Queenies Little Kingdom

Just tell me?  Why?  What is the deal?  I wanna be laid back!  I want stuff to just roll off my back, dang it!  I’m a total control freak!  I’m also bossy and pushy!  It has to be that first-born curse thingy!  I’m so hopped up on my own adrenaline…..I can’t chill-ax!  That has to be dangerous!

I know the old saying…..Let go, let God!  I do that for most part…..but on some things..I get all stressed out and frazzled!  Knowing the whole time, I should just let it rest and trust God.  Lord, I am your weak child.  I’m sorry!  Help me relax!

There are some things that really get me wound up more so than others.  My kids!  Recently, I read a little article linked from the famous Boomama blog called “Trophy Kids”. The article was great and pretty informational.  Employers are dealing with our trophy kids….the ones who’ve had everything pretty much handed to them.  You know, the ones who expect stuff and privileges as their God-given right?!!  Oh don’t act like you haven’t set your kid up just a little for this one.  We’ve all done it somehow.

What about forgotten homework?  Have you ever driven that up to the school….in order to keep Jr. from getting a zero?  Or what about paying for A’s?  Ever done that one?  We’re too poor for that one, but we would have if we could have!  I’m guilty!  Every little helicopter parenting move we have made in our kids life….unfortunately will stand the chance of molding them into people who expect things to go their way.

Do you remember consequences?  I do.  I had jobs to do NO MATTER WHAT ELSE WAS GOING ON IN MY LIFE!!  I still had to complete those jobs before my parents let me go anywhere, game or no game!  We don’t hold our kids to the same fire these days.  I’m so wishy-washy on..”Oh he has a game, he can’t get to that right now!” excuses.  I either end up doing the job for the kid or it goes undone for who knows how long.  More guilt!  That’s not to say that there are times when something needs to be shifted around on the to do list.  But I should be holding my kids accountable for the responsibilities they have within my family.  I’m sending the wrong message when I don’t.

I’ve had a crazy day today.  Remember I work with teenagers (HIGH SCHOOL TEENS!!).  It was cooking day in the classes I taught.  You cannot even begin to understand how young adults DO NOT LISTEN OR FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!!!  On simple instructions!  No common sense!  We were cooking brownies, ya’ll.  Not making our own yeast rolls.  Brownies, from a box!  Come on!  It was a real eye opener.  I made a comittment to myself right then and there…..I’m cutting my kids off the apron strings!  They are going to be responsible people when they leave my house or else!

I’m on a mission!  I have worked my whole momhood with a few serious goals in mind.  One, I’ve prayed that my children would accept and follow Jesus Christ.  Check, got that one!  Two, I’ve also been praying over their purity and for their future spouse’s purity (and the parents raising them).  All’s pure at this darling teen age.  Three,  I’ve taught and prayed over their education and choices for their future.  No one’s quit school and started hanging out at the pool hall thus far!  Lastly,  I’ve worked hard training them to be productive, responsible, smart, trustworthy, hard-working contributing citizens of our world.  Why? Because the children really are our future!  Can I get an amen in here?

Well, as you can see……..I’ve got stuff to do.  My job is not finished…these people are still living here and God has put me in charge of them.  I have to get busy teaching them to be responsible and productive.  Oh and how to make brownies!  Then, I’ve got to relax!

Maybe I’ll ask for a massage appointment for Christmas??!!!   Naaaah, I’d rather have a Wii!

Matt. 11:28 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I’m so excited to participate in this Bloggy Carnival giveaway!! I’m really just a newbie on the blog scene and I have longed to do a giveaway like those who have gone before me. I have been so inspired by the other bloggers out there. You people are amazing! So many of you are living your lives transparent for all to see and doing it with some serious grace, ya’ll! Thank you for sharing yourselves in your blog and for pointing your readers to the Lord Jesus. I so love that!

Now on to the real reason you’re here……..WHAT ON EARTH AM I GIVING AWAY????? Well, I’m giving away something that I needed for myself and couldn’t find at a store. A camera case for my little digital camera. I wanted something pretty and simple that I could stick in my purse or hold on my arm (and still look cute). So, I just went out and bought material….came home and whipped up my own creation of a camera bag! Crazy huh? Well, if you knew me…..you’d agree….CRAZY to the shizzle! I am not a seamstress! I am a mean hot glue-er’er…..and there’s nothing I won’t try to hot glue if needed. I did sew in this case. Remember this is “homemade”, people!

