Seeing Spots...

Hi y'all,
Sorry, its been a while since writing on my blog.  I have been busy checkin' out other blogs for tips, ideas and how to's.  Remember, I said this was a work in progress.  I at least hope I'm progressing...I have said this before, but I have a gazillion ideas and thoughts rolling around in my head.

Also, I am trying to "land" or "secure" another job.  Remember I said I was not a good fit for the current job I am at.  Well, not only is it 'Tax Season', but little did I know, this kind of work goes on for months and months.  Duh!  I figured, 'tax season', ya know, February thru April 15.  That is how my pea brain works.  Like I said, this job is not a good fit for me.  So, this "other" job I am checking into, is right up my alley.  It is a consignment boutique.  I just love that word...boutique!  It sounds so quaint and dainty.  That's me right there...just kidding.  Anyway, I am waiting on the owner to get back with me on the particulars of the job.  It is so close to my house I could walk, that is if I chose to walk...which I'm sure I won't.  Working out, (according to my pea brain) has to be done in the right clothes, the right footwear, and at the right time.  'Cause you can't be dainty and smell like a sweat sock!  Duh!  I am all about the shoes too, but that we'll have to save that topic for a whole other post.  Have I mentioned, "I Love Shoes"?  I even get birdie in on the shoe action.  That girl has about 20 pair of shoes.  Yep, not a type-o.  I haven't counted lately, but 20 is pretty accurate.  I know, I'm sick.  But, can you blame me?  I have a serious shoe fettish, so naturally it wears off on her, and girl shoes are so darn cute.  Actually, since I buy them, it really is mostly me.  But, she loves her shoes and plays in them and loves to dress up and wear all sorts of cute shoes.  Right now, she has discovered "high heels".  Birdie specifically asked for high heels for her 6th grade graduation.  So, thinkin' hubs is gonna kill me if she falls or breaks something, I told her, just be very, very careful.  She says, "OK momma", and off she runs in her new high heels.  Nothing broken...yet.  I can't believe she is wearing my shoe size now.  She is gonna pass me in a flash and then we can't even share the same shoes.  That should not be allowed, know what I'm sayin'?  The last 3 pair I bought her (see, we may already be up to 23), I tried them on and they fit me.  She is about to turn 13 next week.  So, can I really expect her to suddenly stop growing, just because we can finally wear the same shoe size?!  Oh well, such is life...never fair!

So, about those spots...One day I noticed a couple of spots on birdie's arm and neck.  I checked them carefully, but thought it is probably a bug bite.  Then I kept seeing more and more of these "spots" appear.  Mostly on her trunk.  Puzzled, (I always expect any spot or rash to be chicken pox), told hubs while on travel and he said, "take her in".  That is our language for "pay $20 bucks for piece of mind".  So he was due home Thursday night and she had already gone to bed.  He saw them the next morning, also puzzled.  So we proceed to take her in.  The 1st doctor to look at her says, " I'm guessing it is this*****.  But I'll be back, I want to get birdie's regular doctor to see this and make sure he agrees.  Sure enough, her regular doc see's them and immediately says the same *****.  Some long-name virus and its not contagious, it will go away on its own in 4-6 weeks.  Mind you, she is a "PICKER".  She will destroy her skin picking at a boo boo.  I thought, how am I going to keep her from picking at these?  But, lo and behold, they have not bothered her like an itchy rash or bug bite would.  She has scared herself over the years just picking at spots until they bleed, then say, "uh oh, I need a bandaid"  We say "why?", and she covers her face.  Yeah, that makes it all go away...  Birdie's quirks, I'm tellin' ya!  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  That should be our motto. Ha!

