Queenies Little Kingdom

My heart is full. Even in the humdrum of busy and stressful days….I realize just how blessed I am. Thank you God.

How could I ask for more?

There are things in life that we must learn the hard way. Me, I like to learn just about everything the hard way. From A to Z, I could go down the list and just check em off. By the time I reach Z, I’m past my coping limit. I turn to what every bummed out frazzled mom does, crawling in my bed and pulling the covers over me. 🙁

I know it’s a week to focus on thankfulness….but I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I know I have so much to be thankful for and I AM THANKFUL. Believe me, people….I am eternally grateful for so much in my life. But I’m having a mindboggling time with accepting chronic financial and emotional stress.

I know that God has everything in control….yet I struggle to deal with the black and white of my everyday. I feel so crummy about it. The biggest frustration is that I often feel so wigged out that I miss out on loving my family to my best ability. I’ve always tried to be the best wife and mom to my family…..but for the last few years I just feel zapped!

I feel robbed. I can only imagine how they feel.

Do you ever feel like that?

Here’s my “learned the hard way” friendly advice:

1) Don’t hop on the scales when your college age son & husband are having a weigh-in contest to see who’s the biggest! Uhh, no further comment! Depressing!

2) Don’t look at a text message on your way to the grocery store from your hubby that says…..”Hey, the bank account is -bazillion…shop wisely!”. Whaaaaaa? Oh yea, Happy Thanksgiving to me!

3) Don’t take a couple days off from work and think stuff won’t be piled to Jesus when you get back! Boo, to sorting a million different assignments and class papers! 🙁

4) Don’t go to the dentist for a cleaning and let them do x-rays. Finding 3 different (yes, I’ve had pain) cavities to have filled hurt more than laying with my head on the floor for an hour while the dental expert asked me a million personal questions!! Good times!

5) Don’t take the call from a fellow teacher that has incriminating news about one of your kids! You’ll realize….they’re not perfect and neither are you!

6) Don’t tell a fellow castmember who insults you very openly that they hurt your feelings. Some people can’t handle being called on poor behavior! I learn so slow, ya’ll!

7) Don’t snap at your kids when they really just want to have a conversation with you. Or argue with them. Yuck!

8) Don’t post your stress or frustrations on Facebook. People don’t have time to deal with your problems too. Plus, it gives fodder to gossip. Not good!

9) Don’t stay up too late on work nights. No matter what you think…you will always feel awful the next morning.

10) Don’t forget to tell the people you love how you feel about them. Or to let them know when you need prayer. 😉

This advice is of course customized to me. But I bet you can relate to something I’ve said. Life has bumps, it’s complicated. People are flawed. We goof! But God….He never does.

GOD, I’M THANKFUL FOR YOU AND YOUR STEADFASTNESS IN MY LIFE!

It’s certainly getting to be the holiday season. The weather, the tv ads, the blog goodies being offered and the time off with the family. I’m always finding stuff I love and that I know my girls would love too. We have a thing for purty stuff. 🙂

This Christmas, you may be like me and looking for ways to bless other’s without breaking the bank. Personally, I love gifts that have meaning. I love to give and receive that kind. It means more, right? Fun stuff makes me happy too. I want to share some goodies that I’ve discovered out in internet-ville.

Hot drink recipes

Pinecone Firestarter Basket

An awesome jewelry giveaway

Oh Lisa Leonard is having a GIVEAWAY!

I spent quite a while finding fun links with great goodies but my computer decided to do a little crashing. Boo! So I lost much of my post. Sorry! But these are all great ways to get in the Christmas spirit and start planning for some giving ideas. Enjoy!

I know this is very controversial right now. But, I just can’t believe how ridiculous it is! What in the world? WHY? Why is it necessary to do such invasive procedures to people? I’m not the least bit interested in A) Having a NUDE scan of my body taken for the whole flippin world to see. Or B) Having a stranger grope me up and down with their hands in front of all the other passengers waiting their turn at the yuckfest! Both just creep me out! And I think it should creep you out too!

Listen, the “terrorist” are NOT flying with their little children or teen daughters to see Grandma in south Florida! They are pretty much young male Muslims with a little different flight plan in mind. What is this….ROCKET SCIENCE? I’m a small-brained mama living in Indiana that probably doesn’t operate on half the brain juice as these folks making such decisions. But, seriously! How does this make sense?

I have an idea. How about INVASIVELY probing the suspected criminals who try to fly and leave the rest of us alone! I’m more than perturbed about this. I’ve gone through my own “possible” experience over and over in my mind….which would I do? I don’t want to do either! And, I certainly do not want to allow either of my teen daughters to have to either. Hello? A NAKED PICTURE OF YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTERS PLASTERED ON THE WEB???!!! {You do realize, people are pretty icky…right?} I don’t want to hear a word about how these images are deleted and not used for anything else. YEAH, RIGHT!!!

I’m baffled and aggrevated! I think this has gone too far. I’m all for a safe America. I’m also for protecting people who fly. I know that people are looking for ways to kill and hurt Americans (and sometimes it’s even Americans that want to do bad things!). But, come on people! Stop the madness!

PS.
Thank you dear government. I feel so much safer now. 🙁

Oh and another thought. Who knows if these scanners are physically safe? Isn’t it a little daunting to think that you could be PAYING them to make you sick? Yea, that’d be icing on the traveling cake!

For the last week or so…..I’ve been hangin by a thread! Things seem to overwhelm me at times (I pray I’m not alone in this) and I hold onto them internally. Everyone knows….that’s not good! So, my heart is taking a beating but I’m trying to put life in perspective.
I’ve had a verse posted on my desk for encouragement.

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves; therefore, under GOD’S mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time. Cast ALL your cares on HIM because….HE CARES FOR YOU (ME)!!”

I hope you have that same assurance that I do. Stop looking to the world for comfort and peace. You’ll never find it there.

NOTE:
That’s my advice to me too! 😉