I'm Just a boy

Hello, D-Man here.

Mom doesn't know I'm on here...she normally tells me to stay off the computer, but well, I need to keep up with my peeps...so here I am.

Mom and I were talking about my flowers that were blooming today.

She wanted me to smell them so that she could get a blog-worthy picture.

But, I was being a boy...uncooperative.

And I decided that the flower looked better in my hand than on the plant.

You know, I was just being a boy...somewhat destructive.

Mom wasn't really happy because she was out of stuff to blog about and I hadn't really helped out with any photo ops.

Maybe me writing this blog post will make up for it. It might not, though, because I'm on the computer without permission.

But, you know, I'm just being a boy...mischievous.

Bye for now!

Just a List

Oh my dear Internet friends...I've got something so earth-shattering today, it might knock your socks off. It's something so cool, well, you might read it more than once.

Yes-sir-ree, I've got a real-life list for you today of random thoughts and moments that are swimming around in my head. Happy, happy, joy, joy for all of you!

1. I'm having some withdrawls...from the Olympics. I know many of you out there feel my pain, so I just had to add myself to the club.

2. I'm ready for fall. I need cool breezes, fall colors and football games to fill my days.

3. The fingers are healing...I still have limited to no use with the right hand, but slowly but surely they are getting there. And for those of you who were wondering, today is day 31...not that I'm counting or anything.

4. I think I have a problem using . . . too much, what do you think? Not that it'll change anything...the dots make me happy.

5. Husband is off this weekend! Hallelujah, because then he starts a 20 days straight run that should make the D House really fun!

6. Razorback football starts this weekend...Yipppppeeeeee!

7. Not really a number 7, just thought I needed to make my list go to number 8.

8. Happy Thursday!

Works-for-me Potato Cooking

I've mentioned before my love for Pampered Chef's Large Micro-Cooker.

And today I want to profess how that love has grown...because I've found something new I can cook in it.

POTATOES!

I have found that the Micro-Cooker is the perfect bowl for cooking baked potatoes in the microwave. Simply wash your potatoes, prick them with a fork and wrap in a paper towel. Then place in the Micro-Cooker (the large cooker will hold about 3-4 medium size baking potatoes), place the lid on top and then follow the "baked potato" setting on your microwave.

The holes in the lid of the Micro-Cooker allow for steam to be released and in a few short minutes you have great potatoes ready for consumption!

For other great Works-for-me tips, check out Rocks In My Dryer!

LLTP: Part 4

Last week, my wonderful friend, Queen B, wrote this post that really hit home for me. It's something that has been on my mind almost constantly for the past 29 days and something I know didn't just happen into my mind.

I know God put it there.

And I know He had a lesson He wanted to teach me.

A lesson that I'm sure He has been trying to teach me for a long time...but I wasn't ready to listen or rather I was too stubborn to hear.

I'm not one to sit back and let life come as it can. I need to be in control. I need to have my foot on the gas and my foot on the brake and control everything that happens. I need to make lists; I need to be involved; I need to prioritize; I need to be in charge (or think I am).

But, God has shown me that what I've really been needing to realize is that being "still" and obeying His commands is where all my focus should be. And what better way to finally make me stop, shut up and listen.

I'm not saying that God wanted to cause me pain...He just needed to open my eyes to something He has been telling me all along.

We've been having a conversation similar to this for quite some time now.

But it's so hard, God.

But, Amy, I never said loving me and following me was going to be easy.

But, God, I have so much that I want to do.

What about me, God, what about me?

Amy, it's not your will, but the will of the Father that you need to be following.

But how, God?

And through all this pain, I was finally still...and heard it all.

Be still and really hear and God's direction will be revealed. Will I hear it every time from now on? Probably not, but I do have a better grasp on what I need to be searching for in my life...His will and only His will.

These things could really be called "I take all your $$ Live"

So we broke down and went to one.

You know, one of those "Live" shows for the kids.

"Sesame Street Live" to be exact.




And let me say for the record that $8 for a helium balloon that will be gone by sundown is a bit pricey...not this momma actually bought one...oh no, this mom was a sucker for one of the Elmo whirly things that cost $15.



Did I just say whirly?

Is that even a word?

I digress, sorry...

D-Man thoroughly enjoyed himself and Husband was oh so thrilled (insert sarcastic laughter) to have rearranged his afternoon to be able to attend. And I have to say that seeing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster in person really brought back great memories for me.





Memories of PBS being one of only 4 stations that we got as a kid, so loving Sesame Street was a given considering it was one of the few kids shows I got to see each day.

Are their shows out there that bring back fond memories for any of you?

I couldn't have said it better...

Not much going on today.



Instead I want you all to read this post from Big Mama.



Then if you feel so inclined, leave a comment and tell me what you think.



