No more Wisdom

I got my last wisdom tooth pulled out on Wednesday morning. I guess I will no longer be wise or have anymore wisdom to offer you all so don't come looking to me for any of that. Not that you did anyways but just in case you did, I am plum out of it now. I don't know why when I had the other 3 pulled out that this one was left in there. But, I have known for years that this needed to be done but it wasn't bothering me so I was like, "It's not broke, I don't need to fix it" but then it got broke and it was time for it to go.
The Dentist was really great and kept cracking jokes like, "Gosh Noel, this is like pulling teeth" That is what he said as he was practically ripping my head off my neck to get the stinking tooth out. OUCH!! My neck is sore, my head is sore, I feel like a train came and ran over my head all because of one tooth. At one point he starts telling me that his wife was a manicurist and that they were having a really hard time with them both working and it just wasn't working out(I am buying this hook, line and sinker....Must have been the laughing gas) and well, He finally tells her she has to quit her job because they were fighting ,"Tooth and Nail". Bah haa haa haa, really funny is that I really wasn't getting that it was a joke which of course made him and his lovely assistant crack right up. Glad they could have a laugh while I was being tortured!!
This could be why I procrastinated for so long to get this done.
Anyway I am glad it is over with and can I just say that there is a reason this girl never did drugs in her whole entire life. Me and drugs do not mix. NOPE!!

The Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11

"Blessed are the poor in spirit(the humble who rate themselves insignificant) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
Blessed and enviably happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!
Blessed are the meek(the mild,patient,long-suffering) for they shall inherit the earth!
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be completely satisfied!
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God!
Blessed are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called sons of God!
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake(for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account." Matthew 5:3-11

The book I have been currently reading, "The Jesus I never Knew" by Phillip Yancey , spends a great deal of time in this portion of scripture. He really shed a whole new light on these scriptures for me and I have really been enjoying the depth I am getting out of it all. These are some of my thoughts on them so far and I am sure there will be more to come.
To me the Beatitudes are like Jesus mission statement. Stay with me here, although He doesn't say in here what He has come to earth to do which would be like a mission statement(what we are here for, what we will do, our plans, goals etc.) He in a sense turns upside down the system of this world in these words and presents a challenge to all humanity. Across the span of time, 2000 years + these words challenge us all to the core because at the core these words are selfless. He is saying if you want to know who I am , what I think is important, what I value, then spend some time with these concepts. They are uncomfortable for us to think about. Mourners, Poor, Weak- these are not words that are desirable. Certainly not desirable words in America. We want to see Shiny Happy People all the time. Just take a look at what gets coverage in the media, Shiny Happy People. Reminds me again of the time when Princess Dianna died and shortly after so did Mother Theresa, whose funeral got more attention? Whose life got more air time?
These words make me fall in love with Jesus all over again. What a beautiful thing to see the beauty and value in someone who would otherwise go unnoticed. The poor are to be pitied in our society but Jesus doesn't think so. He is saying to me that they are the ones who understand or who have it, the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Poor people- those who depend on others to get by, who roam the streets looking for a cozy bench to sleep on or a trash can that might have some pretty good leftovers- Theirs is the kingdom of heaven!! Piece by piece Jesus dismantles the systems and worldviews that I have become accustomed to and He makes me believe in a simpler, more pure way of living. I want what these words hold within them. The value and treasure of My King are in these words and I want to understand them, desperately I do.

Hardest change yet

For the last 3 days I have implemented the next change on my "best life" routine. The first three baby steps were easy because they were all my new year resolutions but this 4th one had me stuck for quite sometime but I do believe I am there. The best life diet is from Oprah and Bob Greens best life challenge. They are wanting a million people to sign up for this and it really is very do-able. The first steps; Drink more water, Eat 3 meals a day, and be more active. The one I have been stuck on is the no eating 2hrs before bedtime. I have a wicked sweet tooth that kicks in at night and man alive is it hard to appease with anything else but something naughty. I am going to keep going though and I am hoping it will get easier. They say 28days to start a new habit , so I have 25 more to go. Prayers appreciated.

My Resolutions

I have to say that I have been pretty consistent on all of my new year's resolutions except one. People pleasing has been the one that I think I am still struggling with. I know that at times I care way too much about what other people think and other times I could care less. I feel kinda extreme in this behavior. I think it's when I get tired of trying to keep everybody happy I just switch over to this mean, nasty," who gives a care" kind of attitude, and just check out. I want to be healthy and do better in this area of my life and I am trying to painfully reflect on what it is that causes me to care more than I should.