Well, that should cover it for a few days.  I need to really focus on this blog, but toward the end of school, there is so much goin' on.  Her b-day is next Friday and her party will be on Saturday ( a Teen Queen theme-will have to post pics).  Then we have Easter weekend, a doctor visit in the 'big city', and a "Special Saturday" event up town with her friends, then...(we are not done yet) if I get this job I want, the first week of May will be getting trained and up and running after the grand-opening , then the last "Edge" event for the 6th graders at church.  It will be an overnight trip back to the 'big city', then the 6th grade ROPES trip which is a "3 day/2 night stay" and lots of activities for the graduating 6th graders, then...Graduation.  She is so excited!  I am exhausted just typing it all out.  So, needless to say, the rest of April and May are going to be super busy, super crazy.  Hubs gets annoyed with all this "stuff" going on.  This too shall pass...Oh, and I cannot forget one of her biggest events.  Her dance recital in May, the day we return from the overnight trip...she is in 2 classes, jazz and modern.  So, 2 pieces to perform and, birdies favorite...2 costumes!  Will definitely be posting pics of those.  The proud momma bear!  :)  Then, best of all...SUMMER!!  Can't wait.

Here is a verse I'll end with,
Enjoy!

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him"  James 1:12

So, I shall persevere!  Carry on...we have come this far with God right by our side, so what more can we do, but persevere this trial called life.
Serving Him,
Christina 

Lazy Day...

Well, hubs is on travel again, this time its just for a week.  So, birdie and I slept in.  I know we should have gone to church, but...I had a lovely "quiet time" while she was still sleeping.  My favorite thing is to have the house all to myself.  Absolutely quiet, no phone, no TV, no music, it is just...Aaahhh!  It is not that often that I get it either.  We are not a noisey family, but I love the quiet and solitude.  In our world today, there is so much noise.  Does anybody else feel that way?  So I treasure that quiet time all to myself, armed with my Bible, devotional (Journey by Lifeway...love it!), and my prayer journal.  I write my personal prayers in it, along with the praises and requests of my fellow bible study gals.  We meet every Tuesday evening and share requests that are on our hearts and minds, after we have discussed the chapter(s) in the current book or study we are doing.  This is a special time we share with LOTS of laughter, tears, and stories.  'Cause we all have to tell the story before we actually share the request, know what I'm sayin'?

So, I had a nice quiet time to myself, then I hear, "mom".  Guess who's awake?  That is when the noise begins.  How does that always happen, they are sound asleep, then wake up and start the day with a million questions or chatter about any and everything!  At least that is what birdie does...  I used to adore her little voice, her soft little chirping sound.  Now it is TV or her CD player, (sometimes both) and her fun chatter.  I am NOT complaining, just stating that I enjoy cherish the quiet.  I have to remind myself that she is able to talk, dance, sing and jump around like a monkey.  When she was about 3 months old, doctors said she may never do this and may never do that.  The worst thing new parents can hear!  What if we had held tightly to their words?  Boy, that would have been a tragic life for all 3 of us.  Instead, we chose to trust in the Lord and seek His plan for us.  Trust me, it was (and still is) hard, but I am so glad we went down that path versus listening to the negative, and gloom and doom that can come with having a child with special needs.  Remember, we did not realize the "special needs" that we faced.  It was new to us and it was something we had to learn each day and pray the Lord would guide us.  We had family to help us through, plus, our wonderful pediatrician and the service that the doctors told us about.  It is a program through the state which provided Occupational therapy, Physical therapy, and later Speech therapy.  She still recieves those services, but they are provided through the public school system, (still provided by the state).  Those people were a huge part of our life.  These therapist's would come into our home on a weekly basis.  So, needless to say, we had a good relationship.  I never would have been able to grasp all of this, had I been told, say in a birthing class, you may have a child with health issues or physical issues.  A pregnant woman is overwhelmed at all the new information anyway, along with all the changes happening to our body.  Could you imagine being told these possibilities too?  I for one could NOT have handled any of what I was "in" for.  Hubs either.  So, God is in control and gives us what we can handle only when we are ready for it...when He thinks we are ready for it, not when we decide we "might" be ready or not.