I think she hit the nail on the head.

Oh where is my skin graft

Just a little ballad I wrote sung to the tune of "The Hairbrush Song" by those popular green and red guys, Veggie Tales.


Oh where...is my skin graft?


Oh where...is my skin graft?


Oh where, oh where, oh where, oh where...is my skin graft?


If you find it, would you so kindly return it because for some reason mine has sloughed away.


And if you are wondering, that means the fingers are kind-of back to square one.


Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Just Yesterday...

Just yesterday I held you in my arms and inhaled your sweet scent,

Today you smelled just like a boy, but I knew you were still Heaven sent.

Just yesterday I held you tight and helped you fall asleep,

Today you talked about all the new friends that you would surely meet.

Just yesterday I wiped your tears and told you not to cry,

Today you walked into your school and didn't bat an eye.

Just yesterday we were blessed with you and now you're already three,

Tomorrow we don't know what it holds, but with you we can't wait to see.

Just yesterday I smiled and smiled at my baby with much happiness and joy,

Today you started preschool and I cried and smiled because you have grown into such a fine young boy.

Life Lessons Through Pain: Part 3

In continuation of my series, LLTP, I'm going to focus on those chunks of life we are given and what God wants us to do with them.


How many of you out there would admit to the fact that the bites you take out of your "chunks" of life are a bit too big?


I will...or at least I used to and am working on down-sizing my bites.


I have been reminded so many times in the past 22 days that I can't see the big picture, but thankfully God can and because of this I need to take each part of life I am presented with and give it to God...give it to God completely...and ask for His mercy and grace and direction on each area.


Too often I was guilty of biting off way more than I could handle or way more than I needed at the time always hoping that I would make it through. Notice I said I would make it through. Too often I relied on myself or told myself that I could get through it when all I really needed was to take it to God and ask to make it through TOGETHER.


God has promised this to us. In Psalm 33:4 it says, "For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does."


Rely on that hope and faith God has promised and make your "bites" a little smaller today. God is gracious and merciful and will guide you through each chunk based on the big picture as long as you seek His will be done in your life.

Pigskin & Turf...It's That Time Again

It's that time we here in the D-Household like to refer to as football season! Is anyone else excited?

Growing up in a small town with a father into football and a brother into football and eventually with a boyfriend (now my husband) into football, guess what I learned to love?

And love it I really do!

It is an activity that I know Husband adores and I know how much he likes for me to go with him. And it is a love we hope to pass on to D-Man.

It started last year after we moved back to our small, rural hometown. We were able to start taking D-Man to our local high school games and teaching him those traditions that Husband and I had grown up on. What fun it was to go back as a parent and see it through my own child's eyes...eyes that 12 years ago I couldn't imagine myself being blessed to look into.

And this past weekend, we worked to extend D-Man's love to our Arkansas Razorbacks by taking him to "Fan Day."

I think he looks like he is getting the hang of things.

He was even able to fit in a little stretching and running. Is anyone as excited as we are that this "season" is almost upon us?

And apparently, I'm now potty training a second child

D-Man's been potty trained for several months now. It is wonderful!

But, it appears that I am now potty training a second family member at the request of D-Man. His name is George, Curious George that is, and he is of the plush variety.

D-Man brought him to me the other day when both were supposed to be in their bed, quietly taking a nap. Our conversation went something like this.

D-Man: "Mom (because mommy is so yesterday in his book), George needs to go potty, can you take him?"

Me: "Well, sure."

We enter D-Man's bathroom and D-Man says: "Can you help George sit on the potty?"

To which I oblige and sit him on the potty to do his "business."

George finishes, D-Man tells him they need to flush, they flush and then D-Man says to George, "Great job George, give me a high give."

They high five and I think that we are finished when D-Man looks at me ever so seriously and says, "Mom, can you wash George's hands?'

Did I tell you he was of the plush variety?

So, I do what any mom would do and "wash" George's hands and the two exit the bathroom like they had accomplished a great feat.

And I prayed that D-Man would always ask for my help when taking George potty because a boy, his plush toy and a toilet bowl of unsupervised water does not exactly sound like a good idea to me...I'm just saying.

For Me???

How happy I was to learn that one of the D-Household's favorite people, Princess, had awarded me this great award.

Thanks so much, Princess!

The Princess holds a special place in our hearts because Husband and I babysat for her while we were in college (she was about 2 when we started babysitting her). We've remained friends with her and her parents (whom we both grew up with) over the years and so enjoy the special moments we get to spend with them.

And to pass on the love to others out there that I read and enjoy, I'm giving this award to...

Love Well, Chatting at the Sky, Havin' Fun Yet and Endless Possibilities

Ladies, if you feel so inclined, share the love. Here are the rules:

Put the award on your blog and link to the person who gave it to you. Nominate at least 5 other people and link to their blog.

