Just Grow Up

The thought that has been haunting me over the past several days is that I just need to grow up.  I have been having childish thoughts lately and have become rather cynical over things that really shouldn't amount to a hill of beans to me.  

I have been trying to read the motives behind Facebook and blog posts.  Why would so and so say that?  What are they trying to prove?  Are they trying to show off?  Are they trying to make me feel bad for what I post?  The list of questions that go through my head are endless.  Here is what I have decided:  It doesn't matter.  

Their motives should not matter to me.  I should just take the posts at face value.  If it is good, I should be happy for them.  If it is bad or sad, I should sympathize and pray for them.  If there are motives behind it, that is their business.  I realize that I have been spending way too much time analyzing things that are probably aren't even there.  These are my "friends."  I should treat them like that.

I hope people don't do the same with the things I write.  I try not to put too much on Facebook and post every 5 minutes.  I love my blog and have started enjoying it even more.  I don't keep it for other people, although it is definitely nice to get feedback and support from others.  I keep it for me.  It is a great way to journal about what has been going on in our lives and my thoughts and feelings about those things.

However, I am going to try to be more conscious about how I write about the events in our lives.  I don't want to seem like I am bragging about anything.  Bragging and too much pride in oneself only leads to hate and that it definitely something God does not want to see.  So I need to be aware of how I am presenting myself.  

I love getting to travel, go to ballgames, go to movies and plays.  I really do love those things, but what makes them so special is that I get to do these things with my family.  These are things that we enjoy doing together.  They are shared interests that bring us together.  I write about doing all of these things because when I look back at doing them I remember the fun we had as a family.

When I think about why I share about these things on Facebook and my blog, I'm sure those are the same reasons everyone also shares what is going on in their lives, too.  I am going to grow up and enjoy everyone else's fun family memories and stop looking for bad things.  Positivity is a good thing that I need to spend more time searching for.

Here is what brought me some joy this weekend.  When I got home Saturday from some training for a new program I am going to be involved in at school (I'll share more about that later.),  I found these waiting for me:

There was no special occasion, just hubby being sweet.  It brought me joy and added a bit of color and cheer to the house!

Be Still...

I read a great devotion today written by our pastor at our church in Central Arkansas.

Over the past couple days I have been forced to deal with some issues I didn't even realize I had.  I am not proud of the some of the emotions I have felt, but now I can face them and move on.  The devotion I read today made me realize I could.

The devotion started with this quote:

"The central promise in the Bible is not "I will forgive you," although of course that promise is there. The most frequent promise in the Bible is "I will be with you." ~ John Ortberg


It's comforting to know that I don't have to face my emotions and internal struggles alone.  The devotion continued by having me read Psalm 46.  There could not have been a more perfect passage for me to read right now.


Here are the two verses that really spoke to me:

I will never have to face anything alone.  I just need to stop and ask for help when I need it from someone who is always with me, my heavenly Father.

That Darn Monkey Wrench

Don't you just love when life seems to be going along nice and smoothly and then the devil comes along and tries to throw a monkey wrench along the path?  Well, that happened to hubby this week. 

He has a math class late in the day that is made up of seven 8th grade girls.  Those of you that are around girls that age, know that they can be a bit challenging.  They are going through a lot of changes physically, emotionally, and socially.  It seems like everyone around them will pay.  On Monday this group of girls were less than perfect in class.  In fact, they were awful!  They wouldn't listen or do their work.  They were yelling out, singing, dancing, etc.  The school policy is that when students have behavior problems, they have to stay after school for detention and must be given at least a 24 hour notice.  They couldn't have detention yesterday, since there are faculty meetings held on Tuesday afternoons.  So hubby has to hold detention for them today, which is his birthday.  Yuck!

As if Monday's ordeal wasn't bad enough, hubby walked out to his car yesterday afternoon to discover it had been keyed.  We don't know for sure who did it or when it happened, but chances are really good it was one of the students.  Teacher parking is located in an area that students have to frequently walk through.

I'm trying to help my hubby stay positive in this less than ideal situation we are in.  It isn't easy, especially when thngs like this happen.  We have to remember that the devil is trying to get to us.  We have to stay strong and positive so that he doesn't win.  We aren't going to fall over that monkey wrench he has put in our way.  We will just go around it and looking ahead to all the good htings that are coming our way.

Recipe: Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Pinterest has done it again.  I found another recipe that looked too good to pass up.  I really enjoyed it for dinner and know that it will make a good lunch to take and reheat.

To see the original post for this recipe head over to Get Off Your Butt and Bake.

Here is what you need:



1 lb. ground beef (I used lean ground turkey.)
1 large chopped onion
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing (I used light.)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 cup sour cream (I used light.)

1 small can of whole kernel corn, drained8 inch tortillas (I used 3 of the soft taco size.)
2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Brown the meat and onion in a skillet.



Drain and then return mean and onions into a large skillet.  Stir in salsa, black beans, corn, salad dressing, taco seasoning, cumin, and sour cream.



Spoon a generous layer of the meat mixture into the bottom of a greased 2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese.



Place a tortilla on top of the meat mixture and cheese.



Repeat with as many layers as you would like.  The top layer should only consist of the meat mixture and cheese.  Cover with foil that has been greased and bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly all the way through.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



This casserole can be served as is or topped with lettuce, tomato, and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Monday Musings

1.  I had a great weekend and was definitely not ready for it to be over.  We ate out.  I got to catch up with some of my old friends that I used to teach with, we went and saw To Kill a Mockingbird at the Arkansas Repertory Theater.  It was amazing and made me cry.  I can see how things have changed in our country through the years, but also how some things remain the same.  It was such a great play, though.

2.  Today I went and bought some new furniture which I will tell you about later.  This was the first big purchase I have made all by myself.  In the past, I have always made purchases like this with either hubby or my mom.  I was a big girl and went and did it all by myself, not by choice but out of necessity.  Hubby and I had picked it out together and it was on sale this week.  We were afraid to wait until the weekend in case they were sold out.

3.  It has been too long since I have gone for a run, so that is the first thing I need to do when I get home from school tomorrow.  I am really trying to get in better shaper and the longer I go between runs the harder it is to get started again.

4  I have found two great giveaways you may be interested in.  The first one is over at Marriage Confessions.  It is for a $100 gift card to Olive Garden.  I know I would get a lot of enjoyment out of that one.  You should definitely head over there and check it out.  The second one is over at My Little Life.  If is for a $50 Visa gift card.  It's definitely worth checking out, too.

I'm done musing for today.  I hope everyone had a great Monday!