Dursteler Diary

Terry Family Christmas

Slumber Party with our Cousins

Family Reunion Book

Check our book out to see if you see any problems. I know the pictures of us aren't great because we were camping but that's ok! Let me know if I need to make changes and I can finalize it and we can order them!



My Epiphany

I had a real epiphany today (another one I know). I am home for two weeks for Christmas break and I am trying to declutter a lot. We are moving a wall in Jack's room to create some more space in my Polly Pocket house. I got rid of four big bags of stuff and a box of all my old scrabpooking books and magazines. It's all on the internet now if I go crazy with it now.

While I was going through papers I found a lot of old stuff, old papers and talks. The talks were very interesting. I also found the kids birth parent papers and reread them. Jack's birthmom was in labor for  72 hours and Lauren's delivered with no epidural. Crazy!  I love those woment! They both come from very thin families too, families with men who are 6 feet tall and 140 lbs.

I also found a bunch of old papers from when we were in college and I looked through law school papers and remembered quite a few of them. The scrapbooks were in the closet too and after looking through them I got really angry. We were happy, extremely happy. Smiling people on every page doing loving and kind things for one another. I was writing down everything the kids said and keeping track of their development and friendships.

After doing this I drove to the dentist to get my Christmas present, a new crown. While driving up I was thinking how when people ask me how I am and I always say "busy". It hit me like a ton of bricks that my dentist will go home today and he will have a clean house and food on his table because he has a wife who is doing her part and he is doing his part. I have to do both parts. I think I just have gotten in the swing of doing it all that I have forgotten that I am being two people. I take care of the car, plumbing, yard, repairs, painting, broken doorknobs, appliances and everything else on top of working a full time+ job. Then I go home and do the "mom" things I used to do. Keep the house clean, organize, plan activities for my kids, keep them registered in activities they want to do, do all the shopping and food preparation and cleanup, laundry, laundry, laundry. Homework for them is another total matter.

I used to make crafts with the kids as part of our family tradition. Today the kids are inviting a friend over to play and do crafts and try to get a little of that back. Now that I have a couple days off I am doing the things that are way on the bottom of the list, paint the headboard, sweep the garage, get myself and the kids into see the doctors and dentists. Sometimes it feels like it is never ending. I wish my family and kids were the only thing I had to worry about again.

I've learned a lot these last few years. One I'm still working on is giving myself a little grace and not beating up on myself. It is so easy to compare myself to others who have lives so different from my own. I get so frustrated that nothing is ever done and that things that used to be so simple are so incredibly difficult now. Why can't I get dinner on the table or the laundry done? Because I'm doing it all alone. Well I'm not really alone. I have been lifted up and carried through much of this and I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and cares for me and my children. We are loved and that's what counts. All these things are working together for my good and the spritit is helping my infirmaties.

 Romans 8 - 16 The Spirit itself beareth ^awitness with our ^bspirit, that we are the ^cchildren of God:

 28 And we know that all things work together for ^agood to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 35 Who shall separate us from the ^alove of Christ? shall ^btribulation, or distress, or ^cpersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

 37 Nay, in all these things we are ^amore than ^bconquerors through him that loved us.

 

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Download cleekIPICK[1].pdf

Hitler gets his mission call

Andy Rooney on Women Over Forty

Andy Rooney says:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over forty most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over forty will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, “What are you thinking?” She doesn’t care what you think.

If a woman over forty doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.

A woman over forty knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of forty give a hoot what you might think about her or what she’s doing.

Women over forty are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.

A woman over forty has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women. Women over forty couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over forty. They always know.

A woman over forty looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over forty is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one! You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over forty for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of forty-plus, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some twenty-two-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free,” here’s an update for you. Now 80 percent of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage.

Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22323/34969-andy-rooney-forty#ixzz1dU6tOFb9