Have a GREAT Thursday!

There's A Guest In The House

Since the hand incident, blogging has become a very time-consuming process because one really needs 10 fingers, not 5 or 6 to complete the task efficiently and timely.


But, never fear, because my great friend, Queen B, has come to my rescue and is my guest hear at the blog today. Thanks B for helping the fingers out!


From Queen B...


Poor Amy’s hand is healing and she needs to give it a rest.

Her hand. Not her blogging.

Amy and I have been friends for a long time. We grew up in the same town…in fact, we grew up right down the road from one another. But I didn’t know her well then.

It might have something to do with the fact that she is way younger than me.

I don’t hold that against her, though.

Not much anyway.

When she and her husband were in college they began babysitting for our daughter.

And might I add that she knew way more about kids than I did. And my daughter was, like, 2.

I don’t hold that against her, either.

Not much anyway.

Amy lived with us for a few weeks one summer and we really got to know one another. We really became friends.

I thought I might point out some of the ways we are alike and some of the ways we are different.

This could be riveting. Hang on to your hats.

Ways we are alike:

We are both serious Type A’s. Serious. Bordering on OCD's. We have really organized pantries.

We are both kind of opinionated. But we fake like we aren’t . You know, we give our opinions (which are correct) but then pretend like we listen to other people’s ideas. But then we do what we originally thought.

We both like to read.

We both like to plan and schedule things. Good planning and scheduling should never be taken for granted.

We have great husbands and great kids.

We like to cook.

We like to eat.

We both like sports.

Ways we are different:

She is way more disciplined than I am. Like, she follows through with stuff.

She would never have animals in her house and my house has more pets than people.

She runs. I sit. She ran a half marathon. I pass out just thinking of it. My leg is cramping right now.

She makes things like curtains. I buy things like curtains.

She has lots of siblings. I am an only child.

She is blonde and I’m a brunette.

I have to admit that I want to be more like her in all of those areas. She is an amazing person and an incredible friend.

However.

There is one way that we are different that I’ll not be changing…

I would never have been mowing my yard.

Life Lessons Through Pain: Part 2

Last week I begin a series called Life Lessons Through Pain as a way for me to journal the things God has taught me through my hand experience.

In the second part of this series, I want to talk about learning (or better yet, being reminded) how God gives us strength to match the trials we face.

Chopping one's fingertips off one's dominant hand doesn't exactly sound like a joyous occasion...and I can attest that it was not. But, through it all, I've learned that God never left my side.

And you know what? He is still there...getting me through...helping me find strength where I didn't know strength existed.

There's not a caffeinated drink in the world that could have gotten me through these last few weeks, but, God can and has.

He's given me strength in my less-dominant arm and hand and shown me that anything my right hand can do, I'm sure my left hand can follow suit at.

There's the writing, the cutting, the hair washing, the shaving, the cleaning, the bed making, the clothes folding, the vacuming, the dinner making...all now being performed with the strength Christ has given me in my left hand and arm.

1 Chronicles 16:11 says to "Look to the Lord and his strength; and seek his face always," had this verse and my experience has reminded me that in ALL things that I do, I must seek my strength from Christ.

May you be reminded of His strength today and rely on it to help you through.

Many Levels of Randomness

Ever have those days where your head swims with random thoughts?


Welcome to my world.


So, you my lucky bloggy friends, are about to be the recipients of "Amy's Randomness" at it's finest.


1. The nursing home in our small, rural town flooded today. We hadn't seen rain in many weeks and it was too much for the lines to handle. Can you even imagine the surprise some of the residents felt this morning?


2. D-Man is on again, off again on the napping scene since turning 3, and momma is not liking it. Not that I mind spending EVERY, WAKING MOMENT with his sweet face, but that time between 5 and 6 pm when he should be happy but isn't because he revolted against his nap that day, well, let's just say, this momma doesn't like it.


3. And while we are on the subject of momma or mommy, D-Man has quit calling me those 2 sweet, endearing terms. Instead, I'm just mom. And I'm OK with that except that means that my baby is growing up and this momma doesn't like that either.


4. The Olympics, oh the Olympics, where medals are earned and a new culture we learn, but the air keeps us from wanting to return.


5. The fingers are on the mend, but not as fast as I would like. You women out there understand that in "momma world" one day is too much to tarry, and I've gone on for two weeks with 8 fingers that are OK, but only one hand that is truly functional.

6. D-Man told me over some nuggets and fry-fries that Jesus lives in his heart and in Heaven.

7. I don't really have a seven, but I wanted to, so...

8. Be great today!

Lefty has been way overworked

My left hand, that is, has been majorly overworked this week.

Therefore, I spoke to the boss and asked politely for a day off.