I know for a fact that part of my people pleasing comes from not having enough down time to just be and get rejuvenated by the source of life. Also from not doing the things that make me happy because I feel guilty when I do because there is always more to do for me. This is crap!! Really, it's like some kind of martyr mentality that just annoys me. I don't need to be everything for everybody but then I don't want to go to the extreme opposite and become selfish. Anyway, I know I am not the only one out there who struggles with people pleasing and so I thought I would put it out there and hopefully, prayerfully, I will find the balance in all this and do better. I just one to please an audience of ONE.

Grocery Shopping and some other stuff

I have to go grocery shopping before this busy week starts. Usually I go on Mondays while all 4 of my spawn are in school. It's nice and quiet and not that bad. Today they were home and so I would rather have my tooth pulled that I have been procrastinating to get pulled for oh ....i dunno....5 years or so than bring all four of my spawn to the grocery store. It's not so bad now that they are older but still, I really do avoid grocery shopping with the kiddos if I can help it.

So instead of going now that the Moses is indoors and able to watch them I am blogging. That's just silly isn't it?

I had to take the 3 older ones out today to buy shoes because one of male species spawn had already busted out the side of his shoe that I only just bought him 3 months ago. Sheesh, he is hard on shoes. Having had girls first I am used to thier shoes lasting until like in the Cinderella movie they just can't squeeze thier foot in anymore so this 3 month stuff is just not acceptable. Anyhew, back to my story the other female spawn was in need of Hip Hop special dance shoes which I have been promising to get for her for quite sometime and well today was the day. Thank God for Payless is all I can say about that! Finally, the oldest female spawn needed walking shoes for the half marathon she has signed us up for and here comes the climax people......wait for it......she is only one, ONE shoe size away from me her Mom!!! WHAT??? When did that happen?

Well, I better go grocery shopping so that my week starts off well, and organized and a little less chaotic. If only it would stay that way.

But before I do let me procrastinate a bit more and look for a picture to go with this blog. I am sure I won't find one that really goes but maybe one that makes me think happy thoughts before grocery shopping.

Friends

I am so grateful for the friends that I have been given in this lot in life. Friends come in all shapes and sizes, all colors and walks of life, all personalities and tempermants and I am thankful for each and everyone of them.There are those that I have so much in common with it's almost scary. We seem to be reading the same script at times and can go without even saying what we are thinking. We struggle with the same issues and get to rejoice in the same success. They hold a mirror up right in front of my face that I have to reflect upon with the help of thier tender loving care. Then there are also those who I couldn't be more different from and I constantly learn new ways to navigate through life because of the chiseling that they cause. They think different, react different, smell different :) and just march to a different drummer. I learn so much from my friends and they feed my soul. I have really good friends and I don't take that for granted. Today I am thankful for my friends. My life would be so different if they were not in my life. I am glad I am not alone in this life. My life is so much richer, deeper, better because of them. I am thankful for THE friend that sticks closer than any brother or sister. I Know He has given me true earthly treasures in these friendships and I love Him more for that. I love my friends.

Isaiah Gregory needs his own show

Today after picking up the big kids from school we were all hanging out in the girls room. Big kids doing homework and chillin, Savannah making cooing noises rolling around on the bed, and where's Isaiah? I look over to find him in the corner where he thinks no one is watching him, (I love watching kids when they don't know you are) and he is rolling his eyes around in his head, squinting his eyes, closes one and opening another, crossing his eyes, looking down at his nose and suddenly when I can't keep in my chuckling any longer I ask, "What are you doing Isaiah?" He smiles really big and says in all seriousness like I should already know the answer to that question, " I AM PRACTICING MY EYES MOM!!" I say,"Oh, I see well don't hurt yourself" To which he says quick as a whip, "Oh don't worry I won't"

I have a feeling he "practices his eyes" ALOT!!

Why ?

My dogs attacked a blue feather duster today, and on days gone by; a hot tub cover, blankets in every room, shoes, toys(which I don't mind so much cause one less thing to pick up)couches, furniture, pacifiers, bottles, baskets, rugs, cups, bowls, countless dog toys, boxes, lunch boxes, bags, garbages, trash in every area, and I know there is more I just can't think of it right now.

So why do I still have these 2 terrible beasts of burden? Why after I said no more and meant no more? Why after being knocked down and bruised up and beaten by these mangy mutts?

**I don't have an answer for that other than I AM CERTIFIABLEY CRAZY!!! I used to work at the psych and detox hospital in Carson City and I am begining to think I should give my friends a call.

Book Review- Sweet Potatoes Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit

This book was hilarious, from start to finish I was laughing, laughing and laughing some more. Not for the faint at heart when it comes to cursing, the woman is from the deep South Mississippi, and can curse, but man oh man are her stories ever funny. Reminds me of what kind of book Shontell might write if she was a drunk cursing sailor type, but alas she is not ,and so we will just have to wait til her book comes out. Until then here are some of my favorite quotes. The first quote is the begining of Chapter one and I feel as though I could have written it myself and I wonder who it might be about?? FYI-that is now the Giants new nickname- Cutest Boy in the World.

