Category Archives: Changes

2013 Photo-Palooza

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It’s a linkup of photo fun with Dwija and her torpedo baby bump (cutest ever!)…13 in ’13.  I love looking at pictures and looking back on the year.  Looking forward to catching up with all these tomorrow a.m. with a big ole cup o’ joe!  (because these kids are forcing me to stay up until Midnight.  slave drivers, I say).

Here’s a smattering of 2013 in ’13 random-ish pictures.  Enjoy and then head on over to the House for some mo’.

1

was this ONLY last year? OMGeeee and now that 11 yo is taller than me!! Note to self in 2014: stop feeding these kids!

2

Trying out winter hats and wishing we had more than a day to wear them and 2 sleepy boys. What?

3

This guy. Does what he wants. Where he wants.

4

Date night. This guy. My heart. This year: 20 years.

5

This kid. His photo. Some years they morph into young adults right before your eyes. It was this year.

6

Another year for the yearbooks. Love them to the moon and back.

7

My mom. My sis. Girls night out. Love them!!!

8

Cheer comp. What? You’ve never been? hit me up, I’ll bring you next time. And earplugs.

9

Friends of my heart. Forever. If we could just bridge the miles….

10

I won this. He read this. Laughed out loud. All the way through. You will, too!

11

A little baseball with the fam in town.

12

Even the ELF knows. BCS prediction? Hoping this guy has the inside track!

13

More girlfriends. Same trip. Left with a full, happy heart. These pictures still make me smile!

May your 2014 be happy, healthy and full of life, love and happiness!

7 Christmas QTs

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Linking up at Jen’s Blog today so that she has some reading material while she is under the weather.  Moms really aren’t allowed to get sick, so I am always baffled when we do.  Baffled.

Hoping Christmas was lovely for you and if not perfect, hopefully you found some moments to hold tight to….like I did.  Ours was a great Christmas, however, for the first time in our family, I felt a shift.  The shift of teens in the house and only 1 of 4 still blessedly smitten with Santa, the Elf and the whole shabang.  It was subtle, but it was there.  Compound “the shift” with having done our family dinner with the in-laws on Christmas Eve and grandparents and step-dad having come and gone after breakfast, mom and sis out of town, and zero plans for anything EXCEPT relaxing and enjoying the day……I was in a constant state of post-Advent Zombie-ness (if there is such a thing).  Aimless.  Lost.   Shuffling.  A month of bustling and scurrying to and fro to a sudden halt……what does one DO with that?  I mean, WTH?!?!?  Clearly a 2014 goal needs to be getting comfortable with relaxation and learning to embrace that idea.  Anyhoo, it WAS lovely…Advent was wonderful and we are so very blessed to be together and loved and healthy and happy; there is nothing to complain about, because it’s ALL good.

Traditiona Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls for breakfast. So flippin' delish!

Traditional Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls for breakfast. So flippin’ delish!

tree

Our tree. Pre-present carnage. Simply the best morning light, I’m not sure what I will do after our tree is down….it’s an essential part of my morning coffee and Daily Readings.

CE

The Hubs on video, videoing me taking a picture of him.

nap

This kid. 16 and questioning everything, BUT….he opted for Midnight Mass with his brother and I versus 11 a.m. Christmas Mass with Dad and the girls. MM wore us all out. He and the cat caught a few winks after presents. Smart kid.

zebra

Next year she will be in Middle school. THIS year she put Zebra cakes on her list for Santa and he came through. That will never happen again. 10 is an awesome age, is it not?

games

Headbanz. Christmas games and camaraderie. Love these moments.

dinner

When I don’t have anyone coming for dinner, I don’t focus. I misread the brisket times and well…..Christmas dinner was scrambled eggs and toast and PIE! Christmas dinner was served on the 26th and a total winner. Worth the wait. We’ll call it a win, even though it was a day late!

That wraps it up for today.  As usual, I am going to be rushing to get out the door in time for work, so enjoy the day!!  P.S.  for those of you without cable, may I suggest Chromecast?  The Hubs got it figured out yesterday and SO.  COOL.

Blessings!!

The marathon that is sobriety

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I had the blessing of attending a gratitude dinner with my Hubs this weekend for AA.  It was an area-wide event and easily attended by 200+ people.  Tables of 8, dinner of Thanksgiving foods (appropriately themed) and a desert table groaning under the redonkulous amounts of sugar and butter.  It was a pleasure to put faces to names of the Hubs friends, just fantastic people.  A few observances of  mine throughout the evening:

  • Coffee.  Water.  Lots and lots of coffee and water.
  • Laughter.  Smiles.  Tons.  No grumpy, long faces.  Joy.
  • Introductions everywhere (thank God for nametags!)
  • Rekindled friendships.