The boss has obliged, but only if I get in the kitchen and make something sweet.

Do you think Jello-O pudding cups will do?

And tomorrow we'll bring out the parka and hot chocolate

We've experienced a real cold snap here in the south.

We've gone from more than 5 straight days of 100-plus daily temps, to two straight days only reaching the upper 90's.

Brrrrrrr....

D-Man, therefore, felt the need to break out the gloves and warm his frozen little fingers up.

It was either that or maybe he just wanted to be a superhero...

A gift from the tooth fairy at 51

This story I am about to tell is real.

Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Nothing in this story has been fabricated.

My Dad, the B-Man, lost his last baby tooth, yesterday, at the ripe old age of 51.

Fifty-one, you might ask?

Why, yes, and remarkably it had stayed in so long because there was not a permanent tooth below...and because he hasn't been to the dentist in many years, they just now caught it (and I repeat many, because he keeps his distance from anything medically related until he absolutely has to go...but that's another post for another time).

So, my question is this, what exactly should the tooth fairy leave him?

I'm thinking a swift kick in the booty for waiting so long to go, but that's just me.

Life Lessons through Pain: Part 1

My hand experience has been one on my mind constantly now for 8 days.

8 days of pain.

8 days of thinking about what limits have overcome me.

8 days of feeling sorry for myself.

8 days to think.

And through it all, God has taught me so many things. I will cover these things over the next few weeks in my "Life Lessons though Pain" series each Tuesday. I hope you find comfort, strength and peace in what God has taught me.

So, let me kick off the inaugural LLTP by refreshing your memory with this verse. A verse that has been near and dear to my heart for years, but one that holds extra meaning these past few days.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

God has shown me, better yet, reminded me through my experience that His purpose is the one that I should be seeking to complete. My aspirations, my goals, my wants and my needs matter not if He isn't in control of them.

I feel that I had come to a place in my spiritual walk with Christ that had me prioritizing all these other "things" before Christ. And in a blink of an eye, in a fraction of a second, they became "things" with no meaning or purpose because I realized that I hadn't sought out God's direction and purpose for these "things."

I think more often than not, we are all guilty of becoming complacent and numb to those things that don't really matter in life and my wake-up call to this came sooner than later. God has shown me that He is the first thing on my priority list yesterday, today and tomorrow and with Him at the helm of this ship, I can accomplish all things He has called me to do as long as they are according to His purpose.

And here's the whole story

So I amused myself all last week by teasing you daily with the what-happened-to-Amy's-fingers pictures. And I'm sure by now you've all figured it out, but (so that I can have a blog post for today) amuse me a bit and read the below and see what you think.

Warning...warning...warning...what you are about to read could contain detailed accounts of lost limbs. Read at your own risk.

The hand situation got underway last Sunday afternoon as I was beginning to mow the lawn. Husband was seeing his patients in the hospital and I was trying to help him out with some of the outside "honey-do's" on his list. I had made 3 passes with the our new push lawnmower when I saw D-Man start running towards me.

Now, let me take a moment to say that this was not my first time to mow the yard. I am typically the one who does it because Husband's job is so demanding,

Anyhoo, D-Man is running towards me as I hear something get caught in the mower. The mower has no side-discharge attachment because it is a mulching mower and I was unsure with the noise that it was making what might shoot out and hit D-Man. So, in a fraction of a second, "mommy instincts" kicked in and I bent down to pull the stick out from the side of the mower (notice I said from the side, not underneath...mommy instincts were also telling me that mommy didn't need to have her hand chopped off beneath the mower). All the while, I've still got my eye on D-Man. And in that fraction of a second, I didn't release the handle, the blade struck two of my fingers and D-Man was safe.

In a fraction of a second...

It took off the tips and part of the fatty tissue of my 2nd and 3rd fingers on my right hand. I was in the ER within minutes of it happening thanks to our great neighbors (who also kept D-Man with them). And God was so merciful and had a surgeon who specializes in hands on call in our small rural hospital.

He was able to immediately assess, x-ray and begin his plan of attack within 30 minutes of the accident. He took a skin graft from underneath my right arm and constructed two new finger-tips for me in a matter of a few hours.

It was painful, oh so very painful, but in a heartbeat, I would do it all over again to keep my sweet D-Man from being injured.

And, I am happy to report that after having my fingers wrapped up for a week to promote the graft taking, we learned yesterday evening that the grafts have attached and are healing up nicely. Praise be to God and God alone!

I still have very limited use of my right hand (this post actually took me an hour and a half to type because I took so many breaks), but in time, the bandages will completely come off, I can wash my own hair again and I can resume my normal activities fully.

God has taught me a lot this week and I plan to share it with you later in the week. He did slow me down this past week and make me mostly realize that a lot of things I had my focus on were not really as important as I had made them out to be.