I'll Give You Three Guesses

So, I'll give you three guesses whose hand x-ray this is.

Need a hint?  She loves her gymnastics class and just started practicing for the upcoming softball season.  (This actually happened during softball practice catching the ball.)

Still not sure?  She writes with this hand and now can't do anything now because her pinkie is broken.  (Hear that hint of whine?)

I know, this is a hard one.  One more clue.  She is dramatic and thinks it is exciting to have her first broken bone!

Wow!  If you guessed Lily - good job!  This was very exciting for her for the first couple of days, but I think the fun is wearing off.  She has realized that you can't take the cast off.  So, she has trouble tying her shoes, buttoning her pants, writing, showering, etc, etc, etc.  And she is only in a temporary cast!  We will go to the orthopedic hand specialist on Thursday to see what needs to be done.  What a way to start end the spring ball season.

More?

Have you ever wondered if there is more? More to life? More you should do? A greater purpose for your life? Lately, I wonder "more?" quite often. Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not questioning my faith at all. In fact, I find myself praying much more asking God for guidance and clarity.

What do I want? Well, I'm not looking for busy work. I still have plenty of work to do. I have a small role in the school PTA. I have teachers to find for preschool classes. I have all the home chores (the ones that never seem to go away!). I have scrapbooking to catch up on. I have 2 rooms of our house to finish decorating. I will soon be working on curriculum for VBS. The taxes need to be done. The flowerbeds need to be prepped for spring. Etc., etc., etc... But, that is all just...stuff.

I'm also not looking for grandeur. I don't mean to sound like I am so important that I need something wonderful and grand and important to do. I'm not. So. Not.

Maybe I need to get a job. The extra money would be fabulous! The problem is that I am not willing to sacrifice the time with my children. Yes, I realize that they are all in school now. But not all day. So who gives a job to a girl who will only work from 9-2:30, no weekends, no holidays, no school event days, not when a child is sick, oh and not in the summer? Oh, and I'm not really sure that "more" is a boring accounting job anyway.

Maybe I want too much. Maybe I am too picky. Maybe I expect God to work miracles around MY schedule. Maybe I'm still thinking too much of ME. Probably.

So, what do I want? What I want is to be used by God for his greater purpose. To feel like I am using my talents to the best of my ability to serve Him. I want Him to say "Well done, good and faithful servant!". It is so hard for me to explain. Does this make any sense at all? I see others that are happy, successful and fulfilled in their professions. Ministers, missionaries, teachers, office workers, nurses...living for God daily. I just don't know how to get to that sweet spot where talents, passion, and purpose collide. Who knows, maybe I'm already there and God just wants me to be content. I guess I'll just keep praying that God will use me for more. Whatever His "more" is.

Groundhog Day

Today feels just like the movie "Groundhog Day". You know the one where the same things happen day after day after day? Well, we are missing school again today... for the fifth time in a week! They were out Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week and now again today. I cannot remember ever being out this much for bad weather when I was a kid. SO not fair! I would have enjoyed it then!

Last week we made cookies, played outside, played video games, I taught them how to play rummy, watched movies, exercised, did laundry... It was some combination of the list every day. The kids loved it! And truth be told, I did too. I love cuddling up with my big babies. Those opportunities don't come around as often now that they are getting older. So, what will we do today? The same things. It's Groundhog Day. Again!

Yes, I Know.

Oh, and yes, I know it has almost been a year since I last posted. Sorry. What can I say? Life get's in the way sometimes. I am not even going to try to catch up. I will however give you a quick rundown on what is going on at our house.

Larry - Working. Loves his new office space. (I'll blog about that later.) Hunting season is over and baseball season is gearing up. He will be coaching Logan's team.
Deanna - Decorating, simplifying, and scrapbooking (finally!). Not necessarily in that order.
Zachery - Baseball, learning percussion instruments for middle school band and texting.
Logan - Basketball, piano and about to start baseball again.
Lily - Gymnastics, getting her eye poked and about to start softball again.

I'm sure there are more interesting details, but it's been a long day taking care of my Lily and I'm tired. I'll try to post again soon. Sorry, no promises.

Pirate Lily

Aargh! Well, let's just say - nerf swords are dangerous weapons! Lily got caught in the middle of the boys sword fight and well...accidents happen. Her eye is scratched and has to be patched until her recheck tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully by then her eye will feel so much better that we can remove the patch and see normally again. She is in a lot of pain right now. She took 2 long naps today and still went to bed on time. Poor baby. One benefit from this incident is all the extra cuddle time from our almost 8 year old.

The End is Coming!

Today was my last PTA Board meeting as President. Though I still have one General Association meeting in May, it feels like the end. I can almost feel it. Tonight was a special night. I treated my Board to dessert and door prizes as a thank you for a job well done! It was the last meeting of the year and unbelievably - almost everyone came!

Two years ago, I was nervous and unsure about being President. I felt under qualified and I was scared of the conflicts that usually occur when you have 27 women in one room. Dealing with girl fights is not one of my strengths. But my Board has been unbelievable! I have been surrounded by some very talented, wonderful, giving, Christian women this year. They understand that we serve - not to be seen - but just to serve. We serve for our own kids, but for also for the other kids. The kids whose moms work hard all day and can't come to every event. It seems like every time I am at school, I get smiles, waves and hugs - some from kids I have never noticed before. That's why we serve.

Thank you to my Board - my friends. It has been a pleasure!

Waiting...still waiting

Waiting. It seems like I am always waiting.

Waiting for the baby to get here.
Waiting for the baby to get out of diapers.
Waiting on the kids to get ready for school.
Waiting for the bell to ring so I can see their sweet faces again.
Waiting in the line at Walmart. (Always the slowest line!)
Waiting for it to get warm/cold.
Waiting for my flowers to grow.
Waiting to exercise. I'm too busy you know!
Waiting until a better time.
Waiting until I have more time.
Waiting on someone else to take care of it. Whatever "it" is.
Waiting on my hair to grow.
Waiting until my next appointment so I can cut it shorter.
Waiting on the computer for my taxes to e-file. Yes, I did them 2 months ago, but never hit the "file" button. Why???

AAAARGH!!! I have decided that I am not good at waiting.

But there is something that I will patiently and gladly wait on...my kids to grow up. Yes, mom. You were right. The days when my children are young are the best days ever! I wouldn't change anything. I won't wish this time away. I will patiently hug, kiss, cuddle, tickle, giggle, and love my kids until there is no more waiting. Praise God for getting to wait in this life with my children.