I am so thankful for the services provided by the state to help us, as well as our many doctor and nurse friends we have encountered along this journey.  Otherwise, we would be huddled in a corner sucking our thumb and rocking back and forth.  Thank you Dear Lord for carrying us down this unknown and scary path.  We can face tomorrow because we know without a doubt that You are there for us, even when we are fearful, scared, worried, anxious, and skeptical.  Thank you does not seem to be powerful enough to express our gratitude.  We are truly blessed beyond words.

So, I leave you tonight with a verse to think about, meditate on.
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"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  1 Peter 5:6-7
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Until next time...
Serving Him,
Christina

Sweet Simplicity!

Hi there,
Have I mentioned before what a kind, caring, genlte and sweet spirit birdie is?  Well, she is.  She can have her moments, don't get me wrong.  She is a tween, afterall!  Anyway, she found a framed picture of hubs and I on our wedding day.  It has been in a hall cabinet for a few years, but it used to be out on "the" shelf, (you remember, the shrine).  Apparently she took notice of it again and pulled it out and was talking 'to' it, talking about it, pretending she was married.  You know, all those cute, innocent things little girls do?  Then she set this picture on her bedside table.  So, being the decorating mom I am...I decided to put it in a proper place.  I tried placing it on the shelf above her bed but the stand was too big.  So I put it back on her bedside table.  Then, this morning (my day off/YAY), I decided to hang it on her wall below her cross-stitched framed name from Nanny. {Boy,that was a mouth full}  She is the type of kid who notices everything.  So it will be fun to see her reaction to seeing this special picture (to her), now hanging in her very own room, just below her own name.  She will probably squeal with delight!  I LOVE IT!
And, I'm telling on myself here, she thinks it is so funny that mommy had 'dark' hair when we got married.  It is blonde now, {to match birdie, of course}.  I have been told I look like a natural blonde.  I do know that I act like one, so why not be one! Hee Hee :)

Another thing that birdie loves to do is "play" in the kitchen pretending to cook.  So a few days ago, dad had been watching the news and all the Japan news was on.  This disturbed her, so she was in the kitchen cooking.  We asked her what she was making, and she said without hesitation..."I'm making meatloaf for the peoples of Japan".  She had my {glass} pyrex loaf pan out, a cutting board and a fork.  She was cutting up a storm, then proceeding to put the cut ingredients into the pyrex dish.  She was very busy and had several pans going into the oven.  Next she had a tupperware container ready to fill with water, because..."they will need some water".  This touched our hearts so much.  Such a tender soul, wanting to help those in need!

By the way, hubs, the cook in the house, always has to check the oven after she has "been cooking".  He always finds her dishes, sometimes they are the plastic ones.  He learned that the hard way, of course.  But, to her credit, we asked her a few years ago if we could give away her play kitchen to a child who doesn't have these kinds of toys, and she agreed.  So now dad has to share "his" kitchen with her, because he told her she was big enough to use the "real" kitchen.  He started it!  So here are a few pictures of her "doin' her thang".  Dad is just supervising...

So there you have it.  Our sweet birdie cooking for others to enjoy.  This meal (enchiladas) was really good and she was so proud of herself, so were we.  This is just a taste of our girl, being domestic.  Notice the towel around her waste.  Dad did that, mom would have given her a cute apron, one of the many she has been given.  Oh well, that is not the point!

Here are a few verses for you all to savor:
"taking the very nature of a servant..." Philippians 2:7 and
"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free."  Ephesians 6:7-8

So, here is another day in the life...of birdie.
Serving Him,
Christina

Making "Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas"




Using a REAL knife!

 

What a long day!

