Category Archives: Gratitude

WIWS and other weekend craziness

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Full shot

Full shot

I’ve not linked up with the fashionably forward ladies at FLAP in a while, but to be fair, I haven’t been blogging a ton lately.  Life is fully back into school and activities mode and there are only so many hours in the day.  You KNOW this, I know.  That’s the truth and I’m just getting it in when I can.

Aaaaaaaand, our oldest girl and I went thrifting yesterday and I simply HAD to share my outfit.  Thrift winning!

 

keep

IMG_5632This is me showing you:  my fave necklace, shirt detailing and MY HAIR.  I actually did my hair.  Looks the same right?  Yep.  That’s why I don’t really do my hair.  It always looks the same to me.  Whatever.

Outfit Details:

Pants…just love the pinstriping (?) is that what it is…khaki and brown.  Can’t go wrong there. $1

Shirt….Love.  This.  Shirt.  All of my colors and super sassy.  $2

Shoes….Aerosoles, BROWN, slides and $2.  yes, thank you.

Jewelry:  not thrifted, but some pieces my beloved Lia Sophia collection.  Call me sucker.

For other weekend news:

Friday night after work and kid pickup/dropoff/pickup/pickup, Hubby and I went to a 50th birthday dinner.  The couple goes to our church and he wanted to do his signature BBQ ribs to celebrate.  In.  Had me at BBQ and me not cooking.   We also met a few other folks from church there (although I only remember about 2 names…I do poorly in large groups) and our associate priest was there as well.  It was a really nice time, great food, good conversation and just so nice to FINALLY be socializing with people from church OUTSIDE church.  It only took 10 years.  Whatever, that’s a whole other post simmering….

Saturday was thrifting and cleaning.  Productive AND fun.

Today I helped our 6th grader do her Science Experiment for her Science project due next week.  I was the photographer.  At Mass  our 8th grader was recognized for his accomplishment in making All State Orchestra for his French Horn.  It’s been a big weekend.

Now swing by the FLAP girls and check out the rest of the ladies!

Happy Veteran’s Day and have a great week!

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,

Friday-eve

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Fall. Definitely a favorite season!!!

Fall. Definitely a favorite season!!!

Friday is my favorite day of the week and since it’s Thursday night, I’m pretty pumped.  And then I’m off to bed.  This whole working out at 5 ish a.m. is a bit of an adjustment.  Big change from 6 a.m.  And even bigger on Tues and Thurs when I get up at 430 a.m.  for the 515a.m. spin class.  Listen, if I have to be up before 5, I’m having some coffee by gosh.  And a big cup.  

So, I’m just taking a deep breath because tomorrow night is the Girl Scout mall lock-in.  Perfect, right?  A bunch of tweeny girls overnight.  In a mall.  With a DJ. And crafts.  And snacks.  Oh. And shopping.   That requires a drop off of approximately 9:30 p.m. and a pick up of roughly 5-6 a.m.  OUCH.  girlfriend will be sleeping in and clearly not going to watch little sister cheer at her football game Saturday morning.  Saturday vigil Mass for our crew it will be because……

Sunday?  Well, cheer competition.  All.  Flippin’.  Day.  And somewhere along the way, I must have been nostalgic for volunteering and raised my hand.  Yup.  Sure did.  Idiot.  So, my foolish self will be at the civic center at 615 a.m. and we should finish up about, oh, say 5 ish.  As in p.m.  I will be in bed asleep on Sunday night about 7.  Call and I will delete you from my contacts.  Kidding.  Sort of.

So much cuteness. I die.

So much cuteness. I die.

However, it’s all for a season.  And this one is coming to a close.  Unless of course the girls win and then we go on to regionals.  Now if it’s set up like last year…..almost everyone wins.  Ridiculous.  I should forward Susie Lubell’s article on how Israeli children are rewarded with mediocrity….they’re not.  Brilliant.  Funny, seems it used to be that way.  Now it’s just not politically correct for someone to lose.  Weird, huh?  I know.  I can’t understand why we have a generation of “entitled to it all” youth either.  CrazAY!!

Enjoy your weekend, clearly I’m on a rambling-tangent and need to get off this laptop and go to bed!  G’Night!!

Just put one foot in front of the other...

Just put one foot in front of the other…

 

 

One day we will miss this

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Our Warrior photobombing the Neighbor's Ice Cream Mascot's photo.

