and it would certainly not survive. This is not the case. The plant will come back stronger, fuller, more vibrant than before and will produce more fruit than it did before its pruning.
I evidenced this when we lived in California. The base was allowing housing occupants to obtain bushes, flowering plants and other growing items from the houses that were being torn down for use in beautifying their yards. I, with a friend drove around looking for Birds of Paradise, Calla Lily, and other flowering plants. We found the perfect specimen, a Fuschia bush. Now in California Fuschia plants grow to be huge bushes, not just hanging pot size plants. Their roots grow horizontally and send out runners to start more plants. We started to dig up the plant and realized that the roots had grown under the foundation of the house and were not going to come up. In order to get this plant we were going to have to cut its roots with an axe. We did, took it home to my yard, planted it in the front flower bed and beheld its beauty. Ahhhh.
Two days later, every leaf, bud and flower fell to the ground and all that was left was a bush of sticks, which turned brown and very stick like in a matter of days. It was so ugly and I was sad. I left it alone, mostly because I didn't know what to do. My friend, who had a lovely garden and front yard, told me to cut it back and wait. I wasn't so sure about that advice, but I did what she suggested. Winter came, it looked a lot like Fall and Spring was soon there as well. My Fuschia had grown a bit and was beginning to sprout green leaves. Soon it had pretty pink buds that turned into flowers. It turned out to be a favorite place for the hummingbirds to visit.
All that to say, sometimes God has to prune us back and there are times he takes us all the way down to what might seem like nothing. But there is Winter and then Spring and we begin to come back, healthier, fuller and more lovely. Pruning hurts, but it is always for our benefit.

coming soon

Will be back later this afternoon with something that is swirling around in my brain.
I am not a writer and it takes time for me to formulate the words I want to say and even then I am not sure they come out the way I necessarily would like them to.
So, stay tuned.

My First Post

So, here I am, new at the whole blogging world thing... I have been told that this is the thing to do and the place to do it.

I have been an Air Force Wife for the past 19+ years. I have been picking up and moving to new places for the last 19 years. That is a lot of moving for someone whose hometown isn't really a town at all, but a grocery store, post office, gas station, a bank and a restaraunt. There is much more there now, but growing up if you blinked while driving past, you would surely miss it. :0)
Shopping was so much more than a quick run to WalMart or a trip to the Mall. If we wanted to go to the Mall, it was an all day venture and we didn't have a WalMart.

So, when I married the man I love and set out on the adventure of a lifetime, my eyes were opened to some amazing things. We have lived in Texas, Washington (which is where we are both from), Alaska, Colorado, California and Virginia. Each place we have lived has had its ups and downs, but we know without a shadow of a doubt that the Air Force assignments were God's vehicle for placing us where He wanted us to be for that time. I have met some amazing women across this country. And I have seen some of the most wonderful sites, God is an awesome artist and the colors and designs He comes up with are inspiring. I really do love the ocean and the mountains and I think that is what I miss most about home.

My loving husband decided this year was the year to retire. YIKES! I wasn't sure how to respond to that. But after the initial shock wore off, wait, it hasn't completely sunk in yet, I have begun to do what Air Force wives do, plan a move. Think through what items stay and what items must go to lighten the load. This is no easy task for me as I am a pack rat at heart and have stuff, stuff and more stuff. My wise friend told me that this was "The year to get your 'stuff' together". I have taken her seriously and am trying to do just that, but I find other things to occupy my time and put it off.

This is my first Post...I shall get better with time.