Hi there,
I have been away from my blog for a few days.  Been a busy week, but aren't they all?  I just got home from an Internet Workshop in the 'big city'.  We were supposed to go 'to town' as a family and hubs and birdie were gonna hang out for the day.  But, he was on call for work and did not want to risk being called out and have to scramble to get birdie to me at this workshop (which they stressed was for over 18 only!).  So, they stayed at home and I went alone :( and :).  Mixed feelings there.  Yay, that I got to actually sleep alone, all by myself with  no curfew and no rules!  I sound like a teenager.  But, when you never get away, this is such a treat.  However, that meant I was on my own in paying attention to the instructor and all this overwhelming information.  To my credit...I am a good note taker, just need to go back and refer to said notes.  Anyway, the bonus, or draw for this workshop, was a FREE Netbook.  Yes, that is right.  A free netbook to all attendees who stayed for the entire class. 8:30-5:00 was a very long day to sit in a hotel conference room and listen to "stuff" I'm not terribly "in to".  By the way...the workshop was offering you lots of goodies to buy into their company, all for only $6000.  Yep, that's right, not a type-o.  $6K  You get loads of stuff and 24/7 customer support, yada, yada!  So, you can only imagine how long this made my day.  Fully knowing I was NOT about to pay $6000 dollars for a business thingy.  I like my comfy little blog, thank you very much.  Also, the intent of their business is to sell whatever, and I do not have anything to sell.  They were sure willing to help me figure out what to sell...and I know you know what I'm talkin' about.  Needless to say, it is probably a good thing hubs was not there.  He would have got up and left.  And no, he would not have gotten a free netbook, 'cause he would have been there as my guest.  Once I got home, birdie was heading out the door to a pre-youth group function.  I can't believe my baby will be in the youth group at church in a few months.  Man, the time has flown bye.  She was fun to talk to on the phone today, during my breaks.  She is getting so grown up, yet still so much like a little girl.  Thank you Lord for these little blessings!

We all need to stop, or at least slow down long enough to recognize these little blessings in our lives.  They can be anything, just recognize it and be thankful to God, who offers them throughout life, and I believe He is pleased with us when we show Him that praise and gratitude.  Simply tell Him you are thankful and appreciative, talk to Jesus just as you would a close friend.  He loves to be a part of our daily lives, for us to include Him in our thoughts and decisions.  Too often we forget to acknowledge Him, much less thank Him.

Well, I'm pooped from a day of thinkin'!  Thinkin', how am I gettin' out of here today without paying $6K and still get my netbook?  After a while, I was comforted by the reminder that there was NO obligation.  Shew!  That was too close for comfort, but along with some prayers, plus I was texting a friend to pray for me as well, all turned out just fine!  Now hubs has to do all the tech-y stuff to get my new little netbook up to snuff.  That will be a Sunday afternoon project, while I go into work for a couple of hours to make up for leaving early on Friday.  SO...my weekend is packed and it will soon be Monday.  Yuck!  But it is my 2 day work week and I can play on my new netbook and write on my blog.  I love it!!

P.S.  I broke down and bought the Easter/paster M&M's, so I'll put them in my Peter Rabbit dish and take and post a picture.  I always forget what decorations I have until I start pulling everything out.  Oh how I love Spring!

Until then,
Serving Him,
Christina

Sunny Sunday afternoon

Good afternoon,
I am so happy to see the spring weather...EXCEPT for the allergies that come with it.  Apparently juniper is through the roof and spring isn't officially here yet.  Oh boy!  We are all sneezing our heads off, even the dog.  I had to give poor Tori a benadryl this morning.  In my book, that's pretty bad.  But, I love it when the sun is out and you can see signs of spring, green is starting to sprout.  If only we could stop the winds and the pollens and all that stuff.  Picky, aren't we?

I got home from church today, and changed the heart wreath on the door to my "Welcome Spring" sign.  I just love decorating at this time of the year.  I love the soft pastel colors and especially the pastel peanut m&m's.  The look so pretty in my crystal bowl.  I'll have to submit pictures, but I don't have the m&m's yet, its too early, I'd eat 'em up too fast.  They can be addicting, ya know!