Our Warrior photobombing the Neighbor’s Ice Cream Mascot’s photo.

Taking a cue from my dear friend, D, whose daughters are grown and spread their wings…..one day all this noise and crazy will be over and we will miss it.  So, when we have a super crazy day or week or season, I try to remember this.  Today it was my mantra.

Starting at 5:30 a.m. with my coffee and wake up

6 a.m. waking 2 of 4 kiddos

Leaving house at 7:15 with our youngest son for him to assume his position as school mascot at a “Mascot Breakfast” prior to our town’s parade and fall family festival

Hubby takes our youngest daughter to her game for cheer at 7:45 a.m.

I take our mascot to meet his school band where he assumes his role as Band Captain for the parade.

Oldest son heads out for a day of skateboarding with friends.

Parade ends and we head home about 11.

I take our oldest daughter across town to hit the beach with a friend and her family and then go grocery shopping.

Hubby brings youngest home to prep for a birthday party.

Hubby goes for  a 20 mile bike ride (he’s training for a November triathlon).

I run youngest daughter to birthday party.

It’s only 1 p.m.

Youngest son goes for a bike ride with friends.

Now, if you’ve done the math and followed carefully you will see what happened here this day.

NO.  KIDS.  IN.  THE.  HOUSE.

FOR.   TWO.  HOURS.

Guess what we did?

Napped.

***Disclaimer:  don’t feel too sorry for me, because in between the parade drop off and parade start I had an hour to kill and promptly hit Target, Starbucks and chatted with my girlfriend on the phone for a lengthy and overdue chat (in fact I talked to TWO girlfriends at length today) and then went to dinner with my mom and my sister who were both in town.  Therefore, it was a crazy and well-executed start to the day, but a grand, grand finish!

Dinner on the water with these two awesome beauties? Yes, please!

Dinner on the water with these two awesome beauties? Yes, please!

A week in Review: 7 QT style

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Had some time in the shade this morning so I jotted down some thoughts for this week’s Quick Takes with Jen over @ Conversion Diary…I’ll certainly clock in at the bottom of the heap around #75,897,430, but, HEY!  It’s a post, right?

  1. Top crisis of the week (aside from Hubby’s crazy busy work week and my just crazy regular week), my gym.  Best workout I’ve ever had.  Love them so much I put a humongous sticker advertising for them on the back of my truck.  They are cancelling the 6 am class, which leaves me with evening classes.  I’m not a happy camper.  I’ve stomped my feet and protested and they assure me it’s  a”trial period” while they are trying new things.  I’ll give it a month, but I can tell you right now, evening classes don’t work for me long-term.  They just don’t.
  2. Facebook.  I’m back on.  Sort of.  Only on the laptop, not on my phone.  Mainly just to keep in touch with my friends and keep up with a few businesses.  I only checked it about three times this week.  Still need to go in and streamline a few things, eventually.  A good compromise I think.
  3. Our kids are sliding into a cleaner eating lifestyle, of their own accord.  Which is great.  And expensive.  On the upside, with less crap in the house Mama is doing better as well.  Win-win, I guess?
  4. I’ve been reading “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer;   a book I snatched off Anne’s reading list @ Modern Mrs. Darcy.  It’s given me a lot of interesting perspective on a character trait that I do NOT have:  Adventure!  Fascinating insight into a tragic story and at the same time a tremendous respect for those who follow their passions/obsessions rather than live a life of “what if” and regret.   I’m almost done, but I can honestly say I highly recommend this book, if nothing else it gives quite the cross-section of American people during Chris/Alex’s journey as well as a view from those who follow their heart regardless of what anyone says.
  5. Downloaded ESPN College Football App.  I love to follow the scores and rankings of college football and I don’t always get to watch, so Yay!!  Super excited!!  Go Noles!!
  6. Date night tonight.  It’s been a week y’all and I’m absolutely looking forward to it.
  7. This weekend’s highlights at Casa E include a Pop Warner football game (over now…we won, but I’m certain I sweated a ridiculous amount of weight off), A 14yo birthday celebration of subs for dinner and homemade cheesecake, chinch bug killer applied to our lawn (creeping over via the neighbor…), Mass, exercise, and somewhere along the way, relaxation, gratitude and joy.

Go enjoy yours!