Happy 12th Birthday Card for a Girl

My granddaughter just turned 13.  No, that isn't a typo, and I didn't make a mistake on the card.  This was her birthday card last year.  Yes, I'm a year late in sharing.  But I was desperately looking for something to post other than another sad story about life, disappointment and depression.  And I found this...something I actually made with  my own two hands.

The girl is from the Cricut cartridge Paper Dolls Teen Scene.  This is one of those cartridges I knew I had to have but rarely find an excuse to use. Looking at the card now, I think I subconsciously dressed the girl very much like I would have dressed at the same age, circa 1970.  Nostalgia.

Thanks for visiting!

Life is Exhausting

I'm praying for God to do some serious work on me right now.  The devil has been working overtime.
 
I'm ashamed to admit I've let my frustrations show where my grand/daughters are concerned.  I do think they need to learn that their actions aren't without consequences and that there are responsibilities in life.  But some days my irritation shows before they've even fully entered a room.

In my defense, they are dirty little creatures, and fully capable of cleaning up after themselves.  But they don't.  And I'm overwhelmed.

Raising kids without abundant financial resources is exhausting.  Trying to prepare a large home for future downsizing after 25 years is exhausting.  Doing laundry and cleaning for two teenage girls is exhausting.  Dealing with teenage drama is exhausting.  Having teenage girls argue against everything you say is exhausting.

Getting out of bed...exhausting.

But God gave me a task, so He must have thought I could do it.  With lots of help from Him, I'm trying my hardest.

So many outside forces are taking away my joy.  If I could lock myself inside my crumbling home and never face the selfishness, judgment, and anger of others, I think I could breeze right through. But I can't. Life just doesn't work that way.  So with a lot of prayer, I'm trying my best to cope. Knowing God is in control is sometimes all that keeps me going.

Even in the midst of days that seem to consume my very being, I thank God for loving me, a flawed woman who wakes up every day begging for forgiveness and a fresh start.