Plus, Easter is fast approaching.  My favorite HOLIday.  Why, you ask?  Because, as the song says..."Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes".  I love that song, along with many others, but that one stands out in my mind when I think of Easter songs.  Thank you Jesus, for being obedient to your Father's will.  Think how different "everything eternal" would be, had God not had His Son follow through with His plan, actually "taken that cup from Him"???  It was cruel and unjust, but that is how God the Father wanted it.  So, we too need to be more obedient, but boy that is so hard.  Especially when we want things to go our way, when we think we know what we need vs. what He knows we need.  He has the perfect plan for us, we just need to trust Him and "Let go and Let God".  Easier said than done, I know...

Now, I have to confess, or tattle on myself.  This morning in chruch, my sweet birdie sitting a seat down from me, just kept on talking and trying to get my attention, bugging me!  It is so hard to focus and pay attention with her in church.  To answer the question, no we do not have another program for kids her age to attend.  Our children's church is for those thur Kindergarten, she is in 6th.  So I get testy with her and super frustrated.  Of course, hubs sitting next to me is cluelss to all this going on.  How can that be?  It must be a mom/kid thing.  Arrggg!  I want her to be in church and to listen, but that ain't happenin'.  And, I have mentioned this to our Pastor and he says, she is listening and getting "IT" in her own way.  I'll admit, she does "GET IT" alot more than we give her credit for, it is just tough having her comment on every detail or this person or that song..."God, grant me patience".  But, I better be careful what I pray for, He may give me something to really be patient for...Yikes!

I need to take a rest, just curl up on my 'daybed/couch' in what hubs calls my "woman cave".  I love that room.  It used to be birdies playroom, then a guest room, (which we never have guests) and now it is my craft room/play room/guest room.  Don't y'all have one of those multi-purpose rooms in your house?  Anyway, it is cozy and very bright  (from natural light-faces south), and has things I love in that room.  An afghan my loving Mamma made me, lots of pictures and my crafty stuff.  What more could a gril/mommy want?  Silence, peace and quiet!  I guess I am asking alot...

Anyway, enough for today, I'm off to my "woman cave".  BTW, hubs has his "cave" too, so don't go feelin' sorry for him, his is a room with a TV and his wall of "ME".  You know, his awards and certificates, etc.  He is in there right now.  So, we each have our 'own' space.  So nice, and our house is not big at all, however, there are only 3 of us, well 4 if you count Tori, and yes, she too has her own space, several actually!  We are a tad spoiled :)  Blessed really!

Until next time,
Serving Him,
Christina 

A day with my Family!

Hello all,
I so enjoyed my day with the family.  Birdie had a day off of school due to teacher inservice, hubs and I had our every-other-friday-off-together day, so we were all together.  And yeah, we got to do the "walmart shopping" together.  Such fun...actually, it is much easier with hubs help.  Don't know that having birdie along is easier or not, it just is what it is!  The part we all hate the most, is having to put it all away.  Such a chore, don't you agree?  But, the end result, a kitchen full of groceries and we were almost out of everything.  Well, you know how it is...out of the important stuff you need to make a meal or have a glass of milk or cereal.  So, what a blessing, to have food in the house so hubs can cook for us once again.  He is so good to us.  If he's not here we are out of luck, or out to eat...Thank you Lord for a hubby who takes such good care of us.

So, did you see birdie's pictures from my February post?  I added them in later, so, if you haven't checked them out, please go back and take a look.  She is my cutie patutie!  BTW, that post in Feb. was called...So, here goes, the beginning.  I am technically challenged, so I am very proud to have pictures on that post.  Of course hubs helped me out there, but now (I think) I can do it myself.  We shall see.