I don’t know what your needs are…but if you would like to win this weird little prize. Please leave me a comment and tell me……1) Do you have a camera? 2) Do you march to the beat of your own drum and do things your way……or the way the world says? (Not a trick question…..I’m just wondering if you’re like me and not willing to go with what is out there when what you want is something different than that?!?). Oh, and I have 3 of these babies to send out in the world. Contest runs October 27th-November2nd. Three lucky winners will be randomly selected. If you’re not a blogger, please don’t forget to leave an email address.

Oh and good luck! Thank you for stopping by my blog……I hope you’ll come back!

Hmm, good word huh? Content! Satisfied, fullfilled. Not longing for something more. Happy with what you have. At peace with all things in your life. Proclaiming your thankfulness for what and where God has you in life. So, how ya doing? Are you feeling content with life? Well, I’m not here to step on any toes, but……do you need a boost in the contentment area? Me too!

Life is so unpredictable! I have no clue where the darts come from sometimes. But I’ve been the target more times than I can count for discouragement and hopelessness. Maybe that’s just a weak spot for me and satan knows it. All I know is that I want to be content and happy with life….but stuff happens! I bet it happens to you too.

Paul understood tough times. He was a servant that took a licking and kept on ticking. The man was in prison (and I’m not talking conditions that can be found in today’s prisons), he was stoned…so badly stoned that they drug his body out to the dump because they thought he was dead. Paul knew what it was like to be hungry, cold, tired, shipwrecked, & beaten over and over. He was misunderstood, mistreated, forsaken, forgotten, abused, attacked and left for dead. Oh brother! and this is the guy who talks about being content in Philippians 4:11.

I only know a tiny bit about suffering…..but nothing like the apostle Paul. My life is a bed of roses compared. I feel foolish ever whining when I think of what my Lord suffered for me or Paul for the sake of the gospel. (God, I’m made of flesh….forgive me!?!) Can you relate? Are there things in your life that have you completely baffled and discontent? I’m sure there are. Thankfully, as a follower of Christ we have God’s grace. Remember: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Having a wonderful life is not part of the Christian creed. Our happiness is not God’s chief aim. Stuff will happen, things will not go as we hope or plan. We will feel pain and rejection, we’ll experience loss and failure. If we allow it…we will grow more like Him through our struggles. Oh but that’s hard to swallow when we are suffering. My prayer for you is that God would give you some perspective. Like Paul, how can you manage your situation? Is there some way to know what it is to be in need and yet feel content? Read more on Paul. His life story is inspirational. Perspective….

Philippians 4:11-13 (New International Version)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Listen to these words by Nicol Sponberg (former member of group Selah & mother that lost 3 month old son Luke to SIDS this year).

Very beautiful! Perspective.

I woke up this morning to that sound all mama’s dread…..”Moooooooooooom, come help meeeeeee!”. I jumped up and ran down the hall, I could see one of my babes was in the bathroom. I knocked on the door and peeked in. Yep, sick girl! Poor Miss Gates…she had a quilt on the floor by the potty. It appeared she and the pot had been close buddies most of the night. I instantly felt terrible for her. I know being sick feels gross not to mention doing it on your own. Blak!

I helped her get a little Ginger-ale down and some pills with it. She got in the shower hoping for a miracle bath, I think. Then I remembered I had to get our poodle, Lizzy to the beauty parlor by 10am. So off we go with dirty dog and sick girl as my partner/delivery girl. I run in with the dog and the groomer says she is feeling sick herself. I leave the dog and head to Walmart for soup and more Ginger-ale. Gates begins to feel better but is still weak.

We arrive back home and carry in the Walmart load (you know we bought more stuff than soup and Ginger-ale?!). Then I hear it again, “Moooooooom, please come here!”. Down the hall again, this time it’s Gavin and he’s in bed…..so sick he can’t move! He’s been up all night in his bathroom. He felt terrible too. He had searched the cabinet for a particular medicine and couldn’t find any. I agreed to run back to Walmart for med’s. He gets up and tries to eat something and hears my cell phone beeping. I check the call and it’s the groomer……I call her back and she’s so sick she needs me to come back to get the dog. What is the deal? Everyone’s sick!

I go back and get the dog (poor lady….she’s terribly ill with this monster sickness) and stop by Walmart again. Make another stop for movies since I know this means people laying around and moaning in misery. Get home and settle in to watch a movie with my two sickies (Ally was in her room eating and reading/texting). We relax and enjoy the movie…..both kids are slowly coming back to life.

My friend Valerie calls me…she’s on her way into town and wants to get together. We have a weakness for yummy coffee drinks at our town’s little coffee shop. So I agree to go….warn her that I look like the mom of two sick kids (which is code talk for I looked ragged out awful!) and she says, “Who cares?”.  Now that’s a friend!