There was a speaker who gave his story of 30+ years of sobriety.  A lovely, 70-something man with at times an emotionally shaky voice as he recalled his life, peppered with witty comments and hindsight observances.   There was no “massive event” in his life that is present in many alcoholic stories (and drug stories); mainly a life of alcohol-centered living, obnoxious behavior and a wife (and family) that had enough.  His message:  there doesn’t need to be a “massive event” to stop drinking, but if you have repeated comments, suggestions, pleas from family and friends to “do something about your drinking”, it’s a red flag.  Sadly, not everyone sees it until it is too late.

At the end of the evening there was a sobriety countdown.  Starting with the most years sober (52) and counting down to the shortest span of sobriety (2 days).  It was humbling, impressive and hopeful and I found myself tearing up and that marathon that those with the least sobriety had ahead of them and yet with the amazing support in that room……hopeful in that they had every tool available to them to take each day….one day at a time.

Sadly, we did not win the 50/50 drawing…shucks!!!  $350!!!  However, I sure came away richer than I arrived.

Hebrews 12:1  

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

iOs7 & 7QTs

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Friday is my favorite day of the week and also a day to recap and join in with Jen and Crew to see how everyone’s week has been going.    With this week’s iOs7 update, I thought I’d share a few observations of my 24 hours with it thus far.  By far, NO exhaustive tutorial, just some mere observations as I continue to navigate the changes and have my children school me.download-2

  1. As with the iOs6 update, the update took quite some time to download.  For me it took over an hour (I can’t give you an exact time because I had to leave my precious to go to an open house and went…..GASP…….with NO phone!).  The hour download does NOT count the time it took to back up my phone first and then remove 1.8g of space to allow the download–a frustrating event in itself.
  2. White.  Holy cow.  There is a LOT of white.  Backgrounds that is.  White background in the texting section.  White background in the notes section.  I’m going to have to lower my brightness, it’s a little distracting.
  3. New font.  Sans serif, I believe?  Automatically put in a password protect to get in.  (of course, you can remove it in settings, but I’ve been meaning to do that for awhile….so, eh, nod to the procrastinators).
  4. When I opened the weather section for the first time I saw this:
    Zero info.

    Zero info.  However, in full disclosure, it did load in time and gave the usual info along with an active background of moving clouds or rain…depending on the weather in that area.

     

  5. This little trick via my 16 yo son:  instead of sliding the bar to the left to wake the phone up, touch the middle of the bar and slide UP.  You get this fancy schmancy screen to adjust all kinds of stuff AND…..there is a flashlight already downloaded.  I actually use that.download-1
  6. The camera features are new:  there is a panoramic option, square option, (regular and video also still available) AND some fun little edits AS YOU TAKE THE PICS.  Fun.  Especially if you are a Instagram lovin’, photo documentin’ mom like me.
  7. New ring tones and sounds.  Good to know because you may not recognize your phone ring the first time your phone rings and wonder where that noise is coming from and who’s phone it is.  Maybe.

That’s all for now.  Can’t say I full on LOVE it.  I’m getting used to it.  But here is one last bonus….when you hit the home button twice to close out apps, just tap on the app and slide up.  Poof.  Off.  Just like that.

Now go and enjoy your weekend!!

Time flies

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School is back in and HOLEEEEE. CRAP.  Summer done washed away my memories of how freakin’ busy the fall is.  Lord, have mercy.

We are starting to hit our rhythm now that we are done with Labor Day’s brief respite and it’s starting to come back to me.  Plan.  Plan.  Planplanplanplanplan.  Ahead.  The planner aheader gets the easier night.   Truth.  Young mamas, take note.

Last night I had the amazing GRACE of our 16 yo son calling me at work to see what he could do to help with dinner.  Be still my heart.  The boy got those meatballs simmering and then whipped up the awesomely hugemongous spinach salad to go with the Angel hair past and meatballs.  WinNING!!!  He also chauffeured me to me grandmother’s to pick up some family tree papers to add to our 11 yo’s family tree project .  A sweet treat.

Then taking our almost 14 yo to his French horn practice we had a raucous discussion on men’s hairdos (the  boy is FINALLY going short–fingers crossed and double crossed, I think the Bieber look is on the way out!!) and somehow we were rolling on a drag queen discussion–don’t even ask–and Mama made a huge funny because that kid was almost hyperventilating he was laughing so much.  Mark another “W” in the column.  A banner evening.  Topped off only by waiting for the horn prodigy for a mere 30 minutes in which I was able to read, get caught up on some emails and do a chapter in my study with my awesome friend.

Tonight I got a great walk in while our youngest was at cheer practice and came home to chicken and dumplings in the crock pot which EVERYONE loved….seriously, do you know how hard it is to find a meal that they ALL love???!!!!?  Insanity.  Hubs and the 16 yo enjoyed watching the World Cup Qualifying Final with the US and Mexico, I kicked the 13 yo off the computer and made time to blog.

I should stop while I’m ahead.  It’s only Tuesday.