thoughts on development in relationships

I am currently facing some struggles with relationships. 

I find that when you try to give things a perspective in a different light, something away from the current scenerio, many times it provides answers to the actual issue so that you can have a new, better, revised, alternate game plan. 

What I mean is this:  I have tried to imagine what it would be like if I were a parent and how I would relate to my child...how I would coach, train, encourage, discipline, instruct, what my expectations would be & why - and MORE!  I think that some of what I am experiencing would be similar and probably much like that of a parent in relating with their child.  I am sure there are times when you are...

• excited when things are going well & progress is made
• frustrated when things are not good & you seem to be taking steps backward
• not sure what to say to get something thru their thick head, especially when you have said it over and over and over - what more is it going to take?
• when to be firm, unbending with the risk of being harsh
• when to be gracious, knowing you had learning curves & growing spurts too
• when to be understanding and just be a bit more patient
• when to say enough is enough
• how not to be perturbed when you have tried everything and things are still not working and you have no more ideas
• when to let go
• when to sit down and talk things out
• when to give space
• when to demand a response and when to let the person think, hoping that they are
• etc

All of this is a learning experience for me...and I want to allow God (who knows all about me and all about this person) to work in me and thru me so that I can help those that need help and we both may be pruned and grow. 

Do you ever think of things in a different perspective?  What would you add to this list?  What strategy do you use in relationships?

verse to reflect on...

A heart at peace gives life to the body...
Proverbs 14:30

Real Simple Daily Thought

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
―Eleanor Roosevelt

Quotes

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.   - Mark Twain

drive to Houston...

Today, I drove to Houston with Jackie for her weekly visit.  We had a good time as usual visiting, sharing ideas on how to spend less on groceries and other expenses, discussing aspects of current trials we both are working thru, areas we are blessed and plans for the upcoming week.  I always enjoy my trip with her!

I hung out at Panera Bread and did some banking stuff and worked on one of my clients accounting also.  I didn't get to my audio book or some other paperwork that I brought with me, but I can't complain, a good amount of work was accomplished in the meantime.  We stopped at a Taqueria on the way back for dinner and now I am off to the cushy pillow for some zzzzzzzzzzz's.

thanks for the help Lord...

Yesterday - I decided to do something I haven't done in awhile...head to Goodwill to try to gather a few things to replinish what has been ruined in the last few weeks either by holes, rips, stains or age.  It isn't that I didn't like to go Goodwill shopping, but I have gotten out of this pursuit because of work/time constraints and the fact that when you are in NEED n.o.w. (aka not tomorrow or a day next week or when it will be on sale at the end of the season) for something and come away with finding nothing in your size, the color you want, or that looks good on you...you get really depressed and it is easier to just go new shopping to achieve that than hunt for a long time just to save a little money...and still end up empty handed.  Well in my revived old quest to be thrifty in all aspects, I am determined to do everything for less!  I didn't come away with the same colors of things that got ruined, but I got 2 pairs of shoes & 4 tops that will mix and match with things I already have so that is a HUGE start.  Thank you Lord for being with me today and giving me the things I needed at such a bargain!  Along with a Goodwill coupon to save $5 for a $20 purchase, I had the deal of the day and just had to share that with you.  Want to go shopping with me next time? Come on!  Let's go...

yah - I didn't need that!

Part 2 of original post:
Yes, in case there is a question, I didn't need that!!!  At lunch today, I took care of the enevitable.  $172.00 (OUCH) and 2 months probabion = not on my record

a thought to reflect on...

Greater is HE who is in us than he who is in the world. 

Strong words if we believe them . . . true words if we know Him.

Meaning takes hold only when we know that He is in us; and His presence is the power of God to change us. The accuser may whisper, cast countless doubts and lead us down blind alleys, but if we know that we are in Christ and He is in us, then hope lives in our hearts.

Run to Jesus - whatever my/your situation may be today - and find true hope. We are filled with hope because He is greater and He is in us.

some days...

Do you ever just want to start over?  Tell the day you won't let it have an attitude with you like this?  Well, my day started like that today.  I decided to treat myself to breakfast this morning from Sonic.  A supersonic breakfast burrito (w/no jalapenos) and a carmel iced latte.  The sad thing is, I never got to drink my beverage.  The lid was not on tight and it slipped off the cup when I crabbed it as I was getting out of the car to come into the office, split all over the shotgun side floor!  I hadn't even had one sip of it!  $2.99 wasted. down the drain into the carpet.  ice and cream and carmel sticky mess all over the place.  Yah...I remembered to count my blessings:
The car now smells really nice!
I didn't get any of this mess on me!
I will treat myself again to another iced latte when I run errands for the office because I had my heart set on it, even if that means the impact of the cost is now $5.98 in the budget!

An update @11:00am:
I ran errands for the office and ordered myself another carmel iced latte and asked them to make sure they put the lid on tight as the one I ordered on my way to work ended up all over my car and I never even got a sip of it.  Guess what?  They comped it to me...I like businesses that want to keep your business and make you a happy customer!  Good job Sonic!  (and yah for the budget).

oops...I didn't need that!

I was on my way to work this morning...driving down FM731, talking on my cell phone, zoning in the sense I was just cruising down the road, really not paying attention to my speed.  But in some ways I was because I knew I was going 52 and I thought I was in a 50mile an hour zone.  Ugh, nope!  Cop does a complete u-turn, blazing his lights and pulls me over.  No mercy...ticket issued..."Ma'am please sign here, this is not stating you are guilty.  Have a nice day!"...huh?  A nice day when you just issued me a fine at probably $200?  Yah, thanks sir! 