There is a story to be told about "PINK BEAR", the little bear in the background of 2 or 3 of those pictures.  Birdie was given that as a gift when she was born, by her aunt and uncle.  It stayed with her when she was airlifted to ABQ, and back to our little 'town' hospital.  It was a huge part of her life, and it still resides on her bed, of course it is among several other "friends" she has collected over the years and hospital stays.  Two other 'friends'..."KIRBY" and "SHIRLEY the SHEEP" were given to her by the o.r. staff while in the recovery room, after surgeries.  That is one of the perks of a children's hospital, (if you can call being in a hospital getting a stuffy as a special 'gift' a perk).  There are many other neat things they do for children, unfortunalely these kiddos have to go through so much, the "little perks" can bring some light to a dark, scary time for a child and their family.  Anyway..."Pink Bear" has a music box inside and plays a familiar tune.  She used to love it, but we think it reminded her of scary times and cried any time it was played.  This was after she was about 3 years old.  Even to this day (remember, she is almost 13), she likes it to be in her room, just don't let it "play that song".  So, we respect that, and "PINK BEAR" is quiet; very dingy and well loved, but quiet nonetheless!!

Birdie has ALOT of these little quirks.  But, come on, don't we all?  If any one of us sat down long enough with a therapist, they would point out all sorts of things to us, that we think are perfectly 'normal'.  Can I get an AMEN here?  SO, as her parents God chose for her, we deal with these 'quirks' and go on about our business.  Others would say, "you need to tell her to get over it", or "spank her", or lots of other things.  But walk a mile in our shoes, or even a few steps and you will realize, birdie is one of a kind.  That is why God chose us to be her parents!  We are so glad too...I am not saying that these quirks are easy to live with, it is just what we DO, like it or lump it, it is what it is!!

I could go on for a month about all her quirks and silly stories we have to share, but I'll save those for others days...until then, enjoy.  We are amazed that God thought enough of us to let us have her.  Privileged is how we see it.  She is such a joy and a treasure, we can't imagine life without her.

So, I leave you with this verse...
"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."  John 9:1-3 (NIV)

I have it written as a reference in the front of my bible, so I can refer to it as often as needed.

Serving Him, Christina

I'm gettin' there!

Hello all,

Please go back and check my blog post:  So, here goes, the beginning!  I have added pictures of sweet "baby birdie".  I could look at these pictures all day long, as I'm sure all mommies love to do.  They bring back such precious memories.  Birdie loves looking at her pictures in her scrapbooks too.  I wish I made more time to sit down with her and reminisce, but every once in a while, we'll sit down and look through the books together.  I hope you like them and that you see how precious birdie is.

Since I now know how to upload photos, I'll be adding more and more.  I love pictures, they tell part of the story.  Ya know, "A picture is worth a thousand words"!  I love looking at other peoples pictures, it helps me get a feel for their story as well as ideas for projects.  Think...magazines, catalogs, crafty DIY ideas.  Anyway, I love pictures but I think I've said this before.  Remember my friend said I had a "shrine" on my bookshelf.  I love pictures and cute frames, as well as cute scrapbook pages and papers.  I just wish I made more time for that too...I could, but the family might complain that they have NO clean clothes or the potties are gettin' gross, you get the idea.

So, please check back on that post to see my baby in all her glory.  The first 3 months of life anyway.  (BTW, there are 2 scrapbooks worth of pictures, I only added 6)  There will be more pictures, gotta love 'em.

Today at church, we had a luncheon for the church secretary, celebrating 20 years of service.  What a spread!  Church folk know how to put on a potluck.  So, needless to say, we are fat and happy, need a nap, and won't be eatin' dinner tonight.  We'll save that meal, stuffed pork chops and taters (fingerlings), for Monday night.  We always do that.  Have big plans for a meal, then eat something for lunch and are too full for dinner.  We are getting older and wiser..."our eyes were too big for our stomach", does that phrase ring a bell to anyone?  One of my grandmothers favorites.  Anyway, its been a busy day, so I'm gonna relax and maybe take a nap...

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Here is a verse for today:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight".  Proverbs 3: 5-6
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Until next time,
Serving Him,
Christina