It's really not helpful...really.

I would really like to know why people find it necessary to say to me "I'd really like to know what happened to you". It is said to me a lot, mostly at church. Mostly by people praying over me/for me. Actually, it's never been said in that "I haven't seen you in 20 years and you look crap. I'd like to know what happened to you" way. It's always said in a "Wow!!! You're pretty screwed up. I'd like to know what happened to you" type of way. It's pretty disheartening. Really. I mean, if I'm coming up for an alter call, I obviously have issues I am dealing with. Everyone has issues, by the way. Just sayin'... I'm there for a reason, and I do share that reason. What's the point of having someone pray for you if they don't know what they are praying for? I figure the more the pray-er knows the better they can pray, right? I'm also thinking that different people are at different places, ya know? I am probably not at the same point as my designated pray-er( I know there is a different word for this, but work with me here. LOL) At what point does it become necessary to dump the "I'd really like to know what happened to you" thing on me? You know what, I'd really like to know what happened to me, too. It must be something huge. I mean, it comes up a lot..A LOT!!!

I'd like to think it's just an "I'm concerned" type of thing. I'm not sure, though. Visions of people listening to tape recorded sessions sessions with a therapist, pencils at the ready to take notes and tear apart my life come to mind every time I hear that phrase.

I suppose I could see a therapist. Again. I've tried that. I got the whack-a-do therapist who wanted me to sing to myself. Seriously.. In his office..To myself.. Out loud..Whitney Houston, no less..The Greatest Love of All... Seriously... It was nuts. I know I have issues, but I also know I don't have that many issues. LOL In all honesty, I'm good with myself. I'm gaining more confidence. I'm becoming stronger in myself. I can stand up for what I believe in. Life is pretty good. Then the "I'd really like to know what happened to you" hits. UGH.

Oh My Word.

How could I possibly have gone this long with out a post?!?! Well, life, that's how. lol

Tons of stuff has happened since the last post. We took a 2 week vacation to Missouri to visit family. It was nice. I think next year we are goin to bring our camping gear and camp for however long we are there and just have people come visit us. lol Much easier and much less stressfull. :)

School has started for the boys. They are all doing well. Griffin is in 1st grade, Lucas is in 5th grade and David is a SENIOR!!!

We got a dog. A HUGE dog. lol He's a Great Pyrenees/Anatolina Shepherd mix. We all love him. He's 3 months old and weighs just over 30lbs right now. He's a big boy. :) The house trainin is going well. We have gradually increased his roaming space and so far so good. He has learned a few commands. He will go into his crate if you tell him "crate". He also sits, lays down and will give you his paw.

Cub Scouts starts back up again soon. We have our first pack meeting of the year on Monday night, actually. Griffin and Lucas are excited about that. :) There is a camping weekend in a couple of weeks. I think Dave and the boys are going to go. We can't bring the dog and we can't leave him alone overnight so I will probably be staying home. It would be a great time to get some crafts done. :)

Well, that's pretty much it. Not really exciting, but we like our life that way. :)

Praying Mantis

I was out checking the progress on the garden today and found this.

Pretty cool, huh? He was just hanging out on the jalapeno plant. I only saw him because I was looking to see how many blossoms I had on it.

Nature

This is our first Spring/Summer in Texas and I put a couple of hanging baskets on the back porch. One of them must have been particularly attractive to the robins in the neighborhood, so they built a nest in it.

When we checked the nest one day, we found this.

The next time we checked, it looked like this.

So, today we check again and we saw this.

See the little hole where the baby's hatching? How cool is that?

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the hatching progress. :)

From My Home Friday

So, I've decided to do the From My Home Friday's from Michele's Blog. This week she is using Laine's letter "Grumbling Causes Stumbling".

What a profound letter. I know that I struggle with grumbling myself. It's a tough one to get a handle on. It's so easy to slip into the grumbling mindset. As women, we tend to surround ourselves with like minded individuals. Those that we have something in common with. Those we feel a bond with. We get together for bible studies, coffee mornings, play groups, bunco, etc. We all have a great time. We set aside our precious time for these "girls nights". We share our lives, our hopes, our dreams. We lean on each other for support. We support those we can. We become friends and strengthen our bonds. Then it happens. We have people that are complaining about their husbands, children, jobs, parents, friends, etc., on a regular basis. I'm not talking about the occasional "I'm having a hard time with my kids." or "My husband is on my last nerve." vents. I'm talking about the constant complaining. The "no one does anything right" evenings. Everyone gets caught up in it and before you know it, has become a giant grumbling session.

Something that has started as a wonderful time of fellowship, has turned into something else. Something sinister, something depressing. It's no longer fun. It's just all around a negative experience. That negativity begins to spread into our home lives. It taints our families. It spreads into our spiritual lives and taints our relationship with God. Instead of being content in God's plan for us and in God's timing, we never find the joy in His plans. The peace that comes with knowing He has us covered. We loose sight of our Godly heritage, the legacy God has left for us. Our roles as children of The King.

It is so easy to fall into this trap. It's human nature. We have a desire to feel like we belong, and sometimes we don't consider the costs. I have fallen into this trap more than once. I would love to say I'm over it, but I'm not. Sometimes it sneaks up on me, then the reality hits me like a semi truck. I'm doing it again. However, I am blessed. I know that my Saviour will forgive me. I know that He will truly forget what I have done and how I have fallen away. I know that He will remind me of all the positives, and help me overcome the negative attitude. He will once again be my bright shinning star, the center of my life, the only one I should ever feel the need to belong to. He is my source, my hope, my everything, and keeping the focus on him and not on the grumbling draws me closer to Him and His wonderful plans for me.

Revolution Money Exchange

So, I got an email from a friend about the Revolution Money Exchange site. It's a lot like paypal. Anyway, the email talks about getting $25 just for signing up, so I figured why not. Everyone likes free money, right? LOL So, I signed up. They also have a referral program. For each person you refer, you get $10 (up to $500). So, if you think you might want to sign up, please use the link below. Then pass it on to your friends. :)

Menu Plan Monday

I found a great blog for people, like me, that need a little help getting it together. :) On Monday's this blog has Menu Plan Monday. I thought I would participate.

Monday

Beans, rice, and cornbread.

I cook the beans in the crockpot to make things easier and to keep the house cooler. I may skip the cornbread if no one is really interested, just to keep the house cooler. I really don't want to have to turn the AC on yet. :)

Tuesday

Teriyaki Chicken, rice, broccoli, salad.

My family doesn't mind eating rice two dinners in a row, but yours might.

Wednesday

Fried rice, made with Tuesday's leftovers.

Ok, now this might be pushing it on how many times I can feed them rice in a row. LOL

Thursday

Alice Springs Chicken, broccoli cheese casserole, brussels sprouts, salad.

I may skip the broccoli cheese casserole, because it contains rice. LOL I really should have put a bit more thought into this, huh?

Friday

Pasties and salad.

I am trying a recipe from Dining on a Dime. We'll see how it goes. And no, not those kind of pasties. LOL

Saturday

Kids make dinner night.

I am officially instituting a kids make dinner night this week. I have no idea what they will make, but I am sure it will be fine.

Sunday

Grilled Chicken, potato salad, salad, corn

You can find more Menu Plan Monday Posts here. http://orgjunkie.com/2008/04/menu-plan-monday-april-7th.html