PLEASE NOTE: 
I did confirm I was speeding - I backtracked to make sure it was a 40mph zone. 
I am guilty. 
But sure didn't want to give you my hard earned money.

update on Terry

Terry begins work again on Monday, August the 2nd with Goodwill.  This is a very good step in his recovery process from the detour he took back in May.  Please pray for him that he will keep his focus on being a servant as unto his master for the Lord.

Quotes

Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you.

Real Simple Daily Thought

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.
―Blaise Pascal

verse to reflect on...

be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)

Brian Tracey Quote of the Day

Hope works in these ways:

it looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst; it discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot; it regards problems, large or small, as opportunities; it pushes ahead when it would be easy to quit; it "lights the candle" instead of "cursing the darkness.

- Anonymous

poem ~ It's In the Valleys I Grow

It's In the Valleys I Grow
by Jane Eggleston

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe.
It's then I have to remember,
That it's in the valleys I grow...

If I always stayed on the mountain top,
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love,
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn,
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand,
why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing,
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing,
When I picture Christ on the cross,
He went through the valley of death,
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining,
When I'm feeling so very low,
Just give me a gentle reminder,
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me Lord,
And use my life each day,
To share your love with others,
And help them find their way.

Thank you for the valley's Lord,
For this one thing I know,
The mountain tops are glorious,
But it's in the valley's I grow.

Old Chair - in process of complete redo

I got this chair at a flea market sale...probably at least 8years ago (or more) for $5!!!  I think the style is very cute and I knew it couldn't be that hard to fix up.  When I first bought it, I attempted to paint it black, but I didn't do a very good job as it didn't apply well to what was already on it and I wasn't impressed with the black color because it ended up looking more like dark grey.  So it got stuffed in the attic for "another day".  I decided it as time to either do something with this chair or sell it at my next garage sale.  In my quest to use up, clean out and fix up, I decided I would fix it up. 

Last night, I bought stripper, two types of gloves, a plastic stripping tool and got to work.  This was my 1st time to ever use stripper and after using it, I have mixed feelings about it.  I am allergic to latex, so I was worried about the gloves causing me an allergic reaction.  Secondly, I wasn't sure how "easy" this whole process was going to be.  It seems a lot of these types of things are portrayed as taking very little time and so easy to do, but in reality, it is rarely that way.  I decided to launch into this project full force after getting home from work at 8.30pm.  Well, I wasn't even 2 minutes into it when my fingers and hands were on fire in the thin latex free gloves.  I am not sure if it was the chemical reaction to the product or something else, but after 10minutes of trying to apply the stripper with the gloves on, something had to go.  So I ditched the gloves.  That was a mistake also...I got some flecks of stripper on my hands when I was brushing and it was like I had stuck my hands in an ant pile...they were on major fire and itched like crazy!  I relented to opening the other set of gloves, the heavier latex gloves I was trying to avoid using.  These gloves seemed to do a better job, but  by the end of the project, my hands had the heat issue going on again and the fingers were sticking together because of getting stripper on them.  They went straight into the trash.  In some areas the stripper removed the paint and grim quiet nicely, in others it dried to quickly for me to get off.  I attempted to use a paper towel to get at these areas, mistake.  The paper product just stuck to the goop.  The whole process took like two hours between applying, removing and cleaning up the mess.  These photos are right after the stripper was applied when I was waiting my "15minutes": 

Would I recommend using stripper?  Yes, if you have a think amount of paint you are trying to remove and sanding won't accomplish or will simply take too much time; BUT be aware of the other complications. 
Warning: it is a VERY messy process and the products hurt like mad when in contact with your skin. 
Suggestion: have two or three sets of heavy gloves so that you can complete the project without extra hassle over it.  Also put something (not plastic as the stripper will eat straight through it) on the ground so you don't have mess on the floor in your garage to try to clean up later. 

I meant to take pictures after the stripping process before sanding, but I was in such a hurry to get started when I got home from work today that I didn't so you will just have to imagine it.

I am not done with the sanding, but I am getting close...I need to do the underneath sides of the arms, the bottom of the chair, a few corners and the posts to the arms.

Now I need help...suggestions please???  stain the wood or paint it?  Since I was able to get so much of the paint grim off, I am thinking about doing a dark stain.  Any thoughts?  And no, I have not picked out any fabric yet for the "cushion/seat area".  The chair will either go in my bedroom or the living room...just depends on what I find - maybe I'll even find it in my fabric stash.  I want it to be versatile and interchangeable between rooms.  I am open to your ideas...so send them my way! And THANKS in advance for the comments...

paint applied...

I had a lovely front door that everyone admired, but when the topic was discussed, it was agreed it needed to be replaced, mainly for safety concerns though it wasn't the best thing for energy efficiency either.  But do you know the cost of front doors?  It is enormous for anything that has any bit of character, design and glass in it.  I felt to spend loads of money on a front door just because was not something I should do.  So when I went shopping I had to narrow the selection by price.  One of my very nice friends purchased it for me, because as he said, if I was his daughter he would not like what I had and would feel it needed to be replaced.  I got a basic fiberglass door with a narrow amount of etched glass in the center.  My contractor friend installed it for me sometime last year in the fall, if I remember correctly.  I can't believe it has taken me this long to get around to it, but over the July 4th Holiday weekend this year, I decided to tackle the project of painting it...here is the finished product...I love how it turned out even though painting in the hot high humidity of Texas were not optimum painting season and created some issues...I absolutely like the color, just don't look too close at the paint job! 

wednesdays bible verse

Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.     Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)

Quotes

Adults devise a plan and follow it, children do what feels good.
~Dave Ramsey

Real Simple Daily Thought

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
― Anonymous