"The Cutest Boy in the World is a Man Who Can Fix Things. The man can fix anything- ANYTHING- even if he broke it first, he can fix it. He can build anything, unclog anything, hang anything, patch anything, retool, replumb, and /or rewire anything. (This is only one of his many gifts-but it's the one we're talking about at the moment. And the value of a man with this ability- and willingness-to fix things cannot be overstated.) " After this intro she then goes into the wonder of electricity and how we take it for granted and how that can be compared to when we find out that we are prego. You flip the switch, light comes on. You do the deed a baby is concieved. So funny!!

"In my opinion, one of the very best features of your new baby is it's built in requirement for massive amounts of sleep. You will want to see to it that that requirement is met and or exceeded at all times. Hell exacts an incredibly steep price tag when this requirement is ignored- and though you, Mom, will bear the brunt of this penalty, pretty much everybody within earshot of your baby will help pay that price. Hear me and heed my words: NAP TIME IS SACRED. It is to be honored and adhered to above all things."

"Babies don't have sinuses, which is really poor planning if you ask me, on account of they do, on occasion, produce a whole lotta snot. OH please-does anybody out there really think that the word "mucus" sounds better than "snot"? They both sound pretty pukey to me."

"My daddy's theory- to which I ascribe- was that there is No Such Thing as a Bad Word. Humans made up every single word there is, and likewise, we assigned each one a meaning, and they are all just words. Daddy had assorted parables to illustrate his various policies regarding language. For instance, name calling that cherished playground tradition. Whenever we would run,bawling, to him with the report that Brindy called me a butthead, he would look at us calmy and question the veracity of the statement. Are you a butthead? And we would sob loudly in the negative, to which he would then raise the question, Well, what if he called you a chair. You're not a chair either, are you? This would usually cause us to stop mid-wail and look confused. "

"Your kids need to see you play- they need to see you having fun for no reason other than the sheer joy of having it. If they see you giving your time to playing, they get the message that "this is of value" and they will apply that to thier own lives in the future."

The whole book is just loaded with histerycal funny stories that just make you chuckle. If you need a lift , something other than a self-help book or novel this is a good one. Apparently the author has written others on marriage, love, single-hood. Her name is Jill Conner Browne and she IS FUNNY!!

Ezekiel and other Ponderings

In reading the book of Ezekiel the last month or so, I have been enlightened and bewildered at the same time. This book in the Bible is one of the more neglected books by me(I will admit I tend to hang out more in the New Testament) but it is one of the more interesting books and it reveals so much of God's character. Maybe I was just not in a place to see these things before, but for some reason this time when going through it so much has made me stop and pause for a minute.
One thing that surprised me this time while reading it was that having too much , overubundace can be a sin and was the greatest sin of Sodom and Gomorah, see Ezekiel 16:49. This was a surprise to me because even though I have read that before I never really realized that what I think God was saying here is that thier overabundance is what led them to do all those awful sins we hear about and what we know S&G to stand for ie; sexual immorality, greed, idol worship but these were just the outcome of having too much stuff that took away thier need for God and not keeping it simple. It also says that they didn't help the poor and needy. Did you know that is a sin in God's eyes?
Also another thing that got me thinking was how many times in chapter 20 God says that He spares His people for His name's sake. NOT because they deserve it, not because He is not angry with them, not because they are obedient but because they carry His name and if He were to smite them His name wouldn't look all that good. It makes me wonder how many times He has come to my rescue and shaped up my life, helped me out of the pit I have dug myself into for His name sake. Because He knows others have heard me call myself a Christ follower and He needs them to know what that really is supposed to look like.

So then after some of these scriptures my head gets thinking about current issues like what is going on in our world right now and how many people who are Christian are targeting only the so called "big issues" or "moral issues" with this upcoming presidential race when all the while neglecting some very important things, things that God would call sin also, like taking care of poverty here in America, healthcare for those in desperate need of it, education for the children that ARE here. I am not saying that where a canidate stands on abortion or gay marriage isn't important it's just that after reading this portion of scripture it makes me wonder if maybe we haven't swung to the far extreme of what we would deem "Big sin" and all the while we are missing some other really Big sins and we don't even realize it because we have too much and have forgotten what it is like to go hungry for a while.

Walking

I can't believe that I am going to get up tomorrow, my only day to sleep in, and WALK. I am not just getting up , but getting up early to be at the Marina at 7a.m. in the freezing cold, before the sun is really shining, and before I can formulate nice things to say, to join a bunch of wonderful women in this craziness. What was I thinking? "It will be fun" I keep hearing Trista say. Then I hear Lolita saying," You people are on crack" and frankly I just don't know which voice to listen to right now.

The picture is of Sol a year ago but it is prolly how I will be feeling tomorrow morning.