She picks me up in her cool convertible (it was a rainy dreary day out so the top was up) and off we go to A Perfect Day Cafe! If anybody needed that it was me, ya’ll! I was needing to turn my day around and start over. Do you ever feel that way? I know I do. That’s how sin is too. When we wreck our fellowship with Christ….we can’t get peace until we repent and deal with Him who offers forgiveness. Everything we do, God sees. He is El Roi (the God who sees). We can’t hide anything from Him.

Both kids are feeling much better tonight. Gavin actually went on and cheered at the football game. Gates met up with a girlfriend at the game for some hang time. Now they are both home, tired and in pj’s. Hopefully they’ll get some sleep tonight and not spend time in the bathroom. Oh and me….well, I’m doing great. After all, I’ve had a perfect day! 🙂

My yummy Caramel Frappi!

Proverbs 5:21 “For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths.”

Last night we partied!  It was the second time this week we hosted a party at our house.  I feel like a real party animal!  The first was the youth on Sunday and then last night we had our LLYWD group from church over for soup & chili.  It was a great evening.  We talked about anniversaries, kids, church and other important stuff.  It helped us get to know each other even more than we could during our class time together.

Yesterday was also a half day for us at school.  It kicked off our fall break this week.  It’s so beautiful here in Indiana.  The fall weather is perfect (about 63 degrees right now) and the leaves are changing right before our eyes.  I love it!  I can’t imagine not seeing it after missing it my whole life.  I never understood what all the hoopla was growing up in sunny south Florida about the changing leaves.  Ahh, but I do now.  Glorious is the best description.

Our guests loved the Turnip Green Soup……..sounds icky….but it’s not, I promise!  The chili too.  Cooked southern style (we don’t put any pasta in chili down yonder, ya’ll!) with cornbread on the side.  I even got crazy and tried a new pumpkin dessert recipe….YUMMY!  It’s a keeper! 

I’ve learned some things over the years.  It’s more important to make people feel welcomed and special when they visit your home than how your home looks.  I’ll be honest, my house is not fancy-fied furnished!  It’s filled with stuff we’ve picked up along the way.  Usually from family or somewhere cheap.  Ministry has a way of keeping you humble🙂   It’s more fun anyway to be comfortable with who you are than in what you’ve got!  I know that the world is telling us we need stuff to be important….I’ve heard it myself.  But that’s not true!

I have always loved entertaining.  It’s in my blood and now it’s in my kids.  They love having a house full of friends every chance they can.  If I could give any advice here it would be just do it!  Don’t wait till you have the perfect sofa or dining table to have friends over.  Don’t skip inviting someone home for lunch on Sunday because you have ugly carpet where you wish you had hardwood floors.  Don’t miss out on building great friendships with other people because you feel your house doesn’t measure up to theirs.  Don’t do it!  Invite them over….cook something simple….maybe even start with a game night or a dessert fellowship.  Just do it!

Over the years, I can’t count how many people have trudged all through my house.  We’ve always held a Christmas open-house event every year in whatever church we were serving.  It’s so much fun!  People love it.  We’ve tried it all….just having people over means the world to them.  I know how neat it is to be invited to someone’s house.  So I try to think of how a guest would feel coming into my home.  Never have I had a bad experience (well…..except that one time the deacon fell down our staircase with his coffee in hand!) while entertaining.

I love the scripture in Hebrews 13.  The writer is clear about loving without limits.  Our christian love should have no limits; strangers, brothers, prisoners, those suffering.  We are to love as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone to do that.  I have been so blessed by having friends into my home and my prayer is that they knew it.  What about you?  Wanna come over for some soup?  It’s my honor if you do!  Come on over.  I hope you’re hungry!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DON!

It’s been one of those week’s.  This year has been riddled with quite a few of them.  But God has been so good and faithful!  I’m glad to see you’ve made it to another birthday.  We seem to be getting older quicker these days, huh?  It just feels like yesterday when we were young and naive kids.  Maybe it was yesterday!

I’m wishing you a great 42nd year!  I pray that you grow closer to God and more like Him everyday.  May His love fill your heart and His Spirit fill your mind.  I hope that you know Him even more on #43!  I commit to pray for you everyday.  It’s not easy being the leader in all the ways you’re expected to lead.  I understand the pressure!  I’m glad you can handle it! 🙂

I have so many wishes for you….but mostly I hope all YOUR wishes come true!

I love you!

42’s not so bad….even though I’ve only been there 10 days myself. Let’s make this our best year yet!